One thing you do in retirement is consume media.  For print media, we have digital subscriptions and read Washington Post, NY Times, CNN, Economist and the local paper Star Advertiser. We also have the local paper delivered to our door.  There are actually three separate choice dimensions for watching media and over time these three dimensions will become independent although there could be bundles offered by vendors with multi-selections from all three dimensions if it makes business sense. The industry is in a state of flux.  The choice dimensions are: 1. Content you want: (video show, video show bundle, video channel, video channel bundle, audio/music, audio/music bundle, audio/music channel, audio/music channel bundle) 2. Device you want to watch it on: (TV, Mac, Windows, android cell, apple cell, other hardware) 3. Data transmittal method to device: (through physical portable storage, antenna, through cable signal, through streaming signal, via browser, via...

Lightly revised on 6/7/2026 with CoPilot's help.  After freezing my blog earlier this year, I thought I was done writing. But a few conversations with friends brought up topics that were personal, foundational, and worth capturing — not as new projects, but as clarifications of the life strategy I have followed for decades. These ideas are not novel, but the synthesis is mine, shaped by my experiences, my cultural background, and my reflections over time. These four short essays cover: Ethics — how I think about values, integrity, and rational living. Institutional ethics — why nations behave differently from individuals, and why I separate my personal ethics from foreign policy. Spirituality — what questions spirituality tries to answer, and why I stepped away from that exploration. Happiness — the models of happiness I’ve observed, and what works for me in my 70s. These essays are personal, not prescriptive. They reflect how I have...

I looked at consciousness a bit and wrote 4 essays in my blog. But I did not really find the subject illuminating or thinking about it too fruitful, and it did not grab my interest as a subject worth further study on my part using methods I use.  Here are the 4 essays.  The neural correlates of consciousness (neurological perspective) Evolution and consciousness. (Evolutionary perspective) Who am "I"? (Psychological and Eastern philosophical perspectives) What is self-consciousness? (western philosophical perspective) What is the understanding I personally took away? These are not novel ideas but the synthesis is mine for my personal use.. I personally think that only you subjectively can know about your consciousness.  Deducing consciousness, say of a dog looking at a mirror and gauging its reaction to his image to make inferences about its consciousness is far less persuasive.  Is AI conscious? I don't know. But a  google AI researcher was f...

I spent a lot of time in the past understanding politics, govt, and international. Once I understood what I wanted to know, I dropped it. I think age 70 is a good time to let go of politics, govt, and international if possible. They disturb your mind, and this is the age for calmer thoughts and endeavors. One should continue to observe these things but with much more detachment. No interest in discussing such topics with anyone going forward. These blogs are it on such topics. We are retired in Hawaii .   These days I am disconnected from the job market, stock market, bond market (a non-callable FDIC insured CD held to term behaves very differently than ordinary bonds), real estate/mortgage/loan market (your home is where you live possibly for life), and largely unaffected by interest rates until close to the end of the next president's term. Debt is 125% of GDP. A number of other countries are in worse shape, and they don’t have the unique position of the US. The moons of pol...

This essay is roughly in the realm of epistemology (closest I could find in philosophy). It describes the “algorithm” I use to acquire knowledge. Conversing with friends is not a knowledge acquisition exercise but an exercise in having fun or a social interaction!! These are not novel ideas but the synthesis is mine for my personal use.  Information is strings of zeros and ones. Knowledge is information which is the closest you can get to the truth. How do you know if a result, finding, or statement is true? You do that by examining the source and method and judging your confidence in that. You are not going to independently ascertain it. You accept it if you accept the source and method used in arriving at it. Logic has an extremely solid foundation, and you can accept a logical statement or reasoning. Science is based on the scientific method which is an extremely solid foundation, and you can accept that. Political science and economic science are also sciences and can be...

There are many perspectives on how values form. Here is my perspective.  Value form when you are younger, and they tend to really stick.  Nobody taught me hard work and integrity. I learnt it by observing dad. I observed how he climbed his way up from a poor PWD officer in Nagpur to the head of south India sales region in Kirloskar. He did it with hard work and integrity and determination.   I also saw how he interacted with everyone - never bad mouthing anyone and handling himself with integrity in all his interactions.  I observed everything he did and processed it. I adopted that in full. That was my role model. I learnt it.  Nobody taught me self-responsibility. I learnt it at IIT (collage). I was alone and independent far away from home staying in a hostel. I learnt and internalized and concluded that your parents sheltered you in the past but going forward I was an independent agent and whether I succeeded or failed or achieved happiness depended sole...

As one experiences life, everyone changes to some degree. You know more, you get wiser, you use new tools and techniques, you have more experience, and you acquire new skills. Does it affect your attitudes, behavior and personality? I believe so. But I think your core values do not change because I think they get incorporated into you as a bedrock early in life.  Although my wife and I have very different backgrounds and personality, surprisingly we have, or evolved to have, some very similar values. Let me try to list the common four most important ones (there are others that we have).  1. There is no free lunch. You have to work hard and smart and make the right choices. You are primarily responsible for your own wellbeing.  2.  You are responsible for your own actions and the consequences are yours.  3. Be compassionate and generous to the less fortunate/in need to the extent you can (earlier in life - much less so now since we are retired).  4. Integrit...

Chat GPT returns the following on what is creativity.  --------------- Creativity is a fundamental human trait that sets us apart from other animals. It enables us to develop new ideas and solve problems innovatively. Creativity is also considered as the most important soft skill of the 21st century. It help us express our feelings and ideas about all kinds of things and allows us to share our ideas with other people. When we look at a problem in a new way, we can sometimes find a solution we hadn't thought of before. Creative people can look at a problem from many angles, solve it, and still have something left for the next problem. Creative people don't always find solutions to problems; sometimes, they just find ways around them. Creativity is also important in education, as it allows us to push boundaries of what is possible, imagine new worlds, and find solutions to the most pressing problems facing our society.   In summary, creativity is important because it al...