#32 : Vaaliban; HeyNotes; Contrasting Aesthetics
🎥 Myth & Horror
Watching Malaikottai Vaaliban movie was akin to reading an Indian mythological comic book, similar to an Amar Chitra Katha, with stunning visuals. Most of the lead actors were outstanding, barring Rangarani. Mohanlal was mesmerising, while Hareesh Peradi gave his career-best performance. Although not a masterpiece from Lijo, the film merits appreciation rather than criticism.
It's unfortunate that Mohanlal's experimental films don't receive the same enthusiasm as Mammotty's ventures. Btw, Mammotty is coming with another experiment – Bhramayugam. The spine-chilling soundtrack is sure to impress! The film is directed by Rahul Sadasivan, who created Bhoothakalam (a well-crafted horror available on SonyLiv).
🍉 Handala, Watermelon & More?
Over the years, Handala has consistently appeared as a symbol of resistance and identity for Palestinians. Recently, this phenomenon has persisted, giving rise to even more such emblems. Delve into a visual long-read by Al Jazeera for further insight.
🗒️ One Note, Many Blocks
For those inclined to jot down swift notes or maintain code gists, consider installing Heynotes. This user-friendly text editor features block support, syntax highlighting, and shortcuts, making it a developer's ally.
🔤 Visualising Clamp
Clamp in CSS is an excellent method for creating scalable fonts. Although the documentation is straightforward and tools exists for generating (1, 2, 3) clamp values, Modern Fluid Typography editor has simplified the process, making it easier to visualise and demonstrate.
&Thats
In search of a Dribbble alternative? Give Layers a try. It's gaining popularity among designers. (Message me for an invite!)
Fond of Notion Avatars? Test out the Notion Avatar Generator. While not extensive, it gets the job done nicely!
I discovered Language Curry, thanks to @mehulved. It's a Duolingo alternative for Indian languages; I've begun learning Kannada myself (eight years here, after all!).
Speaking of "old things," I chanced upon a font specimen generator, which uses my Rufscript as its default font! 🎉 (Gürkan Myczko created this back in 2009, it seems!).
Noteworthy reads: Bill Gates interviews Sam Altman and Rauno Freiberg's Contrasting Aesthetics.
Rajnikath's next film, Lal Salaam, features an AI-based song that recreates the voices of two late singers, ARR Magic!
Recently enjoyed translations: Jeyamohan's Tamil short stories in English, Stories of the True, and Police Surgeon Dr. B. Umadattan's Malayalam-to-English memoir, Dead Men Tell Tales.
This week, I explored co-working spaces in Bangalore with the help of the MyHQ – quite handy for finding day passes! They offer one complimentary pass and referral discounts. ( Code: HIRAN7NBC)
Thanks for reading! I'm Hiran Venugopalan, a digital product designer and coach from India who loves design, products, tech, books, and movies. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out via email!