Walking down Mission

Was walking down 24th and Mission towards Reeem's, for lunch with a friend when I wondered just how similar the streets look to a market in Delhi. Maybe it's the small market, the street hawkiness nature of the stores, or the fruit sellar's carts arranged outside and not inside a giant air conditioned store, or then again maybe it's all of it. Oddly feels closer to home. I know it's one of the more "dangerous" neighbourhoods in the city, you must stay vigilant, yet the vibes are much nicer with this one than say, the more posh areas like Pacific Heights.

There's something to a place, when my patronage is a little more than a transaction. People are out here to make money, but they can be kinder, and nicer to one another. And that's where I think Mission succeeds.

New Personal Challenge: One Blog Post a day

I'm trying to get back to blogging and this space has only been reviews for a while, and I miss when it wasn't so heavy handed (I literally had to go back at least 15 years to find non review posts! Crazy!). So starting yesterday's post. I am going to (try to) write one pots every day till 31st August, which is when this blog turns 19.

These will be short, slice of life posts that generally stay away from critique (if I do critique something it'll be a separate post).

Habits Change. Social Implications? Not so much

An oft cited example when people talk about the social implications of surveillance like technology (Think Ray Ban Meta Glasses with a camera in front of them) is the malleability of people’s habits and social norms, “Just like AirPods which were ridiculed at first, have become social norm today, glasses with a camera on them could too” is something I’ve often heard.

Here’s the thing. Habits change. The AirPods are personal computing devices that have zero impact on the people around them. The first AirPods customers looked goofy, that’s it; and people eventually found them to be more convenient and started wearing them more often. It did not have an immediate impact on the people around them.

Glasses with a camera attached to them are another issue entirely. They have an immediate impact on the people around you. Put a camera in front of a person and they immediately become conscious of what they’re saying. There’s an implication of recording. It’s almost as if the camera lens gives the “affordance” of this being surveillance tech. Do we expect people to become comfortable with such technology? Do we expect people to just start being ok with being recorded without consent? Heck no.

Look at the amount of crime, and creep that people face every day with surreptitious “recordings” (Sure that’s unheard off, if you’re a cis-het male in the most posh neighborhood of Silicon Valley, but there’s a world outside that bubble). The social reaction to such tech becoming mainstream will be visceral, and for good reason; for its not just a change of habit, it’s the change of social dynamic.

Movie Review: Sitaare Zameen Par

Despite being overly simplistic, rather repetitive in its preachings and a tad too predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed Sitaare Zameen Par. It's a heart-warming movie that's breezy and fun in its entertainment.

Sitaare Zameen Par works best when its stars (the team of neurodivergent basketball players) are having fun. It's watching these absolute gems work their way through a basketball tournament that's so delightful. The writers give the characters ample depth and never turn them into caricatures. The humor is sensitive and the movie will have you consistently break into giggles.

Ashish Pendse (Sunil) and Rishi Shahani (Sharma Ji) are absolutely incredible. Pendse lights up the screen every time he shows up, his comic timing, his acting is all top-notch. Shahani (an olympic gold medalist IRL) speaks more with his expressions than his dialogue.

What doesn’t work: It’s a movie that has few new ideas. It wants to teach a lot in a very short time, and it wants to coach people into the dos and don't, that hardly works. If the goal is to sensitize people to be empathetic towards neurodivergent people, it's not gonna win over any fans, for it's too preachy for those that most need the lesson.

Overall, difficult to dislike the movie, I had a good time watching the movie wish it was a tad shorter though.

I am glad we finally have a Bollywood movie that's not about the blood lust, breaking bones, or revenge. Pleasant change this is.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (Good, but not great)

Book Recommendation: Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

This book should come with a trigger warning. Its depictions of the every day struggles of running an indie-business, crooked friendships, and loss and death are unnervingly accurate and real. While reading the book there were many a times that I had flashbacks of memories of my own past. It’s both a testament to the quality of work Zevin’s put out and a reminder that some stories can be a painful read.

I related with Sadie, on her artistic instincts and creative endeavors, her resistance to the corporate greed and being told to work in the confines of a system. I related with Marx being the adult in the room, gluing their friendship together. Related with Sam’s grandparents who found solace in caring for their grandson, and celebrated every small win of the kid (my grandmother was like that). I related with Sam when he felt love and care must be shown, not told. I also loved the fact that this is not a romantic love story, we need so many more stories about real, authentic and messy friendships!

At the same time it was frustrating to see Sadie and Sam struggle with communication, there were times when I felt I wanted to steer the book in a certain direction because the way it was headed was inevitable and foreseeably disheartening.

All this is to say that the book had me more than invested. It’s a great book and that’s what makes it a gut wrenching read that weighs on you heavy with its hyper-realistic and authentic emotions.

Rating: ★★★★★ (Hall of fame level good)

Pizzeria Antica Port'Alba - Oldest Pizzeria in the world

Antica Pizzeria Port’Alba is the oldest (and arguably the world’s first pizzeria). Established in 1738 they started as a roadside cart where they’d offer the fishermen fresh pizza (tomatoes on a flat bread sometimes topped with anchovies).

Sadly the pizza there didn’t live up to the hype. I tried their Marinara (the only vegan item on the menu); The dough was dense, the bottom charred and the tomatoes lacked flavor.  What made matters worse was the fact that they were selling artisanal Neapolitan oliera at an exorbitant markup, almost like a tourist trap.

Book Recommendation: Autonomous

I really enjoyed reading Autonomous. Surprised it's not a movie remake yet.

Despite the busy writing, world building that never really stops and characters that barely get time to develop, writer Annalee Newitz is able to raise pertinent questions about addiction, gender, identity and freedom in a story that’s entertaining and prodding in equal measures. I loved the Futuristic, Spy Thriller setup of the book. Very fun!

Rating: ★★★ 1/2 (Would recommend despite the flaws)