Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

A Conversation with Ekatva’s Founder, Nimesh Patel

Last year, we announced Monsoon would be lending a hand to Ekatva, a project we really believe in, run by good friend and extremely talented music producer Nimesh “Nimo” Patel. He’s out there fighting the good fight, giving 16 kids from slums in India the chance to record their voices and be heard all over the world. All of us at Monsoon wanted to help in some way, so we decided to build a website that could support the kids and spread their message as the show hit the road. A few days ago, we caught up with Nimo to discuss the children’s progress, the excitement going into this year’s upcoming tour, and how technology might help amplify their message.

What does Ekatva mean?
Oneness. A space of wholeness and harmony with all. With Nature, Man, Technology, rich, poor, male, female, white, black, and so on. Ekatva is when we see everything else in ourselves. We decided the name of this project while reflecting on what the world most needs. And that was the answer we came up with: the world needs understanding of one another and love for one another. More selflessness. Through selflessness evolves oneness, Ekatva.

What have the kids been up to lately, and what can we look forward to seeing from them in the future?
After over one and half years of training and development, the children have now begun to tour the show across India. They’ve done 12 shows so far, and now they’re getting ready to bring their energetic spirits to share in the US and UK this summer – May and June of 2012.

In their day-to-day lives, they’re always dealing with something. But it is the resilience they display along the way that melts the hearts of audiences when they shine beautifully on stage – as if they were professional performers. And it’s not just performance, but it’s the carrying and sharing of a message very profound, yet simple: Love All.

How have audiences responded to the children’s performances?
Better to ask them than me. Here’s a comment from someone in the audience who was at one of our most recent shows:

“Watched the Ekatva team perform at the town hall in Anand, Gujarat last night. What this small band of irresistible children and incredible volunteers have created together is an unforgettable experience that sparkles with beauty, wisdom, joy and the buoyancy of pure hearts. Feet tapped, hands clapped, eyes filled, hearts melted and heads bowed. Watching Nimo (Nimesh Patel) watch the children was an especial treat. He has transformed himself and them through this journey. Backstage after the show one of the dancers, an adorable tiny little boy, darted up with a shy smile and thrust a pink rosebud into my hand – a spontaneous act of kindness that touched and thrilled me with its simplicity, naturalness, generosity and warmth. It is that spirit and much more that Nimo and team have nurtured in these young beings. The ripples of their loving effort will spread far beyond telling. So grateful to have had a chance to witness their inner music and magic.” – Pavi Mehta

How does Ekatva leverage digtal tools like web presence, social media, and video to spread the message?
We want people to feel connected to the journey of the children and not just to the performance. We have used various forms of social media to connect with people, near and far. Some people might not be able to attend the show, but through stories on our blog, videos on YouTube, we hope that they feel connected with the spirit of Oneness.

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Sandeep
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

Monsoon at the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament

Jason Day may have stolen the show at the Byron Nelson Championship, but it was Monsoon’s software that lit up faces in the digital playground at the tournament. Monsoon premiered an application that allowed visitors and participants to create their Golf alter-ego and customize it with the touch of a finger.
 
This year has already been a lot of fun for us – we continue to focus on touch and mobile experiences.   With projects from the NBA, PGA and ITF, we’re excited to combine the power of touch and social gaming to create fun and engaging sports applications. 
 
No one from our team may be able to pull off an eagle at the 18th hole (unless you’re talking Wii Sports), but we’re excited to make software that brings smiles to a sport that has lately been masked by controversies.

 
Ankush
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

Touch Twitterworld 3D

Last year, we launched the first touch Twitter application for Windows 7. Since then our obsession with touch, Twitter and 3D user interfaces has continued. Okay, maybe it has gotten a little worse, but it has allowed us to work on some really fun stuff!

We recently had the opportunity to create a Twitter mashup and are excited to bring you Touch Twitterworld in 3D.

The 3D Twitterworld app first premiered at Earth Day on a giant touch wall (courtesy HP). It will soon be offered on the web and as a download for all the fanboys.

Click the image below to see a teaser video showing real-time Earth Day tweets from around the world (3D glasses optional).

 
Ankush
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

the politics of design

37Signals point me to an excellent essay by Paul Rand on the politics of design.

He hits on one challenge that we really resonate with – the need that clients (and managers) have to see multiple versions of a solution.

One of the more common problems which tends to create doubt and confusion is caused by the inexperienced and anxious executive who innocently expects, or even demands, to see not one but many solutions to a problem.

Although seeing multiple versions seems useful, it often dilutes the process.  The process of finding one solution can be an all-encompassing challenge.  The demand for multiple versions often leads a designer to limit their time on reaching for the best solution and instead work on making a number of directions seem viable.

Theoretically, a great number of ideas assures a great number of choices, but such choices are essentially quantitative. This practice is as bewildering as it is wasteful. It discourages spontaneity, encourages indifference, and more often than not produces results which are neither distinguished, interesting, nor effective. In short, good ideas rarely come in bunches.

Most importantly, this process often runs counter to the design process, which should involve scrapping dozens of ideas until you reach the one that feels right.  Paul Rand sums this up nicely:

Whatever his working habits, the designer fills many a wastebasket in order to produce one good idea.

 
Sandeep
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

Weatherista Alpha

One of my favorite Monsoon projects of the year just went into Alpha.

Yea.

That’s all I can tell you right now.

 
Sandeep
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

5 Rules for Hiring Offshore IT Teams

Make no mistake: a well-qualified offshore IT team can save your startup thousands of dollars and speed up product launches.   All you have to do is find the right partner.

Easier said than done.  It’s hard enough to find good employees and vendors in your own country; how do you find a good team abroad?

It isn’t difficult to figure out where to look.  These days, websites like oDesk and eLance connect you to independent contractors around the world; simple Google searches and directory sites like IndianBusiness list thousands of IT companies in a wide variety of niches.

But knowing how to look is much more important.  So, here are five rules to keep in mind when searching for the ideal offshore IT partner.

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Sandeep
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

Conversation with Lakshmi Pratury

Video from my conversation with Lakshmi Pratury at the Aicon Gallery in Palo Alto last year.  We discuss how Monsoon Company got started, innovation in India, and Thomas Friedman.

 
Sandeep
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

talk to your customers

It seems so obvious: if you want to develop software that’s useful to people, you’ve got to talk with them. But too many developers take the anti-social approach and consider customer support to be beneath their status…If you really want to write useful software, stop spending all your time keeping up with technology. Don’t worry if your resume isn’t filled with the latest buzzwords. Instead, invest your time in talking with your customers. They don’t care what programming language you use – they only care whether your software meets their needs, and the best way to ensure that is by breaking out of your cone of silence and opening the lines of communication.

[Nick Bradbury via 37 Signals]

 
Sandeep
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

India’s Top 25 Web Companies

Don’t know why they didn’t just write the list down in text, but here is a video list of the top 25 Indian web companies.  I agree with about half of the choices…

 
admin
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized

Remittances get hit in the recission

The Economic Times reports that remittances to India have decreased by 25 to 30% already.

 
admin
POSTED UNDER: Uncategorized