What I Read/Saw Today

Don’t demonise farmers
I found this article on my Twitter feed, and it ties in well with Shekhar Gupta's decluttering and nuanced analysis (video link below) of North India's smog problem that I saw a while back.
Behind India’s winter smog: not stubble-burning, but free water, power & mostly STUPIDITY

I do hope that something is done about this, and soon. Because Delhi is a place I call home, and wouldn't want to be in a situation where I can no longer go back without a mask.

What I Read/Saw Today

Geology Of India TV Series- Coral Islands Episode
I got excited reading the title and first few lines of this blog post. The thought that DD was showing something so exciting was, well, rather exciting! But the article illustrates how the makers of the show got geological facts wrong. I'm not so excited anymore. And slightly sad.

How Kubrick, Spielberg, and Inarritu Stage their Scenes
I need to learn more about film making. "Why?" you ask. Why will it be useful in my current pursuit of getting a PhD? I don't know. It probably won't. But isn't it brilliant how someone lets you inside their head through a visual medium? And isn't it brilliant how details are placed very carefully all over the screen, waiting for your eyes to pick them up?

What I Read Today

Teaching at the university level is not a hassle
"Teaching at the university level is not and should not be considered a burden or chore that just needs to be done. It is a crucial part of academia, and it is essential that mentors portray it as such. We all want to do scientifically sound research, and, without question, we should all strive to be effective teachers. Through teaching, researchers are responsible for the education of the next generation of scientists, who will use their own unique ideas and skill sets to advance their fields."

What I Read Today

It seems I'm on a reading spree today.

1. I found out a few days ago that TIFR and its associated institutes will not be able to pay their staff, scholars, and faculty the entirety of their salary. Interesting turn of events.
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/india/tifr-crisis-modis-surgical-strike-on-science-and-rational-thinking?fbclid=IwAR0GKs3HLXTx80iBAl6tPKqVy_eDyenNVMArGQ6RwZY6Un_z77NbTV55RPY

2. "Newton, like so many of us, is an outsider in his own country."
"Newton isn’t just political; it’s also deeply personal, searing with existential angst seldom seen in Hindi cinema these days."
I loved this movie. The dark humour. Was it _even_ humour? What we do - does any of it make any difference, at all? But still, "chal tu apna kaam kar".
https://thewire.in/film/newton-movie-review

3. On AWSAR. Maybe I should write something for this next time 😃
https://thewire.in/the-sciences/dst-awsar-science-writing

4. https://thewire.in/security/boom-or-bust-what-science-tells-us-about-what-went-down-in-balakot

5. "Costelloe was big on time management and planning. “Is it feasible, and what is your timeline?” "
Oh, how I need timelines in my life.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-06959-0?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=crs-&utm_content=131018v1

What I read today

2018-September-08, Saturday

1. How one woman built a career as a science journalist
   Hm. Interesting story of how someone made it into, and how she is working in the field of, science journalism. Pushing me to try out writing more? Mm, yeah.

What I read today

What I read today:

2018-September-07, Friday

1. Delhi University's Go-Slow on Filling Vacancies Has Failed Teachers and Students
   Eek, I hope  this isn't a problem when I'm looking for a job post-PhD.
2. Rocket woman: How to cook curry and get a spacecraft into Mars orbit
   An Inspiring tale of B P Dakshayani, a Rocket Woman of ISRO.
3. Three Science Academies Write to Javadekar, Ask That UGC System Be Retained
   The three Indian science academies recommend that the UGC Act be retained and strengthened, and are not in the favour of replacing UGC by the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI). The UGC Act isn’t inadequate, they say, rather inefficiently implemented. 
4. Why India Struggles to Predict the Weather Over Its Lands
   An old article. Police complaint against the IMD! Whut? But is the met department capable of delivering an accurate forecast 10-20 days in advance? Maybe not. Because the weather models IMD uses have limited capacity. What are other challenges: Lack of data, poor quality data, fine tuning weather models to suit Indian conditions.
5. Amrit Kaur: India’s First Woman Cabinet Minister
   I’ve been visiting Rajkumari Amrit Kaur OPD at AIIMS since childhood for all sorts of ailments, and the Shimla guest house she donated to AIIMS a few times long ago. But I didn’t realize/know the full force of her contributions to the institute or even that it owes its existence to her.