Tin Tin Babu

The exploits of the cartoon character, Belgian boy-reporter Tintin, have delighted people the world over for 75 years now.

And Tintin comic books and DVDs in English have been imported and sold in India for many years.

But now for the first time, DVDs and Video CDs (VCDs) of "Adventures of Tintin" have been launched in Hindi too.

The comic character's enduring charm is not the only reason why Tintin has learnt Hindi.

Saibal Chatterjee, a media critic, says the move is driven by pure commercial sense.

"When you do something in English, you're only reaching out to a certain number of people, a certain percentage of the audience," he says.

"That is why most English programmes today are dubbed, even Hollywood films are dubbed into Indian languages.

"When you translate Tintin into local languages, you're only expanding the base of consumers," he says.

<read on>

Jinnah

"You are free, you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed that has nothing to do with the (fundamental principle that we are all citizens and equal citizens) of the State."

-- M. A. Jinnah

Silicon Valley Stories

Silicon Valley USA tells the stories of the area in a year when the place went through its own agony, the bursting of the dot-com bubble. Thousands lost their jobs. "But", says Peter Day, "It's amazing how the dot com bust has not shattered the confidence of so many of the people who've been severely dented by it. They're now looking for the next technology revolution..and their own chance to rebuild their fortunes."

And, almost everywhere, an extraordinary confidence...even from the man who's been living rough for five years. He's not just out of work : he's an "advocate for the homeless" who stands for Palo Alto council in the local elections.

<stories>

Corporate Ethics

But mass production is going to become a mug's game in the 21st century, as the rise of India and China reduces much production in the west to zero profitability.

It is time for a new sort of capitalism; Western companies will have to find ways of reinventing themselves as they have never had to before.

They will have to take their customers more seriously than they have ever dreamed possible.

And their customers are going to become much more demanding, and want much more information.

<read on>

~ Peter Day

Stories of Smokers by Smokers

<exhale>

Who's in charge of this mess anyways?

A great collection of articles and audio files over at the beeb. The range from something as odd as the relationship between a dominatrix and her charge to a critique on the power and influence the united nations has on the world.

<please be checking>

The Girl in the Cafe

Set a tingle in your brain a little. Go watch The Girl in the Cafe.

Can Consoles Plug the Digital Divide?

Why don't Microsoft, Sony and the other console manufacturers make it easy to turn their games systems into useful general purpose computers and announce that they are happy to have the hardware modified and new software installed, provided the resulting systems are used outside the developed world?

A few million extra computers could make a real difference in schools and colleges in Africa or elsewhere, and I would like to think that Max's old Xbox was helping someone else's child get online and change their life.

Perhaps Microsoft can celebrate its 30th year in business by opening up its hardware to the developing world and encouraging all of us who go out and buy its new games system to bring our old ones in for legal modification.

<read the beeb>

~ Bill Thompson, BBC

Manhole covers in Japan

Apparently, manhole covers in japan are something of an art form. Enjoi!

<japan>
<the world>
<exploding types>

How can we miss you if you won't go away? ~ wanderlust