My 10 favourite reads of 2021, and an equal long list. From blockchains and technology in China to Manhattan society in the 1940s, the list has multiple themes that somehow, on hindsight, seem related- AI, meritocracy, dignity, money, human behaviour, morality, and the future.
Sublime, in terms of writing and characters. When Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is sentenced to house arrest (“house” here being the Hotel Metropol) on 21st June 1922, it’s difficult to imagine the remaining 400+ pages being anything other than depressing. But the Count is probably a living embodiment of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, and the story that follows shows “that by the smallest of one’s actions one can restore some sense of order to the world.” An absolutely wonderful read, and in my list of all-time favourites.
Sometime back, I had this conversation with Surekha. Let me give you the context. I subscribe to a lot of sites on Google Reader, and therefore find a lot of links that I want to share. I end up sharing them – on Reader itself, where i can also ‘Like’ it, on Twitter, rarely on […]