Mind Tavern Edition 14
Welcome to the 14th edition of Mind Tavern. Thank you for subscribing to this free newsletter, I don't intend to capture any data, but do consider sharing it on your social networks if you liked it :)
Throwback to Slow Texting
In this era of blue ticks, last seen, and the universal desire for instant gratification, Rega Jha takes us back to the times when we were patient in getting our replies and valued personal time and space. I fondly remember the 100 messages a day that we used to get and cherish, which didn’t tell us if the person on the other side had read or seen anything, and left a bit of mystery in the communication. She also talks about how quickly non-responsiveness is now taken as an insult and puts pressure on everyone to be constantly available, which is mostly manufactured by the social media companies whose profits are based upon our need to communicate. Read here.
But mostly, the guilt is created by the platforms themselves, by design features built to create urgency. Like the “seen” that marks an Instagram message that’s been read; like WhatsApp’s “online”, “last seen”, and blue ticks; like Gmail’s “nudges”, which tack bright orange reminders onto old emails: “Received 4 days ago. Reply?” (No, Google. You may own all my data but you don’t yet own my time. Sit down quietly.)
FOMO bullies of technology
In his article for the Atlantic, Charlie Warzel writes about this modern phenomenon where technologists try to pull you into elaborate schemes which they themselves do not fully understand. Everyone likes to quote the famous Bill Gates-Letterman conversation on the internet, where the grey-haired talk show host fails to understand the hype behind the Internet. But the reality is that not every new shiny thing is bound to be as revolutionary, which requires us to be a little more cautious and not just dismiss the critics as ignorant oldies. It has been made even more true with the recent crashes in the value of cryptos and NFTs. Read here.
As the writer Robin Sloan argues, Web3 will likely influence the direction of the internet incompletely and unpredictably. But the FOMO-fueled marketing of this technology can still be deeply problematic: It strong-arms people into markets and ideas, attracting grifters, scammers, and the greedy while repelling those who want to build sustainable communities and products.
Viewed this way, the clip reminds us that unbridled optimism about technology can be just as misleading as unbridled criticism. The future is going to come whether we like it or not, and everyone’s probably going to have a turn to be just a little bit right. To accept the FOMO bullies’ narrative—and ignore the doubters—is to cede control of the future to a small subset of loud and powerful people. That’s just what Web3 is supposed to prevent.
Value beyond Instrumentalisation
In this series of letters written to a young technologist, the writer Jasmine Wang discusses the ethical responsibilities that technologists need to be aware of as she wonders how technology is instrumentalising our lives. It is both practical and thought-provoking. I loved this series. Read here.
“Trying on different moral systems is a useful step in achieving post-conventional morality. For example, what if we applied deontology to technologist work? Kant’s first formulation of the categorical imperative says that you should only act in a certain way if it is possible and desirable for everyone in the world to act in that way. ... I propose, then, a revision of Kant’s imperative for technologists: do not work on something if you yourself do not want to live in the world where you are massively successful. With this reframe, we turn the question of unicorn status on its head, and interrogate the ends instead of the means.”
Stranger Things and 80s music
Shephali Bhatt, in her regular culture piece, talks about how the Netflix show is taking us back to the nostalgia generation’s music, which is described by the show's music supervisor, Nora Felder, as “additional and unseen main characters." A nice read on the why and how of the movement in the cultural zeitgeist. Read here.
The 80s is essentially when synth-based pop (synthesizer-based beats) became big,” recalls Krish Ashok, a technology professional, culinary author, musician and columnist for Mint Lounge. It was also perhaps the most polarising time for musicians as most “serious musicians” didn't take a liking to the use of synthesizer-based music, he explains.
The 80s music era also coincided with cassettes becoming popular around the world. Before that music was played on LPs, or long-playing vinyl records, which were fragile and expensive and thus not as accessible as audio cassettes. The 80s also saw the Sony Walkman going global, making music a more personalised experience. “A combination of factors made that generation of musicians a part of mainstream international pop culture. In fact, it was probably the first generation of music that the rest of the world had access to,” says Ashok.
G Town and the booming business of alcohol
Now most of us know that Gurgaon is known for mostly three things, DLF’s IT park, SUVs with Jat boy stickers and cheap alcohol. Pranav Manie in his blog goes delves deep inside the third entity. This is a remarkably detailed article which not only goes into the technical side of things like pricing, taxation and margins but also profiles one of the families ruling the city through their iconic Lake Forest Wines. LFW has more than 50 stores in a very short radius and is quite professionally managed by the well-educated US-returning Sachdeva family. Read here.
Bansi Lal won the chief minister’s seat, and also delivered on his promise….to zero avail. A cross-border mafia filled in the gap by being in bed with major political figures. Women pretended to be pregnant, children carried illicit bottles in their schoolbags, and milkmen would spike their milk with liquor. Losing the national election seat in 1998 made it worse, along with losing Rs 1200 crore in revenue that had to be covered by raising rates for more essential things. It got so bad that the high court ended up instituting a commission to investigate the aftermath of the prohibition rules.
Threads of the week
A long thread on the history and mythology behind the Kolar Gold Fields.
Oh, you are gonna enjoy this hilarious thread. Imagine Breaking Bad, but with Reddit and not meth.
This thread has a bunch of obscure yet fun niche facts for the football lovers out there that will make you smile.
Something beautiful: Matt Burgess’ Ocean Photography
One of the most calming things in life for me and I suppose many of us, is seeing water flow in all its glory, whether it is a river meandering through anything and everything in its path or the majestic ocean with its horizon kissing the misty clouds. Matt brings the same emotions forward in his glorious pictures where he captures the many ways “light plays on the waves in magical ways”. Check out his Instagram page.
A book you should check out: Before and Laughter
Jimmy Carr has been one of my favourite comics for quite some time and this book reinforces all of my ideas about the guy who doesn’t shy away from offending anyone to drive home his point or to just get a laugh, which is his job. A genuinely well-meaning guide to life and everything around, as he says, is written with a lot of heart referencing his personal experiences starting from struggling in comedy clubs to making it as a globally recognised face of British comedy.
Surely every kid who goes to mass must have thought about joining the priesthood at some stage? You’d be crazy not to consider it. Who doesn’t want to dress up and be the only one allowed to talk, in front of a crowd? It’s basically showbiz from the Middle Ages. Eventually, I decided being a priest wasn’t for me. Fundamentally I just don’t find kids that attractive.
The French call a midlife crisis an existential crisis. They’ve only gone and done it again, those clever French bastards. They’ve rebranded an embarrassing milestone as a glamorous, intellectual-sounding event: Le Fuck-Up Existentiel. I feel better already.
Luck is also about showing up. I’m lucky, I was in the right place at the right time. Where was I when I was discovered? In a comedy club working. How often was I there? All the fucking time. The harder you work, the luckier you get.
The Internet is beautiful.
Fun stuff for you to discover!
A very cool and elaborate interactive tour of the ancient city of Persepolis.
Color Hunt: If you ever need help choosing an aesthetically pleasing colour palette, you can check out this website.
Shepherd: It is a book recommendation tool: “We ask authors to share their favourite books around topics and themes they are passionate about and why they recommend each book.” I love how specific these recs are.
EpubPress: This is a wonderful tool for people with 10s of tabs open at a time when they fall into a reading wormhole. Open a series of tabs with articles/content you'd like to read later, then use the EpubPress browser plugin to aggregate all of your open tabs into a single .epub booklet that you can download and read on your favourite device.
Uber is back with its annual Lost and Found index. Pretty interesting insights on what people leave and at what times of the day.
This is the closing week of Stranger Things season 4, the show which sparked Netflix’s upward rise. These numbers are definitely good news for the company which was losing subs and share value this year
Trivia Corner: Alphonso mangoes, hippos and streets of Lisbon
In the 15th century, a general named Alphonse Alfonso de Albuquerque landed upon the western coast of India and is credited with establishing the Portuguese colonies in the region. He loved the taste of our mangoes but most of the good variants were ‘sucking type of mangoes’, and he preferred the fruits which could be neatly cut and served on a dining table. So the quest began through grafting, till his people found a variant that fit that brief. We have to thank the literal efforts of these Portuguese men behind the beloved Alphonso mangoes.
What about the rhinoceros, though? Actually, Sultan Muzafar of the Gujarat Sultanate sent it to Alfonso de Albuquerque as a diplomatic gift. The captivating story changes when the "Genda" becomes the "Ganga." The general sent this majestic animal to king Manuel I as a tribute which was received in Lisbon with great fanfare, with thousands of people thronging to catch a glimpse of Ganga. After a decade or so, the king sent an envoy to the Pope with a number of gifts to establish the growing influence in the region. One of the gifts was Ganga, the rhinoceros with a green velvet collar adorned with golden roses and carnations. Sadly, the ship sailed into a violent storm off the coast of Genoa and sunk killing everyone.
According to historians, King Manuel ordered the early Portuguese sidewalks to be paved so that Ganga, his favourite animal, would not have to walk through the muck. It is a well-known art form today. Fascinating.