Calendar 2013

Minimalist Wallpapers

This is a collection of simple Wallpapers created by me. These are easy on the eye, gradient-free images tailor made for your cluttered desktop...

Wonderfully Weird Websites!

Firstly, pardon the alliteration in the title. It couldn't be helped.

Secondly, Life can sometimes be too mainstream. The same old routine, the oft trodden path and the same uniform surroundings. But then again, it offers some moments which have the ability to surprise, to differ.

The internet is not unlike life; the same old social networks, the e-mails and the videos can make everyday internet life quite boring. But then again, like life, the internet possesses the capacity to deliver something most queer and unlikely in the form of some weird yet wonderful websites.

These websites are not your standard go-to internet portals with heaps of information and a wide range of services. They do not suggest the regular menus and sign-ins and sign-ups. These 8 websites are simple in approach and extravagant in their yield. All that is needed is an amusing and curious perspective -

The Ugly Dance

Dancing is not everyone's cup of tea. But internet makes everything possible.

TheUglyDance.com is an extremely amusing and appealing website. Created by the Swedish Band Fulkultr, the site showcases their flagship song in a fancy and  interactive manner. 

Upload, adjust and groove away to glory.

And yes, the song is pretty hip too.

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WorldoMeters

WorldoMeters is a statisticians paradise. It makes use of an unique algorithm to deliver real time data. This data consists of various themes like world population which includes current population, births per day, deaths per day and so on. It also showcases other relevant real time data on Government, Economies, Environment and such.

Even someone who does not care much for statistics should be impressed by the ingenuity and simplicity of this portal. The striking rates at which the different parameters change give a glimpse of how dynamic a world we live in.

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Incredibox

Most people are only an audience to music. Incredibox keeps that in mind and takes the idea of fun with music to a higher pedestal. This imaginative website allows the non-musical masses to create their own music. This is achieved with the help of droll figures and an array of simple options.

Incredibox is quite clearly one of the best websites among others of its class - easy to use, distinct and precise. It does not take a musician to figure out the working of Incredibox. One can make funky, snazzy and beautiful music by simply dragging and dropping.

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Do Nothing For 2 Minutes

Life in general and the web in particular can be pretty stressful. Keeping up with the social networks, the e-mails and the lethargic internet speed tends to be a tedious job. But now, the internet has its very own stress buster.

DoNothingfor2minutes.com is literally what it sounds like. Do nothing for 2 minutes. Sit back, relax and let the virtual beach with its soothing waves calm your senses. A pretty good way to spend time on the web.

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Omegle

One of the fundamental principles taught to us ever since childhood is to not to interact with strangers. However, Omegle teaches exactly the opposite

Hit the 'start a chat' button (preferably text. However if you're into male genitals, you can try video too) and you are good to go. Omegle will connect you to random people on the site from the world over. There are other cool options like spy mode too.

There are times when the chats are abrupt, but then there are others where you genuinely connect with others. Go ahead, give it a try. 

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Vector Park

Some good things in the world do not carry any justifications or any meaning in particular. They are just present, simple and yet somehow aesthetic. They can please people in a queer way.

VectorPark.com is one such thing - a collection of  vague 'games' which will gratify, if not engage people. The games are basically vector graphics which interact with the users through subtle animations in the most graceful manner. The usage of colours, the simplicity and the imagination of Peter Smith  is most captivating.

Vector Park may be a pet peeve for some, while a charm for others.

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How Big is My Potato

Legions of men have gazed upon a potato and wondered about its size. But what they haven't had is the means to measure the parameters of that particular potato.

However, with this revolutionary new technology, we can do exactly that. Want to know the size? The weight? The cooking time? All the answers lie in this uniquely brilliant website.

The humble potato has been the undisputed king of  food. But howbigismypotato.com takes it to a whole new level.

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Paper Toilet

Toilet paper is an integral part of many cultures and like all things physical, it has a virtual counterpart in the form of papertoilet.com.

This is a minimalistic website featuring a simple toilet paper roll. The aim of this setup is to pull the paper until the roll is over. Arduous as this task maybe, it is enriching. And the surprise that lies after completely pulling the whole paper is absolutely awesome!

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The Daft Patriot

Patriotism is the 'love of country and willingness to sacrifice for it.' So what drives a man to willingly sacrifice himself for a nation? Is it ‘Love’, or sheer stupidity?

A country is just a piece of land with a name tag. It is not a living, breathing entity that you are emotionally attached to. It is not something you can't do without. Why this incessant patronization then? Why do we decorate it so lavishly, and place on it, a value higher than life itself? It is, after all just a part of our blue planet, just one region among many others.

People take immense pride in one's country. Take India - one boasts of the culture, the exuberance, the diversity, the colours and what not. But it is just by chance that you have been born here. You have not played any part in adding to the above features. Then why take pride? You are not proud of the random tree in your neighbourhood; you do not revel in the glory of the free bird on top of your building, then why do you 'love' your country so much?

Patriotism is just a concept that we must abide by. It is a standard. You should love your country by default. You should stand up with needless gratification during your national anthem. You should pin your flag on your mighty chest on Independence Day. It is what the society has stamped upon us, and like cattle we should follow suit. Like plenty of such concepts, we take patriotism as a given, never questioning its integrity. That is how gullible we are.

A country, again, is just a piece of land. It was present before humans and will be there even after our end. Be it America, India, or Australia, it is just all geography. It is us humans that segregate this geography and misuse its resources. We dwell upon this division so much that we tend to wipe each other out.

If it were not for our beloved nations and our inherent vainglory, there would be no wars, no innocent citizen casualties and no superfluous power mongers. Look clearly and you will see that nations are just a rudimentary form of divide and rule. Divide the world and rule the people.

Sacrificing yourself for a country is the supreme achievement, worthy of an array of medals and honours. So basically you take pride in dying for a nation that is robbing you of your income in the form of taxes and bribes, a nation that is barring most of your rights under the guise of morality and a nation that is demeaning your livelihood by recklessly inflating prices; all this while the leaders laugh their way to foreign banks.

Yet, one must not undermine the sacrifice of the chivalrous soldier. He dies foolishly for a nation, but valiantly for our lives. It is life that is worth dying for, not the nation. Life is what must garner value, for it is the open human mind that is the most astounding thing on this planet, not an inconsequential strip of soil...

Change the Game?

Cricket. The game is a phenomenon, a religion, an eternal epidemic of sorts. Almost every Indian seems to be hooked to it. So much is the fanaticism that cricketers who are generally known to be human beings, are considered Gods and Demi-Gods in this colorful land.

God? No.

The media has a huge hand in propagating the game, and thus themselves. Every sports section in every newspaper is replete with facts and rumours about cricket; other sports just mentioned in the sidelines, sometimes not. All the news channels compromise a significant strip of their tacky tickers for displaying the live scores of ongoing matches. This influence has led the BCCI to become the wealthiest board in all of cricketing domain; the Indian cricketers, most opulent. The cricketers get their proceeds from advertisements where they endorse anything and everything from abject objects like inverter batteries to the unrelenting Chyavanprash. Also, they earn a  few bucks through match fees. In spite of this single-gamed approach, India has never cemented itself as cricket's one greatest nation among the handful others. 

So, why this craze? Why are we so obsessed with only one game? Most of the world's nations follow multiple sports with little bias, so why not India? USA boasts of a fair following of sports like basketball, baseball, American football, tennis and what not. UK indulges in football, rugby, tennis, and even cricket. This fact is reflected by their ability to produce top notch athletes in the various sports played across the globe. On the other hand, India has only been able to produce good cricketers. All the other sports have had extremely rare cases of impactful Indian representation. With a population of over 120 crores and such feeble participation, India is indeed an sporting anomaly.

The reasons behind this  irregularity can be many and some, based on different perceptions. Now, the people of the Indian subcontinent inherently lack energy and athleticism. No offence meant, but the average Indian is stocky and about 5'5. Another important factor may be our stereotypical thinking. Well-nigh population think inside the box, giving emphasis to traditional and ubiquitous occupations like doctors, lawyers, engineers, and agriculture. Such restricted thinking leaves little or no room for sports or even other less popular professions. 

Vishwanathan Anand

Bhupati/Paes

Generations of Indians have cherished cricket. Perhaps it is time to change the game, like a popular soft drink ad suggests. Games like badminton, tennis, chess have long threatened to capture a little portion of public interest. Vishwanathan Anand in chess, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati in tennis and many such names have consistently performed well on the grandest of stages. Football is steadily displacing gully cricket and becoming a conversational topic among the urban youth. The television viewership for sports like F1,  tennis and football is ever rising.

Though the all conquering cricket mania will be hard to knock-off, maybe other sports can pave their way into public's lives one step at a time. A little encouragement right from the grass-root levels, a little capital influx towards the direction of other sports and an open mind is all that is needed. 

May India one day be a Footballing winner and a Hockey giant; may an Indian be a racing champion, may India justify the sporting versatility of  its 120 crore strong population...

Shades of Grey

Well, it is rather late for a calendar, but still, here is one.
The calendar is based on the shades of grey or the 'greyscale' and the photographs share the same concept.
The photographs as well as the calendar design have been authored by me, in an attempt to be minimalistic and simple in its nature.

As evident this post does not care much for words, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless...