Currently Reading- ME ++

currently reading ME++ The Cyborg Self and the Networked City    by William J Mitchell


http://mitpress.mit.edu/catalog/item/default.asp?ttype=2&tid=9895

Post mid review

these are a few points im working on post Mid-Review.

-A further exploration of  how the object is conditioned by behavior, ergonomics and functionality.

-Deeper thought on the political implications of introducing this secondary organizational strategy. How an  informal settlement is affected by this introduction.

-Why is the unit better than a space leased out within vacant city buildings?

-Strategy to present the research more effectively ie, research build-up.

-Agggregation and interaction strategy for units. basis for formation of partnerships (scale) between Units and existing structure.

-Exploring activity at junctions and street corners.

Stanley Kubrick- the genius....

A few days back i was for the n-th time, drawn to my collection of stanley kubrick movies. I had decided to keep the movies away for a while in a hope that i would see newer movies, and not repeat old ones.
But as soon as i saw the collection, i knew i wanted to dig in.
Theres is a lot about his movies that makes me want to go back to them. From the early movies like to Dr. Strangelove, to relatively more recent movies like Full Metal Jacket(pardon me for not having watched eyes wide shut yet), Stanley Kubrick has consistently maintained an unsurpassed standard in movie-making. His movies are characterized by immensely powerful scenarios which draw the viewer into the situation. When Jack Torrance drives up the hill to the Overlook hotel, you can just feel yourself being there, as a part of that breath-taking, yet spooky drive.I had a similar feeling driving up the Yosemite National park in pitch dark with my friends a few months back.And who can forget the iconic, 'Here's Johnny' scene from the same movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgCejsyS0t8

Another scene that comes to my mind is the one from Full Metal Jacket, in which Pvt. Pyle is driven to a point of insanity. Pvt. Pyles face would make anyone tremble in fear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysRLZIlcQsU

One also must not forget the use of striking colours in pivotal scenes in the movie. The red used restroom scene, again from the movie 'The Shining', also adds another dimension to the situation, while at the same time, keeping the viewer glued to the development. Say, for example, a regular white coloured restroom would have meant something completely different to a viewer. One can relate to the scene just by remembering the colour used.

The background score is also an aspect of Kubrick's movies, that one cannot ignore. It is an integral part of his movies. The music, sets up the tone for any and every situation. A bit of the old 'Ultraviolence' wouldnt seem all that explicit without the music would it?
Alex, needed to take revenge. There couldnt have been a better way than this..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v90KPJ6n4Ew

and how can i ever forget 2001- A Space Odyssey...Theres a bit of genius in every scene in every Kubrick movie....the 'Floating Pen' scene immediately comes to mind....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8aIjHX9U3o

there a little trick behind this one, which i couldve never imagined. So simple yet so brilliant.

These are only 3-4 points which make Kubrick movie stand head and shoulders above any other film maker.
If you havent already, watch them..

some thoughts..

some thoughts which might seem slightly disconnected...im just putting them down so that i can keep track of them....

What is the Yardstick to measure Growth? When can a situation be labeled as stagnant and how does one escape stagnation? Humans have a tendency to measure Growth through productivity. Isnt the ability to adapt rather than produce mindlessly a more feasible method to calculate growth? Does one need to erase their past to forge ahead or does one need to build on the past, literally and figuratively.

A few years back, the world saw the launch of a 2000 dollar car by one of India’s largest Automotive Manufacturers. It was the culmination of a mammoth effort combining creativity and immense technical rigor. It was an idea which took fruit out of a necessity for cheap personal mobility. One must question the idea of personal mobility at a time when cities in Developing nations are pushing people to embrace Mass Rapid Transit Systems which are certainly more efficient and cheaper to use. But for a country like India, personal mobility signifies a quantum growth in economic stature for every individual.

Before we get to the apparatus for personal mobility comes the apparatus for living. The household full of consumer goods designed to make our lives easier, faster and more efficient. The products are designed to help us grow as individuals. The potato peeler does a specific job, and so does the coffee maker. The washing machine doesn’t wash our dirty vessels, the Dishwasher does. The mobile phone is one such apparatus (if it may be termed) which makes a phone call, can shop for us, can manage our bank accounts, can play our music, can capture memories, can be our weather man, navigator and news channel. The idea of a mobile phone is not too different from a Swiss Army Knife which is the perfect adventure gadget capable of performing a host of functions.

We are trained subconsciously to select items which are the ‘Jack of All Trades’. We see these consumer products as a solution to our ever-growing problems in an ever-shrinking world. Its all about the doing a ‘Lot’ with a ‘Lot Less’. The time saved to perform a particular task can be directly utilized to complete another task and so on. The space saved is space which can be utilized to store other consumer products.

Is our world is reaching a stage where we press a button and expect a result? Is that where our world was supposed to reach? Maybe so, maybe not, who knows??