Do not fear flying on the Boeing 737 Max
This piece was written before Trump grounded the 737 Max’s in America but most other countries had. Still, John Gapper’s arguments in favour of automation in aviation or ‘fly-by-wire” as it is called, make a lot of sense. His key argument rests on the overwhelming data that most aerial accidents have been attributed to pilot […]
How Merrill Lynch is Planning for its Customers to Live to 100
As lifespans increase, there is good chance that many of us will live into our 90s. This is going to create new avenues for wealth managers to make money. Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch Wealth Management is seeking to latch on to these opportunities. “In 2014, the company convened multiple business lines for a strategic […]
People think that data is in the cloud, but it’s not. It’s in the ocean
With wireless internet becoming ubiquitous, most of us are oblivious to the fact that much of the data criss-crossing the internet travels through cables, mostly under-sea. And it isn’t just internet or telecom service providers, big tech including the likes of Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc are laying their own undersea cables to get proprietary infrastructure […]
Getting In – The social logic of Ivy League admissions
In the wake of last week’s American college admissions scandal (which ironically was brought to light thanks to a securities fraud accused), this 2005 New Yorker piece by Malcolm Gladwell highlights the farcical nature of elite school admissions that most parents get drawn into. Gladwell at his investigative best, shows how Harvard (and later Yale and […]
How Parents of Child Influencers Package Their Kids’ Lives for Instagram
Parents are now spending serious time and effort get their kids’ images online from the time they are toddlers. Even before they can start walking, these kids become infant “style hackers” – basically, paid models for clothing companies – as their parents post their photos on Instagram and other social media sites. Some parents have […]
Marcellus: The Courage to be Disliked
Published on: 15 March, 2019 The majority of us spend our lives seeking the approval of others. A few people however have the courage to do things which they know will invite criticism. This rare characteristic – which is often the hallmark of successful investors – seems to be dependent on how we structure our […]
Marcellus: The Heroes we Forget Hold a Mirror to Our Souls
Published on: 8 March, 2019 Our mind sees & remembers the world in stylised & stereotypical terms. If a story doesn’t fit our stereotype, we don’t remember it and hence don’t celebrate it. The lives of three forgotten heroes – Malik Ambar, Dara Shukoh and VO Chidambaram Pillai – exemplify this point. “A nation […]
How data helps deliver your dinner on time—and warm
With Uber deciding to sell Uber Eats India to Swiggy for a stake in the latter, the food delivery space in India is consolidating with Swiggy, Zomato (owned by the publicly listed company, Info Edge) and Food Panda (owned by Ola). But this piece in the WIRED is about the fascinating data science behind the […]
Why living experimentally beats taking bets
A year ago, former Poker world champion, Annie Duke, published a superb book where she warned against the dangers of “resulting” – our habit of seeing the world on the basis of results rather than assessing the underlying process (and the probabilities embedded in the process). For example, if I drive drunk from one end […]
Wealthy, Successful and Miserable
A superb piece from Charles Duhigg about what leads to job satisfaction. Charles, a Pullitzer prize winner and the author of the brilliantly researched book – The Power of Habit, brings out the importance of meaning and purpose when it comes to our professional lives. “…a job is usually more than just a means to […]
Germs in Your Gut Are Talking to Your Brain. Scientists Want to Know What They’re Saying
Microbiomes are the trillions of microbes inside the healthy human body. This arresting New York Times article says that “Research continues to turn up remarkable links between the microbiome and the brain. Scientists are finding evidence that microbiome may play a role not just in Alzheimer’s disease, but Parkinson’s disease, depression, schizophrenia, autism and other conditions… […]
Marcellus: Exit the Kirana Store, Enter the Supermarket
Published on: 1 March, 2019 As local kirana stores start winding up in India, the conditions required for organised retail to operate profitably are coming together nicely. Whilst this does not necessarily mean that all organised sector retailers will be as profitable as a Titan or a Dmart or a Trent, it does mean that […]
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