Friday, February 19, 2021

Comment Wall

 

Buddha 

Photo Taken by Navneet Shanu

 

Ancient Indian Technology Storybook

18 comments:

  1. I think this is a really cool concept for a storybook! I had never really done any research on ancient Indian technology, but kind of got sucked down an internet wormhole after having read your story! Something I might recommend is to expand a little bit upon what exactly a vimana is. Part of the reason that I went down that internet rabbit hole is that I didn't het a good idea from the story. I think you would be able to insert this explanation into the story without breaking character. One way to do this that I was thinking about was doing it in the context of "the way the ancients used to explain their alien tech was...." and then talk about how it actually fit into their culture. That way you can explain to the audience what a vimana is without breaking the character or tone of your story!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the feedback! I will most definitely return to Vimana — after I wrote about nuclear technology I realized that I didn't go as in depth with the Vimana portion as a should have. I think your suggestion would work well with that story, I wasn't sure how to really include it because I didn't read a great source story. I just kind of had to wing it lol

      Delete
  2. Okay, I could probably go on about this for way longer than necessary. I love your storybook! Speculating on these stories in terms of a show like "Ancient Aliens" is super clever and it was delightful to read. I appreciate that you link articles any time there is a less-than-familiar term, and the images you've chosen are highly appropriate.

    I don't know how helpful this will be, or if it's something you've already considered, but through the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the characters seem to receive "all-powerful" weapons on a pretty regular basis, which could easily lend itself to the ancient astronaut angle. It also occurred to me that, since both of these stories involve Vishnu reincarnated, you might be able to go after a time traveler sort of angle as well (especially since Indian mythology is so heavily cyclic in nature) - if you wanted, of course. Regardless, really awesome work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I love to talk about it too — it's a great discussion topic lol. The last story that I'm working on is actually about the weapons from Ramayana and Mahabharata! I'm almost done with it, so it should be up soon. I haven't thought about his reincarnation, so that would be an interesting addition. Thank you for the suggestions!

      Delete
  3. Hey Jennifer!

    I really like your design layout and formatting for your website. It gives off a technology vibe, like code, but I bet that was the whole point. Am I right? I think it is interesting that you decided to cover the technology that was developed by the Gods. Oh, my goodness, I absolutely love your introduction. I feel like I am watching Ancient Aliens on the History Channel. I could sit hours on end watching it. It reminds me of when I was younger and used to do that. The way you are narrating the introduction is like a true pro. You have made a lot of good points. I honestly cannot wait for you to continue with the storybook. I have always been a fan of sci-fi, and this is like my cup of tea. I like how you add speculation after the story. It amazes me that this is not out of Wikipedia because it is that good. It adds a good touch how you have so many questions in the storybook. It is because no one will ever know what happened back then, except the ancient. I liked everything about the story. One thing I would add is if it was a little longer, it could not hurt. I feel like it was too short. Maybe that is because I loved it too much. Hahaha. Good job. Keep up the great work!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Krishna! I'm so happy you said it's just like watching Ancient Aliens as that was my biggest source of inspiration! I'm hoping to have more time tomorrow to finish this storybook completely. I'm intending to make it longer as well, because I also feel like it's a bit too short. Thanks again!

      Delete
  4. First of all, I love that you chose to do a storybook, it is super fun and exciting! Second, I want to talk about your layout. It is SUPER clean and easy to use! I love the formatting you used on the pages and how on the front page all you see at first is the title and comment wall. Then you scroll down and there are the pages, as well as them being conveniently located at the top right. Your introduction was super intuitive and helpful for someone to ease into the subject on. This really helped me conceptualize what I was about to read and understand the concepts you were about to bring up.I really appreciated how you linked wikipedia articles about the different concepts you discussed so the reader was able to do their own research in order to understand better.

    The concept of gods and goddesses being extraterrestrial beings is such an interesting topic, and it is so cool that you were able to realize this is what you wanted to focus on. I LOVE that you added alien theory to a story that we have read without the context or imagery you have provided. it totally adds another level to your book and the images you linked are super helpful as well. Your addition of headers makes me so appreciative because the flow of your stories were super easy to read and helpful to me in order to make the comprehension much easier! I was able to look from header to header in order to understand when a new topic was introduced. Nicely Done!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Savannah! When I first started building the site, I wasn't sure how I wanted it to look. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think I've spent more time on the look of it then on the actual writing process. I did the same thing with my other storybook in the Myth and Folktale class. I'm a very visual person, so if things look messy I hate it lol. I'm glad you like it! Thank you!

      Delete
  5. Wow, I really love this idea! I read over your introduction and it’s definitely piqued my interests. It’s an amazing intersection between ancient history and conspiracy theories, and it’s a really interesting perspective to consider all the myths and stories told. I definitely agree that the astra weapons sound like technologically advanced superweapons; many of the stories describe them as bows and arrows, but these could be limited based on the past framework of how weapons were conceptualized. It’d be difficult for them to describe modern-day weapons, so they’d use existing technology to explain the alien technologies! I also like how you explain the Ancient Astronaut Theory and provide plenty of links to allow readers to learn more about specific topic areas. The photo with a possible spacecraft really ties the introduction together and puts these ideas into action. It also sparks so many questions! What other hints are out there? Can these stories point to alien life? Overall, it’s a very exciting and interesting project!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Jennifer!

    I'm coming from the mythology and folklore class to check out some of the Indian epics, and your title caught my attention. Ancient technology sounded like something I'd be into, so I checked out on your storybook. With the way you mentioned "ancient astronaut theory" I just know you have been watching up on ancient aliens and I love that! I think it is fun to speculate on the mysterious aspects of ancient civilization, although I personally doubt that things like nuclear reactors were around thousands of years ago (not to be a Debbie downer... I'm studying physics here at OU, so I have to be extremely skeptical about these things to be taken seriously).

    Super advanced ancient technology or not, I enjoyed reading about the gods Vishkawarma, Vishnu, and the others. I was unfamiliar with the ancient civilization of Mohenjo-daro; I thought the info you gave on it was so interesting that I did some more reading myself afterwards.

    Overall, great work!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello Jennifer! I just got here from your project website. When I was there I read your story "Nuclear Energy". Before diving into your creative version, I went ahead and read both the author's note that you gave us as well as your sources. I also thought it was a very neat and helpful idea to include the "speculation" section on each of your story tabs. It truly did give a lot of depth and understanding before I began to read your story. As one of the readers of your story, we greatly appreciate it haha! You also did a great job of giving depth to the emotions of the characters. This made it easy for me to visualize what was going on. Overall, I loved your story. I am looking forward to reading more stories from you this semester! I also liked the design and format of your website. It is easy to navigate and keeps the audience intrigued with the cool designs.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Jennifer!
    Your storybook is awesome!!! It is such a cool concept! I like your website. Everything is organized very well. I like how you set up the different links on your homepage. Your the first one I've seen to do that. This helped make your website easier to navigate. I like how you put a question under each link too. This helps draw in your readers. I also think your theme is super creative! I love how different and unique it is! Your stories were great! You are a great writer! You are doing great! Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello Jennifer! Wow, I love your storybook idea and your presentation of it all is amazing. You write with such an air of expertise that if I didn’t know better, I would be tempted to believe that your theories are true. In addition to the knowledgeable tone you write these stories with, the details you gather from multiple stories—or creatively fabricate if necessary—cinch these theories as conceivable (that is, until one reads the author’s note and is assured that this project is a complete fabrication). Your ability to come up with such plausible theories and to back these theories up with the original myths shows a level of mature imagination that is hard to attain. I am bookmarking your project site for future reference, because I am very excited to return and read your theories on Shiva the Destroyer. Congratulations again on creating and bringing to life such an amazing storybook project!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hello Jennifer, first I really enjoyed the design of your portfolio and thought that it went with the technology theme. I also thought that your introduction was pretty good because it had a good amount of background information and also included some insight to your stories. Next, I read Vimana Spaceships. I thought that it was really cool how you took the original story and just incorporated your theme into it. One question I have is how was the Pushpaka Vimana discovered? Who actually discovered it and how long had it been around? One suggestion I have is to just maybe add in some more details about the aliens or extraterrestrials to really tie in your theme more and make it more unique. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your portfolio and I look forward to reading more of your stories.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Jennifer. Nice job designing your portfolio. It is very engaging and the pictures that correspond to each story are very fitting. I really liked your introduction as well. It did a good job of introducing your portfolio and setting the scene. Your introduction also reminds me of the show Ancient Aliens where they discuss many of the same theories that you have mentioned, so I think that it is really cool you are basing it on the same ideas. I also read your first story and I thought it was really interesting. I first liked how you had a few conceptual drawings and pictures of what Vimana's spaceship could have looked like. This pictures helped me to really visualize what it could have looked like. I will say, however, that the flying palace does not really seem practical. I think it would need a little more than some propellers to keep it in the air, but it seems that there are engines on the bottom of it. Still overall it was great story.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Jennifer!
    I really enjoy the aesthetic of your project site. The topic is really cool and also very interesting. The thought of ancient technology is always a crazy one in my opinion, like when I think of how the pyramids had to have been built.
    Your introduction was very captivating to me; it made me excited to read the rest of your project. I think that the style in which you actually write stories is very good. I also believe that you do a great job at making the stories your own. The images you include for each of your stories are excellent. You have good taste aesthetically!
    I do not really have anything like criticisms or suggestions for what to do. I think that you are doing an excellent job if you aren't already done. I wish you the best of luck on the project!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Jennifer! I was so interested on the topic of your storybook: Ancient Indian Technology. I really enjoyed the first story, “Vimana Spaceship”. I liked how you defined how “Pushpaka Vimana” translates to “aeroplane with flowers” – I was able to clearly picture the spaceship, and with the image that you added below it was easier for me to visualize the spaceship. In your second story I enjoyed that words that were defined were in a different color and underlined and included a hyperlink. I find that so thoughtful! I really enjoyed the amount of context you included in your stories – with all the background information it made it easier to understand the topic! Even though, as you explained, had trouble with the last story – you did an amazing job! I must say I have read and gained much knowledge on this topic! Thanks to you! Overall, you did an amazing job!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey Jennifer,
    First off, I would just like to say WOW on your storybook. The design of the website as soon as you click on the homepage is incredible. The way the icons and descriptions set you up for the story that you're about to read is awesome. Then the actual stories are so cool. The way you recreate the stories then go above and beyond to provide speculation about what you think it means. Overall, I just saw bravo on a great storybook.

    ReplyDelete