Author: Adarsh

Adarsh explores how a random image from a 1970s Playboy photoshoot helped in the creation of the digital image format now known as the JPEG Lena Söderberg was 20 years old in 1971 when she moved to Chicago from her native Sweden. Newly married and hungry for work, she was working as a house help for one of her affluent relatives. As they struggled to make ends meet, her husband encouraged her to sign up with local modeling agencies. The Photoshoot in 1972 That is how Dwight Hooker – a photographer for the infamous Playboy magazine – came to approach…

With tech giants like Infosys and Wipro cracking down on moonlighting employees, Adarsh explores the pros and cons of having a second job The conversation started a couple of weeks ago when Infosys sent out an email warning its employees against dual employment. “Remember – no moonlighting – no two timing,” read the mail. It added that the company “strictly discourages dual employment” and that it could lead to termination from the job. Wipro followed that up by firing 300 employees last week for moonlighting. “It is cheating – plain and simple,” tweeted Rishad Premji, the chairman of Wipro. The…

Adarsh looks back at the first game to appear on a mobile device! The year was 2000. You were at the bus stop. Or in the supermarket with your mother. Or at your dad’s office waiting for him to get done with work. If you didn’t have your own Nokia handset yet, you would borrow your parent’s. You would click on Menu and go to Games and select Snake. And then you’d play the game for hours on end. I am sure anyone who’s ever held a Nokia phone would’ve played the game at least once. And if you’ve played…

In a post-Covid world, employees are prioritizing mental health and work-life balance over hustle culture. Adarsh finds out how. Just over a week ago, Shantanu Deshpande, the CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, posted on LinkedIn about how freshers must “put in 18 hours a day for 4-5 years”. He spoke about how he had come across a lot of “youngsters who watch random content and convince themselves that ‘work life balance, spending time with family, bla bla bla’ is important”. According to him, “it is important but not that early”. Apparently, one must “worship your work, whatever it is, from…

With climate change at the doorstep, Adarsh looks into the potential future of data centers Citing environmental concerns, operational costs and the need for superfast connectivity, major market players like Microsoft and Google are looking to shift their data centers underwater. A study by Datareportal earlier this year revealed that over 5 billion people around the world use the internet every day. In other words, 63.1 per cent of the world’s total population is accessing data online. The study also revealed that internet users are increasing at an annual rate of almost 4 per cent. This means that two-thirds of…

Adarsh explores simple ways to stay safe and avoid data breaches while working remotely in a post-pandemic age When we are working from the office, the onus is on our employers to ensure that all the data and hardware is secure. But things are a bit different when we are working from home. It is now up to us to take all the right precautions to secure our office laptops and other devices. Here are 8 cyber security tips everyone can take while working remotely: Create Strong Passwords This is as basic as it gets! Considering it is our office…

Adarsh looks into the murky area of computer monitoring software that allow employers to surveil on their employees, often without consent Jacob had a comfortable job in an IT firm that got a lot easier post Covid-19. He always loved working from home so when it became mandatory, he welcomed it with open arms. He used to finish work in half the time and had to pretend he was still occupied while he was still in office. But from home, he could do what he wanted. So he took up a couple of freelance gigs. He would do those during…

Technology has always had a negative connotation in conversations surrounding mental health. But can it have a positive impact as well? Adarsh explores possibilities. Most folks believe technology to be a bane for the mental health of modern youth. They may have a point. The following statistics on the effects of technology on the psychological state of make for painful reading. 73% of the people who participated in a study by Etactics admitted to feeling lonely after prolonged social media usage. For every 10% rise in social media interaction, the risk of depression increases by 20%. Among the teenagers who…

Animation has come a long way since its inception in the early 1900s. Adarsh takes a look at its evolution over the decades! Many people wrongly believe that Walt Disney made the first animated movie. While he was a stalwart who redefined the industry, animation has been around since the 1800s in the form of magic lanterns and zoetropes. But it only gained popularity in the early 1900s with its advent in cinema. Let’s look at the various eras and pioneers of the animation industry: The Silent Era (1900-1930) J. Stuart Blackton is regarded as the father of animation. He…

With most of our time being spent working from a home setting, many apps have sprung up to make our professional life a bit easier. Adarsh reviews seven of the best of these. Let us face it! We have been working from home for over 2 years now and we have all produced our own unique methods to get work done while also tending to chores at home. But while we have been honing remote working techniques, a bunch of apps have cropped up that are meant to make life a whole lot easier… and more fun! So here are…