Greetings from Kathmandu Nepal! As most of you already know, Nepal is home to the great Himals (think Mt. Everest), dried-Yak Jerky, and Heli-Skiing - and Nepal is also home to some of the most creative "Creatives" I have ever met, with many of them still using powdered rock as paint and rolls of film instead of chips in cameras. But what many folks don't know is that within the bustling capital of Kathmandu, you can buy an unlocked iPhone or even a new unibody Macbook Pro at the local Apple Shop. (We don't call them Apple Stores 'cause to the Nepali on the street, an Apple Store is where you would buy fruit.) Kathmandu is really an Asian hub for filmmakers, artists, and photographers - and not just a hangout for deadbeat hippy backpackers of yesteryear (although I qualify on all counts).
So this is what I thought I would blog about on the COW, which in this nation is about as holy as it gets. Cows are gods and they roam free on the traffic-clogged roads, and in fact, there is big cow under my SOHO hut right now, bellowing like it's somehow caught it's foot inside of motorbike spokes. – Oh, it has. Ouch. So when I told my home office mate (my wife), that I would be having a "Cow Blog," she though I said "Cow Bog," as it is the start of monsoon season, and things are getting really soggy on the ground floor.
Let's see if what I post in the coming monsoon months is of general interest; I plan on highlighting how we use high-technology without lights, and how creative work can get done on say, truck batteries, and where complex technical problems need not expensive and complex solutions - but perhaps instead - some common sense and elbow grease, with an umbrella on hand if its raining. If this sounds interesting: technology work on a broken shoestring - let me know. I am also writing some tutorials that Tim says he will post here on the COW, and these will hopefully be easy to understand and useful in your everyday work. He says that I am
smart and hilarious; I just see myself as pragmatic and patient. But perhaps we can be all things…
Cheers,
JiggyG
