Achint's blog

< temporary text till persistent perfection paralysis passes =) >

New Top-Level Domains Approved by ICANN

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via circleid.com

Quick background: I've spent over 5 years of the web presence industry. At one time, I was actually researching/analyzing this very proposal for opening up the TLD space - and it's potential business opportunities.

We've followed the ups and downs of this ICANN initiative for such a long time now, it's almost surreal to see the image of (almost) the entire ICANN board raising their hands and voting in favor of making this a reality.

I still remember reading the letter by the Department of Defense (or some such - been a while I'm not sure) to ICANN adding (what were clearly semantic level) road blocks to the proposal's progress. Arguably, Verisign's insecurity over .com's dominance led to some very interesting times.

The entire thing makes for a very interesting case study that I'd normally read in the Competitive Strategy class.

And the best part is that this is just the start of more interesting times. I can't wait to see companies competing for good TLDs, the stratospheric heights the bids reach in the (have-to-happen) auctions, the actual launches of new commercial TLDs, and everything else.

Stay tuned.

In the meantime, for those who have no clue what I'm rambling about, check out the cool infographic that I hope adds context.

Möbius Ship | Indianapolis Museum of Art

California-based artist Tim Hawkinson is known for taking everyday materials and altering them in imaginative ways, creating works that address broad issues about the intersection of human consciousness, nature and technology. Here, he employed a mix of found objects and common household materials—including twist ties, craft wood, staples, and packing material—which he transformed almost alchemically into a complex and awe-inspiring sculpture.

Echoing the working methods of ship-in-a-bottle hobbyists, Hawkinson created a painstakingly detailed model ship that twists in upon itself, presenting the viewer with a thought-provoking visual conundrum. The title is a witty play on Herman Melville’s novel Moby Dick, which famously relates the tale of a ship captain’s all-consuming obsession with an elusive white whale. The ambitious and imaginative structure of Hawkinson’s sculpture offers an uncanny visual metaphor for Melville’s epic tale, which is often considered the ultimate American novel.

Möbius Ship also humorously refers to the mathematical concept of the Möbius Strip. Named after a nineteenth-century astronomer and mathematician, the Möbius Strip is a surface that has only one side, and exists as a continuous curve. Its simple yet complex spatial configuration presents a visual puzzle that parallels Hawkinson’s transformation of the mundane materials into something unexpected.

(download)

Artist: Tim Hawkinson
Nationality: American
Birth-Death: 1960-
Creation Date: 2006
Collection: Contemporary
Materials: wood, plastic, Plexiglas, rope, staples, string, twist ties, glue
Dimensions: 104 x 122 x 51 in. (installed)
Currently On View
Location: Anna S. & James P. White Gallery
Credit line: Contemporary Art Society Fund, Koch Contemporary Art Purchase Fund and Purchased with funds provided by Michelle and Perry Griffith
Accession number: 2008.247
Copyright © Tim Hawkinson

via imamuseum.org hat tip, inkv

So surreal | Swimming in the Jellyfish lake - Palau [added to bucket list]

Sometimes nature can be more surreal than any fiction. Filmmaker Sarosh Jacob took this vivid video at Jellyfish Lake in the Republic of Palau.

"Twelve thousand years ago these jellyfish became trapped in a natural basin on the island when the ocean receded," Jacob explains. "With no predators amongst them for thousands of years, they evolved into a new species that lost most of their stinging ability as they no longer had to protect themselves.

"These fascinating creatures survive by sharing a symbiotic relationship with algae that live inside of them. At night, the jellyfish go down to the depths of the lake where the algae feed on nutrients. During the day, the jellyfish come back to the surface and follow the sun across the lake in a massive migration. The algae convert the energy of the sun via photosynthesis into a sugar that feeds the jellyfish."

P.S. Added to the bucket list!!!

Tripadvisor's new FB App - immaculate execution

You just have to give it up to Tripadvisor. This is by far the coolest FB app I’ve come across in so long – the concept/idea is simple but the execution is just phenomenal.

The entire process from start to finish, including adding the pictures, selecting the music (with some really intuitively selected recommended music) to motivating sharing – all done so smoothly, it’s 100% painless.

P.S. Mizaan Lokhandwala, we totally killed it on this one =)

Talk on Online Reputation Management

And I'm Finally putting up my prezi on Online Reputation Management.

It's been pretty rewarding taking this speaker session for #DVCamp participants (thanks Pradeep). It's always insightful talking to fellow Marketers / Brand Managers / Entrepreneurs from various companies (Tata, Crossword, Nokia, O&M, and others whose names I can't recall anymore) about ORM, the starting blocks, tricks of the trade, etc. Some comments/questions made me go back and tweak the prezi, some live examples became case studies, and some thoughts actually made me go back and experiment with new ORM strategies =).

In any case, bear in mind that this is a very basic version of what a talk on ORM needs to be - it's almost a teaser to the actual science - but it still gives a pretty good overview. Obviously, there are bits that need to be presented, and so when viewed independently, it may have some gaps. But feel free to add your questions in the comments below and I'll try my best to answer them here. 

P.S. Ankita and Lavin - this was fun =)