So what was it like? I didn’t carry a camera with me on this trip and even if I did … any of my photographs would have been anything but injustice to the beauty of nature. You got to see it and feel it in person.

Some of the best pictures I ever clicked are in my eyes! And to such life stopping moments I add the second one in July. Way too human to describe the first one, even the Niagara Falls is yet to sink in as a reality for me. This day in life I have seen a rainbow that reappears every second with mist flying in the air and with that a heavenly experience of clouds forming right in front of my eyes (yes seriously!).

]]> http://annkur.com/2010/08/a-hint-the-picture-from-my-eyes/feed/ 1 http://annkur.com/2009/10/barcamp-mumbai-6-an-experience/ http://annkur.com/2009/10/barcamp-mumbai-6-an-experience/#comments Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:15:01 +0000 Annkur http://annkur.com/?p=733 I am starting to like the idea of ruining my weekends running around volunteering for unconferences. hey did i tell ya that this will be one of those #random #incomplete posts. The fact remains that I declined the invitation to be an unorganizer and @vivekk forced (tricked) me into it. Btw: this pic below is after #bcm6 and was taken by @mahafreed. I kinda like this pic and so decided to write this post, so that I can put it on my blog … sssh! Barcamps are these weird meets, unlike the name – there is no alcohol here and that suits me well, well maybe.

So I started writing this post while listening to this, and I am originally supposed to put this on facebook, but i am too lazy to switch tabs and do that. (Update: this is this). Now as I write, I see that my sweet little sis is complaining that I havn’t posted anything psyco (did I spell that correctly?) (cares who.. jaane do), like this since a long time. (Update: This this is this, or perhaps something else) Yes I am now a little sleepy aswell. So what happened at Barcamp? Well I stole this T-Shirt from @sengupta, took 2 under tree sessions along with @priyankawriting and @vivekk (or rather stuck my foot in their undertree sessions),

btw the food was yummy. Imagine what would have happened if I would have okayed that food from the SPJIMR MESS (@vivekk saved you’all the horror). I also hijacked 2 sessions  or rather hijacked one for 2 mins with permission, helped @farrhad hijack one and stuck my foot / or ws it my tongue? in @monikkinom’s super cool session. OOPS this was about me at barcamp, so what happened at barcamp6 actually? Well when you are on my page, you better look for me and what i did, not bcm6  – shame on you. OK silly. Whtever!

If you cant see the video click here

More BCP2 videos soon

Love it or hate it, after watching a James Cameron movie, there is always an extreme reaction. In this case, ‘Avatar’ got me really enthusiastic about it, and this was only after watching a short preview in a special screening yesterday in Mumbai, India. You can imagine my reaction after I watch the complete movie!

It took more than 12 years for James Cameron to bring this visual buffet to the movie screen for the benefit of us mere mortals. Granted, you might have heard of  the plot before, but what makes this movie more enjoyable is everything else surrounding the story. And of course, the 3D effects made the live-action scenes just flat-out fun to watch. I don’t know – and don’t pretend to know – the technology that goes behind 3D movie-making, but watching the scenes in 3D definitely made a lot of difference. Some of the differences were more subtle, while others were of the 3D kind but at a higher-than-expected standard.

Some of the scenes definitely felt like I was watching a slickly-designed game being played out. (Yes, I may be considered a noob since I wasn’t aware that Mr. JC recently previewed the 3D Avatar video game.) Throughout the screening, and at the end of the movie, everyone found themselves instinctively cooing the “oohs” and “aaahs” along with other appreciative noises. I was completely caught up as the characters went through the different emotions of curiosity, awe, caution, strength, and triumph.

It makes the regular movie watcher – or those who don’t usually find themselves on strange new moons fighting “a heroic battle to save a civilization” – truly feel like they are actually there in the labs side-by-side with Sigourney Weaver’s Dr. Grace Augustine (Ripley has had a promotion. Cool!) as the transformation takes place for Sam Worthington’s Jake Sully from a crippled soldier into his larger-than-life avatar. For those not in the know, Sigourney Weaver starred as Ellen Ripley in the 1986 sci-fi funhouse ‘Aliens’, and Sam Worthington latest endeavour is ‘Terminator Salvation’.

Four of my all-time favourite movies have been directed by Mr. Cameron himself, so you might think I went into the screening being completely biased for the director. Truth be told, I hadn’t heard of the movie until a month ago. This shouldn’t be taken as an indication of the impact (or lack thereof) of the Avatar publicity. To be doubly sure that my goldfish-like attention span doesn’t miss out again, I have the flyer from the screening pasted on my wall right at my desk.

Thanks to the Avatar India team who offered up some invites to OnlyGizmos readers and science fiction fans. I can’t wait for 18 December to roll on by so that I can run out and buy my ticket to watch this flick in an IMAX theatre.

the car we rented actually had a breakdown and we had to push start it .. #adventure

So what happened @ Blog Camp Pune 2? Reading reactions all over the web, I have realised that I like to read one liners – So my reactions in one liners-

————

• incomplete ….
• Meetu kicked off the Blog Camp (@Thakkar happily gave his slot to her). She managed to engage the crowd really well. This was followed by @ankeshk and myself.
• Navin spoke on what blogs can learn from newspapers. Though I missed it, I was lucky to catch up with Navin while traveling to the tweetup later that day.
• Thakkar took over the entire camp … rather the popular demand for Thakkar took over the entire camp.
• Was nice meeting Jim Karter …  Myself and @farrhad caught up with him the day after the Camp and were treated with a wonderful dinner and gyaan sharing session.
• I share similar feeling as @manan does. Unconference should be structured, else #fail. Making it structured allows people to plan what they want to attend and what not. (leaving some small open sessions in between is also good)
• I stayed back till monday afternoon at @farrhad‘s home in Pune. Trip back to Mumbai was lonely, I caught up with some much needed sleep.

————

After 6 months of attending BarCamps, BlogCamps, StartupSaturdays etc, I decided to take a session at BlogCampPune 2. My talk was revolved around the mistakes that beginners make while starting up as a blogger (mainly my experience blogging and observing others around me). I had to rush with my talk as I was allotted very limited time, but some fireworks were seen as I termed bloggers concentrating on social media early on as a mistake.

I hope to get the videos I recorded at the event online asap.

Since I am one of the last ones to write about BCP2, here are the links to some popular reactions to the same:

• Deepxp’s concern and pointers
• Ideasmith’s Roundup of Pune trip (She has my elephant joke there without credits )
• Why Dhananjay was disappointed
• Mahendra’s Reflections
• Thakkar Jr’s Blog entry on the Camp and the Tweetup that followed
• Anant’s Compilation of reactions
• Guess I am missing a few … do buzz me

Photos I took taken from my cam at the event are live here

Update: Video snippet of my talk is here

An upcoming Blog Camp in Pune is something I am really looking forward to. Its IMO the biggest meet of Bloggers in West India. Scheduled for 27th June. Also coming up on 26th is the Aperitweat in Mumbai.

So all in all I want to say though I am composing a few posts on mobile, I doubt if there would be many from me this month. Guest Posts most welcome (almost anything goes on my blog)…  :)

Btw: hope to see you at HeadStart this saturday (june 10th) – Buy the tickets here! A peek-a-boo at the conference hall below

So what is HeadStart? What exactly is StartupSaturday? Why is annkur here? How is it relevant to you/me? – I would take this opportunity to answer all these for you today!

What? What we do: In StartupSaturdays we bring together industry veterans to speak in front of  entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, students and experts. At the same time give startups a platform to present themselves in front of a very knowledgeable crowd. The atmosphere encourages healthy debate and discussions on various topics ranging from PR, marketing, funding to legal & accounting. The feeling of being present between a 100 aspiring entrepreneurs on a StartupSaturday cannot be described in words.

The HeadStart Network is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteers and full time professionals to create and promote the innovation ecosystem in India. We define the innovation ecosystem as consisting of entrepreneurs and startups, researchers in academia and industry, adopters of new technology and products, and investors.

Why? -  Why am I here: My about page speaks less about things I did (or rather tried). I started working when I was 15 (right out of school); worked all 5 years in college. Without a doubt I can claim that all my learning and knowledge in life has come from my 7 years of work as an entrepreneur. Having faced the toughest of times in business, amongst friends, family – I always missed someone who would stand behind me, correct me, give me directions, feedback, constructive criticism… At the same time there were a few who came from nowhere, became friends, motivated me and kept me going. Did it come too late? Not sure, but here at Startup Saturdays / Headstart – I have this opportunity to give back something to the entire community. Its my turn to contribute to and support the dreams and ambitions of the ones who have decided to step out and face the challenges of being an entrepreneur. Give a backup, a platform to all those who refuse to live as second-handers in the society … to those who would dare to stand up and take that step towards making a difference, realizing their true dreams… In whatever small way I can!

There are so many around me who have that desire to start something, make a beginning of their own and seeing them get motivated after attending any StartupSaturday is a pleasing sight. I haven’t spent too much time here to claim that I have seen any of them excel, but many around me (myself included ) are making a start. I am sure in the coming months I would be writing about how xyz came to SS, got inspired and fulfilled his dream.

How is it relevant to you? – If you are reading my blog chances are dim that you are a Ambani or Biyani. You are very much similar to what I am; filled with dreams and ambitions, dodging day to day problems and planning for the future. Or may be just an careless ignorant butterfly. Either ways if you have that desire to learn new things, meet some great people (myself included ), debate your ideas, plan your startup, present yourself / your thoughts / your startup, get inspired, take home some motivation or just test your knowledge – This is the place for you.

In Mumbai StartupSaturdays are conducted on every 2nd Saturday of the month. Venue is S.P Jain, Andheri.

Also coming up on 2oth June is HEADSTART, which is held twice a year and much larger than StartupSaturday. If you are a startup – waste no time and register yourself here. This would be your opportunity to present in front of industry leaders, investors, incubators … !

The event was a success and hopefully Nischay would organise a few more in the coming days. Complete updates on the Nischay Orkut Community (Special thanks to Mr & Mrs Sheth for guiding us for this event i.e. @kunalsheth’s parents).

Also something I wanted to post since long: Nischay coverage in One India One People Magazine.

Click image to enlarge

]]> http://annkur.com/2009/04/nischay-april-2009/feed/ 0 http://annkur.com/2009/02/startup-saturday-on-valentines-day/ http://annkur.com/2009/02/startup-saturday-on-valentines-day/#comments Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:41:14 +0000 Annkur http://annkur.com/?p=287 Feb 09 edition of Startup Saturday saw a full house @ FMB1 SP Jain. Brajeshwar demoed his startup Ocricket and Kashyap shared the vision and story behind InkFruit!

We also had a very interesting session by Eklavya of C2W who generously gave out T-Shirts and Caps while speaking about the power of UGC – User Generated Content.

As for the Valentines Day – Netra was gifted with a homepage yeah!!

Pictures on Flickr

17th Jan was a special day. Not everyday you get to meet dozens of the same breed seated together . A little nervous initially, being my first outing to such an event. But once I reached there things turned out to be so cool. Yeah when bloggers meet…

I need to mention here that Microsoft was more than just generous to give us a great venue (-cameras) at their Kalina base (thx @hardik). Add to that super fast WiFi and all the geeky infrastructure you can ask for. The event was sponsored by iBibo Blogs.

So what really happens in a Blog Camp? Bloggers from all over the city  meet up and share their vision, experiences and more. The camp is open for anyone to take a small session and speak about anything they wish to.  The entire day is a open discussion. So no formal presentations, no boring lectures and yeah not to forget loads of Coffee, Tea and Pizzas.

BLCM was a good learning experience and an opportunity to meet some of the most experienced bloggers in town. And not always do you get this feeling in a big crowd ‘OMG, all of us think so similar’.  Here are a few things I picked up @ BLCM

Harish Iyer spoke about blogging with a heart and social initiatives that the bloggers can undertake. A kind heart person, Harish has several NPO initiatives to his credit.

After listening to Harish’s session, I would probably redirect my NGO to the blogspot domain. Nischay! See nischay.org and  nischayfoundation.blogspot.com

Also a very interesting debate @ BLCM was about anonymous blogging and people maintaining their personal diary online. Rajiv spoke about his personal blog (url not named by him) and he revealed that he writes there only when he hits extreme end of emotions. His personal blog according to him a personal diary which he doesn’t publicize. However the argument against that was that since you have put it on the Internet, you actually want people to read it. I can relate to such a situation where you post things, but they aren’t meant for the masses but just the close ones. (One reason could be that in a personal diary entry, one often reveals his weak/soft side, and we certainly don’t want any tom, dick and harry to read that and think he can take us for granted whenever he meets us ).

Personally even I refer to my blog as a personal diary and often post things that are too personal. They aren’t always meant for the masses and they end up being password protected after I read it myself after a few days and realize that it was written when I was in a really bad mood.

IdeaSmith shared some amusing events on how she created a fake blog on her real name to hide her REAL blog from being discovered by a colleague. Now thats what I call a dedicated – anonymous blogger.

One very interesting session by Eligible Bachelor left us all rolling on the floor laughing. EB spoke about his 6 dead blogs … and the line I like the most was his opening statement “same old story – geek likes a babe, geek cannot tell her, so geek makes a blog to tell it… “ (yes its EB‘s personal story, name withheld on request). So by the time his blog develops as a natural blog and reaches its target the babe is already engaged . And thats not all for the tragedy … 6 yrs later HIS parents reach that blog and ask him who is that gal?? lol

EB highlighted the value of hindi podcasts and touched the soft side of a bloggers heart in a very humorous manner. Dear EB aka Gentle Giant .. you rock! (One of his blogs is www.hurrhurr.com which shows you nothign but weight loss tips so go to http://www.hurrhurr.com/fn/ if you want the real stuff   )

Arcopol Chaudhari made a comparison between Journalists and Bloggers and noted that most traditional media guyz think that Bloggers are second handers who hear things here and there and write about them. Without getting live and first hand info. Thus not taken seriously by many journos (yes the ones moving around with an elephant in their a&&).

Being a print media (DNA) guy himself Arco certainly understands the bridge between bloggers and Journalists. You can read Arco’s Blog here.

Skyn3t spoke about Security over the Internet and Blog security. And if things go right skyn3t would also be speaking @ the next OnlyGizmos security meet held by our own OGz-Harshad!

One thing that I must mention is that Bloggers are Brothers here. BLCM brings together professional aswell as armature bloggers but we meet as friends, friends with a clean heart and the community feeling amongst us. BLCM is the mark of our unity and togetherness. Proud to be a part of this community…

It really hurts me when I meet bloggers in day to day life and see a competitors feel in their eyes. I look forward to invite such a$$h^&*@ to BLCM and change their outlook towards fellow bloggers and develop that community feeling.

Gearing up for the IIT B TechFest next week, I also plan to visit the BarCamp @ VJIT on Feb 1

Update: IdeaCamp2 (Pune) coincided with the BLCM … Bhavya has all that you need to know about the Idea Camp here!