{
    "version": "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1",
    "title": "arnabocean",
    "home_page_url": "https://arnabocean.com/",
    "feed_url": "https://arnabocean.com/feed.json",
    "description": "Arnab Gupta\u0027s personal website. Research Scientist; Photographer, Writer, Tech Enthusiast.",
    "icon": "https://arnabocean.com/theme/images/share.png",
"favicon": "https://arnabocean.com/apple-touch-icon-ipad-144.png",    "language": "en",
    "authors": [{"avatar": "https://arnabocean.com/theme/images/share.png", "name": "Arnab Gupta", "url": "https://arnabocean.com/"}],
    "author": {"avatar": "https://arnabocean.com/theme/images/share.png", "name": "Arnab Gupta", "url": "https://arnabocean.com/"},
    "items": [
        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-09-28-noreaster-rain-video/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-09-28-noreaster-rain-video/",
            "title": "Hints of the\u00a0Nor\u2019easter",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eA nor\u0026#8217;easter storm \u003ca href=\"https://www.noaa.gov/news/weekend-noreaster-likely-to-bring-damaging-winds-coastal-flooding\"\u003eswept through the north-eastern \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eUS\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e this weekend, with New York and New Jersey \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/news/east-coast-noreaster-severe-flooding-winds-evacuations/\"\u003egetting the worst of it\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThankfully, we in Massachusetts were \u003ca href=\"https://weather.com/2026/09/28/forecast/regional/noreaster-coastal-storm-maps-tracker-forecast-current-alerts\"\u003espared the brunt of it\u003c/a\u003e. We did get a lot of rain and gusty winds, though\u2014 letting me capture this quick view of our arboreal neighbor. I always find rain- and wind-swept views beautiful; this is no\u0026nbsp;exception.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cfigure\u003e\n  \u003cvideo src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/20260928-rain-tree.mp4\" autoplay muted loop playsinline\u003e\u003c/video\u003e\n  \u003cfigcaption\u003eOn the edges of a nor\u0026#8217;easter.\u003c/figcaption\u003e\n\u003c/figure\u003e",
"summary": "Short video of a rain-swept tree as a nor\u2019easter passes\u00a0by.",            "date_published": "2026-09-27T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Notes", "storm", "weather", "new england", "video", "rain"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-09-14-please-use-ai-poem-humanity/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-09-14-please-use-ai-poem-humanity/",
"external_url": "https://shawnsmucker.substack.com/p/please-use-ai",            "title": "\u27b6 Shawn Smucker \u2014 \u201cPlease use AI\u201d",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eHow relevant a poem, with so much noise about \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAI\u003c/span\u003e use in daily life, including for \u003ca href=\"https://x.com/sama/status/2083221585792762171\"\u003ethings that we certainly shouldn\u0026#8217;t relegate to \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAI\u003c/span\u003e at all\u003c/a\u003e. Take a pause and go\u0026nbsp;read.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://shawnsmucker.substack.com/p/please-use-ai\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-09-14-please-use-ai-poem-humanity/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cBeautiful poetry reminding us to preserve our\u00a0humanity\u201d",            "date_published": "2026-09-14T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "poetry", "culture", "humanity", "AI"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-08-17-blogging-best-practice/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-08-17-blogging-best-practice/",
"external_url": "https://writethatblog.substack.com/p/simon-willison-on-technical-blogging",            "title": "\u27b6 Some cogent blogging\u00a0advice",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom an interview by Cynthia Dunlop of Simon Willison, co-creator of \u003ca href=\"https://www.djangoproject.com/\"\u003eDjango\u003c/a\u003e, and prolific \u003ca href=\"http://simonwillison.net/\"\u003eblogger and technical writer\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAny lessons learned that you want to share with the\u0026nbsp;community?\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy number one tip for blogging is to lower your standards! Aim to hit publish while you are still actively unhappy with what you have written, because the only alternative is a huge folder full of drafts and never publishing anything at\u0026nbsp;all.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNobody will ever know how perfect the thing you \u003cem\u003eintended\u003c/em\u003e to write would have been. The flaws you see in your writing are invisible to everyone\u0026nbsp;else.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOh, how \u003cem\u003eperfect\u003c/em\u003e is this advice, and how much I feel this is pointing exactly towards\u0026nbsp;me! \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026#8217;ve been blogging, off-and-on, since 2007, and I have the drafts and half-formed ideas to show for it. You\u0026#8217;ll find, if you go through the history and pace of my writing and posting, how \u003cem\u003emuch\u003c/em\u003e and how \u003cem\u003elittle\u003c/em\u003e I have actually published over various periods of time. Over the recent years, it\u0026#8217;s not that I have had fewer things to say, write, or comment about. Instead, the crunch is in the time I have available to put together pieces, whether small or substantial, that I think are good enough to\u0026nbsp;publish. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor someone like me, Willison\u0026#8217;s advice couldn\u0026#8217;t have been framed any better. But. Hitting publish while unhappy is all fine and dandy, \u003cem\u003eif\u003c/em\u003e I\u0026#8217;m at least satisfied I\u0026#8217;ve made the point or the contribution I thought I could make. There\u0026#8217;s \u003cem\u003eunhappiness\u003c/em\u003e, and there are \u003cem\u003estandards\u003c/em\u003e, no? I like \u003ca href=\"https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/08/07/simon-willison-on-blogging\"\u003ehow John Gruber put it\u003c/a\u003e commenting on the same piece \u2014 as playing live music rather than recording an album \u2014 keeping it professional and high quality but not sweating the occasional wrong\u0026nbsp;note. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI do need to hit publish more often, though. So, here goes \u2014 publishing while I\u0026#8217;m still actively unhappy with \u003cem\u003ethis\u003c/em\u003e\u0026nbsp;piece.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://writethatblog.substack.com/p/simon-willison-on-technical-blogging\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-08-17-blogging-best-practice/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cSome excellent blogging and writing advice that I should take to\u00a0heart!\u201d",            "date_published": "2026-08-17T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "blogging", "writing", "interview", "website", "publishing"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-05-05-raghu-rai-passes-away/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-05-05-raghu-rai-passes-away/",
            "title": "Photographer Raghu Rai passes\u00a0away",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eRaghu Rai, amongst the very best in photo-journalism, passed away a few days ago at the age of 83. If you don\u2019t know \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raghu_Rai\"\u003ewho he is\u003c/a\u003e is or what he is famous for, do yourself a favor and \u003ca href=\"https://raghuraifoundation.org/the-collection/\"\u003echeck out his archives\u003c/a\u003e. Especially, see his portrayal of \u003ca href=\"https://raghuraifoundation.org/kolkata/\"\u003eKolkata\u003c/a\u003e, his \u003ca href=\"https://raghuraifoundation.org/retrospective-b-w/\"\u003eblack and white work\u003c/a\u003e, and also his haunting, heart-wrenching, and yet, completely matter-of-fact capture of \u003ca href=\"https://raghuraifoundation.org/bhopal/\"\u003eBhopal and its victims\u003c/a\u003e in the aftermath of the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopal_disaster\"\u003egas tragedy\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy first exposure to his work was during my time at Jadavpur University Photographic Club (\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eJUPC\u003c/span\u003e) during my undergrad days, when as a budding photographer I went to a couple of his exhibitions in Kolkata. One was his follow-up coverage to see, and show, the Bhopal victims after a couple of decades. I had seen nothing like it, and it left a deep impression on me. He was capturing tragedy and horror, he was telling peoples\u0026#8217; stories; there was something serene and poignant in his imagery, and yet something captivatingly prosaic. \u003cem\u003eI felt like I was\u0026nbsp;there.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePhoto-journalism is inherently opinionated, and always wants to do two things\u2014 tell a story, and capture realism. Any event can be captured in photos from multiple perspectives, and every photographer \u003cem\u003ehas to\u003c/em\u003e choose one perspective over another. The good photo-journalist knows how to capture and portray the core truth (in their opinion) of the event in their lens, while telling a story, and capturing impactful photographs. There was no one better at it than Raghu Rai. Every story that he has covered, you will find his opinion, his perspectives, and feel the story in your mind\u2019s eye and your heart\u2019s\u0026nbsp;strings. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlas, I never had the fortune to meet him in person during my \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eJUPC\u003c/span\u003e days, but as I said above, his photography had an outsize impact in how I thought about my own\u0026nbsp;photography. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRest in peace,\u0026nbsp;sir. \u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Raghu Rai, amongst the very best in photo-journalism, passed away a few days ago at the age of 83. If you don\u2019t know who he is is or what he is famous for, do yourself a favor and check out his archives. Especially, see his portrayal of Kolkata, his \u2026",            "date_published": "2026-05-05T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "people", "photography", "culture", "society"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-04-15-finding-our-galactic-home/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-04-15-finding-our-galactic-home/",
"external_url": "https://youtu.be/zZ0yxOQyKF0?si=IrfX61XGn6e4JMD5",            "title": "\u27b6 Finding our galactic home\u00a0(Youtube)",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eWhat a beautiful simulated rendition of our place in the universe, by answering the hypothetical question: \u0026#8216;how would you find your way back home if you were stranded 1 billion light-years from Earth?\u0026#8217; By the way, note the \u0026#8216;every dot is a galaxy\u0026#8217; and \u0026#8216;every dot is a star\u0026#8217; notations as the video zooms in. Also, if you\u0026#8217;re curious about the Sun\u0026#8217;s description as a \u0026#8216;yellow dwarf\u0026#8217;, yes, that\u0026#8217;s the \u003ca href=\"https://www.universeguide.com/fact/gyellowdwarfgiantstar\"\u003enomenclature\u003c/a\u003e, although it\u0026#8217;s a misnomer, and, as the video says towards the end, our Sun is \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-type_main-sequence_star\"\u003eperfectly unremarkable and ordinary\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo me, videos like these are a reminder of how minuscule we are in the context of how big space is. For all our progress and technology, the farthest our probes have ventured is \u003cem\u003ejuuust\u003c/em\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program\"\u003eoutside of the solar system\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSee also: \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wupToqz1e2g\u0026amp;list=RDwupToqz1e2g\u0026amp;start_radio=1\"\u003ePale Blue Dot, by Carl Sagan\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/zZ0yxOQyKF0?si=IrfX61XGn6e4JMD5\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-04-15-finding-our-galactic-home/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cBeautiful video showing our place in the universe, and how vast space really\u00a0is.\u201d",            "date_published": "2026-04-15T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "milky way", "galaxy", "astronomy", "science", "video", "youtube"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-03-30-Prince-of-persia-programming/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-03-30-Prince-of-persia-programming/",
"external_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw0VfmXKq54",            "title": "\u27b6 Of the original Prince of Persia video game\u00a0(Youtube)",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eIf you\u0026#8217;re old enough to have played \u2014 or watched! \u2014 any version of the original \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Persia\"\u003ePrince of Persia\u003c/a\u003e computer game, or, take an interest in design and/or programming, this Youtube video is for you. What a wonderfully charming retelling of how the game was developed, working within frugal memory limits of the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II\"\u003eApple ][\u003c/a\u003e for which it was originally\u0026nbsp;developed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd no, I\u0026#8217;m not old enough either to have played the original on an Apple platform. My first sighting of this piece of art was in the late 1990s, on the computer of one of my dad\u0026#8217;s friends. For me, these were the really early days, personal computers were starting to enter the mass market, and the teenage me was buckling in for the ride. If I remember correctly, I only played this game on \u003cem\u003eMridul kaka\u0026#8217;s\u003c/em\u003e (translation: Mridul uncle\u0026#8217;s) computer a couple of times, and I remember being completely awestruck by how fluid the character movements looked. This game was \u003cem\u003egorgeous\u003c/em\u003e. Those were the days when games were blocky \u003cem\u003eat best\u003c/em\u003e, and Prince of Persia was just something else. As I said, a work of\u0026nbsp;art. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd now I find out those fluid animations were based on real motion capture! In the 1980s! How unbelievably cool is that? Seriously, go watch, you won\u0026#8217;t regret\u0026nbsp;it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw0VfmXKq54\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2026-03-30-Prince-of-persia-programming/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cWonderfully nostalgic video of how the original Prince of Persia game came to be, within frugal computer memory\u00a0requirements.\u201d",            "date_published": "2026-03-30T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "video games", "programming", "Apple", "tech history", "video", "youtube"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2024-05-07-bertrand-serlet-why-ai-works/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2024-05-07-bertrand-serlet-why-ai-works/",
"external_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwtyIDmhxh4",            "title": "\u27b6 Bertrand Serlet \u2014 \u2018Why AI\u00a0works\u2019",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eIf you take an interest in \u003cem\u003ewhy\u003c/em\u003e \u2014 not how \u2014 the modern large language models work, this is a great 30-minute video lecture from Bertrand Serlet, former Senior Vice President of Software Engineering at Apple. This is a well-crafted, non-jargon talk to take in; at the very least, it\u0026#8217;s a lesson in how to communicate a complex, mathematical topic in incremental, bite-size pieces without devolving into multi-layer flowcharts and\u0026nbsp;equations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI started watching because I remember Serlet from a couple of his hilarious presentations from his Apple days (watch \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-2C2gb6ws8\u0026amp;pp=ygUPYmVydHJhbmQgc2VybGV0\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e, then \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTfChHwGFf0\u0026amp;pp=ygUPYmVydHJhbmQgc2VybGV0\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e) poking fun at Microsoft, and I\u0026#8217;m glad I didn\u0026#8217;t skip this\u0026nbsp;one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf, after watching the video, you would like to follow up on the topic with some technical reading, I have you covered. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformer_(deep_learning_architecture)\"\u003eTransformers\u003c/a\u003e are a type of deep neural network, specifically trained to make predictions based on chains of previous input, using the inherent contexts and relationships\u0026nbsp;therein. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, while an image classifier takes in a single image and predicts probabilities that the image contains specific objects, a transformer takes in a sequence of information pieces, chained together, and makes a contextual prediction. The prediction in this case tries to extend the input chain, which can be the next logical word, next logical pixel, next logical musical note,\u0026nbsp;etc. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want to take a deep dive into building a simple \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eLLM\u003c/span\u003e from scratch, you may start with \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCc8FmEb1nY\"\u003eAndrej Karpathy\u0026#8217;s tutorial\u003c/a\u003e. Karpathy is \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrej_Karpathy\"\u003eone of the co-founders\u003c/a\u003e of OpenAI (makers of ChatGPT), and this is a very well put-together lecture. He also has an hour-long \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjkBMFhNj_g\"\u003e\u0026#8220;busy-person\u0026#8217;s intro to LLMs\u0026#8221;\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinally, if you \u003cem\u003ereally\u003c/em\u003e want to go into the rabbit-hole, this paper is what started the transformer revolution: \u003ca href=\"https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762\"\u003eAttention is all you need\u003c/a\u003e. The \u003ca href=\"https://arxiv.org/pdf/1706.03762\"\u003eView \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003ePDF\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e link will take you to the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003ePDF\u003c/span\u003e version of the paper. This \u003ca href=\"https://app.litmaps.com/preview/261105339\"\u003eLitMaps link\u003c/a\u003e will show you how influencial that paper has\u0026nbsp;been.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut, seriously, forget all of the technical stuff. Go watch Bertrand\u0026#8217;s video\u0026nbsp;lecture. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eP.S.: I should note, this is not an unconditional endorsement of \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAI\u003c/span\u003e in general and LLMs in particular. These technologies are being used, and may continue to be used, in ways that are \u003ca href=\"https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2023/02/sci-fi-becomes-real-as-renowned-magazine-closes-submissions-due-to-ai-writers/\"\u003eunsavory\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://fortune.com/2023/05/05/hollywood-writers-strike-wga-chatgpt-ai-terrifying-replace-workers/\"\u003eshort-sighted\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://futurism.com/sports-illustrated-ai-generated-writers\"\u003edangerous\u003c/a\u003e. We need to be circumspect and judicious in how we deploy these extremely powerful technologies, so that we don\u0026#8217;t incur unacceptable costs in the long term. We should aim to \u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/05/why-graphic-designers-think-gen-ai-needs-them-as-much-as-they-need-it.html\"\u003ebolster\u003c/a\u003e our \u003ca href=\"https://thescriptlab.com/blogs/35744-3-ways-to-use-ai-for-screenwriting/\"\u003ecreative\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhenkin/2023/12/05/orchestrating-the-future-ai-in-the-music-industry/?sh=8244c114f643\"\u003ecrafts\u003c/a\u003e with \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAI\u003c/span\u003e, not foolishly attempt to replace human\u0026nbsp;creativity.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwtyIDmhxh4\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2024-05-07-bertrand-serlet-why-ai-works/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cBertrand Serlet has a wonderfully intuitive lecture on why AI and LLM\u00a0work.\u201d",            "date_published": "2024-05-07T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "LLM", "AI", "computing", "programming", "technology", "tutorial", "video", "youtube"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-09-22-marple-christie-comeback-copy/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-09-22-marple-christie-comeback-copy/",
"external_url": "https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/15/feminist-icon-miss-marple-returns-in-12-new-authorised-mystery-stories-agatha-christie",            "title": "\u27b6 Miss Marple makes a\u00a0comeback",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eThe Guardian\u0026nbsp;reports:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe collection, titled Marple, marks the first time anyone other than [Agatha] Christie has written \u201cofficial\u201d (as recognised by the Christie estate) Miss Marple stories. The 12 women who contributed to the collection include award-winning crime writers Val McDermid and Dreda Say Mitchell, historical novelist Kate Mosse, classicist and writer Natalie Haynes and New York Times bestselling author Lucy\u0026nbsp;Foley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(If the Guardian link above doesn\u0026#8217;t work for any reason, here is an \u003ca href=\"https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/twelve-writers-bring-back-agatha-christie-miss-marple-180980762\"\u003ealternative link\u003c/a\u003e from Smithsonian Magazine quoting The\u0026nbsp;Guardian.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is great! Always room for more Marple mysteries for avid Christie readers such as\u0026nbsp;me!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere have already been several new \u201cofficial\u201d Poirot novels, \u003ca href=\"https://www.goodreads.com/series/184795-new-hercule-poirot-mysteries\"\u003ewritten by Sophie Hannah\u003c/a\u003e, also sanctioned by the Christie estate, that have been published in the last few years. I have read a couple of them, and they are pretty good reads! The author\u2019s voice seems \u003cem\u003ejust\u003c/em\u003e that bit different \u2014 of course, that is to be expected, and indeed hoped for \u2014 and that\u2019s a little jarring after years of reading Christie, but the plots and the characters are quite well-thought-written-fleshed-out. They won\u2019t feel out of place amongst Christie\u2019s Poirot\u0026nbsp;mysteries. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf these new Marple stories are anywhere as good, then they will be worth looking out\u0026nbsp;for. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/sep/15/feminist-icon-miss-marple-returns-in-12-new-authorised-mystery-stories-agatha-christie\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-09-22-marple-christie-comeback-copy/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cAgatha Christie\u2019s Miss Marple will make a comeback via a collection of new short\u00a0stories.\u201d",            "date_published": "2022-09-22T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "agatha christie", "reading", "literature"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-09-13-news-juxtaposed-climate-change/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-09-13-news-juxtaposed-climate-change/",
            "title": "News Juxtaposition: Climate\u00a0Change",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eHere are some news snippets from the last few\u0026nbsp;weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/08/19/1118369938/the-yangtze-river-is-shrinking-as-drought-disrupts-the-worlds-no-2-economy\"\u003eYangtze shrinks as China\u0026#8217;s drought disrupts industry (\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNPR\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/a\u003e  \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://scitechdaily.com/drought-causes-yangtze-chinas-most-important-river-to-dry-up/\"\u003eDrought Causes Yangtze \u2013 China\u2019s Most Important River \u2013 To Dry Up\u0026nbsp;(scitechdaily.com)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs China\u2019s most important river, the Yangtze provides water to more than 400 million Chinese people. This summer, with rainfall in the Yangtze basin around 45% lower than normal, it reached record-low water levels with entire sections and dozens of tributaries drying up. The loss of water flow to China\u2019s extensive hydropower system has created problems in Sichuan, which receives more than 80% of its energy from\u0026nbsp;hydropower.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.cnbctv18.com/world/pakistan-flood-situation-to-worsen-as-indus-and-swat-to-swell-further-rain-fury-claims-nearly-1000-lives-14600701.htm\"\u003ePakistan Flood Situation To Worsen As Indus And Swat To Swell Further, Monsoon Fury Claims Nearly 1,000 Lives\u0026nbsp;(cnbctv18.com)\u003c/a\u003e  \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.wtoc.com/2022/08/29/international-aid-reaches-flood-ravaged-pakistan-more-than-1000-have-died-this-summer/\"\u003ePakistan floods leave more than 1,000 dead, a half million survivors in camps\u0026nbsp;(wtoc.com)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNearly a half million people crowded into camps after losing their homes in widespread flooding and the climate minister warned Monday that Pakistan is on the \u201cfront line\u201d of the world\u2019s climate crisis after unprecedented monsoon rains wracked the country since mid-June, killing more than 1,130\u0026nbsp;people.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/08/12/floridas-latest-insurance-crisis-was-decades-in-the-making/\"\u003eFlorida\u2019s latest homeowners insurance crisis is a mess decades in the making\u0026nbsp;(tampabay.com)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe drama is just the latest problem as the state experiences its biggest insurance crisis since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. [\u0026#8230;] In the last two years, more than 400,000 Floridians have had their policies dropped or nonrenewed. Fourteen companies have stopped writing new policies in Florida. Five have gone belly-up in 2022 alone. The record, set after Hurricane Andrew\u2019s devastation, is eight in one\u0026nbsp;year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe latest casualty was Coral Gables-based Weston Property \u003cspan class=\"amp\"\u003e\u0026amp;\u003c/span\u003e Casualty, which leaves 22,000 policyholders \u2014 about 9,400 in South Florida \u2014 scrambling to find new insurance\u0026nbsp;companies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCosts also have skyrocketed. In 2019, when DeSantis was sworn in, Floridians paid an average premium of $1,988. This year, it\u2019s now $4,231, triple the national average, according to an Insurance Information Institute\u0026nbsp;analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/29/major-sea-level-rise-caused-by-melting-of-greenland-ice-cap-is-now-inevitable-27cm-climate\"\u003eMajor sea-level rise caused by melting of Greenland ice cap is \u2018now inevitable\u2019 (The\u0026nbsp;Guardian)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[T]he study published in the journal Nature Climate Change used satellite measurements of ice losses from Greenland and the shape of the ice cap from 2000-19. This data enabled the scientists to calculate how far global heating to date has pushed the ice sheet from an equilibrium where snowfall matches the ice lost. This allowed the calculation of how much more ice must be lost in order to regain\u0026nbsp;stability.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe research shows the global heating to date will cause an absolute minimum sea-level rise of 27cm (10.6in) from Greenland alone as 110tn tonnes of ice melt. With continued carbon emissions, the melting of other ice caps and thermal expansion of the ocean, a multi-metre sea-level rise appears\u0026nbsp;likely.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u201cIt is a very conservative rock-bottom minimum,\u201d said Prof Jason Box from the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (Geus), who led the research. \u201cRealistically, we will see this figure more than double within this\u0026nbsp;century.\u201d\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClimate change is happening, our civilization as it currently stands will be upended because of it, and we as a global society have done (next to) nothing to mitigate it. The best time to take measures to decelerate climate change was decades ago; the next best time is right now. Either we grit our teeth and hold our breath through a couple of decades of accelerated, painful, transition to sustainable energy use, or\u0026#8230; we will be forced to hold our breath under water as our coastal life\u0026nbsp;submerges.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy the way, \u003ca href=\"https://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/indicators/methodology_sheets/oceans_seas_coasts/pop_coastal_areas.pdf\"\u003e40% of the world\u0026#8217;s population lives within 100km (60mi) the coast\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cThe best time to decelerate climate change was decades ago; the next best time is\u00a0now.\u201d",            "date_published": "2022-09-13T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "news", "climate", "climate change", "science"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-06-28-RitamSen-Prasen-Nao/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-06-28-RitamSen-Prasen-Nao/",
            "title": "Music: lyrics for Nao, by Ritam Sen, Prasen, and Hoodkhola\u00a0Kobitara",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eThis is such a beautiful song; if you haven\u2019t heard it, \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/nfOvPoJl7WM\"\u003ehere\u2019s a version\u003c/a\u003e on Youtube! (There are a couple other versions, such as \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/5PPqWLDPZHQ\"\u003ethis one\u003c/a\u003e, also\u0026nbsp;great.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHat tip to \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/poorna_goswami/\"\u003ePoorna\u003c/a\u003e for making me listen to this on one of our uncountable night drives; it has since been on repeat play for\u0026nbsp;me.  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c!--more--\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u2014\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSong\u003c/strong\u003e: Nao\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLyrics\u003c/strong\u003e: Ritam Sen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMusic\u003c/strong\u003e: Prasen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGroup\u003c/strong\u003e: Hoodkhola\u0026nbsp;Kobitara  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eekhon nistobdho mohonaye\u003cbr\u003e\neshe dariyeche dosh-jon shundor\u003cbr\u003e\nbati ghorer naw-sho janalaye\u003cbr\u003e\nkoto pakhi khujche mrityur\u0026nbsp;uttor!  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eekhon nistobdho mohonaye\u003cbr\u003e\neshe dariyeche dosh-jon shundor\u003cbr\u003e\nbati ghorer naw-sho janalaye\u003cbr\u003e\nkoto pakhi khujche mrityur\u0026nbsp;uttor!  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ejeno churi jawa ek phali bhor aaj\u003cbr\u003e\nmridu chhuye achhe himel gallery\u003cbr\u003e\njeno churi jawa ek phali bhor aaj\u003cbr\u003e\nmridu chhuye achhe himel\u0026nbsp;gallery  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eei, ei ei ei\u003cbr\u003e\nei bhor nao, bondor nao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho mohonao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho\u0026nbsp;mohonao  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003emm-hm ei, ei ei ei\u003cbr\u003e\nei bhor nao, bondor nao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho mohonao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho\u0026nbsp;mohonao  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u2014\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eshudhu tumi, ar tumi, ar tumi\u003cbr\u003e\nkoto mrito potrikaye kartuj-e \u003cbr\u003e\ngolaper sugondhi guhaye\u003cbr\u003e\naw-prem er ondor e chokh\u0026nbsp;buje  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eshudhu tumi, ar tumi, ar tumi\u003cbr\u003e\nkoto mrito potrikaye kartuj-e \u003cbr\u003e\ngolaper sugondhi guhaye\u003cbr\u003e\naw-prem er ondor e chokh\u0026nbsp;buje  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eaaj chand-er ghor makhto bichana\u003cbr\u003e\ntomar podo-dhhoni lukoye bali te\u003cbr\u003e\naaj chand-er ghor makhto bichana\u003cbr\u003e\ntomar podo-dhhoni lukoye bali\u0026nbsp;te  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eei, ei ei ei\u003cbr\u003e\nei duur nao, roddur nao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho mohonao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho\u0026nbsp;mohonao  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003emm-hm ei, ei ei ei\u003cbr\u003e\nei bhor nao, bondor nao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho mohonao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho\u0026nbsp;mohonao  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003enao ey-nistobdho mohonao\u003cbr\u003e\nnao ey-nistobdho\u0026nbsp;mohonao  \u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "This is such a beautiful song; if you haven\u2019t heard it, here\u2019s a version on Youtube! (There are a couple other versions, such as this one, also\u00a0great.) Hat tip to Poorna for making me listen to this on one of our uncountable night drives; it has since \u2026",            "date_published": "2022-06-28T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Notes", "music", "lyrics", "bangla", "Prasen", "Ritam Sen"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-06-27-plague-origin-dna/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-06-27-plague-origin-dna/",
"external_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01673-4",            "title": "\u27b6 Ancient DNA traces origin of Black\u00a0Death",
            "content_html": "\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Silk Road stopover might have been the epicentre of one of humanity\u2019s most destructive\u0026nbsp;pandemics.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople who died in a fourteenth-century outbreak in what is now Kyrgyzstan were killed by strains of the plague-causing bacterium \u003cem\u003eYersinia pestis\u003c/em\u003e that gave rise to the pathogens responsible several years later for the Black Death, shows a study of ancient\u0026nbsp;genomes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u201cIt is like finding the place where all the strains come together, like with coronavirus where we have Alpha, Delta, Omicron all coming from this strain in Wuhan,\u201d says Johannes Krause, a palaeogeneticist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, who co-led the study, published on 15 June in \u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04800-3\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNature\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFascinating read on new research on the origins of Black Death. As you can imagine, it\u0026#8217;s not an easy task to \u003cem\u003efind\u003c/em\u003e genomic data from the plague bacteria, several centuries after the pandemic. Then, like now, how the pandemic spread mattered quite a lot of how and where a lot of humans came together and then dispersed, carrying the deadly disease with\u0026nbsp;them. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01673-4\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2022-06-27-plague-origin-dna/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cNew DNA tracing of the plague bacterium reveals the plague\u2019s epicenter on the Silk\u00a0Route.\u201d",            "date_published": "2022-06-27T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "pandemic", "disease", "health", "biology"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2021-12-08-cricket-fast-bowling-speeds-copy/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2021-12-08-cricket-fast-bowling-speeds-copy/",
"external_url": "https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/looks-fast-feels-faster-why-the-speed-gun-is-only-part-of-the-story-1292343",            "title": "\u27b6 Of Cricket, and How Fast Bowling is About More Than\u00a0Speed",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eIt has been too long on this website with not a mention of cricket. To remedy that, here is essential reading by Cameron Ponsonby at ESPNCricinfo on how fast bowling speeds are only a portion of the feel of a fast bowler\u0026#8217;s\u0026nbsp;pace:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is very easy to think of facing fast bowling as primarily a reactive skill. In fact, read any article on quick bowling and it will invariably say you only have 0.4 seconds to react to a 90mph\u0026nbsp;delivery.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut what does that mean? No one can compute information in 0.4 seconds. It\u0026#8217;s beyond our realm of thinking in the same way that looking out of an aeroplane window doesn\u0026#8217;t give you vertigo because you\u0026#8217;re simply too high up for your brain to process\u0026nbsp;it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, the reason it\u0026#8217;s possible is because, whilst you may only have 0.4 seconds to react, you have a lot longer than that to plan. And the best in the world plan exceptionally\u0026nbsp;well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen the ball arrives to you, as the batter, literally faster than you can \u003cem\u003ereact\u003c/em\u003e to the ball, how fast a ball feels has way more to do with diversity between bowlers than the raw pace on the\u0026nbsp;ball. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExcellent and insightful\u0026nbsp;read. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u2014\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother interesting piece by Ponsonby \u003ca href=\"https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/do-players-trust-data-insights-not-as-much-as-analysts-and-coaches-might-want-1258695\"\u003etalks about data analytics in cricket\u003c/a\u003e. As Ponsonby mentions in his fast bowling article, cricket only dabbles in data analytics when compared to, say, baseball, where the analytics have been taken to \u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1210166/\"\u003eanother\u003c/a\u003e level \u003ca href=\"https://www.dodgersnation.com/analytics-101-a-guide-to-understanding-advanced-baseball-statistics/2019/03/28/\"\u003ealtogether\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think I\u0026#8217;m okay with the balance that cricket has with its data analytics: I would rather have the analytics being fascinating reads for the fan, and \u003cem\u003ean\u003c/em\u003e influence on the coaches/players, without their becoming \u003cem\u003eall\u003c/em\u003e that anyone cares or talks about. I sometimes feel like the innate skill and art of sport gets lost in baseball. Makes for great reading\u0026nbsp;though!\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/looks-fast-feels-faster-why-the-speed-gun-is-only-part-of-the-story-1292343\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2021-12-08-cricket-fast-bowling-speeds-copy/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cHow fast cricket bowling feels has more to do with raw\u00a0pace.\u201d",            "date_published": "2021-12-08T00:00:00-05:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "cricket", "sport"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-10-01-python-multicore-parallel-processing/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-10-01-python-multicore-parallel-processing/",
            "title": "Multi-core parallel processing in Python with multiple\u00a0arguments",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eI recently had need for using parallel processing in Python. Parallel processing is very useful\u0026nbsp;when: \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eyou have a large set of data that you want to (or are able to) process as separate\u0026nbsp;\u0026#8216;chunks\u0026#8217;.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eyou want to perform an identical process on each individual chunk (i.e. the basic code running on each chunk is the same). Of course, each chunk may have its own corresponding parameter\u0026nbsp;requirements.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethe order in which each chunk is processed is not important, i.e. the output result from one chunk does not affect the processing of a subsequent\u0026nbsp;chunk.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnder these conditions, if you are working on a multi-core computer (which I think is true for virtually all of us), you can set up your code to run parallelly using several or all of your computer\u0026#8217;s cores. Using multiple cores is of paramount importance in order to gain any improvement in computation time. If you attempt such parallel processing on a single core, the computer will simply switch between separate computational threads on that single core, and the total computation time will remain constant (in fact, more likely the total time will \u003cem\u003eincrease\u003c/em\u003e because of the incessant switching between\u0026nbsp;threads).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyhow, there are several methods of achieving multi-core parallel processing in Python. In this post, I will describe what I think is the simplest method to implement. This is the method I chose, and with whose results I am quite\u0026nbsp;happy. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdditionally, most examples online that go over implementing parallel processing never mention how to handle multiple input arguments separate from the iteration parameter. There are several methods of including that too, and I will also describe what I think is the simplest method to implement and\u0026nbsp;maintain.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSay, you have the following code\u0026nbsp;setup:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"highlight\"\u003e\u003cpre\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg1\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eval1\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg2\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eval2\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eval3\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg3\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027val4\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027val5\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efileslist\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027list\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027of\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027files\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027that\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027are\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027to\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027be\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027processed\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n\n\u003cspan class=\"k\"\u003efor\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ow\"\u003ein\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efileslist\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e:\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"nb\"\u003eprint\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027Start: \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"si\"\u003e{}\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eformat\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e))\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# perform a task with arg1\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# perform a task with arg2\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# print something with arg3\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# save some data to disk\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"nb\"\u003eprint\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027Status Update based on \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"si\"\u003e{}\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eformat\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e))\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow, for parallel processing, the target is to convert\u0026nbsp;the \u003ccode\u003efor\u003c/code\u003e loop into a parallel process controller, which will\u0026nbsp;\u0026#8216;assign\u0026#8217; \u003ccode\u003efile\u003c/code\u003e values\u0026nbsp;from \u003ccode\u003efileslist\u003c/code\u003e to available\u0026nbsp;cores.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo achieve this, there are two steps we need to perform. \u003cstrong\u003eFirst\u003c/strong\u003e, convert the \u003cem\u003econtents\u003c/em\u003e of\u0026nbsp;your \u003ccode\u003efor\u003c/code\u003e loop into a separate function that can be called. In case of parallel processing, this function is only allowed \u003cem\u003eone\u003c/em\u003e argument. Set up your function accordingly, planning that this single argument will be a tuple of variables. One of these variables will be the iteration variable, in our\u0026nbsp;case \u003ccode\u003efile\u003c/code\u003e, and the rest will be the remaining variables\u0026nbsp;required.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"highlight\"\u003e\u003cpre\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u003cspan class=\"k\"\u003edef\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"nf\"\u003eloopfunc\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eargstuple\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e):\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eargstuple\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mi\"\u003e0\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg1\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eargstuple\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mi\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg2\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eargstuple\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mi\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg3\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eargstuple\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mi\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"nb\"\u003eprint\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027Start: \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"si\"\u003e{}\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eformat\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e))\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# perform a task with arg1\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# perform a task with arg2\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# print something with arg3\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"c1\"\u003e# save some data to disk\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"k\"\u003ereturn\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027Status Update based on \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"si\"\u003e{}\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eformat\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSecond\u003c/strong\u003e, update the main code structure to enable multi-core processing. We will be using the\u0026nbsp;module \u003ccode\u003econcurrent.futures\u003c/code\u003e. Let\u0026#8217;s see the updated code first, before I explain what is\u0026nbsp;happening.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"highlight\"\u003e\u003cpre\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003ccode\u003e\u003cspan class=\"kn\"\u003eimport\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"nn\"\u003econcurrent.futures\u003c/span\u003e\n\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg1\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eval1\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg2\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eval2\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eval3\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg3\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027val4\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027val5\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efileslist\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027list\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027of\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027files\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027that\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027are\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027to\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027be\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u0027processed\u0027\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n\n\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eargslist\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e((\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg1\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg2\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003earg3\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"k\"\u003efor\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efile\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ow\"\u003ein\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efileslist\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"k\"\u003ewith\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003econcurrent\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003efutures\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eProcessPoolExecutor\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e()\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"k\"\u003eas\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eexecutor\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e:\u003c/span\u003e\n    \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eresults\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e=\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eexecutor\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003emap\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eloopfunc\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e,\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eargslist\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\n\n    \u003cspan class=\"k\"\u003efor\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003ers\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"ow\"\u003ein\u003c/span\u003e \u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003eresults\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e:\u003c/span\u003e\n        \u003cspan class=\"nb\"\u003eprint\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e(\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"n\"\u003ers\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"p\"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eOK\u003c/span\u003e, now let\u0026#8217;s go over it.\u0026nbsp;The \u003ccode\u003ewith ...\u003c/code\u003e line invokes the parallel processing tool which creates\u0026nbsp;the \u003ccode\u003eexecutor\u003c/code\u003e object. In the next\u0026nbsp;line, \u003ccode\u003eexecutor.map()\u003c/code\u003e is used to provide two pieces of information: (a) what function is to be repeatedly executed, and (b) a tuple of arguments that need to be passed for each function execution. Notice that when\u0026nbsp;calling \u003ccode\u003eexecutor.map()\u003c/code\u003e, we are\u0026nbsp;providing \u003ccode\u003eloopfunc\u003c/code\u003e as an object, and are not attempting to execute the function itself\u0026nbsp;via \u003ccode\u003eloopfunc()\u003c/code\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow, \u003ccode\u003eargslist\u003c/code\u003e is meant to be a tuple containing arguments for \u003cem\u003eall\u003c/em\u003e iterations\u0026nbsp;of \u003ccode\u003eloopfunc\u003c/code\u003e,\u0026nbsp;i.e. \u003ccode\u003elen(argslist) = len(fileslist)\u003c/code\u003e. However, in our case, only\u0026nbsp;the \u003ccode\u003efileslist\u003c/code\u003e variable is iterated over, while other arguments are provided \u0026#8216;as-is\u0026#8217;. The workaround for this is to use list-comprehension (err\u0026#8230; I mean tuple-comprehension) to generate a new variable (in our\u0026nbsp;case \u003ccode\u003eargslist\u003c/code\u003e) that contains all relevant arguments for each function\u0026nbsp;iteration. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this way, the first process is created\u0026nbsp;with \u003ccode\u003eloopfunc( (fileslist[0], arg1, arg2, arg3) )\u003c/code\u003e, the second process is created\u0026nbsp;with \u003ccode\u003eloopfunc( (fileslist[1], arg1, arg2, arg3) )\u003c/code\u003e, and so on. Of course,\u0026nbsp;within \u003ccode\u003eloopfunc()\u003c/code\u003e, we have already converted the input single argument into multiple arguments as we\u0026nbsp;need.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eValues \u003ccode\u003ereturn\u003c/code\u003e-ed\u0026nbsp;from \u003ccode\u003eloopfunc()\u003c/code\u003e are stored in the\u0026nbsp;variable \u003ccode\u003eresults\u003c/code\u003e, which is looped over to print out each value. The fun behavior here is that\u0026nbsp;each \u003ccode\u003ers\u003c/code\u003e item is executed as that value becomes available, i.e. when each process completes. For example, if you\u0026#8217;re running on a 4-core machine, output from the code can look like the following, depending upon the speed of execution of each\u0026nbsp;iteration:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"highlight\"\u003e\u003cpre\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003ccode\u003eStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e0\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStatus\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eUpdate\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003ebased\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eon\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e0\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStatus\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eUpdate\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003ebased\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eon\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\nStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStatus\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eUpdate\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003ebased\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eon\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\nStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\nStatus\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eUpdate\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003ebased\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003eon\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\nStart:\u003cspan class=\"w\"\u003e \u003c/span\u003efileslist\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e[\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"m\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"o\"\u003e]\u003c/span\u003e\n...\n\u003c/code\u003e\u003c/pre\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWithout any\u0026nbsp;arguments, \u003ccode\u003eProcessPoolExecutor()\u003c/code\u003e creates as many processes as there are cores on your computer. This is great if you want to run your code and walk away for a few hours, letting your Python script take over your whole computational capability. However, if you only want to allow a specific number of processes, you can\u0026nbsp;use \u003ccode\u003eProcessPoolExecutor(max_workers=nproc)\u003c/code\u003e, where nproc is the number of processes you want to simultaneously allow at\u0026nbsp;most.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"to-do\"\u003eTo-do\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn my current implementation I have used the above method to work on \u0026#8216;chunks\u0026#8217; of data and then saved the resultant output with appropriate markers to disk. However, another way to implement parallel processing would be to take the output from each iteration, and save it as an element in an array, at the correct array\u0026nbsp;index. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis should not be hard to do, all I should need is to return \u003cem\u003eboth\u003c/em\u003e the output data \u003cem\u003eand\u003c/em\u003e the correct marker for the array index. I just haven\u0026#8217;t done it (nor needed to do it) yet. I actually prefer saving the output from each chunk to disk separately, if possible, so that even if something crashes (or the power goes out, or whatever) and the process is interrupted, I won\u0026#8217;t lose \u003cem\u003eall\u003c/em\u003e progress made until\u0026nbsp;then.\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cA quick overview of how to implement multi-core parallel processing in Python, including when requiring several\u00a0parameters.\u201d",            "date_published": "2020-10-02T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Programming", "Python", "parallel processing", "numerical analysis", "research"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-09-10-india-congress-dysfunction/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-09-10-india-congress-dysfunction/",
            "title": "The state of dysfunction in the Indian Congress\u00a0Party",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eA series of news items appeared recently in relation to the Congress party of India. While the news reporting went largely without comment (or with \u003ca href=\"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rahul-obsessed-with-bjp-leaders-who-wrote-letter-more-committed-than-him-to-congress-bjp-leaders/articleshow/77724820.cms\"\u003eusual snark\u003c/a\u003e from their political opponents), to me, they brought to sharp focus the extent of dysfunction and rot within the\u0026nbsp;party.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst, leading up to a Congress Working Committee (\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eCWC\u003c/span\u003e) meeting, some senior party members wrote to the \u0026#8220;interim\u0026#8221; Congress President, Sonia Gandhi. (Remember, she became interim President after her son, Rahul Gandhi, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-says-congress-should-decide-on-new-president-without-further-delay-im-no-longer-party-p-2063332\"\u003eresigned from the post\u003c/a\u003e. Before Rahul, the very same Sonia was President.) \u003ca href=\"https://indianexpress.com/article/india/congress-leaders-write-to-sonia-gandhi-6566075/\"\u003eHere is the gist\u003c/a\u003e of the demands in the letter, including the\u0026nbsp;following:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt calls for a \u201cfull time and effective leadership\u201d which is both \u201cvisible\u201d and \u201cactive\u201d in the field; elections to the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eCWC\u003c/span\u003e; and the urgent establishment of an \u201cinstitutional leadership mechanism\u201d to \u201ccollectively\u201d guide the party\u2019s\u0026nbsp;revival.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eOK\u003c/span\u003e, so this is in effect a serious criticism, \u003cem\u003efrom senior members of the party\u003c/em\u003e, that some changes are required going forward. So, what happened next? Rahul Gandhi\u0026#8217;s response was to \u003ca href=\"https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/checked-on-sonia-gandhi-health-before-sending-letter-ghulam-nabi-azad-2284599\"\u003ecriticize the \u003cem\u003etiming\u003c/em\u003e of the letter\u003c/a\u003e, since this is a time of weakness for Congress and his mother was in\u0026nbsp;hospital:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEarly in the Congress Working Committee meeting that went on for seven hours, Rahul Gandhi questioned why the 23 top leaders had written a letter attacking the Congress when it was at its weakest, when it was battling crises in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and when the Congress president (his mother Sonia Gandhi) was in\u0026nbsp;hospital.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you\u0026#8217;re wondering about the seriousness of this critique, it was serious enough for the conversation to completely\u0026nbsp;pivot:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe veteran leader [senior Congress member Ghulam Nabi Azad], a Rajya Sabha member, said he had called and checked with Sonia Gandhi\u0026#8217;s private secretary twice before sending the letter. \u0026#8220;I was told that she is in hospital for a routine check-up. Still, we waited till she was back home before sending the letter,\u0026#8221; Mr Azad told \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNDTV\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSonia Gandhi, who was admitted to hospital late last month, was discharged in the beginning of\u0026nbsp;August.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe [Azad] said the Congress chief called a few days later and said she could not respond to the letter because of her poor\u0026nbsp;health.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dquo\"\u003e\u0026#8220;\u003c/span\u003eI told Soniaji, your health is paramount, all else can wait,\u0026#8221; said Mr Azad. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi heard him out and was \u0026#8220;satisfied\u0026#8221; with the\u0026nbsp;response.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo things. First, is Rahul suggesting that Sonia is too ill to discharge her duties as President? Then why is she still holding the post?! This is a professional organization, where office-holders have duties and responsibilities\u0026#8230; such as dealing with grievances of senior members of the organization! Second, if Sonia\u0026#8217;s illness was a temporary matter, why is there not a chain of command in place?! It is perfectly natural for any single individual to occasionally be \u0026#8220;off-duty\u0026#8221;, so to say, due to either illness, or personal commitments, or vacations, or myriad other reasons. Any coherent organization should have a command structure where such absences are planned for! If Sonia is ill and unavailable, that should \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNOT\u003c/span\u003e mean that normal operations cease; it \u003cem\u003eshould\u003c/em\u003e only mean that someone else accepts the letter and follows an established\u0026nbsp;protocol. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNext, at the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eCWC\u003c/span\u003e meeting itself, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/cwc-meet-live-updates-key-congress-meet-today-sonia-gandhi-determined-to-quit-as-party-chief-2284124\"\u003ethis was quoted to Sonia Gandhi regarding the \u0026#8216;dissenters\u0026#8217;\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSonia Gandhi reportedly said in her closing remarks that she held \u0026#8220;no ill-will\u0026#8221; towards anyone in the party, a remark intended at the dissent-letter writers. \u0026#8220;I am hurt but they are my colleagues, bygones are bygones, let us work together,\u0026#8221; she said, ending the Congress Working Committee (\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eCWC\u003c/span\u003e) meeting on a note of\u0026nbsp;conciliation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDoes this seem to come from an organization of equals? Or does this seem to originate from a king/queen ruling over his/her subjects? How does it matter if Sonia Gandhi holds ill-will for the letter? \u003cem\u003eWhy\u003c/em\u003e does it matter? Again, this is a professional organization, where senior members are suggesting changes going forward for what \u003cem\u003ethey think is the benefit of the party\u003c/em\u003e. Why is Sonia Gandhi \u0026#8220;hurt\u0026#8221;? Because she was criticized? Does she consider herself above criticism? \u003cem\u003e\u0026#8220;Let us work together? Bygones are bygones?\u0026#8221;\u003c/em\u003e \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eYOU\u003c/span\u003e, Sonia Gandhi, and your son, are the ones throwing a tantrum! Your senior members were the reasonable adults coming to you with proposed changes going forward that might benefit the\u0026nbsp;party!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou know what I think the problem was? Maybe Sonia and Rahul were not entirely convinced that \u0026#8216;benefit of the party\u0026#8217; and \u0026#8216;benefit of the power dynamics of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty\u0026#8217; were well aligned. At the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eCWC\u003c/span\u003e, it was decided that elections for the next \u0026#8220;full time\u0026#8221; president would be held within six months. Remember that the last president, Rahul Gandhi, resigned after the last election where their political opponents basically humiliated them. Already, \u003ca href=\"https://www.outlookindia.com/newsscroll/assam-congress-wants-rahul-gandhi-as-party-president/1922055\"\u003equotes like this\u003c/a\u003e: \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Congress\u0026#8221; Assam unit on Monday said that it wants senior leader Rahul Gandhi as the party\u0026#8221;s national president as soon as the interim chief Sonia Gandhi demits the\u0026nbsp;office.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/siddaramaiah/status/1297823578528727043\"\u003eand this\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[I]t is imperative that the party should be led by Gandhi family. I humbly request you to continue as the President of All India Congress Committee, and if you feel that your health may not permit for full-fledged dedication, I urge you to convince Shri Rahul Gandhi to take up the\u0026nbsp;position.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehave started to appear. Would you take a bet on Rahul Gandhi not being the next Congress President, again? I\u0026nbsp;wouldn\u0026#8217;t.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat I wrote in my \u003ca href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-08-15-india-independence-day/\"\u003epost on India\u0026#8217;s Independence Day\u003c/a\u003e, in criticism of the current government of India, applies equally well to the party in government opposition. If, instead of performing their duty of providing strong, thoughtful rebuttal of the government\u0026#8217;s policies, the main opposition is worried about controlling their internal power dynamics, and especially about \u003cem\u003ekeeping\u003c/em\u003e power within a dynastic family, then that bodes terribly for the country as a\u0026nbsp;whole. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere are the Congress\u0026#8217; ideas for India? For all that we criticize the Indian government, if an election were to be held today, who is providing an alternative narrative that citizens can latch on to and organize around? What does Congress think India should do in the next 10, or 20, or 50 years? Does it have any opinion as an organization? The current Indian government came to power on the heels of 10 years of Congress led government\u0026#8212; after massive corruption and malfeasance, \u003cem\u003ebut also\u003c/em\u003e with \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eBJP\u003c/span\u003e fanning the flames of criticism, and \u003cem\u003eequally importantly\u003c/em\u003e, providing an alternative vision and path forward. (This was, of course, \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Indian_general_election#Campaign\"\u003ein 2014\u003c/a\u003e. The 2019 campaign was a different\u0026nbsp;matter.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt seems to me like Congress today is missing vision, missing organization\u0026#8212; and perhaps even missing a pulse. It seems to me like the senior Congress members are very, very\u0026nbsp;right.\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cA strong democracy requires strong government opposition. Congress party is currently publicly failing at their\u00a0job.\u201d",            "date_published": "2020-09-10T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "politics", "democracy", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-08-15-india-independence-day/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-08-15-india-independence-day/",
            "title": "India\u2019s Independence\u00a0Day",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eHappy Independence Day, India. In addition to celebrating, maybe it\u0026#8217;s time for some introspection too! Let\u0026#8217;s not forget where we came from, but let\u0026#8217;s focus on where we want to be\u0026nbsp;going.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are a relatively young democracy, still in our growing years. As such, let\u2019s not allow the selfish, petulant adolescents amongst us to dictate our lives and our future. If we let the misguided and sinister make our decisions, we risk letting them destabilize a fine\u0026nbsp;balance. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"dquo\"\u003e\u0026#8220;\u003c/span\u003eI am choosing to do X because some people I dislike did Y some time ago, and X will hurt those people\u0026#8221; is middle school mentality, and should not be the basis for a government\u0026#8217;s decision making. The answer to \u0026#8220;why are we doing this?\u0026#8221; has to be \u0026#8220;this is how it helps us in the \u003cem\u003enext\u003c/em\u003e 30 years\u0026#8221;, not \u0026#8220;this is what our opponents did in the \u003cem\u003elast\u003c/em\u003e 30 years\u0026#8221;. (Yes, people outside the government will engage in all manner of shenanigans. That\u0026#8217;s the privilege of \u003cem\u003enot\u003c/em\u003e being in\u0026nbsp;power.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is petulant, selfish behavior to pursue short term gratification at the cost of harm to self and others, even more so in times of a pandemic. It \u003cem\u003ecannot\u003c/em\u003e be  acceptable for the leader of the central and a state government to ignore social distancing and in fact hold an event with people all around. If that\u0026#8217;s the example they set, what message do they send to their constituents looking for leadership? This is callous and\u0026nbsp;outrageous.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is \u003cem\u003ealso\u003c/em\u003e outrageous for the head of a government to \u003cem\u003eparticipate\u003c/em\u003e in any religious ceremony in their official capacity. Of course, if they want to take a day off, and pursue their religion as private citizens, that is agreeable, whatever religion they want to pursue. As official government representatives, they can and should \u003cem\u003eattend\u003c/em\u003e all manner of ceremonies, from \u003cem\u003eall\u003c/em\u003e communities, not just their\u0026nbsp;own.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/p/CCTGHChpkcQ\"/\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/patriotismcomic.jpg\" alt=\"Patriotism Comic\" width=\"500px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eComic by \u003ca href=\"https://www.instagram.com/sanitarypanels\"/\u003e@SanitaryPanels\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWe are as yet a young democracy. It hasn\u0026#8217;t been long enough for us as a country to forget what it took to gain independence. It hasn\u0026#8217;t been long enough for us to forget, or worse\u2014ignore, the principles and ideas on which India was founded. We are a unique, complex, multi-cultural, blended pool of humanity, requiring active effort to build and keep harmony. If we are to be \u003cem\u003eunited\u003c/em\u003e, we have to refrain from being communal, we have to \u003cem\u003eresist\u003c/em\u003e our entrenched judgments of our neighbors, we have to \u003cem\u003erise up\u003c/em\u003e in support of those who cannot speak for\u0026nbsp;themselves.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsually, we are supposed to look to our government, \u003cem\u003eas our representatives\u003c/em\u003e, to uphold these values, and hold us together as a nation. If \u2014 when \u2014 they fail to do so, it is up to us to unite, resist, and rise up \u003cem\u003eagainst\u003c/em\u003e the government\u0026nbsp;too.\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Happy Independence Day, India. In addition to celebrating, maybe it\u2019s time for some introspection too! Let\u2019s not forget where we came from, but let\u2019s focus on where we want to be\u00a0going.",            "date_published": "2020-08-15T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "politics", "democracy", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-08-03-evolution-grandmothers/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-08-03-evolution-grandmothers/",
"external_url": "https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/07/617097908/why-grandmothers-may-hold-the-key-to-human-evolution",            "title": "\u27b6 Human evolution and the role of our\u00a0grandmothers",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom the archives, this article from \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNPR\u003c/span\u003e sheds fascinating light on the role of our grandmothers in human evolution. For example, \u003ca href=\"https://faculty.utah.edu/u0030555-KRISTEN_HAWKES/research/index.hml\"\u003eDr. Kristen Hawkes\u003c/a\u003e at the University of Utah follows modern hunter-gatherer tribes to understand how our ancestors might have\u0026nbsp;lived.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOver many extended field visits, Hawkes and her colleagues kept track of how much food a wide sample of Hadza community members were bringing home. She says that when they tracked the success rates of individual men, \u0026#8220;they almost always failed to get a big animal.\u0026#8221; They found that the average hunter went out pretty much every day and was successful on exactly 3.4 percent of those excursions. That meant that, in this society at least, the hunting hypothesis seemed way off the mark. If people here were depending on wild meat to survive, they would\u0026nbsp;starve.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo if dad wasn\u0026#8217;t bringing home the bacon, who was? After spending a lot of time with the women on their daily foraging trips, the researchers were surprised to discover that the women, both young and old, were providing the majority of calories to their families and\u0026nbsp;group-mates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/06/05/gettyimages-125215765-edit-edit_custom-b68b8ba94c382dc1b1df728810c4400022b7f081-s800-c85.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/HazdaWomanDigging.jpg\" alt=\"A Hazda woman digs for tubers with a digging stick.\" width=\"500px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA Hazda woman digs for tubers with a digging stick. \u003ca href=\"https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2018/06/05/gettyimages-125215765-edit-edit_custom-b68b8ba94c382dc1b1df728810c4400022b7f081-s800-c85.jpg\"\u003e(copyright \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNPR\u003c/span\u003e/Nigel Pavitt/Getty Images/\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAWL\u003c/span\u003e Images)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs we learn more, we are coming to realize that our strong relations with our grandparents is not just a weird (and lucky!) quirk of our evolution, but quite necessary to our anthropological journey to our\u0026nbsp;present.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor starters, not all animals have \u0026#8216;grandparents\u0026#8217;, i.e. \u0026#8216;elders\u0026#8217; living long past their reproductive age, in the first place. \u003ca href=\"https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/the-grandmother-factor-why-do-only-2010-06-30/\"\u003eHumans (and other great apes), whales\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160119141422.htm\"\u003eelephants\u003c/a\u003e are a small minority of those with societal grandparents. Even among humans, having grandparents \u003ca href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-evolution-of-grandparents-2012-12-07/\"\u003emay be a more recent development than we think\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNPR\u003c/span\u003e article provides a great perspective from several researchers. We were surely hunter gatherers in our evolutionary past, but it turns out that \u003cem\u003ehow\u003c/em\u003e our hunting and gathering occurred is way more complex than \u003cem\u003ethe men hunted and fed their families\u003c/em\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you\u0026#8217;re following Dr. Hawkes\u0026#8217; work, you might be interested in \u003ca href=\"https://insitome.libsyn.com/website/the-evolutionary-importance-of-mothers-and-grandmothers\"\u003ethis podcast\u003c/a\u003e that she appeared on at \u003ca href=\"https://insitome.libsyn.com/website\"\u003eThe Insight\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/06/07/617097908/why-grandmothers-may-hold-the-key-to-human-evolution\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-08-03-evolution-grandmothers/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cNew research in anthropology indicates essential role of grandmothers in human\u00a0evolution.\u201d",            "date_published": "2020-08-03T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "evolution", "anthropology"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-06-02-elephant-torture-india/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-06-02-elephant-torture-india/",
"external_url": "https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pregnant-elephant-fed-pineapple-stuffed-with-crackers-in-keralas-malappuram-she-died-standing-in-river-2239497",            "title": "\u27b6 Pregnant elephant tortured to death in India: it was fed a pineapple stuffed with\u00a0firecrackers.",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eI am appalled to admit that \u003ca href=\"https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pregnant-elephant-fed-pineapple-stuffed-with-crackers-in-keralas-malappuram-she-died-standing-in-river-2239497\"\u003ethe creatures who did this\u003c/a\u003e are of my same\u0026nbsp;species:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn elephant that was pregnant died in Kerala, standing in water, last Wednesday, after she faced one of the most brutal forms of animal abuse. She ate a pineapple filled with firecracker, offered to her allegedly by some locals. The fruit exploded in her mouth, leading to the inevitable\u0026nbsp;tragedy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[\u0026#8230;]\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo powerful was the cracker explosion in her mouth that her tongue and mouth were badly injured. The elephant walked around in the village, in searing pain and in hunger. She was unable to eat anything because of her\u0026nbsp;injuries.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am more disturbed by this incident than I can put into words. Poor, poor elephant, expecting a minimum \u2014 the very minimum \u2014 of cross-species friendliness, and receiving not just death, not just agony, but excruciating, hours-long torture. The creatures that did this don\u2019t deserve to share the Earth with\u0026nbsp;anyone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-06/qr1u8ki_kerala-pregnant-elephant-dies-facebook_625x300_02_June_20.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/kerala-pregnant-elephant-dies.jpg\" alt=\"The elephant stands in the Velliyar River.\" width=\"500px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe elephant stood in the Velliyar river for hours, refusing help and in \u0026#8216;searing pain\u0026#8217;, until it died standing in the water. \u003ca href=\"https://c.ndtvimg.com/2020-06/qr1u8ki_kerala-pregnant-elephant-dies-facebook_625x300_02_June_20.jpg\"\u003e(via \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNDTV\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe news report was based on accounts from a forest officer on social media who went to respond to the situation, and has no mention of whether anyone has been arrested for this. The creatures that did this should face consequences at the very least according to the laws of their own species, surely. (That would be inadequate and the bare minimum, but the rest of us are, after all, bound by such things as codes of conduct, and laws, and\u0026nbsp;morals.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyway, \u003ca href=\"https://indiankanoon.org/doc/3563/\"\u003ethis here is the relevant Indian Penal Code section\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[Section] 429. Mischief by killing or maiming cattle, etc., of any value or any animal of the value of fifty rupees.\u2014Whoever commits mis\u00adchief by killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless, any elephant, camel, horse, mule, buffalo, bull, cow or ox, whatever may be the value thereof, or any other animal of the value of fifty rupees or upwards, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to five years, or with fine, or with\u0026nbsp;both.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhoever did this needs to be behind bars. Anyone that could have spoken up and didn\u2019t needs to be behind bars too. 5 years, the penal code says. I think that\u2019s too few; there\u2019s no mention of torture in the code, and \u2018mischief\u2019 is quite inadequate to capture the extent of this monstrosity. Put them all in jail, and slap fines large enough that they spend the rest of their lives just paying them\u0026nbsp;off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePoor, poor\u0026nbsp;elephant.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/pregnant-elephant-fed-pineapple-stuffed-with-crackers-in-keralas-malappuram-she-died-standing-in-river-2239497\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2020-06-02-elephant-torture-india/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cAn elephant suffers shocking, hours-long torture to death in\u00a0India.\u201d",            "date_published": "2020-06-02T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "animals", "torture", "inhumanity", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2019-10-14-saha-india-southafrica/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2019-10-14-saha-india-southafrica/",
"external_url": "https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27835444/wriddhiman-saha-rare-weekend-spotlight",            "title": "\u27b6 Wriddhiman Saha shines as India\u00a0wicketkeeper",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eThis makes me so happy.\u0026nbsp;:-)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndia wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha was at the very top of his game during India\u0026#8217;s second Test cricket match against South Africa. Usually, wicket keepers are invisible when they do their job well\u0026#8212;they\u0026#8217;re just \u003cem\u003ethere\u003c/em\u003e to catch or stump the batsman out thanks to the \u003cem\u003ebowlers\u0026#8217;\u003c/em\u003e efforts. This time, though, Saha\u0026#8217;s brilliance was plainly evident even on the highlight\u0026nbsp;reel.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://engcric.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Wriddhiman-Saha-catch-Bengaluru-AP-social.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/Wriddhiman-Saha-catch-Bengaluru-AP-social.jpg\" alt=\"Saha dives!\" width=\"500px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSaha\u0026#8217;s keeping is a thing of beauty \u003ca href=\"https://cricketaddictor.com/cricket/watch-wriddhiman-saha-takes-one-handed-blinder-to-stun-theunis-de-bruyn/\"\u003e(via cricketaddictor.com)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSaha has been India\u0026#8217;s best pure wicketkeeper for a while now. For the majority of his career he was in the shadow of the great \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eMS\u003c/span\u003e Dhoni; more recently, Saha\u0026#8217;s injury has allowed the precocious but evidently still raw Rishabh Pant a sniff at the top job. It\u0026#8217;s good to finally see Saha back in action. Saha may not be as exuberant as Pant, but he can certainly bat. After this latest Test and in comparison with Pant\u0026#8217;s work in the past year, there should be no debate at all regarding Saha\u0026#8217;s place as India\u0026#8217;s first choice\u0026nbsp;keeper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWelcome back, Wriddhiman! Having him behind the stumps adds beauty to the\u0026nbsp;game.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/27835444/wriddhiman-saha-rare-weekend-spotlight\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2019-10-14-saha-india-southafrica/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cWriddhiman Saha is back and at his best as India\u00a0wicketkeeper\u201d",            "date_published": "2019-10-14T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "cricket", "sport", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2019-08-14-celebrating-baby-laugh/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2019-08-14-celebrating-baby-laugh/",
"external_url": "https://www.aestheticsofjoy.com/navajo-celebration-babys-first-laugh/",            "title": "\u27b6 Celebrating babies\u2019 first\u00a0laugh",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://duckduckgo.com/?q=celebrating+a+baby%27s+first+laugh\"\u003eThere are several references to this on the internet\u003c/a\u003e, but this is the reference that I first came across, so this is what I\u0026#8217;m linking to. From Ingrid Fetell\u0026nbsp;Lee:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDid you know that the Navajo (Din\u00e9) people have a specific tradition around celebrating a baby\u2019s first laugh? Around three months, they watch the baby closely for that first real giggle. The person who has the good fortune of eliciting that first laugh is then responsible for throwing a party, with the baby technically playing the role of host. Of course, a baby can\u2019t host a party, so the relative or friend who coaxed out that first laugh hands out rock salt, candy, and gifts on the baby\u2019s\u0026nbsp;behalf. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love this tradition, if for nothing else then for the cuteness factor alone. There are more reasons to celebrate this event, though: laughter is a baby\u0026#8217;s first form of communication with its surroundings and with other humans. From \u003ca href=\"https://ideas.ted.com/meet-a-scientist-with-a-most-delightful-job-he-studies-baby-laughter/\"\u003ethis great Ted.com article\u003c/a\u003e referencing psychology researcher Caspar\u0026nbsp;Addyman:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe need to communicate with laughter may have deep roots in our development as a species, speculates Addyman. Evolutionary biology suggests it\u2019s a way for humans to share with other humans \u2014 and thus, to belong. While he is still teasing out why children needed to signal their enjoyment of the cartoon to whoever was there, he thinks it has to do with the idea, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ductvdAe5s\"\u003eraised by Oxford University anthropologist and primatologist Robin Dunbar\u003c/a\u003e, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/with-a-little-help-from-my-friends/\"\u003elaughter could be a replacement for the earlier primate behavior of grooming\u003c/a\u003e. \u201cGrooming was a one-on-one, unfakeable investment of time in somebody else,\u201d explains Addyman, and it created trust among group members as well as a sense of\u0026nbsp;community.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have several different baby-event celebrations; this should be one of\u0026nbsp;them!\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.aestheticsofjoy.com/navajo-celebration-babys-first-laugh/\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2019-08-14-celebrating-baby-laugh/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cThe Navajo people celebrate of a baby\u2019s first laugh. We should\u00a0too!\u201d",            "date_published": "2019-08-14T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "navajo people", "culture", "society"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-11-01-climate-change-help-dinosaurs/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-11-01-climate-change-help-dinosaurs/",
"external_url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/10/dinosaurs-dolomites/573286/",            "title": "\u27b6 The climate change that helped the\u00a0dinosaurs",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eThe Atlantic has an excellent piece on a drastic climate change event about 230 million years ago, when vast quantities of carbon dioxide gas erupted from undersea volcanoes. We\u0026#8217;ve all heard the story of how the dinosaurs \u003cem\u003edisappeared\u003c/em\u003e; well, this one is a different\u0026nbsp;story.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of the Carnian Pluvial Episode was not the crisis itself, but the world that came after. Until then, dinosaurs had been a puny and obscure lineage confined to the furthest southern reaches of Pangaea. But by the time the crisis was over, they had spread all over the world\u2014perhaps using the oddly humid pulse to hopscotch across the previously arid wastelands of Pangaea\u2014and rapidly diversified, using the extinction of their competitors to experiment with new lifestyles. The planet would never be the\u0026nbsp;same.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpeaking of climate change, living in the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eUS\u003c/span\u003e makes it pretty clear that some of us haven\u0026#8217;t yet gotten our head around the whys, the hows, and really, the \u003cem\u003enecessity\u003c/em\u003e, of caring about climate change. This is the part that we must keep reminding ourselves: it\u0026#8217;s not that climate change destroys the Earth; far from it. The Earth was, is and will be \u003cem\u003efine\u003c/em\u003e. It\u0026#8217;s just that the species that inhabit the Earth has and \u003cem\u003ewill\u003c/em\u003e change with drastic climate\u0026nbsp;change.  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf we, humankind, as a species are destined to have the same fate as the dinosaurs, well, so be it. But hey, if there\u0026#8217;s one thing us humans have done better than any other species, that\u0026#8217;s to change our environment to suit ourselves. Let\u0026#8217;s use that to keep Earth\u0026#8217;s climate \u003cem\u003eas we like it\u003c/em\u003e! A huge chunk of our civilization is based on proximity to water, including oceans; a huge chunk of us are used to certain weather patterns. We won\u0026#8217;t like it if either of those factors change. \u003cem\u003eWe won\u0026#8217;t\u003c/em\u003e; the Earth won\u0026#8217;t\u0026nbsp;care.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Hopefully we won\u0026#8217;t end up like the dinosaurs. Hopefully, we will (a) keep Earth\u0026#8217;s climate under control, and (b) inhabit other planets, at least, by the time \u003ca href=\"https://www.universetoday.com/12648/will-earth-survive-when-the-sun-becomes-a-red-giant/\"\u003ethe Sun makes Earth uninhabitable\u003c/a\u003e.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyway, go read this great article. This kind of story about the paths of life and evolution on Earth is always fascinating to\u0026nbsp;read.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/10/dinosaurs-dolomites/573286/\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-11-01-climate-change-help-dinosaurs/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cThe Carnian Pluvial Episode changed the Earth \u2026and helped dinosaurs\u00a0thrive.\u201d",            "date_published": "2018-11-01T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "climate change", "dinosaurs", "paleontology"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-10-30-bhutan-democracy-happiness/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-10-30-bhutan-democracy-happiness/",
"external_url": "https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-tiny-bhutan-known-for-its-pursuit-of-happiness-democracy-brings-discontent/2018/10/17/05e43118-d229-11e8-a275-81c671a50422_story.html",            "title": "\u27b6 \u2018Democracy brings discontent\u2019 in peaceful\u00a0Bhutan",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom Joanna Slater at the Washington Post is this excellent piece about emerging democracy in\u0026nbsp;Bhutan:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA small Himalayan nation wedged between India and China, Bhutan is famed for its isolated location, its stunning scenery and its devotion to the principle of \u201cGross National Happiness,\u201d which seeks to balance economic growth with other forms of\u0026nbsp;contentment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow Bhutan\u2019s young democracy, only a decade old, just received a heady dose of the unhappiness that comes with electoral politics. In the months leading up to Thursday\u2019s national elections, the first in five years, politicians traded insults and made extravagant promises. Social media networks lit up with unproved allegations and fearmongering about Bhutan\u2019s role in the\u0026nbsp;world.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is enough to make some voters express a longing for the previous system \u2014 absolute monarchy under a beloved king. \u201cI would love to go back,\u201d said Karma Tenzin, 58, sitting in his apartment in the picturesque capital, Thimphu. \u201cWe would be more than\u0026nbsp;happy.\u201d\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInteresting\u0026nbsp;tidbit:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe way elections are structured here is atypical, too. Buddhist monks, nuns and other clergy are not allowed to vote, on the logic that they should remain outside politics. No campaigning is allowed after 6 p.m. And candidates found \u201cdefaming\u201d their opponents or straying into certain sensitive topics \u2014 such as Bhutan\u2019s oppressively close relationship with India \u2014 face fines or\u0026nbsp;reprimands.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFines have been levied for describing political opponents as \u0026#8220;anti-national\u0026#8221; and \u0026#8220;all talk and no substance\u0026#8221;. This is such a stark contrast in tone and expectations from election campaigns in both India and \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eUSA\u003c/span\u003e that it almost seems quaint and anachronistic. Here\u0026#8217;s to Bhutan maintaining its peacefulness and innocence as its democracy\u0026nbsp;matures.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBhutan went to the polls for its third parliamentary elections on 18 October, the day that the Washington Post piece was\u0026nbsp;published.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(Well, perhaps democracy can also broach the topic of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/opinion/bhutan-is-no-shangri-la.html\"\u003eexpulsion\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://thediplomat.com/2016/09/bhutans-dark-secret-the-lhotshampa-expulsion/\"\u003edeportation\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/bhutanese-refugee-crisis-a-brief-history/\"\u003eethnic cleansing\u003c/a\u003e of its Nepali-origin citizens. Can\u0026#8217;t imagine that having a good bearing on the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_National_Happiness\"\u003eGross National Happiness\u003c/a\u003e.)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-tiny-bhutan-known-for-its-pursuit-of-happiness-democracy-brings-discontent/2018/10/17/05e43118-d229-11e8-a275-81c671a50422_story.html\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-10-30-bhutan-democracy-happiness/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cNascent democracy in Bhutan brings discontent of its\u00a0own.\u201d",            "date_published": "2018-10-30T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "politics", "democracy", "bhutan"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-08-16-fifa-ethics-corruption/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-08-16-fifa-ethics-corruption/",
"external_url": "https://apnews.com/d165d80179aa4117a260a1a5e65eafb6",            "title": "\u27b6 FIFA updates its ethics code\u2026 to fight defamation, not\u00a0corruption",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAP\u003c/span\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eFIFA\u003c/span\u003e has officially eradicated corruption. All it took was pressing the delete\u0026nbsp;key.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoccer officials and players who bother checking out the new code of ethics governing their conduct will find the word \u201ccorruption\u201d missing. They also will discover how to avoid being banned for paying and receiving\u0026nbsp;bribes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt seems that the lesson that \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eFIFA\u003c/span\u003e took from their \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_FIFA_corruption_case\"\u003emassive corruption scandal\u003c/a\u003e is that they need to run a tighter ship in terms of \u003cem\u003einformation\u003c/em\u003e about the corruption getting\u0026nbsp;out. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRelated, they have also previously addressed racism in the sport by \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/sep/25/fifa-anti-racism-task-force-russia-2018-world-cup\"\u003edisbanding its anti-racism taskforce, declaring that it had \u0026#8220;completely\u0026#8221; fulfilled its mission.\u003c/a\u003e \u0026#8220;Completely\u0026#8221;; meanwhile,  task force member Osasu Obayiuwana had this to\u0026nbsp;say:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u201cI wish I could say that I am shocked by the decision, but unfortunately I am not. The problem of racism in football remains a burning, very serious and topical one, which need continuous\u0026nbsp;attention.\u0026#8221;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat would \u003cem\u003eyou\u003c/em\u003e bet that the next \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eFIFA\u003c/span\u003e scandal won\u0026#8217;t be too far away, however much they declare defamation of the body to be a punishable\u0026nbsp;offense?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://apnews.com/d165d80179aa4117a260a1a5e65eafb6\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-08-16-fifa-ethics-corruption/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cFIFA\u2019s new ethics code removes corruption as crime, targets defamation\u00a0instead.\u201d",            "date_published": "2018-08-16T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "corruption", "soccer", "ethics", "sport"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-18-nobel-literature-academy-scandal/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-18-nobel-literature-academy-scandal/",
"external_url": "https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/17/the-ugly-scandal-that-cancelled-the-nobel-prize-in-literature",            "title": "\u27b6 The ugly scandal that cancelled the Nobel prize in\u00a0literature",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom the\u0026nbsp;Guardian:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the eyes of its members, there is no more important cultural institution in the world than the Swedish Academy. The members, who call themselves The Eighteen (always in capitals), are elected for life by their peers, and meet for a ritual dinner every Thursday evening at a restaurant they own in the heart of the old town in Stockholm. And once a year, at a ceremony brilliant with jewels and formality, the permanent secretary of the academy hands out the Nobel prize in literature and all the world\u0026nbsp;applauds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut this year there will be no prize and no ceremony. In November 2017, it was revealed in the Swedish press that the husband of one of the academy members had been accused of serial sexual abuse, in assaults alleged to have taken place over more than 20 years. Jean-Claude Arnault, a French photographer and cultural entrepreneur, is married to the poet and academician Katarina Frostenson. In addition to assault accusations against him, the pair are accused of misusing academy funding. Arnault has denied all accusations, and Frostenson has refused to\u0026nbsp;comment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe academy is paralysed by the scandal, which was followed by a slew of resignations and expulsions. Six of The Eighteen have withdrawn from any part in its deliberations; another two were compelled to do so. The statutes say that 12 members must be present to elect any new ones, so with only 10, no important decisions can be taken and no new members\u0026nbsp;elected.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat a mess this is. I\u0026#8217;m tempted to say \u0026#8220;you can\u0026#8217;t make this stuff up\u0026#8221;; would that be too\u0026nbsp;ironical?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/jul/17/the-ugly-scandal-that-cancelled-the-nobel-prize-in-literature\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-18-nobel-literature-academy-scandal/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cThe Academy that oversees the Nobel Prize in Literature is in\u00a0disarray.\u201d",            "date_published": "2018-07-18T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "nobel price", "literature", "scandal", "society"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-11-usa-straw-history/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-11-usa-straw-history/",
"external_url": "https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/06/disposable-america/563204/",            "title": "\u27b6 Disposable America \u2014 A history of modern capitalism from the perspective of the straw.\u00a0Seriously.",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eBy Alexis Madrigal for \u003cem\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c/em\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe invention of American industrialism, the creation of urban life, changing gender relations, public-health reform, suburbia and its hamburger-loving teens, better living through plastics, and the financialization of the economy: The straw was there for all these things\u2014rolled out of extrusion machines, dispensed, pushed through lids, bent, dropped into the\u0026nbsp;abyss.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can learn a lot about this country, and the dilemmas of contemporary capitalism, by taking a straw-eyed\u0026nbsp;view.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a \u003cem\u003every\u003c/em\u003e well researched article on the humble drinking straw, and its correlation with the evolving American societal outlook. The pervasiveness of the drinking straw in this society probably makes this a pretty good correlation to\u0026nbsp;make.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGo read, this is quite an interesting, albeit long, read. (I did not know, for example, that the original straw was made from actual \u003cem\u003estraw\u003c/em\u003e.)\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/06/disposable-america/563204/\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-11-usa-straw-history/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cReflections on US society through a history of the humble drinking\u00a0straw\u201d",            "date_published": "2018-07-11T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "society", "technology", "history", "USA"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-02-kolkata-free-street-library/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-02-kolkata-free-street-library/",
"external_url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/kolkata-has-a-new-library-on-the-street-street-library-5241200/",            "title": "\u27b6 New free street library in\u00a0Kolkata!",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eThe Indian Express\u0026nbsp;reports:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf one gets down at Netaji Bhavan metro station and walks towards Rammohan Dutta road straight to Northern park one would stumble upon a rather curious sight. College-goers can be seen crowding the area and a familiar smell of books envelops it. Several books are exhibited in bookshelves on the footpath and it almost seems like a bookstore at first glance. This, however, is no bookstore, instead, it is an expansive library that houses books by authors ranging from popular Bengali comic books to Sidney Sheldon. The name of the place is Street\u0026nbsp;Library.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is such a lovely concept. Anyone who wants to read can pick up a book and return it once they are finished. People who have books that they don\u0026#8217;t plan on keeping can donate and improve the collection. People with organization skills and some spare time can chip in and organize the collection every once in a\u0026nbsp;while.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an excellent program that encourages reading, sharing and selflessness. It also depends on a community working together to keep a good thing going. I wish this all the best, and really hope that there is enough community interest and investment to overcome the occasional miscreant. Although Kolkata is home to the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Library_of_India\"\u003eNational Library of India\u003c/a\u003e, and hosts \u003ca href=\"https://www.google.com/search?hl=en\u0026amp;q=kolkata%20public%20library\"\u003eseveral other libraries\u003c/a\u003e, they are either not free or not easily accessible for many people. Street libraries are an excellent idea for people short on time and energy but an interest to\u0026nbsp;read.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you\u0026#8217;re in Kolkata and have some books to spare, perhaps you can consider donating to this? Or better yet, perhaps you can see if something similar can be organized in your part of the\u0026nbsp;city?\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/books/kolkata-has-a-new-library-on-the-street-street-library-5241200/\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-07-02-kolkata-free-street-library/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cKolkata has a new street library for all to use, enjoy, and contribute\u00a0to.\u201d",            "date_published": "2018-07-02T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "library", "reading", "Kolkata", "public service", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-06-29-india-bank-face-recognition/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-06-29-india-bank-face-recognition/",
"external_url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/banks-contemplate-face-detection-to-spot-the-next-vijay-mallya/articleshow/64789192.cms",            "title": "\u27b6 Indian banks contemplate \u2018face reading\u2019 to spot doubtful loan\u00a0seekers",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom the Times of\u0026nbsp;India:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrivate banks in the western coastal state [Gujarat] have approached the Gujarat Forensics Science University to prepare a facial micro-expressions manual, to train its employees in recognising doubtful high net-worth customers like fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya demanding\u0026nbsp;loans.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is straight out of the American \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eTV\u003c/span\u003e series \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie_to_Me\"\u003eLie to Me\u003c/a\u003e (\u003ca href=\"https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235099/\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eIMDB\u003c/span\u003e Link\u003c/a\u003e):\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the show, Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and his colleagues in The Lightman Group accept assignments from third parties (commonly local and federal law enforcement), and assist in investigations, reaching the truth through applied psychology: interpreting microexpressions, through the Facial Action Coding System, and body\u0026nbsp;language.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHave the Indian bankers in question seriously been watching too much \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eTV\u003c/span\u003e reruns? In the show, the protagonists use micro expressions to evaluate suspects and their testimony to solve crimes. That\u0026#8217;s \u003cem\u003eslightly\u003c/em\u003e different from the real world case of deciding whether to give out large loans, no? (For context, India has had a \u003ca href=\"https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/vijay-mallya-wants-come-back-india-claims-he-ready-repay-bank-loans-83706\"\u003eslew\u003c/a\u003e of \u003ca href=\"https://thelogicalindian.com/news/jatin-mehta-winsome-diamonds/\"\u003erecent\u003c/a\u003e large \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/banks/nirav-modi-case-pnb-fraud-11400-crore-scam-ed-cbi-raid/story/270708.html\"\u003eloan frauds\u003c/a\u003e.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am completely bewildered by this. If there have been some large loan frauds, shouldn\u0026#8217;t the most important step be a complete overhaul and re-evaluation of how credit-worthiness of prospective clients is determined? In a \u003cem\u003efinancial\u003c/em\u003e sense? In a \u003cem\u003erisk assessment\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ecost-benefit analysis\u003c/em\u003e sense? In an \u003cem\u003eavailable collateral\u003c/em\u003e sense? Especially given that \u003ca href=\"https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/nirav-modi-scam-us-court-wants-pnb-staff-probed/articleshow/64183650.cms\"\u003einvestigations have been called for on bank employees\u003c/a\u003e, it has been alleged that \u003ca href=\"https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/banking/finance/banking/former-md-of-pnb-was-aware-of-nirav-modi-fraud-says-cbi/articleshow/64260412.cms\"\u003ea bank \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eCEO\u003c/span\u003e \u0026#8220;failed to initiate steps\u0026#8221; to prevent the fraud after there were red-flags\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/winsome-diamonds-case-cbi-files-chargesheet-against-3-former-canara-bank-officials/story/279706.html\"\u003ebank officials have been charged\u003c/a\u003e?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDo the bankers \u003cem\u003ereally\u003c/em\u003e believe that there is nothing to improve on their financial evaluations side and in their employee honesty side? Or is this a case of putting their head in the sand and going \u0026#8216;la-la-la\u0026#8217;? Are the bankers too entrenched in their current practices and workflows, don\u0026#8217;t want to go through  the trouble \u0026#8212; and the expense \u0026#8212; of actually re-evaluating their own businesses, and are looking for guises to exculpate\u0026nbsp;themselves?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI mean, seriously, if the banks want to go for next generation methods, \u003ca href=\"https://www.techemergence.com/artificial-intelligence-applications-lending-loan-management/\"\u003eartificial intelligence and machine learning\u003c/a\u003e would be an actual avenue to explore. Examples to be found \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/henry-jia/bank-loan-default-prediction-with-machine-learning-e9336d19dffa\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/henry-jia/bank-loan-default-prediction-with-machine-learning-e9336d19dffa\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e. There are even \u003ca href=\"https://www.coursera.org/lecture/ml-classification/predicting-loan-defaults-with-decision-trees-ZtvkP\"\u003ecourses\u003c/a\u003e and available computer code(\u003ca href=\"https://blog.riskspan.com/hands-on-machine-learning-predicting-loan-delinquency\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://github.com/topics/loan-default-prediction\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e) to get people\u0026nbsp;started!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCome now, bankers in question: get real and find real solutions to your real problems, and stop with the hand waving \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eTV\u003c/span\u003e-show\u0026nbsp;inspirations.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/banks-contemplate-face-detection-to-spot-the-next-vijay-mallya/articleshow/64789192.cms\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-06-29-india-bank-face-recognition/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "\u201cIndian banks are considering training employees to recognize crucial facial micro expressions to recognize doubtful\u00a0clients.\u201d",            "date_published": "2018-06-29T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "technology", "banking", "fraud", "crazy town", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-06-06-indian-rail-baggage-limit/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-06-06-indian-rail-baggage-limit/",
"external_url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/now-rail-passengers-to-pay-six-time-penalty-for-carrying-excess-luggage/articleshow/64466451.cms",            "title": "\u27b6 Indian Railways decides to enforce baggage\u00a0limits",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eThe Times of India\u0026nbsp;reports:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a result of numerous complaints regarding excess baggage being towed into train compartments, the Indian Railways has decided to strictly enforce its over-three-decades-old baggage allowance rules, which will see passengers paying up to six times the stipulated amount as penalty, if caught travelling with overweight luggage, an official said\u0026nbsp;today.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI never even knew that these baggage rules existed. All these years, I\u0026#8217;ve simply assumed that there were no formal baggage limits; that space constraints and being reasonable to fellow passengers is all that stops people from carrying waaay too much stuff with them on to trains. Unfortunately, people often \u003cem\u003edo\u003c/em\u003e carry too much stuff with them, and to the level of straining and breaking limits of\u0026nbsp;reason.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhich is why the rule enforcement itself, to me, is entirely justified. Even in the little travel that I have done via Indian Railways in the recent past, people carrying way too much luggage, both in quantity and physical size, is way too common for\u0026nbsp;comfort.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe important question, though, is how much luggage is allowed? After all, the railways is used in a vast majority by people for whom expense is a major\u0026nbsp;factor.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to the prescribed norms, a sleeper class and a second class passenger can carry luggage weighing 40 kg and 35 kg respectively without paying any extra money and a maximum of 80 kg and 70 kg respectively by paying for the excess luggage at the parcel office. The excess luggage would have to be put in the luggage\u0026nbsp;van.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[\u0026#8230;]\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor example, if a passenger is travelling 500 km with luggage weighing 80 kg in the sleeper class, he can book his excess baggage of 40 kg for Rs 109 in the luggage\u0026nbsp;van.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[\u0026#8230;]\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimilarly, an \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAC\u003c/span\u003e first class passenger can carry 70 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 150 kg, after paying a fee for the excess 80\u0026nbsp;kg.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAC\u003c/span\u003e two-tier passenger can carry 50 kg of luggage for free and a maximum of 100 kg by paying a fee for the excess 50\u0026nbsp;kg.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnly 35-40kg for the second class passenger? That seems a little on the lower side. Barely a couple of suitcases, perhaps? In our international travel to and from the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eUSA\u003c/span\u003e we\u0026#8217;re allowed 46kg in two checked in suitcases, along with additional cabin baggage; surely a railway compartment should be able to accommodate more per passenger? The limits for the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eAC\u003c/span\u003e classes seem a little more reasonable, but still low considering that fewer passengers occupy the same compartment\u0026nbsp;area.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cost for extra baggage doesn\u0026#8217;t seem too bad either. About Rs. 100 for essentially doubling the baggage allowance is hopefully okay, considering prices of other commodities, although I hope the baggage charges increase with the class of tickets. The cheapest tickets should really also have the cheapest excess baggage charges, considering the budget conscious\u0026nbsp;traveler.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026#8217;m most concerned, though, with two things. One, the excess luggage is to be placed in a separate luggage van. (Come to think of it, I\u0026#8217;ve always known these luggage vans exist on trains. I always assumed they were for freight or oversized luggage. Huh.) I\u0026#8217;m guessing the luggage van is perfectly safe with no fear of theft, but I\u0026#8217;m also certain many, many passengers will take a long time to be comfortable with the idea of their bags not being right next to them. (Although, side benefit: if the bags aren\u0026#8217;t just lying around in the compartment, they\u0026#8217;re \u003cem\u003esafer\u003c/em\u003e from\u0026nbsp;theft.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo, they say they will \u0026#8220;enforce\u0026#8221; the law by random checks. This is bad, especially in India, where: (a) this situation is ripe with bribing opportunities, and (b) random checking introduces the concept of fairness between travelers who got caught and who didn\u0026#8217;t. I really hope they figure out a more robust way of executing\u0026nbsp;this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn concept, the baggage allowance idea seems reasonable, but I hope they do a good job of the current idea, and I really hope they revisit the current ideas and update them based on feedback and usage data. The Indian Railways is a lifeline in India, and things like this can have a major effect either\u0026nbsp;way.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/now-rail-passengers-to-pay-six-time-penalty-for-carrying-excess-luggage/articleshow/64466451.cms\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2018-06-06-indian-rail-baggage-limit/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Indian Railways has decided to enforce apparently already existing baggage limit\u00a0rules.",            "date_published": "2018-06-06T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "travel", "railways", "india"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-12-15-ariane5-crash-bug/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-12-15-ariane5-crash-bug/",
"external_url": "https://around.com/ariane.html",            "title": "\u27b6 How the smallest programming bugs can be\u00a0catastrophic",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom way back in\u0026nbsp;1996:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt took the European Space Agency 10 years and $7 billion to produce Ariane 5, a giant rocket capable of hurling a pair of three-ton satellites into orbit with each launch and intended to give Europe overwhelming supremacy in the commercial space\u0026nbsp;business.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll it took to explode that rocket less than a minute into its maiden voyage last June, scattering fiery rubble across the mangrove swamps of French Guiana, was a small computer program trying to stuff a 64-bit number into a 16-bit\u0026nbsp;space.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne bug, one crash. Of all the careless lines of code recorded in the annals of computer science, this one may stand as the most devastatingly\u0026nbsp;efficient.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore links \u003ca href=\"http://www-users.math.umn.edu/~arnold/disasters/ariane.html\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e, and the report of the inquiry into the incident is \u003ca href=\"http://www-users.math.umn.edu/~arnold/disasters/ariane5rep.html\"\u003earchived here\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA fascinating, and from a programmer\u0026#8217;s perspective chilling, read. This is the stuff of nightmares \u2014 an apparently innocuous line of code causing an exception that leads to\u0026nbsp;disaster!\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://around.com/ariane.html\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-12-15-ariane5-crash-bug/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "How a programming bug crashed the Ariane 5\u00a0rocket",            "date_published": "2017-12-15T00:00:00-05:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "programming", "spaceflight"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-12-11-adios-cassini/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-12-11-adios-cassini/",
            "title": "Adios\u00a0Cassini",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eA couple of months ago, 15 September to be precise, marked the end of an era in the human exploration of our solar system. The Cassini spacecraft was programmed to crash into Saturn\u2019s upper atmosphere and burn up, thus ending an almost two-decade journey and exploration of Saturn and its moons. I was in middle school when this mission launched in 1997, and at that point, even reaching Saturn in 2004 seemed eons away. Twenty years later, perhaps it\u2019s time to look back at some of the amazing insights we\u2019ve\u0026nbsp;gained.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCassini is actually a shortened name for the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassini\u2013Huygens\"\u003eCassini-Huygens mission\u003c/a\u003e, and comprises the main spacecraft \u2014 Cassini \u2014 designed to travel as a satellite in the Saturn planetary system, and a small lander \u2014 \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huygens_(spacecraft)\"\u003eHuygens\u003c/a\u003e \u2014 designed to actually land on \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)\"\u003eTitan\u003c/a\u003e, Saturn\u2019s largest\u0026nbsp;moon. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Domenico_Cassini\"\u003eGiovanni Cassini\u003c/a\u003e was an Italian mathematician and astronomer, and discovered four of Saturn\u2019s moons \u2014 Iapetus, Rhea, Tethys and Dione. The Cassini spacecraft was the first to observe all four of these moons. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiaan_Huygens\"\u003eChristiaan Huygens\u003c/a\u003e was, of course, a famous Dutch astronomer and scientist, and discovered \u2014 but of course \u2014 Titan, then the first known moon of Saturn. (He also invented the pendulum clock, was mentor to Gottfried Leibniz, studied optics and the wave nature of light, and derived the modern formula for centripetal\u0026nbsp;force.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:8423_20181_1saturn2016.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/adios-cassini/8423_20181_1saturn2016.jpg\" alt=\"Saturn by Cassini\" width=\"500px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSaturn by Cassini \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:8423_20181_1saturn2016.jpg\"\u003e(via Wikipedia)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOf the \u003ca href=\"https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/\"\u003emany discoveries made by Cassini\u003c/a\u003e, I\u2019ll focus on just two stories: those of Saturn\u2019s largest moon Titan, and Saturn\u2019s hexagon. Both of these fascinate me to no end, and I think reflect the best of Cassini\u2019s\u0026nbsp;contributions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c!--more--\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"saturns-polar-hexagon\"\u003eSaturn\u0027s Polar Hexagon\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJupiter is famous for its Great Red Spot; Saturn has its own atmospheric phenomenon that\u2019s equally fascinating. \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturn%27s_hexagon\"\u003eSaturn\u2019s Hexagon\u003c/a\u003e was first discovered by the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_program\"\u003eVoyager missions\u003c/a\u003e, but now Cassini has had the chance to see it from up\u0026nbsp;close.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTechnically, the Hexagon is a persisting cloud pattern formed by jet streams around Saturn\u2019s north pole, but its sheer size and perfect symmetry make it unique. Each side of the hexagon is about 13800km long (to compare, Earth\u2019s diameter is about 12700km), and its winds travel at around 300km/h. It\u2019s been there since the Voyager missions in the 1980s, so we know its\u0026nbsp;long-lived. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PIA18274-Saturn-NorthPolarHexagon-Cassini-20140402.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/adios-cassini/PIA18274-Saturn-NorthPolarHexagon-Cassini-20140402.jpg\" alt=\"Saturn - North polar hexagon and vortex as well as rings (April 2, 2014)\" width=\"400px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSaturn - North polar hexagon and vortex as well as rings (April 2, 2014) \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PIA18274-Saturn-NorthPolarHexagon-Cassini-20140402.jpg\"\u003e(via Wikipedia)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn Earth, our jet streams are forced to bend and move in response to Earth\u2019s surface features such as mountains. Saturn is much larger than Earth (Saturn diameter is about 116000km) but has a rocky core that\u2019s similar in size to Earth, and so its jet streams have no such problems, and can keep flowing in their own orderly and symmetrical\u0026nbsp;fashion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hexagon is essentially a quirk of fluid mechanics. Here on Earth, scientists have been able to create (\u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.icarus.2009.10.022\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2009.10.022\"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e) such regular shapes by rotating a circular tank of liquid at different speeds at its center and outer edge. Due to the difference in speeds, a turbulent region is created where such regular shapes can be observed. The regular shape is not always a hexagon (shapes with three to eight sides, i.e. from a triangle to an octagon, are produced) but a hexagon is the most commonly occurring. However, the phenomenon only occurs when the speed differential and fluid properties fall under certain small margins, and therefore the hexagon phenomenon is not observed everywhere where its possible (such as Jupiter, or even the south pole of\u0026nbsp;Saturn).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the center of the Hexagon, right at the north pole, is a humongous storm, with a definite and easily observed eye wall. The south pole has such a storm as well, although it doesn\u2019t display a Hexagon. In each case, the eye of the storm is about 50 times wider than a hurricane would be on\u0026nbsp;Earth.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs much as the Hexagon is an atmospheric and scientific phenomenon, explained and replicated under lab conditions, it\u2019s one of our solar system\u2019s most beautiful sights, and something I\u2019ll keep looking for in photos of Saturn, now that I know it\u2019s\u0026nbsp;there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA14946\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/adios-cassini/saturn-polar-hexagon-color.jpg\" alt=\"False color image of storms at Saturn\u0027s north pole\" width=\"400px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFalse color image of storms at Saturn\u0026#8217;s north pole \u003ca href=\"https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA14946\"\u003e(via \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eJPL\u003c/span\u003e/\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eNASA\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"titan\"\u003eTitan\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_(moon)\"\u003eTitan\u003c/a\u003e is Saturn\u2019s largest moon, and of special interest to us: Titan is the only known moon with an atmosphere, and the only one other than Earth whose atmosphere is majority nitrogen. Moreover, its atmosphere is denser and more massive than ours, and is opaque at many wavelengths of light. This means that, like Venus, we had no idea of what the surface of Titan looks like until we had a probe that could land on the surface of Titan. Thanks to Cassini and Huygens, we know a lot more today about Titan than we did in\u0026nbsp;2004.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTitan, we know now, has an active weather system, including wind and liquid rain, just like on Earth. Of course, the liquid that rains is different from Earth: it rains liquid methane on Titan. Nevertheless, its nitrogen atmosphere and presence of liquids means that Titan\u2019s methane cycle is analogous to Earth\u2019s water cycle. Titan\u0026#8217;s upper atmosphere is also affected by ultraviolet light from the Sun, whereby atmospheric methane is broken down and reconstituted into a diverse mix of complex\u0026nbsp;hydrocarbons.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe\u2019re not done yet with the comparisons with Earth! \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakes_of_Titan\"\u003eTitan has lakes and oceans\u003c/a\u003e, comprised of methane, ethane, and dissolved nitrogen; this makes Titan only the second object in the Solar System (after Earth) to have stable liquids present at ambient temperatures. It most likely also has volcanoes, and is affected by tidal effects from Saturn\u2019s massive gravity. Titan\u2019s surface, specifically where Huygens landed, looks uncannily like Earth, with \u2018globules\u2019 about 10-15cm in size, made probably of water\u0026nbsp;ice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Huygens_surface_color.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/adios-cassini/Huygens_surface_color.jpg\" alt=\"Huygens\u0027 view of Titan\u0027s surface\" width=\"200px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHuygens\u0026#8217; view of Titan\u0026#8217;s surface \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Huygens_surface_color.jpg\"\u003e(via Wikipedia)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u2019s almost as if Titan is an analogue of Earth\u2014 only much colder. In fact, in very specific ways it\u2019s not even colder by much thanks to Titan\u2019s greenhouse effect and tidal heating from Saturn. Cassini has performed numerous gravity measurements of Titan, which reveal that there is a hidden, internal, ocean of liquid water and ammonia beneath Titan\u2019s\u0026nbsp;surface.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, to summarize, Titan has: an active weather system, large quantities of complex hydrocarbons (Titan is much, much richer in hydrocarbons than Earth), tidal effects from Saturn, and interaction of its atmospheric methane with ultraviolet radiation from the Sun, and even and underground ocean of liquid water and ammonia. A question is begging to be asked at this point: what are the chances of life (past, present or future) on\u0026nbsp;Titan?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eScientists think Titan definitely has the potential to contain habitable environments. Similar to Earth in its infancy, Titan today has the pieces needed for new life to possibly form. Whether it already has, or the extent of future possibility, can only be understood with even better exploration. Indeed, quite a few ideas for future missions dedicated to Titan have been proposed, but none have really gotten off the ground (pun intended)\u0026nbsp;yet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most promising of them all is a design to send a submarine to Titan that can explore the seas of Titan, but even this idea is in relatively early\u0026nbsp;stages.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"so-much-more\"\u003eSo Much More...\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u2019ve really just scratched the surface here of how much the Cassini mission gleaned from the Saturn system. There\u2019s so much more: Saturn\u2019s rings and their composition; the moon Enceladus and its jets of icy particles and subsurface ocean of salty water; the moon Iapetus and its equatorial ridge; the moon Mimas and its crater that gives it the Death Star look\u2026 trust me, if you don\u2019t take an interest yet, you will once you start\u0026nbsp;reading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Cassini-Huygens mission really gave us glimpses into a planetary system that provides great opportunities for scientific discovery, amazing new and diverse worlds, and even \u2014 dare we dream? \u2014 possibilities of places that can harbor\u0026nbsp;life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt\u2019s time to say adios to Cassini, but of course, we humans have a long way to go before we can say we know our own solar\u0026nbsp;system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimas_(moon)#/media/File:Mimas_Cassini.jpg\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/adios-cassini/Mimas_Cassini.jpg\" alt=\"Saturn\u0027s moon Mimas, with the crater Herschel visible prominently\" width=\"400px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSaturn\u0026#8217;s moon Mimas, with the crater Herschel visible prominently \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimas_(moon)#/media/File:Mimas_Cassini.jpg\"\u003e(via Wikipedia)\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e(This piece first appeared in the 2017 edition of \u003ca href=\"https://indd.adobe.com/view/a0fd6c1d-7057-486b-904f-5d7eb1e26247\"\u003eSharod Sombhar\u003c/a\u003e, an annual magazine from the \u003ca href=\"http://www.bengali.org.vt.edu\"\u003eBengali Students\u2019 Association at Virginia Tech\u003c/a\u003e.)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "The Cassini-Huygens space mission has rewritten human knowledge of the solar system and the Saturn system in\u00a0particular.",            "date_published": "2017-12-12T00:00:00-05:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "astronomy", "space", "science", "space travel"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-09-19-india-highspeed-rail/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-09-19-india-highspeed-rail/",
            "title": "Of India\u2019s high-speed rail ambitions, and lazy Indian\u00a0journalism",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eIndia\u0026#8217;s plans about building a high speed rail route connecting Mumbai and Ahmedabad \u003ca href=\"http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/mumbai-ahmedabad-bullet-train-will-need-to-make-100-trips-a-day-to-be-viable-iim-study/\"\u003ehave\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-for-a-successful-run-ahmedabad-mumbai-bullet-train-should-have-at-least-100-trips-in-1-day-says-iim-ahmedabad-study-2546739\"\u003ebeen\u003c/a\u003e in the \u003ca href=\"http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bullet-train-will-need-100-trips-daily-to-be-financially-viable-iim-ahmedabad-study/1/645171.html\"\u003enews\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href=\"http://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/article/mumbai-ahmedabad-bullet-train-will-need-100-trips-daily-to-be-financially-viable-iim-ahmedabad-study/92862\"\u003elately\u003c/a\u003e. The project is funded by a low-interest loan from Japan (covering 80% of the cost of the project), and will make use of Japanese high-speed rail technology used for the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinkansen\"\u003eShinkansen\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, along with the project being in the news, it is also subject to \u003ca href=\"http://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/mumbai-ahmedabad-bullet-train-cost-japan-india/story/260280.html\"\u003ecritique\u003c/a\u003e in news articles, as any expensive government venture is bound to (and should!) be. In many of the articles, though, I found one common piece of information mentioned over and\u0026nbsp;over:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to a study conducted by \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eIIM\u003c/span\u003e Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train will need to make 100 trips daily and carry 88,000-118,000 passengers per day to be financially viable. This figure could well be way above the total number of passengers travelling between the two cities on any given\u0026nbsp;day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn fact, \u003ca href=\"https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en\u0026amp;q=%22Dedicated%20High%20Speed%20Railway%20(HSR)%20Networks%20in%20India%3A%20Issues%20in%20Development%22\"\u003esearching the internet\u003c/a\u003e with the name of the article in question (\u003cem\u003eDedicated High Speed Railway (\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eHSR\u003c/span\u003e) Networks in India: Issues in Development\u003c/em\u003e) provides a result that looks like\u0026nbsp;this:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"imagecaption\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en\u0026q=%22Dedicated%20High%20Speed%20Railway%20(HSR)%20Networks%20in%20India%3A%20Issues%20in%20Development%22\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https://arnabocean.com/images/posts/HighSpeedRailGoogleSearch.png\" alt=\"Google Search Result\" width=\"400px\" position=\"middle\"/\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGoogle Search Result. \u003ca href=\"https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en\u0026q=%22Dedicated%20High%20Speed%20Railway%20(HSR)%20Networks%20in%20India%3A%20Issues%20in%20Development%22\"\u003e(Source)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThey all mention the same report, and all mention the exact same language about \u0026#8220;requiring 100 trips a day\u0026#8221;. None, however, actually provide links for the curious reader, nor provide any context or analysis. Well, I \u003cem\u003ewas\u003c/em\u003e curious, so I tried to find and read the actual\u0026nbsp;report.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c!--more--\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.iimapr.com/article/view-article/dedicated-high-speed-rail-network-in-india-issues-in-development\"\u003eThis is the the report I found online.\u003c/a\u003e It\u0026#8217;s co-authored by Prof. G. Raghuram as mentioned in all the newspaper reports, and calls itself \u0026#8220;an abridged version of an \u003ca href=\"http://www.iimahd.ernet.in/assets/snippets/workingpaperpdf/3022551392016-03-58.pdf\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eIIMA\u003c/span\u003e working paper\u003c/a\u003e with the same title.\u0026#8221; Unfortunately, the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eIIMA\u003c/span\u003e working paper link is broken, and the \u003ca href=\"http://web.archive.org/\"\u003eWayback Machine\u003c/a\u003e doesn\u0026#8217;t have it archived either. (\u003cstrong\u003eP.S.:\u003c/strong\u003e Between the time that I found and read the report, and I finished writing this piece, the webpage hosting the report seems to have gone dead. No matter, \u003ca href=\"http://web.archive.org/web/20161024100307/http://www.iimapr.com/article/view-article/dedicated-high-speed-rail-network-in-india-issues-in-development\"\u003ethe Wayback Machine has it cached\u003c/a\u003e. Go\u0026nbsp;read!)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnyhow, the report is a great read. After reading it, though, I was \u003ca href=\"http://blog.arnabocean.com/post/117262067032/cities-in-west-bengal-not-being-renamed\"\u003ereminded\u003c/a\u003e of how poor India\u0026#8217;s average journalism has come to be. What every news article printed is actually in the report being cited, and yet \u2014 and yet! \u2014 what they printed is a complete misrepresentation of the entire point and view of the\u0026nbsp;report.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet\u0026#8217;s start with the conclusions of the report. The following are direct quotes from the Conclusions\u0026nbsp;section:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGiven that India is a developing country, the primary concern is whether the funds for such a project could be better utilised in other domains, including in upgrading conventional rail. However, the Japanese funding to the tune of 80% of the project cost may not be available for other\u0026nbsp;uses.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ethere are many positive benefits and externalities of the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eHSR\u003c/span\u003e which would be useful in India\u2019s overall aspirational development. These externalities include technology percolation into other domains, economic development, game-changing sense of connectivity, and national pride due to cutting-edge infrastructure. In such a context, it is a good idea to begin and\u0026nbsp;learn.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Mumbai-Ahmedabad route is a good choice for the first route, since it connects India\u2019s first and seventh most populous cities, with significant economic development in the 500 km corridor between\u0026nbsp;them.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe low cost Japanese financing has been a great catalyst. Though it is a tied funding with significant mandatory procurement from Japan, it cannot do much harm since Japan is at the cutting edge of \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eHSR\u003c/span\u003e technology with over 50 years of\u0026nbsp;experience.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvidently, the overarching view of the article is \u003cem\u003enot\u003c/em\u003e that \u0026#8220;100 trips will be needed per day\u0026#8230;\u0026#8221;. Let\u0026#8217;s talk about that part next, then. Here\u0026#8217;s the crucial paragraph from the\u0026nbsp;article:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAssuming that 20% (apart from the 80% Japanese funding at concessional rates) of the total cost of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route would be funded by the Government of India (GoI) with an expected 8% annual return during the operational phase, the estimated daily financing costs for the route would be \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eINR\u003c/span\u003e 106 million from when the repayment of the loan kicks in. We take this to be the 16th year (till when the Japanese loan has a moratorium), by when the ramp-up of traffic should have occurred. The project cost includes the \u2018interest during construction\u2019 for seven years. Over the remaining eight ramp-up years, we assume that there would be enough operating surplus to cover the interest payments. Subsequent to this, the GoI portion is treated as an equity with only interest due, but no principal repayment. Taking an average fare of \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eINR\u003c/span\u003e 5.00 per km for the route with intermediate stops and for a scenario of 0.4 operating ratio, we arrive at a daily required ridership of 118,000 passengers (which translates to 43 million passengers annually). At an average of 1000 passengers per train, over 100 services per day (50 per direction) would be\u0026nbsp;required. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat this means is that \u003cem\u003eif\u003c/em\u003e the financing for the rail route is to be paid from the revenue from the rail route \u003cem\u003eonly\u003c/em\u003e, then about 118000 passengers, at an average of 1000 per train, over 100 services daily, would need to travel on the route. The newspaper articles only mention the raw number, with a vague notion that this is impractical or impossible to achieve. Two points should be considered, though. \u003cstrong\u003eFirst\u003c/strong\u003e, perhaps it isn\u0026#8217;t \u003cem\u003enecessary\u003c/em\u003e that revenue from the rail route matches the required financing. Perhaps the government can pay for the financing in the short term, and accrue revenue from the rail route to replenish its coffers in the longer term. \u003cstrong\u003eSecond\u003c/strong\u003e, what is the context for the \u0026#8220;1000 per train, 100 services daily\u0026#8221; figure? How does it compare to other high speed rail systems in other\u0026nbsp;countries?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsidering the second point first, here is literally the very next paragraph in the\u0026nbsp;report:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe feasibility report estimates for 2033 with a train configuration of 10/16 cars (750/1200 seats) require 52 trains per day per direction. As of 2016, some of the high-traffic \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eHSR\u003c/span\u003e routes like Paris-Lyon (409 km), Shanghai-Nanjing (311 km) and Tokyo-Shin Osaka (552 km), though being parts of bigger networks themselves, have more than 85, 300 and 330 trains respectively running every\u0026nbsp;day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell, then! In context, the \u0026#8220;100 trains per day\u0026#8221; number doesn\u0026#8217;t look so bad, does it? Considering this information, perhaps the first point above regarding financing isn\u0026#8217;t that big a concern, either? It would seem so from the report, since it makes no further comment regarding this matter, including in its\u0026nbsp;conclusions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are other points that the news articles mention, such as the 500km distance of the route, as being detrimental to the success of the project (\u0026#8220;Flights only take one hour!\u0026#8221;). Even those points are considered and answered in the report. The report really is worth the\u0026nbsp;read.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u2014\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pros and cons of a large, time-consuming, and expensive government project \u003cem\u003eshould\u003c/em\u003e be debated \u2014 ernestly. However, the debate is derailed (forgive the pun) right at the beginning if the information being circulated is incomplete, or worse, plain wrong. Please, by all means, have the debate. Would everyone at least read the report that everyone is attempting to\u0026nbsp;cite?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eP.S.:\u003c/strong\u003e Between the time that I found and read the report, and I finished writing this piece, the webpage hosting the report seems to have gone dead. No matter, \u003ca href=\"http://web.archive.org/web/20161024100307/http://www.iimapr.com/article/view-article/dedicated-high-speed-rail-network-in-india-issues-in-development\"\u003ethe Wayback Machine has it cached\u003c/a\u003e. Go\u0026nbsp;read! \u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Indian journalists are lambasting India\u2019s new high speed railway plans citing a certain report; only, it seems like they haven\u2019t actually read the whole report\u00a0themselves.",            "date_published": "2017-09-18T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Articles", "railways", "journalism", "economy", "japan", "india"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-06-14-radiolab-alzheimers-light/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-06-14-radiolab-alzheimers-light/",
"external_url": "http://www.radiolab.org/story/bringing-gamma-back/",            "title": "\u27b6 Radiolab Podcast: Using flickering lights to treat Alzheimer\u2019s\u00a0Disease",
            "content_html": "\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, a startling new discovery: prodding the brain with light, a group of scientists got an unexpected surprise \u0026#8211; they were able to turn back on a part of the brain that had been shut down by Alzheimer\u2019s disease. This new science is not a cure, and is far from a treatment, but it\u2019s a finding so \u2026 simple, you won\u2019t be able to shake it. Come join us for a lab visit, where we\u2019ll meet some mice, stare at some light, and come face-to-face with the mystery of memory. We can promise you: by the end, you\u2019ll never think the same way about Christmas lights\u0026nbsp;again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI\u0026#8217;ve been meaning to post about this particular episode ever since I listened to it. \u003ca href=\"http://nature.com/articles/doi:10.1038/nature20587\"\u003eThis is the Nature paper about this study.\u003c/a\u003e They found that simply flashing light of a certain frequency at a certain interval helps with some of the brain waves that are diminished in mice with Alzheimer\u0026#8217;s. It\u0026#8217;s absolutely\u0026nbsp;fascinating.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(I\u0026#8217;m not going into too much technical jargon here; go listen to the\u0026nbsp;episode!)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you don\u0026#8217;t listen to Radiolab in general, you definitely should; it\u0026#8217;s one of the best podcasts there\u0026nbsp;are. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.radiolab.org/story/bringing-gamma-back/\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-06-14-radiolab-alzheimers-light/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Flickering lights are used to stimulate parts of the brain that are shut off due to Alzheimer\u2019s\u00a0Disease",            "date_published": "2017-06-14T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "neuroscience", "disease", "biology", "science"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-06-13-queen-goatskin-parchment/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-06-13-queen-goatskin-parchment/",
"external_url": "http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/12/queens-speech-delayed-has-printed-goatskin-paper-takes-days/",            "title": "\u27b6 UK Election: Interesting logistics of the Queen\u2019s\u00a0speech",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eIn light of the recent \u003ca href=\"http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/08/europe/uk-election-day/index.html\"\u003eelection in the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eUK\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, the Queen, of course, is supposed to make a speech regarding forming the government by the party that has won majority. Now, however, after the \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2017/jun/08/live-uk-election-results-in-full-2017\"\u003einteresting results\u003c/a\u003e of the election, the Queen\u0026#8217;s speech is delayed, and the reason for it is very\u0026nbsp;interesting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Telegraph \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eUK\u003c/span\u003e\u0026nbsp;reports:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Queen\u2019s Speech is going to be delayed because it has to be written on goatskin paper and the ink takes days to\u0026nbsp;dry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003c!-- As with everything else, even normal matters take on slightly different proportions when they involve the British monarchy.  --\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eApparently, the British monarchy are more concerned than others would be about the archival qualities of the paper that they\u0026nbsp;use.  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e[\u0026#8230;] goatskin paper is not actually made from\u0026nbsp;goatskin.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe material is in fact high-quality archival paper which is guaranteed to last for at least 500\u0026nbsp;years.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell, okay, but still, why the\u0026nbsp;delay? \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell, ink on this special paper takes a few days to dry. And the monarchy had \u0026#8220;ready to go\u0026#8221; versions of the speech for (a) a Conservative party majority, and (b) a Labour party majority. But the results of the election, that \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2017/jun/09/theresa-may-election-gamble-fail-conservatives-majority-polls\"\u003eresulted in a hung parliament\u003c/a\u003e, has put all pre-made plans into disarray. Since the political parties themselves don\u0026#8217;t know yet how the government will be formed, the Queen\u0026#8217;s speech isn\u0026#8217;t finalized yet\u0026nbsp;either.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce the details are set in stone they can be committed to the goatskin paper and sent away for binding before being presented to the\u0026nbsp;Queen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI love how even the most apparently mundane things become fascinating just by being associated with the British\u0026nbsp;monarchy.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/12/queens-speech-delayed-has-printed-goatskin-paper-takes-days/\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-06-13-queen-goatskin-parchment/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "The Queen\u2019s speech is delayed because the of the special paper on which her speech is to be printed and\u00a0archived.",            "date_published": "2017-06-13T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "queen elizabeth", "politics", "technology", "united kingdom"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-05-28-bats-communication/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-05-28-bats-communication/",
"external_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/srep39419",            "title": "\u27b6 Everyday bat vocalizations are rich and\u00a0complex",
            "content_html": "\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, we continuously monitored Egyptian fruit bats for months, recording audio and video around-the-clock. We analyzed almost 15,000 vocalizations, which accompanied the everyday interactions of the bats, and were all directed toward specific individuals, rather than broadcast. We found that bat vocalizations carry ample information about the identity of the emitter, the context of the call, the behavioral response to the call, and even the call\u2019s addressee. Our results underline the importance of studying the mundane, pairwise, directed, vocal interactions of\u0026nbsp;animals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is brilliant. They were able to correlate their data analysis of the bats\u0026#8217; vocalizations with the behavior and responses that they observed\u0026#8230; so now we know more about how bats communicate! Simply by listening to the vocalization, the context, addressee, and even \u0026#8220;the outcome of the interaction can be predicted above chance level\u0026#8221;.\u0026nbsp;Fascinating.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the\u0026nbsp;discussion:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is important to note that we used one set of acoustic features for classification. However, many other multi-dimensional spectro-temporal representations can be tested. The bat\u2019s brain could thus be using some other representation that encapsulates much more information regarding different social aspects. The bat may be able to classify the context of an interaction with higher confidence, based on some acoustic feature which it evolved to use and is yet to be determined. Our analysis is thus probably only a lower bound on what a bat is capable of extracting from aggressive social vocalizations. For example, we did not include any temporal information in our\u0026nbsp;analysis. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn any acoustic signal, and especially where communication is involved, the time parameter is usually crucial and will add rich layers of information. For example, just imagine taking a piece of human speech, and (a) only looking at the overal speech parameters, versus (b) observing how the speech parameters \u003cem\u003echange\u003c/em\u003e during the speech. Case (b) will provide far more information than case (a). I think we will discover over time that bats have a pretty well-evolved communication\u0026nbsp;scheme. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is fascinating\u0026nbsp;stuff.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.nature.com/articles/srep39419\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-05-28-bats-communication/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Everyday bat vocalizations contain information about emitter, addressee, context, and\u00a0behavior",            "date_published": "2017-05-29T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "animals", "data analysis", "biology", "science"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-05-28-bayesian-intro/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-05-28-bayesian-intro/",
"external_url": "https://brohrer.github.io/how_bayesian_inference_works.html",            "title": "\u27b6 How Bayesian inference\u00a0works",
            "content_html": "\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBayesian inference is a way to get sharper predictions from your data. It\u2019s particularly useful when you don\u2019t have as much data as you would like and want to juice every last bit of predictive strength from\u0026nbsp;it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlthough it is sometimes described with reverence, Bayesian inference isn\u2019t magic or mystical. And even though the math under the hood can get dense, the concepts behind it are completely accessible. In brief, Bayesian inference lets you draw stronger conclusions from your data by folding in what you already know about the\u0026nbsp;answer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn excellent, simple introduction to Bayesian inference. This uses practical examples and an abundance of visual guides: especially useful if you don\u0026#8217;t have an extensive math\u0026nbsp;background. \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://brohrer.github.io/how_bayesian_inference_works.html\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-05-28-bayesian-intro/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Simple intro to Bayesian\u00a0inference",            "date_published": "2017-05-28T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "math", "data analysis", "tutorial", "video"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-04-25-Rupam-Daniken/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-04-25-Rupam-Daniken/",
            "title": "Music: lyrics for Daniken, from Rupam Islam\u2019s Notun\u00a0Niyom",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eRupam Islam is out with a new solo album, \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBX1d-vjJ3M\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNotun Niyom\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e. Continuing with \u003ca href=\"https://arnabocean.com/tag/lyrics.html\"\u003etradition\u003c/a\u003e, here are the lyrics to \u003cem\u003eDaniken\u003c/em\u003e from this album. (\u003cem\u003eNotun Niyom\u003c/em\u003e is available to listen on\u0026nbsp;Spotify!)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c!--more--\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSong\u003c/strong\u003e: Daniken\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAlbum\u003c/strong\u003e: Notun\u0026nbsp;Niyom  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003egobeshona-tona tomake manaye\u003cbr\u003e\namar agroho sotto\u0026nbsp;janaye  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003egobeshona-tona tomake manaye\u003cbr\u003e\namar agroho sotto janaye\u003cbr\u003e\ngobeshona tumi koro e-niye\u003cbr\u003e\nphola-phol pele diyo\u0026nbsp;janiye  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003echola-chol kori kolpona te\u003cbr\u003e\nabhijan tai na-hanyate\u003cbr\u003e\nmaddhom mon ar lekhoni\u003cbr\u003e\nlupto danar\u0026nbsp;shonjiboni  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eicche-ra shob kobita paray\u003cbr\u003e\nbhabchi-bhabbo gondho choray\u003cbr\u003e\ntomar icche bhobisshoter\u003cbr\u003e\nsondhan dey notun\u0026nbsp;pother  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ebole cholo jai se-pothe haati\u003cbr\u003e\neta mohakash-jaaner maati\u003cbr\u003e\ncontrol-e thak khoka-o-khuku\u003cbr\u003e\nshokti utsho\u0026nbsp;surjo-tuku  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003epromaner tumi upashok tai\u003cbr\u003e\namar shopne tomakei chai\u003cbr\u003e\njuktir jaale amar hridoy\u003cbr\u003e\nobohele kore nile tumi\u0026nbsp;joy  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003etumi ki nijeke byartho bhabo?\u003cbr\u003e\ntomake ami e-gaan shonabo\u003cbr\u003e\naaloker goti amar gaane\u003cbr\u003e\nchhutbe notun\u0026nbsp;surjo-taane  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003etumi ki nijeke byartho bhabo?\u003cbr\u003e\ntomake ami e-gaan shonabo\u003cbr\u003e\naaloker goti amar gaane\u003cbr\u003e\nchhutbe notun\u0026nbsp;surjo-taane  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehe-prachin, he-probin\u003cbr\u003e\nhe-aadim mohakash\u003cbr\u003e\nlukiye rekhecho \u003cbr\u003e\nbhule jawa\u0026nbsp;itihaash  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003esmriti-te tobu kaar\u003cbr\u003e\nprotiddhoni shunte pai\u003cbr\u003e\nprobashi aakashi\u003cbr\u003e\nse ki kono\u2026\u0026nbsp;debota-i?  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u2014  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003etomar totto bhaota hole\u003cbr\u003e\nchok-choke kono rangta hole\u003cbr\u003e\nchaota-ke ami beshechi bhalo\u003cbr\u003e\nrangta amar rong\u0026nbsp;pheralo  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ebhaota gaiche prithibir gaan\u003cbr\u003e\nrangta ghochalo rashtro-nishan\u003cbr\u003e\naami prothagoto dhormo-bihin\u003cbr\u003e\naami gaai Lennon-er\u0026nbsp;Imagine  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003emoha purushera tader juuge\u003cbr\u003e\nchole-asha rewaj-er hujuge\u003cbr\u003e\nbhondo akkha peyei thaaken\u003cbr\u003e\nJesus Christ-o krush-e\u0026nbsp;jhulechen  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eekdin tumi patta pabe\u003cbr\u003e\ntomar totto proman hobe\u003cbr\u003e\nshopno sophol hobe amar-o\u003cbr\u003e\ntokhon amay khujte\u0026nbsp;paro  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eekdin tumi patta pabe\u003cbr\u003e\ntomar totto proman hobe\u003cbr\u003e\nshopno sophol hobe amar-o\u003cbr\u003e\ntokhon amay khujte\u0026nbsp;paro  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ehe-prachin, he-probin\u003cbr\u003e\nhe-aadim mohakash\u003cbr\u003e\nlukiye rekhecho \u003cbr\u003e\nbhule jawa\u0026nbsp;itihaash  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003esmriti-te tobu kaar\u003cbr\u003e\nprotiddhoni shunte pai\u003cbr\u003e\nprobashi aakashi\u003cbr\u003e\nse ki kono\u2026\u0026nbsp;debota-i?  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003edebota-i?  \u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Rupam Islam is out with a new solo album, Notun Niyom. Continuing with tradition, here are the lyrics to Daniken from this album. (Notun Niyom is available to listen on\u00a0Spotify!) Song: Daniken Album: Notun\u00a0Niyom gobeshona-tona tomake manaye amar agroho sotto\u00a0janaye gobeshona-tona tomake manaye amar agroho sotto janaye \u2026",            "date_published": "2017-04-25T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Notes", "music", "lyrics", "rupam islam"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-04-25-Rupam-HawayePa/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-04-25-Rupam-HawayePa/",
            "title": "Music: lyrics for Haowaay Pa, from Rupam Islam\u2019s Notun\u00a0Niyom",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom Rupam Islam\u0026#8217;s new solo album \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBX1d-vjJ3M\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNotun Niyom\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/a\u003e, here are the lyrics to \u003cem\u003eHaowaay Pa\u003c/em\u003e. (\u003cem\u003eNotun Niyom\u003c/em\u003e is available to listen on\u0026nbsp;Spotify!)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(P.S.: I really don\u0026#8217;t like the spelling \u0026#8216;haowaay\u0026#8217;, so: here\u0026#8217;s \u0026#8216;Hawaye Pa\u0026#8217; by Rupam\u0026nbsp;Islam.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c!--more--\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSong\u003c/strong\u003e: Hawaye Pa\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAlbum\u003c/strong\u003e: Notun\u0026nbsp;Niyom  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ephirbo na, ami phirbo na\u003cbr\u003e\nshunechi je daak\u0026nbsp;nishachori-r  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ephirbo na, ami phirbo na\u003cbr\u003e\nshunechi je daak nishachori-r\u003cbr\u003e\nkarnish bohu-tol, halka chokher jol\u003cbr\u003e\ntar cheye halka\u0026nbsp;sarir  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ejibon amar kache ekhono lukiye achhe\u003cbr\u003e\njibon ki somoyer daash\u003cbr\u003e\nhawaye pa, amar hawaye pa\u003cbr\u003e\nar batashe amar\u0026nbsp;biswas  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ejibon amar kache ekhono lukiye achhe\u003cbr\u003e\njibon ki somoyer daash\u003cbr\u003e\nhawaye pa, amar hawaye pa\u003cbr\u003e\nar batashe\u0026nbsp;amar\u2026  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003earekbar, hya arekbar\u003cbr\u003e\nghum ar tondrar shima-rekhaye\u003cbr\u003e\ndekhi nishachori tumi eshe dakcho jemon kore\u003cbr\u003e\nmegh brishti ke deke\u0026nbsp;jaye  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003earekbar, hya arekbar\u003cbr\u003e\nghum ar tondrar shima-rekhaye\u003cbr\u003e\ndekhi nishachori tumi eshe dakcho jemon kore\u003cbr\u003e\nmegh brishti ke phire\u0026nbsp;chaye  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003enishachori tumi eto akorshoniyo\u003cbr\u003e\nje shudhu tomar prorochonaye\u003cbr\u003e\nhawaye pa, amar hawaye pa\u003cbr\u003e\ndilam hawaye pa\u0026nbsp;nirdidhaye  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ejibon amar kache ekhono lukiye achhe\u003cbr\u003e\njibon ki somoyer daash\u003cbr\u003e\nhawaye pa, amar hawaye pa\u003cbr\u003e\nar batashe amar\u0026nbsp;biswas  \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ejibon amar kache ekhono lukiye achhe\u003cbr\u003e\njibon ki somoyer\u2026 daash\u003cbr\u003e\nhawaye pa, amar hawaye pa\u003cbr\u003e\nar batashe\u0026nbsp;amar\u2026  \u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "From Rupam Islam\u2019s new solo album Notun Niyom, here are the lyrics to Haowaay Pa. (Notun Niyom is available to listen on\u00a0Spotify!) (P.S.: I really don\u2019t like the spelling \u2018haowaay\u2019, so: here\u2019s \u2018Hawaye Pa\u2019 by Rupam\u00a0Islam.) Song: Hawaye Pa Album: Notun\u00a0Niyom phirbo na \u2026",            "date_published": "2017-04-25T00:00:00-04:00",
            "tags": ["Notes", "music", "lyrics", "rupam islam"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-03-03-ducktales-ramake/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-03-03-ducktales-ramake/",
"external_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-LNgU4e1rE",            "title": "\u27b6 Duck Tales 2017, first\u00a0look",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eThey\u0026#8217;re remaking Duck Tales! \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxSJr2xErUE\"\u003eWoo-hoo-ooo\u003c/a\u003e! (And now it\u0026#8217;s stuck in your head, right?\u0026nbsp;\ud83d\ude03)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuckTales_(2017_TV_series)\"\u003e(Featuring David Tennant as Scrooge\u0026nbsp;McDuck!)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooks\u0026nbsp;great!\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-LNgU4e1rE\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-03-03-ducktales-ramake/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Duck Tales is being\u00a0remade!",            "date_published": "2017-03-03T00:00:00-05:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "cartoon", "entertainment", "media", "youtube", "video"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-02-27-isro-planet-imaging/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-02-27-isro-planet-imaging/",
"external_url": "https://www.planet.com/pulse/planet-launches-satellite-constellation-to-image-the-whole-planet-daily/",            "title": "\u27b6 Recent ISRO satellite launch carried special imaging\u00a0constellation",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eFrom the website of the company \u0026#8216;Planet\u0026#8217;, published the same day the \u003ca href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-02-15-isro-satellites/\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e satellites were launched\u003c/a\u003e:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday Planet successfully launched 88 Dove satellites to orbit \u2014 the largest satellite constellation ever to reach orbit. This is not just a launch (or a world record, for that matter!); for our team this is a major milestone. With these satellites in orbit, Planet will reach its Mission 1: the ability to image all of Earth\u2019s landmass every\u0026nbsp;day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis constellation therefore formed the majority (88 of 104 satellites launched) of the payload carried by the last \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e launch. As of this launch, Planet is operating 149 satellites in Earth orbit \u2014 this is no mean\u0026nbsp;feat. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAlso, an interesting side note: \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e\u0026#8217;s \u003cem\u003eprevious\u003c/em\u003e largest payload that I referred to in my last post \u2014 20 satellites launched in June 2016 \u2014 also seems to be for this same\u0026nbsp;company:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is our 15th launch of Dove satellites and second aboard India\u2019s \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003ePSLV\u003c/span\u003e. The launch of Flock 3p comes off the successful launch of Flock 2p on the \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003ePSLV\u003c/span\u003e in June\u0026nbsp;2016\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.planet.com/pulse/planet-launches-satellite-constellation-to-image-the-whole-planet-daily/\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-02-27-isro-planet-imaging/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Planet company launches satellite constellation to image Earth\u00a0daily",            "date_published": "2017-02-27T00:00:00-05:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "space", "technology", "science", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-02-15-isro-satellites/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-02-15-isro-satellites/",
"external_url": "http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/isro-sends-104-satellites-in-one-go-breaks-russias-record/articleshow/57159365.cms",            "title": "\u27b6 Indian Space Research Organization launches satellites, breaks\u00a0record",
            "content_html": "\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndian Space Research Organisation (\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e) scripted history today by successfully launching a record 104 satellites, including India\u0026#8217;s earth \u003cem\u003e[sic]\u003c/em\u003e observation satellite, on a single rocket from the spaceport in Sriharikota. This is the highest number of satellites ever launched in a single\u0026nbsp;mission. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe previous record was held by Russia, with 37 satellites launched at one go. The 104 satellites include 3 of India\u0026#8217;s own and 101 of \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e\u0026#8217;s international customers, including 96 from \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eUSA\u003c/span\u003e. (The article states \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e\u0026#8217;s previous record as 23 satellites launched together in June 2015, but I can\u0026#8217;t find a record for that. The closest I could find was this: \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSLV-C34\"\u003e20 satellites launched in June 2016\u003c/a\u003e.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c!-- ISRO has been making great strides; this is but one more step. Brilliant! \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf3 To be fair, though, the PSLV --\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs much as this is making news, and as much as \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e should be proud, this should come as no surprise for space enthusiasts\u2014 \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e has been quite a force in space technology, especially using its \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003ePSLV\u003c/span\u003e launch system, for \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Space_Research_Organisation\"\u003equite some time now\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe four stage \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_Satellite_Launch_Vehicle\"\u003ePolar Satellite Launch Vehicle (\u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003ePSLV\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/a\u003e, used for this launch, was developed by \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e in the 1990s to launch satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits for its own remote sensing satellites. (Other than \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e, only Russia \u003cem\u003ecommercially\u003c/em\u003e launches satellites into Sun-synchronous orbits.) \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003ePSLV\u003c/span\u003e was also used by \u003cspan class=\"caps\"\u003eISRO\u003c/span\u003e for \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan-1\"\u003eChandrayaan 1\u003c/a\u003e, its lunar probe, and \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangalyaan\"\u003eMangalyaan\u003c/a\u003e, its Mars orbiter, becoming only the fourth space agency to reach Mars\u0026nbsp;orbit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs an aside, the \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun-synchronous_orbit\"\u003eSun-synchronous orbit\u003c/a\u003e is a very interesting concept: it is an orbit where the satellite passes over any given point on Earth\u0026#8217;s surface \u003cem\u003eat the same local solar time\u003c/em\u003e. This allows the satellite to be in constant sunlight as it passes over particular regions\u2014 which is great for imaging, remote sensing, spying and weather applications. The technicalities of such an orbit are very involved and very interesting: look up the Wikipedia page I\u0026#8217;ve linked to\u0026nbsp;above. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFun fact:\u003c/em\u003e due to the mechanics of the orbit, a sun-synchronous orbit is stable without external thrust only on \u003ca href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spheroid\"\u003eoblate spheroid\u003c/a\u003e planets. This means that such orbits work on Earth and will work on Mars, but on almost spherical planets such as Venus, it will require external thrust to maintain its\u0026nbsp;orbit.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/isro-sends-104-satellites-in-one-go-breaks-russias-record/articleshow/57159365.cms\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2017-02-15-isro-satellites/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "ISRO launches record number of satellites at one\u00a0go",            "date_published": "2017-02-15T00:00:00-05:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "space", "science", "technology", "India"]
        },        {
            "id": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2016-11-02-hoshino-starwars-fanfilm/",
            "url": "https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2016-11-02-hoshino-starwars-fanfilm/",
"external_url": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7-n36MBs1A",            "title": "\u27b6 Hoshino \u2014 Star Wars fan\u00a0film",
            "content_html": "\u003cp\u003eMust watch. Worth every second of the 7 minutes you will\u0026nbsp;invest.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7-n36MBs1A\"\u003e\u0026#10166;\u003c/a\u003e | \u003ca rel=\"full-article\" href=\"https://arnabocean.com/frontposts/2016-11-02-hoshino-starwars-fanfilm/\"\u003e\u0026infin;\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",
"summary": "Beautifully shot poignant Star Wars short\u00a0film",            "date_published": "2016-11-03T18:41:32-04:00",
            "tags": ["Link-Posts", "cinema", "star wars", "fan film"]
        }    ]
}