Sunday, April 24, 2022

Reclaim your Life

 

Let’s say we live 75 years of life. Most of the time we feel that life is an unending journey of days filled with mundane routine chores during the week followed by two days of unending and not so fulfilling competition to impress your friends on social media. We feel we have countless weeks ahead of us. But actually, it’s just around four thousand weeks— and of course, 4000 weekends which you ‘apparently’ live for actually. Once you visualize the human life span, it becomes clear that so many parts of life we think of as “countless” are in fact quite countable. 

Depressing Math is especially depressing when you’re living through a pandemic. Covid hasn’t taken away our weeks, but it has robbed us of our favorite activities — experiences that are already in short supply: experiences of human bonding and relationships beyond the glitz. But perhaps the hardest math to process — and, in turn, the hardest Covid pill to swallow — has to do with our relationships like Parents, Children, relatives, and friends.  

We used to meet for every festival of life. Those living away from Parents have umpteen travel restrictions which rule out making new memories for most of the festivals. Parents are the most affected by the pandemic for their susceptibility to the virus originated from Wuhan.  Their travel is also ruled out. Family get-togethers built around major festivals have become rare for the last two years. Those who have sent their children away for education have lesser opportunities to meet their next generation and impart valuable lessons in life during their most critical phase of young adult life

It’s the same story with childhood friends. Normally we have school/college friends with whom we have spent time in the joints all over the city or hostel. These friends are scattered now to different cities or countries. Since then, we have connected with them online. Somehow we had managed to get the whole group together for a weekend after every few years — about 8-10 total days each decade.  During these reunions, it really feels like we’re together even in the middle of our lives.  But like our parents and relatives, we feel that we have really less in-person time with our friends together thanks to the pandemic. 

But then all that has happened has got to be taken in stride. With the limited amount of time, you have to make it for the losses by maximizing the returns on time in hand. We always rue about the missed opportunities or roads that were not taken. But while doing that we greatly underestimate the size of the lust green tree of possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead of us. Let us not overestimate the time we have left with those we love. It's human fallacy to believe that the life we are used to is how things will always be: both the good and the bad side of it. 

Living in regret carries an implicit assumption that we could have had those other life paths if only we had made better decisions. When we think about the future, though, that feeling of being in control to decide often disappears, which can leave us feeling resigned and even hopeless. But the life we’ll be living for the next ten years will largely be determined not by our past selves but by our present and future selves. If we imagine what we might regret down the road, it’s very much in our hands to do something about it now. 

The best part of human life is that the time we have left with family and friends is unlike the law of nature where we have a finite amount of weeks we have left to live. It’s based on our priorities and decisions. 

First, think back to your life pre-pandemic. Write down what it looked like, unemotionally. Then write down what your life looks like now- how you spend your week and time. Next, reflect on what you liked about your life before the pandemic and what you did not like. Then, think about what you like and don’t like your file now. This analysis can help you identify what has been working for you, and what you might gravitate away from. 

Then there are a few questions that you need to find answers to. The first question is that looking ahead, how might my lifestyle be different after the pandemic? What expectations for my future do I need to let go of? What options are available for me in the short term and what is my vision for the long term? Who are the people I want to be a significant part of my life going forward? How am I going to foster those relationships? Does my plan for the future give voice to something important to me? What experiments could I add to my life now or in the longer term? What practices do I follow in my daily life to foster self-fulfillment? Let go of your stories, add your dreams, and keep exploring 

To conclude, we need to remove two delusions. First that we have countless times ahead of us and second is that we can’t change our course. These delusions create complacency. Removing these delusions, will wake us up and inspire us to live more wisely. The past couple of years has left us with a deficit of our pleasant experiences and quality of life. When we picture a post-Covid world, we imagine having our old lives back. But we can actually go a step further and make up for the missed experiences, turning the deficit into a surplus. If Covid has given us anything, it’s a rare chance for a reset. Let’s take it. So it goes in our homes, workplaces, places of worship, and schools. Life will proceed. It won’t be the same. But if we pause, listen, and embrace the change and, yes, the opportunity posed by COVID-19, perhaps our world will be a bit better place. 

 

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Searches and Researches

 

Most of us are searching about the Ukraine war and the International political Deadlock around it on Google. Overnight we have a great number of experts predicting the future of conflict. Those inclined to actively monitor the market trends due to exposure to the stock markets are either are busy covering the losses or those with killer attitudes are in buying mode. Those here in the US are searching the thread comparing a hypothetical republican response versus the current democrat one. Some are also searching for past glory for the US in the International arena. Back home those famous for their anti-incumbent stance are searching points to accuse the Indian Government of doing nothing for Ukraine. Some are searching historical facts before world wars to predict if there is going to be another world war. Those inclined in domestic affairs are searching for data to predict the outcome of elections in UP, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand, and Manipur. UP polls decide the trend in National Politics.  Those opposing the incumbents are searching for numbers to claim a decline in the fortunes of the state which seems to have got a handle on organized crime. Punjab is searching for answers on the agrarian and social front. Goa politics is searching for stability, employment, and an end to corruption in mining and casinos. Uttarakhand searches for answers for environmentally sustainable development and employment amidst political race inside and between the parties. Manipur searches for answers to insurgency and political instability.  Those interested in State of Politics in the states like Maharashtra and Karnataka are searching for answers to terror link of Ministers, unbelievable levels of corruption, unnecessary rows over religious symbolism. Bollywood is searching for a winning formula to compete against South and Hollywood cinema. Indian Cricket searches for answers to win ICC Silverware and continue overseas domination in tests under new management. Finally, we are all still in the search for answers posed by Pandemic to return to normalcy without facing another wave. In 2022 we have searched for everything. Things seem to be gloomy for mankind with the threat of a pandemic, world war, politics, and economic impact of all these events happening.  On top of that, People are being fed with needless controversies and issues by mainstream and social media covering all this. And most importantly the threat of Climate change has posed more threatening questions to the future of Mankind.  

But then someone shared new data which can make things look different. Data says the year 2022 is shaping up to be a remarkable year in science and technology and we are just 50 days into it. Nuclear fusion saw another major breakthrough… a ‘huge step’ in the quest for clean energy. A woman was cured of HIV through a breakthrough stem cell treatment. MIT engineers created an ‘impossible’ new material… stronger than steel but as light as plastic. An international team of scientists used supercomputers to unlock a ‘giant leap’ in the fight against antibiotic resistance. A new ‘game-changing’ carbon capture technology could deliver a step-change in our ability to remove carbon dioxide from the air. Researchers set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest-ever DNA sequencing technique… using it to sequence a human genome in just 5 hours and 2 minutes. A new breakthrough in spinal cord implants ‘could potentially allow paralyzed people to walk again.  A ground-breaking new technology regrew a frog’s lost leg… and it might work on humans too. Surgeons completed the first-ever heart transplant with a genetically-modified animal heart… saving the life of a 57-year-old and taking a big step towards helping solve the global donor organ shortage.  The biodegradable surgical tape has been invented… making some intestinal fixes as easy as ‘duct tape around leaky pipes. James Webb, the awe-inspiring $10 billion space telescope 25 years in the making, took its first images… a huge scientific milestone. An autonomous drone carrying a defibrillator saved the life of a 71-year-old having a heart attack… a first in medical history. Researchers in Sweden found a promising way to use solar power to convert carbon dioxide into fuel… using ultra-fast laser spectroscopy. The first controlled study of caloric restriction in humans is published, confirming the benefits and identifying a key protein that could be harnessed to extend health in humans. The largest and most accurate computer simulation to date of the local Universe from the Big Bang till the present is presented. OpenAlex, a free online index of over 200 million scientific documents – each with metadata such as sources, citationsauthor information, and research topics – is launched. The API and open source website can be used for metasciencescientometrics, and novel tools that query this semantic web of papers. The world is far from perfect, but we shouldn’t forget that never before have we had so many people whose sole purpose of work is to better understand how the world works!  Though they might have spent years and years to achieve success, it is simply coincidental that they achieved success this calendar year. This is another reason to present this collection of these research accomplishments against the gloomy searches for our worldly answers. 

 

Though we cannot predict what will happen in the next ten months of 22, as numerous researchers are working towards breakthroughs spending the day in and day out for the last many years. But, we have a few events planned. In March, The Large Hadron Collider is planned to recommence full operations.  In June there is a planned launch of ESA's JUICE spacecraft, which will explore Jupiter and its large ice-covered moons after a seven-year transit. In August, NASA's Psyche Aircraft will be launched towards an asteroid. In SeptemberESA's EXOMars rover Rosalind Franklin will be launched to Mars. ISRO plans to launch the Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission in the third quarter of 2022  

 

We can hope against hope that despite all its follies and self-destructive streaks human mind has the capability to research the universe and find answers to human problems.  

 

 

Sunday, April 10, 2022

Oracle of the Valentine Nation

 

This is that time of year when all the Oracles of the World advise us on how not to get carried away by the festivities surrounding the commercial crass exhibition of the most sacrosanct feeling of love towards another human being of opposite or same-sex( to be politically correct ). This exhibition is popularly known as the festival of Valentine’s Day. The air is transformed. The mood is changed. Uncle scrooges start splurging on esoteric gifts for their Valentines. Marketeers put their hats in the gold rush to catch the last penny of the loosened purse strings. After an eventful January with rising inflation in the US and amidst the concerns of World War in the eastern bloc, we saw the dawn of Feb. We were bombarded with adverts of events, offers around the festivities marked for Feb 14. The budget session in India was drowned in the political cacophony of elections in major states. The political slugfest in Maharashtra sunk to its new depths of ignominy. We all were looking forward to Feb 14th.  But the cruel calendar of 2022 resulted in a 50% drop for all Valentine markets. Monday is a very cruel day even if it is Valentine's Day.  All my plans were dropped and my destiny led me to the tryst with one of such Oracles of the World I dread. I had a conversation with this Gentleman during the course of which he shared his gems of wisdom covering every aspect of current issues surrounding the Valentine Nation on this Feb14th.  

This gentleman always starts with the Zeroth law of an issue. “Why there should be a single day of love? It should be perpetual? This was the five hundred and sixty-ninth time I have heard this argument in my life. The only solace was that 569 is a prime number.  

This gentleman is driven by History. “I can tell you that at the root of our modern holiday is a beautiful fiction. St. Valentine was no lover or patron of love. Valentine’s Day, in fact, originated as a liturgical feast to celebrate the decapitation of a third-century Christian martyr, or perhaps two. So, how did we get from beheading to betrothing on Valentine’s Day?’  Then he put me across history class comprising of Early Origins of St. Valentine, about the martyr's names St Valentine and how they were not romantic, medieval legends,  some pagan origins, Chaucer and his Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare’s lovestruck Ophelia speaking of herself as Hamlet’s Valentine. Englishmen and women began using Feb. 14 as an excuse to pen verses to their love objects. Industrialization made it easier with mass-produced illustrated cards adorned with smarmy poetry. Then along came Cadbury, Hershey’s, and other chocolate manufacturers marketing sweets for one’s sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.  Hush!  I simply didn’t want to take more.   

 This gentleman is a reformer he wants to change everything. “If at all you want to celebrate a day of love, why not celebrate like thanksgiving or memorial day when a specific weekend is designated for people to celebrate instead of a Calendar day?  How can I convince him that any change takes time and this request is last on the waiting list of changes desired? People have been asking to do away with that dreadful clock adjustment for the daylight in the western hemisphere for many years.  

This gentleman is a champion of Individual freedom. “Why should I succumb to the peer pressure and gift away my fortune on a Valentine Gift or spend the irrational amount of money to dine at overrated, poorly decorated, and crowded venues?”  I wanted to point him out with the conviction of Copernicus or Socrates that he always had that choice so why does he have to make this as a cause of unrest?  

This gentleman believes in the liberal welfare state. “Government should sponsor events where you can meet your prospective Valentine at subsidized rates. The government also should invest in technologies where one can do live matchmaking. This will not leave any Individual not having any Valentine and without any celebration.”  Government has no business to do business but should heavily play cupid to the loveless souls. I just imagine party manifestoes written in India. There will be primetime Debates about the pros and cons of Government policies around Valentine as well as debates between the Custodians of Culture versus Romeo-Juliet’s of the world. Every bit of politics around valentine nation will generate tons of bytes of information. This will lead to employment for many journalists, social media influencers, and media professionals. Both the events and debates further lead to money circulating in the economy and lead to economic recovery after the Covid recession.  In short, the Spirit of togetherness will take on the pandemic marked by social distancing and isolation.  

This gentleman is an apostle of peace and love. “Imagine if Government of Russia sat with Ukrainian Government during a Valentine event where most eligible bachelors and spinsters across both countries met. They should discuss a plan to deescalate tension, understand and resolve issues without a war. What if the principal of the Karnataka School lovingly explains to the conflicting individuals fighting for their rights to wear their dress of choice just share the photos of events happening in schools in past years where every person was wearing the uniform as a rule?  Also, imagine if the students sensibly and lovingly agreed to this simple rule without complicating through needless politics.”  ‘What if we had a valentine event in the Parliament and Vidhansabha where politicians across the parties lovingly understood the opposite party and discussed the issues and resolve them?   In short, he believes in Utopian Valentine Diplomacy and Politics.  

Finally, this gentleman ended with the definition of Love. “Love is the justification of infatuation when you are in teens and after that it’s just a matter of convenience.  But at the end of the day, if someone somewhere misses you, it's just the cause worth dying for”. And indeed it is.  

 

 

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Building Blocks of the New Digital World.

 

Sometimes, India leads the way in the digital World even in comparison to many first-world countries. There are numerous examples: Digital thrust for Covid Vaccination and certification, cost-effective outreach of digital payments, advanced Internet banking features. Another issue was addressed in this Budget which was not as discussed as the political speeches surrounding the election-charged atmosphere. Budget also had a focus on infrastructure and did not alter taxation giving a feeling that the government had given nothing to taxpayers. On the bright side despite the welfare policies like Grain support and free vaccinations during pandemic, there was nothing taken away from taxpayers.  

But another announcement to tax cryptocurrency income, making India the latest major country to move towards legalizing and regulating the digital asset, really acknowledges new building blocks of the new digital world. At the same time, the country will roll out its own blockchain-based currency, a digital rupee controlled by the Indian central bank, before April 2023.   Earlier Indian Government had criticized cryptocurrencies and proposed that digital coins not controlled by the government — which are all of them — should be banned. 

Now, in declaring a 30 percent flat tax on income from trading cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens, India joins the likes of the United States, Germany, and many other countries that have given their citizens the green light to trade the digital coins, which has captivated many Indians. It will also join China as one of the few countries to experiment with its own digital coin. In 2021, India’s largest cryptocurrency trading platform, WazirX, hit 10 million users trading $43 billion worth of cryptocurrency, according to the company. There is a phenomenal increase in transactions in virtual digital assets. But this budget recognition is a clear step taken now to make further digital thrust harnessing blockchain technology. This technology, which is the building block of what they term as web3.0, can raise new possibilities in the digital era.  

Just to explain, Blockchain is distributed Information store with strong protections against data alterations and a strong control on how information is added. Each block or store points back to the previous block, that’s why it’s called Blockchain. Once Block is closed and jumbled it is immutable. In a typical proof of work Blockchain, some nodes collect data into blocks, create a hash of that data then search for data values to meet certain condition. When this condition is met the block can be added to Blockchain. Cryptocurrency is the prominent use case of Blockchain technology. EU has backed the IOTA foundation a transnational Blockchain to drive economic development. Blockchain can also be used for asset tracking and ownership information. Global business shipping network launched a blockchain to track shipping containers worldwide. Non Fungible tokens these days are used even by 12 years old users who have created great wealth. non-fungible token (NFT) is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded. Because each token is uniquely identifiable, NFTs differ from blockchain cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin. But Blockchain hand in hand with IoT will open new possibilities.  The concept of the IoT involves the power of the internet to connect every imaginable device, machine, or structural component. Blockchain can be used for proof of authenticity. Academic research papers have predicted that even quantum computers won’t break the Bitcoin proof of work encryption anytime soon. Bitcoin is one of the leading cryptocurrencies. Google has set Blockchain unit. Sequoia Capital in India has invested$450 M in Polygon in India.  Softbank’s Drivewealth has taken on Coinbase for Cryptocurrency trading. Polychain and layer2 services continue to grow.  

But Indian Government should also consider the downsides of Blockchain Technology as of now.  On its flip side cryptocurrencies could facilitate money laundering and terrorism financing. Transparency of data and linked transactions are both strength and a weakness. Private Blockchains violate the original design goal of requiring a multiplicity of users to form a consensus before agreeing to transactions. They are by definition monoculture. There is also a question mark on post-quantum crypto security. Also newer, much less power-hungry, higher performance proof of stake consensus algorithms to replace proof of work is untested in the real world. A consensus algorithm is a procedure through which all the peers of the Blockchain network reach a common agreement about the present state of the distributed ledger. In this way, consensus algorithms achieve reliability in the Blockchain network and establish trust between unknown peers in a distributed computing environment. DeFi thefts crossed$10 Billion. Wormhole hack resulted in losses of $320M. Technology still is not user-friendly as found by an investor who accidentally burnt half a Million dollars sending Etherium to a convertor contract twice. 

Blockchain offers new possibilities like Decentralized Autonomous Organizations which are represented by rules encoded as a transparent computer program, controlled by the organization members. As the rules are embedded into the code, no managers are needed, thus removing any bureaucracy or hierarchy hurdles. Today, the explosion of Decentralized Finance (DeFi) during 2020, has led to a rise in renewed interest in DAOs. DAO’s financial transactions and rules are recorded on a blockchain. This eliminates the need to involve a third party in a financial transaction, simplifying those transactions through smart contracts. Another possibility is the government using Blockchain for Identity Proof as well as streamlining voting. Blockchain technology as well offers technology for other distributed applications by repurposing smart contract APIs for various uses in IoT, Cloud. One major factor that remains unresolved is who will bear the cost of computation, storage, and bandwidth. 

So as a matured digital economy we need to handle this bleeding-edge technology with care and we as a country have an opportunity to lead the way in a balanced manner.  We caught up with other countries on the digital penetration and the web enabled transformations. As we grew our digital infrastructure, we already have an edge over them in web2.0. Let’s hope we excel in web3 as well.