Promoting Sindhi Culture Through Motion Animated Dolls

by Willy Volk on

Danyal handicrafts is comprised of members of the Solangi family. Together, they make “electrical operated functional cultural models,” which are doll-like, mini-robots that help demonstrate and explain the culture of the Sindhi people, who are found in Pakistan and India.

These “cultural models” are amazingly lifelike and can be positioned in culturally-relevant settings. As for the “electrical” part? The models move!
Danyal has some super-short videos of, for example, a woman preparing a meal, a man throwing a clay pot, and another man, um, relaxing.

While I’m not sure these are going to be the hot new toy for Christmas this year, it’s interesting to remember that not every culture thinks Barbie is representative of its people.

On second thought, what culture does think Barbie is representative of its people?

[VIa Metroblogging Karachi]

The New Yorker’s Spankin New Web Site

by Erik Olsen on

Look, I’m not going to take credit for this, but I do like to think that we here at Gadling had something to do with it.

You see, for years now, I have lamented how awful is the New Yorker Web site. The magazine is, IMHO, the best in the world. The articles, though slim on pictures or fancy graphics (which can actually be a good thing), manages every single month to serve up some of the best written, most interesting works that you will find in journalism. I defy you to try and pick up a single issue in the magazine’s history and to NOT find at least one article that satisfies your curiosity about the world.

Well, the magazine finally revealed its new look and I have this to say: VERY NICE. The redesign gets rid of the clunky, image-rollover menu and provides access to many, many more articles online. This is one thing that drove me nuts. I would read some excellent piece and try to send it to my friends only to discover that it was nowhere to be found online. I can’t tell at first blush if they’ve put EVERYTHING online, but it seems they’re close.

And not only that, they are also providing video and a great little cartoon feature that adds multimedia to the classic New Yorker toon and a video taste of the new Lawrence Wright one-man show, “My Trip to Al-Qaeda.” The latter is OK. It could have been done with better sound, but I’m eager to see what else the magazine features in this space.

And more, you can also check out and enter the always intriguing caption contest, whereby a cartoon is placed at the end of the issue and you make up your own caption. They are voted upon online and winners get placement in the magazine. This has been online for a while, but it was always rather hard to find, I think.

Anyway, KUDOS to Remnick and Company for a superb job. Took a while, but I suppose good things come to those who wait.

Cycling in Western Australia and More

by Jamie Rhein on

Okay, so my cycling to trip to Western Australia was with 20 high schoolers-17 of them boys, and I wasn’t a high schooler. I was a teacher chaperone with tasks like shouting out every once in awhile, “Stop doing wheelies!” or “Stay on your side of the road!” And so what if some of them complained about the cycling, even though the trip’s title was “Cycling in Western Australia.” The trip was stellar despite all that. With one support vehicle that carried our gear and one vehicle that turned into a mobile kitchen at night and offered goodies like cookies, oranges and water at pit stops, what wasn’t to like? Particularly, since the air was dry enough, we could sleep on air mattresses under the stars and not be covered with dew in the morning. Instead of waking up to dew, I woke up to coffee brewing. The women who did the cooking also made coffee.

This was a nine day excursion through small towns like Yallingup and Balingup along flat land to rolling hills with a section along the coast and a detour to Rottnest Island. Each day was about 30 miles of riding at the most with plenty of time to take in a sheep farm, historical sites, boogie boarding and state parks. On the last day we biked from Fremantle to Perth, spending time in each of these cities. Since I was a chaperone, I could only look longingly into Fremantle’s pubs when I wandered sans kids for two hours during some scheduled alone time hours. No beer for me, but the historical aura of the place made up for it–almost. One of the high points of the trip was the night tour by flashlight of Fremantle Prison. The prison is now a museum.

Ours was a planned tour, but unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the company. If you want to a do-it-yourself experience, here is a guide I came across. Below are some links to cycling companies I did find.

  • Active Australia, Kookaburra trip.
  • Australia Bicycle Tours and Vacations
  • Bushsports guided bike tours.
  • Australian Explorer.com – Cycling Travel Services.
  • Here is a link to a day trip company in Perth.
  • Pedal Oz: Bike Tours Around Western Australia

Oh, about the trip. Adult or not, I didn’t get off the bike once to push it up a hill and I can’t say the same thing about the boys who kept trying to outdo each other. Score! (I didn’t say I wasn’t breathing heavy, I was just determined to not get off that bike.)

The Japanese Tradition of Sushi Eating

by Willy Volk on

While you’re in Japan watching fatties bump bellies, be sure to stop at a “sushi-ya” and eat some hand-rolled heaven. Don’t know all the tricks to eating sushi? Check out this excellent, informative, and completely serious clip about how to eat it the right way! Among the important topics covered in the video are:

  • How to pass though a “noren.”
  • How to request a table for one person.
  • The difference between “ohtoro,” “chuutoro,” and plain-old “toro.”
  • And when you must say “maa maa maa maa.”

Now you know. You’ll look just a local.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

80 Days or Bust: The Rediscovery of Slow Travel

by Willy Volk on

Mark Schatzker is a man with mission. He wants to circumnavigate the world the old-fashioned way. No, that doesn’t mean via covered wagon, though he intends to avoid planes, helicopters, and anything that moves faster than 100 miles per hour. What’s more, in effort to rediscover “slow travel,” he plans to do it in 80 days.

In his first leg — which he just began — he plans to drive (slowly, I’m sure) from NYC to LA, and then he’ll cruise (again, slowly) across the Pacific. Although I’m sure he knows his route, he hasn’t shared it with the rest of us yet.

If you’re as curious as I am about how he fares along his path, be sure to check out his blog, 80 Days or Bust. Like me, I’m sure the rest of his fans will be watching.