UniCoin – Rewarding socialisation at universities
The Problem Local governments and universities have lost money during covid due to lack of student engagement on campus and in the surrounding areas. Students’ presence has been a major source of income for these bodies. International students have been a major source of revenue for universities and as...
Say “NO!” to Emojis in UI
I spontaneously burst into flames when I see emojis being used in UIs. I understand that they are expressive and also easy to use since they’re Unicode. But to me it shows a lack of effort on the UI front. Use and excessive use of emojis may also be...
AI, bots and recruitment.
Over the last few months, I’ve applied for over a hundred jobs. The application process for some of these jobs has been downright insulting. After writing a 300-word cover letter and tailoring the resumes to the job description, I was disgusted to either- Never receive a response Receive a...
People vs Advertisements
Advertisements are frustrating and serve only to annoy the free user. Jan Koum and Brian Acton, founders of Whatsapp, hated advertisements. Jan’s first-ever tweet, a reference to the movie Fight Club, goes- “Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we...
Subscription-based Marriages
In 2021, the Australian government increased the English language requirement for a permanent residency visa. By 2027, the requirements were pushed even further, requiring partners to have a proficient level of the language. The message was clear: stop marrying for a residency. They stated that the country was struggling...
Job search and mental health
Trigger warning: potentially distressing description of my struggle with mental illness. The job search hasn’t been easy for most of us. This is especially true for recent graduates who have had little experience in the new field. And the opportunities are even more limited for international students like me...
Experience is the (Tobacco) Product
At parties, people will often take breaks from the loud music and the dancing to go to the smoking area to get that hit of nicotine. But it’s more than that. I believe that people smoke to have a change of environment, to take a break from the dark,...
Apple Watch can now display… MORE data!
Apple released a new Apple Watch™. Hurray! Let’s rejoice the sixth baby in the series and its little sibling SE. Such gorgeous, much tech. Ok, now that the fake applause is out of the way, let’s address the issue with the product here. I’ve two words for you- “Information...
Homogenised
Scrolling down the Instagram explore page, I try to stay productive (or at least I tell that to myself) while sitting on the toilet seat with sleepy eyes. Same old same old. Posts from random comedians I don’t follow, but which are nevertheless entertaining. Then there’s some meme about...
What is my first language?
Marathi. That’s my mother tongue and the language that I first spoke. I grew up listening to stories in Marathi and I speak the language with my parents, relatives, and some friends. But it’s not my primary language. My primary language happens to be English. I think in Marathi,...