#india placeholder tag

[an-asuryampasya]

thinking about humans in different parts of the world all agreeing that having an Event just to display shiny trinkets is the way to go (or as @permanentlyspacedout so eloquently put it, crow brain!)

And not just agreeing that displaying trinkets is neat, but that the displays should be tiered.

case in point: in the toasty regions of South India, we do the bommala koluvu

(apologies for the blurred images; they're from wiki and here)

and of course, there's the probably better known tiers of Christmas trees (flicked this from here):

(my mum argues that nativity scene dioramas are more akin to bommala koluvus than the tree, but I'm too hung up on the (admittedly flimsy) tiered connection so shushhh)

And then a lil digging on the interwebs led to me discovering Japan's Hinamatsuri: (Image source)

(look at that! steps again!)

something something humans across regions are connected by the apparently innate urge of going "dolls on steps tho".

[nebulous-aroace-from-outerspace]

Kamal Bora's Aunties (Mom's side)

(placeholder image)

Jayasri Nadella-Bora(Kamal's mom) has 2 sisters. They are the 3 daughters of Grandma Parul Nadella.

Neeraja(Goes by Raj, to sound masculine) and Cadie(aka Kusoom, as in the "Cadamba" flower) Nadella.

As overview, Jayasri is the middle sister, she runs a pet rescue shelter with her loving husband(Kairava Bora, Kamal's dad) and protects wildlife and the environment with her proceeds. They had to flee to NJ at one point in Kamal's teen years, but are back in Cheyenne to keep Kamal safe in WY when he needs it. Jayasri and her sisters are quite close.

Auntie Raj, her eldest sister; is a civil rights attorney, who has a degree in both India and U.S.(since that was especially required for diaspora in the 60s). The family was managing alright on their own, but are very grateful for Raj's success. (Not at all mooching, no worries. Raj is the hyper-smart one she's just had the most impact. Jaya and Cadie are just as talented but their more down-to earth positions are overshadowed by Ms. Gold Stars over here. Raj realizes that and doesn't shy away from being generous when needed.)

Like the reason why the Nadellas have so much power in the first place is because Neeraja Nadella is an attorney. She's a bit of a golden child, just a little bit. Jayasri and her sisters are quite close. Like mom's side of the family matriarchy has always been interested in activism as brown women in the US.

(The father Neeraj Nadella, bearer of the name Nadella, kind of just tags along. He doesn't match the passion so it's always been silently dysfunctional. Not much impresses him, he's dissatisfied with himself in general. Ma and Pa Nadella have been on the rocks recently. Divorce is still frowned upon in India so they kind of just pretend to like one another, like at least they're good as friends, I guess....they were arranged to be together so it's always been kind of loveless.)

Neeraja is named after (an alternate name for) the goddess of wealth and prosperity. (Perhaps that name holds true, she is a successful civil rights attorney who is an activist just like her little sisters. She uses her power to protect the defenseless.)

Neeraja is unshakeable and tactful, but that's just because she has the most composure. Of course, even the most composed can't keep it like that forever. She stays strong for Jayasri most of all, who tries so hard to be as composed as her. But Jayasri is her own person as well, and she's highly emotional and can't stay "prim and proper".

Neeraja is very proud of her, for having her own voice, and quietly encourages Jayasri to stay herself.

Cadie/Kasoom(Babs if you're close friends) named herself after the "Cadamba" flower, Kanesh's favorite. It's a mesmerizing orange colored flower. And she's an environmentalist. She's all about being in tune with nature, and is a total hippie type. Very down to earth.

....Sorta lost in the cosmic sauce. She meditates the most, other times she reads to kids in the Hindu temples(she's known since childhood) in NJ. Her sisters don't understand how she can be so "peace & love" all the time;

It's to an such an extent that they're all like "uhhhh, you do you, sis." But Cadie is just as passionate and virtuous as her sisters. She's just better at being mellow. Don't get her mad or you are in for a rant!

Cadie was originally named Parul, after her mother, but she changed it in transitioning, because she wanted her own name(and it was a little confusing anyhow).

Cadie is a binary trans woman and wanted to change her name as she saw fit. People associate the full name "Kadamba" with masculinity, but Cadie doesn't conform to it. (And in actuality, Kadamba is burflower with no concept of the construct, like god forbid women have anything right /j)

Though she is legally known as "Kusoom", the feminine spelling. She decided on that as her first choice. So people in her community don't misgender her in the first place. She might make "Cadie" official later when she gets the chance. In New Jersey, people just think her name's Katie. Close enough?

Sometimes she visits Wyoming every now and then to see her one and only nephew. (Hint, hint.)

Her sisters have always been supportive(With Raj helping her transition as the family attorney). Mom and Dad see it as foreign and new, but support Cadie's gender identity.

(Hindu texts recognize queer experiences as important, and there are genderfluid Hindu deities.)

Mom makes an attempt to remember her youngest daughter is Cadie, not Jayasri. Dad is just indifferent. (And is kinda generally queerphobic...)

Cadie is an aroace trans lesbian, Jayasri is closeted bi, Raj has no specified label(nonbinary woman) and is just non-partnering.

[ladyjaneasher-blog]

john and paul in rishikesh, india (1968) by paul saltzman

PAUL SALTZMAN REMEMBERS: “John and Paul were strumming their Martin acoustic guitars, singing fragments of songs, musically meandering through some of my favorites: "Michelle", "All You Need is Love", "Eleanor Rigby", and others. I got my camera and after taking a few pictures through the chainlink fence, I opened the gate and joined them.”

[amoralto]

undefined

January 25th, 1969 (Apple Studios, London): Paul talks about watching the footage of the Beatles’ sojourn in India. (Note: For @silvermarmoset​. This is the dialogue as depicted the official Let It Be documentary film. It’s essentially a cut-and-paste job of the full-length conversation and heavily edited; amongst other things, George asking, “Do you regret having gone there?” a bit after Paul’s “we totally sort of put our own personalities on there [for the sake of it]”, is cut. I’ll be posting the full-length audio of the conversation with decent transcription later, hopefully soon!) 

PAUL: Oh, I saw the film last night.

JOHN: What?

PAUL: Of us at the Maharishi’s. I’ve got all the film of it, added them all sort of together.

JOHN: Oh yeah?

PAUL: Yeah. Incredible. 

JOHN: I’ve got a couple of reels as well. 

PAUL: It’s just got a great opening – yeah. 

JOHN: The helicopter one up in the sky, I’ve got. 

PAUL: Yeah, I noticed you taking it, so I thought – yeah. It’s incredible, just to sort of see us, what we’re doing... it’s unbelievable. 

GEORGE: What were you doing?

JOHN: Yes, what were we doing?

GEORGE: Except[?]... 

PAUL: Uh... I don’t really know, you know. [John chuckles] But it’s like we totally sort of put our own personalities on there. We weren’t really sort of truthful there. I mean we could have – you know, it’s things like sneaking behind his back and saying, “It’s a bit like school, isn’t it?” But you can see on the film that it is very like school, and that really, we should have sort of said like, “We need—”

JOHN: You want to call it – you want to call it “What We Did On Our Holidays”?

PAUL: Well, you know, I mean—

JOHN: Just to sort of get it over with. 

PAUL: [distracted] Yeah. Yeah. [pause] But it is very like that. There’s a long shot of you just walking with him, and it’s just not you, you know! It’s just – yeah. [Paul laughs at what John’s doing offscreen] Yeah! Sort of all, “Tell me old master.” And that—

JOHN: Tell me old master.

PAUL: And, remember the thing you said the other night about when you went up in the helicopter with him, you just thought he might slip you the answer? [Paul and John laugh] 

[vampiresuns]

While we’re discussing the Devs issues in portraying gender, orientation, race, religion and ethnicity in this fandom, I want to bring up how —Devs abandonment of their own “canon” aside, given they’re word of God as it was said in this post and its subsequent addition— it is also important to note the people who get hate over this are almost always people who are trans (any flavour of trans), who are fans of colour, who aren’t Christian nor Culturally white Christians either.

It’s always people who try to expand the Arcana verse in ways which are respectful, diverse and incredibly rich the ones who get set backs and get nitpicked over their words. Nitpicking includes redirecting the topic, whataboutism, sending people to harass others on inboxes, sleeping on writers, among other things.

When people like @arcanecadenza have brought up ableism in the game, it wasn’t people who were being ableist who got backlash. When I, and many other fans of colour have brought up racism in the fandom and the way it engages with the game and fan created content (as in content over form, jic) it’s us who get the backlash even when other white fans have also spoken up in solidarity.

But of course, no one calls them out. It’s always us.

This is an aside, but while we’re at it, I know people can change and maybe this was them changing, but given everything NH does I say sus: Anyone noticed how insistent they were about solidarity with the Asian-American community, to the point of organising things that weren’t just coin sales, and going out of their way to explain the situation, while all they did to show solidarity with Black people was... a coin sale?

I could really go off about that now that I mentioned it. They ripped off a lot of aspects of Indian Culture (be honest Nyx Hydra) and there’s been no mentions of solidarity with the COVID situation in India. They blatantly use Nopal as placeholder place with Mexican vibes, and there’s never been any solidarity with Mexico, or anywhere in Latin America (like what is happening in Colombia, or what happened in Chile in 2019). Granted, LatAm is not monolith and it’s a complex region, but still. At the very least do it with immigrants in the US.

If you’re gonna slap tags and IDs like this is a sticker hoarding contest, at the very least have the decency to include it throughout the game, or you know, remind people that you didn’t come up with this cool, cool concept. I’ve already talked about this, however I am aware that for the Devs to actively do this they’d have to antagonise the homophobes, transphobes, antisemites, and racist white people playing their game, and like we all saw with the Save Portia campaign, if one thing NH likes, is your money and your time.

[ink-nguyen]

Writing Ask Games

Tagged by @papersky-pencilstars thank you!

I’m using my current WIP Stars in the Dark

1. Describe the plot in one sentence.

Hemlock is hired to kill a prince but doesn’t anticipate the bodyguard being competent, while Fox walks a fine line between creatively interpreting his orders and outright treason - emotions ensue. 

2. Pick one sight, smell, sound, feel, and taste to describe the aesthetic of your novel.

Brilliant jewel tones painting scalloped arches in sandstone and marble

“cinnamon and anise and paprika and tomatoes mellowing in rich coconut milk”

a folk song and lullaby being sung in chorus as the hymn of a mischievous goddess-fox

the shock and pain of falling onto a very hard surface

chilled pomegranate and desert pear mead on the first day of spring

3. Which 3+ songs would make up a playlist for the novel?

Yellow Flicker Beat - Lorde

Collide - James Bay

Did You Hear the Rain? - George Ezra

4. What’s the time period and location in which the novel takes place.

:))) Time period is sort of nebulous? It’s sort of medieval, and but things like pin-and-tumbler locks exist. As for the location, it’s split between Mahjuren and Kinan. Mahjuren is heavily influenced by Mughal India, Persia, and North Africa, but the climate is more temperate with deciduous oak forests and marshlands, but also monsoons don’t @ me I know it doesn’t make sense it’s fantasy okay? Kinan is an archipelagic kingdom, very much tropical, with a strong Southeast Asian flavor, but with blue everything everywhere.

5. Is this a standalone or a part in a series?

It’s a standalone! And also technically like... the prequel for a different solo novel set in the same universe but far into the future when all the sovereign states in SitD have either fallen or morphed into something new.

6. Are there any former titles you’ve considered but discarded?

Fox and Flower. It’s technically not actually a title, just a placeholder, but it has a nice ring to it. I would have used it if not for the fact that I have an aversion to using character names in fantasy titles.

7. What’s the first line of your novel?

‘Hemlock flattened himself into the alcove, chest heaving as he caught his breath.’

8. What’s a dialogue you’re particularly proud of?

Oh man, there’s so many snippets ugh.

There’s this bit:

"I don't know, you could at least pretend to care."

Something like anger flickered in his eyes, but it didn't reach the rest of his face. "All I ever do is care," Fox said, his voice almost flippantly cool. "To do otherwise would be treason, and I'm not eager to die."

"You're unbelievable," Lilac scoffed.

"Would you like it better if I said that very little matters more to me than his well-being?" Fox offered, his tone mocking. "That I've come to see him as my younger brother and I would gladly betray his father if it meant keeping him safe? Is that satisfactory?"

"Why are you like this?"

Or:

"You're such a bastard."

"Indeed I am," Fox said, still smiling. He brushed his fingertips against Hemlock's arm as he stood up from the pallet. "I'll be going now."

"Goodnight, traitor."

"Sleep well, murderer."

Or or this one, which I used as my back-cover quote:

Lilac let her shoulders drop and turned back around to face him. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. I know what a gilded cage it is to serve the crown," Fox said. "I don't believe in caging pretty birds to make them sing on command."

"And what about dangerous animals?"

Fox shrugged. "There is nothing more pathetic than a tiger that has been beaten into submission."

Lilac raised a skeptical brow. "And is that what you are?"

Fox met her gaze with a shake of his head. "I'm just a dog on a leash," he said. "I do as I'm ordered."

9. Which line from the novel most represents it as a whole?

"That doesn't make it taste any less bitter," Fox said, his voice low and cold, "when you offer me the honor of being your second, as if it wasn't always my fucking birthright to stand as your equal."

10. Who are your character faceclaims?

SO here’s the thing: I’ve tried. I’ve TRIEEED to find good photo references for my characters.... but they’re all PoC and darker skinned except Fox, who is still not... pale, per se. Which is a big fucking issue because it’s impossible to find decent photos of a young South Asian man with no beard, or a young Southeast Asian man who doesn’t just look like a kpop idol (which is NOT to say that they all look the same, because they don’t, it’s just that they have a uniformly  p a l e  aesthetic; also he’s not Korean). HOWEVER, I found one really good reference for Lilac:

Lilac is a few shades darker with curly hair, and her eyes are brown, not green, but otherwise she looks very much like this.

11. Sort your characters into Harry Potter houses!

Hemlock - Hufflepuff

Fox - Slytherin

Remin - Ravenclaw

Lilac - Slytherin

Tayali - Slytherin

Vermil - Gryffindor

Bonus side characters:

Xuan - Hufflepuff

Liem - Slytherin

Fern - Gryffindor

Clem - Hufflepuff

12. Which character’s name do you like the most?

Fox and Xuan! 

13. Describe each character’s daily outfit.

Hemlock - black hooded vest over a dark shirt, plain-woven linen pants tucked into sturdy leather boots, knives tucked eveywhere. so many knives. 

Fox - finely made dark cotton shirts with embroidery on the collar and cuffs under a sturdier vest with matching embroidery on the chest panels, black twill pants, black leather bracers and low-necked boots. 

Remin - a brocade shalwar kameez with goldwork and pearl buttons, silk pants and a coordinating sash around his waist, kidskin shoes.

Lilac - a cotton choli with intricate embroidery and a matching lehenga, slippers with beadwork and tiny mirrors, a few bangles and sometimes earrings but no necklaces when she’s working.

Tayali - prior to her defection, the same as Fox. afterwards, loose-fitting shirts fashioned out of colorful batiks and ikats - or adire if she can find it, long pants gathered below the knee, the same low-necked boots from her days as a Black Knife, a delicate-looking necklace with an iridescent steel spider pendant.

Vermil - similar to Remin, but even more ornately embroidered, a dress saber slid into a knotted sash, knee-high boots.

Xuan - an airy silk áo dài in various shades of blue and painted or embroidered with waves or flowers or birds, a matching khăng đóng, a silver bib necklace, heeled silk shoes with silver bird wings embroidered on the toes.

14. Do any characters have distinctive birthmarks/scars?

Fox has an x-shaped scar on his cheek, Hemlock has a thin slash on his cheek, and both have multiple scars on the rest of their bodies. Lilac has a birthmark on her upper thigh. Tayali has scars similar to Fox’s but none visible while clothed. 

15. Which character most fits a character trope?

Vermil is pretty “evil king” but I’m trying to give his character some more depth than that. 

16. Which character is the best writer? Worst?

Remin is both a good and straight up awful writer. He’s great at academic writing and diplomatic missives, so unfathomably bad at love letters. Other than him, I would say Lilac or Xuan are the best writers, and Hemlock is probably the worst. 

17. Which character is the best liar? Worst?

Fox is the best liar, Remin is the worst.

18. Which character swears the most? Least?

Hemlock swears most! He drops f-bombs left and right (altho not in the text bc I’m trying to keep things YA-friendly). Remin swears least because of his ingrained manners.

19. Which character has the best handwriting? Worst?

Remin has very proper penmanship with perfect curlicues and all that jazz. Fox has really pretty handwriting that’s flowy and sort of spidery but still easy to read. Hemlock’s handwriting is the worst comparatively, but it’s not actually bad. It’s just very plain and straightforward. 

20. Which character is most like you? Least like you?

Personality-wise I’m most like Hemlock, but culturally I’m v much Fox. Diaspora, homesick for my mother country, bilingual etc. 

21. Which character would you most like to be?

I think I’d like to be one of the non-field Spiders. I would just craft things for them to use or help forge documents. 

I tag @issun-boshi ​ @longsightmyth​ and @spaceshipkat​ (it’s laini). Feel free to join in even if I haven’t tagged you, and tag me so I can see your answers!

[nasiknews]

India Hindus begin pilgrimage in Kashmir amid heavy security

India Hindus begin pilgrimage in Kashmir amid heavy security

Placeholder while article actions load SRINAGAR, India — Thousands of Hindu devotees began an annual pilgrimage Thursday through mountain passes and meadows to an icy Himalayan cave in Indian-controlled Kashmir amid heavy security in the Muslim-majority region. Officials say pilgrims face heightened threat of attacks from rebels fighting against Indian rule and have for the first time tagged…

[phonerain]

OnePlus Officially Announces Merger with Oppo

After working closely with Oppo for a long time, OnePlus has now made its merger with the Chinese business public. OnePlus opted to “further integrate” its organisation with Oppo “after observing good effect” from the current partnership, according to co-founder and CEO Pete Lau in a forum post.

OnePlus and Oppo, on the other hand, will continue to operate as separate brands, according to the executive. The news comes only days after OnePlus announced the OnePlus Nord CE as its new cheap smartphone in India and other regions.

In a forum post, Lau stated that the tighter integration with Oppo will provide OnePlus with additional resources to deliver “even better products” to customers.

He mentioned that one of the adjustments may be “faster and more stable software upgrades,” which are frequently requested by consumers owing to delays in regular updates on older OnePlus phones and unsatisfactory experiences on newer models.

OnePlus and Oppo are both controlled by BBK Electronics, a Guangdong-based company that also owns Vivo and Realme. As a result, since their beginning, all of these firms have shared resources internally.

Lau and his colleague Carl Pei, who both worked at Oppo before launching OnePlus in December 2013, were also co-founders. However, the latest step looks to effectively reveal OnePlus and Oppo partnership on product development and channel more of their own resources.

In the article titled “A New Journey for OnePlus,” Lau stated, “As for the OnePlus brand — we will continue to operate freely, focusing on delivering you with the greatest possible products and experience as we have always done.”

What can be its future?

OnePlus, according to the 46-year-old CEO, will continue to introduce products, host events, and connect with its audience directly through the same channels as previously. All of this means that, at least in the medium term, there will be no substantial changes for OnePlus users.

However, for the Chinese versions of its flagship smartphones, OnePlus replaced its native HydrogenOS with Oppo’s ColorOS early this year. Last year, the firm also released the HeyMelody app, which provided update services for both OnePlus and Oppo earbuds.

Lau joined OPlus, Oppo’s parent company that also has a controlling interest in OnePlus, in May 2020. With this change, the CEO was able to move OnePlus closer to Oppo. Last year, OnePlus and Oppo improved their user experience by better integrating their research and development (R&D) resources.

OnePlus announced the OnePlus Nord CE 5G for worldwide markets earlier this week, as well as the OnePlus Nord N200 5G in Canada and the United States. The firm is also expected to release the OnePlus Nord 2 in the coming days, expanding its presence in the mid-range market.

This merger may help us in understanding and getting more products by the giant companies. We should wait and see how this works for the tech world and what next we get in the future.

Oneplus Nord N200 5G is official

Mr. Pete Lau, the CEO of OnePlus, stated last month that the Nord N200 5G, which will be exclusive to the United States and Canada, will be released soon. He didn’t say when the phone would be released, but it has been featured on B&H Photo’s website with official-looking photos and a $239.99 price tag.

While that pricing could be a placeholder, the retailer says you may pre-order one starting June 25, which seems a little too specific and is more likely accurate.

The Nord N200 5G’s listing on B&H Photo additionally contains the following specifications:

6.49-inch FullHD+ 90Hz LCD, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, OxygenOS based on Android 11, 13-megapixel triple camera, and 5G connectivity. The Snapdragon 480 SoC, 5,000 mAh battery, and 18W charging are among the remaining specifications, which were just disclosed by Evan Blass. The Nord N200 5G will have four cameras on board: a 16MP selfie camera in the punch hole, a 13MP primary camera on the back, and 2MP macro and 2MP monochrome cameras on the front. The Nord N200 5G will also have a fingerprint scanner on the side, a USB-C connector, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The device’s 5G connectivity, though, is the most significant enhancement. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack are among the other connectivity choices on the Nord N200 5G.

OnePlus Nord N200 5G price and availability

The OnePlus Nord N200 5G is available for $239.99 (Rs 17,600) for its single memory variant, which includes 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Apart from the United States, the smartphone will only be available in Canada for the time being, for a price of CAD 319.99 (Rs 19,300).

Starting June 25, the Nord N200 5G will be offered in a single Blue Quantum colour option. In the United States and Canada, the smartphone will be available through OnePlus’ own website, as well as partner stores such as T-Mobile, Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H.

The OnePlus Nord N200 5G is not currently available in other markets, according to OnePlus.

[gutterfemme-blog1]

5 Greatest Car Gadgets For 2019

With this number of devices and accessories, your gear will thank you. So keep up with our weekly pick of the perfect gadgets and tech out proper now, whether you're after something simple to make your every single day extra frictionless or one thing a bit particular. With electronics gadgets becoming a part of our daily life, and newer gadgets being supplied on the market virtually every single day, there will by no means be a dry period for your enterprise-your product will always be in demand.

Nevertheless they bought our attention, this gallery exhibits some of the gadgets that, previously year or so, we thought the best. All digital gadgets have improved our life a lot. Dango affords the tactical EDC wallet, which not solely makes use of RFID blocking technology to keep your information safe, but it surely also options all types of tools and gadgets in a light-weight pockets (only two ounces before including cards and money); made of aerospace grade CNC'd aluminum.

Between telephones, tablets, hotspots and other devices you take in your road journey, it's easy to run out of shops in a hurry. The following list takes into consideration what devices are a waste of cash, along with the essential tech every automobile should have. Thankfully, there is a massive aftermarket of devices and add-ons that work with nearly any present vehicle on the highway immediately.

Expertise devices have gotten on a regular basis gadgets in at this time's modern world. If you're a retailer or drop shipper of digital devices, chances are you'll want to contemplate selecting good titles and outline key phrases to attract prospects. Every web page consists of one or more devices arranged within web page-particular layouts or theme-specific placeholders.

When comparing prices on digital devices chances are you'll find comparable merchandise with different worth points. There are Great Deals on new and most original gadgets obtainable online in India. You've obtained the wheels, but now it is time to throw in one of the best automobile devices that improve your journey. These gadgets could make your road journey safer, smoother, and rather more pleasurable.

From streaming set-high boxes to augmented actuality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhhX0xtdVKM laser tag to smartphone photo voltaic chargers, here are 25 cool gadgets priced no more than $50 each-every certainly one of them certain to be helpful, enjoyable, entertaining, or all the above. Strive searching "coolest devices" on Google for some more vital gadget news blogs. Every day Cool Gadgets. With Gadgets360°, we consider in providing a 360° view to our users and in our endeavour, we've got a lot more planned for you in the type of unique gadget launches, best offers on common products and video content.

Complete sections of playground-type toys on your younger ones to have fun within the yard, gear in your … Gadget Evaluation is house to a few of the coolest gadgets and the most effective consumer opinions online with top ten shopper product comparisons to the latest gadget information, to prime devices starting from the top Kitchen Gadgets Kitchen Utensils Pet Provides Catalog Quick Store.

You may by no means have to fret about throwing batteries in, it simply hangs there and tells you when it detects a leak, when the pressure is low, or when a sensor has run out of cost and needs to be tended to. As the most effective automotive gadgets to maintain your car's prosperity, ZEEPIN Solar Energy Tire Strain Monitoring System is a must have.

[an-asuryampasya]

....after almost 17 years of education at various levels, somehow it's this random short online course on textile history providing examples that marks the first time I see a off-hand reference to 'Undivided Bengal' and have Feelings about it

[lindyhunt]

Lab Diamonds VS “Real” Diamonds: We Break Down the Ethics, Cost and Environmental Impact

In our Winter issue, FASHION editors rounded up the 100 people, products and experiences we think will blow up in 2019. It’s our inaugural Hot 100 Fuse List. From the workouts you’ll be doing, to the new designers and artists you’ll see on your feed, this is your guide to being in the know this year. With the FTC’s new stance on lab diamonds and the debate around the ethics and environmental ramifications of mined diamonds, we predict consumer interest in—and access to—lab diamonds will be bigger than ever in 2019.

View this post on Instagram

We’re here to make buying a diamond clear, easy and free of stress. #createdbyspence #spencediamonds #diamonds #diamondjewelry #bling

A post shared by Spence Diamonds (@shopspence) on Feb 5, 2019 at 10:48am PST

75: Lab Diamonds

Rue Saint-Honoré, in Paris, is the stuff of retail dreams. It’s not unusual to see a lineup snaking outside the Balenciaga boutique, a stone’s throw from Goyard’s flagship, while a Porsche idles in front of the Mandarin Oriental hotel. It’s also where Swarovski hosted a fall preview during Paris Fashion Week earlier this year. Tucked in the back of the showroom is a smaller room devoted to Atelier Swarovski. This is home to high-end pieces such as designer collaborations with Mary Katrantzou and Jason Wu. It’s also where you’ll find the brand’s Red Carpet collection, which features lab-created diamonds.

“Not even trained jewellers know the difference,” says one publicist of the lab- versus mined-stone debate. Nadja Swarovski, a member of Swarovski’s executive board, might be part of a crystal empire built on the idea of “a diamond for everyone,” but even she once described lab diamonds as a “conscious luxury” for people who “want to know where their products come from.” A few months later, Swarovski announced that its lab-diamond brand, Diama, would be integrated under Atelier Swarovski, with pieces starting at $595 U.S.

Lab Diamonds VS “Real” Diamonds: Pro: Jewellers cannot tell them apart. Con: They’re not billions of years old.

Mined diamonds, the ones we’ve learned to love in part because of De Beers’s post-Depression-era marketing campaigns, were formed over 150 kilometres below the earth’s surface, in the mantle. There, high pressure and temperatures turned carbon atoms into diamonds over the course of a billion years or more. A laboratory setting can recreate conditions present deep within the earth and complete the process in as little as 400 hours.

It’s space age, and a little freaky, to think that the world’s most “romantic” stone can come from a lab, but it’s not entirely new. Lab diamonds used primarily for industrial purposes have been around since the 1950s, but clean, gem-quality diamonds made an appearance in 2006, not long after the film Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which exposed the sinister side of high-priced gems and how mining in war zones can help finance warlords with illicit diamond sales. DiCaprio is also a backer of the California-based Diamond Foundry, one of the industry’s biggest lab-diamond producers.

View this post on Instagram

Buying a diamond shouldn’t be like buying a diamond. At Spence, you can reach into any display and try on as many styles as you like! . . . . . #SpenceDiamonds #CreatedbySpence #Spence #Diamonds #EngagementRings #DiamondExperience #JewelryAddict #RingSelfie #PutARingOnIt #Bling

A post shared by Spence Diamonds (@shopspence) on Jan 24, 2019 at 10:33am PST

At the Mississauga, Ont., showroom for Canadian retailer Spence Diamonds, display cases of engagement rings are divided into style categories like Modern, Solitaire, Vintage and Halo. The cases are open, so you can just reach in and try an item on. (All the engagement rings in the showroom contain placeholder glass.) Flip a ring over and you’ll see a tag with two prices: one for “mined” and another for “ACD,” or “artisan created diamond,” which is Spence-speak for lab diamond.

Innocently enough, I ask Spence CEO Eric Lindberg if lab diamonds are as good as mined. “‘Good’ is an arbitrary word,” says Lindberg. “I would say this: A lab diamond, from an atomic standpoint, is identical to a mined diamond in the structure of that stone. From a physical chemical property standpoint, it’s exactly the same as a mined diamond. Jewellers cannot tell them apart.”

“From a physical chemical property standpoint, it’s exactly the same as a mined diamond. Jewellers cannot tell them apart.”

And the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would agree. In July 2018, the FTC amended its jewellery guidelines to allow lab diamonds to be marketed as “cultured,” the way pearls are. The term “natural” is out because, as the FTC wrote, it’s “now possible to create products that have essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as mined diamonds.”

In the showroom, I admire a ring with a simple princess-cut diamond that would cost $8,550 for a mined stone and $6,600 for an ACD. The store’s director of sales shows me two diamonds: one mined, one lab. To my untrained eye, the only difference between them is that the mined diamond has a minor, yet charming, flaw.

“Ethically, if you have concerns about buying a diamond, a created diamond comes from a laboratory facility that is shipping that diamond directly to us; it’s trackable,” says Lindberg. “Tearing a big mine in the ground and then shipping diamonds around the world—that is not an environmentally-friendly practice.” Spence also donates a portion of its ACD sales to the global non-profit Not for Sale, which helps victims of human trafficking.

“Tearing a big mine in the ground and then shipping diamonds around the world—that is not an environmentally-friendly practice.”

There’s also the matter of pricing: Lab-created diamonds at Spence are 25 to 50 per cent larger than similarly priced mined ones. Which is how De Beers, the world’s largest diamond distributor, pulled the jewellery equivalent of a mic drop when it unveiled Lightbox, a subsidi­ary now selling lab-diamond jewellery online. Lightbox pieces are priced lower than those of competitors (a quarter-carat stone starts at $200 U.S.) and advertised in a way that recalls long walks on the beach, frosted doughnuts and pink Champagne.

It’s worth noting that De Beers was part of the 2015 “Real Is Rare” worldwide campaign by the Diamond Producers Association that targeted millennials and took aim at lab diamonds. David Johnson, head of strategic communications at De Beers, says that Lightbox is a response to exhaustive consumer research. “They [consumers] don’t see [lab diamonds] as having enduring value,” says Johnson. “They’re not unique or billions of years old; they’re not from nature. You could just produce more and more of them. So consumers didn’t feel they should be valued as highly.”

View this post on Instagram

This ring! It’s the trickiest and longest job I’ve ever taken on. Audrey and Bertie were adamant they wanted lab-made diamonds, and they loved a previous trilogy ring that we’d made. However, who knew 🤷🏻‍♀️ it’s so difficult to acquire lab-made diamonds in matching pear shapes! I literally scoured the world. I had suppliers in India, USA, Russia, China, Japan and Australia of course, hunting for these pears. After three months, I finally found one pair in the USA. The relief. This ring drove me ‘round the twist, but the outcome is worth it. Undeniably beautiful, ethical and made with love. I’m so happy Audrey and Bertrand never gave up on me 💕

A post shared by Bert Jewellery (@bertjewellery) on Dec 16, 2018 at 11:01pm PST

Value. What we value is a conundrum I remember well from my own engagement. My then-fiancé knew not to propose with a ring; I had to be involved because I was far too sophisticated to be bedazzled by a diamond. In the end, I proved to be more conventional than I thought—yes, there’s a diamond in my wedding band. But my next diamond will probably be lab-made because—what with a mortgage, kids and educations to finance now—it’s not as important to me as it once was.

It’s a similar story for Spence shopper Michael DoBush of Edmonton. He purchased a white-gold infinity band with a 3.10-carat round brilliant-cut diamond and 13 quarter-carat diamonds to replace his wife’s ring after it was stolen in a break-in. “Sounds like a sad story, but it was our fifth wedding anniversary,” says DoBush. “The end result was a larger ring for less money without sacrificing quality, and the ethical aspect was important.”

“There are consumers under a certain age who have grown up thinking that technology solves everything and this is yet another example of ‘Well, of course technology solved this problem.’”

That sliding-value scale is what will either help or continue to hurt the lab-diamond marketplace. But people like Lindberg are optimistic. “There are consumers under a certain age who have grown up thinking that technology solves everything and this is yet another example of ‘Well, of course technology solved this problem,’” he says. “Technology now allows us to have a diamond that’s equally beautiful, and it’s bigger, and I know it comes from an ethical source. That makes all the sense in the world.”

[ladyjaneasher-blog]

When they got engaged, on Christmas Day 1967, all these problems were in the past. Maharishi, for a long time, was the only little point of difference, although it was all amicable. Jane didn’t fall for him when the others did, although she understood the attraction. She would obviously have preferred to try to reach a spiritual state on their own. Paul wasn’t as committed as George and John when he went with Jane to India in 1968, but he felt there was something there that would help him, that might answer his questions. So Jane agreed to go with him. In the end they both had a rewarding and happy time in India. ‘As Beatles, we’ve gone through millions of superficial changes, which mean nothing and haven’t changed us,’ says Paul. ‘It’s like in posh places, you get to like avocado and spinach and other way-out foods, so you have them every time. You learn about wine and that’s the scene for a while. When you’ve done all that, then you can go back.

the beatles, hunter davies

[amoralto]

(Note: This was originally an ask dear @smileawaysmileaway sent me late last year. As they decided they were uncomfortable with showing their email address publicly, I privated the post shortly after replying to it. If only for archival purposes and a reminder to myself to post the Get Back sessions excerpt I mention, I’m now reposting the ask and my reply with the email address censored.)

I have but a silhouette of a perspective on what happened, if that makes any sense; it is, conceptually, Schrödinger’s India where everything and nothing happened at the same time.

You have reminded me of certain discussions and speculative points brought up in the past that I’ve been piqued by, though, in relation but not exclusive to whatever did or didn’t happen in India, so do look forward to a small Quotes for Curious Contemplation post in the near future. In the meantime, for your, well, contemplation, here are a few intriguing excerpts I transcribed from the Get Back/Let It Be sessions on January 25th, 1969, when Paul brings up the film footage he’s just seen of their sojourn in Rishikesh:

PAUL: It’s great. It’s incredible, you know, just to sort of see us, what we’re doing.

GEORGE: What were you doing?

JOHN: Yes, what were we doing?

PAUL: Well, uh...

GEORGE: Except…

PAUL: I don’t really know, you know. [John chuckles] But it’s like we totally put our own personalities on there, for the sake of it. And you can really see, you know.

…

GEORGE: Do you regret having gone there?

PAUL: No, no. Oh no, no. I mean, you know.

GEORGE: I mean, I feel as though like—

PAUL: No, I just think what we did there—

JOHN: I don’t regret anything. Ever. Not even Bob Wooler.

PAUL: No, I just think what we did there – uh, we didn’t take – we weren’t really sort of truthful, there. You know.

…

PAUL: It’s that thing, you know. We probably should have sort of—

JOHN: Been ourselves.

PAUL: Yeah. A lot more, yeah.

GEORGE: That is the biggest – that’s the like, the joke, the biggest joke, to be yourselves. Because that was the purpose of going there—

JOHN: Yeah, but I was like—

GEORGE: —to try and find out who yourself really is.

JOHN: Yes. Well, we found out, didn’t we.

GEORGE: And if you were really yourself, we wouldn’t be any of who we are now.

PAUL: Hm.

[jessicakehoe]

Lab Diamonds VS “Real” Diamonds: We Break Down the Ethics, Cost and Environmental Impact

In our Winter issue, FASHION editors rounded up the 100 people, products and experiences we think will blow up in 2019. It’s our inaugural Hot 100 Fuse List. From the workouts you’ll be doing, to the new designers and artists you’ll see on your feed, this is your guide to being in the know this year. With the FTC’s new stance on lab diamonds and the debate around the ethics and environmental ramifications of mined diamonds, we predict consumer interest in—and access to—lab diamonds will be bigger than ever in 2019.

View this post on Instagram

We’re here to make buying a diamond clear, easy and free of stress. #createdbyspence #spencediamonds #diamonds #diamondjewelry #bling

A post shared by Spence Diamonds (@shopspence) on Feb 5, 2019 at 10:48am PST

75: Lab Diamonds

Rue Saint-Honoré, in Paris, is the stuff of retail dreams. It’s not unusual to see a lineup snaking outside the Balenciaga boutique, a stone’s throw from Goyard’s flagship, while a Porsche idles in front of the Mandarin Oriental hotel. It’s also where Swarovski hosted a fall preview during Paris Fashion Week earlier this year. Tucked in the back of the showroom is a smaller room devoted to Atelier Swarovski. This is home to high-end pieces such as designer collaborations with Mary Katrantzou and Jason Wu. It’s also where you’ll find the brand’s Red Carpet collection, which features lab-created diamonds.

“Not even trained jewellers know the difference,” says one publicist of the lab- versus mined-stone debate. Nadja Swarovski, a member of Swarovski’s executive board, might be part of a crystal empire built on the idea of “a diamond for everyone,” but even she once described lab diamonds as a “conscious luxury” for people who “want to know where their products come from.” A few months later, Swarovski announced that its lab-diamond brand, Diama, would be integrated under Atelier Swarovski, with pieces starting at $595 U.S.

Lab Diamonds VS “Real” Diamonds: Pro: Jewellers cannot tell them apart. Con: They’re not billions of years old.

Mined diamonds, the ones we’ve learned to love in part because of De Beers’s post-Depression-era marketing campaigns, were formed over 150 kilometres below the earth’s surface, in the mantle. There, high pressure and temperatures turned carbon atoms into diamonds over the course of a billion years or more. A laboratory setting can recreate conditions present deep within the earth and complete the process in as little as 400 hours.

It’s space age, and a little freaky, to think that the world’s most “romantic” stone can come from a lab, but it’s not entirely new. Lab diamonds used primarily for industrial purposes have been around since the 1950s, but clean, gem-quality diamonds made an appearance in 2006, not long after the film Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, which exposed the sinister side of high-priced gems and how mining in war zones can help finance warlords with illicit diamond sales. DiCaprio is also a backer of the California-based Diamond Foundry, one of the industry’s biggest lab-diamond producers.

View this post on Instagram

Buying a diamond shouldn’t be like buying a diamond. At Spence, you can reach into any display and try on as many styles as you like! . . . . . #SpenceDiamonds #CreatedbySpence #Spence #Diamonds #EngagementRings #DiamondExperience #JewelryAddict #RingSelfie #PutARingOnIt #Bling

A post shared by Spence Diamonds (@shopspence) on Jan 24, 2019 at 10:33am PST

At the Mississauga, Ont., showroom for Canadian retailer Spence Diamonds, display cases of engagement rings are divided into style categories like Modern, Solitaire, Vintage and Halo. The cases are open, so you can just reach in and try an item on. (All the engagement rings in the showroom contain placeholder glass.) Flip a ring over and you’ll see a tag with two prices: one for “mined” and another for “ACD,” or “artisan created diamond,” which is Spence-speak for lab diamond.

Innocently enough, I ask Spence CEO Eric Lindberg if lab diamonds are as good as mined. “‘Good’ is an arbitrary word,” says Lindberg. “I would say this: A lab diamond, from an atomic standpoint, is identical to a mined diamond in the structure of that stone. From a physical chemical property standpoint, it’s exactly the same as a mined diamond. Jewellers cannot tell them apart.”

“From a physical chemical property standpoint, it’s exactly the same as a mined diamond. Jewellers cannot tell them apart.”

And the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) would agree. In July 2018, the FTC amended its jewellery guidelines to allow lab diamonds to be marketed as “cultured,” the way pearls are. The term “natural” is out because, as the FTC wrote, it’s “now possible to create products that have essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as mined diamonds.”

In the showroom, I admire a ring with a simple princess-cut diamond that would cost $8,550 for a mined stone and $6,600 for an ACD. The store’s director of sales shows me two diamonds: one mined, one lab. To my untrained eye, the only difference between them is that the mined diamond has a minor, yet charming, flaw.

“Ethically, if you have concerns about buying a diamond, a created diamond comes from a laboratory facility that is shipping that diamond directly to us; it’s trackable,” says Lindberg. “Tearing a big mine in the ground and then shipping diamonds around the world—that is not an environmentally-friendly practice.” Spence also donates a portion of its ACD sales to the global non-profit Not for Sale, which helps victims of human trafficking.

“Tearing a big mine in the ground and then shipping diamonds around the world—that is not an environmentally-friendly practice.”

There’s also the matter of pricing: Lab-created diamonds at Spence are 25 to 50 per cent larger than similarly priced mined ones. Which is how De Beers, the world’s largest diamond distributor, pulled the jewellery equivalent of a mic drop when it unveiled Lightbox, a subsidi­ary now selling lab-diamond jewellery online. Lightbox pieces are priced lower than those of competitors (a quarter-carat stone starts at $200 U.S.) and advertised in a way that recalls long walks on the beach, frosted doughnuts and pink Champagne.

It’s worth noting that De Beers was part of the 2015 “Real Is Rare” worldwide campaign by the Diamond Producers Association that targeted millennials and took aim at lab diamonds. David Johnson, head of strategic communications at De Beers, says that Lightbox is a response to exhaustive consumer research. “They [consumers] don’t see [lab diamonds] as having enduring value,” says Johnson. “They’re not unique or billions of years old; they’re not from nature. You could just produce more and more of them. So consumers didn’t feel they should be valued as highly.”

View this post on Instagram

This ring! It’s the trickiest and longest job I’ve ever taken on. Audrey and Bertie were adamant they wanted lab-made diamonds, and they loved a previous trilogy ring that we’d made. However, who knew 🤷🏻‍♀️ it’s so difficult to acquire lab-made diamonds in matching pear shapes! I literally scoured the world. I had suppliers in India, USA, Russia, China, Japan and Australia of course, hunting for these pears. After three months, I finally found one pair in the USA. The relief. This ring drove me ‘round the twist, but the outcome is worth it. Undeniably beautiful, ethical and made with love. I’m so happy Audrey and Bertrand never gave up on me 💕

A post shared by Bert Jewellery (@bertjewellery) on Dec 16, 2018 at 11:01pm PST

Value. What we value is a conundrum I remember well from my own engagement. My then-fiancé knew not to propose with a ring; I had to be involved because I was far too sophisticated to be bedazzled by a diamond. In the end, I proved to be more conventional than I thought—yes, there’s a diamond in my wedding band. But my next diamond will probably be lab-made because—what with a mortgage, kids and educations to finance now—it’s not as important to me as it once was.

It’s a similar story for Spence shopper Michael DoBush of Edmonton. He purchased a white-gold infinity band with a 3.10-carat round brilliant-cut diamond and 13 quarter-carat diamonds to replace his wife’s ring after it was stolen in a break-in. “Sounds like a sad story, but it was our fifth wedding anniversary,” says DoBush. “The end result was a larger ring for less money without sacrificing quality, and the ethical aspect was important.”

“There are consumers under a certain age who have grown up thinking that technology solves everything and this is yet another example of ‘Well, of course technology solved this problem.’”

That sliding-value scale is what will either help or continue to hurt the lab-diamond marketplace. But people like Lindberg are optimistic. “There are consumers under a certain age who have grown up thinking that technology solves everything and this is yet another example of ‘Well, of course technology solved this problem,’” he says. “Technology now allows us to have a diamond that’s equally beautiful, and it’s bigger, and I know it comes from an ethical source. That makes all the sense in the world.”

The post Lab Diamonds VS “Real” Diamonds: We Break Down the Ethics, Cost and Environmental Impact appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Lab Diamonds VS “Real” Diamonds: We Break Down the Ethics, Cost and Environmental Impact published first on https://borboletabags.tumblr.com/

[gamingtipsandtrickshacks]

Reignited Trilogy Leaks with Screenshots and Box Art

As one of the most iconic platforming series from the PS1-era, Spyro the Dragon took players through a variety of colorful and cartoonish worlds, and after quite some time of fervent fan demand, it appears that the little purple dragon will get to fly again.

A listing for Spyro: Reignited Trilogy has appeared on Amazon Mexico, seeming to confirm that the collection will be a remastered trilogy of the first three Spyro games: the original, Ripto’s Rage!, and Year of the Dragon.

In addition to the collection leaking through the Amazon Mexico page, Amazon India also corroborated the leak with another listing that provided our first look at box art for the game, and several screenshots of the remastered collection in action, making for a striking comparison to the PS1 originals.

The listings on both Amazon Mexico and Amazon India indicate a release date of September 21st, 2018 (which falls on a Friday) for the collection and a price point of $39.99. This information may purely be a placeholder for now, but it’s not outside the realm of possibility, given that Activision’s Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy also launched at a $40 price tag, and also released on a Friday last year (June 30th).

The listings have also indicated that the collection will be coming to PS4 and Xbox One, though no other platforms or release details are apparent just yet.

This of course is to be taken with a slight grain of salt, as the collection has not been formally announced by either Activision or Toys for Bob (the apparent developer of the collection) yet, but recent teases have indicated that it seems likely we’ll get the remastered games that fans have been asking for. Given the success of last year’s Crash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, it only seems like a matter of time.

For now, we’ll have to wait for official confirmation of the collection, but in the meantime, you can check out the reported box art and screenshots below for Spyro: Reignited Trilogy.

[kenkenuae]

Who Invented ‘Zero’?

Following article has been taken from the New York Times, Sunday Review, Opinion page. “Who invented ‘Zero’?”, Manil Suri, Oct 7, 2017. 

Manil Suri, the author of the novel “The City of Devi,” is a mathematics professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

“Carbon dating of an ancient Indian document, the Bakhshali manuscript, has recently placed the first written occurrence of the number zero in the third or fourth century A.D., about 500 years earlier than previously believed. While the news has no practical bearing on the infrastructure of zeros (and ones) underlying our high-tech civilization, it does remind us how indebted we are for this invention. But to whom is this debt owed? And how should it be repaid?

Chauvinistic politicians might loudly trumpet India’s role (as they have, more controversially, in the case of the Pythagorean theorem), but the history of zero remains unsettled enough to still be the subject of continuing quests. The Babylonians used it as a placeholder, an idea later developed independently by the Mayans. The Chinese, at some point in time, indicated it by an empty space in their counting-rod system. Some claim the Greeks flirted with the idea but, finding the concept of the void too frightening in their Aristotelian framework, passed it on to the Indians. The Hindus are generally acknowledged as being the first to formulate it as an independent number — the key to using it in mathematical calculations or binary code. What’s clear is that this history is dominated by non-European civilizations. Truly an alt-right nightmare.

Obviously, there were no intellectual property rights in force back then. Had there been a patent office, it might have ruled, as courts do now, that mathematical advances uncover pre-existing knowledge rather than create anything new — and are hence unpatentable. The conundrum of whether mathematics is discovered or invented is as old as Plato. Certainly, zero displays this duality: The void is as old as time, but it was a human innovation to harness it with a symbol.

In recognition of this innovation, and ignoring all practicalities, suppose someone, somehow, had figured out how to put a price tag on zero. The royalties generated would be staggering — imagine the tab for just your personal use alone! This might lead to a significant redistribution of wealth, most of it going to the developing world.

One difficulty is splitting the payments, since no one could claim exclusive “ownership” of zero’s creation. I asked my “History of Mathematics” class to come up with an exact breakdown based on zero’s provenance, something that, coincidentally, we had just discussed when the carbon dating news broke. Not unexpectedly, India fared best, with 42 percent of the proceeds, though students directed it be split with neighboring countries — after all, the manuscript was found in what is now Pakistan (I can already hear the Indian ministers howl their protests).

Babylon ended up with 18 percent, which if allotted to Iraq, the present-day country of its location, might be just compensation for the years of war endured. Greece came next, with a surprising 15 percent — perhaps my class felt the country was getting shortchanged for all its other mathematical contributions. The Mayans raked in 14 percent, which means Mexico would be rolling in so much money from its share that it might be the one clamoring (and paying) for a wall. My class’s most left-leaning group declared it wouldn’t disburse the money at all, “so as not to encourage capitalism.”

Of course, the exercise was pure fantasy for many reasons; any compensatory scheme would be dead on arrival based on the mention of “reparations.” And yet it highlighted the fact that there were cultures and peoples that parented zero, whose descendants may not be doing as well now. If not financial recompense, is at least some enhanced ethical responsibility toward them owed?

If so, the primary onus might fall on tech companies, arguably the biggest users of this resource. Right now, their prize target is India, with Microsoft, Google and Facebook all vying to bring its enormous population online. These giants might point out that they’re already being altruistic by offering free connectivity, through schemes that will plug in rural areas, vitalize the economy and transform the country — and just happen to add hundreds of millions of potential customers to their rosters for a variety of ads and e-products. Could it be a coincidence that Microsoft, for instance, has also been investing heavily in future cloud services, cybersecurity and e-commerce for India?

Think of it. The companies will use the indigenously developed resource of zeros and ones (the Arabs got their numerals from India, after all), package them into new services and products, and sell them back. India has lived through such irony before. The British Empire took her raw cotton and sold it back as finished garments, destroying the local textile industry and helping lower India’s share of the world gross domestic product to 3 percent from 23 percent.

Fortunately, the parallel flounders. The finished e-products will mostly be manufactured in India, even if backed by foreign investment. Also, the country is wiser: It will not succumb easily to a new cyber-colonialism. Last year, under a broader “net neutrality” decision, the government banned Facebook’s “Free Basics” plan, which offered free Wi-Fi but only to websites of the company’s choosing (Facebook, undeterred, is already marketing a replacement). This year, it also declined a bid from Microsoft to offer connectivity through old television bands. Instead, under pressure from Indian cellular operators, the bands will be auctioned off.

Whether Indian tech companies will prevail remains to be seen. What’s clear is that vigorous market competition is underway to control all those zeros and ones. Despite my liberal student group’s disapproval, zero encourages capitalistic forces, after all.

In fact, zero is essential to much of human endeavor; it has become a fundamental part of our legacy, too seemingly immutable for any kind of compensatory reckoning. And yet the Bakhshali manuscript reminds us that zero wasn’t always at hand. Rather, it was the intellectual product of cultures perhaps far different from our own, of peoples and regions that may have subsided but could once again rise to dominance.”