Rungta’s Webmarks

Another thing we learned was that… ∞

Jason Fried on writing, design and brevity.

A Cleaner YouTube ∞

Restores much needed sanity to YouTube’s desktop site. My favourite Safari extension.

Bingo Chips, now with 25% Extra ∞

Watch how Ogilvy brilliantly leverages the Indian Railways to advertise Bingo Chips’ new 25% Extra offering.

Track Walker – Yadaiah’s Story ∞

Just one amongst the 1.6 million wheels that keep one of the largest (most advanced?) train network in the world running as smoothly as it does.
(via Sumit)

Web Education, Academia and Relevance ∞

Eric Meyer stirs up a conversation on the usefulness of a Computer Science degree for (aspiring) web professionals.

Having recently wasted undergone four years of university education for a Software Engineering degree, this is something I’ve spent countless sleepy lectures pondering over. There is no doubt that most institutions fail miserably when it comes to imparting web technology skills, but it’s the unquantifiable value of a degree and formal education that makes this extremely hard to evaluate.

On the Safe Side of Wild ∞

“Dangers” may not be the right word here because nature is not in conflict with humans, its [sic] merely indifferent to our feelings. Wilderness is as unconcerned to our pleasures as it is to our miseries.

A good safety reminder for those venturing into places unspoilt by civilisation.
(via The Chennai Trekking Club)

Responsive Enhancement ∞

A lot has been written and said about responsive web design in the last few months. Apart from the control that it returns to the designers, responsive design has caught on so well because it’s one of those core traits that define the web. Like CSS itself. It feels right.

A good reminder of just how nascent this field still is, and how we shouldn’t forget the basics of this incredibly exciting medium that is the web.

-webkit-font-smoothing ∞

All those text-shadow and -webkit-text-stroke hacks for rendering light text on dark backgrounds can finally be put to rest. As always, use with care.

IBM ‘Outcomes’ Campaign ∞

Beautiful modern design posters by Noma Bar for IBM’s Smarter Planet print campaign.
(via Cameron Moll)

START Magazine ∞

Excellent new project by college student Priya Prakash. Can’t decide what I like more about this magazine – the initiative to showcase young India artists, the artists themselves, the contents of the magazine or the skill and care with which each of the two issues have been edited and designed.

Cleartrip ∞

Finally an India travel bookings site that I like love to use. They do trains so well that I had to literally figuratively pinch myself to ensure it was real. Everything about their experience has been top notch (including a geeky twitter account).

Don’t see myself using any other travel site for Indian bookings, price difference or premiums (if any) be damned!

The Movie Posters of Stephen Frankfurt ∞

I wasn’t aware of Frankfurt before Khoi linked to this article, but the more I look now, the more treasure I find. Stephen Frankfurt’s approach to movie design very strongly reminds me of Josef Müller-Brockmann’s approach to graphic design. No doubt he had just as strong an influence.

Staying Healthy and Sane [at a Startup] ∞

Sticking with the day’s theme, here’s Alex Payne detailing his lifestyle to offer sound advice on leading a balanced life.

Time Management ∞

Shawn Blanc’s quick roundup on time management.

Hitchhiking in India ∞

Two guys, 7 states and a budget of 150 rupees per day. Start from the beginning. (via Rashmi)

The Secret Law of Page Harmony ∞

Not the ok book, nor the pretty good book, but the perfect book.

Such is the beauty of this canon that four designers, working years apart, arrived at the same conclusion, independent of and different from each other’s methods.

(via Signal vs. Noise)

DezineConnect ∞

Interviews with creative minds from India, including the typesetter behind India’s first type foundry and the animator behind Channel V’s Simpu Singh.

Posterama ∞

Fodder for the poster-loving soul:

• Random Specific: Bollywood Poster-wallas (via Rashmi)
• V Love Movies: POSTERity – 21 Great New Movie Posters
• Aspi’s Line of Sight: Postergyaan – The Secret Language and Postergyaan 2: Raavan, IHLS, Kajraare, Lamhaa and Milenge Milenge.

Our Mother Tongue is Music ∞

Seen on Rakesh’s Rahman Se:

A live rendition in four languages: “Anjali Anjali” in Telugu, “Dheeme Dheeme” and “Kal Nahin Ta” in Hindi, “Netru Illada” and “Katre” in Tamil, and Rahman all the way on his grand piano.

And if that appeals to you, don’t forget to purse the older posts.

It’s About Light ∞

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about the visual aspects of photography, it’s that nothing is as important as light. It’s all about the light.

The Pipeline ∞

The Pipeline is an interview show with innovators, designers, geeks, newsmakers, and people who create things.

I’ve been following this podcast since Episode 1, and each show has been immensely interesting. Some of them rank amongst the most inspiring interviews I’ve ever seen, heard or read. If you have any interest in the web and its community, or are passionate about making stuff, I highly recommend this show. Great host, excellent questions, and of course, an amazing line-up.

2010 SXSW Film Awards: Excellence in Poster Design ∞

“Don’t judge a book by its cover,” they say. What about movies?

I have a thing for movie posters. This collection comprises most of the entrants to the SXSW film poster design award for 2010. On their design alone (I haven’t seen almost any of these movies), ones that stood out were Wake, Earthling, I Close My Eyes and Walk Away, Audrey the Trainwreck, Equestrian Sexual Response, Taqwacore: The Birth of Punk Islam, The Living Room of the Nation and Girls Named Pinky. The winner? Feeder.

Narcondam Island ∞

Wildlife photographer Kalyan Varma recounts his expedition to Narcondam, the closest thing India has resembling the Galápagos islands.

Understand the Web ∞

Feeding on the events of our time, Ben Ward has written an excellent timeless piece on the essence and the core of the web. I believe it is crucial to understand, and as far as the web is concerned, this article should help in doing just that.

The web might remain one step behind, yet it is always two steps ahead.

Jesse Schell on the future of game design ∞

This is as much a look at the future of games as it is of the future of consumer culture. More of a psychology lesson than a tech talk.

Interesting, to say the least.

Every Time Zone ∞

Un-boggle the time zone confused mind.

TeuxDeux ∞

TeuxDeux is a simple, designy, browser-based to-do app …

I’m a little surprised that I’m actually linking to a to-do app, but there you go.

India recognises education as a Fundamental Right ∞

It is now legally enforceable for every child to demand free and elementary education between the ages of six and 14 years.

A worthy amendment of the Indian Constitution. Let’s hope this new law is actively enforced all over the country.

Ramayana: Divine Loophole ∞

A graphic retelling of the epic Hindu epic by Pixar animator Sanjay Patel. I’ve been blown away by the quality of illustrations.

Also take a look at this interview with the artist where he shares exploratory sketches and the cover art progression. Would love to get my hands on a copy of the book.
(Publisher | Amazon)

Filmy Classical ∞

A record of classical music in modern Indian films

Curated by Rakesh.

The BBC Boys on the 2010 F1 season ∞

The brilliant Martin Brundle, David Coulthard the Scot, the opinionated Eddie Jordan and Jonathan Legard join the witty Jake Humphrey for a round of talks on the ever so close 2010 Formula 1 season.

• Schumacher’s return
• Button and Hamilton
• Who will be World Champion
• New teams
• New rules

An asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs ∞

Or so they say. Gareth Collins, one of the authors of the study, writes:

The KT extinction was a pivotal moment in Earth’s history, which ultimately paved the way for humans to become the dominant species on Earth.

Drunk with domination, we humans might not need an asteroid to wipe ourselves out. (Via Abhishek)

Programmers don’t like to code ∞

We solve problems by coding, and we’re all happy and enthused while typing away or talking code. But they’re confusing the action and the intention. It’s not pulling the trigger that makes me happy, it’s hitting the target. The action approaches incidental.

Bang-on-target piece by Wolf Rentzsch. I strongly concur with his second argument too, that in most cases programmers rewrite/reinvent to learn and understand, not just for the heck of it.

How to use a semicolon ∞

Random sentence with a semicolon; shows that I’ve got the hang of it.

Snapsort ∞

Camera showdowns based on their specifications. Should come in very handy when choosing a new camera.

FontFriend ∞

Very useful bookmarklet by Soma Design for live sampling most font–related CSS properties. Gains a permanent place in my toolkit for designing in the browser.