Entertainment and Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon

Today we visited an amazing educational institution- the entertainment and technology center at Carnegie Mellon.

It's one of the very few places to teach an interdisciplinary course of entertainment and technology. It's creatively designed and is full of energy. As the Executive Producer Don says- work is life for staff working there and it shows. Amazing place!!

Visit to US West Coast

This blog is about my recent visit to the US west Coast along with a few other Fulbright fellows. I had visited the east coast several times before but hadn't been to the west coast.

We bought a package that turned out very well. We began our trip from LA. We went to Disney land on the first day. For me it was great but not spectacular. Disneyland doesn't seem to take full advantage of the digital revolution. Yes it was thrilling, but it was not out of the world. I guess it's time for a digital make over for Disneyland.

We moved to Las Vegas from there. Vegas fully lived up to the expectations as the entertainment capital of the world. All the big hotels / casinos had a unique selling proposition to attract the tourists. We stayed at the stratosphere that housed the tallest tower. At the top, the tower has a bar appropriately named the air bar. Having a drink at the air bar was a dizzying experience. Our card counting skills were not good enough to bring down the house, but we did make a little money at the casino below.

Our next stop was the Grand Canyon. The views of the canyon were spectacular which ever way you look. The Colorado river, the huge rock formations offer amazing views. I was a little surprised to find that there were almost no safety precautions on the west canyon rim that we visited. Given the importance given to safety all over the US, it was an anomaly for me.

Our next stop, the Yosemite national park is pure nature. Yosemite is a very large ( over 3000 sq. KMs) area of wilderness in central Sierra Nevada of California known for mountain cliffs, water falls, forests, clear streams and biological diversity. Visiting Yosemite is experiencing nature at its best. I only regret we couldn't spend more time there.

Our final stop was the beautiful city of San Francisco. We walked the steep slopes of the city and enjoyed the chilly summer fog. The weather, the beautiful city and the culture of start ups creating much of the Internet we experience today is a heady combination.

It was a hectic trip but it was a wonderful trip. The mountain cliffs, steep water falls, clear streams, cities, dams, buildings, best of the creations by nature and man.