John Scalzi, a veteran blogger, reminded us that even as we deal with the demise of the social media web, we should make a special effort to link to other bloggers and their work. So, today’s reading list constitutes all the good stuff I have read on other blogs. The Buy and Hold … | Continue reading
Even though we like to blame the shortening length of music tracks on TikTok, the fact is that songs have been getting shorter ever since we started to live on the Internet. Just as written content went from being longer to more ephemeral tweets, the same has happened with music, … | Continue reading
I returned from a quick trip to London on the day of Thanksgiving, thus missing the bonhomie of the weekend. While I did miss the slices of pie, it was good to spend the time watching The Silence of Water on PBS Masterpiece (via Amazon Prime.) The Italian crime show is beautiful … | Continue reading
A few months ago, news broke of an insider trading ring at Coinbase, one of the many crypto exchanges hoping to make the world of magical Internet money easy for normals. SEC and other authorities acted swiftly and nailed down the perpetrators; their ill-gotten gains were around … | Continue reading
No matter how often this happens, we don’t learn our lessons — we continue to till other people’s proverbial land and keep using their social spaces. Whether it is Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Medium, we get trapped in the big platforms because they dangle the one big carrot … | Continue reading
If you pay enough attention to the present, you can see the future. You can learn, adapt, and prepare for a world reshaped by science and technology. This newsletter focuses on our Present Future - on what is possible within our lifetimes.(om.co) | Continue reading
I crave these moments of stillness. I occasionally find myself in the right place with the right camera and capture the moment precisely the way I feel it. Of course, it takes a bit of an effort to get rid of the distracting color I hope you are having a great day, where ever … | Continue reading
Ever since the FTX story broke, I have had two recurring thoug. This energy companyrace reminds me of Enron, the energy company that wanted to make markets in everything — especially in gullibility. I wrote about their remarkable similarities in my piece for The Spectator, which … | Continue reading
Good morning my friends over here! Earlier this morning, I got a message from another friend that someone was imitating me on IG by stealing my photos. I sadly had to go there and report the account. It was one of my first visits to IG since I quit the service in 2020. And the … | Continue reading
“I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, ‘go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.” Lewis Carroll Today is the first day of November. We have off … | Continue reading
Every year at its annual launch fest, the Adobe Max, Adobe announces enhancements to its flagship software products. I keep an eye on photography-related offerings — Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. This year’s product enhancements tapped into Adobe’s “artificial intelligence … | Continue reading
The popular narrative these days is that AI (aka artificial intelligence) is evil and will end the human race. To paraphrase a roman leader, the only thing to fear is the fear itself. As I have said before (on multiple occasions), AI will be a necessary co-pilot in our increasing … | Continue reading
When I see a landscape, all I see is a dreamscape. And that is when I know it is time for me to press the shutter. Here is a vintage photo from 2019, when I last visited Utah. I hope to go back soon. This is reimagined with a new preset I recently developed with … | Continue reading
Delivery startups don’t deliver — that is the gist of the big feature story on GoPuff, a delivery service that started selling hookahs and other smoking paraphernalia in Philadelphia. The company is the latest in what seems to be a long line of money-losing attempts at instant (o … | Continue reading
I am reminded daily that the Internet and online media can be awful places. Today, the reminder came in the form of reactions to the election of form Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, as the British Prime Minister. Whether these are bots doing the bidding of some hidden p … | Continue reading
When Apple announced that it now has 100 million songs on its music streaming platform, it started a conversation. Bruce Houghton, founder of Hypebot puts the conversation to the rest with his estimates: With just over 100,000 songs being uploaded every day, the totdaily, this n … | Continue reading
As a Lana Del Ray fan, I sometimes keep up with the news about her. Today, a news alert popped up — a laptop, three video cameras, and hard drives were stolen from her car. The computer has her book manuscript, and music and videos are on those drives. The singer took to Instagra … | Continue reading
I have been busy researching two long pieces, which have my mind going in many directions. I need to calm down and start writing. But up until then, enjoy these random bits I have accumulated on my blotter. They are bits of data, quotable quotes, and stuff worth reading. And just … | Continue reading
It has been a minute since I shared new photographs. I was traveling to India, and when I returned, I got an infection that rendered me useless for a few days. Now that I am back in the saddle, I w...(om.co) | Continue reading
It has been a minute since I shared new photographs. I was traveling to India, and when I returned, I got an infection that rendered me useless for a few days. Now that I am back in the saddle, I wanted to share some photos. I had a tough time finding things to capture in … | Continue reading
Facebook is shutting down Bulletin, its newsletter subscription service, and it will wind down by the end of 2023. This is terrible news for idiots who keep falling for false promises of Facebook, Google, and every large platform that lures than with traffic and large audiences. … | Continue reading
I was traveling when Apple launched the new iPhone 14 series. For once, I had no desire to upgrade from my 13 Pro — only a year old. It is a great little device and does pretty much everything I need it to do. However, being the camera nerd I am, I couldn’t resist. The … | Continue reading
Even though I promised I would blog every day, the new month isn’t off to such a good start. In what can be a coincidence, while on my way back from India, I caught some kind of cold-cough infection, most likely on the plane or at the airport. When I got back to San Francisco, … | Continue reading
Hello Friends It has been a while since I sat down and wrote one of these personal updates— the last one was when summer was like a cat about to stretch itself. And here we are in Autumn, the season of color and cool air. A time when baseball has become a bit more urgent. … | Continue reading
This morning, Musubi, a small Singapore-based notebook maker, published a note informing its customers about the end of the road for Cosmo Air, a type of paper popular with aficionados of fountain pens. I am one of those, who revels in the sound, feel, and sensation of a beautifu … | Continue reading
Christian Heilmann is an astute observer of the web and its evolution, so I pay attention. I have followed his blog for many years. I found myself nodding my head when reading this piece. The whole piece is worth a read. (link below). The web we have these days is in a sorry stat … | Continue reading
China’s new rule: if your car uses sensors to map the environment, you must apply for government permit (link). Car sensors are now so good and ubiquitous they’re viewed as security threats. ‘The statement is a clarification of China‘s surveying and mapping law and reflects regul … | Continue reading
Facebook doesn’t understand why it is losing to TikTok and keeps copying them, but it is not working. And in doing so, it has changed Instagram so much that even the most loyal users are giving up. Essentially, it comes down to a major shift in user behaviors, away from followin … | Continue reading
There are no rules to blogging except this one: always self-host your website because your URL, your own private domain, is the most valuable thing you can own. Your career will thank you for it later and no-one can take it away.(om.co) | Continue reading
There are no rules to blogging except this one: always self-host your website because your URL, your own private domain, is the most valuable thing you can own. Your career will thank you for it later and no-one can take it away. But don’t wait up for success to come, it’s going … | Continue reading
A day before the likely launch of Apple’s new line-up of products — iPhone 14 models and new Apple Watch models — is not the best time to share my thoughts about a product launched at the previous Apple event. But then, I am not doing a paint-by-numbers review. Nor am I a reviewe … | Continue reading
Labor Day Weekend is here! And it also means the end of what the locals call, Fogust. This is the official start of our version of summer, and it is called Indian Summer, though it is nothing like an “Indian summer.” This weekend and the coming week, the temperatures across the B … | Continue reading
As part of writing a review, I have been using Apple’s 2022 version of the 13-inch MacBook Air. I am not the first one to say it — many others have said before — it is a great device. It is a great testimonial of Apple’s hardware excellence and knowledge crammed into this thin s … | Continue reading
One of the first & best lessons you get as a young business reporter: follow the money. I have never forgotten that. It is a handy lens – you can zoom in or out when trying to understand something. (1) Using that approach, I looked at Apple’s recent moves. Especially around adver … | Continue reading
Should we drop “social” from social media? There is nothing social about this social media. And most of these platforms are essentially networked information distribution systems, and more and more of that information is just noise or disinformation. And humans aren’t helping eit … | Continue reading
The winds of the Future wait At the iron walls of her Gate, And the western ocean breaks in thunder, And the western stars go slowly under, And her gaze is ever West In the dream of her young unrest. Her sea is a voice that calls, And her star a voice above, And her … | Continue reading
Every so often, when I read what passes as news on the internet, I find myself triggered. Whether it is the choice of what to write about, or the news itself, I am gobsmacked by the sheer stupidity that envelopes us. To be fair, stupidity and poor news judgment have always been w … | Continue reading
August 15th is Independence Day of India. I was born and raised in India, and nine years ago, I became an American citizen. As a result, I am fortunate to celebrate the birthdays of two countries, both former colonies of Great Britain. Today also happens to be the 75th anniversar … | Continue reading
I recently read a story about an airline worker being arrested for stealing thousands of dollars worth of goods from luggage at the airport. He got nabbed, thanks to Apple’s low-key tracker devices, AirTags. The very same AirTags have been the subject of stories (and inquiries) i … | Continue reading
No matter where you look, the technology industry — from stalwarts to startups — is going through a reset. And that has led many companies to lay off people, cut costs and pare back their ambitions. For so many of our startup founders, this is a new experience — a whole generatio … | Continue reading
A week ago, when I sent this text message, little did I know that this would be the last text message I would ever send to someone who has been a constant in my life for around two decades. I knew his family was away in India, so he might be flying solo. And would … | Continue reading
Little did I know that this photo would start a journey to find a creative visual identity. Unsurprisingly, it was in Japan, just off the shore of Naoshima’s famous art island. The photo below is a companion photo. Both photos were made with a Leica Q — which quickly lost relevan … | Continue reading
Beyoncé has a new album, Renaissance. You might have heard it. Or you might have heard about it. It is the summer musical event, and that has everyone in a tizzy. Reviewers are gushing. Social media is lit with euphemisms from fans. And why not? The Economist notes: Beyoncé Knowl … | Continue reading
It is the middle of the night or the start of a new day — I don’t quite know. I feel suspended upside down in a vacuum—a throbbing ache in my heart, wrapped in deep sadness and an overwhelming sense of loss. I have laid awake– remembering, rewinding, and playing back the tape of … | Continue reading
On a rare windless late-night drive along one of the fjords in Iceland’s Westfjords, moody cloud cover and near-perfect reflections were great ingredients for a monochromatic landscape vista. Made with Lecia M11 using Leica 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M. ISO 800. Shutter speed 1/90th of a … | Continue reading
This is my occasional newsletter published on July 31, 2022. Hello everyone, Since it has been a minute, I thought it would be good to send you a quick update. You have not heard from me because I didn’t have much to say. When I was not working, I spent my time visiting family, … | Continue reading
The Verge reports on the internal challenges at Meta nee Facebook and how company is trying to deal with it. Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Meta has painted Apple as enemy number one. I mean, why not. A slight change has lopped off billions in revenue and market capitali … | Continue reading
The Internet has been abuzz following a post by Kylie Jenner, an influencer famous for being the sake of being a famous person. On Instagram, where 360 million Instagram accounts follow her, she said Instagram must stop trying to copy TikTok and remain Instagram so she can see cu … | Continue reading