Is it just me or have television channels managed to conspire to show commercials at the exact same time? Like a typical man, I unhesitatingly surf channels when the commercials come on…mostly to find something else that can fill the time before the show returns. Lately, I’m finding that this is a lost cause because (most) every channel seems to be showing commercials at the same time! So annoying!
If I were a Venture Capitalist trying to decide whether to fund a startup like Youtube, I’d be very skeptical, most of this sentiment being driven by how on earth a website like that would make money. I continue to be skeptical of this – in spite of the fact that I spend oodles of time on Youtube watching video clip after video clip. I just want to say that unless Youtube was filled with copyrighted material – Movie Clips, TV Serial Clips, Music Videos and so on – I don’t think anyone would bother visiting the site. So I really wonder how Google is going to monetize their expensive purchase of Youtube. Perhaps a cost-benefit analysis conducted pre-purchase revealed that paying royalties for the material on the site will be paid for by revenue from advertising.
I read a blog the other day that I particularly empathized with. Amit Varma, the author, talks about this guy, whose only purpose in life is to sue people who he deems to have degraded the Indian flag. Apparently, he sued Sachin Tendulkar for cutting a cake that had the colors of the flag, sued Sania Mirza for wearning something that had the flag on it and goodness knows what else. Where do these good-for-nothing people come from?!
Sheesh. Anyway, Amit does a far better job than I can explaining how ludicrous this all is and how our constitution does a less than stellar job in protecting freedom of speech and expression in our country. Check it out at India Uncut.
I love kids. And I’m eagerly looking forward to the day that I have my own. But recently, I have been mulling over this question: Given that the world is getting more competitive, more polluted, more affected by climate change and goodness knows what else? I mean, just imagine how hard it is to join an IIT or an IIM in India. Think about how hard it is to go to a top college in the U.S. Getting into the undergrad program at Harvard, Stanford and the likes is incredibly difficult. I read about the profiles of the kids who do and marvel at how much they’ve accomplished at just 17. But there are tons of kids like these here and for the few that get into the Ivy Leagues, there are so many who don’t and are bitterly disappointed. This level of competition is bound to get worse and I shudder to think what my kids will have to do to get a good education and have a comfortable life. And then there are worries about climate change and pollution. Who knows what going to happen with all the tensions with Iran and N. Korea.
I could go on, but suffice to say that I wonder…is it fair to the children we bring into this world?
