The Uplifting and the Heartbreaking (December 2013)

The Uplifting. Human ingenuity and the spirit of innovation have never known any bounds.  History has numerous examples where humanity’s unquenchable thirst for something new and different has changed the course of history. Finding innovations is exciting enough.   If the innovations also embody the possibility of enhancing the quality of human life and the world we live in, that is even better.  It is even more motivating to know that it is young people, just out of universities, who are behind these ideas.  Now, these young inventors are on the way to joining the ranks of budding, and soon to be successful, entrepreneurs. The OrbSys Shower, invented by Mehrdad Mahdjoubi, industrial designer from Sweden, is something that every house in the world must have.  The shower, which is a self-contained, system consisting of a filtration system and a water pressure and temperature modulating system.  It is also nice to look at.  Water flowing from the showerhead is captured under the shower stall and passed through a filtration system that removes 99.9% of the impurities in the water; making is clean enough to drink.  The clean water is then pumped back through the showerhead, while maintaining its temperature.  After a few weeks just snap the filtration capsule out, plug in the spare, and send the old one in for cleanup.  You could use the same 1.5-2 gallons of water for weeks!  In case you did not know, you use about 50-60 gallons of water for each 10-minute shower you take.  There is a lot more information about this at http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/ideas/2013/11/can-this-water-recycling-shower-save-1000-in-bills/. All I know is that I want one now. Laser-projected bike light, invented by Emily Brooke, a design engineer, and you guessed – bicycling enthusiast – from England is such an obvious idea that you are left scratching your head as to why it had not been invented yet.  It is sleek looking, shiny six inch light that can snap on and off the bike with one hand.  It can be used as a steady or blinking light, and the innovative part is that it also projects a 3-ft, green colored laser image of a bicycle about 6-8 feet ahead of the bicyclist.  A simple idea, well executed, and will hopefully decrease or even prevent injuries and fatalities.   You can read a little more about this at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20611279. Oru Canoe, invented by Anton Willis, a designer from California is a work of art.  The simple looking, but very thoughtfully crafted innovation came about as Anton mixed the Japanese paper-folding art of...

Nelson Mandela on Children and Education

The passing of Nelson Mandela, also referred to as ‘Tata’ (father), ‘Madiba’ (the name of his clan), or ‘Rolihlahla’ (his birth name, whose colloquial meaning is ‘troublemaker’) has become a global event, as it should.  He was a man who decided to stand for something much larger than himself, and simply did not waver from it.  He understood what he represented, and did his best to act in a manner consistent with that ideal. The actions that demonstrated Mandela’s uncompromising stances for his belief are numerous, including: Mandela asked most of the black and white officials of the previous government to stay and help him run the country when he became the first democratically elected President of South Africa in 1994, after having been placed in 3 different prisons for 27 years by the same government officials. When elected president, Mandela let former South African president F. W. de Klerk, who became Deputy President, to reside in the presidential palace, while he situated himself in an alternate location. Mandela wore South African rugby team captain Francois Pienaar’s number 6 green jersey during the 1995 championship hosted, and won by South Africa, sending a stronger unification message than any speech would have, to South Africa, and the world. This global figure that towered above his contemporaries, and will be an example for future generations also held a deep belief that the future of any country, the world, and humanity is only secured through our actions and behavior towards children, and the education of our children. Here are some of his relevant quotes about children, which reflect his thinking and which we would be well advised to reflect in our thoughts and actions.  “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” “We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear.” “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.” “Our children are the rock on which our future will be built, our greatest asset as a nation. They will be the leaders of our country, the creators of our national wealth, those who care for and protect our people.” “Our love for children is undiminished. Their innocence and energy, their happiness and welfare must be protected and treasured. It is their laughter that I yearned for while in prison.” Mr. Mandela, like all...

A few days in Sao Paolo, Buenos Aires and Mexico City

Sao Paolo, Brazil  One of the most populous cities in the world, with one of the worst traffics in the world.  It was just as crowded as I remembered, and just as alive.  Not too far from the green, lush and well-maintained Jardim neighborhood, the seemingly endless, tightly packed and dilapidated ’favelas’ vividly exhibit the stark social contrasts that are present in most of the developing countries. Brazil, as one of the BRICs, is one of global markets of explosive growth, and it shows.  There are more cars, more opportunities, more excitement and more pride in the people of the city.  The cab driver shows how he regularly uses the ‘Waze’ iPhone app to stay abreast of traffic jams and accidents, and to connect with other drivers – yes, while driving. The Daredevils of the Road, however, are the motorcycle riders.  The natives have a much more derogatory name for them.  These guys do play with their lives, with one finger on the horn; they whiz past you, weaving in and out of the traffic, whether it is standing still or moving steadily.  They will deliver their packages to their destination, come hell or high water.  Take that, Dominoes! And what can you say about Brazilian steaks?  Flavorful, tender and juicy.  Every bite is a treat.  Accompany it with the side orders, especially the delectable bite-sized cheese roll, and you would not want to stop. Buenos Aires, Argentina Driving through the shimmering lights of downtown, it is evident why Buenos Aires has been compared to Paris at night.  The wide main road is brightly lit; the buildings have a very European, particularly French-influenced architecture, complete with the false balconies that are not very practical, but so beautiful to look at. The massive opera building glitters like a diamond among the other structures.  A ray of light shoots up in the sky from the Obelisk not too far from the opera, shouting to the world ‘Buenos Aires is here!’  Walking distance from the Obelisk, you can stroll through the Theater district.  Live venues line both sides of the road, one right next to the other.  Flashing, multi-colored grand marquees invite you to enjoy the latest shows, or you can spend some happy moments in the casino at the end of the street. From there, it’s a short walk up to Puerto Madera, a two-kilometer strip dotted with excellent restaurants and office building, on both sides of the water inlet.  Sit back in one of the excellent steak houses to enjoy...

The Uplifting and the Heartbreaking – September 26, 2013

Life.  It can uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time, in the same place about the same people. The uplifting.  Watch it for yourself at http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2013/09/18/pakistan-smartphone-app-success-mohsin-pkg.cnn.html.  It warms your heart, and makes your chest swell with pride. Eyedues Labs, a nascent Pakistani company comprising of young students who have developed an app that merges two pictures together to allow the photographer to be in the picture.  An ingenious idea, solving a real-life problem, and executed well enough to attract the attention of Google, which flew all members of the company to Northern California for a mentoring program.  As if this was not enough, another surprise! Plan 9, a program to foster innovation using the latest technologies is being funded and backed by the Pakistani government.  Amongst the torrent of news of government corruption and general lawlessness in Pakistan, it was like a breath of unexpected fresh air that the same government is actually beginning to take a few steps to leverage the intellect and industriousness of the Gen-Y of Pakistan.  I hope this effort continues, and brings more positive news from Pakistan. The heartbreaking.  After reading the very short article at http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2013/09/24/city/lahore/kidnapping-racket-busted-police-arrest-27-forcing-children-to-beg/, the only question that comes to mind is – how is this possible in this day and age?  But I realize worse things happen in the world every day.  As far as Pakistan is concerned, if you do go there, you will see beggars on the streets.  And they will usually be children.  You also read about the gangs who abduct these children and force them to beg.  It is all very real.  (Read the fictional account of this horrific reality in http://www.amazon.com/The-Rat-Boys-Karalabad-Zulfiqar-Rashid/dp/1928704484/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380259450&sr=8-1&keywords=zulfiqar+rashid)  But this kind of news still hits you like a sledgehammer.  This is not what you want to hear about your home country.  If there is any silver lining, it is that the news is about the capture of the gang, consisting of both men and women, which was kidnapping children and using them as beggars, even though the gang leader escaped. I can only hope that this is the start of a change, one that was recognized by the editorial board of the NY Times in the September 10 issue at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/11/opinion/pakistans-peaceful-transition.html?smid=tw-share.  Who knows, maybe the change in the government will also make a change in the destiny of...

Completing an Art Project

Creative activities, such as painting or writing a book, should be treated like a project.  Why?  Because while we are driven to start them by a desire stronger than ourselves, it is very possible to not have enough time to finish them – life gets in the way.  To avoid this, I use a variation of Fergie’s catchy song from The Great Gatsby – ‘A little organized thinking never hurt nobody’. What are the characteristics of a project?  Well, (i) it should be started with intent, (ii) it should be planned out, and (iii) it should be diligently executed to completion.  While this may sound more like doing an engineering project, I have found that if a writing or art project does not have a plan – even a loose one – around it, it could easily end up being that, half-finished canvas or almost complete manuscript, lying forgotten in the far corner of the basement or the garage. Once I have taken the first step, which is also the easiest – deciding that I want to start an art project – I spend some time recognizing and internalizing that I have made this decision, this commitment.  I try to think about what this means, how much time each day or each week I expect it to take, and how much time I will realistically be able to give it.  This gives me a sense of how long the project may take.  Sometimes I do this all in my head, at others I record it more systematically with pen and paper. When I have a sense of the scope of the project, I think about what kind of project this should be.  Most of my art projects end up being one of three categories. The ‘Just Pick up the Brush’ projects The ‘Planned’ projects The ‘Commissions’ While all art projects are great fun, the ‘Just Pick up the Brush’ projects are the most fun.  These usually start off as doodles and take a life of their own.  I never know where they are going to end up.  The primary excitement in these projects is the discovery, the joy of not knowing where this journey is going to take me. When the art project is a ‘planned’ project, I usually have a pretty clear idea of what the completed piece will look like.  On these, I spend a fair amount of time at the beginning sketching out drafts that become more and more detailed with each iteration.  The satisfaction and...