Category: Links

I’ve read plenty of ridiculous articles about the missing Malaysian plane, and I call them ridiculous because of their sensationalist nature, and how easy it is to see that a lot of publications are writing what they think the readers want to hear, not what the readers need to hear.

In that context, I really liked Wired’s startlingly simple theory about the Malaysian airline jet, which was not sensationalist, and did a good job of going into the details of a theory that might actually be substantive.

On a related note, I’m worried at how many people I know who think it is more likely that the plane got sucked into a fourth dimension than it is that it’s buried deep in the ocean.

The Economist on the annexation of Crimea by Russia. The tone is a bit dire, and I’m unable to decide if they are over-reacting, or if I don’t understand the situation fully myself. I must admit though that till about a week ago, I would’ve agreed with the tone but then I met with a a Ukranian woman who belongs to a region close to Russia, and she pretty much said it is justified, and that people’s lives in those areas are in danger, and that changed my view of the situation a bit.

I was surprised to hear that Turkey has decided to ban Twitter, I’m fairly certain this ban would prove futile, and will embarrass the government, but it is sad to see that even a seemingly progressive country like Turkey can try such tactics.

More surprising was Britain’s plan to vote on a law that can strip a person of their citizenship as a form of punishment. It seems that such a law already exists and they have used it on 16 people since the current government came to office; all of them probably linked to terrorism.

I liked reading this post about behavioral finance: Financial Decision Making: A slap on the face. 

I quite enjoyed reading Magnus Carlsen’s AMA (Ask Me Anything) on Reddit.

Finally, the Amreekan Desi excellently summarizes everything I feel about Arvind Kejriwal. 

Let’s start with this wonderful post about why your financial plan should not be just about money. I think a lot of people intuitively understand this but you don’t often see this written in black and white.

The story of the Malaysian missing jet has been fascinating, sad and incredible, and this article from the NYT tells you about the latest situation.

 

I really liked the insight from VC Fred Wilson on this question  – Are we in a bubble?

Harvard Business Review has a good post titled why work is lonely. It deals with how at a certain level you mostly get people agreeing with you, and can’t get objective disagreements that will help you take balanced decisions, and what you can do about it.

I’ve discussed decoupling a few times here, and more evidence that decoupling happened, but not in the way it was expected.

I discovered this unusual app recently whose sole purpose is to provide coffee shop noises in the background while you work. Apparently, there is some research that shows this type of noise is good to stimulate creativity. I’ve used it for a few hours, and right now I can say for sure that it isn’t hurting my concentration or creativity, but I don’t know if it has actually helped any.

Finally, a great article pondering the origin of the universe, and if in fact, ours is the only universe.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I really enjoyed reading this article about how to get a job at Google? because I quite liked the five factors that Google is seeking in its prospective employees, and one way to look at it is to develop some of those skills in yourself regardless of whether you are seeking a job in Google or not.

This post by Scott Adams on what he learnt last year, was quite thought provoking, and I think it is worth your time to reflect on your 2013, and see what skills you developed in the last year, and that automatically lends itself to forward thinking on what you would like to achieve in this year.

Something a little lighter, can you hypnotize a chicken?  

A laudable effort to render the web for color blind people, and that too by a teenager.

An article on twin deficits, nothing new, but worth a reminder.

Another similar article on how budget deficits lead to reduced investment.

If you saw the Oscars, then you probably saw the number of selfies that Ellen DeGeneres took, and probably even wondered whether it was Samsung’s idea or her own. This great WSJ article gives the answer.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I loved WhatsApp founder Jan Koum’s rags to riches story, and was really amazed to learn that he collected food stamps at one point in his life. It’s a very fascinating and inspiring story.

I’ve received a few emails on my earlier post saying the WhatsApp valuation is ridiculous, and my view is that we really aren’t qualified to make a statement like that.

I read a venture capitalist talking about phone numbers being in existence for at least 10 more years, and that was really the first time I even heard anyone even questioning the existence of phone numbers, and that is the world they live in, and are creating for the rest of us. And on that topic, here is an article that justifies the WhatsApp valuation.  

I quite enjoyed this article on what your brain looks like just before taking a risk.

A lot of strife going on in Ukraine and this article is a good primer on the situation. 

I think the EMH (Efficient Market Hypothesis) is nonsense, so naturally any time someone intelligent says something about it – I take notice.

This was a very unusual study, and while it is very easy to question the interpretation, I feel there is some truth to it – humans appear programmed to obey robots. 

Finally, let this clever little image explain all types of social media websites to you.

Enjoy your weekend!

Arvind Kejriwal resigned as Delhi CM yesterday, and finally changed my mind on the AAP, and turned me from someone who was hopeful that his party would bring about change to someone who now feels it was nothing more than some more tamasha added to the political theater in India. I have read and understand the arguments in favor of his resignation, but I find it hard to accept any of them given the current circumstances.

A lot of what’s written about this topic is mere fluff or very biased reporting, so I was glad to read Vidya Subrahmaniam’s editorial in The Hindu which beautifully pens down the topic of a third alternative in Indian politics.

The Pakistan Taliban has been growing in power, and has caused a lot of attacks in Pakistan in the past few years. A good article about this in the WSJ.

Dr. Bibek Debroy, on the Seventh Pay Commission.

Mark Zuckerberg’s 2014 personal challenge seems a lot tamer than his earlier challenges until you try to do it yourself.

The NYT magazine has an interesting article: Does a more equal marriage means less sex?

The Economist, on the global economy in 2014.

Almost all of these strange sounding facts were new to me.

Enjoy  your weekend!

I really enjoyed reading Captain Gopinath’s post on Arvind Kejriwal’s dharna, and I thought it made a lot of sense and is also a great refresher that supporting a party doesn’t equate to supporting every single thing they do.

An interesting article that touches upon the structural changes the brain undergoes as it ages.

I was amazed to read that there is a 3D printer that can actually print in carbon fibre.

Sad, and shocking to learn that the richest 85 individuals control half the world’s wealth.

What you are worth to Facebook?

This is a very useful Outlook trick, and I’d recommend spending the two minutes it takes to set up this folder, it will help you tremendously.

Finally, this video of reigning World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen beating Bill Gates in 12 seconds will bring a smile to your face.

Let’s start with a Business Line blogpost about Arvind Kejriwal that features AAP in a slightly positive light before moving on to a Hindu article that features at least one aspect of AAP in a terrible light. 

I’m featuring both of these here because I agree with both of them, and also because they belong to the same publication, so that takes away some of the cynicism that we face while discussing such topics.

This is perhaps the most fascinating thing I’ve watched this week – fresh water fish hunting birds!

I really loved Amit Agarwal’s interview at Lifehacker. 

I never thought it could be someone’s job to legally sell their last name, but everyone’s got to make a living, right?

Dubai is using drones for firefighting, really amazing, right?

Finally, the ever brilliant xkcd offers the best definition of automation I’ve yet read.

Enjoy your weekend!

 

The most amazing thing I read this week was this new insight on the question of why we sleep. This might be the breakthrough that scientists are looking for to understand why we sleep, and why it is so important for us.

Another interesting piece about sleep: How many hours people of different age group need?

Every now and then you hear about people advising you to let your battery drain, and extend its life, some quick Googling reveals that this isn’t the case with lithium ion batteries which are common laptop batteries, so here’s a piece asking if your laptop battery really overcharges? 

What China has done in to improve their transportation situation is really impressive.

Fascinating piece on how top predators shape their whole environment. 

A short piece on the Pakistani teenage hero who gave up his life to save others. 

Finally, you have to see this to believe it – a bunny chases a snake into a tree! 

Enjoy your weekend!

I really loved reading Rafael Nadal’s interview in the FT yesterday, the humility of the man is staggering.

I was fascinated to read that Zappos is getting rid of managers in the company, and replacing its somewhat traditional corporate hierarchy with a structure known as Holocracy. Whether it works or not only time will tell, but it surely is fascinating to think that you can run a company without traditional managers.

Self driving cars, trips to Mars, WiFi lights, how long before you can buy plates and cups that you never need to wash? A bit longer than you would hope, but at least someone is working on it. Take a look at the video in that article too, amazing that that’s ketchup in the bottle.

Whenever I read a good article on sleep, I’m reminded of how little we know about sleep.

I discovered this blog about a month ago, very funny.

The way drug legalization is going, most of America may legalize recreational Marijuana in a decade or so; The Economist has a good article on the subject.

Finally, does it annoy you when someone takes a picture instead of enjoying the scenery?

Enjoy your weekend!

I have gotten a few emails about people missing the weekend links, and I do apologize for being a little lazy lately. I wasn’t reading as much as I usually do and as a result there weren’t enough good links to share.

This week however, I think I have seven good links that you will enjoy, and what better place to start than Delhi election results. I was pleasantly surprised to see the results and although the future is uncertain – I think it is amazing that a party can rise so quickly, and no matter what happens in the days ahead – this will bring positive change to Delhi, and to India as well. Jamal Mecklai touches upon this and talks about a New India in Business Standard.

On the same topic, I enjoyed reading Mr. Narayana Murthy’s recent interview with ET where he shares his thoughts about the election results.

Next year’s elections will be very important for India’s fate and although no one can predict what will happen, I think you will see a huge turnout of voters, as people are fed up of the current situation. The Economist asks if Modi would save or wreck India?

On to something closer to this blog – the NYT on beating the market being an achievable goal.

A bit surprising, but perhaps not that much, some animals don’t get weaker with age.  

I found this blog early morning today, and it is quite hilarious: Headlines from the Mathematically Literate World.

Finally, Banksy’s message on advertising is quite amazing.

Banksy about advertising: pic.twitter.com/HGV5gzkTYy

— Brilliant Ads (@Brilliant_Ads) December 13, 2013

 

Enjoy your weekend!