Tech campus Babylon

 

News.com just posted photos of the Infosys campus in Bangalore. Wow, Karnataka really can be sterilized so it’s just as boring as Santa Clara. But it’s nice to see homo technorati in their natural habitat.

Their signature building looks like the retro-Jetson TWA terminal at JFK. The landscaping makes it look like those SoCal Spanish-style haciendas rented out discreetly for porn shoots.

Don’t you think you’ll be telling your nieces and nephews to work here someday?

Here’s a surfeit of campus snapshots. Related post here.

Continue reading

Sofia Hayat’s wisecrack

A London TV presenter and former Bollywood Star contestant upstaged Nicole Kidman at the UK premiere of The Interpreter last month. Not only was Sofia Hayat not wearing any underwear, she decided to prove it. One can only admire her dedication to the scientific method. Click to see picture (marginally NSFW).

Bollywood Star was yet another Pop Idol ripoff, this one in summer ’04:
Bollywood Star is a four-part series following Channel 4’s search for the first British Bollywood star: an unknown who will go on to win the prize of a lifetime – a part in a Bollywood movie, directed by acclaimed director Mahesh Bhatt.

I hear Hayat is expanding from TV into politics. Yes, she’s been nominated for a position in Britain’s rump cabinet. Unlike most politicians, she lets her better half do the talking.

Continue reading

The “Slum of All Fears??”

I was enjoying Slate’s coverage of the “Army of the Monkey God” until today. This is the lead picture on Slate.com today. Its one thing to report on the activities of adults but its another thing entirely to “exploit” young kids for an attention grabbing money shot like this one. Little kids all over the world will ape the adults around them. That’s common knowledge. To pass this off a militancy amongst the youth by referencing a Tom Clancy novel about a nuclear terrorist attack, is more than a bit lame. “Look at the hateful litte brown kids.” You see these same types of exploitive pictures from Palestine all the time.

slumofallfears.jpg

Hmmmm. Come to think of it though it would make a good banner for our site.

Previous posts: 1,2

Continue reading

Sir Branson, ustad of the photo op

Richard Branson inaugurated the first London to Bombay route for Virgin Atlantic last Thursday (via Zoo Station). He cavorted atop a jet wing in a Virgin-colored sherwani and took the Andheri-to-Churchgate local with the dabbawallahs to deliver hot lunches to his staff. In his spare time, he played a cricket match at the Oval Maidan next to Bombay U, paraded before the Gateway of India in a chariot and wore the infamous light bulb-festooned black leather suit that Amitabh wore in Yaarana. He’s also throwing in a couple of free airline tickets for two dabbawallahs to represent at Prince Charles’ wedding (thanks, Turbanhead). This guy’s theatrics put Steve Jobs to shame.

Getting a taste of British-style bureaucracy, Branson nearly got deported for an expired visa; ringing up the prime minister got that sorted. Branson said he’d been wanting this route for 10 years and pushed for unrestricted access to Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad, even more aggressive than India’s open skies agreement with the U.S.

In 2000, he inaugurated the Delhi route:

His performance in Delhi in 2000 was even more impressive. Clad in Punjabi dress, he did the bhangra and then rode his way on a cycle rickshaw…

Photo galleries of Branson’s visit: 1, 2

I blame the “Vestern” influence…

photo.jpg

A sizzling performance by dance group during the Pond’s Femina Miss India 2005 in Mumbai on Sunday ( TOI Photo/ Uma Kadam. )

I’m so confused. And yes, I’m American-born. I’ve gone to several brown cultural shows at major Amreekan universities, and the filmi/”fusion” dancers don’t look like this. Metallic hot pants and Come-prance-with-me-in-Switzerland-in-the-rain boots? What the-? Continue reading

Begin the begin.

a shrine to a stolen family building a fenceThe BBC has another series of excellent photographs that may be of interest to you. Unlike the last series I brought to your attention, the subject matter isn’t as joyful; these pictures depict life in a Tsunami camp.

To the left, a shrine that a fisherman created for his lost loved ones. To the right, 40-year old Parameswari builds a fence around her new home. She is the only person in her family to survive the tragedy.

Click either photograph to see the original story. Continue reading