The Age of Individual Celebrities
We live in a uber-connected world. We are connected through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Whatsapp, Snapchat and really countless other apps. These technological platforms are changing the ways we access information and news. Social news almost exclusively percolates through the social media. This includes news of friends moving forward in their lives, with new jobs, moving to different cities, getting engaged or married and pictures from their latest adventures and vacations. It is an outlet for our creativity and for sharing the goals, news and opinions which inspire us. With this increased social influence of individuals, the social media have … Continue reading The Age of Individual Celebrities
Playing with Molecules
Living things are fascinating. While it can be trivial at times to classify objects into being living or non-living, we have as a civilization been forced to confront the question, “What makes an object living?” for the longest time. Consider … Continue reading Playing with Molecules
Crime Shows And Science
Crime shows are engrossing because they exploit a natural human tendency to focus on the bigger picture rather than the details. The best crime shows are successful because even though there are clues throughout the show to identify the true … Continue reading Crime Shows And Science
The power of choice
This past week, several people were talking about a woman’s choice, prompted by this video by Vogue India. But the power of the choices which we have in our control is immense. Far more than what we are taught and what we often imagine. Continue reading The power of choice
When two roads diverge in a lonely wood.
The thought of two roads diverging in a lonely wood enters the realm of the profound. This is because of the metaphorical significance of these lines; the couplet by Robert Frost is loaded with deep meaning. For the longest time, … Continue reading When two roads diverge in a lonely wood.
Affordable engineering – Not the best advice
R. Mashelkar, in a recent convocation address, points out that the need of the hour is for students to work on problems which focus on creating affordable technology, and in this manner making the lives of millions of people better. I think we should all be dreaming big and not confining ourselves to external expectations. Continue reading Affordable engineering – Not the best advice
Humbled by a democracy
As the General Elections in India concluded, I was truly humbled when I realized what it meant for a nation to call itself a democracy. Continue reading Humbled by a democracy
Learning to unlearn
How does one start doing something original? I think that in order to do something original, one needs to acknowledge that everything you know can be wrong. Continue reading Learning to unlearn
The Value of Incremental Progress
The field of science and mathematics is filled with our acknowledgement of certain people, who we believe made groundbreaking contributions. But do we forget the contributions other people have made for centuries? Continue reading The Value of Incremental Progress
Scientific Elitism and Intellectual Snobbery
A year after starting my PhD, I talk about some aspects of the scientific profession. Continue reading Scientific Elitism and Intellectual Snobbery
