Category: Sculpting

A White jolt

A once in four years change (the change in the US Presidency) has unleashed changes, some firm and some inchoate. There will be some short-term and some long-term changes, as well as because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Defence expenditure, and energy security will dominate national and regional discussions. Renewable energy and nuclear energy (and therefore uranium enriching capacity, currently highly skewed) will see major changes.

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A continuing story of tech failure

While the universe is agog with hype about the unlimited potential of AI and digital transformation, good old IT projects are a constant reminder that reality is often at odds with such ‘fantastic’ picture – they continue to fail more than 40 years since the origin and growth of software (including operating system) as a separately sold product. Perhaps, the ‘legendary’ powers of AI can be brought to bear on such a pedestrian problem!

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Foundational questions

A controversy over whether India should another large language model (LLM), with two diametrically opposite views aired by high profile personalities, one of whom asked a pointed question, but escaped harsh reactions from people. While one part of the reasons proffered is alternative uses for the kind of monies that will be needed (typically in tens of billions of dollars), it is also a question of whether we have the requisite mathematical skills. Tech Mahindra has claimed having built a LLM in under $5 million but the language used doesn’t suggest a LLM

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Capturing carbon

Renewable energy has shown that concern for the environment per se does not count for much unless there is a business to be built. Carbon capture (which includes transportation and storage) may well traverse the path already drawn by renewable energy, but hopefully it will be faster and shorter. A Mumbai-based startup’s innovation shows promise

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Communication wars

There are certain questions that concern all of us whether we take interest in it or not. One such area is satellite communications using satellite spectrum, a space that has engaged the attention of regulators in every country, tracing back to 2001 with the report of European Radiocommunications Committee (ERC) within the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT). Rich or poor, every country has to address the question of how to manage satellite spectrum and their ways of doing this will show what influences have been at work.

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