2021 2

The #HarryPotter Screen Time video featured a bar chart race made in PowerPoint. Many of you asked how I made it. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial. https://youtu.be/E1SeoUV8awI (BTW, there are just 9 people on LinkedIn who match “bar chart race” and #powerpoint. This is for you, friends!) Gramener converted this feature into a product, SlideSense.ai. But more on that later 🙂 The original video is at https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6801138072068214784/ LinkedIn

This is my first Lightboard video – interacting with a data visualization on-camera. Hans Rosling did something like this with BBC 4. That’s been my inspiration. In this video, I share the screen time of the Harry Potter supporting cast. The bar chart race was created in PowerPoint, and the lightboard effect was created with OBS. (I’ll share a tutorial soon.) What do you think of the video? Any comments? Questions? ...

2007 1

A busy break from blogging

Between July 17th and August 22nd, I saw 57 movies and read 7 books. There were Saturdays when I watched four movies back-to-back. (I tried five. Couldn’t stay awake.) Amidst this, I also cooked, cleaned, shopped… and went to office. (Oh yes, I was working 10 hours a day.) And managed to build some interesting sites which I’ll release in a while. But first, let me share the books with you. ...

2006 1

Book quotation quiz

These are quotes from books. How many titles can you guess? (Case insensitive. Ignore punctuation. So “Hitchhiker’s” is “Hitchhikers” without the apostrophe. Don’t forget the leading “A” and “The”. Harry Potter books begin with “Harry Potter and the…”.) Anything over 10 / 25 is impressive. Comments Dhar 21 Apr 2006 4:28 pm: Anand Man… LOTR is one book in three parts and not a trilogy. So LOTR is the correct answer to a couple of questions instead of ROTK etc. Dhar 21 Apr 2006 4:35 pm: Hmmm, a particular quote occurs in more than one Ludlum novels. In fact, I suspect that particular one is there in all the three. Dhar 21 Apr 2006 4:40 pm: Finally got 17 / 25. But I suspect that is because we have been reading similar stuff lately. S Anand 21 Apr 2006 5:05 pm: Agreed: LOTR is a single book. Loved it so much I had to put in a quote from each part! Chitra 22 Apr 2006 3:14 am: Nice one :)! JLT 22 Apr 2006 8:03 pm: And just like that, bumped into your blog . walked through 10/25 mark without realising. u could raise the bar. suhas 23 Apr 2006 9:46 pm: hey, how do i find out the answers to the ones i have not been able to figure out? S Anand 24 Apr 2006 6:45 am: You can e-mail me. root dot node at gmail dot com. S Anand 10 May 2006 5:29 pm: Test comment. Mayur 6 Jun 2006 7:20 pm: Hey nice quiz this, i usually dont quiz but i guess i found someting im decent at 12/25 Natasha 19 Nov 2006 6:36 am: yay i got 12/25 by myself and with help got 14!!! i congradulate you on a great quiz! Hemant 7 Feb 2007 10:24 pm: Actually, LOTR is not 1 book. JRR Tokein actually wrote it as three different books. We now read it as one. I read this in the first few pages of the first book. simplecoffee 21 Apr 2006 12:00 pm: Um, well, ‘Cain is for Charlie and Delta is for Cain’ is only used in The Bourne Identity. Supremacy has ‘Cain is for Carlos and Delta is for Cain’, while Ultimatum hasn’t got it.

2005 1

Harry Potter 6

I went to Waterstones at Oxford Street to see the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. There was a party the previous night, with all the fanfare associated with a previous night. But things seemed fairly quiet when I was there. The usual crowd at Oxford Street, and the usual crowd at Waterstones. I already knew who dies in the sixth book. I couldn’t help spotting it as I was reading some blog. Since the suspense was already spoilt, I opened to the last few pages, and ended up learning who the Half-Blood Prince was. ...

2003 1

A real invisible cloak

An invisible cloak, a la Harry Potter. Except that it’s real, and Japanese. via KurzweilAI

2002 2

Dumbledore dead

I didn’t know that Richard Harris was Dumbledore. Pity. He’s no more. “He did threaten to kill me if I recast (Professor Dumbledore). I cannot even repeat what he said. He still has got that fight inside of him,” Columbus said. Now, does that mean that he’s already finished his role in the sequel?

Burning Harry Potter books

Some people have nothing better to do than burn Harry Potter books.

2001 3

Harry Potter site popular

The Harry Potter site is becoming quite popular. But what I don’t get is the comment on CNet saying “Females made up 63 percent of the site’s audience, while males accounted for more than 37 percent.” Hmm… what were they expecting? Martians?

Harry Potter in India only in Apr 2002

The Harry Potter movie is coming to India only in Apr 2002. :-(

Harry Potter movie

Warner Brothers are making a Harry Potter movie. Comments Khanjan 26 Sep 2008 12:27 am: Harry Potter is best movie. please watching me thi movies