You get off the train and walk up and down the platform.
It's built at a scenic spot where a river bends and charts a course through the mountains.
The strange thing about the station is that the platform has no entrances or exits
It's simply a long viewing gallery along the railway line.
Breathe the clear air and enjoy the view.
Then wait for the next train to arrive, get back on and proceed to your destination.
There's something mystical about a railway station that's not the beginning or the end of a journey.
How could it have been conceived and executed?
It requires a culture to come up with a pause for a moment of happiness.
Where the main function of the station is for people to watch and reflect as the river gurgles past.
On mountainous roads, there are scenic spots marked out for travelers to stretch their legs and admire the view.
But a train station built only for that purpose? That's unusual.
What was the justification offered?
Was it conceived as an aberration?
How did it get through layers of bureaucratic approval?
Maybe there are philosophers working in Japanese government offices.
Flatcams will soon be here
4 cameras on the back of mobiles is now common
Plus a punch hole on the front for selfies.
Camera technology has advanced at a scorching pace since it became one of the prime reasons for people to upgrade.
Most advances have come from software because glass has limitations.
DSLRs had bulky lenses and it was worn as a badge of pride by professionals. Like massive telephoto lenses which required a stand to keep steady
Mobile manufacturers struggled to deliver higher image quality with space and optics limitations.
They even tried pop-up motors on some models but it was clear that it wouldn't fly beyond a point.
But constraints have a way of unleashing creativity.
Metalenz is working with mobile manufacturers to merge those multiple lenses into one.
Creating flat lenses using a new technology called optical metasurfaces.
It produces images with the same quality as traditional ones, gets bright pictures and even improves sensing abilities.
Best of all, it takes up less space.
So the design gymnastics mobile phones use to fit multiple lenses to achieve great results won't be necessary. It will be possible with a single lens.
And then it's a shorter hop to AR and VR applications.
The monk on the mule
He was a small kid. And already a monk in the making.
He was recruited to play a role in an ad film we were shooting for Rockshox cycles
The location was the scenic valley of Jomsom in Nepal.
One of the most picturesque places on earth I've ever been to.
When the film crew landed and got out of the ancient Russian helicopter, we looked around.
It was a valley surrounded by snow capped mountains.
The entire village was a row of stone houses.
And back in the 90s, there was practically no tourist traffic.
The producer of the film Bharat Bala had thought of casting a small local kid to show the reaction to stunts on the bike.
The little guy had never seen a cycle in his life.
But he rode a mule with practiced ease.
And all of us who had grown up in cities were completely uncomfortable with the idea of riding mules
We wanted a final shot with the bike rider and the little monk riding doubles.
But he threw a king-sized tantrum and we had to drop the idea.
For me it was the perfect lesson on how our beliefs shape our comfort zones.
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