Excessive Debt and the Illusion of Wealth
The reluctance of Indian lenders to finance capex combined with the rise of automation has jammed the ability of the Indian middle class to get jobs & pay hikes. With incomes stagnant and with Income Tax & GST taking away a growing share of the disposable income of the middle class, it has loaded up […]
Short read: Warmer, more crowded cities bring out the rats
Those of who live in Mumbai have seen rats eat away the tyres of our cars and then proceed to eat through the wiring. Closer to our living rooms, we have seen rat chew through the cables of the air-conditioners installed outside our windows. Science magazine says that this is just the beginning – rat […]
Short read: In India, a turning point for innovation
The Indian budget attracts a disproportionate amount of attention from the media and the stock market types. Yet, an important piece in the budget almost went largely unnoticed until the authors of this OpEd in the Indian Express decided to educate us. “Paragraph 79 of the recent budget speech reads: “To implement private sector driven […]
Short read: Elon Musk is shredding America’s government as he did Twitter
Many were hoping that much of Trump’s campaign rhetoric is unlikely to transpire into policy action, trusting the ‘guardrails’ of the US legal system, much like in the first tenure. Not so much this time around as Trump not only acted on his tariff threats but is also equipped with the services of the world’s […]
Long read: Digital twins of human organs are here. They’re set to transform medical treatment.
Whilst the functioning of the human body is generally similar across all individuals, there are specific differences which makes each of one of us unique. Particularly, in terms of how our bodies react to various treatments – surgical or medical. Therefore, research based on generic clinical trials might work at a population level in terms […]
Long read: South Indian directors changing the way Dalits are shown in films—out with Brahminical gaze
A month ago we highlighted a piece from the BBC on how Indian cinema increasingly reflects the rapid ascendancy of Indian women (see here). Now, Anisha Reddy of The Print has written a piece based on a lecture given by Apeksha Singegol in the Atta Galatta bookstore in Bengaluru on 25 January. Ms Singegol is […]
Long read: The loudest megaphone: how Trump mastered our new attention age
Chris Hayes is the author of a new book titled “The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource”. The Guardian has published an excerpt from this book and it is an outstanding read focusing on what we can learn from Donald Trump when it comes to marketing. We would go as far […]
Short read: Bill Gates Isn’t Like Those Other Tech Billionaires
The remarkable part of the recent US Presidential elections was how Silicon Valley billionaires who have historically backed the Democrats turned to back Donald Trump. “I always thought of Silicon Valley as being left of center,” Mr. Gates said. “The fact that now there is a significant right-of-center group is a surprise to me.” Bill […]
Short read: Has DeepSeek popped the AI bubble?
We have featured articles from Louis-Vincent Gave who has been bullish about Chinese economic and technological progress to balance the generally negative narrative from western media. It is only appropriate we feature his piece on DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company which stunned the world by showcasing its AI model reportedly built on meagre resources, yet […]
Short read: The Caterpillars That Can Kill You
We were taught in primary school that caterpillars – the wriggly worms covered in spiky fur – become beautiful butterflies. Whilst caterpillars enjoy a pretty good reputation (think Eric Caroll and ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’), they are far more dangerous than you might imagine. Bob Holmes informs us that: “The world turns out to be home […]
Long read: Signature moves: are we losing the ability to write by hand?
A couple of months ago, we featured a piece which talked about a new study which showed writing or drawing by hand as opposed to typing or using a computer involves more activity in the brain and hence has cognitive benefits. Now, a new book The Extinction of Experience: Reclaiming Our Humanity in a Digital World, extends that logic to […]
Long read: Women farmers transform agriculture with organic revolution and indigenous crops
Chapter 4 of Marcellus’ bestselling book, Behold the Leviathan: The Unusual Rise of Modern India : Mukherjea, Saurabh, Rajhansa, Nandita: Amazon.in: Books , discusses the rise of Indian women, why they are increasingly better educated than men and increasingly wealthier than Indian men. This article in the Statesman highlights how women farmers are transforming agriculture […]
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