Artificial Imagination: A Humorous Photo Story Of A Journey Through California, Seattle And Nashville [Paperback]

Kalpanik S. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2011

This is the extended second edition of the full color interior version of the book.

This captivating, new book mixes technology and art together into a fascinating and philosophical combination.

The book follows one high-tech immigrant's journey through United States as he graduates from University of California and ventures from Silicon Valley to Seattle, Nashville and back to California in a quest for his dream job and his search for a place which accepts him, a place he could call home.

The story is purportedly narrated by an artificial intelligence program with the ability to simulate human creativity, sense of humor and spirit of adventure.

Technology is all brain, no heart, all cold logic, and no warm soul, or is it?This gem of a book reminds us that technology could not exist were it not for boundless creativity, and it does this in such a way as to also remind us that without that very same creativity, there would be no art, no literature.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kalpanik S. is an immigrant technologist who came to the USA on a fellowship from the University of California to study and do research in Computer Science in the late eighties.

After completing his graduates studies, Kalpanik worked at both large technology companies and small startups in Silicon Valley, Seattle, Nashville and Southern California. He has been writing a journal about his "journey'" though US, and he finally decided to get it published.

Kalpanik (pronounced as Kaalp-Nik) means "imaginary" in Hindi. Author decided to use a pen name to allow him to separate his literary identity from his professional identity.

Kalpanik is also a great observer, not only he is able to point to the uniqueness, oddity and eccentricity of places, people and culture, he cleverly stretches it for a comic effect, making us crack up page after page.

However, even though his writing has great splashes of humor, it is also very thoughtful. Also, many of the plots, incidents and characters have a layer of a second meaning, delighting his readers when they figure out the cleverly hidden message, or the unexpected punchline, making his books cater to needs of both the readers who are looking for something light and refreshing, and those who want something more sophisticated.

Kalpanik uses lot of photographs in his stories, using stunning imagery to enhance his stunning leaps of imagination and make the reader feel he is there with the author sharing his journey of adventure through space, time, life and love.

Product Details

• Paperback: 138 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (May 27, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434845559
• ISBN-13: 978-1434845559
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,415,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kalpanik S. was born in India, or thereabouts, a long time ago. OK, so it wasn't really all that long ago, but it's not very recent either.

He came to the USA on a fellowship from the University of California in late eighties to do graduate level studies in Computer Science. After completing his studies, Kalpanik chose to stay back and serve the Software and Internet industries at West Coast's High Tech corridor - Silicon Valley, Seattle, and Southern California

He has been writing a journal about his "journey" through the US from the time he landed at the San Francisco Airport more than twenty years ago. Finally, some years ago, he finally gathered enough courage to get it published. Boy, are we glad he did!

Kalpanik (pronounced as KAAL-pah-nik) means "imaginary" in Hindi. Yes, it's a pen name. Author uses a pen name to allow him to separate his literary identity from his professional identity.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars funny, February 19, 2008

By 

Dum Dum deega deega "Member/ Reviewer, Smart ... (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Artificial Imagination: A Humorous Photo Story Of A Journey Through California, Seattle And Nashville (Paperback)

Great book, love it! It's hilarious! I could not stop giggling, I cracked up page after page. Really Nice!

And so many nice photographs. I was traveling with the author, feeling his ambitions, his surprise, excitement and pain. And what a brave soul! He (yes, despite its claims to have been written by an AI program, this book is written by a loving, feeling, breathing human for sure!)--He is able to maintain his sense of humor even as he moves from one place to another, faces one set back after another! He always comes back!

Wow! What a story!!

Oh, And the love story in the end is touching.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, buy it Now!, March 27, 2008

By 

Priya "The cute one" (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Artificial Imagination: A Humorous Photo Story Of A Journey Through California, Seattle And Nashville (Paperback)

Length:: 1:52 Mins

Great book, will make you laugh, smile, giggle, chuckle, giggle, crack up, guffaw and generally have a good time. Extremely nice photos. And it is actually very thoughtful, one can quickly see through the pretended thoughtlessness. Here are some posters and calendars with the high resolution versions of the book:
Scenic City and Boat Photo Poster
University of Washington Photo Poster
Seattle Secenic Sunset Photograph
San Francisco Scenic Union Square Photo Poster
Nashville Tug Boat on Cumberland River Photo Poster
Pike Place Market Photo Print
"Playing Guitar" Photo Poster
San Diego Scenic Waterfront Poster