Author: Akhil Nanda

I am Still Trying To Write ...

brief history of Travel guides !!

the world has changed .

*The first travel guide was the form of a periplus (a latin word for a “sailing around”) a manuscript that charted portsand landmarks (and the distant between them)that a sailing vessel  would expect to find along a shore .later ,pilgrims tales of their religious travel around europe became popular guides .

  • Between 15th & 17th centuries ,published accounts of aristocrats grand tours around Europe  became the standard for many travellers Richard lassels ,priest and travel writer ,published the voyage of Italy in 1670 .
  • The early 19th century ,marina starks’s guide to travelling in France & Italy recognised the of the budget traveller in UK .The first travel guide to be published in the US was gideon Minor Davison The fashionable Tour (1822)
  • The modern guidebook came into being in 1830s when long -distance travel became a trend .Murray’s handbook for traveller covered destination in Europe,Asia and Africa.
  • The 21st century the iPad and smartphones have induced publisher to look into e-book and apps .world is  just  a touch away .

Drones!!

Drone

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also  known as drone, is an aircraft  without a human pilot on board. Its flight is controlled either autonomously by computers in the vehicle or with  the remote control   of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle. The  launch and recovery method of an unmanned aircraft is by the function of an automatic system or an external operator on the ground.
They are usually deployed of military  and special operation applications, but also used in a small but growing number of civil applications, such as policing and firefighting , and nonmilitary security work, such as surveillance of pipelines. UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too “dull, dirty or dangerous” for manned aircraft.
The birth of U.S. UAVs (called RPVs at the time) began in 1959 when United States Air Force (USAF) officers, concerned about losing pilots over hostile territory, began planning for the use of unmanned  flights. This plan became intensified when  Francis Gary Powers and his “secret”U-2 were shot down over the Soviet Union  in 1960.
a UAV is defined as a “powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload”
The only reason we need (UAVs) is that we don’t want to needlessly expend the man in the cockpit.”
As a tool for search and rescue  , UAVs can help find humans lost in the wilderness, trapped in collapsed buildings, or adrift at sea.
including aerial surveying of crops, acrobatic aerial footage in filmmaking, search and rescue operations, inspecting power lines and pipelines, and counting wildlife, delivering medical supplies to remote or otherwise inaccessible regions, with some manufacturers rebranding  the technology as “unmanned aerial systems” (UASs) in preference over “drones.
In the private sector, Amazon.com  founder Jeff Bozos ‘ December 2013 announcement that Amazon is planning rapid delivery of lightweight commercial products using UAVs was met with skepticism, with perceived obstacles including federal and state regulatory approval, public safety, reliability, individual privacy, operator training and certification, security (hacking), payload thievery, and logistical challenges.

 

Camera shoot !!!

The week gone by I had the opportunity to use this cool camera for recording  the  pre wedding party for  the host ,first I  was nervous to use somebody’s camera and completely unaware of this new gadget . But I had a fair idea since I read about a similar   gadget like this existed in a few magazines ,it was an interesting night and an interesting gadget So here its the camera known as hero by go pro .

 GoPro is a brand of high-definition personal cameras, often used in extreme action video photography. They are known for being lightweight, rugged, wearable or mountable in unusual places such as outside planes, cars, or boats.

 a 3-megapixel camera and shot standard definition 512 × 384 video. It was rated up to 30 meters (98.4 feet) in depth
its also used for  recording documentary and various sports events .

UpperCrust Foodshow!!!

Uppercrust food show logo

 India’s first, finest and most awaited food and wine festival, a trade fair with a difference!

This popular Food magazine “UpperCrust”came with a concept of a food show about Ten years ago , the concept of having food stall of different companies  and goods related to food ,whether chocolates ,drinks,snacks and not just that , they too had renowned chefs from India and international hotels  coming in and showcasing their talent to the indian audience.Its  a 3 day food carnival ,It started with having huge crowds to witness this event initially but this time I noticed not only did the crowd subside ,but also the number of stalls were very few ,may be because of the dates clashing with another interesting event in the city .I would encourage foodies to go and visit this event in the coming year because its a good concept and if we don’t encourage events like these , they would not comeback again and this would not be a good sign for brands and organisations looking to experiment with events for the public and the loss is only yours and mine.

Toi Litfest 2013

175 Years

The 3 day Toi Litfest carnival concluded today ,which was held in one of the most popular film studio , mehboob studio. It was a wonderful experience once again to have the best under a roof , right from authors like Ruskin Bond,Chetan Bhagat , Ravi Subramanian,Mary Kom the Olympic boxer ,Best directors of Bollywood Vikramaditya motwane,Ananda Gandhi, Ayan mukerjee to just  name a few who were on the panel this year ,It was a opportunity to interact ,to know them better and understand them ,There were quite a few people too ,I too pulled my friends to attend the Carnival and they were so happy that they just can’t wait for it to come back next year ,I hope more and more people keep going for these types of events because they are really interesting and if you  don’t go to experience these you  really are missing something and If there aren’t audience for activities like these the leading newspaper would reconsider getting the event back ,also its at the right time today to see activities and events like these since we are more  exposed,know much more and that these events are beneficial to you ,me since it gives a better perspective and understanding.