Modern Friendships; The Singeetam; Flagpack; Ghost Artists

This&That Issue #35.

👏 Simon Sinek is curious about Friendship

In a refreshingly candid conversation Trevor Noah and Simon Sinek unpack the complexities of modern friendships in ways that feel both revelatory and deeply personal. Sinek’s fresh perspective on friendship that stands out in this discussion - particularly when he challenges our society's pursuit of success at the cost of meaningful connections. (Also Read : Dunbar’s Number).

🎬 Celebrating Singeetam Srinivasa Rao

Kamal Haasan's RKFI is orchestrating a remarkable series of conversations with director Singeetam Srinivasa Rao (He is 93 now!). Following a one-film-per-episode format, they've explored Raja Parvai's portrayal of visual impairment, Pushpak's silent narrative, and the technical challenges behind Apoorva Sahodarangal.

📚 Books of 2024

As we wrap up 2024, here's a collection of books that made my year more interesting - some challenged my thinking, others offered perfect escapism, and a few became those dog-eared, note-filled companions that I keep recommending in every conversation.

• The Creative Act (Non-Fiction, Creativity, English)

• വായനക്കാരൻ എം ടി (Non-Fiction, Books & Writing, English)

• Forgotten Foods, Masala Labs (Non-Fiction, Food, English)

• പന്നിമലത്ത് (Graphic Novel, Malayalam)

• വൈറ്റ് സൗണ്ട്, പുഷ്പകവിമാനം (Short Stories, Malayalam)

• മോട്ടോർ സൈക്കിൾ ഡയറീസ് ജോണിനൊപ്പം, തീൻമേശക്കുറിമാനം, മണിച്ചിത്രത്താഴും മറ്റ് ഓര്‍മകളും (Memoir, Malayalam)

&Thats

• Japanese manga has incorporated Malayalam text with exceptional clarity and decent readability, unlike recent Tamil and Hindi song with Malayalam lyrics!

• For those seeking an alternative to Pinterest's increasingly cluttered interface here is same.energy.

• In the wake of our recent newsletter discussion about rebranding strategies, SanDisk is preparing to unveil a comprehensive brand refresh!

• Flagpack: 250+ open source flag icons to use in your design tool or in your code project.

• A memorable weekend in Kolkata turned into an unexpected treasure trove - we even caught a ride on the city's last operational tram line! Here's my detailed travel log.

• Spotify's latest controversy reveals a concerning trend: the platform is allegedly inserting "ghost artists" - artificially created or non-existent musicians.

• For those nostalgic for the golden age of music players, Webamp brings back the iconic Winamp experience directly in your browser!

• Interesting Read: 2024 in Review -The Year Creators Took Over and My Lifetime Reading Plan

• Remember that "Send to YouTube" button on your old iPhone? Someone just found 5 million forgotten snapshots of life that got uploaded through it!

• Just in time for your holiday cakes: Nature Science Magazine from 1906 shares a precise method for the "scientifically correct" way to cut a cake! Have a great Christmas, see you next year!