Published in Siggu·Nov 28, 2019Ethical Software for EveryoneCan I interest you in a nutrition label? This essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays Ethics! We all have a few. Every day, my personal ethics evolve in varying degrees. It seemed harmless to speak loudly and abrasively in my early twenties — a speech full of arbitrary and contrary words. Who was I hurting? Now I…Open Source10 min readOpen Source10 min read
Published in Siggu·Nov 20, 2019RFC: Hacker VillagesThe inevitable advent of जादूगरों का गाँव. This essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays “Land in Canada costs how much?” Ragul queries me a second time. …Energy14 min readEnergy14 min read
Published in Siggu·Oct 28, 2019Compassion for DonaldThis essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays The 2019 Canadian federal election is over. I doubt anyone feels very good about it. Not because a minority government threatens to immobilize the Canadian government. I mean, there is that. But the suffocating air of this election was far less tangible, far less…Politics10 min readPolitics10 min read
Published in Siggu·Oct 21, 2019I started meditating… now what?This essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays Two weeks ago, a friend struck up a conversation with me about his meditation practice. His query was Hi Steve I started meditating like a month ago. Nothing fancy, just sitting down and observing my breath. I did it because my anxiety was really…Meditation9 min readMeditation9 min read
Published in Siggu·Mar 1, 2019Silent SpacesHow often do we experience real silence? This essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays Universal Spaces was written out of necessity. There is nothing profound about the idea of universal spaces — spaces without any form of exceptional availability — but no preexisting terminology satisfies the requirement of defining spaces only…Meditation18 min readMeditation18 min read
Published in Siggu·Feb 5, 2019Universal SpacesThis essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays Yesterday we visited Chennai’s Theosophical Society. Prior to this visit I knew little of Theosophy and nothing about the space. The Society is staggering in size. Bountiful gardens spread across 260 acres. …Infrastructure8 min readInfrastructure8 min read
Published in Siggu·Feb 1, 2019India has a Three-Body ProblemThis essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays When I moved to Bangalore six years ago, I had no interest in India’s garbage management problem. I moved here to build a software company, not to muck about with garbage bins. But every time I would fly between the subcontinent and the Americas…Environment10 min readEnvironment10 min read
Published in Siggu·Jan 16, 2019How to disconnectThis essay has moved to https://www.deobald.ca/essays For those of us who grew up in the 1990s (Gen-Y-ers? Pre-Millennials?), the sound of connecting was Pshhhkkkkkkrrrrkakingkakingkakingtshchchchchchchchcch*ding*ding*ding and there was a certain romance to the ritual of Getting On The Internet. At least, there is a certain romance now. Now that we live…Social Media10 min readSocial Media10 min read
Published in Siggu·Jan 11, 2019Does smoking marijuana harm your meditation practice?tl;dr: Yes, it does. A friend with very little drug experience recently asked me if smoking (or eating) marijuana would harm her nascent meditation practice. She had a few follow-up questions, one of which was “have you ever written about this?” …Meditation7 min readMeditation7 min read
Published in Siggu·Jan 1, 2019EFF Software Ethicsor Steve Yegge, you are half right (Part Two) — In 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari repeatedly emphasizes the need for society to apply critical thinking to the future of software, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. …Open Source15 min readOpen Source15 min read
