“The reason why China will never win hands-down in its current economic war with America is the same as why Japan didn’t succeed in the 1980s when all (Americans included) were expecting that its corporations and banks would eat America up. The reason is that both countries are good at copying ideas and technologies; neither is good at inventing new ones.” That argument is Keith Hudson’s post today on his blog.

A guest column from my friend Mr Keith Hudson who lives in Saltford England. He’s the only polymath I personally know.

This guest post may be of some interest to Indian students who want to study in the US. The usual disclaimers apply: your mileage may vary, some assembly required, batteries not included, contents may have settled during shipment, void where prohibited by law, not suitable for children under 5, may cause dizziness shortness of breath or nausea, vehicles will be towed at owner’s expense, etc. This exhausts our inventory of guest posts for the decade. Enjoy
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Guest posts are not common on my blog but once in a long while I agree to post one. (There’s one more in the pipeline.) This one comes with the caveat that I don’t understand what’s happening in the Maoist infected areas and why; therefore don’t have any basis for endorsing the post. It’s your call.

I am fortunate to be on a mailing list that Mr Keith Hudson of Bath, England posts on. He is a Renaissance man and a polymath. I am privileged to call him a friend. I want to share this piece of his with you.

India is a country that’s renowned for its diversity – the country is a potpourri of different languages, religions, castes and cultures. While this variety makes the nation more interesting and intriguing, it’s kicking up a storm in the sphere of education. The country’s government-aided institutions all allow a certain quota of seats to be reserved for educationally and socially backward classes and for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

SaaS: How About a Middle Ground?
Guest post by Sramana Mitra
Last Fall, I wrote a widely read piece called Venture Capital in India, in which I pegged the Indian venture boom to be largely in Real Estate, Retail, and to an extent in Consumer Internet, not much in actual technology.

A guest post from Naveen Jaganathan marks the return of this blog from vacation.
R.A. Mashelkar once said “Even if India does not do anything it is inevitable that we will emerge as the knowledge power in the next 5-10 years. If you look at our successes in the past and our emergence in the field of software technology, then this is fairly clear”.
It didn’t appear a tiny bit clear of how India will emerge as the “knowledge power” when I read this way back in 2003. Only thing …

Advances in telecommunications technology is at the core of the revolution that defines our present global economy. We need
to remember, however, that technology itself is embedded in a larger social context which is shaped by regulation and other
political economy considerations.