Technology has developed very much!
This is the one line that loops around in my head as I sit down to prepare a guest-list for the unique party that WeChat has dared me to put together in fantasy. This new application, claiming to be a new way to connect by voice and chat through mobile, sure does open up new possibilities in being connected. Quite specifically in this post, it opens up new possibilities in putting together a wish list of voices with whom I want to chat. They throw an interesting question to me: If I could connect with 5 or more people in a WeChat group - who would they be, and why? What would we chat about? And they also give me absolute freedom in choosing from dead, alive or even fictional people. Hence this guest-list of the wish-list of the voice-list!
This list, just like the app, is all about the magic of 'voice'. So I think of the magical voices I would like to hear and I narrow down the list to possibilities which are otherwise impossible to mere mortals like me. Instinctively my mind rejects most voices that I can hear by turning on the TV or Youtube any day. This chance is not to be wasted on them. Nextinctively, my mind rejects personal friends, girl-friend(s), parents, dead forefathers etc. Though there are many interesting people in this group, I don't want to make it a personal diary. Thus, with due diligence and great care, I compile this list of people, whom I might never ever elsewhere assemble together, to set up a group voice chat.
These are special voices that instil curiosity/ passion/ serenity/ laughter/ bliss in me. In addition to this list, I am also inviting a special technical committee to discuss exactly how technology has developed very much and also a fine gentleman to ensure decorum, continuity and interest in the discussion.
Technical committee:-
Alexander Graham Bell - We Indians have the custom of starting any list with the senior-most respected member of the lot. I owe this inclusion to the most senior member in the voice chat technology fraternity - the man who invented the first practical telephone, the first voice chat machine. Quite fittingly, it would be great to listen from Alex himself on how it feels to listen to voice being transmitted from one device to another through a new innovation. I am also looking forward to see if he might sure have a smart alec crack to make on this :-) The science and history books of our times never had any clue about his sense of humour. I would also be interested in having a little chat with him on how 'Hello' became the universal greet code for voice chats. Probably, Russell here can then give us all a good laugh with his mimics of the 'Hello' in various accents ranging from Trinidadian to Tamilian.
Dexter - Ah, my most favourite inventor! How my childhood evenings were filled with watching him in action in his laboratory?! What inventions could he think of! This character is definitely out of this world. I am almost tempted to believe that while earthly scientists are raising their collars at accelerating particles in fancy collider machines, Dexter and Deedee are playing catch-and-catch in some parallel universe floating on their skater-jets at even greater speeds. Being an introverted genius, I also doubt if Dexter would fit into a group voice chat. There is a possibility that the most elaborate reply that Dexter utters in this chat will be an "Hmmm...". But he might already be wondering deep in his mind when we fellow humans will come up to the level of mind reading apps which can make the very act of conversations redundant.
Sir Ravindra Jadeja - I include SRJ in this technical committee to raise the bar a bit higher and focus on further developments in the app with his supernatural thought process and ability. Give SRJ a new way to connect with earthlings and he might bend it in his own way to connect with people in alien planets, future worlds and in the most protected of girls' hostels in Tamil Nadu's engineering colleges. Hold on, he is even considering to choose this stage as a platform to make his batting, bowling, fielding and hairstyle 'speak' through voice chat. Should that happen, what a giant leap for mankind would it be ?!
Voices I would love to hear :-
This is the list that I have carefully assembled so that I can hear their voices, please underline VOICES.
MS Subbulakshmi - She might be no more but the famous melody that she said to be coming in the breeze (காற்றினிலே வரும் கீதம்) has never ceased to end in memory. Of all the voices I have ever heard in my lifetime, hers is the most mesmerizing of all. She has the magic to instantly bring a sense of serenity and calm with just a hum from the bottom of her vocal cords. I take advantage of this chance to listen to her voice while speaking, just to cross check if she can manage to TALK without tricking us into believing that she is SINGING.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Should we only listen to voice in a voice chat? This question prompted me to invite a legendary musician to the party. I considered the famed trio - Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. Poor Beethoven, he might not particularly enjoy a voice chat since human voices might sound alien to him. Bach, for all his genius, always sounds very deep to me in his music itself. Somehow, he instills a 'bigger brother' feeling in my mind whenever I think of him. That leaves Mozart! No less a genius himself and also a person whom my mind assumes to be a warm and friendly character. In the midst of composing his own masterpieces, he seems more likely to pause and crack a joke. Well, how better to test my assumption rather than calling him for a cup of tea over our app.
Subramanya Bharathi - We have seen a singer and a composer already. Naturally I get tempted to add a poet to this list. Some hidden portion of my brain tempts me to listen to a Tamil voice here, a voice from my mother tongue. As I browse through options, this fiery-eyed poet ranks first in the list. I have read his poems aloud and have listened to his words through the voice of several people. But it would be a great pleasure and honour to listen to his verses in his own voice and to feel the inspiration and passion in unadulterated original version. Bharathi can also fit in well in the conversation, with his knowledge of eight languages. He can effortlessly strike a chord with Graham Bell as well as with MS Subbulakshmi Amma.
Paulo Coelho - Somehow, all his books have had the effect that they speak to me in person! This is the magic that he can weave with words and I had a curiosity to check if his voice is the same that his words take on when they talk with my inner spirit. He also has the knack to casually drop a sheer brilliant insight which makes more sense than any life lesson ever learnt. He can connect to the minds of people without the need for words and I personally feel that people like him can guide science to the path of finding telepathy solutions. Who knows? He might even know the rituals of telepathy and all it might take is one crazy scientist to translate his rituals into the language of laboratories.
Lord Ganesh - It is a common practice in Hindu culture to include his name in any list to be made. I may not be that pious but I am including him in this list out of a sheer curiosity to listen to the voice of this mythological character. Would his vocal cords be tusker-like or human-like? What would his voice be like? Does he even speak human? Besides his religious duties, he is also easily the most stylish of the Indian Gods with customized wardrobes and a huge number of fan-made illustrations. Does he have one unique 'voice' or does he change voices like skins in a music player to suit the mood? And by the way, if given a chance to talk with him, I would also be asking him a very curious question most people would die to ask. Did he drink the milk or not?
Russell Peters - Where is the laughter element? I thought of one person whose magic is in his mastery of voices and accents - from North Indian to North American! With an assortment of interesting characters already in the meeting, he can even put on an impromptu mimic show to tickle the laughter cells of people. To spice things up even more, I would assign the role of preparing Minutes-of-the-Meeting to Russell and ask him to do a show based on these minutes. Boy, what a show it would be!
Harsha Bhogle - Ever since I started listening to the commentaries in cricket matches, this man has been there with various heavyweights and interesting characters and has always kept a conversation going interestingly. From cricket to mobile apps, he seems to carry an air of assurance around him while talking on any topic. Harsha will be my moderator in this special group chat. It would be a pleasure just to listen to him speaking. It would be an even greater pleasure to see him engage these people from myriad backgrounds in an interesting conversation. So, to make sure that the audience do not press the mute button or change channels during the group talk, we include Harsha in this list as the finishing touch.
Hence I complete my wishlist. What a chat would it be?! Dialogue, music, poetry, philosophy, science and stand-up humour. More than me making friends with all these people individually, I look forward for the interactions among these great people. One man's idea can spark another man's imagination. One man's greatness can feed another's genius and one man's dream may light the candle for another man's art. Coming back to our root thought - isn't this exactly how Technology has developed very much ?
- Cheers
GS
This is the one line that loops around in my head as I sit down to prepare a guest-list for the unique party that WeChat has dared me to put together in fantasy. This new application, claiming to be a new way to connect by voice and chat through mobile, sure does open up new possibilities in being connected. Quite specifically in this post, it opens up new possibilities in putting together a wish list of voices with whom I want to chat. They throw an interesting question to me: If I could connect with 5 or more people in a WeChat group - who would they be, and why? What would we chat about? And they also give me absolute freedom in choosing from dead, alive or even fictional people. Hence this guest-list of the wish-list of the voice-list!
This list, just like the app, is all about the magic of 'voice'. So I think of the magical voices I would like to hear and I narrow down the list to possibilities which are otherwise impossible to mere mortals like me. Instinctively my mind rejects most voices that I can hear by turning on the TV or Youtube any day. This chance is not to be wasted on them. Nextinctively, my mind rejects personal friends, girl-friend(s), parents, dead forefathers etc. Though there are many interesting people in this group, I don't want to make it a personal diary. Thus, with due diligence and great care, I compile this list of people, whom I might never ever elsewhere assemble together, to set up a group voice chat.
 |
| Technology has developed very much. What else to say? |
These are special voices that instil curiosity/ passion/ serenity/ laughter/ bliss in me. In addition to this list, I am also inviting a special technical committee to discuss exactly how technology has developed very much and also a fine gentleman to ensure decorum, continuity and interest in the discussion.
Technical committee:-
Alexander Graham Bell - We Indians have the custom of starting any list with the senior-most respected member of the lot. I owe this inclusion to the most senior member in the voice chat technology fraternity - the man who invented the first practical telephone, the first voice chat machine. Quite fittingly, it would be great to listen from Alex himself on how it feels to listen to voice being transmitted from one device to another through a new innovation. I am also looking forward to see if he might sure have a smart alec crack to make on this :-) The science and history books of our times never had any clue about his sense of humour. I would also be interested in having a little chat with him on how 'Hello' became the universal greet code for voice chats. Probably, Russell here can then give us all a good laugh with his mimics of the 'Hello' in various accents ranging from Trinidadian to Tamilian.
Dexter - Ah, my most favourite inventor! How my childhood evenings were filled with watching him in action in his laboratory?! What inventions could he think of! This character is definitely out of this world. I am almost tempted to believe that while earthly scientists are raising their collars at accelerating particles in fancy collider machines, Dexter and Deedee are playing catch-and-catch in some parallel universe floating on their skater-jets at even greater speeds. Being an introverted genius, I also doubt if Dexter would fit into a group voice chat. There is a possibility that the most elaborate reply that Dexter utters in this chat will be an "Hmmm...". But he might already be wondering deep in his mind when we fellow humans will come up to the level of mind reading apps which can make the very act of conversations redundant.
Sir Ravindra Jadeja - I include SRJ in this technical committee to raise the bar a bit higher and focus on further developments in the app with his supernatural thought process and ability. Give SRJ a new way to connect with earthlings and he might bend it in his own way to connect with people in alien planets, future worlds and in the most protected of girls' hostels in Tamil Nadu's engineering colleges. Hold on, he is even considering to choose this stage as a platform to make his batting, bowling, fielding and hairstyle 'speak' through voice chat. Should that happen, what a giant leap for mankind would it be ?!
Voices I would love to hear :-
This is the list that I have carefully assembled so that I can hear their voices, please underline VOICES.
 |
| Image courtesy: Cuba Gallery |
MS Subbulakshmi - She might be no more but the famous melody that she said to be coming in the breeze (காற்றினிலே வரும் கீதம்) has never ceased to end in memory. Of all the voices I have ever heard in my lifetime, hers is the most mesmerizing of all. She has the magic to instantly bring a sense of serenity and calm with just a hum from the bottom of her vocal cords. I take advantage of this chance to listen to her voice while speaking, just to cross check if she can manage to TALK without tricking us into believing that she is SINGING.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Should we only listen to voice in a voice chat? This question prompted me to invite a legendary musician to the party. I considered the famed trio - Beethoven, Bach and Mozart. Poor Beethoven, he might not particularly enjoy a voice chat since human voices might sound alien to him. Bach, for all his genius, always sounds very deep to me in his music itself. Somehow, he instills a 'bigger brother' feeling in my mind whenever I think of him. That leaves Mozart! No less a genius himself and also a person whom my mind assumes to be a warm and friendly character. In the midst of composing his own masterpieces, he seems more likely to pause and crack a joke. Well, how better to test my assumption rather than calling him for a cup of tea over our app.
Subramanya Bharathi - We have seen a singer and a composer already. Naturally I get tempted to add a poet to this list. Some hidden portion of my brain tempts me to listen to a Tamil voice here, a voice from my mother tongue. As I browse through options, this fiery-eyed poet ranks first in the list. I have read his poems aloud and have listened to his words through the voice of several people. But it would be a great pleasure and honour to listen to his verses in his own voice and to feel the inspiration and passion in unadulterated original version. Bharathi can also fit in well in the conversation, with his knowledge of eight languages. He can effortlessly strike a chord with Graham Bell as well as with MS Subbulakshmi Amma.
Paulo Coelho - Somehow, all his books have had the effect that they speak to me in person! This is the magic that he can weave with words and I had a curiosity to check if his voice is the same that his words take on when they talk with my inner spirit. He also has the knack to casually drop a sheer brilliant insight which makes more sense than any life lesson ever learnt. He can connect to the minds of people without the need for words and I personally feel that people like him can guide science to the path of finding telepathy solutions. Who knows? He might even know the rituals of telepathy and all it might take is one crazy scientist to translate his rituals into the language of laboratories.
Lord Ganesh - It is a common practice in Hindu culture to include his name in any list to be made. I may not be that pious but I am including him in this list out of a sheer curiosity to listen to the voice of this mythological character. Would his vocal cords be tusker-like or human-like? What would his voice be like? Does he even speak human? Besides his religious duties, he is also easily the most stylish of the Indian Gods with customized wardrobes and a huge number of fan-made illustrations. Does he have one unique 'voice' or does he change voices like skins in a music player to suit the mood? And by the way, if given a chance to talk with him, I would also be asking him a very curious question most people would die to ask. Did he drink the milk or not?
Russell Peters - Where is the laughter element? I thought of one person whose magic is in his mastery of voices and accents - from North Indian to North American! With an assortment of interesting characters already in the meeting, he can even put on an impromptu mimic show to tickle the laughter cells of people. To spice things up even more, I would assign the role of preparing Minutes-of-the-Meeting to Russell and ask him to do a show based on these minutes. Boy, what a show it would be!
Harsha Bhogle - Ever since I started listening to the commentaries in cricket matches, this man has been there with various heavyweights and interesting characters and has always kept a conversation going interestingly. From cricket to mobile apps, he seems to carry an air of assurance around him while talking on any topic. Harsha will be my moderator in this special group chat. It would be a pleasure just to listen to him speaking. It would be an even greater pleasure to see him engage these people from myriad backgrounds in an interesting conversation. So, to make sure that the audience do not press the mute button or change channels during the group talk, we include Harsha in this list as the finishing touch.
Hence I complete my wishlist. What a chat would it be?! Dialogue, music, poetry, philosophy, science and stand-up humour. More than me making friends with all these people individually, I look forward for the interactions among these great people. One man's idea can spark another man's imagination. One man's greatness can feed another's genius and one man's dream may light the candle for another man's art. Coming back to our root thought - isn't this exactly how Technology has developed very much ?
- Cheers
GS
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