Travels
Books to remember
Books I’ve liked, thoughts on some, and friends with great recommendations.
Latest
Podcasts
How to find a good podcast app?
As someone who prefers articles over audio and video to consume information, I rarely listen to podcasts. When I do, I usually search for something of specific interest to me instead of episodes shared on my network or random algorithmic suggestions. But unlike articles, web search doesn’t make sense
Tech
Arguments against “I have nothing to hide” on digital privacy
As someone who cares about and spreads digital privacy, I often hear people say, “I have nothing to hide, so why shouldn't I give my data to the government or companies like Google in return for security and convenience?” I have multiple responses to that, some my own
Life
On getting COVID-19
I tested positive for COVID-19 early last week. The first thought in my mind was, “How in the world..?” Anyone who knows me knows that even during normal times, I like to stay by myself, away from as many humans as I can. During the pandemic, I was more than
Writing
Talk: How to become a science writer
In this video, I breakdown the skills required to become a science writer, and how to convince an Editor of a publication to commission an article to you. These insights are based on my learnings as a professional writer on space exploration. From my talk to physics graduate students at
Tech
My contributions to elementary OS as a non-coder and how you can too!
The power of suggestions in open source software.
Writing
Talk: Career options in science writing and communication in India
Here are some good career opportunities you have in India if you want to write or communicate science to the masses. From my talk to physics graduate students at the University of Mumbai.
Tech
Pro-privacy apps that are easy to use and don't break your workflow
It’s likely that you’ve had at least one person urge you to use software or apps that respect your privacy, and that you shouldn’t trust the likes of Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and more. However, privacy-respecting software tools often aren’t easy to use and don’t fit
Tech
Why I love elementary OS’ file manager and prefer it over any other
Don’t let its simple look fool you, elementary OS’ Files is packed with smart features.
Tech
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS’ snap obsession has snapped me off of it
Like everyone else, I got excited about the latest Ubuntu LTS release, 20.04, and installed it on day one. A month in, I’m sorry to say that I leave disappointed. The amount of unready snap features being effectively forced onto Ubuntu is affecting my usability and user-friendliness. Software
Tech
My contributions to GNOME as a non-coder and how you can too
My post on user-facing contributions to elementary OS was received well. So now I’m sharing my contributions to GNOME that didn’t involve any coding whatsoever! GNOME is the interface+apps suite powering Ubuntu, Fedora and many more Linux-based operating systems. I’m an open source enthusiast who thinks
Musings
Interviewing Prof. Miron Livny, whose open computing system contributed to two Nobel Prizes
Working on a single problem statement since 40 years and continuing.