Plants may die but objects rise

My mother is crazy about houseplants. She buys them from flower shops and collects them from friends. She waters them regularly and uses them for decoration for every corner of our apartment in Varna. Every corner, except for my room.

Although I appreciate the beauty of houseplants, I cannot take good care of them. Even the cactus, which I bought for my mom and whose growth was under my supervision, died. I just give houseplants what they need the least. As a child, I tried bandaging the ficus in our living room. As a teenager, I put wine in the flower pot because someone had recommended it for the plant's growth. Finally, I started talking to them because I had read an article claiming that flowers needed attention. Nothing helped.


That is how I decided to stick to inanimate objects designed as nature's gifts. A chair in the shape of a leaf, a bench with the wings of a butterfly--I can handle this. Nature-themed furniture relaxes me and has the ability to survive despite my negligent care. Wood decorations, lotus flower candles and tree paintings bring me the same vibe of nature houseplants bring my mother. But then again, they don't bring the same feeling of comfort. No one will want to sit in my flat, wooden leaf chair.

Welcome the People's Car

I am 21 years old, don't own a driving license and haven't even tried driving. But I just experienced one of the rare moments in my life that prompt me to change this reality. Tomorrow, on March 23rd, the world’s cheapest car will be officially launched.

The Tata Nano is designed by Tata Motors in India to target the mass of consumers with its highly low price. The People's Car will cost around 100,000 rupees ($1,950). Although it looks quite small, it actually has the capacity to seat four passengers. What is more, Tata Motors is working on Nano's eco-friendly electric-version, the E-Nano, whose design is believed to include solar panels.

The Tata Nano will not only bring convenience to Indian consumers, but it will also undoubtedly influence India's economy. According to statistics of the rating agency CRISIL, "Tata Nano’s launch could expand the Indian car market by 65%."

The main critiques of the cheapest car model address the correlation between safety measures and the rate of car accidents in India. The Nano won't include airbags and antilock braking systems because they are not mandatory safety-features in India. "India has 8 per cent of the world’s vehicle fatalities and less than 1 per cent of its cars, with more than 90,000 people killed on the country’s roads every year," writes Catherine Riley, The Times Motoring Editor.

Radio dilemmas

When I came back from my study abroad semester in Russia, I realized how much I had missed Pandora. The interactive yet simple online radio offered me all the music I had forgotten and helped me find some new performers matching my taste. But now I find myself bored with Pandora's suggestions and actively looking for alternative music Web sites, streaming live radio stations and podcasts.

Most of my friends use Pandora or Last.fm for background music while studying, cleaning and yes, even partying. These Web sites are indeed an indispensable part of the student life I know. The opportunity to create personalized radio stations was immediately heralded with excitement and enthusiasm.

However, I recently realized that Pandora was somewhat limiting my music experience. I am already 99 percent familiar with the songs I listen to and even though I create new stations and mix play lists, I still end up listening to Silence by Delerium at least five times a day. I discussed this with a couple of friends, users of Pandora and Last.fm, and they admitted that they sometimes also feel limited to certain genres and musicians.

Naturally, one can go beyond these two Web pages to look for further music explorations. For instance, some great online tools are Songza, imeem and Musicovery. But will one ever feel the element of surprise the traditional radio can bring?