Your ancestor's direct gaze
Ah. Looks like the camera lens needs cleaning.
Loving all the layers that are visible around this place.
Boss bird
I like bird butts and I cannot lie
Negotiations have failed.
Behold the magnificent White-eye
The tiny birds are easier to capture from the comfort of your balcony, on a sunny day.
Lazy birding from my balcony.
The Verditer Flycatcher
Cheers to the new year, folks.
I don't usually celebrate the passing of time. But I am just so glad to see 2020 go by.
I don't usually celebrate the passing of time. But I am just so glad to see 2020 go by.
So apparently Rajni needed the twin crutches of a sickness and a message from God, in order to speak his own mind.
Is this the venerated thalaivar of the south? In what way is he better than the servile Bachchans of the north?
Is this the venerated thalaivar of the south? In what way is he better than the servile Bachchans of the north?
My people. These are my people. So proud ❤️
@[610191751:2048:Bindhumalini], Nityanand, @[609260871:2048:Vedanth], so happy I am 🤗. Whatte Christmas present. https://youtu.be/ONbTO64pd14
(Been friends with Bindhu since 1999. And Nity was a role model for so many of us. Some people ask me why I am the way I am. With revolutionary friends like these, what else is possible...)
@[610191751:2048:Bindhumalini], Nityanand, @[609260871:2048:Vedanth], so happy I am 🤗. Whatte Christmas present. https://youtu.be/ONbTO64pd14
(Been friends with Bindhu since 1999. And Nity was a role model for so many of us. Some people ask me why I am the way I am. With revolutionary friends like these, what else is possible...)
Happyyyyy
Christmas arrives at the office
Kavin: Things would be so much simpler if everything happened just like it was supposed to.
Me (laughing): Go to sleep.
Kavin: No, like, a coin flip is supposed to be head or tail, 50-50. So every time you flip a coin it should alternate between head or tail. That would be an interesting book idea - a place where everything happened exactly as it is suppose to.
I think Kavin's imagination of perfection is limited to probability. Math geek.
(Don't go stealing a little child's book idea now, you scum)
Me (laughing): Go to sleep.
Kavin: No, like, a coin flip is supposed to be head or tail, 50-50. So every time you flip a coin it should alternate between head or tail. That would be an interesting book idea - a place where everything happened exactly as it is suppose to.
I think Kavin's imagination of perfection is limited to probability. Math geek.
(Don't go stealing a little child's book idea now, you scum)
Elder son has outgrown bicycle (yet again). Need guidance on buying adult cycle. What's with these new hybrid cycles? Can I go wrong with a BSA Hercules with front suspension and Shimano gears - the default choice two decades ago? Has cycle tech really changed that much since?
[ Slightly frustrated by the lack of stock in local stores. Also, when did cycles become so expensive? Prices in India are now just as hiked up as in the US. ]
[ BSA Photon from TI Cycles, my trusted steed in college, still costs just ₹6,500 tax paid. Still proudly made entirely in India. But no disk brakes, gears or suspension. Need to look at the newer BSA sub-brands for that. ]
Sherebanu Frosh Nishant Jain Sarika Panda Bhatt Rupam Das
[ Slightly frustrated by the lack of stock in local stores. Also, when did cycles become so expensive? Prices in India are now just as hiked up as in the US. ]
[ BSA Photon from TI Cycles, my trusted steed in college, still costs just ₹6,500 tax paid. Still proudly made entirely in India. But no disk brakes, gears or suspension. Need to look at the newer BSA sub-brands for that. ]
Sherebanu Frosh Nishant Jain Sarika Panda Bhatt Rupam Das
When it gets really cold like it is cold right now in Gurgaon the bathroom goes from being this sanctuary where I hide from my kids to being this frozen hell that I completely avoid to the extent that on the rare occasion that I do enter it I look around vaguely coz I have strange distant memories of being in this place often and I wonder why I was spending so much time in it because my kids aren't even that bad tbh.
For a change, I was photographed instead of being the photographer.
Bazinga!
I took this photograph today, to demonstrate the 4K capabilities of our ₹3,200 ($44) computer, the Micro 4. The wallpaper of the computer is a picture I took earlier this month in Gurgaon.
The kids think this is very meta. The camera took a pic of the forest. This was displayed on the monitor as a wallpaper. The same camera then took a pic of the monitor. And now the same monitor is being used to display this second pic.
How marvellous is it that this tiny computer, first launched in 2016, continues to get better with time thanks to the contributions of the Linux community. The graphics drivers on it have improved every year, and it can now support all manners of devices that it could not in 2016.
(The computer is that tiny thing in the corner, with a yellow cable coming out of it, just in case you missed it 😂)
The kids think this is very meta. The camera took a pic of the forest. This was displayed on the monitor as a wallpaper. The same camera then took a pic of the monitor. And now the same monitor is being used to display this second pic.
How marvellous is it that this tiny computer, first launched in 2016, continues to get better with time thanks to the contributions of the Linux community. The graphics drivers on it have improved every year, and it can now support all manners of devices that it could not in 2016.
(The computer is that tiny thing in the corner, with a yellow cable coming out of it, just in case you missed it 😂)
In an era before masks, we still masked up
In an era before masks
So, Lucky Ali traveled to Arambol to sing a new version of O Sanam https://www.instagram.com/tv/CIsjEp2no2g/?igshid=4zzv9xgjfl1w, and two of my friends participated https://www.instagram.com/p/CIu2SeclXaX/?igshid=1m5hq0q8b3xur https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=210982277300034&id=100051647884740
2020 ending on a not-so-2020 note.
2020 ending on a not-so-2020 note.
Nilay has inherited this shirt now. I still wear the pants.
Me
Because you people liked the pic, here is the original, uncropped and unenhanced. Nature has its own contrast and you don't need filters.
Ha ha ha ha. Boom!
The bois are out for a stroll
"तुझसे नाराज़ नहीं ज़िदगी, हैरान हूँ मैं।"
कई बार सुनी होगी यह पंक्ति आपने। मगर कितना सच है इसमें। ज़िदगी से नाराज़ या परेशान होकर कुछ हासिल नहीं होता।
पिछले हफ़ते किसी के चले जाने से मैं दुखी था। इस दुख में एक पुराने दोस्त से अरसे बाद गुफ़तगू हुई। बात करके समझ आया कि कुछ लोग ज़िंदगी में एक जगह थम जाते हैं। आगे नहीं बढ़ पाते। अपनी परेशानियों को ना हल कर पाते हैं, ना पीछे छोड़ पाते हैं।
कल एक नए दोस्त से मुलाक़ात हुई। हंसी हंसी में यह बात हुई कि अपनी परेशानियों में उलझ कर रह जाना आजकल एक ट्रेंड हो गया है। ज़िदगी बढ़ते जाने का नाम हैं। ज़िदगी की हैरानियों पर हँसते जाइए तो ज़िदगी खुद-ब-खुद हंसीं हो जाती है।
जब ऐसा सोच लिया तो आज सारा दिन अच्छा गया। सुबह मेरे पसंदीदा अरावली पार्क में गुज़री। बाकी दिन दोस्तों के साथ हंसी खुशी बीता। अब शाम गीत सुन कर काट रहे है।
इस हफ़ते मैंने कई महीनों के बाद पूरा दिन काम किया। थकान हुई। शाम तक फेफड़े थक जाते हैं। मग़र खुशी भी हुई। शायद इसलिए कि काम मेरे शौक का था। कुछ ऐसे शौक भी पूरे किए जिनके बारे में सोचना तक छोड़ दिया था। उसके लिए दोस्तों और ज़िदगी का शुक्रिया।
सुनने बैठे थे "हुज़ूर इस कदर भी ना..."। उस गीत के बाद spotify ने खुद ही यह गीत सुना दिया, और ख़याल इधर उधर निकल गया। शुभ रात्री।
कई बार सुनी होगी यह पंक्ति आपने। मगर कितना सच है इसमें। ज़िदगी से नाराज़ या परेशान होकर कुछ हासिल नहीं होता।
पिछले हफ़ते किसी के चले जाने से मैं दुखी था। इस दुख में एक पुराने दोस्त से अरसे बाद गुफ़तगू हुई। बात करके समझ आया कि कुछ लोग ज़िंदगी में एक जगह थम जाते हैं। आगे नहीं बढ़ पाते। अपनी परेशानियों को ना हल कर पाते हैं, ना पीछे छोड़ पाते हैं।
कल एक नए दोस्त से मुलाक़ात हुई। हंसी हंसी में यह बात हुई कि अपनी परेशानियों में उलझ कर रह जाना आजकल एक ट्रेंड हो गया है। ज़िदगी बढ़ते जाने का नाम हैं। ज़िदगी की हैरानियों पर हँसते जाइए तो ज़िदगी खुद-ब-खुद हंसीं हो जाती है।
जब ऐसा सोच लिया तो आज सारा दिन अच्छा गया। सुबह मेरे पसंदीदा अरावली पार्क में गुज़री। बाकी दिन दोस्तों के साथ हंसी खुशी बीता। अब शाम गीत सुन कर काट रहे है।
इस हफ़ते मैंने कई महीनों के बाद पूरा दिन काम किया। थकान हुई। शाम तक फेफड़े थक जाते हैं। मग़र खुशी भी हुई। शायद इसलिए कि काम मेरे शौक का था। कुछ ऐसे शौक भी पूरे किए जिनके बारे में सोचना तक छोड़ दिया था। उसके लिए दोस्तों और ज़िदगी का शुक्रिया।
सुनने बैठे थे "हुज़ूर इस कदर भी ना..."। उस गीत के बाद spotify ने खुद ही यह गीत सुना दिया, और ख़याल इधर उधर निकल गया। शुभ रात्री।
What did I just see 👀😬😳
Never complaining about Indian driving again
Never complaining about Indian driving again
Dung beetle
सुबह सुबह 9:40am Spotify is sending me a notification "In the mood to dance 🕺🏽? Listen to..."
भाई hippie होना चाहते हैं, मग़र हो थोड़े ही गए हैं। मुझे assigned issues और tickets क्या Spotify की tech team resolve करेगी?
Just another crabby winter morning 🤣
भाई hippie होना चाहते हैं, मग़र हो थोड़े ही गए हैं। मुझे assigned issues और tickets क्या Spotify की tech team resolve करेगी?
Just another crabby winter morning 🤣
जन्मदिन की Sushi. One of them turned out to be non veg and we discovered just in time 😂
This is for anyone nursing or processing a heartbreak. My friend Anubha is providing group counselling and therapy over Zoom - what is called healing circles. I would highly recommend this for anyone whose heart still hurts. She is based in the US but the sessions are at an India friendly time on Sundays.
Here is what she writes:
Do you know anyone who's newly single, healing a broken heart, or processing a difficult relationship situation? It can be painful and confusing to make sense of what happened, process grief, and figure out how to let go and move forward. You don’t have to go at it alone.
Anubha will be facilitating a month of Healing Circles at 8pm every Sunday evening. Since time immemorial, we have been gathering in circles. Around the fire, around the banyan tree, and in modern times, around the dinner table. Healing Circles creates a container to facilitate heart-sharing, healing and wisdom. Small cohorts will meet in a safe, confidential, and supportive online space to share stories, ask questions, and process changes in their love relationships.
Each Circle is 90 minutes and conducted via Zoom. Drop in for a single Circle, or, for maximum benefit, come every week. The Circles are offered at a nominal rate of ₹200/person. It is a fabulous opportunity to avail yourself of a therapeutic experience facilitated by an experienced coach, in the company of a caring community, and with absolutely no obligations.
Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/healing-circle-dec20
Here is what she writes:
Do you know anyone who's newly single, healing a broken heart, or processing a difficult relationship situation? It can be painful and confusing to make sense of what happened, process grief, and figure out how to let go and move forward. You don’t have to go at it alone.
Anubha will be facilitating a month of Healing Circles at 8pm every Sunday evening. Since time immemorial, we have been gathering in circles. Around the fire, around the banyan tree, and in modern times, around the dinner table. Healing Circles creates a container to facilitate heart-sharing, healing and wisdom. Small cohorts will meet in a safe, confidential, and supportive online space to share stories, ask questions, and process changes in their love relationships.
Each Circle is 90 minutes and conducted via Zoom. Drop in for a single Circle, or, for maximum benefit, come every week. The Circles are offered at a nominal rate of ₹200/person. It is a fabulous opportunity to avail yourself of a therapeutic experience facilitated by an experienced coach, in the company of a caring community, and with absolutely no obligations.
Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/healing-circle-dec20
Youtube just encouraged me to get a JeevanSathi.com subscription for my kids.
Meanwhile Facebook is still hankering for a WhiteHatJr subscription.
Keep up, FB. They're growing fast.
Meanwhile Facebook is still hankering for a WhiteHatJr subscription.
Keep up, FB. They're growing fast.
So, uh, I've been meaning to ask.
It's probably inappropriate, at this juncture, to ask, but I'm unable to contain myself.
This gentleman. His get up. His, err, swag. Where could I get those clothes? Most of the protesting farmers have been wearing pyjama and kurta. But, it's not the cut and style we see in Haryana. Its a different style, peculiar to Punjab, that I'm unfamiliar with. And I quite like it. Also, the jutis. If they're not leather, of course. And the jacket, I'll probably swap for a traditional one. Sherebanu you'll help me get a jacket like Sahil has, won't you?
It's just that, I don't think I've done any clothes buying in all of 2020. And the ICU people kept a full set of my clothes and sandals. So, I deserve a new set. And this is ethnic, and I never wear ethnic.
Also, I mean, look at the ensemble. इतना swag 😁
It's probably inappropriate, at this juncture, to ask, but I'm unable to contain myself.
This gentleman. His get up. His, err, swag. Where could I get those clothes? Most of the protesting farmers have been wearing pyjama and kurta. But, it's not the cut and style we see in Haryana. Its a different style, peculiar to Punjab, that I'm unfamiliar with. And I quite like it. Also, the jutis. If they're not leather, of course. And the jacket, I'll probably swap for a traditional one. Sherebanu you'll help me get a jacket like Sahil has, won't you?
It's just that, I don't think I've done any clothes buying in all of 2020. And the ICU people kept a full set of my clothes and sandals. So, I deserve a new set. And this is ethnic, and I never wear ethnic.
Also, I mean, look at the ensemble. इतना swag 😁
Millie here are pics of Kavin getting a haircut.
Bhavna's team did a great job, and that too outdoors.
और तुम कहती हो haircut नहीं हुआ लड़के का।
Bhavna's team did a great job, and that too outdoors.
और तुम कहती हो haircut नहीं हुआ लड़के का।
Tawny flanked Prinia
Hard to recognise. Google Lens says that's a tit.
जाते
आते
The wormwood pug, it seems
कठफोड़वा
Is that a wren?
Himalayan Bulbul
Caspers
A feeble attempt at capturing star-trails. If you zoom into the top right, you see an object that didn't move with the stars and the planets. Probably an artificial satellite.
This is what the night sky is supposed to look like. Between air pollution and light pollution, we have lost most of it.
You might think that all we have lost is beauty. What we have lost, is wonder. There is 𝕨𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 in the starlight skies. This wonder has led many to poetry. Some have tried to understand the sky and its movements, leading to astronomy, physics and rocketry. Yet others have tried to interpret our lives through these stars.
All of this wonder is lost to our children. They experience it through screens, videos, books, when they could have just looked out their windows every night and seen it in all its glory. Who knows what wonderous things they would do if they only realised how small we are, how beautiful this universe is, and how much there is still left to know and to do.
(You might need to open the images in full screen and increase your brightness/contrast, otherwise they will just appear black)
You might think that all we have lost is beauty. What we have lost, is wonder. There is 𝕨𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 in the starlight skies. This wonder has led many to poetry. Some have tried to understand the sky and its movements, leading to astronomy, physics and rocketry. Yet others have tried to interpret our lives through these stars.
All of this wonder is lost to our children. They experience it through screens, videos, books, when they could have just looked out their windows every night and seen it in all its glory. Who knows what wonderous things they would do if they only realised how small we are, how beautiful this universe is, and how much there is still left to know and to do.
(You might need to open the images in full screen and increase your brightness/contrast, otherwise they will just appear black)
I don't usually buy from Flipkart. But I was looking for something today and ended up on the site. And then I saw this offer. I thought there would be some catch but there isn't. I literally ordered sugar and flour for ₹1/kg just now. Does anyone understand the logic behind this? What is Flipkart trying to do?
How do I convince Flipkart to buy Thinvent products at distributor price and then give them away for ₹1 each?
How do I convince Flipkart to buy Thinvent products at distributor price and then give them away for ₹1 each?
I searched high and low for the name of this movie I saw as a child. It was about a boy who was born with a compromised immune system. He lives in a physical bubble all his childhood, till he falls in love, breaks out of his bubble and runs away with the love of his life.
I couldn't find the movie I was looking for. but I found another movie, "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adZy4wM2Jg0). And I realised that my son kinda looks like young John Travolta.
I couldn't find the movie I was looking for. but I found another movie, "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adZy4wM2Jg0). And I realised that my son kinda looks like young John Travolta.
Love ❤️. And survival ✊🏽.
https://xkcd.com/2386/
https://xkcd.com/2386/
Brilliant
Have you ever done this? Have you ever recorded a message for a loved one on a cassette tape and sent it to them?
I remember seeing others receive these. But I don't believe I've ever sent or received one. What a pity.
I do remember sitting through train journeys writing letters to friends, using carbon paper to send the same message, the same narrative to multiple friends. Yeah, I was obnoxious like that. But, you know, some people did appreciate the letters, original or copy.
I remember not being able to afford a webcam. I'd stay back after work at the MIT Media Lab, back in 2001, just to chat with folks back home in India. Boston would close early, and by the time I'd leave for my B&B, all the dinner places would be closed. I lost so much weight 😂. Yahoo Messenger was all the rage then. The break room had an IP camera that pointed at the table where people would leave spare food. I remember climbing onto the table and looking at the camera, so my friend back home could see me. I realised much later that most folks always had the foodcam open in a window on their computer, so I was staring into the face of a bunch of researchers frequently.
Interestingly, the camera was on a public IP. Everything at MIT was on a public IP because they owned the entire 18.0.0.0 class A block.
Anyway. I suppose we have all done strange things to keep the human touch going over a distance ❤️
I remember seeing others receive these. But I don't believe I've ever sent or received one. What a pity.
I do remember sitting through train journeys writing letters to friends, using carbon paper to send the same message, the same narrative to multiple friends. Yeah, I was obnoxious like that. But, you know, some people did appreciate the letters, original or copy.
I remember not being able to afford a webcam. I'd stay back after work at the MIT Media Lab, back in 2001, just to chat with folks back home in India. Boston would close early, and by the time I'd leave for my B&B, all the dinner places would be closed. I lost so much weight 😂. Yahoo Messenger was all the rage then. The break room had an IP camera that pointed at the table where people would leave spare food. I remember climbing onto the table and looking at the camera, so my friend back home could see me. I realised much later that most folks always had the foodcam open in a window on their computer, so I was staring into the face of a bunch of researchers frequently.
Interestingly, the camera was on a public IP. Everything at MIT was on a public IP because they owned the entire 18.0.0.0 class A block.
Anyway. I suppose we have all done strange things to keep the human touch going over a distance ❤️
Nilay receives a backpack full of clothes that went missing from his life three months ago.
"My life is now complete"
Proceeds to wear many layers of clothes and dance around.
I'll update this post with a pic when possible. Right now there is too much excitement.
"My life is now complete"
Proceeds to wear many layers of clothes and dance around.
I'll update this post with a pic when possible. Right now there is too much excitement.
Ooooo
Me: It's not "I fart at you". It's "I fart in your general direction". It's art. Real art.
Nilay: It takes a true fartist to come up with that.
Nilay: It takes a true fartist to come up with that.
Le birthday jelly. Courtesy Kavin.
(Quarter plate from Banjara Market. Spoon from IKEA. Bedsheet, source unknown. Jelly premix from Weikfield. Photographer, yours truly, who was too lazy to take the jelly to a table before snapping it.)
(Quarter plate from Banjara Market. Spoon from IKEA. Bedsheet, source unknown. Jelly premix from Weikfield. Photographer, yours truly, who was too lazy to take the jelly to a table before snapping it.)
😂🤣😂🤣🎃