All the issues related to development in India – expanding middle class, unplanned growth, too much congestion – and the usual chestnut of comparisons with China, in one short article. Does it paint an accurate picture? Annoying as it is to admit, it is also largely true. Single line comparisons with China, however, always irk me because the countries cannot be much different, both in terms of culture and their political edifice.
I was recently discussing purchasing adaptive technology with a blind computer user. A standard refrain in such discussions is that the adaptive technology in question is very expensive. I cannot understand the term expensive in this context. Yes, one has to make a significant financial outlay for the technology but, it is an investment which will wield great returns. Of course, the great returns will not be in money terms but perhaps in functionality terms. Having said that yes, people do have genuine constraints in their ability to pay but then, they must do their research and see if there are less expensive options available or, look at funding the technology in some other way rather than simply lamenting that it is expensive.
For the lovers of lists, here’s another one. A list of the 51 best magazines ever(!), as compiled by Graydon Carter, the editor of Vanity fair. I have not read most of the magazines on the list, but I agree with a lot of them like the New Yorker (journalism at it’s very best), WIRED (the best of techno-porn), Playboy (I’m a guy, what else can I say!), MAD (my brother and I are forever on the hunt for MAD issues circa. 1970), and National Geographic (can anyone argue?). Also, watch this list being shredded here.
His-awesomenesses A. R. Rahman (Yes, he is that good. Both a formidable composer and a very good singer. More on Rahman soon.) recently released a single and accompanying video called Pray for me brother. There was some hype over the release of the video. Normally, everything by Rahman deserves a careful listen. Rahman’s music never sweeps over you. It seeps into you, gradually, after you have heard it a couple of times. I have heard it many times now and I am surprised at how mediocre both the song and video really are. See and judge for yourself.
A recent ruling by the US Copyright Board has been judged to be a death blow to internet radio stations. It proposes new royalty rates for the operator of these stations which remarkably, also apply retroactively. These proposed rates are stratospheric. Most of these stations operate with razor thin margins, so this sounds a death-knell to their existence.
For me personally, this is very very disheartening. I am not a native English speaker and western music (and here I include all genres like pop, rock, jazz, hip-hip, trip-hop, what-have-you) has been an acquired taste over the years. Not only has Internet radio has been the only source of diverse music for me, it has been an education tool. The playlists on these stations Introduce me to new sounds every day. Take a look at the number of channels at SomFM, the playlist at Radio Paradise, or at KCRW. When you discover sounds you discover a culture, you discover people and you discover a country. The blues find their genesis in the US. If I listen to B. B King or Stevie Ray Vaughn I am tempted to find out about them. In turn, I discover what made the men and their music. This chain of action would have led me discover all about the roots of blues and follow the players. If I follow the discussion thread on Beatles’ landmark A Day In Life I am not only part of a community, I also learn peoples ideas and opinions on what makes the song great. DJs like Bill Goldsmith at Radio Paradise or Nic Harcourt at KCRW talk to you. They are running these programs because they care about the music and you can see the care they take in programming the playlists. This kind of interaction, diversity or commitment to presenting music in a way that’s always fresh is wholly absent from commercial radio.
There is a growing movement afoot to get the ruling reversed or at least get the terms changed. I hope that it does get changed. My personal interest aside, it does look like a simple evolutionary step. Since I am not a US citizen I cannot get directly involved but I can give you these pointers on this issue and calls-to-action.
Info
Action
Update [03/20/07]: The issue got slashdotted today.
I have often wondered why blogs have become so popular. Recently, it occurred to me that Bloggs and allow us to express incomplete thought. By definition, we humans are lazy and, would prefer just to sent ideas into the ether. It is this tendency that blogs allow was to express that too, without any criticism and with perfect legitimacy.
