I have finally begun to believe in ghosts.
Memories are ghosts.
And they really are like what fantasy and myth say they are like - they fade in and fade out, they are transluscent, they sometimes haunt us when we are awake, and even more when we are asleep.
dreams ARE a really crazy place... its perhaps the only place where we arn't bound by time!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Memory of a previous life
Its amazing how TIME plays a central role in humor. Humor presupposes the knowledge of a past, or the knowledge of the expected consequence. Since humor is derived out of something unexpected it is obvious that there IS something expected to begin with!
In this context, i find that Re-Use products add an entirely new category to humor in products.
This is because we relate to certain forms in a set context. When that same product is used in a COMPLETELY different context, the memory of it's ..shall we say 'previous life' adds a smile!
In this context, i find that Re-Use products add an entirely new category to humor in products.
This is because we relate to certain forms in a set context. When that same product is used in a COMPLETELY different context, the memory of it's ..shall we say 'previous life' adds a smile!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Humor in Products
Back to my pet topic - product-humor.
The plan is categorize and understand different ways in which products create humor, and how product-humor plays a role ( if any) in today’s world.
Been thinking-thinking about how to go about my research for some time... been collecting images too, and with every new product-humor' image that I find, I am able to find more basis for categorization.Studying and understanding humor is a lot like studying and understanding art... there's limitless categorization, a lot of subjective judgment, and a lot of personal bias, - and lastly a lot of that scary question " so what?"
I realize what I am doing is a lot of 'translation' is I may call it that. I’m looking at techniques of humor in other mediums such as language, and film, (such as puns, paradox, parody etc) and seeing how that technique is used in products to result in humor.
Like a paradox in a product is perhaps when the product presents an impossible situation…. (Courtesy 100% design)
A pun… a Time-Table (courtesy Juanico)
And like wise… The search is getting more exciting.
So anyone out there, if you ever come across a product that makes you smile/ laugh/ or just tilt your head…. Please do pass it on!
The plan is categorize and understand different ways in which products create humor, and how product-humor plays a role ( if any) in today’s world.
Been thinking-thinking about how to go about my research for some time... been collecting images too, and with every new product-humor' image that I find, I am able to find more basis for categorization.Studying and understanding humor is a lot like studying and understanding art... there's limitless categorization, a lot of subjective judgment, and a lot of personal bias, - and lastly a lot of that scary question " so what?"
I realize what I am doing is a lot of 'translation' is I may call it that. I’m looking at techniques of humor in other mediums such as language, and film, (such as puns, paradox, parody etc) and seeing how that technique is used in products to result in humor.
Like a paradox in a product is perhaps when the product presents an impossible situation…. (Courtesy 100% design)
A pun… a Time-Table (courtesy Juanico)
And like wise… The search is getting more exciting.
So anyone out there, if you ever come across a product that makes you smile/ laugh/ or just tilt your head…. Please do pass it on!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
traffic jam
its pretty strange how weather can effect EVERYTHING!
i was stuck in a traffic jam today for the first time on my way to work.
Background:
i travel by a rickety bus for around one hour to reach office. The usual scenario is like this...
70% of the people are catching up on their last bits of sleep before another dreary day at work
20% are trying to read the newspaper
8% just listen to the radio
2% think about various things, like what they should have said when so-snd-so said that, how the dinner was yesterday, what work is lined up today, methods of poisoning the whole RnD dept etc...
but by and large 100% of the people are in a semi crabby state of mind.
So today when we settled into what looked like a never ending traffic jam, i was curious to see what would everybody do....
but the weather was more than perfect, - it was a little clowdy, a slight cool late october breeze, and the whole world looked light blue....
and the bus transformed!
people jumped out of the bus to go for a walk, smoke a bit, a few started making plans for the bus to take a detour and never reach office, a few bumped up the volume of the radio... jokes about delhi traffic etiquette
Everybody was almost disappointed when the traffic cleared, and the day was back to normal again!
i was stuck in a traffic jam today for the first time on my way to work.
Background:
i travel by a rickety bus for around one hour to reach office. The usual scenario is like this...
70% of the people are catching up on their last bits of sleep before another dreary day at work
20% are trying to read the newspaper
8% just listen to the radio
2% think about various things, like what they should have said when so-snd-so said that, how the dinner was yesterday, what work is lined up today, methods of poisoning the whole RnD dept etc...
but by and large 100% of the people are in a semi crabby state of mind.
So today when we settled into what looked like a never ending traffic jam, i was curious to see what would everybody do....
but the weather was more than perfect, - it was a little clowdy, a slight cool late october breeze, and the whole world looked light blue....
and the bus transformed!
people jumped out of the bus to go for a walk, smoke a bit, a few started making plans for the bus to take a detour and never reach office, a few bumped up the volume of the radio... jokes about delhi traffic etiquette
Everybody was almost disappointed when the traffic cleared, and the day was back to normal again!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Nightmares
Time and again one realizes that 'abstract associations' are the crux of design. In design one is constantly searching for abstract associations/ metaphors that are very close to being universal so that the product's semantics are communicative.
Now, why I've named this blog 'nighmares' is because I have been having too many of them for the past five nights. And I usually tend to remember my dreams... So, what's skriking me, now that I am forced to think about it, is the amount of abstract association that plays in dreams. When one sits to analyze a dream... It actually often makes sense, and it astounds ME that it was MY mind that conjured up THAT mix of metaphors and story... and it actually HAS meaning!
Since fear has been central in my dreams lately... I've been trying to read the metaphors like:
losing teeth - fear of aging?
losing clothes - vulnerability?
losing hair - fear of loss of beauty?
snakes...
well there's more... But the point here being that perhaps dreams HAVE a higher connect with 'reality'. Ones OWN reality. Storyteller have understood this connect between 'dream' and 'reality' since time... What I was wondering was that can this have any value while 'storytelling through products'?
Now, why I've named this blog 'nighmares' is because I have been having too many of them for the past five nights. And I usually tend to remember my dreams... So, what's skriking me, now that I am forced to think about it, is the amount of abstract association that plays in dreams. When one sits to analyze a dream... It actually often makes sense, and it astounds ME that it was MY mind that conjured up THAT mix of metaphors and story... and it actually HAS meaning!
Since fear has been central in my dreams lately... I've been trying to read the metaphors like:
losing teeth - fear of aging?
losing clothes - vulnerability?
losing hair - fear of loss of beauty?
snakes...
well there's more... But the point here being that perhaps dreams HAVE a higher connect with 'reality'. Ones OWN reality. Storyteller have understood this connect between 'dream' and 'reality' since time... What I was wondering was that can this have any value while 'storytelling through products'?
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
creativity and honesty - a link
Also i wonder why i can't keep my blogs clear of personal angst.
I almost feel jealose of the very interesting and purely 'idea oriented' blogs that i see.
but then a thought stuck me... a strange thought...
... that 'creativity' is the highest form of 'honesty'... ok, iknow that sounds outrageous.. but let me see if i can put my thoughts across... that creative people use their freedom with honesty or lack of inhibitions as their fuel... and thats whats different about them,.... musicians write about love, heartbreak, protest etc... its very bare emotion centric... artists make paintings about normal people and snippets of their life.. or pour their love for god, onto the canvas... film makers..( some) rely on telling 'honest' stories... either illustrating crazily real and quirky people, or about honest magical dreams... but whats the common person about creative thought is that it reveals a nakedness of emotion, and truth, that even they don't show to themselves......
makes any sense?
I almost feel jealose of the very interesting and purely 'idea oriented' blogs that i see.
but then a thought stuck me... a strange thought...
... that 'creativity' is the highest form of 'honesty'... ok, iknow that sounds outrageous.. but let me see if i can put my thoughts across... that creative people use their freedom with honesty or lack of inhibitions as their fuel... and thats whats different about them,.... musicians write about love, heartbreak, protest etc... its very bare emotion centric... artists make paintings about normal people and snippets of their life.. or pour their love for god, onto the canvas... film makers..( some) rely on telling 'honest' stories... either illustrating crazily real and quirky people, or about honest magical dreams... but whats the common person about creative thought is that it reveals a nakedness of emotion, and truth, that even they don't show to themselves......
makes any sense?
another chapter
my fear actually is that i have forgotten how to write.
its been too long. in fact the fear is that everything will sound the way it is sounding... very vague, too self consious... and utterly boring.
but there is so much to say... a whole new chapter ( if i can call it that) has written itself..., life had become so incredebly dull ... that i think i dove into a ready plot of tragidy!
Its strange how hungry people can sense each other... by hungry here i mean nothing explicit.... i mean people with intricate fault.. people who need people.. people who mess things up, people who can help each other, people who end up just doing again, what they were trying to run away from.... patterns do repeat. And everytime they do, i wonder if it was cause i was running away from it, or was it cause i was running towards it...
One thing i like about now, is that this is perhaps the first time i am walking away with no albatros of guilt.
its been too long. in fact the fear is that everything will sound the way it is sounding... very vague, too self consious... and utterly boring.
but there is so much to say... a whole new chapter ( if i can call it that) has written itself..., life had become so incredebly dull ... that i think i dove into a ready plot of tragidy!
Its strange how hungry people can sense each other... by hungry here i mean nothing explicit.... i mean people with intricate fault.. people who need people.. people who mess things up, people who can help each other, people who end up just doing again, what they were trying to run away from.... patterns do repeat. And everytime they do, i wonder if it was cause i was running away from it, or was it cause i was running towards it...
One thing i like about now, is that this is perhaps the first time i am walking away with no albatros of guilt.
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