Pravin Sathe - Long Form

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Mike Anderson Website Launches

August 28, 2008 12:42 PM

The website of ACD/Art Director Mike Anderson has launched. Built with a mySQL backend and with standards compliant CSS, it showcases the video and print work of Mike. Check it out at http://mikesbookandreel.com.

Guided Grocery Shopping

June 11, 2008 12:51 PM

I love going to grocery stores, particularly Whole Foods because I enjoy the experience of picking the fruits, vegetables, meat et al for my meal that night. But searching for items I find a bit tedious, particularly when I am in a rush. Ultimately, I end up asking an employee of the store where a particular item is located. Why isn't this information readily available before you set foot in the store.

If grocery stores create a database listing the location of an item in the store (an aisle number for instance) software developers could then build an application where a user submits the items they intend to purchase into a form and the app spits back the location of each item. What's more, if they have a blueprint of the store layout each item could be placed in it's correct position and the resulting map could be sent to the user. A little math and you could have the shortest possible distance to travel to pick up all of your items and checkout.

If that database also included price, the customer could request the total cost of all of the items in their grocery basket and compare the total cost across multiple stores.

All of these requests can be made from a mobile device either through a text message or via a website.

A project for the iPhone developer program?

Chris Torrens Website Launches

June 10, 2008 8:40 PM

The website for copywriter Chris Torrens launches tonight. A mix of video, radio and print spots, the site was designed with simplicity in design, navigation and usability in mind.

Vertiginous Mapping by Rosa Barba Launches!

May 29, 2008 5:37 PM

I just finished collaborating with artist Rosa Barba for her web project "Vertiginous Mapping." The work was commissioned by the Dia Art Foundation and will have its opening tonight from 6pm - 8pm at Dia: Chelsea (22nd St, 5th floor). Free Brooklyn Brewery beer to boot!

Connecting Students and Free Tutors Via Web 2.0+

May 19, 2008 12:05 PM

While sitting at the Gowanus Yacht Club with good friend Ayana Goldman and my girlfriend Anna Plunkett the other night we started talking about how some of the students we knew were interested in extra-curricular activities (say dance, art music et al) but could not afford private tutors, group lessons or summer camps. Most of these students come from lower middle class or low income families and many have constraints besides financial ones (no parents to take them, travel time, responsibilities at home) that prevent them receiving tutoring or mentoring services.

So we got to thinking, how can we use the web to facilitate free tutoring/mentoring?

Here's our very rough pitch:

NAME OF WEBSITE connects students looking for tutors in disciplines such as painting, drawing, technology (programming, graphic design), music, dance theater etc with experts willing to tutor for free. Students can post their needs, while tutors can post their specialties on NAME OF WEBSITE and find each other. After student and tutor have found each other a standard contract is drawn up to which both parties agree. Finally, a mutual location is determined where this tutoring will take place (school, rec center etc.)

There are some logistical hurdles (amongst many others I am sure):

• How can you guarantee the safety of the child?
• What is the contingency plan if the tutor doesn't show up?
• How many sessions are a minimum that the tutor and student must agree to?
• What's the best way to verify the credentials/background of the tutor?

They are not, however, insurmountable and they will take some coordination from government institutions (schools, DOE), teachers and non-profit institutions.

We'll keep brainstorming and maybe even build out a simple prototype.

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Pravin has worked in fields ranging from pure science research to the arts, technology and education. He received his B.A. from New York University in Politics and Economics in 2003 and his M.P.S. from ITP @ NYU in 2008. He is currently exploring ideas that lie just below the surface of the images and objects we see and use everyday.