Browsing: Rizing Premium

So, while there are marketplaces on the Internet, in some ways, the Internet, itself, is a marketplace. Right now, that marketplace seems to be in Web 2.0 mode: there are centralized platforms, which are, like, Goliath shopkeepers - Google, Meta, Amazon, X and more - dominating, selling their products, determining who enters, who gets the best spots and additionally, keeps detailed info about what all visit, why and when. The services may be free, but as it's often said - if you're not paying for it, you are the product.

So, this 2.0 seems to be the status quo. They have the infrastructure, the user base, operational maturity after being in the business for decades, people are acclimated to the Web 2.0 interface & we've all gotten heavily reliant on it all for our communication, our commerce and more. Our dependency seems entrenched, almost.

But, in the 2020s, maybe, just, maybe, a 3.0 is brewing.

And what does that 3.0 look like? It's an open marketplace, where everyone owns a part of the space. There's no dominating shopkeeper. Someone visiting would have complete ownership of what they do and where they visit.  There's no middleperson and there's full transparency about how everything works.

You've probably heard ad nauseam how plastic sucks. How it's bad for you. How it's bad for the planet. How there are microplastics in what you drink. Plastic is probably choking a turtle right now. The fish fry you consumed once had a buffet plastic. And yet, wherever you look, plastic is all around you. And underneath you. Plastic doesn't degrade. It's said that plastic waste could take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose. And even then, it doesn't just go away, it just gets smaller and smaller. And despite all the sustainability and recycling efforts, there's a feeling that plastic is permanent and it's here to stay. It's said that less than 10% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled. Maybe, that's a cynical perspective, but, how much has truly changed to topple the dominance of plastic?

Has something happened in Japan to inject a bit of hope into our lives? According to researchers there, an environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional plastic has been developed. And it's said that this alternative could fully dissolve in salt water or seawater in hours without leaving any microplastics. And the claim is that this alternative would degrade in soil within 10 days, which may, even, have nutrients to benefit the soil. That just sounds cool.

How dirty are you? Imagine the most luxurious shower you could get, ever. Think of one from a 7-star hotel. Feel the cascading water running down you while you're standing on a heated floor. That's so 2010s. It's time to step into the future.

This time, envision yourself stepping into a futuristic-looking pod. You close your eyes and 15 minutes later, you're completely clean, refreshed and even mentally, you're super rejuvenated. In those 15 minutes, you haven't scrubbed yourself, you didn't wait for the water to get hot or for a tub to fill, you didn't have to lather. Because you just had an AI-powered cleansing experience. Who'd have thought AI would apply when you were in your birthday suit?

Have you noticed how many podcasts there are now? Apparently, anyone can get 2 or 3 mics off of Amazon or Flipkart, record from your phone camera or go for a professional one, talk about anything, upload it on YouTube and Instagram and create YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. It might have become the world's new obsession.

Sometimes, these podcasts are pure drivel. Other times, they may have valuable insights. They might even be a branding tool. Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath seems to have found a considerable amount of success with his WTF podcast. One of his latest podcast panellists was someone you might know for trying to extend his lifespan: Bryan Johnson, the US tech entrepreneur and biohacker.

Remember how UFC's Dana White walked out of Howie Mandel's podcast after realizing how fed up he was with the whole podcast scene? Bryan Johnson walked out of Nikhil Kamath's WTF podcast, too. Why? Was he fed up? Was it ennui? It's said that he couldn't handle the air.

Maybe, in 2025, robots get a bad rep. There are a couple of them out there, but the concept still sounds futuristic. Think of Enthiran or The Terminator or the one from I, Robot. It doesn't sound too pretty. Even the robots you may have heard of in the 2020s might not be all that inspiring.

In March 2024, a Saudi Arabia robot that was programmed to move its hands was said to have extended its hand towards the lower back of a female reporter. That didn't go down too well. And Elon Musk's Optimus robots from Tesla, which were presented at an event in October 2024, were said to be controlled by humans behind the scenes instead of functioning autonomously.

So, what if the two things people love the most: robots... and the police? Robot police. That sounds menacing and nefarious, already.

Blinkit’s 10-Minute Ambulance Service: Revolutionizing Emergency Medical Care in Urban India

Remember in the 2009 flick "3 Idiots", a character remarks, "You get pizza in this country in 30 minutes, but not an ambulance"? 16 years later, that might have changed.

In the last couple of years, it seems like consumers have been spoiled by a degree of convenience. Want food in 30 minutes? Want a lighter in 15 minutes? Want an avocado in 8 minutes? You got it, dude! Quick commerce seems to have been so successful in India, that even established players, like Flipkart, Myntra, JioMart, Magicpin, Amazon and Ola, were looking to go the q-comm route.

So, November 2024 had a couple of interesting events. The 45th POTUS won the 2024 US election to become the 47th POTUS, the world's first wooden satellite was launched, Beyoncé became the most nominated artist in Grammy history and oh, there was a boxing match between a 27-year-old YouTuber and a 58-year-old renowned pugilist. That's right, Jake Paul and Michael Tyson battled it out in Arlington, Texas. And the whole thing was being streamed on Netflix, which had live-streamed a couple of things, such as a Christopher Rock stand-up special and a roast of NFL player Thomas Brady.

But, this time was different.

This bout was hyped up, there was trash talk, there was a BTS show (not the K-pop band, the behind-the-scenes of the training), many had commented on how Tyson would eviscerate Paul & there were close to 110 million total live viewers around the world with about 65 million concurrent streams and roughly 70,000 physical spectators.

So, look at you enjoying your favourite chocolate bar. You might have seen some seductive ads for chocolate on TV or on your phone, which might have made chocolate so alluring to consume when it melts on your tongue. You've probably curled up in the winter with a cup of hot chocolate. Or you might have enjoyed chocolate in multiple bakery products in multiple combinations, forms and permutations. It's almost beckoning to you in a sultry whisper: "Linger on my textures. Now's the time to indulge. Let me make you feel desired, smooth and maybe, even empowered. Let me melt the shackles of what's ailing you. Let me continue to enchant you".

Unfortunately, the romance might be ending. Sorry to burst the bubble, but it might be a rocky road ahead.

Amidst all the ups and downs of 2024, something that might have gone under is what's happening in the world of chocolate. If you've come across Charles Bucket navigating William Wonka's chocolate factory across literature or media, you might know that cacao beans are what make chocolate what it is. 

So, in 2021, Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook's name to Meta. Later on, Elon Musk would change Twitter's name, too, but, at the time, it raised some eyebrows. After all, it seemed emblematic of the idea that Mark was going all in with his poker chips on the Metaverse with a belief that it would be the successor to the Internet and shape all digital experiences with use cases ranging from hanging out with friends to entertainment, gaming, fitness and education. The power of belief.

Meta announced a product called the "Meta Quest Pro" in 2022 for the cheap price of $1500 (about ₹125,000). Some guffawed. In a country, like India, would such a burgeoning technology even have some user stickiness? People may have thought, "It's too futuristic. It won't be for the masses. It'll be on the periphery of technology. The world's not ready for futuristic technology".

Then, OpenAI went public with a ChatGPT model. Suddenly, there were crazy rates of adoption across the world, even in India. According to BCG, as of 2024, India was the largest user of ChatGPT with about 45% of respondents revealing they used the chatbot. It may have even sparked an influx of AI startups with subsequent funding following, almost like the 2021 funding frenzy.

So, in the Hollywood TV series "Billions", a billionaire named Michael Prince has an ambition to bring the Olympics to New York after about 5 years. Of course, it sounds like a pipe dream, but Michael wants to show people how it would look in 2028. Can pictures suffice? A 2D model model? A PowerPoint presentation? Maybe, some of that has become saturated and boring without much flair. Maybe, they're not convincing enough. So, what does Michael do? He presents a headset that the people he needs to convince wear to help them see what it could look like. And they get to look beyond what they see.

Along the same vein, could technology be used to take construction to the next level? How about something like AR (Augmented Reality)? Granted, Michael Prince may have been using VR (Virtual Reality), but maybe, it's sibling technology.

But, if you're in the construction business, you might be acquainted with some of the challenges it takes to manage projects.