The post GST: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly appeared first on OutFocus.

With GST, there will be no entertainment tax but one universal tax that will apply throughout India. This is touted to reduce tax load on consumers by eliminating stacking of tax; but as with most things in the current government, things don’t always happen per plan. Since the exemption rule is a state thing and GST is a central device, GST will be applicable on all movies. This will of course level the playing field for U/UA movies and will give way for more creative titles.

* Side Note

It’s worth mentioning here that we’ve always been paying a phantom tax for Tamil movies. In 2015, Madras High Court directed that moviegoers should receive the benefit of exemption; but cinemas have always charged ₹ 120 instead of ₹ 84 even if the movie had tax exemption.

With the debut of Goods and Service Tax, theatre owners will push for increase in the cap on ticket prices. With the tax for cinemas fixed at 28%, this will push ticket prices up to ₹ 160. Since we are already paying non existent taxes, GST will be a tax on a phantom tax. Effectively this makes a staggering virtual “tax” of 47%. Along with “online booking charges” and other ingenious ways multiplexes have conjured up to drive up the prices (like “pushback seat activation charges” for one), this could easily go way up to ₹ 250 or ₹ 300. If the cap is completely removed, these prices can hit the roof in the likes of Bengaluru and Mumbai.

Kollywood is the second largest film producer in India after Bollywood, producing more films than entire countries. Lower ticket prices has been an incubator to encourage the movie going culture and hence movie production in Tamil Nadu. How this will impact the current scenario is to be seen.

* GST Update (12 June 2017)

According to the revised GST rates, movie tickets that cost less than ₹ 100 will be taxed at 18% slab and above ₹ 100 will be taxed at 28%. While this looks good on paper, it is not likely we’ll see a reduction in price.

* GST Update (1st July 2017)

We understand that corporations may levy additional taxes over entertainment apart from GST. This will only worsen the situation described above.

A quick view of impact of GST on other products: Keep reading at: http://outfoc.us/1064

The post GST: The phantom of Tamil Cinema appeared first on OutFocus.

During the peak of the cold war between the USA and the USSR, USSR early warning systems detected that the USA had launched 5 nuclear warheads towards Russia. Had the higher authorities been informed of this, Russia would have retaliated with hundreds of warheads of their own. This would have triggered a full-scale retaliation from USA and the NATO countries, resulting in an obliterated USA, Canada, all of western Europe and western Russia. The entire world would have plunged into a nuclear winter for centuries.

(Fallout would have been real)

Stanislav Petrov was the man in charge of monitoring Soviet Air Defense Forces. He was supposed to report the incoming nuclear attack to his superiors but decided not to. He believed it to be a system malfunction, which it turned out to be. The system had indeed detected clouds over North Dakota to be a nuclear launch. Petrov’s instincts saved the world that day. He later recollected that he did not really know if the alarm was false or not. He had acted purely on instinct.

On 26 September 1983, Petrov saved humanity. In countless interviews thereafter, Petrov has stated that he does not know if he should be considered a hero because he was indeed “just doing his job.” Although later western media criticized Russia for having punished Petrov by removing him from the position, Petrov says that he was neither rewarded nor punished and simply moved to a less sensitive position and took an early retirement. Initially General Yury Votintsev did promise a reward; although if Petrov was to be officially rewarded, it would have meant that his superiors and influential scientists who designed the alarm system would be at fault and had to be persecuted.

Many organizations have later recognized him as a hero and given him awards and such, but the incident reminds us that even small and relatively easy to make mistakes could have plunged us into a nuclear winter and the threat is only slightly minimised now. The fact that North Korea and USA are increasing tensions doesn’t help.

Could humans survive a nuclear winter? Watch this video from Life Noggin:

Featured image: Fallout Minimal Poster on Rebrn. Not linked to Petrov in likeness or otherwise.

The post Petrov: Thank the Russian who saved humanity appeared first on OutFocus.

Episode 1: Try to buy Snapchat

In 2013, Facebook offered to buy Snapchat for $ 3 Billion (that is over 19 thousand crore ₹). Two year old Snapchat refused to sell. So Mark tried to get back at Snapchat. How? In the following steps.

Episode 2: Try to make apps to weaken Snapchat

Facebook tried to make an app that would rival Snapchat called Slingshot. Basically the idea is to sling your shot back to see your friend’s shot. Naturally, this did not go well.

Source: The Verge

Episode 3: Launch a full fledged copycat campaign

When Facebook owned Instagram launched Stories to spite Snapchat, it wasn’t the last time they were going to try to spite Snapchat. The following images will tell you that.

Instagram Stories. Source: TechCrunch

New WhatsApp Status. Source: Instagram

Facebook Stories. Source: Business Insider

Episode 4: Deliver the death blow

Finally after Facebook copied the same thing three times, inevitably the fourth time was due. TechCrunch did a full cover on “Messenger Day” if you want to check that out.

“Messenger Day”. Source: TechCrunch.

Here’s what’s worrying. Facebook doesn’t care for originality anymore. Even though this has happened before with not so popular apps, Facebook has launched a full scale attack on a competitor. It’s dominating the social platform and making sure no one can come behind.

Finale: Why isn’t Snapchat suing Facebook? And is this the end?

Snapchat is not suing Facebook because it’s not strictly illegal. In one of the oldest of such cases, Apple computer v. Microsoft Corp., Apple tried to sue Microsoft citing that their Windows 2.0 Graphical User Interface (GUI) similar to Apple’s Lisa. Apple lost the case and the court ruled that Apple could not patent something because the “look and feel” of something was similar. The individual elements could be copyrighted but Apple did not have rights to them, Xerox did. Apple lost the cases and subsequently, Apple almost went extinct. Microsoft bailed Apple out by agreeing to invest in Apple for five years and continuing to build the Microsoft Office Suite for Apple’s devices in exchange for making Internet Explorer the default browser on the Macintosh. Apple only regained its strength after the revolutionary iPod hit stores in 2001.

Snapchat could sue Facebook but would inevitably lose the case because “ideas” or content “formats” (as the Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom says) cannot be copyrighted. The only way for Snapchat to survive is if they do something revolutionary as well. Filters or “lenses” as Snapchats calls them won’t cut it because as much as it is fun to use Snapchat lenses, it’s not revolutionary.

Personally I have no love for Snapchat or the “stories” feature, but we’re going to find out how it’ll work out with all of you.

The post Facebook vs Snapchat – the copycat spree appeared first on OutFocus.

As any true Christopher Nolan worshiper, I have the compulsion to reply to this article with my own.

First of all, the article starts by stating a quote by Oscar Wilde – “Every effect that one produces gives one an enemy. To be popular, one must be a mediocrity” and then goes on to compare Christopher Nolan to leaders like Stanley Kubrick and Spielberg. Does this mean they also attained popularity by mediocrity? I’m starting to sense hypocrisy already.

The author Supriyo Mukherjee argues that Chris’s brother Jonathan Nolan is the real genius behind Christopher’s masterpieces. While I will agree completely that Jonathan is a genius of his own accord which is evident with (as Supriyo points out) Person of Interest and WestWorld, I will also leave the following data here (if anyone cares):

[SKIP TABLES]

Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s filmography [Wiki]

You can see how that some of the most iconic movies of all time by legendary filmmakers Kubrick, Spielberg and Hitchcock are actually not written solely by themselves. Same goes for Chris although the only difference can be that most of Nolan’s films are written by Jonathan. So he has a good brother, what’s your problem with that?

Claiming that Christopher Nolan’s films are not emotionally built on can be answered easily:

>Memento happens because Leo’s wife was murdered. He strives for vengeance.

>Insomnia shows Dormer’s remorse and subsequent loss of sleep after an accidental homicide.

> The Prestige shows the dedication of Borden that makes him such a great magician.

> The Dark Knight trilogy is a story of loss and finding one’s self again.

> Inception shows a Cob willing to do anything to reunite with his children.

> Interstellar… Well that’s very obvious if you’ve seen the movie.

Chris’s movies refuses to have emotion that is dramatic and overplayed. Instead, it is subtle and embedded with the plot itself. It doesn’t put him OVER the other directors we’ve mentioned – in fact there is no contest. It only proves that these points cannot undermine Christopher Nolan’s fame as overrated publicity.

The only other criticism that Nolan can have is that he is commercially successful and he probably has more commercial audience than most other leading filmmakers. Christopher Nolan is unique in a way that he appeals to both the intellectual and the general audience alike. His films have subtleties that aren’t easily noticeable and are only visible the second or third time around.

Why do people still argue that Christopher Nolan is overrated?

It’s because people are always prone to complain about what they have now against what they used to have. The only difference is now that millennials are not ready to accept anything at face value – in fact they are ready to reject things faster than accept. We like to challenge authority and superiority. While that is generally a good thing, I do not know if I’ll stand by when someone undermines the superiority of one of the greatest, if not the greatest filmmakers of our time. I’m open to be challenged for this statement too. Comment away!

Featured image borrowed from Indhu Kanth’s Behance!

The post Response: Is Christopher Nolan overrated? appeared first on OutFocus.

Before you move on to skip this post, this is not about more whining about all social media. I’ve been in social media for a long long time. Facebook for 7 years and Orkut before that. Yet it was always about making and sharing memories for me. I like to look back at my best and worst moments. Some might say social media (and technology in general) is ruining our lives but I’d say that’s the same as photographs do. They don’t take away our memories, they’re a way to extend them, to keep them safe.

I’m not going in to how going overboard with it will prove detrimental, but the rising trend that worries me is that not only are people no longer being in the moment (taking selfies for Instagram) but that social media itself has become amnesic. It started with the brilliant idea of Snapchat. You could say it’s useful for young teen girls who want to share photos but have it deleted, but if you can’t take responsibility why share in the first place?

Snapchat has begun a revolution in social media like PPAP in the YouTube music industry. It’s going out in ripples so fast that I wish and pray Snapchat sues these companies – not for the good of Snapchat, but to save all the other social media. First I noticed this in hike, India’s own messaging and social media app. The familiar, easy UI gave way to some fancy stuff and had a new feature – stories. Stories would last only 3 seconds and move on to the next. They can be seen again within 24 hours of posting. My first reaction was – what the actual heck is this! And yet few days later, I saw Instagram introduce their own ‘stories’.

I couldn’t understand this at all. Instagram, which had been trying to become Facebook for a long time with likes, comments and private messages, now suddenly wanted to be Snapchat – the new cool kid in town. A lot of my friends have jumped on this wagon of temporary, of responsibility-free-posting. I can’t remember the number of times someone wanted to show me a photo and they don’t have it on their device so they dive into insta to find it. With Instagram stories, be sure to forget what you posted so you don’t have to recollect it later. And guess what I saw yesterday morning on my newly updated WhatsApp?

Now we only need dog filters and WhatsApp is the new Snapchat. Apart from the user being responsibility-free, the social media itself becomes responsibility-free in these cases. Since stories last for seconds and rarely are viewed again, companies like Snapchat and Facebook will have to worry less about inappropriate content and spam.

This is a shocking revelation. Social media is getting amnesic. This time though, we will neither be in the moment nor be able to relive it in photographs. This of course is plays well with major companies like Snapchat, because they don’t have to store all your duck faces and smug faces anymore. They don’t need to build immense servers to store all your happy, sad and outright stupid memories. This is an age of social amnesia, and given the amount of support it garners, I don’t think it’s going away any soon.

The post ‘Stories’ and Social Amnesia – Neither in the moment nor after appeared first on OutFocus.

Imagine a distant future where a scientist has developed the technology to accurately create humans with precise qualities we define. But the creator also wants to make sure his creation’s survival before making the technology mainstream. He creates a computer simulation that would act exactly like the human would if created.

In the simulation, we have a large room, where anything the human would want (let’s say food and water only, because he would be oblivious to any other needs of the modern world – he is like Adam before Eve came along) is present, but there is one door which when opened will end the simulation by destroying the human.

Sounds straight forward so right? But here’s the thing: Now what outcome of this test will determine the human fit for creation? Should he be curious and venture out or should he stay where he is? If by containment he can live happily, he will never know the what is outside the door. This question might not have a straight answer, but discuss your answers in the comments!

Alternatively, if you were in the simulation and you knew the outcomes, what would you choose? End the boring life, or stay in well fed and comfortable?

Existential is an experimental category we started to try and discuss answers to the weird existential questions we all get in the middle of the night.

The post What kind of human do we want to create? appeared first on OutFocus.

This post is dark and full of spoilers, but carry on anyway if you have a strong heart.

1. The movie begins with Mr. Newt Scamander, a Britisher, passing a immigration post as he lands in New York. Later in this movie, we know that Scamander can apparate (or “teleport”) quickly from point A to point B, so I wonder why he can’t just do that with the immigration counter when he has a case full of weird magical creatures. I had an argument with my friend about this and she told me that there are rules for wizards about this. Well, when he’s already on an illegal mission…

2. Also, if every goddamn wizard in New York can apparate that easily, why couldn’t Harry, Hermoine and Ron do it decades later and Dobby the elf had to help them? Isn’t Harry supposedly one of the best wizards and Hermoine easily one of the most knowledgeable? Please don’t tell me one of the coolest things about wizardry was banned from being taught in Hogwarts while it is okay to teach students about Avara Kadavra.

3. Scamander and Jacob Kowalski (is he Polish?) have just met and he already hit Scamander on the face and took off with his creature-suitcase and Scamander chooses him to follow him down the suitcase world. Later he says that was because he liked Jacob Kowalski. Either the guy is lying or the guy is out of his mind. I wouldn’t even trust Jacob Kowalski if it were up to me. No offence, the guy is actually a likeable character halfway into the movie and does indeed make a good pair with Queenie even though he’s not in perfect shape. But sheesh, Scamander just breaks too many wizard laws.

4. Protagonist and side character accidentally swap suitcases cliché. (Hell, the cases don’t even look the same).

5. I know this is magic and all, but where in seven hells did Scamander manage to find that much space inside his suitcase? Is he Dr. Strange? What the hell. Turns out Hogwarts need just be the size of a tent or something and didn’t have to be hidden in some far away place in Scotland.

6. We later understand that Credence becomes an obscurus when he is forced to do things or is pushed around. But he doesn’t turn into an obscurus when his “mother” beats the hell out of him every day. Instead, he rampages the streets of New York for no reason at all!

7. We are told that obscuria are no longer seen in the world and led to believe Credence just an exception. Are we told why they no longer happen? If there are exceptions like Credence and the girl Scamander found in Egypt, then what happens if another exceptional magical child is not trained to deal with it earlier? According to The Sorceror’s Stone, Harry Potter was only contacted by Hogwarts when he was 11. By this age, most obscuria would have killed their hosts (not to mention that they would have rampaged their cities like Credence did).

8. Dear fantastic beasts, you cannot just choose to escape some times and not escape some times when the case is opened. How is it that niffler is always trying to escape but doesn’t do so when Scamander himself opens the case?

9. The makers of Fantastic Beasts took a page from Men in Black to obliviate members of the public (Muggles or NoMajs).

10. I can deal with making the public forget the recent events, but how do you deal with the time gap between what they were doing and the moment they get reset? Jacob Kowalski must’ve lost like two days at least. When an entire city loses several hours, it would have been noticed as a phenomenon. Someone would realize that they’ve been standing in a huge group for several hours but remember nothing. Or do you magically reconstruct everyone’s memory? Even in a magical world, I think that would require a whole lot of power.

11. How does Jacob Kowalski still remember stuff after being obliviated? Does this mean there could be other New Yorkers who remember other stuff?

12. Someone supposedly in a high authority is not what he seems to be. Sound familiar? Only every Harry Potter movie ever.

13. Wait, who is this girl on the left? I don’t recognize her from the movie. Even Queenie (right) is more memorable.

What was that? I should read the book before sinning the movie? Why the hell do you bother making a movie if your argument is to ask me to read the books anyway? Is the movie a glorified super-long trailer with a LOT of spoilers to the book Fantastic beasts and where to find them?

Yes, I realize I would be great at Cinema Sins.

Disclaimer: Any views expressed in this article are solely my own view as author and does not reflect OutFocus or its team’s view.

The post Fantastic beasts and where to find them – a sinful review appeared first on OutFocus.

Donald J Trump, the republican candidate for this year’s Presidential Election, and probably the second (or first, depending on whom you’re asking) most powerful man on this planet next to Pope Francis right now, is known for his open verbal attacks against immigrants, the press, gays, women, Hilary Clinton and anyone else who appears to be in his way. His definition of making America great again involves revoking everything that did make it great – diversity and freedom. You’re looking at the candidate who said if any of his violent supporters are arrested, he would pay the legal fees. You’re looking at the candidate who said he would build a wall south of USA to keep immigrants from Mexico out. What are we, in the middle ages now?

Trump’s ascent was a joke at first, until things got serious real fast. This is what happens when you keep a joke going long enough, you have Donald J Trump as the US President. Nevertheless, the results of this Presidential election is not as much a failure of Hilary Clinton as much as America’s. This is not to say that America’s economy will fail, or that America will suffer by becoming a bad place to live in. That may or may not happen, but America has already failed – by letting a man like Donald Trump become the president of the United States, a position they hold to be the protector of the free world.

Whether or not Trump will actually hold up his promises and become Aladeen from The Dictator is yet to be seen, but I’m feeling physically ill at what people are willing to embrace. And to think that they were 0.24% away from not choosing this disaster…

The post Trump’s rise and America’s descent appeared first on OutFocus.

There couldn’t be more truth to this quote.

It was 7 PM on a Sunday – 31st July 2016.

I was lying relaxed on the bed in our hotel room at Madurai as the final day of urban survey was over and I was eager to get back to Ooty and start working. I got a call from my dad. I attended it coolly.

My dad was panting and screamed, “Your mom is not well, don’t go to Ooty. Come home soon!”

I immediately got up and ran to the faculties and told them the situation. They understood and called the Principal to ask if they should let me go. Finally at 7:30 I was asked to write a letter and leave. I got my stuff and ran as soon as possible giving the information to as few people as possible.

I ran to the road and tried to stop a bus to Mattuthavani bus stand. The driver gave me a dirty stare and didn’t stop. A second bus crossed by and I realized that I had to run. I raced towards a signal where the bus would’ve had to stop for the red signal. Within moments I acted on adrenaline and was on the bus and asking for a ticket.

I called dad when I reached Mattuthavani and had boarded the Tirunelveli bus. “I’ve got the bus. I’ll be there soon. How’s mom? Where are you?” I asked. “Come home,” he said, “to Kallidaikurichi.” I got a bad feeling… Why weren’t they at a hospital? What’s going on?

I was tired from the day’s work and was half asleep midway to Tirunelveli. The guy next to me woke me up, “Your phone’s ringing” he said. I picked up the call from my uncle. “Did dad say anything? Where are you?” he asked. “Yes, he said mom is not well. I’m on the way…” I replied. “Oh…” he said hesitantly, “Ok, I can’t reach your dad. Let him know I’m trying to reach.” Again a hit to my gut. Something is definitely wrong. Am I too late?

I reached Tirunelveli and hopped on a bus almost leaving towards Kallidaikurichi. Midway I got another call from dad saying the neighbour boy would pick me up. The time was 12:25 AM and my heart started racing. I reached Kallidai and within moments the boy was there. The rest of the 3 km was silent. I couldn’t hear the bike, or the wind whistling past me… I could hear my heart beating. It was 12:55 AM.

There were villagers sitting outside the door. Adrenaline pumped into my heart again. I couldn’t feel anything. I picked my courage and ran towards the open door. I raced inside and dropped the bag on my shoulder. I dropped to my knees without trying. I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t react to the reality. Tears gushed from my eyes instantly.

There she was – in an ice box, the one woman who would’ve given the world to see me live, was lying there without life. She wasn’t in a hospital because she wasn’t sick – she was dead! The reality was too much for me and suddenly I could feel a darkness surround me. My dad cried out loud for hours but I couldn’t. I just sat motionless with tears flowing down my cheeks.

While I was busy making plans for my future and how I would become a businessman and build a house like my mom always wanted, she had passed away and I wasn’t with her when it happened. Pangs of sorrow hurt me like I’ve never felt before. I was paralyzed.

Three days after it happened and her ashes were flowing with the holy Thamirabharani river, I was back In college. I had to get back to work because that’s what she would’ve wanted. Her only wish was for me to be successful. That’s all! How could a woman be so selfless till the end? I couldn’t fathom the loss I had encountered. I chose not to think of her as gone. It was the only way.

In the next few days my dad got orders for the product he was unsuccessfully trying to market the entire year; he was able to sell his jeep that he had been trying for 4-5 months; I got my results for the last sem and was an astounding success; my aunts had come together to help me and I even got some enquiries for freelance projects.

All of this happened too late. If only they had happened a week back, my mom would’ve been the happiest person I know of. But maybe this is all her doing. Maybe it is her aura that surrounds us and makes us successful.

“O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet!

Thy spirit walks abroad and turns our swords

In our own proper entrails.”

      – Brutus.

OutFocus was dormant for the last one month. We are sorry for the absence and have decided to start publishing again. You can send in any queries to outfocus@thefeathers.in

-Editor.

The post Life and the other side appeared first on OutFocus.