Category: Learning by Proxy

  • One Trick Pony | Learning by Proxy

    In the 18th Century, a cavalry officer by the name of Philip Astley set up an amphitheatre to display horse riding tricks. This was the genesis of the modern circus. The horses used to be made to perform various tricks and amuse the attendees. Some horses could perform only one trick and came to be…

  • Elections | Learning by Proxy

    Elections are old; as old as democracy. The ancient Greeks and Romans who created democracy were amongst the first to elect their leaders. The first records of elections that still survive are from Greece in 754 B.C. In the early days of elections, a show of hands was often enough to make the election happen.…

  • National Treasure | Learning by Proxy

    The Americans had no idea how to launch a rocket. In fact, after having smuggled Nazi scientists out of Germany in the 1940s, they did not put them to much use. They were imprisoned at a mansion in America instead of in jail in Germany for nearly 10 years. This was till USSR put Sputnik…

  • Grand as Ever | Learning by Proxy

    Say, you had a sudden windfall of a million dollars. What would you do? You might save some. But in all likelihood, your consumption would rise. Now instead of a one-time windfall, let us say you were going to get a salary of a million dollars. It would send your spending (consumption) to another level.…

  • Subscriptions | Learning by Proxy

    For most of human history, the supply of products was always far lower than the demand for them. It is hard to believe, how radically this changed in the last 30 years. Just as unbelievable as the fact that 15 years ago, if you wanted to find your way around a new town, you had…

  • App Store | Learning by Proxy

    In January 2007, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone at the MacWorld. The announcement would cause seismic shifts in the entire computing world, but nobody realised it at the time. In an era where Nokia was selling $150 dollar phones; a $500 phone seemed like it was meant for the nerdy enthusiast. Steve Balmer, then CEO…

  • Video Games | Learning by Proxy

    The first patent for Video Games was filed in Jan 1947. The Cathode Ray Tubes that had been invented to render the radar was to be used as an amusement device! There were a lot of experimental games that were launched in that era. Most remained in the lab for the purposes of demonstration. Either…

  • Space Wars | Learning by Proxy

    Space was the ambition of the Nazis. Hitler had some really wild theories but the central amongst them was the Wunderwaffe. A wonder weapon, so powerful that it would put an end to all his enemies. From the Holy Grail to Incan treasures and spells, no theory was left to chance. Of the many real-world…

  • IPCC | Learning by Proxy

    In 1988, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) came together to create a body to which membership was open to all countries of the UN. The body was mandated to provide objective scientific information relevant to understanding human-induced climate change. This body was called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate…

  • Telecom Bankruptcy | Learning by Proxy

    Telecom was the ticket to great wealth for governments around the world. Governments were hiring game theorists to determine how to sell air – quite literally. In the case of India, things did not really turn out the way the government had imagined. This hot potato was a creation of the previous BJP government and…