Quicksand

A regular night for VJ Thiruda :-)

2009-04-23T19:13:00.003+05:30

Quest E-Learning for Employability

2009-03-19T23:57:00.005+05:30

Just a screenshot of the presentation slide view..

this is how they do it

2009-02-21T13:52:00.005+05:30

20 times a day... 10 seconds at a time... for 7 days at a stretch... (shot at sasan gir, gujarat)

Look what happened to our old studio!!!

2009-02-13T14:47:00.004+05:30

What was once the gritty underground studio for Quicksand is now an Ayurveda and health centre! There must be enough caffeine in the walls to keep patients happy and calm.

Managing Innovation

2009-02-11T12:21:00.002+05:30

Here's a presentation we made at the National Seminar on Innovation at a local business school here in Delhi. The film woke them up .... :)

Managing Innovation

View more presentations from ayushc. (tags: quicksandblotboxcodesign...)

Choose Hard Work

2009-02-10T19:54:00.003+05:30

We join our heroes as they battle for the studio against recession and an unimaginative economy. Will they succeed?

Hunter Gatherer Eater

2009-02-10T19:44:00.002+05:30

Quest Project Underway!

2009-02-10T19:35:00.004+05:30

We met in Bangalore for a workshop with the clients at the Bangalore studio. Bye Bye Recession (for now atleast)

spotted in Chandini Chowk

2009-01-26T22:50:00.003+05:30

VJ Thiruda experimenting with feedback loops

2009-01-26T14:51:00.003+05:30

2009-01-22T18:35:00.003+05:30

woman biting bear sitting in front of old mattress hiding a wire.
another evening in Bangalore st2dio.

Winter Bloom at the studio

2009-01-20T13:47:00.001+05:30

BLOT + Quicksand in Time Out Dec 2008

2009-01-09T22:52:00.002+05:30

I Miss the Ham in Barcelona!

2008-12-22T13:59:00.002+05:30

For Nea, Babe and Aakash :: There is no other ham that I have ever had that is better than Serano. :-p

Death of a Skateboarder

2008-12-22T13:47:00.004+05:30

Outside the Museum of Modern Art in Barcelona, Thiruda spotted a skateboard doing some tricks. Behind him is an art installation sponsored by Diesel titled 'Death of a Skateboarder' (made from painted skateboards mounted on the wall) The significance of this installation comes from a recent ban on skateboarding in this space, which is considered one of the iconic + influential spots on the european skateboarding scene + culture.

Quicksand in France / Report from St Etienne

2008-12-19T00:08:00.002+05:30

More coming soon...!

Lesson #101 - what makes good customer service...

2008-12-13T13:34:00.002+05:30

Here's my local pet shop owner... He installed a heater in the aquarium two weeks back and decided to remind me to use it...Has to be the most customer friendly gesture from anyone in Gurgaon (home to a community known to put brawns before reason).

But the point is simple...processes might fail but nothing can replace conscientious, self-motivated customer service... :)

KAPILS NEW TOY

2008-12-10T21:32:00.001+05:30

Baston Sur Le Mekong

2008-12-10T10:47:00.003+05:30

Lenskap attended the Angkor Photography Festival in Cambodia.
Part of the commercial photography workshop lenskap worked on a poster and film stills for a imaginary movie.
Finding local people to be a part of the project , shooting on location with lights and photoshopping.
here are the results

Ayush drooling over super large/ super sexy print out for patient-centered experience design at Ganga Ram

2008-12-01T13:01:00.000+05:30

What moves the masses in our country....

2008-12-01T12:59:00.000+05:30

That's 2 out of 3...

2008-11-20T14:55:00.003+05:30

so first it was the missing film tapes, then it was avi's grandfather who went missing on a delhi bound train from chennai, and finally it was goldie's turn today (our dog) :(
today morning we opened the studio to find goldie missing... we have been leaving him outside in the garden or else he gets locked inside for 12-14 hours straight. but in the morning he was nowhere to be found... we looked all over and heard a hundred different stories - of how he got chased out of the neighborhood by other street dogs, that he went in a gazillion different directions!!
we searched within a radius of about 2-3 kms of the studio... followed the classic quicksand missing people/person search protocol - about a 100 posters got printed and handed out to rickshaw-wallahs, security guards, velowalas (check out the link here), neighborhood dhobis, children on the streets, their parents, condiminiums - the search lasted about 5 hours and we had nearly given up on it.
then on a whim we decided to go across to the apartment complex in the adjoining plot - its separated from our neighborhood by about a neck high boundary wall and the only way goldie would ever get inside there is if he went all around (about a distance of 3-4 kms that would first lead him out of our residential area, onto the busy main street and back inside into the apartment complex) !!

the guard at the main gate of that complex had actually seen the godforsaken dog in the morning!! and in classic goldie style, goldie growled at him when he tried to pet him. anyways, so goldie was somewhere inside coz' he kept coming back inspite of being chased away by the guards. we called out a couple of times and he came out wagging his tail... i swear to god i could have split him in half that instant !!

that's about 15 people looking for him for 5 hours and having handed out a 100 posters - but its also the 2nd successful search Quicksand has undertaken (btw, Avi's grandfather was found as well - 3 days later at a town called Indore that is mid-way between Chennai & Delhi)

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!

Does it get any greener than this...

2008-11-19T17:49:00.000+05:30

Spotted in the far corners of Delhi. This shop got my attention from across the road in the middle of a really really crowded street... Its easily the most inviting vegetable shop I have ever seen!!

velowala.org on Core77.com :-p !!

2008-11-19T13:52:00.004+05:30

Our new project www.velowala.org was featured on the core77.com blog.. neat stuff! :-) Avinash is in France at the Biennale and the project has been recieved really well. He's been handing out Quicksand and Box communication to some folks and hopefully there will be a project baby coming out this effort (fingers crossed)

Velowala.org itself is holding out a lot of promise. Avi has promised himself the first BLOT 'for sale' products out of this project for sure. Check out the site! Click on the picture or goto

www.velowala.org

It works...

2008-11-12T10:33:00.003+05:30

A home remedy for weak Wifi signals in your homes/offices/home-office...chances are that if you have reached this blog, you already know about it !! But check out the instructions at this link

We put it together for our studio and suddenly the Mac's screaming there aren't enough signal bars to show how strong the signal is :)

New studio!

2008-11-04T12:02:00.002+05:30

Eager to wish us luck & success in our new studio... directions & details are mentioned here!!

Going Away!!! The Studio is Moving :-)

2008-10-30T18:25:00.003+05:30

We are moving! So get your sorry asses to the basement one last time on Saturday night, the 1st of November.

The place is empty, and we are setting up a BLOT room and a Quicksand room... both have projections. Gaurav and Akshar are playing minimal tech. Thiruda will set up the moving visuals. Kapil is showing off his 30000 pictures. Ayush will be the Master of the Ceremony. Gold-E is sleeping.There is separate 'smoking' room Ha hA! Eat and come, or get your own food. 24/7 is not so far away. We have water.

Oh an do check out the video on this post...kapil,avi and ayush saying their goodbyes to the place thats been home for 3 years ;-p

VeloWala.org:: Documenting Bicycle Commerce in India

2008-10-29T01:11:00.003+05:30

We are setting up a new online installation / resource that documents and explores opportunities / inspirations for bicycle based commerce in India. Powered by John Thackara from Doors Of Perception, and exhibited at the Design Biennale at St. Etienne 2008. The site should be live mid november, and works off contributions from a multi-disciplinary team.

Panoramic Ponderings

2008-10-29T00:55:00.004+05:30

Coming Back from Gujarat

2008-10-27T21:01:00.004+05:30

So Lenskap and Thiruda were in Gujarat in a village called Bhilladi shooting the Torran Natak Company. We came back on unreserved tickets on a train to Rai Bareilly with the Diwali crowd inside and on the roof, slept on the floor all night, and begged for berth corners all day. Quite an experience..check out Lenskap's new set here.

"TRAVEL REQUISITES" / @ The Airport

2008-10-27T20:56:00.003+05:30

I love This...check it out..this store @ the International Airport sells "TRAVEL REQUISITES"..namely...pearls, mineral water, chewing gum and stones... perfect :-)

for ayush, happy birthday

2008-10-21T04:27:00.004+05:30

and up close

nea in wonderland

2008-10-21T03:39:00.004+05:30

Alice becomes anxious as a result of her constantly changing size and often speculates what her life would be like if she were that size forever. At one time when she has just grown very large, she believes that she couldn't grow up any more than she already has. "But then," thought Alice, "shall I never get any older than I am now? That'll be a comfort, one way - never to be an old woman - but then - always to have lessons to learn! Oh, I shouldn't like that!"

(Carroll 21)

I like that :)

Koshy's is the Best

2008-10-11T14:57:00.004+05:30

So we had breakfast at Koshy's, Bangalore, and I love the back of their menu, and their food..esp the cute little potato smileys :-)

Bauhaus meets "Sada Bahaar" !

2008-10-11T08:18:00.002+05:30

An invitation done by M/s Codesign for a function at home... finally design proves useful in routine household chores !! :)

The infilteration of Brands

2008-10-10T01:45:00.003+05:30

So there is now a NIKE store in Paharganj - the budget tourist / backpackers zone in Delhi..crazy..also spotted a RBK store..and there is a McDonalds in Old Delhi too...dont think this is a very good sign at all :-(

Zince!

2008-10-10T01:36:00.002+05:30

So who can guess what 'Zince' is? (sorry for the poor image quality, i think i was laughing too much to shoot straight :-)

TRIPS // Goldies First Trip

2008-10-01T11:25:00.005+05:30

Goldie's First Trip from Thiruda on Vimeo.

Quick Book Neha Quick Quick

2008-09-26T12:41:00.009+05:30

Neha got down to making the second prototype of the new BLOT book on the Topan Natak Company..shot by Kapil in Gujarat...take a look at the pictures on flickr here..

From the Attic // Quicksand Vintage Ppt

2008-09-26T12:14:00.001+05:30

Vintage QS Presentation from qs vimeo1 on Vimeo.
Look what we found rummaging through an old hard drive ;-)

Hard Hat Area

2008-09-23T15:48:00.000+05:30

To the Circus We Go!

2008-09-23T15:47:00.002+05:30

Another BOX meeting...

2008-09-16T13:12:00.000+05:30

...this time in Goa!!!! The star of the Kyoorius Design Yatra...
ladies & gentleman... Rajesh Dahiya!

We're just not spending enough time it seems...

2008-09-16T00:02:00.002+05:30

coz' there are always people out there who have turned the thing inside out.. taken it apart... rebuilt it... before you did !!

so i'm sitting at Cidade Goa, at the concluding dinner of the Kyoorius Design conference...a tad bored now and so fiddling with my iPhone. and suddenly i realised that you can actually take screenshots of your mobile if you pressed the sleep and the home button in quick succession. thrilled but with a sinking suspicion that it might already have been discovered, i logged onto the web and googled "screenshots on iPhone"... alas !!

but someday i guess...

Use of technology in schools

2008-09-13T09:27:00.005+05:30

A three day exercise understanding and documenting the use of technology amongst students from Govt.schools in Bangalore.These schools in partnership with efforts like the AFI, Intel and APF amongst others are running programs towards bridging the gap between technology and the students.
The Bangalore studio is gearing up to extend our services towards designing and executing innovative programs in such areas.
Exciting times ahead.

SWIMMING AGAINST THE TIDE

2008-09-05T10:54:00.001+05:30

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE #002 / Horsey

2008-09-03T15:44:00.000+05:30

SPOTTED!

2008-09-03T15:32:00.001+05:30

sutta and babe in younger times...

2008-08-27T18:31:00.003+05:30

on the day of our convocation....

Box In Mumbai

2008-08-26T12:38:00.000+05:30

So we are starting out our first set of meetings for BOX : the new consulting space we are collaborating on with Rajesh and his Studio - CoDesign... We were in Mumbai for 2 meetings..and this is some of the behind the screens footage. (Sniper: Thiruda)

QS in Gulmarg

2008-08-13T11:55:00.003+05:30

as they it was 'SICK!'

Nothing like a post-lunch siesta

2008-08-04T11:13:00.002+05:30

Design Marvel??

2008-08-02T11:07:00.001+05:30

A Sunday in Old Delhi // 2nd Hand Rules

2008-07-28T17:14:00.005+05:30

We love Old Delhi, especially on Sundays. Found these old cellphones and parts for sale on the street. Its amazing that they sell too! Below is also the new BLOT video from the same day..check it out!
Things We Love #003 // A Sunday in Old Delhi from Thiruda on Vimeo.

Quicksand @ The Airport

2008-07-21T12:19:00.002+05:30

So in addition to the Coke kiosks that we designed, now there is the new MediaMart store by India Today. Well, we did the identity for them, and also provided retail concepts (check them out on the website) for the then fledgling brand.

We are being experimented on...

2008-07-21T12:04:00.003+05:30

Finally some honesty about whats been going on in the City. This explains the strange rashes I have been noticing on my feet.

101 Families

2008-07-21T11:51:00.004+05:30

We have been talking about starting our magnum opus research project :: '101 FAMILIES'. I spent the night in Mumbai in the 19th floor apartment of a friend of our client (very nice of them). It was crazy to suddenly be alone in a new home, with a completely different set of values, aesthetics, choices... and here are some pictures from there..which completely reinforces my belief in getting out there soon and starting the 101 Families Project :: a rich media, ethnographic resource for design and marketing in urban India circa 2008.

and words just make their own magic sometimes...

2008-07-15T17:36:00.004+05:30

A word cloud of our blog- made on www.wordle.net

Only in Old Delhi

2008-07-14T17:05:00.003+05:30

We found a hair cutter for Goldie dearest..check it out..we found this crazy contraption and career option in Old Delhi while we were on a Rolling Stone photo shoot for BLOT.

QS General Body Meeting June08

2008-07-01T14:15:00.005+05:30

Everyone is finally reunited (except Babitha :-() and we decided to share and care in a show and tell session. Neha had to be the geek and prepare a wonderful presentation. Ayush was awarded the Employee of The Month Post-It for his hard work on the new QS website. (check out his solo effort IIM-IIT style on www.quicksand.co.in/wordpress ... this is the beta site) Plans were made and off we go again to new frontiers, sometimes together, and sometimes alone.

Entrepreneurship anyone???

2008-06-29T19:46:00.001+05:30

I was at the IIMA entrepreneurship conference over the weekend...my alma mater from 2002. I wasn't quite sure why I was there ...coz entrepreneurship is such a personal journey...but some of the stories and some people were inspiring...deep kalra from makemytrip, vijay mahajan from basix, sandeep singhal from sequoia capital...

One of the prime reasons for me to come here was to show meera the campus...and to see for myself how I relate to it... meera's first comment on the campus was this place can only mean business... Straight, to-the-point, matter of fact".. And I can't agree more... Mr.Kahn, you should have watched out for that

And so, some half romantics like myself keep hoping that this institute will foster more links and connections with the world outside...and loosen up a little

But a good trip all the same...and in some sense a good beginning for the institute... after all entrepreneurship is nothing but romanticism!!

new sign outside our studio

2008-06-27T15:40:00.002+05:30

happy birthday avi

2008-06-27T15:25:00.009+05:30

we had a birthday party in kodai as well. this is just a small snippet of it :)

happy burrday, avi...hope you have good cake

2008-06-25T13:46:00.003+05:30

Only in my country

2008-06-23T18:00:00.002+05:30

So you want to read about toys?

2008-06-23T16:44:00.002+05:30

update on the IDEO project

2008-06-23T16:30:00.009+05:30

last week we were chaperoning the team from IDEO in Bangalore on a research project.

This is how we spent a lot of our time, working

and stressing :)

and the well-deserved coffee breaks

Here's a small vid as well of how they got banaglored :)

One of the ways to know more about where you come from is to show someone else around. Let them ask the questions.
The IDEO research project has been about that discovery. Also after working with the team on a daily basis, from the interviews to "downloading" the data and finally assimilation, I realise that we are similar in how we go about doing, what we do. In the current scenario we work in, we don't get the kind of time and liberties they get (from clients), and that is ok. It'll only get better for us. we need to retain a sense of confidence in our process and explore similar such processes.

oh, and maybe we need to worry about the colour of the post-its :)

will he-won't he, will he, won't he

2008-06-23T15:41:00.003+05:30

on the streets of Bangalore, waiting to be picked up ;-)

Design for Indian Classical Dance

2008-06-21T11:10:00.007+05:30

Quicksand has been working with internationally acclaimed Bharatanatyam dancer Ms. Jayalakshmi Eshwar since the past 3 years. We are presently helping her with her third publication on the dance form. Graphic & Interaction design studio CoDesign (www.codesign.in) have been commissioned for the design of this rich media publication. We just finished the first round of test shoots with the artist and her students in our studio yesterday... and are exploring interesting ways in which to depict the complex information inherent in the dance form and its practice. This is the weblink for the 2nd book in the series : "Bharatanatyam: How to..." www.abhinayaa.org And check out this little video from the photo shoot :-)

Urban Intelligence // The Branded Community

2008-06-21T10:38:00.004+05:30

This is a one hour effort :-) to articulate the design context of a ‘branded community’ - a strategically built, brand-led housing complex. The model below scopes out a possible scenario in terms of its partners, their roles and some milestones / deliverables that are generated by each of the partners through the project. This is a part of a proposal we are working on..thought it might be nice to share and of course >>> Comments / Enquiries welcome :-)
Click here or on the image to download the model (.jpg / 260kb)

Future of brands

2008-06-20T22:01:00.000+05:30

After a long and tiring meeting...

IDEO + QS

2008-06-18T09:40:00.006+05:30

Quicksand is assisting international design firm IDEO on a project this month. This is our fourth research based project for them, and its been great for us to learn and share insights about Indian contexts with them over the past 2 years. Lips are sealed beyond that because we are on an NDA :-)

Check out their brilliant work and read their books. (www.ideo.com) IDEO was definitely one of the key influences on Quicksand when we began three years back, so its like getting to play with Michael Jordan in some ways ;-p

Redesigning Design Education

2008-06-17T15:13:00.002+05:30

So we have been called in as consultants to radically redesign the Accessory Design Programme at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (http://www.niftindia.com). A pioneering programme since its inception under the able Prof. Jatin Bhatt, it has run into muddy waters in the recent past with the introduction of several centres around India, and the trend of dwindling resources for teaching design that can be seen everywhere. Quicksand is proposing a collaborative design approach that relooks the intent and delivery of the 4 year programme - to make it relevant to the present and emerging future of design. The first steps have included a participatory workshop at NIFT Bangalore that involved faculty, industry members, alumni and design entrepreneurs. Avinash from Quicksand facilitated this workshop, and is presently drafting a process note on the effort.

Collaboration in a Nutshell // Berlin

2008-06-17T14:57:00.000+05:30

Exactly the kind of pleasant surprises one can hope to bump into on the streets of Berlin. This is from VJ Thiruda's 'research' trip to Europe 2008.

Blast from the Past 2 // RBK T shirts spotted!

2008-06-16T12:00:00.000+05:30

Its nice to just be going about our work and bump into someone wearing stuff we designed... this t shirt is from a line we did for RBK couple of years back - the Rahul Dravid Signature line.

Using Film & Photography to Document Design Contexts // Nehru Place : India's Largest Computer Market

2008-06-15T15:24:00.000+05:30

Avi and Tenzing spent a day at Nehru Place, arguably Asia's largest computer market, with the idea of documenting the context for computer retail in India, for Lenovo and Gramco Japan. Take a look at what we found. There is small stop motion film (below) and you can also download a pdf photobook here (127 pgs : 18mb)

Nehru Place from Thiruda on Vimeo.

kathmandoo prjct #1

2008-06-11T11:07:00.000+05:30

go to give roll for wash to an old beat up photo studio
peek behind the curtain while the propreiter makes you the slip
an accident turns to something fun!

Toys from the Past

2008-06-10T11:30:00.000+05:30

We were visiting a tin toy factory yesterday for some toy ideas we have for BLOT. Chanced upon these tin pop-pop boats designed by Avinash in his toy-designer-past (circa 1999)... and still in production .. going great guns and being sold in Europe. Check out other stuff designed by Avi on www.welby.in

Goldie Loves Cars // preview

2008-06-09T13:36:00.000+05:30

This is Goldie - our trusted studio partner.

And this is a preview of a film we are making on this little guy.

Urban Intelligence

2008-06-09T13:04:00.001+05:30

Urban Intelligence is a collaboration between 3 studios - Quicksand, Anagram and CoDesign - and brings much needed innovation practices to the urban planning context in India.
Take a look at the primer document. (pdf, 4 pgs, A5, 2mb)

Master Moshai and Miss Jo in Nepal

2008-06-07T14:20:00.000+05:30

They are off to Nepal for 3 weeks for our 2nd book... wiser and better prepared after the rigours of the 1st book on Varanasi. We are waiting to see what they come up with. Best of luck guys :-)

Thiruda

SoundVision : How to Design a Digital Talking Book

2008-06-06T14:54:00.000+05:30

Download Neha's Diploma Project
'SoundVision : A Digital Talking Book for the Visually Impaired' as a pdf here
(14.2 mb, 112 Pages)
It has the entire design process, research, design concepts and specs, and some extra goodies too (as always :-)

C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S

2008-06-05T18:17:00.000+05:30

Everybody loves ready reckoners however useless they really are ;-p... here is a little sheet with a lot of speel... you might find it interesting. Click on the above image to enlarge.

new and improved

2008-06-04T12:28:00.000+05:30

Miss Jo Dolls update

2008-06-03T13:05:00.000+05:30

Aude finally got a couple of her dolls in some shape...here we can see 'togo' for the first time.
and for the publicity shot- miss jo is wearing our ahemm.. limited edition diana tee- handcrafted goodness!

Fais Moi un Calin- Kathmandu

2008-06-02T14:44:00.000+05:30

miss_jo and lenskap went to nepal.
more here here & here
second book is round the corner hint hint...

So we made some murals on the walls...then made them into tshirts and badges.
will be doing more in the coming weeks.

from the archives- Taking a break

2008-05-31T10:45:00.000+05:30

all in a days work

2008-05-29T21:14:00.000+05:30

what does neha need when she wants to make a DIY paper lamp
the right kind of paper
a very good cutter
and lots of patience to figure the DIY part out :)

rikshawpolis...

2008-05-28T16:53:00.000+05:30

we teamed up with our friends from anagram (madhav and dimri), an architectural firm in delhi, to demonstrate the potential of multi-disciplinary interventions in driving innovation & constructive action in urban design and planning (to no one in particular.. just hoping it'll catch the buzz)

the project we have set for ourselves is to conceptualise a sustainable urban experience in what is now a largely defunct urban infrastructure in the heart of our city, Delhi - a stretch of railway line that runs between Nizammudin & Dhaula Kuan (further connecting to Mayapuri & the industrial belt beyond). With competing and more efficient modes of transport that run parallel to this stretch, the railway line in this zone, for most part now, is a ghost stretch with little or no commuter traffic. the city on the other hand, is burgeoning around its fringes and in its wake transforming into a landscape that has little allegiance to its past. it seemed plausible then that this stretch could bridge these two worlds - an oasis in the heart of Delhi that brings life and liveability back to the city. an ecosystem that is poised at a fine balance between urban hardware & software.

we started it off today with a journey down this track and soak ourselves in the experiences and sights along this stretch... here are a few initial observations..

its an independent project for anagram & quicksand... we'll continue to work on this till some tangible outcome is reached... so keep looking out at this space for more on this (use the tags to track developments on this)

we're moving...

2008-05-26T19:21:00.000+05:30

... to this new joint in Bangalore ! starting june the studio will have a new address
its still in koramangala though... so drop by...whenever !!

Manifesto For A T.R.I.P.P.Y. Life

2008-05-25T10:40:00.000+05:30

Motivational Poster for the Distracted Ideal Boy

Stay on track with the B.L.O.T. Manifesto. This is part of a trial run of posters we are printing as inserts to our BLOT DVDs and apparel. We love free stuff :-) so we assume everyone does. (Click to Enlarge)

Live Cinema Experiment No.2 // Helsinki //

2008-05-25T05:05:00.000+05:30

Ever tried shooting 20000 pictures in a week?

VJ Thiruda does Helsinki // May 2008
This is the preview video for BLOT DVD1 Release. Its a stop motion film edited almost wholly on camera. The challenge is to reduce edit time on FCP to a bare minimum. We are working on a ~ 25 min experimental film that is made from more than 20000 still images shot on VJ Thiruda's trip to Europe in May 2008. This also adds to the VJ content that BLOT plays at gigs.

Pecha Kucha

2008-05-24T15:19:00.000+05:30

quicksand got invited to talk about their work at this pecha kucha event that happened in february 2007... its a forum where each presenter gets 20 slides with each slide lasting exactly 20 seconds....

read more about it here
we decided to shock the audience a little :) here's our 6 min 40 sec of fame ...

Tilt shift the nation

2008-05-24T14:15:00.000+05:30

Here's Jodhpur, Gulmarg and Kathmandu
in miniature goodness.

how we chanced upon kewpies

2008-05-23T18:36:00.000+05:30

the QUEST Alliance's newsletter featured the design research study that Quicksand did for One World South Asia. A Teacher Helpline was being piloted in rural West Bengal to provide government school teachers with an information and knowledge support system. Quicksand did a preliminary study that established how the system needed to be designed, keeping in mind the interests of the various stakeholders.

the project took us to rural west bengal... and in the middle of the infamous kolkata monsoons.
we even got marooned once... the place was beautiful though... with paddy fields stretching for miles on either side of the road !! and a crazy guest house we were putting up in... which, after hours, had enigmatic visitors with village belles on their side..

research can't get richer than this ... and kewpies, btw, is the most awesome bengali cuisine restaurant we discovered in kolkata... call us if you want directions !!

Maximus

2008-05-22T17:45:00.000+05:30

B.L.O.T got a mention in a recent Indian Maxim edition

We got found out ... // Google Research

2008-05-22T17:10:00.002+05:30

A research we did for Google last May (07) being presented by their UX director at Serious Play 2008, a biennial design conference held at Art Center, Pasadena ...

Here's the link

It gets mentioned in the first story, first paragraph

"...Here's one especially striking comment from a clip she shows of cell phone user research. It's shot in India, where a woman opens a window in her house by rolling up a plastic tarp on her tent: "We can miss a meal a day, but we cannot miss a day on our mobile phones. It will affect all our work and our lives."

Soft Nexus

2008-05-20T12:54:00.001+05:30

aude is working on a top secret doll project.
and it's nothing like barbie.

Light for My Corner

2008-05-20T12:42:00.001+05:30

what does neha get when she puts together
200 styrofoam cups,
a zillion staple pins ,
and a sunday evening

A very huge lamp and very sore fingers

nEw NEw

2008-05-19T20:32:00.000+05:30

Our spanking new channel Ident for Discovery Travel and Living on AiR!

and the older one-