earthly facts

Some plain facts about our planet taken from some old magazines of 2000 AD:

Coastal/Marine: Home to 2 billion people, coastal areas play a vital economic role and also feel the full brunt of human impact. Two-thirds of all fish harvested depend at some point in their lives on coastal wetlands, sea-grasses or coral reefs, all of which are fast disappearing.

Freshwater: These are the most critical of ecosystems since all organisms need water to survive. Human water consumption rose six-fold in the past century, double the rate of population growth. People now use 54% of available freshwater, and additional demand will further jeopardize all other ecosystems.

Agricultural Lands: One-third of global land has been converted to food production, but three-quarters of this area has poor soil. So far, harvests outpace population growth, but the future is clouded by the loss of land to urban development, soil degradation and water scarcity.

Grasslands: This system, which covers 40% of the world’s land surface, includes savannas, shrub-lands and tundra. It supports the largest mammals, migrating birds, crops and livestock. All human food grains originated in grasslands, and wild strains of these staples help keep crops resistant to threats.

Forests: Home to two-thirds of all species, forests temper climate and capture and store water. Their timber has been a springboard for economic development. Forests store 40% of terrestrial carbon, and can slow the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
UN Reports:

• It is estimated that 20% of freshwater species have vanished or been driven toward extinction in recent decades.
• Humans already use 54% of the Earth’s rainfall, and 70% of that goes to agriculture.
• Deforestation, which releases carbon from trees, accounts for 20% of the human-caused carbon emissions that spur climate change.
• Based on new data analysis, 2.3 billion people face water shortages, 60% more than in previous estimates.

what muji do you have

"It's just a pencil, right? You write with it and rub it with an eraser."

You will agree with me, I know, but our colleague, an American volunteer was dissatisfied with my remark. He said, “It’s not just a pencil. You are holding a Muji pencil.” I was annoyed by his curt remark, and decided to take it a step further. I said, “What’s so special about Muji pencils? Aren’t they made of lead-rods enclosed within cylindrical wooden sticks?”

He must have sensed a satire, so he replied seriously, “Do you really know what Muji products are?” At this time I made a guess that Muji was the name of a brand but as I checked the pencil, nothing was written on it – no labels at all. In fact there was not even a marking of any sort – just a plain pencil. Later at night, I Googled to find that the name ‘Muji’ belonged to a company Ryohin Keikaku, a Japanese word meaning “No Brand Quality Goods”.

Japanese goods are obviously high quality – but Muji turned out to be extra nice because of their environment-friendly policy during manufacturing. According to their site, they use recycled materials to make a variety of goods; not just stationery but household items, kitchenware, clothing, travel, gifts, electric gadgets, etc., and all of them wrapped in the modest packaging ever. What I liked about them is that even without a name, they have made a presence on the market, which is of course part of the company philosophy.

Come to think of it, I used to have a pen-holder some years back which was made of bamboo, and it did not have a name or label of any kind. Could it have been a Muji holder? I will have to go through its shops in order to find a similar holder, in the meantime let’s hear what William Gibson has to say.

Our American volunteer was indeed right when he said he used to cross the Pacific to get his Muji supplies once every year; after all, simple is beautiful, isn’t it?

atlas of the millennium

Welcome to the 21st century. Which were once towns, are cities now and cities are turning into sprawls. People who live in these growing cities enjoy movies, electronic arcades, electronic games and a plethora of activities - all interconnected through a global, ever expanding network made accessible by the use of many different forms of wired as well as wireless computers. So, this is the age of electronics - there is no doubt about that! As some people say it, "The world has changed into a global village - with communication so efficient, all countries are connected to one another in a massive web of information". Hmm.. but let us take a break for now - and see what previous centuries were like.

brand [new] war

It was a dreamscape. I had been walking for almost a hundred miles. I was fatigued and exhausted to the limit. Alone in the haunting vastness of the endless desert I felt as if I was about to explode. No sign of human habitation could be seen, not even a bird chirped anywhere, not even a tree whistled!

Suddenly, a soothing breeze swept by; but it was strange because I could almost hear it saying softly HOW ARE YOU. At first I could not believe my ears, after all who could be talking to me in the middle of the desert? It must have been just a passing thought. I tried to ignore it and moved along. After a few steps, I heard the same voice for the second time. It said CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? GOOD. I felt afraid for a moment because this time I was definite about the voice. Nobody was in sight but it was a strange fear that crept up in me. I stood still for a few seconds, gathered my senses and tried to carry on but immediately following a third breeze, the fell-voice said, COME TO WHERE THE FLAVOR IS. I was so terrified this time that before the sentence was even complete, I almost tripped over!!!

From nowhere a big M with a golden arch appeared. It said YOU DESERVE A BREAK. Immediately from behind the M, a walker with a hat and bow-tie said KEEP WALKING. What was happening was obviously strange but the way it was happening, was somehow funny. I was wondering what to say or do, when suddenly a six-foot tall chocolate stick walked up to me and said, HAVE A BREAK, HAVE A KITKAT! Meanwhile, a huge cigarette emerged from underneath shouting YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY; please do continue. Only then, I was beginning to see where things were going. On one hand I was being urged to take a break and on the other, I was being pushed to continue my journey. Clearly, I had to make a choice.

At this point although I was mentally refreshed, physically I was dog-tired. I truly needed rest. All of a sudden, a pair of ten-foot long shoes came walking up to me and said in a commanding voice, yeah; you need rest – JUST DO IT. Of course they were right! I was about to sit down on the ground where a spark emerged from underneath, which after a tiny explosion yielded a long wound-wire with a mouth and a coiled body. It shouted for once – REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE before collapsing into a circuit-board which buzzed to me, if you move along THE POSSIBILITIES ARE INFINITE; please do not rest.

Oh, it was such a huge dilemma because everything was happening so instantaneously that I barely had enough time to think or act. I was getting hounded and ordered while at the same time I was getting into incremental confusion. In a loud voice, I shouted back to them in order to provide me some time and to stop nettling me continuously. Yes, folks who urged me to rest were right and equally right were those who told me to move on. Thus, I decided to listen to both of them – I decided to travel as well as well as rest at the same time. I had to eat an apple of course, in order to THINK DIFFERENT for achieving this but I came to a wonderful solution – to FLY THE FRIENDLY SKIES. With hope in mind, I requested them whether I could have an airplane!

They liked my idea so much that in no time they produced a jet out of nowhere. In a loud cheerful voice, pointing towards the plane they all said – it is THE ULTIMATE FLYING MACHINE that is designed for TAKING YOU FORWARD – all the time IT KEEPS GOING, AND GOING, AND GOING… Wow, it was such a relief even to see the jet.

On board, there were very few passengers. At first it seemed to be a chartered plane for dignitaries since everybody was dressed in expensive office-suits as if for an upcoming grand meeting. Most of them were busy with their handhelds and laptops – maybe preparing presentations or collecting data! With the plane taken off steadily, I was wandering my gaze among the other passengers when a smart air-hostess came forward. She had brought food for me. BEANS MEANZ HEINZ, she quoted, since you look hungry I brought some extra-calorie beans – they are good for health! I refused straight away. Probably seeing me in a tensed mood she offered some chocolates – A MARS A DAY HELPS YOU WORK, REST AND PLAY, she said. I refused again. She took a step back and stood in front of me looking confused!

My mood was not yet refreshed and I was beginning to think that THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE for pleasure tonight except the beans and the chocolates. However, with dim hope, I asked her, if she wanted to help me she could give me THE BEST A MAN CAN GET! As if involuntarily, she bent down closer and said softly in a tempting voice – Hmm, so you wanna feel THE REAL THING tonight – you wanna OBEY YOUR THIRST? I nodded gently. She responded with a suggestive gesture, brought her lips close to my ears and whispered – then all you have to do tonight is LET YOUR FINGERS DO THE WALKING. I asked her whether there was a catch involved, to which she replied with confidence – ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY OVERNIGHT!
...…
……
I was fully satisfied by her service, really, she’s the best air hostess I’ve ever met. MAYBE SHE’S BORN WITH IT? MAYBE IT’S MAYBELLINE.If you're interested, then design your own slogan here. WHAT SHALT THOU SLOGAN BE?

our evolving culture - ships

Isn’t it the inherence of curiosity in humans that have led to explorations? And what tools have been invented for the same? Here’s an interesting chronology of how a mere curiosity to know about other lands; has fertilized a saga of human culture on this planet.

c. 850 – The Vikings’ longboats were versatile: they could either be rowed or moved by sail, maneuvered by a steering oar on the right side. They struck fear throughout Europe.

12th Century – The mariner’s compass was used by the Chinese well before 1050, the year the instrument made its appearance in European ships in Mediterranean waters.

c. 1200 – The steering oar was slowly replaced by the rudder, a maritime invention from East Asia that had made its way to Europe via Arab mariners.

1295 – Marco Polo described huge ships in Chinese seaports with separate watertight bulkheads. Without the compartments, ships with pierced hulls would sink. A half-century would pass before Western naval engineers adopted the technology.

1417 – Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal organized a naval academy of engineers, mapmakers and ship’s pilots. Borrowing from Arab vessels, they designed the first caravels. Propelled by lateen rigging, the three-masted ships were fast and tacked into the wind.

1492 – In 1492, in the service of Spain, the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus took the caravels Nina and Pinta along with the Santa Maria on his historic voyage across the Atlantic.

1588 – The invincible Spanish Armada, with about 130 ships, sailed to conquer England. Its defeat by the English navy, with its smaller but more maneuverable ships, would change the balance of world naval power.

1775 – American rebels gave the name Enterprise to a 70-ton sloop captured from the British. It was later burned to prevent recapture.

1807 – Robert Fulton’s steamboat Clermont ran from New York City to Albany in 32 hours. A sailboat would have taken four days.

1831 – The U.S. Navy had a fourth ship by the name Enterprise, a 194-ton schooner.

Mid-1800s – The French and British vied to build the better ironclad battleship. In 1862 the Union’s Monitor and the Confederacy’s Merrimack clashed in the first battle of ironclads in history. The result was indecisive.

1877 – The fifth ship by the name Enterprise was a 1,375-ton steam-powered sloop of war.

1938-1958 – In World War II, the U.S.S. Enterprise was an aircraft carrier. She sank 71 enemy ships and downed 911 planes. Severely damaged by kamikaze attack at the end of the war, she would later be sold for scrap.

1961 – The latest U.S.S. Enterprise was commissioned, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier ever built.

1981 – The space shuttle took a new ship shape into a new sea.

Final frontier? – U.S.S. Enterprise

our evolving culture - architecture

It is always about the tallest or highest, the biggest, the smartest, the longest and the most sophisticated. It should always appeal to the eye, providing a reflex full of awe, wonder and praise. It is always about building, moving, climbing and so many different verbs that grudge against one another trying to stand out as the superlative. Time (1999.12.31 issue) focuses on build this time – done in the past millennium.

11th century – San Marco, Venice. The Doge’s chapel was modeled on a now destroyed church in the rival – and more splendid – metropolis Constantinople. But as it prospered, Venice both updated and preserved San Marco’s splendor: five shallow Byzantine brick domes were covered over by metal ones. The 320-ft campanile, foreground, raised in 912, collapsed in 1902. It was rebuilt in 1912 – on its 1,000th birthday.

1113 – 1150 Angkor Wat, Cambodia (213 ft. tall). Part holy mountain, part city, the sprawling temple built by King Suryavarman II was intended to be proof of his divinity.

1224 – 1424 Notre Dame de Chartres (112 ft.). Again and again, over the course of 200 years, fire destroyed the cathedral as commoners, clergy and nobility struggled to raise it. But with its towers, sculpture and luminous stained glass, it became the crown of the High Gothic age as it celebrated the piety, pride and prosperity of Crusader France.

1550 – 1557 Suleimaniye Mosque, Istanbul (174 ft.). Suleiman the Magnificent’s reply to Justinian’s Hagia Sophia.

1555 St. Basil’s, Moscow (107 ft.), marked Ivan the Terrible’s victory over the Mongols.

1506 – 1626 St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome (452 ft.), took 120 years to complete by a Who’s Who of architects, including Bramante, Raphael, Bernini and Michelangelo. Begun by the warrior Pope Julius II, it is the fortress of Catholic faith.

1630 – 1653 The Taj Mahal, Agra (200 ft.), was built by Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan as the tomb of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Dethroned by their son Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan gazed upon the Taj from prison and was later buried beside Mumtaz.

1889 – The Eiffel Tower, Paris (984 ft.), was built as a temporary structure to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. It was first called an eyesore and then, as the world’s tallest structure, became a source of pride, defining the skyline of the City of Lights.

1930 – The Chrysler Building, New York City (1,046 ft.), was quickly surpassed by the Empire State Building – but only in height. It’s Art Deco beauty celebrated a Golden Age of American capitalism.

1996 – Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1,476 ft.). Peaked like the Angkor Wat, the world’s tallest building attests to the ambitions of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

our evolving culture - paper

1st Millennium – A.D. 105 Invention – According to tradition, an imperial eunuch named Cai Lun invented paper. The material, however, has been found in Chinese tombs dating to the 2nd century B.C. By the end of the 8th century, Chinese paper craftsmen had set up shop in the Middle East.

11th Century – Movable type was developed in China by the year 1048 and the metal variety in Korea by 1403. However, it was impractical for the ideographs both used (as many as 400,000 characters). Rubbing off wood blocks and stone, practiced since the 7th century, was the preferred technology of a versatile book trade.

1150 – Technology transfer – The Arabs took paper from Iraq and Egypt to North Africa and Muslim Spain.

13th Century – Italy gets paper – Finally Europe had a cheap alternative to vellum and parchment. (It took the skins of 80 lambs to create a 200-page parchment manuscript.)

1300s – Block printing arrived in Europe, perhaps brought by merchants and bureaucrats of the expanding Mongol Empire. And paper was available for use.

1455 – Johann Gutenberg invented an efficient press in Germany and used movable type to publish Bibles, transforming Europe.

1591 – Those rotten journalists – A Chinese border official complained of irresponsible “news-bureau entrepreneurs” who give no consideration to “matters of [national] emergency”.

1605 – Newspapers – The first weekly appeared in Antwerp; it would be 1650 before the first daily was published, in Leipzig.

1776 – Thomas Paine – His printed pamphlet Common Sense would inspire the Declaration of Independence; his American Crisis rallied Washington’s troops at Valley Forge.

1811 – Industrial Revolution – The steam engine began to power the press; the rotary press (invented in 1846) allowed runs of 20,000 sheets an hour.

1851 – The New York Times, then the New York Daily Times, was founded. Adolph S. Ochs bought the paper in 1896. His descendants still run the Gray Lady.

1890s – The press barons – Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst engaged in a circulation war filled with sensational headlines and “yellow journalism.” Hearst’s papers helped foment the Spanish-American War.

1931 – Rupert Murdoch was born in Australia. Beginning in the late 1960s, he became the founder of the first truly global media empire, with properties ranging from newspapers to a movie studio to cable and broadcast television networks.

1968 – Toward e-paper – Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo, was born in Taiwan. Though Yahoo has ventured into print magazines, its greatest asset is the 385 million page views its sites provide every day.

Try some more about papers and evolving offices that involve a lot of writing; & try this as well. via