Tech
Re: Musk v. Twitter
A collection of some comments on and reactions to Elon Musk's attempts to buy Twitter, and related issues.
Latest
Op-eds
Free-speech as an instrument of repression
One of the more eye-opening discussions on Elon Musk's attempt to take control of Twitter, and the Twitter board's attempts to defend the company from the bid, have been playing out on Hacker News (here and, after Twitter's response, here) – the popular discussion
Scicomm
MIT develops thermo-PV cell with 40% efficiency
Researchers at MIT have developed a heat engine that can convert heat to electricity with 40% efficiency. Unlike traditional heat engines – a common example is the internal combustion engine inside a car – this device doesn't have any moving parts. Second, this device has been designed to work with
Scicomm
At last, physicists report finding the 'fourth sign' of superconductivity
Using an advanced investigative technique, researchers at Stanford University have found that cuprate superconductors – which become superconducting at higher temperatures than their better-known conventional counterparts – transition into this exotic state in a different way. The discovery provides new insights into the way cuprate superconductors work and eases the path
Scicomm
Anonymity in journalism and a conflict of ethics
I wrote the following essay at the invitation of a journal in December 2020. (This was the first draft. There were additional drafts that incorporated feedback from a few editors.) It couldn’t be published because I had to back out of the commission owing to limitations of time and
Analysis
NFTs aren't thriving – they're often in the hospital
This is not a real anniversary but it's worth commemorating, if only to remember the pseudo-events propping up the NFT business-culture. One month and one year ago, a cryptocurrency user named Metakovan purchased an NFT associated with a piece of art from its creator, a fellow
Analysis
On the NBDSA opinion against Zee News
On April 5, JNU PhD student Shehla Rashid tweeted that the National Broadcasting and Digital Standards Agency (NBDSA) had ordered Zee News to remove links to a show it had broadcast in November 2020, alleging that Rashid was indulging in “anti-national activities” and that she was “funding terror”. The
Uncategorized
Awaiting more info on WP.com's new pricing
After my last blog post on WordPress.com's bizarre paid-plans rejig, which stayed on top of Hacker News for a few hours and eventually caught the attention of the CEOs of WordPress.com and Automattic, the former, Dave Martin, said the company was listening to bloggers'
Life notes
What are you doing, WordPress.com?
Be sure to check out the update at the bottom. I recently wrote that I've stuck with WordPress.com for so long, for all its purported limitations, because its features fully suffice the committed blogger whose content is textual for the most part and because the company behind
Culture
TV ads are becoming creepy
Have you watched the new ads of Magicpin, Instamart, Rapido and PharmEasy?
Analysis
The paradoxical virtues of primacy in science
Primacy is a false virtue imposed by the structures of modern science – yet it is also necessary to right some wrongs.
Scicomm
Better nuclear fusion – thanks to math from biology
A new study discusses a way to make nuclear fusion devices more efficient by applying equations used in systems biology.