Power to the People!
Ar first, I thought this cartoon was disrespectful, but on further thought, it seems to be just acknowledging the reality of his condition. Neat overlap of the Superman with the alter ego of a mortal human, transforming in the phone booth, gone into the heavens.
Check out this cover of Imagine http://aperfectcircle.com/audio.html by A Perfect Circle.
This song is being released on a political album and on election day, and I like to think this version represents the hypocritical acts of the Iraq War. I love the self-satirical way Maynard James Keenan sings it.
BTW, it was John Lennon's birthday yesterday.
Oh and in case it isn't obvious - this post is about music, not politics. The piano is awesome. I haven't heard the original in a while but this new version is darker but then towards the end of the song gets lighter. Alright, analysis paralysis... back to work.
Dear Punya,
The magic that you have spun on the Sangam web is not something that will be easily forgotten. There are few people who will be able to leave more of an impact as you already have. The curse of genius is that it often lies unrecognized. When people visit the new Sangam website, they often forget what the old one looked like. Living in an absolute frame, they often take the dynamic events calendar or the online voting system as given, not realizing that they are the fruits of one man's tideous labour.
But rest assured Punya - there are people who sit up and notice, talk about it (often behind your back, always with unrestricted praise) and ofcourse, they access it (in multitude) and always, leave with a sense better than which they would have left it under any of the previous web-masterships.
Congrats on a job beautifully done,Utkarsh.
One year of webmonkeying for Sangam, and what have I achieved?
I came in thinking I would change things. I felt sure the old site wasn't being maintained right, that someone with my skills would be able to run a tighter shop, and keep everyone engaged and informed. In my vision, the website would become a focal point for the Indian community at MIT, where people could share ideas. It would be dynamic and aesthetic -- in the W3's words, "bringing the web to its full potential."
What I've learnt have been some hard lessons in practicality. My abortive attempts earlier in the year to change the look of the website and to reorganize it were barely even noticed. Even this latest re-design has done little to recharge the way the site is used. My brainchild, this blog, stagnates at four posts, with a total of perhaps three comments. Perhaps the only significant thing I've done is the secure online voting system, and even that, I feel sure, has received no appreciation.
I worry that the next webmaster after me will make the same mistakes. So I wish to invite comments on what role people feel the Sangam website plays for them, and what roles they would wish it to play.
