F055In the mid-20th century, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell wrote two of the most chilling dystopian novels ever conceived: Brave New World and 1984. These works, often considered cautionary tales, predicted futures where humanity’s freedom and individuality were crushed by oppressive governments and pervasive technologies. Huxley’s world was one of pleasure, distraction, and conformity, while…
Throughout history, the role of women in the business of keeping humanity alive has been both vast and varied. From birthing to feeding and raising children, women have been the backbone of society since the dawn of time. Despite this critical role, gender inequality persists, with fewer women reaching top positions in various fields. It…
“Political neutrality has a role to play in reducing injustice. First, getting involved in a controversy one knows little about can lead to more, not less, suffering. And second, politically neutral organizations and spaces create environments where people from different ideological and social backgrounds can congregate. Such intergroup contact can lower prejudice between these groups…
A few days ago I submitted the following report to Apple: When other iPhone users attempt to contact an iPhone in Lockdown Mode, for example by calling its number or sending an iMessage, the Lockdown Mode exposes emails of these other users to the iPhone in Lockdown Mode via a push alert on the lock…
In a cozy, unassuming sector of the Milky Way, on a blue-green planet strikingly similar to Earth, lived Arthur Newton, a 42-year-old software developer and father of two young girls. Arthur’s life, though seemingly routine, was a blend of digital landscapes and playful chaos. His long-standing intrigue with Douglas Adams’ “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”…
In a bustling city, surrounded by the relentless energy of commerce, stood a majestic tree. This tree, often overlooked amidst the noise of trade and ambition, had witnessed generations of economic cycles – booms and busts, much like the seasons it weathered. It stood as a silent reminder that growth, whether in business or in…
In the heart of a ravaged land, where the echoes of war had long since silenced the songs of birds, there existed two kingdoms, Aeloria and Belvane. For generations, their rulers had been locked in a bitter feud, the origin of which was lost to the sands of time. The conflict had become a fire…
In the year 2045, humanity had woven artificial intelligence into the very fabric of daily life. AI, now a ubiquitous presence, was more than a tool; it was a companion, a guide, and for some, a source of wisdom. In the heart of New York City lived Ava, a young journalist passionate about the pursuit…
In the bustling city of Futura, a renowned game theorist named Dr. Elara Huxley held a unique philosophy that would soon shake the foundations of society. Known for her revolutionary ideas, Elara strongly believed that zero-sum games, where one person’s gain is another’s loss, were inherently flawed and detrimental to societal progress. In a world…
In recent years, there seems to be a growing number of topics that are considered offensive, inappropriate, or taboo. With the rise of social media and an increased focus on political correctness, people are more vigilant than ever about avoiding offense. While it is important to respect the feelings and experiences of others, this trend…
Faith is a concept that has been central to human life for centuries. It has been the source of comfort, hope, and inspiration for people of all walks of life. Faith is a deeply personal belief in something that cannot be proven or seen. It is a belief in something that is beyond the reach…
Consumer electronics companies are constantly battling to gain market share, and they use various tactics to win over customers. One of the most effective way is to create a sense of division among consumers, pitting one brand against another. This strategy is what I call divisive marketing, and it is often used in the consumer…
In the past, the political scene was divided into left and right, representing liberal and conservative ideologies. However, in recent years, a new division has emerged that focuses on the constructive and destructive approaches to governance. This shift is reflective of a change in the priorities of voters and a shift away from ideological purity.
Live long and prosper — a phrase famously associated with the science fiction series Star Trek, has become more than just a catchphrase. It has become a way of life for people who aspire to a peaceful coexistence with others. In the days of globalization, where the world is becoming more interconnected and interdependent, it…
Do you think Elon Musk has $260b in the bank? Because there seems to be a widespread concept that billionaires should spend their cash to fix the world at a snap of a finger. The argument being, why would anyone need any more than a few hundred millions to live a good life till the…
This equation is intriguing, isn’t it? But no, it has nothing to do with Artificial Intelligence. And this post was not written by ChatGPT either. This equation defines the geopolitical strategic playbook run by several nation states for the last 50 years. Let me explain.
Above you can see the message I received a few years back via a LinkedIn InMail. It was around the time when Obama administration was pondering on the idea of deploying a missile defence shield in Poland. It really made my day, but also really missed the target. And made me really wonder. The term…
This blog is running on a tiny Linux VPS with 1GB RAM, 1 CPU Core and a 25GB SSD with Debian 10 installed. Thanks to a proper WordPress setup this VPS will handle itself just fine even with substantial traffic. This article describes my setup. Moreover, it costs me only $5 per month. That’s like…
When you move content, change domains or create aliases on the web, you often use a redirect, like a URL rewrite in your webserver config, to tell browsers that the link should point to something else — but what if you want to move an API that handles POST requests? URL rewrites are useful, because…
So you are sitting at your home, you stacked your fridge, you have your home supplies (toilet paper!), some books, some games and the things to keep you entertained during the quarantine. You can’t really move outside, more so if the situation gets worse. However, your money can. You can actively protect your money from…
Welcome to my blog. It’s not my first, but I hope it’s my last. 10 years ago, when everything on the Web 2.0 was new and exciting, I started a blog. After about a year I let it die & moved on to different things. Now I think it was a mistake. It would have…
UTF-8 is the best way to deal with text, and I hope everyone can agree with that. Anyway, while Perl handles any character beautifully within variables, things get messy when you want to save and load these characters into a file, for example. God forbid it’s JSON, then you’re in for a wild ride. But…
When you toss a coin, you place it in a certain starting position on your fingers, you apply a certain force with your thumb to the particular edge of the coin, it starts rotating within a specific air pressure and movement, only to fall on a surface with a given elasticity and friction. An algorithm,…
An anecdote has it that during the Industrial Revolution, electric cars lost to petrol over the range of travel — many cheap workers had to be transported to the factories and back, from rural areas. Electric transportation didn’t work outside of big cities, hence production & research focused on the more universal combustion engines. Fast-forward 100 years,…
I wrote this paper in 2008 for an ethics class at Oxford University Computing Laboratory. The original pdf is available here. Autonomous weapon (AW) systems are a new and rapidly developing branch of warfare industry. However, autonomous weapons are not devices that belong strictly to the XIX century, in fact some authors date the birth of…