Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks are two of my favorite places in America, especially in winter. I tend to avoid them during the summer and even the fall. As someone who adores the minimalism of winter, I eagerly anticipate returning there with all my camera gear. Howev … | Continue reading
We need someone to contextualize this transition in a way that is less self-serving, less dystopian, filled with empathy, and most importantly — human. | Continue reading
Every morning is a chance to enjoy the beauty of natural gradients in the sky – a silent dance of colors during sunrise and sunset. An enchantment of celestial hues. | Continue reading
After being away for a few weeks, I finally caught up on Apple’s keynote event for the launch of the iPhone 15 series. I suspect I didn’t miss much. They followed a script that blends style and rhythm that some might deem formulaic. There were parts that were slightly awkward, pe … | Continue reading
Transitioning from traditional tools to cutting-edge AI technologies, my new workflow unveils how ChatGPT and modern AI tools will change personal workflow & boost personal productivity. | Continue reading
In a world perpetually online, I found solace in Arctic silences. Bookended by sleepless nights and jet lag, my journey led me to question: What truly matters when we unplug? Beyond the glare of screens, between journal entries, I rediscovered forgotten joys and the insignificanc … | Continue reading
Over the years, I've shown unwavering loyalty to various products and companies, championing them based on personal experiences that attested to their value. However, that loyalty is not reciprocated. Platforms like Pocket, which I've used religiously, are altering and, to a larg … | Continue reading
I’ve wanted to rekindle my love for using the iPhone as a camera, so for the past month, I’ve left my traditional camera at home. Using the iPhone as my primary camera has been refreshing, reminiscent of reconnecting with an old friend who has matured and become wiser. Here are a … | Continue reading
It has been a few months since Mark Zuckerberg & Co. decided to launch a direct attack on Elon Musk and the anti-social network formerly known as Twitter. Threads, which was bootstrapped off Instagram’s social graph, became one of the fastest-growing consumer Internet services, t … | Continue reading
So you think you know everything about electricity? Are you sure? Let’s find out. “A problem becomes a crisis when it challenges our ability to cope and thus threatens our identity. In the polycrisis the shocks are disparate, but they interact so that the whole is even more over … | Continue reading
The history of the server industry serves as a reminder that when scale, affordability, and connectivity converge, they can disrupt the established order. We've seen this with mobile phones, media, and taxi services. And it is gradually unfolding in the camera business. | Continue reading
“I subscribe to so many Substacks, and I read zero of them,” quipped Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley on one of his social accounts (I honestly can’t recall which one). This perfectly encapsulates the issue with the newsletter ecosystem. Email newsletters were intended to add … | Continue reading
As a kid, I never imagined a day when an Indian spaceship would land on the moon. The most I dreamed of was an Indian as part of the crew of Star Trek. India landed an unmanned spacecraft and a robot in the South Pole region of the moon. It is literally the dark side … | Continue reading
A cyber attack takes down important telescopes/Science.org Large media outlets (insert any name) are always keen to lament the changing direction of society away from science and the scientific method. Yet, the same media establishment seems uninterested in covering a story with … | Continue reading
The technology press is once again in an uproar over half-truths and incendiary comments by Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter. He indicated that he’s going to remove the “block” feature from Twitter (formerly known as X) and instead will force users to opt for “mute.” The bigger qu … | Continue reading
In 2020, around this time, I noticed that a pair of seagulls had made a nest in our apartment complex and were spending time in the communal pool. And they had a baby — who hung out around the small fountain in front of our building. I shared this story with the readers — those w … | Continue reading
A decade ago, I became an American citizen. While years have flown by, what hasn’t changed is my joy of living in this country. Every single day, I am grateful for the privilege. Every day I appreciate the gift that is to be American. In a British television show, The Hour’s prot … | Continue reading
Sean Gourley, a good friend of mine, once told me that the best approach to information is not that different from fast food: if it takes longer to eat than it takes to create, then it is not worth it. I was reminded of that during my recent break from writing and abstaining (as … | Continue reading
“The number of foggy days over the city is never reported, reportedly. But take it from me— there’s enough to satisfy everyone, and dissatisfy somebody.”— Herb Caen One of San Francisco’s great joys is that while the rest of the country (and most of the world) is baking, we are o … | Continue reading
These are dangerous days. To say what you feel is to dig your own grave. Sinead O'Connor/Black Boys on Mopeds Maybe it the general state of the world (as viewed through the lens of news and social media) made me feel a little less hopeful this morning. Maybe it is a realization t … | Continue reading
When you pay billions to buy something, you can do anything with it, including self-mutilation and brand destruction. It doesn’t mean you entirely understand it or can bend it to your will without breaking it. I fear that we are at a point of complete value destruction of Twitter … | Continue reading
It is turning out to be a summer of the Internet’s existential crisis, thanks to the rapid growth of Generative AI (artificial intelligence) systems. An information (and disinformation) tsunami not only threatens to upend the Internet information order, but it also poses a threat … | Continue reading
Batteries and transmission are in direct competition. Both enable electricity arbitrage – the profitable repricing of a resource by matching different levels of supply and demand. Transmission moves power through space (technically null space, at the speed of light) and batteries … | Continue reading
The pompous posturing of a space cowboy and his desire to understand the universe by starting a data-harvesting AI company, X.ai, I was reminded of this verse from Rumi: “Everything in the universe is within you. Ask all from yourself.” To understand ourselves, we have to embrace … | Continue reading
Facebook/Meta launched Threads, a Twitter competitor, last week. Mark Zuckerberg says 100 million people have signed up for the new social platform. Yes, I am one of them, in case you were wondering. My approach to social media is simple: controlled consumption. As on other platf … | Continue reading
Sometimes, Summer is not summer. At least in San Francisco, when the fog rolls in, winds kick off, and you feel as if you are in the middle of the winter. And it feels a tad worse when you are near the city’s top, the iconic Sutro Tower. The tower — about 977 feet in … | Continue reading
When the calendar turned to July, I decided to take a moment to check out the most-read articles on my website. Not surprisingly, they mimic the year so far in technology. Even before Facebook launched Threads, its show across the bow of Twitter, we have had an eventful year wit … | Continue reading
Over eight years ago, I was visiting Italy — Perugia, Umbria to be precise — for a journalism conference. Michael Williams, a menswear blogger and a good friend, saw one of my photos on Instagram and pinged me about Brunello Cucinelli, the founder of the luxury cashmere empire. M … | Continue reading
As an immigrant, you are blessed with the opportunity to celebrate “independence day” twice. In my case, I get to celebrate the independence day of the country of my birth and the independence day of the country that is my home. Happy July 4th to all my American friends. And for … | Continue reading
There must be something to this whole notion that “time flies!” I distinctly remember writing a short essay about the incredible adaptability of the Ethernet, the technology protocol, on the 31st birthday of the technology that came from Bob Metcalfe’s work at Xerox PARC in the e … | Continue reading
Occasionally, I come across reports about the environmental impact of the Internet and cloud services. While most reports make theoretical assertions, a new research report offers quantifiable data on the environmental impact of the Internet across Europe. I have highlighted what … | Continue reading
An interesting Twitter thread offers a sobering counter-narrative to the hype around “AI” applications. It is sobering because the media headlines are either dominated by “fear and loathing for AI” or full of hype around apps that are overnight sensations. For example, Lensa, a p … | Continue reading
We went from drive-in theaters to indoor theaters to multiplexes. And that is a good arc to follow to understand where we are going. The driving forces of change in the movie experience have been the human desire for comfort and convenience. The same forces have pushed us from VH … | Continue reading
It has been quite some time since I picked a camera and went out to take some photos. In fact, since coming back from New York, I have barely touched my camera. I wasn’t inspired, and as a result, I stopped making an effort to go out and capture whatever my eyes saw. I stopped … | Continue reading
A friend recommended Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 3-part docuseries on Netflix a few days ago. And I did. The series focused on Arnie and his life in a way that portrayed him as a hero. I got that feeling as well. I almost believed what I saw. It turns out it is an infomercial at best … | Continue reading
There are shades of Digg disaster in Reddit’s current woes. Social media companies often are run by people who don’t understand that community has a will of its own. Harness it, and you win. Mess with it, and you end up like MySpace and Digg. Good piece. The article echoes some o … | Continue reading
Whenever you read a piece about OpenAI, ChatGPT, or ChatBots, the common refrain is that it is a massive manifestation of the concept of garbage-in-garbage-out. “One of the most important traits that a system can have is that one can reason about that system in a consistent and p … | Continue reading
“Obviously Elon can afford to pay Twitter’s bills: it’s couch cushion money for him. So he must have a reason for not doing so, which of course he’s not sharing.” Puck’s William Cohan asks the question that is on the mind of many: why is Elon Musk not paying his bills? He owes re … | Continue reading
Over the past few months, I have experimented with various generative AI and AI technologies, protocols, and platforms. One application that has caught my attention is MacWhisper, developed by independent developer Jordi Bruin. MacWhisper utilizes OpenAI’s Whisper technology for … | Continue reading
US and China might be in a bitter chip (and cold) war, but don’t tell that to Nvidia. The company is (or was) selling a shit ton of GPUs to Bytedance and Alibaba. Bytedance has ordered a billion dollars worth of GPUs and according to rumors, has so far “received a total of 100,00 … | Continue reading
Average June temperatures are already higher than they have been in decades. You can get the data about our ongoing climate catastrophe at The New York Times. June 16, 2023, San Francisco | Continue reading
“The US pay-TV industry lost a record 2.31 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2023,” Lightreading reports, pointing to a report from MoffettNathanson. “For Cable in particular, video is increasingly viewed to be lost cause,” noted MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett. … | Continue reading
What would that day look like if all 8 billion humans and their 190 billion hours in a day were to be viewed as a single person with 24 hours in a day? That is a question a research team from McGill University decided to answer, and they did so by looking at time usage … | Continue reading
Cormac McCarthy, one of the great American writers, died this past week. Longreads aggregated some of the best writing by and about him. All of the pieces they recommend are worth reading. A photographer friend notes that McCarthy’s road to success wasn’t as straight or instant. … | Continue reading
Reddit is going dark. In a big way! The community that makes up the platform is protesting against the company’s decision to impose draconian pricing for access to its application programming interface, aka API. The pricing is so exorbitant that it will kill third-party apps that … | Continue reading
Being a fan of all things mechanical and analog, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I immensely appreciate watches. I particularly appreciate the work of Grand Seiko watchmakers. I have struggled to embrace the Apple Watch fully, as I like wearing my beloved Grand Seiko. None of … | Continue reading
Marc Weidenbaum chronicles The Rise and Rise of Voice AI. Talking about AI, fans are trying to keep slain rapper Moosewala’s voice alive. This is a creative conundrum for the future, and we will see more of this. Before there was iPhone, there was Blackberry & before Crackberry … | Continue reading
I have been in Silicon Valley long enough to see it transform from a group of outlier revolutionaries to play-safe career chasers. Recently, I have watched arrivistes who, if not in technology, would be running a penny stock brokerage based somewhere in Long Island or producing B … | Continue reading