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I've been to most Indian states and can say with confidence that the Southern half of India is much nicer, less corrupt, more friendlier, and way more literate. For example, I was travelling around in the rural areas of Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, etc. and I got the sketchiest, creepiest vibes from the locals there. They all stared me down and had the look in their eyes that they wanted to follow me and rob me blind (I'm male, by the way, and I can't imagine what it must have been like to be a woman there). Keep in mind, these are in the rural areas only. Most of the cities were totally modern and fine.

In contrast, when I got around to the southern states (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and especially Kerala), everybody in the rural areas are all smiles and welcomes. They walked up to me asking if I needed any help, offered food because they saw I might be hungry, and helped me out with supplies, etc. Kerala has the highest literacy rate (almost 100%) and it actually feels like an entirely different country compared to the rest of India. I had local farmers educating me on the proper type of footwear to put on in order to minimize the stress on specific heel tendons and ligaments. They even had their own craft shop going on where they were tinkering with incredible inventions that I had never seen anywhere before. For example, a fully mechanical rain prediction system that worked off of incoming cloud shade and moisture in the air. It was an intricate chain of linked bottles, copper wires, lots of hydraulics, and pulleys that would eventually sound a bell if a big rainstorm was approaching. Blew my mind how they built it. Wish I had a picture. These farmers even spoke English pretty damn well. Of course they had a heavy accent but they were speaking and writing grammatically correct English down to the contractions and everything (your/you're, their/there/they're were all spelled correctly on their makeshift sign boards).

EDIT: Getting some PM's about this so I might add that the most beautiful state that I've been to in India is actually in the North. Himachal Pradesh. It's got some of the most scenic views I've ever seen. The Himalayas actually begin around here and flow into Nepal/China. There are glaciers, melting snow-capped mountains, tiny little cave passes, tons of rope bridges at insane elevations that you won't believe, and the people are awesome. They're like hill-tribe locals that have lived there for centuries and know their shit very well. I was even given my own mule to ride on for a couple of days! For free (as long as I fed it and treated it well)! They offered me some of the finest teas and coffees I've ever tasted and they really know how to make do living well at such a high altitude. There are serene lakes, peaceful snowfalls, calm winds, and it's just overall a fantastic landscape to be in. Google some pictures of Himachal Pradesh, you'll see what I mean.

Hey guys. Absolutely loved Portal Stories: Mel. I was blown away by the amount of detail in every little thing. Three questions:

1. Do you happen to have high-resolution versions of the artwork hanging in the Aperture Science offices at the beginning of Portal Stories: Mel? They were so badass and I'd pay lots for physical copies!
2. What challenges did you face in terms of designing for motion sickness in VR, specifically, falling through portals at high velocities? Valve mentioned their playtesters all kept getting sick.
3. Is Portal Stories: VR going to be just as difficult as Portal Stories: Mel? I know many criticized it for being a bit too difficult, but I really loved the challenge it provided.

Q2. Many of us were successful because we were debt free and could afford to experiment with career choices. This allowed us to pursue riskier but more remunerative careers and not take the first dead-end pay check that came along. How in the world can graduates with all that debt do this?

Thank you for asking this. I'm only 24, but a lot of the advice that older folks seem to dish out to me is "Take risks! Experiment with different jobs! Go travel for a while!", whereas I am in absolutely no financial situation to do any of those things. 70% of my paychecks are going straight to student loans because I'm trying to pay it all off as fast as I can, but it's still going to take me a few years.

Most of the older generation is telling us to do risky stuff and live it up because they regret not doing any of it when they were younger. Well, how the hell are we supposed to do this when we have thousands in student debt to pay off? More than half of millenials are currently either underemployed or unemployed. 35% are living at home. Who exactly is all this sagely life advice being given out to?

It blows my mind. But thank you for realizing that our generation is not in the same situation that yours had the privilege to enjoy. And I'd love a serious answer to this question.