We had a little show and tell at IFTF on Friday where we all brought in examples of good things to read.

I wanted to bring Indian blogs that I like a lot. But I also thought I needed more than my own finds – ones that focused on design, technology, art and/or culture. Because it was late in San Francisco, I was overlapping significantly with the daylight part of India’s diurnal cycle. Who better to ask where the good content was than some trusted colleagues from the subcontinent?

It turned out to be a little more difficult than I expected. I got a handful of good responses when I posted it on my twitter feed – maybe 35% of all those I asked. Some replies were more relevant for what I was looking for: well organized, thoughtful commentary, minimal ads, a clear editorial focus, and, above all, unabashedly Indian.

However, a few replies also cited how difficult it was to think of blogs or magazines – from a specifically Indian context. I’m not sure why it’s so difficult. Perhaps much of Indian culture is derivative in one way or another and that we often run into conflicts when we cite what is “purely” Indian (I’m gonna get in trouble for this last sentence . Or maybe the blogs are just difficult to find, in a different language, or just not cool enough.

It also seems a lot of blogs don’t maintain momentum – as if they aren’t “serious” enough to be sanctioned. I was super bummed not to see much from the Center for Experimental Media Arts (CEMA) or even from Srishti for that matter. I guess new media isn’t supposed to be linkable from home institutions (but please correct me if I’m wrong).

Then again, maybe it’s not allowed. You’d be surprised how many social disincentives as leveraged at people just trying to share good ideas, insights, and sensemaking (#justmyexperience). But that’s changing – I hope.

In any case, here’s a first go, and this list is fantastic.

What are your favorites? I’d be especially down for some Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, or other links too. Post ‘em in the comments if you like – and better yet – tell me why I’m wrong. Enjoy!

http://issuu.com/wkdelhi/docs
Portland Ad Agency Weiden and Kennedy opened an office in Delhi. This is their culture mag. Really well-done, visually-compelling, and curiously out of the mainstream – but then I guess that where the advertising peeps always play.

http://www.caravanmagazine.in/
I’ve been really impressed with the quality of articles coming from caravan. Timely topics (the first I ever read was about UIDwallas) and good layout.

http://www.randomspecific.com/
A killer visual culture and design research-based collection. Smart commentary and vibrant, reality-based images permeate the senses.

http://praja.in
Want to know what’s happening in the mobility and public transport scene in Bangalore? This is transport politics writ large. Great levels of participation.

http://designpublic.in/
A series of conversations about design and innovation in the public interest – by the good peeps at CKS.

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/
It seems a bunch of massive media outlets are learning to pay attention to India.

http://masalachaionline.blogspot.com/
Desi graphic design.

http://design-for-india.blogspot.com/
Respected NID Prof. M P Ranjan on design thinking, design research, and some massive issues in sustainability and inclusion.

http://www.hobnook.com/
TBD

http://www.sarai.net/
Old school, super school, the source for critical thinking about cities, new media, art, and culture

http://poolmagazine.wordpress.com/
Looks like Tiger Beat – for the Indian design caste.

http://helterskelter.in/
chaos and control. like it.

http://www.openthemagazine.com/
Bordering on info overload, but the writing looks promising.

http://www.designwala.org/
Arch + design for developing world.

http://www.medianama.com/
Tech and business details.

Jay Silver is a researcher in the Lifelong Kindergarten group at the MIT Media Lab. I first met Jay when I arrived in Bangalore about ten months ago. While he was there, he made all kinds of cool things that allowed us to interact in interesting and fun ways with our environment! His recent work has been looking at how to make touch, sensation, and interaction with the world around us astonishing, especially for kids! I made this video while discussing his work with him in the Media Lab.

environmental camera from Gabriel Harp on Vimeo.

`I should see the garden far better,’ said Alice to herself, `if I could get to the top of that hill: and here’s a path that leads straight to it — at least, no, it doesn’t do that — ‘ (after going a few yards along the path, and turning several sharp corners), `but I suppose it will at last. But how curiously it twists! It’s more like a corkscrew than a path! Well, this turn goes to the hill, I suppose — no, it doesn’t! This goes straight back to the house! Well then, I’ll try it the other way.’

And so she did: wandering up and down, and trying turn after turn, but always coming back to the house, do what she would. Indeed, once, when she turned a corner rather more quickly than usual, she ran against it before she could stop herself.

`It’s no use talking about it,” Alice said, looking up at the house and pretending it was arguing with her. `I’m not going in again yet. I know I should have to get through the Looking-glass again — back into the old room — and there’d be an end of all my adventures!’

So, resolutely turning back upon the house, she set out once more down the path, determined to keep straight on till she got to the hill. For a few minutes all went on well, and she was just saying, `I really shall do it this time — ‘ when the path gave a sudden twist and shook itself (as she described it afterwards), and the next moment she found herself actually walking in at the door.

‘Oh, it’s too bad!’ she cried. `I never saw such a house for getting in the way! Never!’

Parimaribo, Suriname
May 2005

Pictured is a comparison of an infected (top) and uninfected (bottom) freshwater snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum. The parasite is called Microphallus, and can colonize the snail hen the snail passively ingests Microphallus eggs while feeding. The snail serves as an intermediate host for the parasite–meaning that the parasite needs the snail’s resources to develop and reach its next host. Often these final hosts are waterfowl, though in the lab mice are used for experimental purposes.

This images was made in the lab of Curt Lively at the Department of Biology at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Digital Print
1′x1′
2003

The cover photograph demonstrates sexual dimporphism in a flowering plant, Silene latifolia. I made the image while working as a research assistant in Lynda Delph’s lab in the Department of Biology at Indiana University in Bloomington. The

Pictured are the female (left) and male (right) reproductive organs. Notice the extreme differences in size. There is enough genetic variation in many populations of Silene latifolia such one can reduce or expand the degree of dimorphism by artifically selecting on a physical trait such as calyx width or flower number.

Gender and Sexual Dimorphism in Flowering Plants. 1999. M.A. Geber, T.E. Dawson, and L.F. Delph, Eds. Springer, Berlin.