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Yearly Archives: 2019
Social media and science communication
The following article was originally intended for an Indian publication but I withdrew from the commission because I couldn’t rework the piece according to changes they required, mostly for lack of focus. I thank Karnika Kohli and Shruti Muralidhar for … Continue reading
Ending 2019
This blog achieved multiple minor but personally enjoyable milestones in 2019: It was read by people in 143 counties, the highest in a single year since 2008 (when I started blogging) It was the second busiest year by traffic (after … Continue reading
Posted in Life notes
Tagged blogging, bounce back, happiness, heterodoxy, populism, productivity, writing habit
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Retrospective: The Wire Science in 2019
At the start of 2019, The Wire Science decided to focus more on issues of science and society, and this is reflected in the year-end list of our best stories (in terms of traffic and engagement; listed below). Most of our … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Scicomm, Science
Tagged democracy, Dinamalar, history of science, independent journalism, Indian Express, Mongabay, nationalism, Philosophy of Science, R&D, science communication, science journalism, social science, sociology of science, The Hindu, The Print, The Wire
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The rationalists’ eclipse
The annular solar eclipse over South India on December 26 provided sufficient cause for casual and/or inchoate rationalism to make a rare public appearance – rarer than the average person who had decided to stay indoors for the duration of … Continue reading
A personal manifesto
Many people who are unsure of how their work can help put out the various (figurative) fires ravaging the country at the moment often quickly conclude that purpose is best found at the frontlines of this battle. The common trap … Continue reading
Posted in Life notes
Tagged anti-CAA protests, authoritarianism, Boris Johnson, Constitution of India, Donald Trump, fascism, Jair Bolsonaro, majoritarianism, make good art, Narendra Modi, National Registry of Citizens, Neil Gaiman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rodrigo Duterte, Vladimir Putin
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My country is burning. Why should I work?
A few days ago, I found asking myself the following question: My country is burning, why should I work? I ended up with some (admittedly inchoate) thoughts, delineated below. I’m trying to fight off this abject helplessness I’m feeling and … Continue reading
The Star Wars dynasty
The latest ‘Star Wars’ movie, The Rise of Skywalker, is worth a watch if you’re a committed fan interested in staying up to date with the franchise. Otherwise, all you’re missing is a movie unsure of what it’s supposed to … Continue reading
Posted in Culture
Tagged Ben Solo, dynasticism, dynasty politics, Emperor Palpatine, Jedi, Kylo Ren, Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Rahul Gandhu, Rey, Sonia Gandhi, Star Wars, The Rise of Skywalker
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Poor Sanskrit
‘BJP MP Says Speaking Sanskrit Beats Diabetes, Boosts Nervous System’, The Wire, December 13, 2019: In a debate in the Lok Sabha on December 12 about the Sanskrit University Bill, Ganesh Singh, the BJP MP from Satna, Madhya Pradesh, cited … Continue reading
Posted in Op-eds, Scicomm
Tagged Ganesh Singh, NASA, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Sanskrit, Sanskrit University Bill, Vedas
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A why of how we wear what we wear
There are many major industries operating around the world commonly perceived to be big drivers of climate change. Plastic, steel and concrete manufacturing come immediately to mind – but fashion doesn’t, even though, materially speaking, its many inefficiencies represent something … Continue reading