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  • The Case for Simplicity

    To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.

     – Lao Tzu

    As our world becomes increasingly technological and fast-paced, we find ourselves drowning in a sea of complexity. What could be described in simple terms becomes overly complicated.

    Clarity, I think, will be one of our greatest assets as we move into the future. Being able to communicate ideas lucidly will allow us to get things done quickly, get our point across, and move our intentions forward in building better things for a better world.

    Too often, we find ourselves caught up in jargon, describing simple things with the most baffling words in the English language. Our ideas become compromised; they become lost in a sea of words. Words themselves become meaningless, useless. It’s time to take back our sanity, time to regain hold on our language. We must hone our communication skills so that we may be understood.

    I argue for simplicity not just in our language, but in our lives: more technology is great; I am a known aficionado of the latest tech. But it can also be too much. Sometimes we need to unplug, to whittle down the number of devices switched on. Consolidation of our tech will undoubtedly free our minds to think, to see, to contemplate. I have experienced this sense of “technological overload” – I struggle, sometimes, to just let my thoughts wander. Instead, I find myself constantly drifting over to statuses, tweets, RSS feeds. That’s partly what inspired me to write this post, and in so doing, allow for some rumination.

    So how can we do this? There are many ways. Simple meditation, just clearing your mind and letting go of all thoughts is a great beginning. Starting from a blank state, your mind an empty canvas, you can begin to build a minimalist version of your thoughts. You can begin to focus, to see things with clarity, and to add meaning to all that you see. Building a vision on meaning, understanding, relevance – this will allow you to think and communicate with intention, and with simplicity.

    Focussing your entire being on just a single task at a time, simplifying your communication… just getting to the point: that’s what our future will value the most.

  • An Essay on Dubai

    In mid-January I was fortunate to travel to Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. Travelling with an eye being trained in the professions of the built environment means that it’s virtually impossible not to notice the more intricate things that occur in cities. And as such, I have noticed things in both Kuala Lumpur and Dubai that have piqued my interest, spawned ideas and initiated further inquiry into why these cities have been designed the way they are, and how this is influencing, and is influenced by, the social strata inhabiting these magnificent metropolises. In particular, this piece will be concerning itself with Dubai.

    Dubai has fascinated me for some time. I witnessed its rise over the years, both from transit stop-overs and through the news. In many ways, it represents a microcosm of today’s society: an urbanised, unremitting devotion to building things, and using building as a means of communicating power. It’s not something new to our societies; many empires, kingdoms and states have used infrastructure to convey prowess. But I don’t think many have done so on the scale that Dubai is doing today.

    (more…)

  • BlackBerry’s Return: Here’s what I think

    I’ve been following the regeneration of the BlackBerry brand for some time now. And with the launch of their “redemption” effort, the new Z10, I’ve decided to weigh-in on the debate. Granted, it’s a bit late, but hey – I can’t help get excited when a new contender enters the smartphone arena. Especially when that contender was a previous king, and had been dethroned by an ambitious young upstart.

    So, when Apple announced the iPhone, they really shook the mobile space with a groundbreaking new way of interacting with a mobile device. The touchscreen became a major interface between human and technology, and the concept of the “app” propagated itself with the rise of Apple’s App Store, and the subsequent follow-ups by its competitors (Android Marketplace, BlackBerry App World).

    Thus, I feel that BlackBerry’s Z10 enters the picture a few years too late (and a few years, in the technology space, is a really long time). iPhone and Android have established themselves as strong contenders. Windows Phone OS has been a constant third player, never quite cutting it to be part of the “cool club” of the first two, but always a potent alternative. With the recent Nokia-Microsoft mobile partnership, we’ve seen the brand hit quite well too. But as for BlackBerry…?

    BlackBerry hedges its hopes on this new platform. And it does deliver some interesting innovations – the user experience is refreshing, and there are a few nifty additions like the timeshift camera, flick-to-type keyboard and “flow”. But again, the real test rests in whether these features can lure users so embedded in the Andorid or iOS ecosystems, because that’s the true market BlackBerry will need to be after.

    What the company truly needs – more than just fancy new features and a slick new operating system – is to create this ecosystem. To create an holistic platform that can rival the might of iOS and Android. And I’m afraid that they might be too late to the party to really get hold of that already-set market… for the future of the company and its employees, I truly hope they can make it happen.

  • Be right back…

    I admit I haven’t been very writerly these past few weeks. That’s on account of being overloaded with coursework and generally trying to survive university life. But fear not; I haven’t given up on my writing!

    I will be returning to Pixelated Thinking very soon. I’ve got quite a few posts in my mind – now I just need some free time to download those thoughts into the written words and the pixels that formulate them 😉

    There’s much to talk about; I recently went traveling  and have got some insights into the cities I was fortunate to visit. Then there’s the usual rants about technology, and perhaps a few reviews scattered around too.

    Look out for all of that soon. And once again, thanks for following Pixelated Thinking! 

    All for now.

  • 28 Films to Watch in 2013

    Last year was one of my favourite years for cinema: some extraordinary films were released and I was privileged to have seen them. The Hunger Games (highest-grossing action film of 2012), Skyfall, The Bourne Legacy, Avengers Assemble and, of course, my no.1 film – The Dark Knight Rises. 

    But from Sunday’s 70th Golden Globe Awards, it’s evident that 2013 is set to supersede last year when it comes to film. For the South African circuit, many of 2012’s nominees will only open in the next few weeks, and thus I have included them as part of my 2013 selection below.

    I hope you enjoy this year’s selection. (2013 release dates given from the American circuit; local release dates may vary).

    Award Season favorites (releasing in early-2013)

    1. Django Unchained: Written + Directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio
    2. Les Misérables: Starring Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Sacha Baron Cohen
    3. Argo: Directed by Ben Affleck
    4. Zero Dark Thirty Directed by Kathryn Bigalow
    5. Lincoln Directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Daniel Day Lewis

    2013 Releases

    1.  A Good Day to Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. February 14th.
    2. Oz the Great and Powerful directed by Sam Raimi, starring James Franco and Mila Kunis. March 8th.
    3. Oblivion starring Tom Cruise. April 12th.
    4. Iron Man 3 Starring Robert Downey, Jr. May 3rd.
    5. The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mullligan, Isla Fisher, Amitabh Bachchan. May 10th.
    6. Star Trek: Into Darkness. Directed by J.J. Abrams, starring Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg. May 17th.
    7. After Earth Directed by M. Night Shymalan, starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith. June 7th.
    8. Man of Steel Directed by Zack Snyder, starring Russel Crowe. June 14th.
    9. Monsters University starring Billy Crystal. June 21st.
    10. Kick-Ass 2 starring Nicolas Cage. June 28th.
    11. Despicable Me 2 starring Steve Carell. July 3rd.
    12. The Lone Ranger directed by Gore Verbinski, starring Johnny Depp. July 3rd.
    13. Pacific Rim directed by Guillermo del Toro. July 12th.
    14. The Wolverine starring Hugh Jackman. July 26th.
    15. 300: Rise of an Empire written by Zack Snyder (300). August 2nd.
    16. Elysium directed by Neill Blomkamp, starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. August 9th.
    17. Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters starring Logan Lerman. August 16th.
    18. Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 3D directed by George Lucas. September 20th.
    19. Gravity starring George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, directed by Alfonso Cuaron. October 4th.
    20. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For starring Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba. October 4th.
    21. Thor: The Dark World starring Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth. November 8th.
    22. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend), starring Jennifer Lawrence, Lenny Kravitz. November 22nd.
    23. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug directed by Peter Jackson, starring Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Ian McKellan. December 13th.

    I hope to watch all these films above this year, and you can be sure to read my thoughts on a select few of them right here on Pixelated Thinking.