Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Fudgin' Brilliant!
Combine creativity, hard work, loads and loads of paint, utter patience, time lapse filming and sheer brillance and this is what you get: Muto wall-painted animation
Again the direct link for those who have trouble running it directly via blogger:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhflifd68uo
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Very Narrow Aisle
Working for an industry that involves marketing, advertising, manufacturing, warehousing, sales, planning, research, financials and project management (to name only a few) ... all combined with cutting edge technology ... brings me in contact with people, places, experiences, areas and terminologies that we won't get to hear about in our otherwise routine lives.
About three weeks ago I had a chance to visit a warehouse, where I learnt that there are at least 18 different ways to stock product based on its specifications, one of which is called VNA or 'very narrow aisle'. It basically involves multi-tiered storage structures, this particular one had them at 18 meters high, spaced apart by only a few feet to maximize space utilization. However to efficiently move stock in such a storage scheme, special equipment is used, which incidentally, is also called VNA. Here's a picture:
So why is it cool? Because the machine simultaneously moves Up and Back at very high speeds meaning you quickly zip up and down your desired storage location in a sharp hypotenuse! And you see yourself leaving the ground while you do it. Throw in the snazzy hydraulic sounds that the machine makes and the smell of product and packaging material and it is quite an extraordinary experience! It is controlled by two joystick-like controls, one obviously for the horizontal while the other for vertical movement. While I rode in it with an operator, needless to say, I was *itching* to get my hands on it!
Those who would want to invest in this nifty toy, you need (other than about a 20 meter high building the size of at least a football field, with VNA shelves stocked with product for maximum effect) around 8,000,000 Pakistani rupees (about 120,000 US$).
The Humans are Dead!
Unlike the generic-mindnumbing-youtube-fever that took everyone by storm till all flowed away with it like mere jetsam and flotsam of Web 2.0 humanity, I rarely go there or watch barely any of the clips people keep passing on to me. There are however a few people, whose opinion I trust enough to check out what they're recommending. This one came from I-T. Salut, mon ami!
So without further ado, I bring to you: The flight of the Conchords - The Humans are Dead!
Disclaimer: One needs dominant geek/nerd genes to truly enjoy this one!
P.S: i'm getting reports from some that the video doesn't directly run in blogger. For such, here's the direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoi1MSGu64
Monday, April 21, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Zzing - The First Review
I prefer my music loud, personal and omnipresent. I listen to what sounds good, be it heavy metal, glam rock or modern pop. Though I do admit I heavily tend to listen to rock & metal. I'm not a celebrity writer, or a music critic, or someone who cares about the triumphs and the defeats of those associated with the music industry. Yet what you're going to read now is the first review of an upcoming Pakistani blues-rock band called "Zzing". So why the sudden urge? Because the lead vocalist and guitarist is a very good friend of mine from GIK (for the uninitated read: Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences & Technology, i.e. my alma mater, refer to the post 'Nostalgia' in archives to learn more about GIKI). Immad Muzaffar, otherwise known as ganges due to his remarkably smooth shaven head, has come a long way from singing 'Mera Number' at GIKI gigs in his raspy voice accompanied by his twangy acoustic guitar playing.
Zzing is so new they don't even have a deal with a record label yet. And to my last knowledge had only recorded four songs, and I had the privilege of listening to the first cut of their first studio recorded number. Called 'Ghalib Blues' it combines Immad's love of classical Urdu poetry and Jimi Hendrix. Only he could sing Ghalib* to upbeat bluesy rock and get away with it, and that too in flying colors. Due to copyright nature of the song and more because I promised Immad to keep it a secret, i'm not going to give any details about it. I will say though that I'm appropriately impressed. If things go right for this guy and his band, I don't see any reason for them not to succeed. Especially since Pakistani music scene is very quickly getting dominated by rock, blues and metal. Zzing can give many of today's established bands a run for their money.
You go pal! :)
*Ghalib for the uninitated: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirza_Ghalib
