Monday Cup Of Links #24 - Getting Uber-Rich, Aden, Audio Articles, Hamster Maze
Wash Hands, Stay Indoors.
Hello, readers!
I’ve been wondering what I can link to today, given all that I’ve been reading is more and more Coronavirus news. You’ve probably seen all the links — the stupid people in various countries spreading the disease, the more disciplined ones keeping the human spirit alive from their balconies, the first-person experiences of being a patient, or a doctor, some or the other data scientist weighing in on how you can hack this with data, and then epidemologists and doctors telling us how that person is so wrong. There’s also some arguments between traditional media and new media channels about misinformation and official misinformation.
I’ll not add to the noise. All I’ll say is STAY AT HOME, DON’T MEET PEOPLE, and WASH YOUR HANDS.
Small businesses are having a terrible time. Please support them as much as you can. No matter where you are, they are the lifeblood of the economy, and if they permanently shut down, our communities and economy are much worse off.
Anyway, onto our links!
I came across this startup called Listle. It’s run by a scrappy, enterprising group of young people, and they turn articles into audio. It’s a great product, and something that’s been long overdue. The choice of articles are brilliant, and the quality of the audio is pretty awesome as well.
I’ve been reading this book called The Polyester Prince - The Rise Of Dhirubhai Ambani [link to download the book or read it online]. This book is about how India’s richest man got that way. It’s banned in India. Rather, an abridged version is published in India called Ambani and Sons. It’s an exciting read, though the middle gets draggy, and it goes back and forth in chronology all the time. Also, some of the writing about the Modh Bania community is a great example for how not to write about India. But I don’t think this subject could be tackled by most Indians who aren’t Arun Shourie, S Gurumurthy and Ramnath Goenka, so I’m glad this book exists.
Did you know Aden in Yemen was part of the Bombay Presidency until the 1930s? The Bombay Presidency was an administrative unit of British India, and covered large swathes of coastal Maharashtra, Gujarat and Sindh. For a period from 1839 to 1932, Aden, all the way across the Arabian Sea, was also a part of it. It was an important port between India and Britain. Dhirubhai Ambani (from the previous link) worked in Aden for several years, and in India House, my novel-in-progress, I’m writing a chapter where my characters have a stopover in Aden on their voyage to England from Bombay. Setting stories in port cities is always interesting, simply because of the sheer diversity of interesting characters you’ll meet.
Someone recommended the History Of India podcast to me. I haven’t yet listened to it, but I’m hearing great reviews all over, and the titles seem incredibly awesome.
Amar Chitra Katha, the premier Indian comic house, has made its catalog free for a whole month. Tinkle is their children’s magazine where most of the content is contributed by children, and it’s illustrated by some very talented adults. It’s where I got some of my first rejections for stories I wrote. Amar Chitra Katha is standalone self-contained comic books that tell stories from Indian history and mythology. What amazes me is how they research so much complex history and then boil them down into 36 pages of comics that can be understood by a child. I’ve subscribed and I can’t stop reading!
GIF of the week: Well, this time it’s a tiktok, sorry. This amazing, amazing three-floor hamster maze.