June 29, 2007
by Atanu Dey
1 Comment
Well I am off to the City Formerly Known As Madras. I will be in Chennai for the weekend. Here is a classic Christopher Hitchens piece for you reading pleasure. “It’s impossible to satisfy “Rage Boy” and his ilk. It’s … Continue reading
June 28, 2007
by Atanu Dey
18 Comments
TataIndicom I live in a development called “Magarpatta City” on the southeastern edge of Pune. Like most other recent real estate developments around the country, it is a gated community. It is far from complete and but most services are … Continue reading
June 27, 2007
by Atanu Dey
9 Comments
Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion. But only if Caesar himself is above suspicion. What if Caesar is way way below suspicion? Shouldn’t you expect that his wife will also not be above suspicion? Think about it.
June 27, 2007
by Atanu Dey
9 Comments
One is forced to the generalization that at the level of the individual it is all exogenous, while at the level of the society, it is all endogenous. Take the market, for instance. To an individual, price is something that … Continue reading
June 24, 2007
by Atanu Dey
5 Comments
Talk to Me You can learn a lot from talking to people. Long train journeys were a prefect setting to have long conversations with perfect strangers, people who have a different point of view, a different set of life experiences. … Continue reading
June 24, 2007
by Atanu Dey
8 Comments
I got tagged by Raj In the past, getting tagged usually pins me against the wall and I end up not playing along. But it being a lazy Sunday, here goes nothing: eight random things about me.
June 22, 2007
by Atanu Dey
12 Comments
Death Someone I used to know in California died rather suddenly. It was about 20 years ago. She and her husband were casual friends of mine. The perfect yuppie couple, they had everything going for them. Then she started having … Continue reading
June 20, 2007
by Atanu Dey
1 Comment
Oh wonderful new world of the web, that has such people like E. O. Wilson in it! E O Wilson got his wish. “As E.O. Wilson accepts his 2007 TED Prize, he makes a plea on behalf of his constituents, … Continue reading
June 18, 2007
by Atanu Dey
9 Comments
Since the last few days, I notice that this blog is getting a lot of visitors from esatsang.net, a site devoted to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. I am not sure why but my blog does get a lot of attention … Continue reading
June 17, 2007
by Atanu Dey
0 comments
Read it, it’s dam funny.
June 16, 2007
by Atanu Dey
9 Comments
A report in the Middle East section of the NY Times contains the sort of stuff that you cannot make up. It is about fatwas. A Compass That Can Clash With Modern Life CAIRO, June 11 — First came the … Continue reading
June 15, 2007
by Atanu Dey
14 Comments
I came across the name Gordon Wu in an item in a recent Knowledge@Wharton mailing. It was titled “Gordon Wu Sees Huge Opportunities in China’s Rapid Urbanization.” Wu, a Hong Kong native, graduated from Princeton in 1958, and in 1969 … Continue reading
June 15, 2007
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
Of Economic Freedom and Bondage This is the concluding part of my re-write of PM Dr Manmohan Singh’s speech to the CII. (Previous part on Social Contracts here.) The PM in his speech had quoted from Tagore’s Gitanjali. I suppose … Continue reading
June 14, 2007
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
Social Contracts I have a strong aversion to sanctimonious hypocritical idiotic talk (just to spell it out) but it happens, as they say. Perhaps it doesn’t just happen, it is demanded. A sort of reverse Says’ law, “demand creating supply.” … Continue reading
June 13, 2007
by Atanu Dey
8 Comments
Fair and Just Profit Why has profit become such a profane word in India? I believe that it is due to a failure to fully comprehend the nature of what humans do when they engage in economically productive activities and … Continue reading
June 12, 2007
by Atanu Dey
7 Comments
Governance Yesterday I posted the first part of the fake speech that I wish the real PM of India had delivered. The message in the first bit was simply that there are things that the government is supposed to do … Continue reading
June 11, 2007
by Atanu Dey
6 Comments
Division of Labor The “fake”qualifies the “speech” and not the PM, I hasten to add lest there be any misunderstanding. You must have come across the much celebrated speech that appointed Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh gave the other day … Continue reading
June 6, 2007
by Atanu Dey
12 Comments
Charlie Munger delivered the 2007 Law School Commencement address at the University of Southern California on May 13th. Munger is a guru in the original sense of the Sanskrit word, a person who conveys wisdom. He begins the talk with … Continue reading
June 6, 2007
by Atanu Dey
3 Comments
Anyone who knows me soon realizes that I have few heroes, and I consider most entities of the human persuasion to be at least mildly stupid, if not outright moronic. Prof Richard Dawkins makes the very short list of my … Continue reading
June 3, 2007
by Atanu Dey
2 Comments
The makers of monsters and their fates are inextricably tied, both in fiction and in real life. Dr Frankenstein’s monster. Dr Faustus. Mrs Gandhi, the elder and Sant Bhindranwale. The CIA and Osama bin Laden. The CIA and the Taleban. … Continue reading