GECs
Isro looks to put a ‘robot on the moon’
BANGALORE: A robotic arm sent to the moon to do some sample analysis? That is what Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is dreaming to do in space exploration next.
“It is only a dream at this stage. If it takes off at all, it will take time to fructify,” Isro chairman G Madhavan Nair tells Indiantelevision.com on the sidelines of an international conference on planetary exploration and space law in Bangalore.
The project, according to Nair, will cost around Rs 10-15 billion. That is almost three to four times the expense of the `Chandrayaan-1′ mission to moon project, which Isro has slated for 2007-08. “But it is possible. We will need the support of the scientific community and the government,” Nair says.
ISRO’s cost-effective space exploration projects have come in for praise even from overseas. “I am amazed at the low cost operations of Isro. For a mission to the moon project, US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) spends around $12.5 billion. Isro does it for less than $one billion,” says a Nasa observer.
The Astronautical Society of India (ASI), in association with International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) and the International Institute of Space Law (IISL), is organising a twin-event – IAA Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on “Advances in Planetary Exploration” and the IISL Space Law Conference – 2005 on “Bringing Space Benefits to the Asian region” at Bangalore during 26-29 June.
GECs
Sony Pictures Networks India pulls off a slick April Fool’s Day prank and we can’t keep calm
The broadcaster dangled a fake “confidential” leak across a ten-slide carousel, reeling in curious followers before delivering the punchline
MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks India had a little fun with its audience on Tuesday. The broadcaster posted a ten-slide Instagram carousel that opened with a bold red “CONFIDENTIAL — For internal use only” cover slide, tagged with its Go-Beyond branding, and the cryptic caption: “In light of recent developments, we felt it was important to address this subject.”
What followed was a masterclass in slow-burn trolling.
Slide by slide, the post built the tension methodically. There had been “a lot of chatter,” it warned. Some of it had “confused” people; others had “strong opinions.” The company was “not planning to address this publicly yet,” it teased, before conceding that “things seem to be moving faster than expected.” By the midpoint, the carousel was practically daring followers to keep swiping and they obliged, hunting for the scoop, connecting dots that, as the post dryly noted, “may or may not exist.”
The final slide landed the blow. “And right now, they realise this is just an April Fool’s Day prank.”
The post carried the hashtags #SPNI, #GoBeyond and #TellStoriesBeyondTheOrdinary, a neat reminder that the whole exercise was, in itself, a piece of brand storytelling.
No leak. No announcement. No bombshell. Just Sony, very much in on the joke.
