From the world of a Pongal eater

‘India is a nation of two planets: rich and poor’

pongophagi — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:23:20 +0000

P.Sainath on NDTV’s Just Books

[via: Gilli, Churumuri]

The You Decade

pongophagi — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:49:57 +0000

“all of y’all” read this .

We have no time to stand and stare.

pongophagi — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:17:20 +0000

An Avery Fisher Prize winner and his strad plays on the metro station and the whole world moves by.

Beat them at their own game …

pongophagi — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 08:11:06 +0000

Anthropomorphism of software code overdone .. and then in response this. (Novell’s [/Linux's] take on the “I am a Mac/PC” ad. ogg versions here and here.)

Federer Invincible

pongophagi — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:36:07 +0000

A friend forwarded this. Goes on to prove (again?),Federer may turn out to be the best we will ever see.

… and for some related Blunt fun

An ethnographic analysis of Starbucks

pongophagi — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 16:47:35 +0000

Remember the professor who studies Starbucks? Here is a really interesting talk he gave at TASTE3 this year.

Bryant Simon, Professor of History and Director of the American Studies Program at Temple University with his study of how the desires of daily life are revealed from the comfy coaches and in the drive-thru of Starbucks.

Watch it

[Hat tip: Kottke]

We are the web!

pongophagi — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 09:43:34 +0000

Web 2.0 in 5 minutes.

Watch it

Apostrophe Catastrophe in a Microsoft ad!

pongophagi — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 03:05:17 +0000

OMG, Microsoft makes an apostrophe-catastrophe in one of their Economist ads. Sad, especially with so many resources out there to learn from.

[via: Ongoing]

Let it be – Ray Charles

pongophagi — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:14:14 +0000

Just Beautiful : Ray Charles performing Let it Be.

Watch it

[Hat-tip: TickleBooth]

Shakespeare and Company – Portrait of a Bookstore as an Old Man

pongophagi — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 17:24:25 +0000

Today kimbooktu mentioned an interesting documentary film, available here, about the Shakespeare and company bookstore in Paris and its colourful keeper George Whitman. For all ye bibliophiles out there, a definite must-see. Of course, Bangalore has a Premier, but it is no bookshop-commune.

‘George Whitman has been running what he calls “a socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore” for 50 years. His store has long been a literary hub, attracting the likes of Henry Miller, Richard Wright, and William Burroughs. More importantly, George has been inviting people to live in his shop from its very first days. There are now 13 beds among the books, and he says that more than 40,000 people have slept there at one time or another. All he asks is that you make your bed in the morning, help out in the shop, and read a book a day. After living here for five months, I was inspired to write my own book about the place.’ From Mercer’s top 10 bookshops

via the wikipedia entry on the bookshop