Hi, I’m Bhuvan.This is my commonplace book.

The age of extreme job anxiety

For many at the start of their careers, things are just as bad. Government analysis last month insisted that entry-level positions were declining in line with the rest of the job market, but the general feeling that AI is wiping out starter jobs is backed up by research. The sectors worst hit are the most AI-friendly – software engineers, accountants, legal assistants, data analysts. A year ago, figures showed new graduate…

Trump is monetizing his presidency

From trade wars to military wars, anything the US president says can shift markets, and so teams of traders - as well as a host of automated computer systems - monitor his statements to perform trades within seconds. Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) now wants to charge for such market-moving information put out on its Truth Social platform. It has launched a paid service to give Wall Street firms and institutional…

The violent act of reading

I had a series of long conversations with my wonderful colleagues today. And as I was reflecting on them, what surprised me was the number of times I kept talking about reading: why they should read, why I read, how reading has helped me, and all the endless virtues of reading. I think everybody wants to read. But…

Bullish on global warming

It's all fine! Nothing to see here!

RSS is cool!

I don't know enough about the technology itself—whether it's actively being maintained or where it's heading—and I can't speak to all the historical details, but it seems accurate enough. The plain fact is: RSS is so fucking cool. Even today, I rely heavily on RSS feeds to keep track of posts from all the blogs and…

China’s AI gift to the world

What is this? A rambling, status-post-shaped voice note. How sure am I? Reasonably sure about the broad argument. Much less sure about how the technology, economics and geopolitics will unfold from here. Disclosure: I dictated most of this into ChatGPT and used it heavily to clean up the voice notes, organise the…

The life of a Banchhada girl

Unlike Savitri’s daughters, most girls in the community are born into a system in which their families expect them to enter sex work — a practice passed down over generations. According to several members of the community and NGOs in the region, while many Indians celebrate the birth of a boy over a girl, the Banchhadas welcome a girl with sweets and firecrackers. As girls grow up, they receive better nutrition than boys.…