I am not a designer and so my way of thinking about design is influenced by not mere visual aspects, but also how things are constructed. I don’t just love the shoes because of how they look — though that matters — but I also look at where the leather comes from, how it is stitched together and what kind of craftsmanship has gone into it. From shoe trees to little patterns on the toe to the packaging to the font on the label, all of those little things add up to the design aesthetic. And that way of thinking about the design aesthetic extends to other things, including website design. Yes, fonts matter, and the layouts matter, but so does the relative relationship to the kind of content, the speed of the web service and even the screen size and how it all correlates to me…continue reading
One of the great joys of being completely exhausted is that you do actually enjoy the deep sleep that follows. I am a light sleeper but after two days of Google I/O related work, last night I slept like a log.
I have to say I immensely enjoyed the two days of no-sleep, writing on deadline and then actually sitting through a three-and-a-half hour long keynote (anyone remember those Microsoft events?) I like the excitement of covering big news events with our team members, especially the new kids who still have a sense of wonder about technology and aren’t jaded by the constant push-and-pull of the “business”. I love showing the youngsters the ropes and helping them along their journey of life.
Eliza and Jordan joined the grizzled old me, Janko and Kevin as we live blogged, took photos and in general enjoyed as we wrote our impressions of Google’s big developer conference. These moments to co-work are what make my work life so special, so rewarding because I am in the trenches with people I love working with.
Rest of the afternoon was spent in meetings, which means today will be a day of quiet contemplation on what I heard from Google, its implications and why it matters (or not.)
That said, I like the morning after feeling exhaustion brings. It brings much needed sleep, and in turn a chance to start anew!
Google’s reworking of its social network, Google+ shows that the company has started to marry data with design and craft new experiences. Will that be enough to turn you and I into active participants? Who, knows, I am just happy it doesn’t look like Facebook. continue reading
Eight years after Google launched Maps as a beta product, the search giant is reinventing the map for a new data rich web that lives on fast broadband, and runs on computers with oomph to spare. continue reading
One of the great joys of travel is that you get a chance to learn something new. France is one of those destinations, where if you keep an open mind, you learn something new and challenge your preconceived notions. For instance, everyone would tell you that coffee is great in France. Well, sure it is, if you compare it to your neighborhood Starbucks or local cart vendor. But if you are like me – a bit of a coffee snob – then you would find coffee in France, well, not quite up to your taste. Still, whenever I was in Paris, I did end up chugging those espressos to beat the jet lag.
On this most recent trip, however, I was in no rush. No meetings. Nowhere to go. Just chilling and watching the world go by, and as a result I fought the jet lag the old fashioned way: staying up really late and then getting good sleep. And as a result, I didn’t feel the need for caffeine as much. Instead, I opted for tea. And boy, was I in for a pleasant and delightful surprise.
We normally associate tea with the British (and Indian, Chinese and other Asian cultures) but, in reality France is a hotbed of quality, high-end and blended teas. Yes, the rest of the world may know this already, but the joy of discovering something and being shocked or delighted by it is still a very personal thing. As I walked around town, I saw many a few delightful French tea shops and learnt a lot about the French Tea culture. Of the lot, Mariage Freres is my favorite (though Le Palais des Thés is close second.)
What I loved is how French blend many different flavors and fragrances together. For instance, I had this tea which was a blend of rose and black tea. I was not only drinking and tasting it with your taste buds, but I was also experiencing it from my nose. The color itself was pretty amazing – a deep, dark color which looked like molten lava when I tilted the cup and the morning light hit the liquid at a certain angle. If you have not tried Rose D’ Himalaya, then you really have not lived. I guess, it is part of the French culture to involve all human senses in an act as simple as making and drinking tea.
Needless to say, I have brought home enough tea to last me a few months, till I am back in Paris again.
