Technical essays often strive for simplicity and clarity. However, we should not confuse striving for clarity in arguments with desiring conclusive outcomes. Some concepts are inherently ambiguous. Some cultures and languages have created room for such ambiguity to thrive. Luis Frois, a 16th-century missionary in Japan, wrote in Topsy-turvy, that “We avoid vague expressions” while Japanese “set a high value on the ambiguous”. He wrote, “We write letters in great length, they write brief ones”. Maybe Frois was right. Perhaps he was wrong about his conclusion. Can we let this one be ambiguous? Ambiguity is not “known unknowns”. When I think of known unknowns, I think of unknowns that we can’t be sure about, but it is possible with more and…
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In light of the recent conflicts, India has made a move to ban TikTok and Wechat and 57 other apps, made by firms that are all based in China. This ban is a big loss for ByteDance, as TikTok had surprisingly “cracked” the challenging mobile market in India. I explain the appeal of Tiktok in India. The issue with the Indian market typifies that challenges that face Chinese Internet firms that seek to go global.
Leave a CommentHow to Live on Twenty-Four Hours a Day? Wisdom from the turn of the last century.
Leave a CommentIn light of the ongoing skirmishes in Ladakh region the Indian subcontinent, I came across an interesting essay by Peter Worthington, who co-founded Toronto Sun (and who was its editor-in-chief for 12 years), on his first-hand observations in India-China conflict of 1962. It is an informative essay despite its brevity, with many highlights including a searing description of the valor of Sikh units despite the loss, an interview with sorrowful Nehru is visited by a large rat running across the carpet (Worthington feels sorry for him), and an interlude with Dalai Lama where he reminisces about Heinrich Harrer (played by Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet). Both India and China seemed embarrassed – one because was defeated so easily,…
Leave a CommentI explore the natural boundaries of Amazon’s customer obsession – tracing the notion from Aesop’s Fables to the Theory of Moral Sentiments.
Leave a CommentThere are two ways to live our life: as a series of finite games, valuing achievements, or a long infinite game, valuing morals. This is our time to listen and rise to the challenge we face to create a better world.
Leave a CommentBillionaire Raj by James Crabtree compares growth of the economy in South India to South East Asia, which is an apt comparison. Crabtree’s book is an overview of the billionaire oligarchs who rose to power post the liberalization of Indian economy in 1991. The name “Billionaire raj” (“raj” ~ empire/rule) is a homage to the phrase “license raj”. License Raj was the term to describe the rule of the erstwhile socialist Indian government that used to pick winners with license to operate. […]
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