tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122375512015-02-10T15:50:19.281+05:30The Comic ProjectThe objective of this project is not to pirate or steal. I grew up on these comics: Phantom, Mandrake, Bahadur: and reading them was so much fun. Yes!! Indrajal Comics!!! Although you will see a few non-indrajal titles, this blog is committed to bring you original Indrajal scans.
<br>DEDICATED TO A generation of children growing up on Harry Potter, Cartoon Network and television AND Lee Falk
<br>UPDATE: Expanded coverage to post other old comics and comics that I have createdThe Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.comBlogger433125TheComicProjecthttps://feedburner.google.comThis is an XML content feed. It is intended to be viewed in a newsreader or syndicated to another site, subject to copyright and fair use.tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-16493292656982298332013-01-08T07:27:00.001+05:302013-01-08T07:27:10.158+05:30When noise becomes news and news becomes noise<p><em>Good intentions and cheap thrills will not change the ground reality. </em></p> <p><font size="2">3 weeks ago, a 23 year old girl was gang raped by 6 men and she died on 29th December 2012. A lot has been written about the rape, protests, reactions and a lot more will be written. So here are my views on some other incidents during these 3 weeks and how they might have cost us an opportunity to change the status quo.</font></p> <p><font size="2">First, there was Abhijeet Mukherjee (Congress MP and President Pranab Mukherjee's son) with his "painted and dented" remark. Then one Kailash Vijayvargiya wanted women to not cross the "Laxman Rekha". A Congress leader, Botsa Satyanarayana, advised women to not step out during late hours. Short skirts were blamed. Some Honey Singh got his concert cancelled because his songs insulted women. Mohan Bhagwat (the RSS Sarsangchalak) thought such incidents did not occur in Bharat, but only in India. Yesterday, it was Asaram Bapu who thought the girl was partially to blame. </font></p> <p><font size="2">Women's rights organizations got into the act. courageous, angry women who had faced the brunt of male aggression, groping, sexual abuse, escalated the brutal incident of 16th December to the larger issue of violence against women. The topics of marital rape and sexual abuse in families got effortlessly weaved in to this narrative and were debated vigorously. Free speech advocates jumped in defending Honey Singh's rights. Every noble cause seemed to have found fresh legs and each one of these out of touch, old-fashioned, narrow-minded jokers were ridiculed, mocked, shamed until their comments were "withdrawn" or apologies given, or clarified by spokespersons and apologists. </font></p> <p><font size="2">It was all happening. We were frustrated by the Government's (lack of) response, ineptness of the police; angry with a system that could not prevent this horror, a society that does not respect women; saddened and hurt by the rape and our own helplessness. There were protests on streets, fire fuelled by relentless media coverage, helped along by Facebook shares and tweets. A nation was waking up. Or was it? </font></p> <p><font size="2">I ask this because I don't see an awakening, but only collective stupidity. Each one of these incidents, our excessive attention to them, the joy over a TV anchor making a politician squirm or extracting an apology, our obsessing over ridiculous comments, were a distraction. Those who pushed forward other important issues about women's rights, sexual abuse and attitudes in society, added to the noise despite all their good intentions. While it looked like there was progress being made, we drowned the original issue - of rape, punishment, deterrence/prevention, of police sensitivity to such crimes and accountability of law enforcement officials - in a sea of larger agendas and nonsensical utterances. We tried to win wars that have been fought for centuries and would take a few more decades, even before we had won the first battle. </font></p> <p><font size="2">Wars are won one battle at a time, not by overreaching and getting desperate but by hammering away at weaknesses until the walls are breached. Issues can co-exist and battles can be fought on more than one front at a time, but it requires focus and the rate at which we get distracted makes it impossible for us to win. The next time we lose a battle, it won't be because the system is too strong to be defeated, but because we can't stick to one issue long enough to see it through. </font></p> <p><font size="2">3 weeks later, these distractions dominate the news and the dead girl seems like a distraction.</font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/yJRged2-09g" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com4http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2013/01/when-noise-becomes-news-and-news.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-57511321233132502172012-07-18T03:54:00.001+05:302012-07-18T03:57:59.220+05:30Without comment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsMSouo6iyI/UAXm07aSzWI/AAAAAAAACaA/ONiFhPPSQG4/s1600/The+evolution+of+Twitter-Resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fsMSouo6iyI/UAXm07aSzWI/AAAAAAAACaA/ONiFhPPSQG4/s1600/The+evolution+of+Twitter-Resized.jpg" /></a></div></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/5KAKZ7-EAIs" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com11http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2012/07/without-comment.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-54755946449050757392012-04-11T21:12:00.004+05:302012-04-12T04:05:27.776+05:30Why the Time 100 Poll does not matter<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Political battles are not won on the internet, but they can be lost there</span><br /><br />There was some buzz on the Internets about a Time Poll which the Gujarat CM Narendra Modi almost won. Some celebrated, some were aghast at the possibility that Mr.Modi would come out on top in an Internet poll and there was <a href="http://pragmatic.nationalinterest.in/2012/04/10/what-the-time-poll-tells-us/">one excellent analysis </a>of what the numbers could mean. Apparently, Mr.Modi led the poll a few days ago, thanks to his massive (online) following and his opponents mobilized enough online votes to make their opposition loud and clear. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The poll itself does not matter because</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. It is an internet poll, and it is best not to take it very seriously and </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">2. It was a battle of fanatics and devotees, who eventually canceled each other out. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> But there are other issues to consider. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">On one hand, there is no politician in India who commands such intense devotion as Mr.Modi does, and it boils down to three reasons: </span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">1. Gujarat under Mr.Modi has been touted as investment-friendly, corruption-free and a model of good governance</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> 2. Top-notch media management has highlighted the positives coming out of Gujarat, a stark contrast considering the state of affairs in the rest of India</span><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">3. Media focus on the post-Godhra riots and Mr.Modi's role in it, which make him look like a victim. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">On the other hand, his opponents have tried to assert that Gujarat is not all that it is made out to be and his direct or indirect involvement in the Gujarat riots is reason enough to disregard any progress seen during his tenure as Gujarat CM. They were fairly successful in traditional media. But for the first time, I have seen Mr.Modi lose an internet battle, indicating the arrival of another group of fanatics who want to win perception battles with mouse clicks. </span></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">***<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Some people argue about issues beyond the legal ones Mr.Modi faces, but morality has limited and convenient value in politics. If morality was the yardstick to elect our politicians, we would have elected an entirely different breed of leaders. Therefore, only three things matter:</span></span><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="im"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />1. The court's verdict on cases before it: I think even Mr.Modi opponents know that there is no smoking gun as they seem to be inclined towards tying him up in court cases and impeding his Prime Ministerial ambitions.<br />2. Election results: Rohit Pradhan has a great piece in <i>Pragati </i>on <a href="http://pragati.nationalinterest.in/2012/04/the-message-from-uttar-pradesh/">future political scenarios</a>. There is another scenario. While Mr.Modi's move to the centre may galvanize votes against him, middle class India might actually turn up to vote for him (and the BJP). This could be due to frustration with Congress' misgovernance and corruption and also because those on the fence only need the court cases to go away so they can brush off questions of morality and vote for the man they think is a man of action.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> 3. Acceptability of allies: This is a hurdle that Mr.Modi might find most difficult to negotiate, but what if there is a wave in support of Mr.Modi? It seems difficult in the current political and social climate. But because the BJP doesn't have much to lose, Mr.Modi is the make-or-break bet it must make and hope that the allies will eventually come around. </span><br /></span><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="im"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br />I believe Mr.Modi's time has come and while I may not trust him as the country's Prime Minister, I would rather see him have his legitimate opportunity to lead the country. Of all the politicians and political formations in India today, he has articulated a coherent vision for his state and followed up on it. This, his followers believe, makes Mr.Modi a transformational leader and support their hero with an indignation and hostility that has to be seen to be believed.<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;">***<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" class="im"><span style="font-size:85%;">I received an interesting tweet last evening about a myth-busting website re:Gujarat riots, and I would like to quote a couple snippets from that website:<br /><blockquote>"Myth 1: 2,000 Muslims were killed in the Gujarat riots<br />Fact: 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus were killed in the riots, 2548 people were injured and 223 people were missing"<br />"Myth 2: Muslims were ‘butchered’ in Gujarat<br />Fact: "by and large - the riots were not one-sided- and Muslims were hardly the cattle hiding from the slaughter house"<br /></blockquote><br />There is more, and I will leave you to make your own conclusions but this is a sample of Mr.Modi's following. Another section, arguably, is only interested in good governance and want him to replicate Gujarat on a larger scale. </span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span> </div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Mr.Modi's devotees are a curious combination of well-meaning people impatient for good governance, the aggrieved Hindu who thinks the Gujarat riots were a good thing as it taught Muslims a lesson, and the Hindu supremacist. Except for a few people who remain objective, they are either blinded by devotion for Mr.Modi or by hatred towards anyone who speaks against their hero, and won't stop at anything to drown other voices out.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center; font-family: trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">***<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Any politician with the extent of demonstrated success as Mr.Modi deserves a fair political chance and it is high time that Mr.Modi's opponents gracefully step back instead of hysterically rehashing the same talking points. While perceptions can be changed on a smaller scale, elections won't be won on the Internet. This is something his devotees must realise because their hostility and storm-trooping puts off more people than they can win the support of. An old proverb says "a man is known by the company he keeps". Mr.Modi's devotees should understand that they are his company and they will have themselves to blame when <del>their</del> he is judged by their behaviour.<br /><br /></span></span><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/04otZosc3FY" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com17http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2012/04/why-time-100-poll-does-not-matter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-2312718468817553612012-03-06T06:32:00.006+05:302012-03-06T06:40:27.968+05:30Congrasana (or Rahulasana)<p style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vEzHEFMiqjw/T1ViAg_-zmI/AAAAAAAACY4/VQOGUhdN80k/s1600-h/Congrasana%252520Large%252520New%25255B7%25255D.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Congrasana" border="0" alt="Congrasana - A position Congress leaders get into when a Gandhi fails" src="http://i.imgur.com/m42hz.jpg" /></a></p><br /><span >Thanks to an idea from <a href="http://twitter.com/centerofright">@centerofright</a></span><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/gHucki1XMPc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com0http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2012/03/congrasana-or-rahulasana.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-6181013802713864232012-02-14T06:39:00.001+05:302012-02-14T06:39:10.249+05:30Happy #Outrage Day<p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="HappyOutrageDay" border="0" alt="HappyOutrageDay" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TAt30uSgR4E/Tzm0NEcFoCI/AAAAAAAACYE/x82nnN5tCQ8/HappyOutrageDay%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="830" /></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/uRYWq40wxYA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com2http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2012/02/happy-outrage-day.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-79886822319479573392012-01-15T18:56:00.001+05:302012-01-15T19:04:50.629+05:30V.V.S<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-j3j9YgaORpg/TxLUFT0bu8I/AAAAAAAACXo/UI2E2uWqmBg/s1600-h/Laxman-End%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="VVS Laxman Bookends" border="0" alt="VVS Laxman - The End" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-U1_F7y8ulks/TxLUF5dbrsI/AAAAAAAACXw/DsPMKrMQfu0/Laxman-End_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="396" /></a></p> <p>Thanks <img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-smile" alt="Smile" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-S_gLNqM8o34/TxLV-VEfV9I/AAAAAAAACX4/-OkONB00IW0/wlEmoticon-smile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /> <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/thebansal/" target="_blank">@thebansal</a> - <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/thebansal/status/158444475734167552">https://twitter.com/#!/thebansal/status/158444475734167552</a></p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/thebansal">@thebansal</a>: i m wondering more abt Laxman's..irony..aus brought him glory and aus dusted him</p></blockquote> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/wJmykXyaF2E" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com2http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2012/01/vvs.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-51191374991730310422012-01-03T01:04:00.003+05:302012-01-03T18:43:41.637+05:30The patient, the quack and the nurse<p>The Congress party messed it up completely - not having the numbers, not managing allies and avoiding a vote hiding behind technicalities. But let’s go back to the start. This was an exercise in fixing responsibility for preventing the passage of Lokpal bill. </p> <p>The first round was in the Lok Sabha, played out in two parts - the voting on Lokpal bill and the constitutional amendment. The Bill went through, but the constitutional amendment didn't. Without going into the "strong Bill"/"weak Bill" argument, the Govt came closest to delivering on promises made outside parliament. Opposition parties, by abstention, amendments or walkouts, missed a trick. The Bill, as Govt saw it, was passed. It is not what Team Anna wants, it is not perfect, but I would be surprised if we get anywhere closer than this to Lokpal being a reality. </p> <p>Part two was the constitutional amendment for which the Govt. never had the numbers and Govt. gets brownie points for effort. Regional parties and the opposition beat the drum of federalism but if corruption was such an important issue that they had vowed to combat, why not give the Bill safe passage based on assurances from Govt.? That question has one answer – lack of trust in the Congress party which has behaved arrogantly, as if it can do no wrong even while stumbling from one scam to another, creating a crisis where none existed and handling it ineptly enough to take matters to the brink. </p> <p>The end result was a Lokpal bill that made it through the Lok Sabha and, a ‘game changing’ constitutional amendment that didn’t. </p> <p>The second round in the Rajya Sabha saw a spirited debate where strong points were made by Arun Jaitley, a man who looks increasingly prime ministerial and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who was technical but made great counter arguments. A few speeches later, it all went downhill due to a Govt. that presided over a bizarre sequence of events – some orchestrated, some accidental – and Mamata Banerjee made the situation even more volatile. She had a right to go on strike at the time of her choosing, and for the second time in a month, she tripped up a bumbling Govt. The opposition parties saw an opportunity and rightly took it, making it even worse for the Govt. </p> <p>It does not matter if Lokpal bill was strong or weak, who was right or wrong, or there were 187 amendments with little time for discussion, or who voted for the Bill in Lok Sabha and who defeated the constitutional amendment or why. It also does not matter if federalism was a genuine issue, enough to override corruption, or if it was a bogus issue raised to prevent the bill from going through or if a manufactured constitutional crisis was averted. 3 things matter: <br />1. Govt and Congress, had blood on their hands when it all ended <br />2. The Bill, in whatever form, survived for another day when circumstances might be different. <br />3. Mamata Banerjee proved herself as volatile and unreliable even if her politics made sense</p> <p>And then there is Arun Jaitley. </p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/hraWJJ-Y0kU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com1http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2012/01/patient-quack-and-nurse.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-91473042909127982862011-12-07T07:24:00.001+05:302011-12-07T08:03:34.460+05:30The Siblet – One tablet to rule them all<p align="center"><strong>Click on image to enlarge</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kWxSMzIUya4/Tt7HSZN5TMI/AAAAAAAACXU/m7weLmwhueQ/s1600-h/Siblet-Cartoon-Resized%25255B7%25255D.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Siblet-Cartoon-Resized" border="0" alt="Siblet-Cartoon-Resized" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-63ZEelUtrzw/Tt7HTX96QZI/AAAAAAAACXY/uFwKQoILor8/Siblet-Cartoon-Resized_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="413" /></a></p> <p><font size="2">Some random thoughts: </font></p> <p><font size="2">SibLing – Greatest porn censor known to mankind <br />Sibanator – Self-explanatory? <br />K(r)aplets – That’s what Siblet apps are called <br />Siballet – A pre-screened dance form <br />Sibillet – Ticket to pre-screened shows <br />Kapculator – The zero-loss calculating machine</font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/wnRV2UlL3mM" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com25http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/12/siblet-one-tablet-to-rule-them-all.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-15678610505376475122011-11-30T06:45:00.001+05:302011-12-06T09:45:36.893+05:30Nokia Lumia 800 – User review after 10 days<p><font size="2">Let’s get a few things out of the way first. This is not a tech review but a user’s observations after 10 days of regular use, so I wouldn’t call this “objective” (but then, neither are most tech reviews). I also switched from Blackberry Bold 9700 (keyboard lover) and that bias might creep in, plus the phone is not a review unit - I bought this phone and will be very pissed if my money has not been well-spent. It is not a comparison with iOS or Android (I have used both for a few days) as unavoidable as it may seem. My usage scenario is another factor – Internet usage is not heavy (except for searches, quick look at linked articles), I prefer iPod classic for music but use the phone for Youtube videos when I am not near a computer, emails/calendar are a must-have at all times, and plan to use it for light gaming. </font></p> <p><font size="2">I won’t delve much into the phone’s features or specs as there are many other reviews for it. I will also record my observations in two parts – first part about the phone hardware – body, screen, sound and camera with a bit of software, and the second part on the OS/software. </font></p> <p><font color="#0000ff" size="2"><em><strong>Update: 06-Dec-2011 – I did end up talking a lot about the OS than I wanted to but I hope it has come across as my experience rather than a feature-set description. I have not covered several functions like games or the integration with Windows Live among others because I did not use them enough to have an opinion. And if possible, I will try to add pictures to this review later. </strong></em></font></p> <p><strong><font size="3">Part 1 – Design and Hardware</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>The phone</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">The phone is black, beautiful and an absolute stunner. The body is plastic (polycarbonate) but feels anything but cheap. The silver buttons stand out more than I would have liked it to. Black buttons would have given the phone a more seamless black look and functioned just as well. The micro USB opening is flimsy and could break with excess force or by accident. The body is smooth and it felt like it would slip out of my hands, but the height/weight is well balanced and it feels just right to hold. There is no front-facing camera and some might see this as a minus, but I see no real use for it in the next year. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Turning it on – Zero to Ready in 20 seconds</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">Hold and press the phone lock/unlock button and you are greeted by a white Nokia logo, followed by the Windows Phone logo and a couple of seconds later, the phone springs to life – deep, rich colours popping out of the Lumia 800’s clear black display – and this is at around 50% brightness. And then there’s the bootup speed – it takes all of 20 seconds for the phone to be switched on, accept the 4 digit SIM password, acquire a signal and be ready for use. Just 20 seconds. Add 2 seconds if you like – from pressing the button to appearance of the Nokia logo. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Screen and display resolution – Looks great but …</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">Lumia 800 uses Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) OS, has a 3.7 inch gorilla glass display that sits almost edge-to-edge across the width of the phone and is curved outward which makes the phone a bit more conducive to touch. I read reports of the curved glass helping readability in the sun but I cannot verify that. The contrast-heavy WP7 OS shines on this screen but the 800x480 screen – a limitation imposed by the OS - is a bit disappointing as I would have liked to see more on its gorgeous black screen. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Sound, Music and Ringtones – Nokia has forgotten that the ringtone is like a calling card </strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">Sound is loud and clear whether on phone calls, while listening to music with the supplied, better-than-usual quality earphones or on speaker. Nokia has included a Nokia music app with a Mix radio function that streams music at no extra cost. If you don’t have data usage constraints, this is a great feature that also allows offline storage of the mix you like and play it later. If Location is turned on, the “gig finder” shows live music gigs nearby, displays a map to the location, let's me buy tickets and share information about the gig with friends (via SMS, Facebook, Twitter). This is quite cool. </font></p> <p><font size="2">The Nokia default ringtone has a chime-like sound that is not very audible, odd considering how ubiquitous this ringtone was. I replaced it with the polyphonic ringtone found in phones from 8 years ago. The “new SMS tone” is a “beep-beep” not a “beep-beep beep-beep”.</font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Camera - Needs more effort</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">The Nokia Lumia 800 sports a conveniently located camera with Carl Zeiss f/2.2 lens and a dual LED flash. It can be triggered with a dedicated camera button even if the phone is locked and focusing can be achieved by a button half-press or by tapping on the subject on screen. The camera works quite well in daylight but not as well in low light despite the Carl Zeiss optics. Nokia has some work to do on the camera software and it is surprising they didn’t nail this. This might be fixed by future updates but it could have been a great feature, and what we have instead is an ordinary camera. I am yet to use all the options of the camera but it mostly works ok and I will mostly use it to capture spontaneous moments when I can’t get to my Nikon D90 quickly enough. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>In a nutshell</strong>, </font></p> <p><font size="2">Nokia Lumia 800 is a phone that looks beautiful and feels sturdy, has a gorgeous black display where colours come to life. The Micro USB port door is an annoyance and the camera could be better but there’s more to the phone than just the hardware. The phone was ready for use within 20 seconds of turning it on, but what after that? </font><font size="2">I will update </font><font size="2">this post with my thoughts on the phone’s software experience, performance and battery life. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3"><font color="#0000ff">Updated 01-Dec-2011</font> <br />Part 2 – Software, Performance and Battery Life</font></strong><font size="2"></font></p> <p><font size="2">A phone is as good or as bad as the software that runs on it. The Nokia Lumia 800 is based on Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) and again, there are better reviews of the OS. I will touch upon my experience with the OS. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>First impressions</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">The bootup is FAST, really FAST and that is just the beginning. The lock screen shows a wallpaper, time, day of the week and date in large, sharp lettering. Below that is the the next appointment on the calendar and notification icons to indicate new messages or phone calls. This is nothing special but useful to decide whether I should put the phone away or do more. But there is nothing to indicate where to go next, and this is not an annoyance as this is a screen begging to be touched. Slide the screen up and 8 bright blue high contrast blocks pop on the Lumia’s black screen. These blocks are called <strong>“tiles”</strong>, big enough to touch but it is mostly white text or a big white icon on the tile. </font></p> <p><font size="2">There are tiles for Phone, People, Text messages, Emails, Pictures, Zune, Calendar, Marketplace, XBox, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office. Nokia has pre-installed Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Music. A set of big blocks are boring and these tiles don’t take up the full screen, leave a gap at the top and the bottom tile is cut off – giving a sense of incompleteness but trigger a curiosity to scroll the screen up, which reveals more tiles. Hitting the bottom of the tile draws attention to the small arrow that bounces at the top right of the screen, and tapping on this arrow smoothly transitions into a list of apps that you can display by scrolling up and down. Each app has an icon and a description and large enough to touch (no stylus needed)</font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Setting Up</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">The first thing I did was to transfer contacts from my Blackberry to the Lumia 800 using Nokia’s Contacts Transfer app. It has been the simplest contacts transfer process that I have gone through in almost a decade of mobile usage. With Bluetooth switched on and entering a password, all my Blackberry contacts were on my new phone within a couple of minutes. No hitches. </font></p> <p><font size="2">The next part is set up of the Windows Live account and if you avoided Hotmail/used it for spam mails, you are going to have to use it for a lot more. I set up a new Windows Live account to escape past sins as the setup was easy enough, gave me 25GB free space on Microsoft’s Skydrive, will store my contacts and calendar, and manage the phone from the Web. </font></p> <p><font size="2">With the contacts transferred, I set up my Linkedin and dormant Facebook accounts and all my contacts are now available on the phone with negligible effort. Work email (no Exchange for me) and Gmail set up was a breeze and all Gmail contacts are also available on the phone. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Hubs</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">Windows Phone 7 is possibly the first OS that has tried to deviate from the “click on icon – open app – do something” interface paradigm that has been around since graphical user interfaces became the norm. While icon – apps – activity still exists, the primary interface is focused on activities rather than icons and apps via a series of hubs – one each for people, music & video, pictures, games, office and Marketplace. It is tempting to assume that these hubs are “folders”, but instead each hub is organized around a series of actions. Clicking on each hub shows the name of the hub – in an oversized font and cut-off at the right. The three hubs that I have used the most are People, Pictures and Marketplace. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>People Hub</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">Remember the contacts transfer and setup above? This is where they all end up – in the People hub – which is made up of 3 sections – What’s New, Recently used contacts and an alphabetical directory of contacts. This is where the OS starts to shine. Touching the People hub flips to the “What’s New” section which is a self-updating news feed of contacts from Facebook. I no longer need to specifically go to Facebook, instead Facebook comes to me with the latest updates from my friends and I can like/comment on updates right here. Since this feed is retrieved by the OS, the scrolling is smooth and fast. </font></p> <p><font size="2">The ‘Recent’ section peeks out at the edge and the incomplete/cut-off look starts making sense as you intuitively touch the screen to scroll to the right, showing 2 rows of 4 tiles – 2 and a half tiles at a time. Yes, that cut-off look again. </font></p> <p><font size="2">Scrolling further to the right brings up the alphabetical directory which lists all the contacts transferred from my old Phone, Linkedin and Facebook. I can create new contacts or contact groups and access existing contacts by scrolling or alphabet “tiles”. Tapping on any of the contacts displays the profile with phone number, email, home address, birthday, etc. and if the contact has Facebook, you can directly write to their wall. At the bottom are 3 icons – for pinning the contact to the start screen for instant access (like a speed dial), linking multiple profiles of the contact (Facebook, Linkedin) and for editing the contact’s profile. And if you want to know more about what your contact has been up to on Facebook, touch the gray “what’s new” tab and the contact’s feed is instantly available. Touching the grayed out, cut-off “Pictures” tab will show the pictures uploaded by your contact and the “History” tab lists all recent conversations or calls with the contact. The </font><font size="2">profile, news feed, pictures and history functions works similarly for the Recent contacts as well as for a contact group. </font></p> <p><font size="2">This might sound a bit nested but it makes perfect sense visually and is very intuitive. Everything about a person is at my fingertips, in one place, the implementation is brilliant and looks great. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Pictures Hub</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">As I observed in part 1 of the review, the Lumia 800’s camera is decent but needs more work. Photos taken by the camera can be viewed in the “camera roll” view. Additionally, pictures can be stored and viewed by album, date and people – WP7.5 shows off its excellent integration again as this will display photos shared by a contact. </font></p> <p><font size="2">There is a section for favourite pictures and photo applications I have downloaded (Apict, PhotoFunia, Pictures Lab, Thumba). Scrolling through the pictures in an album works as expected but tapping the 3 dots ( . . . ) at the bottom of a picture offers more options for sharing, adding to favourites and Applications. Instead of starting an app and opening a picture in it, you can start application for the picture you have open and directly work on it. Conceptually simple and very well executed.  </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Coming up:</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Live Tiles, Interface/Usability, Multi-tasking and Background apps, Phone dialer, Browser, Apps, Performance, Battery Life and Conclusion <br /></strong>(This review is taking longer than I expected. It was supposed to be a series of 10 or 15 tweets, and maybe I will still do that but I thought it best to elaborate on my experience) </font></p> <p><strong><font size="3"><font color="#0000ff">Updated 06-Dec-2011</font> </font></strong></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Look & Feel</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">WP7.5 is a combination of dark (or white) blackgrounds, bright colourful tiles (with white icons in them), big (lowercase) headings and fonts, cut off lettering and screen transitions. While that sounds jarring and unappealing, it creates a look that is refreshingly different and seem to have a purpose. The bright tiles and white icons draw attention, the text looks crisp and easy to touch, the cut off lettering induces an instinctive swipe to see if there is more – and there usually is, and each swipe or touch is accompanied by elegant, slick transitions. It feels like a Powerpoint presentation and for the first time, someone seems to have put its animation features to perfect use. And design likes and dislikes aside, there is no denying the smoothness and speed of the UI throughout the phone. </font></p> <p><font size="2">I was curious if phone functioned like it looked and it took me just a few minutes to get used to it. There are some rough edges but does not interfere with usability (I don’t recall some of the annoyances that made me think – ROUGH EDGE). Touch is responsive (sometimes a little too responsive) and accurate, swipes work as intended, information is not immediately available where you might expect it, but takes only a couple of iterations to figure the overall pattern of the interface. The big (black or white) headings that double as “tabs” that can be accessed by touching or swiping in the direction of dimmed text, a set of icons at the bottom for specific actions, three dots ( . . . ) indicate additional options or description of the icons. </font></p> <p><font size="2">If I were to use 3 words to describe the WP7.5 UI experience without resorting to superlatives – smooth, fast, functional. And those big bright colourful tiles go beyond one-sided communication. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Live Tiles</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">The start screen is made up of tiles used for launching a task or an app but these tiles are not static. They can do some useful things – like showing the next appointment or event on the calendar, number of emails or text messages, weather forecast or a picture slideshow from the camera roll or those you have assigned as a favourite. Any app or contact can be pinned to the start screen for easy access and I use it for the most common functions and it alerts me if a contact has uploaded a new photo so I can tap and explore. This is a great concept but it will be only as good as the apps written for it (remember sideshow?) and at this time, not a lot of apps seem to be taking advantage of it.</font></p> <p><font size="2">There are downsides to these Live Tiles – it impacts battery life as dynamic content like weather, pictures or any content that requires access to data on the phone or the internet. While this is understandable, switching off Live Tiles or using it moderately to preserve the battery defeats the purpose of “glance and go” as Windows Phone is touted to be. The other problem with tiles is there are only 8 tiles visible at a time on the screen and adding more tiles to the start screen means more scrolling. Even if the tiles are easily recognizable with icons and text, I have gotten lost in scrolling as things don’t seem to be where I left them. The scrolling is a nuisance and I think it is one of the worst things about the Windows Phone interface. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Phone Dialer</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">Since this is a phone, there is a phone tile at the top left of the tile grid. Touching this tile brings up the Phone app and defaults to a “history” view showing the latest phone calls made. At the bottom are 4 icons – voicemail, dialpad, accessing contacts and a search function – and 3 of these icons don’t do things the way I want it to. The dialpad is just that – a dialpad – and typing 3-4 characters of a contact’s name does not work as a “search” function. I can’t see how or why this functionality has been omitted unless there are patent issues. </font></p> <p><font size="2">My second complaint is about accessing contacts which brings up a list from the “People” hub and while this should be a simple thing, scrolling to the right contact is cumbersome, even when I choose to list them starting with a specific letter. And the “Search” icon is not a saviour as it only searches the history and not the list of contacts. Another glaring miss. I expect my phone call to go through in 3 clicks – click phone icon/button –> select contact by searching –> call. Instead, it can take up to 6 clicks to make a phone call. I have replaced the default dialer with TrueDialer but this should have worked perfectly out of the box. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Calendar and Email</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">The first comment I heard about the calendar was “It’s so modern” – must be the high contrast look, crisp text and smooth transitions. There are three views – Agenda (list of appointments/events for the day), day/month view and a to-do view – and they are easy to use. The only thing missing is a weekly calendar option. My calendar is a combination of my work calendar, a Windows Live birthday calendar drawn from the phone contacts, a couple of Google calendars and Facebook events (great for birthday reminders). Each calendar can have a separate colour, can be switched on/off and work very well - as I would expect from a calendar. If you get lost in the calendar, there is a handy little icon to return to Today’s agenda. The one thing missing is a “weekly calendar” function and I can’t see why this was left out. </font></p> <p><font size="2">Email defaults to dark text on a white background and supports threaded conversations. While I dislike this on a desktop, it is perfect on a mobile and well-implemented on WP7.5. There are 3 default views for emails – all , unread and urgent – and each view can be accessed by touching or swiping. Each email conversation lists the emails in the thread and works as I expect it to. It is easy to add attachments (only pictures) and assigning priority, cc or bcc. There’s a neat little touch for selecting emails (for marking them as read/unread, deleting, moving to folders) – touch the left edge of the screen and it will bring up checkboxes for selection. I like this very much. There is also a search function that works perfectly. </font></p> <p><font size="2">I have not used the to-do functionality as I haven’t settled on a task management workflow, so I can’t comment on it but Calendar and Email look great and work very well too. The views for unread and urgent emails is very handy, and selecting multiple emails is a breeze. Barring the “weekly” view that I would have liked, the functionality is well put together. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Keyboard, Navigation and Copy/Paste</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">A touchscreen keyboard comes nowhere near the experience of a physical keyboard. Having said that, the keyboard is easy to use and finger/touch friendly, text prediction is very good (only English), multi-touch typing is great (with shift key), the tap-tap sound while typing is not irritating, it is simple to switch from characters to numbers/symbols and there is a separate smiley key :-) A clever touch again. </font></p> <p><font size="2">It is quite easy to copy / paste text – tap on a word and drag the markers to select text, hit the copy icon that appears and that’s it. An icon appears above the keyboard indicating that text is available on the clipboard and can now be pasted anywhere. But there is no option to “cut”. While it is easy to navigate to the start of a word, I found it difficult to go to the exact position inside a word or to the start of the first word in a line. </font></p> <p><font size="2">A physical keyboard let me on the move without looking, but the typing experience on Lumia 800 is as good as it can get on a touchscreen and I would like some way to navigate to a specific place in a word using cursor keys as touch doesn’t work for me. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Browser</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">Lumia 800 with Windows Phone gets the standard IE9 mobile browser and is launched via the Internet Explorer tile. The first thing to notice is that the browser URL bar is at the bottom of the screen and this does not degrade or enhance the experience. It also functions as a search box and gets results from Bing. Web pages render quickly and are usually true to their desktop versions. Scrolling, zooming in or out is mostly smooth but sometimes a page scrolls before it has rendered fully, giving a blocky effect. There is also no Flash on this phone but while mobile browsing experience has come a long way in the last 4-5 years, IE9 manages to provide a reasonable experience if not a great one and has some catching up to do. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Apps (and app list)</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">Besides user experience, availability and quality of apps have been a differentiator across desktop platforms but on mobile platforms, apps have had a much larger impact. There are 5 aspects that I consider important about apps – </font></p> <ul> <li><font size="2">Number of apps: As a relatively newer platform, Windows Phone has over 40,000 apps but numbers don’t mean much, so we go to the next important aspect</font></li> <li><font size="2">Availability of essential/popular apps: All apps I needed are available – Twitter, Facebook, Evernote, weather apps, alarms/timer, notes, IM+ (there is no Yahoo messenger or Google talk)</font></li> <li><font size="2">Consistency with UI: All the 40-50 I have installed are consistent with the Windows Phone look & feel and design language. Some apps did not have the high contrast look I have gotten used to, but that is usually up to the app developer. </font></li> <li><font size="2">Speed/Smoothness: Apps load quite fast, some within a second, some a few seconds longer but I have rarely had an app freeze on me or take more than 3 - 5 seconds to load.</font></li> <li><font size="2">Nice to have apps: There are quite a few such apps – Ones that allow quick access to switching on/off Wifi or Bluetooth, Photo apps like Thumba and Pictures Lab, a notes recorder, Microsoft Office, Soundhound, Ringtone downloaders</font></li> </ul> <p><font size="2">I wanted to keep comparisons out but a comparison with iOS is inevitable when it comes to apps. iOS and Android are miles ahead in terms of number of apps or availability of essential/popular/nice to have apps. </font></p> <p><font size="2">I would also like folders for apps. With about 50 apps, finding apps is beginning to get difficult and while the alphabetical list is useful, it is badly organized. Folders in the form of a Tile that opens another series of Tiles are badly needed so apps can be found quickly. The need to search for apps from the app list has been remedied for pictures due to the task driven pictures hub, but a better search function (voice + system-wide search with the search button) and folders will make life a lot easier. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Multi-tasking </font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">When Windows Phone 7 launched, multi-tasking was a major exclusion and this was apparently done to get to the market faster. The good news is it finally made an appearance in Mango and the bad news is the implementation. Third party apps can multitask and can be accessed by pressing and holding the back button which shows screenshots of the running apps for easy selection, but this is where the problems start. </font></p> <ul> <li><font size="2">The third party apps don’t exactly “run”. Instead, they are “tombstoned”, i.e. suspended</font></li> <li><font size="2">WP7.5 has fast app switching, it can take up to a couple of seconds for some apps to resume – a visible delay</font></li> <li><font size="2">There is also a restriction on the number of apps (5-6) running in the background. </font></li> <li><font size="2">There is no obvious way to close a running app – except by switching to the app and pressing the back button</font></li> <li><font size="2">Some apps can run in the background to update live tiles if the developer has taken advantage of it</font></li> <li><font size="2">All of the above can impact battery life</font></li> </ul> <p><font size="2">Multi-tasking on Windows Phone is far from perfect, doesn’t have some of the basics sorted out and important compromises have been made to balance speed, functionality and battery life.</font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Voice Commands</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">I have not used this functionality much and while I saw some videos of Indian accents being recognized, WP7.5’s TellMe engine does not seem to like my accent. Voice commands can be triggered by pressing and holding the start button and I managed get some things done – like open applications, read out a text message and send it. Web searches also work quite well with voice when it recognizes my accent. The implementation is limited to a specific set of commands/instructions and while dictating a text message is another nice touch, I expect this functionality to improve in coming releases. </font></p> <p><font size="2">One feature that could make a significant impact on my usage is the ability to add voice labels for contacts so that names pronounced differently in English are recognized easily. I don’t expect to have a relationship with my phone but yes – adding a task or creating an appointment will be a huge improvement even if the conversation is one-sided and robotic. </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Touch-sensitive Buttons</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">There are 3 touch-sensitive buttons towards the lower end of Lumia 800, under the curved gorilla glass and it vibrates lightly on touch. </font></p> <ul> <li><font size="2">Start button: press to return to the start screen or press+hold to trigger voice commands</font></li> <li><font size="2">Back button: to return to start screen from an app, or to navigate back within an app. Can also close apps. </font></li> <li><font size="2">Search button: Opens “Bing”. </font></li> </ul> <p><font size="2">These buttons work as expected but there is one big miss – the search button can only search on Bing. Microsoft seems to be bent upon thrusting Bing down everybody’s throat and while they have a right to integrate it tightly (and Bing is a decent search engine), I cannot help but feel that they are fighting yesterday’s battle that Google already won – on the desktop and also on mobile. Instead, I would like to see the Search button used for more than Bing. For example, a system-wide search for apps or pictures or appointments. This is clearly a lost opportunity on WP7.5. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Performance</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">Lumia 800 does not have the fastest processor but Emails open quickly, apps load fast, the camera starts within 1 – 2 seconds, transitions are instant. Limiting the number of third-party apps for multi-tasking has helped but Windows Phone seems to be designed to perform well on mobiles with limited power. Fast app switching/resuming could be quicker but Lumia 800 is incredibly fast and Windows Phone performance is excellent on it. This is a great hardware – software combination.   </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Battery Life</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">I was very concerned in the first few days as it felt like I was running out of battery life all the time but 4-5 days later, I got used to 10-14 hours on it with emails, internet usage, running multiple apps (including background apps), downloading ringtones, using IM, Whatsapp, text messages and making calls. The phone received an update last week (7740) and battery life seems to have improved although I can’t quantify it conclusively yet. There is another update expected as Lumia 800 apparently uses only 1300 mA of its battery’s 1450 mA, so I expect things to get better. </font></p> <p><font size="2">I don’t run unnecessary background apps anymore (except IM+, Whatsapp), 3G usage is not very high but 3G drains the battery faster than anything else, and since I like Live Tiles, I can make do with a little less battery life for better function. I could go 1.5 - 2 days on my Blackberry before the next charge – with push mail, heavy Twitter usage but limited browsing – and Nokia Lumia 800 compares weakly to it. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Final Thoughts about Nokia Lumia 800 running Windows Phone 7.5</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2">Nokia Lumia 800 is the best looking phone I have owned – it is plastic but a beautifully constructed device that looks and feels expensive. If it had not been for the silver buttons on the right and the flimsy charging slot door, this phone was perfect. And this before you switch on the phone – which is when the Lumia 800’s clear black display comes into play, it’s ability to render deep blacks accentuating the bright colours of Windows Phone. The tiles and the colours may not work for some, but I like how it looks and it stands out on this phone.</font></p> <p><font size="2">WP7.5 has deviated from the old but tried and tested “click on icon –> open app –> do something” model and taken a task-based approach to user interface, which works very well, for instance in the People or Pictures hub. The social experience is baked right into the phone so you don’t have to open an app to check a social update. And there is Facebook chat built into the phone too. Live tiles are a great concept and for the few apps that have implemented it so far, it works exactly as intended but it will remain a novelty if there are no apps using it. </font></p> <p><font size="2">Apps are a limitation but not a major one depending on who you ask. Windows Phone has all the apps you might need, but iOS/Android has the apps you didn’t know you needed – and other than the sheer number of apps, this is the biggest differentiator between Windows Phone and iOS/Android. Market share will further impact the number and quality of apps that will be developed for the platform and despite 40,000 apps, the risk of developers not giving their best to Windows Phone is very real. </font></p> <p><font size="2">Multi-tasking needs improvement in allowing more open apps, quicker resuming from tombstone and battery usage. IE9 mobile browser works ok while rendering pages, scrolling or zooming. I would have expected battery life to be good from the start, but updates are expected to bring improvements. I received the first update within 2 weeks of purchasing Lumia 800, so it seems that both Nokia and Microsoft are on top of this problem. I also think future updates will be smooth based on the experience with update to build 7740.  </font></p> <p><font size="2">There are 5 things I don’t like about the Lumia 800 (in descending order) – the smooth but unnecessary amount of scrolling I have to do on the Start screen/app list, multi-tasking, battery life, phone dialer – fixed by using TrueDialer and Search functionality. </font></p> <p><font size="2">In conclusion, this is a gorgeous phone that boots and is ready to use within 20 seconds and the speed extends beyond bootup into every single function. The phone performance is fast and the combination of bright colours, oversized fonts, cut-off lettering and slick, smooth transitions come together in a delightful way creating a well-integrated social experience and a new, fresh user experience. </font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Note for potential switchers</font></strong></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>If you are looking for your first smartphone: </strong>This is a great buy even if the UI might take some getting used to.<strong> <br />If you are an iPhone user: </strong>I am surprised you even care about this phone to read a user review. <br /><strong>If you are an Android user: </strong>If you are big time into customization, don’t bother. For the rest of the 95% who can afford this phone, give it a try. <br /><strong>If you are a Nokia fan: </strong>Get over the platform argument. Symbian is dead. This is the best phone Nokia has made in the last few years – where everything from hardware to software works well together. <br /><strong>If you are a Nokia user: </strong>see <strong>“If you are looking for your first smartphone”</strong></font><font size="2"> <br /><strong>If you have already/almost decided to buy this phone: </strong>It will not make you part of the cool gang, but this IS the sexiest looking phone out there that works just as well. When your iPhone and Samsung smartphone owning friends start touting the excellent features of their phone after they see the Lumia 800, just smile back at them. They know you have the sexier phone. </font></p> <p><font size="2">P.S: The irony is that Windows Phone might very well turn out as the Linux of smartphones. </font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/sW7FiMXThMA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com18http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/11/nokia-lumia-800-user-review-after-10.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-81553493389538754772011-11-23T05:27:00.002+05:302011-11-23T05:40:12.051+05:30Ninety Nine<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bE49Zje3m2A/Tsw2_ZcilrI/AAAAAAAACXE/MJpxxjgZNPw/s1600-h/99%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="display: inline" title="Sachin Tendulkar - 99 hundreds " alt="99 Hundreds Sachin Tendulkar" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iSmHvLiG3OY/Tsw2_wIxHqI/AAAAAAAACXI/h8jvHSF9DJ4/99_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="690" height="469" /></a></p><p><b><span class="Apple-style-span" >Learn to make your own 300 style poster: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOu9PeLPzuY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOu9PeLPzuY</a></span></b></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/-9G9YkvtbXc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com2http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/11/99.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-44631593951380072242011-11-10T09:19:00.001+05:302011-11-10T09:20:57.089+05:30The Return of Team Anna<p align="left"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-wkHFM3X0gIQ/TrtJ3q87ePI/AAAAAAAACWI/A1n9h9dMFuA/s1600-h/The%252520Return%252520of%252520Team%252520Anna%25255B23%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="The Return of Team Anna" border="0" alt="The Return of Team Anna" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-WEWe1Xfbwfc/TrtJ4ynJx5I/AAAAAAAACWQ/ifU5xPUg-p0/The%252520Return%252520of%252520Team%252520Anna_thumb%25255B20%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="696" height="1110" /></a></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/QMm08HVnFus" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com8http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/11/return-of-team-anna.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-20984666684089345702011-10-25T04:59:00.001+05:302011-10-25T05:27:21.349+05:30Guide to Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix<p align="center"><strong>Click on image to enlarge</strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-LVFzyeYw2ZE/TqX7GjsqYvI/AAAAAAAACV0/MAqxQJok7QU/s1600-h/Guide%252520to%252520the%252520Indian%252520Grand%252520Prix-Rs%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Guide to the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix" border="0" alt="Guide to the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3yxjZM2MUNk/TqX7HaNbDPI/AAAAAAAACV4/ClKeV5h5yVc/Guide%252520to%252520the%252520Indian%252520Grand%252520Prix-Rs_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="520" /></a></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/ACyKuT6QuBc" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com28http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/10/guide-to-formula-1-indian-grand-prix.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-83297278439839470682011-08-27T23:53:00.001+05:302011-08-27T23:55:07.799+05:30Thoughts. Questions. Jan Lok Pal Bill and more.<p><font size="2">The last 12 days, or rather the issue of Jan Lok Pal bill over the last 4 months, has polarized opinion like very few issues in the last 25 years (Mandal, Babri, Godhra/Gujarat, Nuclear debate) . Some of us have been firmly on the side of the need for this “revolution”, while others have maintained that the intentions may be noble, but the methods are not acceptable. I have had heated (and some civil) discussions with friends on and off twitter. While I debated and argued at first, at one point I figured it is best to listen. Every time I felt I was on to an answer, another question popped up – due to the ineptness of the government, the deviousness of the Congress party, the theatrics of Team Anna (who strategized and executed much better than brilliant people in Government) or behaviour of media. The goalposts kept changing – from Jan Lok Pal bill to the right to protest,from (mis)use of official machinery to the possibility of dangerous precedents. <font size="2">Some call it blackmail, many call it revolution, but is it a bit of both? There are no simple answers but many thoughts, questions that I wanted to blog about a few days ago, but did not as the situation was evolving. Some thoughts</font></font></p> <p><strong><font size="2">Corruption</font></strong> <br /><font size="2">- <font size="2">Institutionalization and </font>corruption in bureaucracy and other aspects of life: Is a resolve to refuse to bribe enough? Will a combination of knowledge of laws, rules, regulations, procedures and patience alleviate the problem to an extent? Is punishment the only way to make the bureaucracy work? <br />- Large scale corruption: What level of transparency and oversight will prevent shameful incidents like the CWG scam and the 2G scam from recurring? </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Lok Pal Bill</strong> <br /></font><font size="2">- What is the Government proposing? Are they serious about passing and implement this bill? will it be effective? <br />- What is the Civil Society proposing? Is it draconian? Does it give sweeping powers to the body they propose?  <br />- Do we even need a Lok Pal or Jan Lok Pal? What lessons can we learn from other countries? <br />- </font><font size="2">Don’t our current laws cover these crimes? Is it an implementation issue? If so, how will the Lok Pal avoid it? <br />- How does it impact impact separation of powers? Or is there not much to worry as it has a limited mandate? <br />- And if it does go through, what is the impact – now and in the future? </font></p> <p><font size="2"> <strong>Public reaction</strong> <br />- What does the middle class acceptability of Jan Lok Pal bill proposals show? <br />- Is it just frustration with governance and corruption? <br />- Is there a disregard or lack of understanding of the bill that people treat it as a panacea? <br />- Does it betray middle </font><font size="2">class acceptability/tolerance of authoritarianism or such bodies?  <br />- Did we just witness the emergence of a new pressure group?</font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Policy <br /></strong>- Who are stakeholders in public policy? <br />- How can inputs be elicited from a wider group of people (beyond the NGOs or those who know the legalities) <br />- Is there a need to create awareness for policy action groups? How will politics and ideology impact them?  <br />- Is there a lesson to be learnt from Iceland, which recently crowdsourced inputs for its constitution? </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Constitution & democracy <br /></strong>- Did we witness the limits of representative democracy? <br />- Is the constitution always right? What happens when it is wrong? How can the public effect change? <br />- A non-voter is as much a stakeholder in our democracy as a voter is. How can a non-voter make his point forcefully? <br />- How does not wanting to fight elections disqualify a person from agitating? Why must he/she depend on the politician? what are the alternatives?</font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Right to protest</strong> <br />- What forms of protests are acceptable? Where do we draw a line?  <br />- Who is responsible when protests go out of control?  <br />- Is it too idealistic and naïve to believe that everyone who wants to protest will get their space? Is it about size and not the cause? <br />- How can Government and local bodies be restrained from taking arbitrary action to throttle protests? <br />- What are the rights of a protestor?  <br />- Is intolerance of dissent human nature and is there a way around it? </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Media and reaction <br /></strong>- Is media more powerful than it should be? <br />- What drives them so much that everything is sensationalized? Profit or survival? <br />- Do they need regulation or is self-regulation the best way forward? <br />- What do we do when self-regulation fails? </font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>Finally</strong>  <br />- Are there any easy solutions? <br />- What are we trying to fix? Are we creating a new monster to slay the old one?  <br />- How do we get out of this vicious cycle of bad governance, disregard for fundamental rights, rampant corruption, and public indifference to elections?</font></p> <p><font size="2"><strong>And where do we go from here on the Jan Lok Pal bill and the movement, the heroes and the monsters it has created?</strong></font></p> <p><font size="2">Many questions. Will try to update this post with links, quotes, tweets that attempt to answer the questions. </font></p> <p><font size="2">P.S: I don’t like extreme positions, but during this debate, I found myself very inflexible and in some cases, went over the top in my reactions on twitter, sometimes in bad taste. The jokes are ok, I am an equal opportunity offender, but I may have lost perspective. </font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/yFYVsLFD6dg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com4http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/08/thoughts-questions.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-42021445225710018962011-08-27T16:50:00.001+05:302011-08-27T16:52:49.242+05:30Another reason to vote for BJP?<iframe width="420" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/afsIMlDuRWE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/8_5f2Kfack4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com1http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/08/another-reason-to-vote-for-bjp.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-26784284091356186492011-08-17T23:23:00.002+05:302011-08-17T23:36:27.549+05:30What will make me vote for BJP<span class="Apple-style-span" >A couple of months ago, someone asked me what is it that will make me vote for BJP. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >
<br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I haven't found the time to put my thoughts on paper, but without getting into many specifics, this video is possibly one reason - a robust, principled stand. And their ability to sustain it. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span">
<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_XeDJE1mwVI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<br />
<br /><span class="Apple-style-span" >P.S: Specifics some other time.</span></span></div></div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/eso6A6pgrvw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com7http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/08/what-will-make-me-vote-for-bjp.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-91848130654876665492011-07-20T05:32:00.001+05:302011-07-20T05:39:14.969+05:30Intelligence<p align="center"><strong><font size="5">Motivational poster of the day</font></strong></p> <p align="center"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ah0AknFrBwc/TiYa_FO63JI/AAAAAAAACUs/KkTSqzit0hg/s1600-h/Chidambaram%252520-%252520Intelligence%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-right-width: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Chidambaram - Intelligence" border="0" alt="Chidambaram - Intelligence" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ZaVXjXbfRX0/TiYa_--u7fI/AAAAAAAACUw/2bqK3qXEOTA/Chidambaram%252520-%252520Intelligence_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="1084" /></a></p> <p><font size="2">To be fair, Mr.Chidambaram’s quote was </font></p> <blockquote> <p><font size="2">There was no intelligence regarding an imminent attack on Mumbai, that is not a failure of intelligence agencies but simply that, in the nature of things, whoever perpetrated this attack has worked in a very very clandestine manner and maybe it is a very small group, maybe they didn't communicate with each other. So, those are possibilities. It's not a failure of intelligence.</font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="2">And the poster is an oversimplification of his quote, but I do not see how his quote can be interpreted in any other way. Feel free to share, print, whatever. I might even print a Tshirt for myself.</font></p> <p><font size="2"><em>P.S: I wanted to do this like the Obama Hope poster but no Illustrator and too much fight. The caricature itself took me many hours. Maybe next time. </em></font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/sIvkWKmPgOk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com11http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/07/intelligence.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-54055848106695198672011-07-14T12:29:00.001+05:302011-07-14T12:29:13.510+05:30Here’s my rant<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-oToJPM2rUHw/Th6Tuo5N3nI/AAAAAAAACUg/pXxchbh4V0M/s1600-h/Showing%252520a%252520United%252520Face%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Showing a United Face" border="0" alt="Showing a United Face" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dwf0bvm1weg/Th6TvnNGvSI/AAAAAAAACUk/mNBvG-Tt2G4/Showing%252520a%252520United%252520Face_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="1289" /></a></p> <p><img style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-right-style: none" class="wlEmoticon wlEmoticon-sadsmile" alt="Sad smile" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8oO1rlnHBTE/Th6TvySvZiI/AAAAAAAACUo/GDFlZ7SYyxY/wlEmoticon-sadsmile%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" /></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/4MPA99mL9Rk" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com14http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/07/heres-my-rant.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-27773584376342240182011-07-09T05:49:00.001+05:302011-07-09T05:49:39.002+05:30National Prison<p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="National Prison" border="0" alt="Parliament House - Proposed National Prison at New Delhi, " src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-5VdNSZNktZ0/TheeldNkSCI/AAAAAAAACUQ/HsQnheOsw-U/National%252520Prison-Resized%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="433" /></p> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/surekhapillai/status/89247483032633344"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="" border="0" alt="" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--iAX_2-xpkQ/Theel9XBMFI/AAAAAAAACUU/7VMuDk0JhZk/Tweet-1%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="616" height="217" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8ovdeYP7yzw/TheemBfO_1I/AAAAAAAACUY/MHT70umYdEE/s1600-h/Tweet-3%25255B3%25255D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="" border="0" alt="At this rate, it might make sense to put a fence around parliament ... and avoid transportation cost to & fro Tihar" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-RIS4zsXMrrM/Theemis5xYI/AAAAAAAACUc/r1I9GTtAL1Q/Tweet-3_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="608" height="277" /></a></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/4h5MTrF5mVU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com0http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/07/national-prison.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-41889405333608582232011-06-02T07:39:00.001+05:302011-06-02T07:39:27.166+05:30UPAsana<p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="UPASana - by Baba Ramdev" border="0" alt="Baba Ramdev invents a new asana " src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Js8nlK9qvgo/Tebw1Zf_j2I/AAAAAAAACTk/vJpMgp8_QMU/UPASana%25255B6%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="807" /></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/4b8g8yIZ-jA" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com4http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/06/upasana.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-91145807716619318882011-05-19T05:11:00.001+05:302011-05-19T05:11:13.710+05:30RahulShastra<p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TdRZERFQFaI/AAAAAAAACTc/srPew6-sqDc/s1600-h/Rahul%20Gandhi%20-%2010%20Steps%20to%20being%20a%20Leader%5B7%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Rahul Gandhi - Leadership secrets" border="0" alt="Rahul Gandhi - 10 steps to being a leader" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TdRZGP8jBuI/AAAAAAAACTg/Aq8QZfHmxZ4/Rahul%20Gandhi%20-%2010%20Steps%20to%20being%20a%20Leader_thumb%5B4%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="520" /></a></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/Qm6ui2sJVNw" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com7http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/05/rahulshastra.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-71854099015430016782011-03-20T06:25:00.001+05:302011-03-20T06:25:49.495+05:30Operation Odyssey Dawn<p><font size="2">With Japan’s earthquake-induced-Tsunami-induced-almost-nuclear-meltdown out of the way, we have another made-for-media mini-war. Operation Odyssey Dawn – live on Al-Jazeera for extra credibility. During some outraged moments, <a href="http://twitter.com/joydas" target="_blank">@joydas</a> tweeted this and here’s a cartoon based on it. Thanks <a href="http://twitter.com/joydas" target="_blank">@joydas</a>. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TYVQjxU60kI/AAAAAAAACTE/3XRw1-STrK0/s1600-h/Joydas%5B4%5D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="End of Libya War will be dividing it into 3 parts - Unleaded, Premium and Diesel" border="0" alt="End of Libya War will be dividing it into 3 parts - Unleaded, Premium and Diesel" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TYVQkdeXIrI/AAAAAAAACTI/4F6Dlnl1l9w/Joydas_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="556" height="234" /></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TYVQk__yLAI/AAAAAAAACTM/FrXqDL0OpR8/s1600-h/Operation%20Odyssey%20Dawn%5B12%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Operation Odyssey Dawn" border="0" alt="Operation Odyssey Dawn" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TYVQlKSvF3I/AAAAAAAACTQ/c53KIOHkm6Q/Operation%20Odyssey%20Dawn_thumb%5B6%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="730" /></a></p> <p><font size="2">I think the world is smarter than it looks, especially when we least expect it . The UN resolution for imposing a no-fly zone may have been on the edge, but it is legal. And it may save a lot of lives in Benghazi, where the situation has worsened. But today’s strikes by the French and the Americans, seemingly to weaken Gaddafi’s forces for enforcing the no-fly zone without opposition, crossed the line. While Britain and France seem to be looking for their long lost leadership (and relevance) on the world stage, the US, by staying on the ‘leading edge’ of operation Odyssey Dawn, seems to be saying “we’ll show you how it is done”. </font></p> <p><font size="2">There may be no shock and awe this time, but the message is clear. The West will continue furthering the cause of freedom and democracy in illiberal states by taking down dictators who have served their purpose. The other owners of countries can relax, as long as they can put down rebellion before the world’s cameras turn towards them.</font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/kYaUNoUA6h4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com7http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/03/operation-odyssey-dawn.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-18623294763757571102011-02-16T06:37:00.001+05:302011-02-16T06:52:22.489+05:30The US in the Middle East<p><font size="2">Saw this tweet from @ranvirshorey and a cartoon happened :-) I have another one lined up but that’s not a very popular opinion right now. So here goes – the tweet</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TVsjTz9zr9I/AAAAAAAACSg/e21M27-sjys/s1600-h/RanvirShoreyTweet%5B4%5D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="RanvirShoreyTweet" border="0" alt="RanvirShoreyTweet" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TVsjUcqFqYI/AAAAAAAACSk/XutHkiP9VJE/RanvirShoreyTweet_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="610" height="293" /></a></p> <p><font size="2">and the cartoon (not exactly as per the tweet, but you’ll get the drift)</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TVsjVP_OO-I/AAAAAAAACSo/N6OC91mmm_0/s1600-h/The%20US%20in%20the%20Middle%20East%5B13%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="The US in the Middle East" border="0" alt="The US in the Middle East" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TVsjVsrf_XI/AAAAAAAACSs/g0Tulwgx5O8/The%20US%20in%20the%20Middle%20East_thumb%5B7%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="827" /></a></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/X_5_5M6gJV4" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com0http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/02/us-in-middle-east.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-19234950879362839622011-02-11T06:51:00.003+05:302011-02-11T14:17:10.354+05:30The ‘anarchy’ of online abuse<p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><i>Note: This post has been in the works for a while now. For some reason or the other, I never got around to organizing some of my observations over the years, but here it is.</i></span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Every once in a while, the Indian internet scene comes alive with accusations, counter-accusations and justifications of abuse and trolling. While trolling can be considered subjective and a (valid?) tactic for disrupting a message, abuse and personal attacks have different implications. An incident erupted recently, when twitter users who owe allegiance to the BJP-RSS-Hindutva groups took offence at one of Mr.B.Raman’s articles (<strong><a href="http://ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/01/hindutva-storm-troopers.html" target="_blank">see his blogpost about the incident</a></strong>). Not surprisingly, this post was discussed, debated with the usual condemnations, arguments, outrage and possibly, hashtags. However, 4 arguments are relevant.</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>1. The ‘freedom of expression’ argument: <br /></b>I believe everyone has a right to their opinion and must have the space to express it. I also believe that freedom of expression has to be used responsibly. The question to ask would be “Is there malicious intent?”, but this is a gray area, it is subjective and this freedom deserves to be protected from those who wish to suppress it and also from ourselves. When this freedom is perceived to be (and is) abused, as was in the case of <a href="http://twitter.com/ramanthink" target="_blank">@ramanthink</a>, we come to the:</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>2. The ‘If you don't like it, ignore/block/move on’ argument: <br /></b>It is a fair point and works in most cases, but for more clarity, it is important to break down how the abuse is delivered (using my handle as the ‘abused’ and weak imagined insults):</span></p> <ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> <li><span style="font-size:85%;">@person1 to @person2 you know what, <b>the comic project</b> is an <b><i>!@#AS#@(</i></b> <br />This conversation takes place without me knowing about it. It is public, all of @person1 and @person2’s friends can see this and can choose to ignore or ask @person1 and @person2 to take this off their timelines. The abuse is there, but I probably will have no knowledge of it. <br />This happens ALL the time (I see it in my timeline) but can be ignored easily.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:85%;">@person1 to @person2 you know <b>@thecomicproject</b> is an </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><i>!@#AS#@( <br /></i></b>Now I know I am being abused. I am in the middle of it and as the abuse gets nastier, how I react will depend on my own ability to withstand an abusive reference. <b><i>In the physical world,</i></b> this is akin to 2 people abusing me loudly and everyone within an earshot can see this happening.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:85%;">@person1 to <b>@thecomicproject </b>you are an </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><i>!@#AS#@( <br /></i></b>This is abuse directed at me – @person1 is “telling me” who I am, in public but maybe to a smaller group of people.</span></li> <li><span style="font-size:85%;">@person1: you are an </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><b><i>!@#AS#@( </i>@thecomicproject <br /></b>This is a broadcast. @person1 wants all his friends to know that he or she said this.</span></li> </ul> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">There could be variations to get this message across, but the point is that this abuse is personal and some of us are able to react to it – by ignoring, with humour, logic or even abuse – but the ability to withstand or handle this abuse is not the same. It is not very different from the physical world where my ability to respond to a physical attack in public depends on my size, weight, martial arts training and the stomach for a fight. But I was out on the street shopping, not looking for a fight. Why then is a fight being foisted on me? And what am I to do if I can’t fight back? I can go to the cops, but there’s no equivalent in the online world. Which brings me to:</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>3. The “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” argument: <br /></b>While the domain is public, the kitchen is mine and while conversations behind my back can be ignored, no one has the right to invade my personal space. Not even under the cover of ‘freedom of expression’. Which then begs the question, is the abuse so widespread as to merit so much attention? And this leads me to:</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><b>4. The “This is a fringe group” argument: <br /></b>Today, no conversation is possible without being interrupted because someone thought they are being victimized, only their brand of patriotism, their religion, their opinion must stand and the rest are traitors or Hindu-haters or pseudo-<you pick the term>. This group is large enough and noisy enough to be considered more than a fringe. Politically speaking, the Indian internet scene has been BJP-RSS-Hindutva domain from the time I have been observing it (2004-2005). Lest someone beat their chests for numbers, let me clarify that these are observations but as I heard someone say, if elections were held on the internet, BJP would win it hands down. It is, of course, unfair to generalize that all BJP-RSS-Hindutva supporters are abusive (there are some Congress supporters too), but it is not unreasonable to conclude that most of the abuse originates from BJP-RSS-Hindutva supporters.</span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Some of this abuse and noise is admittedly a result of real frustration at the state of affairs, but a lot of it is a result of hatred, malice and intolerance cultivated over a period of time. While I do not yet believe that the abuse is organized or part of a plan, the emerging pattern points to a thought that if there is enough noise and abuse, reasonable people will be driven away from the scene or at least, be wary of expressing their opinions as openly. </span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">In conclusion, while ignoring is still the best option available, the simple message is - <br /><strong>To the hordes:</strong> Get out of my kitchen. <br /><strong>To reasonable people:</strong> Do not cede ground. Do not let the abuse and the disruptions end meaningful conversations. <br /><strong>To the BJP-RSS-Hindutva thought leaders:</strong> I hope you show more awareness of the impact of your words. Eloquence and obfuscation may give you plausible deniability but you only have to look at the people standing behind you to realise that you are not fooling anyone. These are your hordes. Rein them in before someone gets hurt. The “Jinnah is secular” and “I regret the demolition” arguments were used up a long time ago.</span></p><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/MGdfBhWBep0" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com12http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/02/anarchy-of-online-abuse.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-27048743629918125542011-02-02T06:24:00.001+05:302011-02-02T06:41:11.180+05:30Voodooyurappa<p><font size="2">Ran into this news article yesterday - </font><font size="3"><a href="http://is.gd/HRWUfx" target="_blank">There's a conspiracy to eliminate me using black magic: Yeddyurappa</a> </font><font size="2">– and the inimitable <a href="http://twitter.com/rameshsrivats" target="_blank">@rameshsrivats</a> tweeted this in response: </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TUirSF13KaI/AAAAAAAACSI/7eWuryq_mb0/s1600-h/Voodootweet%5B4%5D.png"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Voodootweet" border="0" alt="Voodootweet" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TUirSjIShUI/AAAAAAAACSM/C5vexOuX9sA/Voodootweet_thumb%5B2%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="516" height="219" /></a></p> <p><font size="2"> It proved a bit difficult to convert this tweet into a cartoon, but here’s a variation. Hope you like it :-) </font></p> <p><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="Voodooyurappa" border="0" alt="Voodooyurappa - BS Yeddyurappa" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TUirTFHSteI/AAAAAAAACSQ/KmYyuNFiuvw/Voodooyurappa%5B14%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="452" height="562" /></p> <p><font size="2">P.S: there is an alternate version with the humble farmer in it, but it didn’t really work for me. </font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/bR7IMOSgfqU" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com4http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/02/voodooyurappa.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12237551.post-28387539027033637262011-01-25T08:21:00.001+05:302011-01-25T08:21:21.150+05:30Flagneeti<p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TT46pFS2SWI/AAAAAAAACSA/RbOfLitQr6A/s1600-h/PowerVaulting%5B5%5D.jpg"><img style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px" title="PowerVaulting" border="0" alt="PowerVaulting" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_2iRzPHyB4ZM/TT46pxZaJOI/AAAAAAAACSE/k_OtSl11-Rk/PowerVaulting_thumb%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="692" height="496" /></a></p> <p><font size="2">Let there be no mistake. There can be no justification for stopping an Indian citizen from unfurling the country’s flag, a fundamental right, wherever he or she chooses. Even if one understands J&K CM Omar Abdullah’s valid concern about disturbance of a fragile peace, pleading inability to protect rights of Indians is dereliction of duty. The central government – by its inaction, ambivalence and spinelessness – has made matters worse. If the only people offended are the separatists, why should the rest of India back down? A very valid question. I ended up reading a bit on this “issue” in the last few days, and found these blogs/articles as reasonably representing several sides of the debate.</font></p> <p><strong><a href="http://shorttext.com/bsmjs4eskq"><font size="2">A must-read series of tweets</font></a><font size="2"> </font></strong><font size="2">from </font><a href="http://twitter.com/retributions"><strong><font size="2">@retributions</font></strong></a><font size="2"><strong> </strong>where he says</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font size="2">If the message is that Indian nation needs to tip-toe around its own flag, it is not a particularly assuring message.</font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="2">plus <strong><a href="http://shorttext.com/bsmjs4eskq">much more.</a></strong> </font></p> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/pragmatic_d"><font size="2">@pragmatic_d</font></a><font size="2"> (who examines </font><a href="http://pragmatic.nationalinterest.in/2011/01/24/on-flag-hoisting-at-lal-chowk/"><strong><font size="2">various aspects of the debate and argues for patience</font></strong></a><font size="2">)</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font size="2">Not allowing the flag to be hoisted can at best be a temporary tactic; it can not be a long-term strategy or used as an example in the future</font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="2">INI Blogger </font><a href="http://swaraj.nationalinterest.in"><font size="2">Harsh Gupta</font></a><font size="2"> (who <strong><a href="http://is.gd/wU6wF2">makes a blistering case for hoisting the flag</a></strong>)</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font size="2">What makes us think that things could improve in a decade or so in a region where the youth are against the hoisting of the national flag?</font></p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/bdutt"><font size="2">@bdutt</font></a><font size="2"> (who <strong><a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/Print/653156.aspx">points out</a> </strong>that hoisting the tricolour in Kashmir is not a rare occurrence)</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font size="2">The sudden determination to hoist the tricolour at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk on Republic Day also creates a false impression that the Indian flag is not unfurled in the Valley, as it is everywhere else in the country </font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="2">and </font><a href="http://twitter.com/greatbong"><strong><font size="2">@greatbong</font></strong></a><font size="2"> who <strong><a href="http://greatbong.net/2011/01/25/the-flag-at-lal-chowk/">asks in his post</a> </strong></font></p> <blockquote> <p><font size="2">”Do you think the Dandi March was an undesirable act of provocation—-after all it too was a political move, of purely symbolic value (like the flag-hoisting), one that everyone knew would cause trouble, whose express intent was to aggressively mobilize public opinion?</font></p> </blockquote> <p><font size="2">The J&K State Government/Congress-led Central Government and the BJP have adopted hard stances from which they cannot back down any more - the Government(s), because of a shakily rational and defeaningly spineless <strong>fear</strong> of a potential separatist backlash (which it is duty-bound to protect India and Indians from)  and the BJP, hitting upon another emotive issue, a win-win situation irrespective of the outcome. One may call this a political self-goal by the Congress and a master-stroke by the BJP (in a smaller context) or the perfect partnership of dumb (BJP) and dumber (Congress/Omar Abdullah) in a larger context – the simple fact is that one group is obstinate about going ahead with its plans, and the other group has decided to abdicate its duty towards its citizens and the constitution. And it was entirely avoidable if reasonable positions had been adopted. </font></p> <p><font size="2">One cannot predict how this is going to play out but let’s not deceive ourselves into thinking that this is about patriotism, because when politicians get involved, patriotism becomes a sideshow and the Indian flag merely a rag. </font></p> <img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/TheComicProject/~4/xF4Faos0V6w" height="1" width="1" alt=""/>The Comic Projecthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01564058498135255024noreply@blogger.com2http://thecomicproject.blogspot.com/2011/01/flagneeti.html