#25: EEAAO; UPI; MaleGhost; Pure

In this 25th issue of This&That, (which may or may not be the 25th issue), you'll find a collection of intriguing rabbit holes to explore, immerse yourself in, read about, and binge!

🏆 EEAAO

Everything Everywhere All at Once, the Oscar-winning film, is a masterpiece that delivers on all fronts. The film boasts a captivating storyline, deep philosophical concepts, and an unusual sci-fi plot. What's even more impressive is that a small team created the breathtaking visual effects that bring the story to life with seamless precision. It's a must-see movie and is now available on SonyLiv India.

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🧵 Confusion@PaidUPI

You may have already heard a lot of buzz about the new charges plans around UPI. Unfortunately, there are some confusion in the market, leaving many users unsure about what they're actually paying for. #CashlessConsumer is trying to provide some clarity on this via his tweet thread.

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📚 ഇരട്ടചങ്കൻ; പലേരിപുരാണം

ഒന്നുമുതൽ പൂജ്യം വരേയും, പൊൻമുട്ടയിടുന്ന താറാവും എഴുതിയ രഘുനാഥ് പലേരിയുടെ അനുഭവക്കുറിപ്പുകൾ പലേരി പുരാണവും, ബെസ്റ്റ് ആക്ടറും 1983യും എഴുതിയ ബിപിൻ ചന്ദ്രൻ എന്ന വായനരാക്ഷസന്റെ പുസ്തകങ്ങളിൽ ഒന്നായ ഇരട്ടച്ചങ്കും വായിച്ചു കേട്ടു. രണ്ടും പുസ്തകം ആക്കാൻ എഴുതിയതല്ല, പല എഴുത്തുകൾ തുന്നി കൂട്ടിയ പുസ്തക രൂപമാണ്. പക്ഷെ രസിയൻ വായന! രഘുനാഥ് സാർ ഒരു സിനിമാക്കാരൻ ആവുന്നതേയില്ല. ബിപിൻ ആണെങ്കിൽ ഒരു കട്ട സിനിമാഫാൻ ആയി ആറാടുന്നു. കേരളത്തിലെ ഏതെങ്കിലും ഒരു ട്രെയിൻ യാത്രയിൽ ഈ രണ്ട് പുസ്തകങ്ങളും കൂട്ടിനു ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ എന്ന് തോന്നി പോയി.

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🎞️ Purusha Pretham

Krishand's latest release on Sony Liv, Purusha Pretham, is a thriller that's different from the usual fare. The movie's pace might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's a deliberate choice that adds to the overall effect. Alexander Prasanth, who has played over 100 small roles, finally gets a chance to prove his caliber in the lead role with a nuanced performance.

In Malayalam, the word Pretham is used to refer to both ghosts and corpses. As a result, when conducting investigations and autopsies in Kerala, the police must deal with "Pretham." I came across it in Police Surgeon Umadanthan’s book (📚Must read alert: Available in English and Malayalam), and Krishand used this wordplay brilliantly while naming the movie!

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💪 Pledge your support!

So, I've gone and done it - enabled the paid newsletter option for This&That! Now, don't get it twisted, there's no difference in the content between free & paid subscriptions. But, if you want to show some love, feel free to pledge your support! Your contribution will be used to fuel my caffeine addiction!

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& Thats…

• Nokia drops the new design system, Pure. Reminds me of Microsoft's Fluent, hyped up in a video but never delivered. 🤔 #designsystems

• Arc Browser is now on iPhones! I'm not an iPhone user, but I've been using Arc for a while and I bet it's gonna rock on multiple devices!

• Figma has just dropped 32 awesome 'Little Big Changes' - and some of them are just mind-blowing! You gotta check 'em out for yourself by playing around with the playground file!

• Take a look at this piece on the forgotten mistake that killed Japan’s software industry.

• Discover how incorporating handwriting can lead to more personalized and engaging design experiences.

Thanks for reading! I'm Hiran Venugopalan, a digital product designer and coach from India who loves tech, books, and movies. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out via email, or Substack.