By Sunil K. Vaidya

Recently, I was surprised to see a ‘live’ funeral being broadcast on Facebook.

Seing that post, in a way, took me back in time. When we were young, every day we would meet at a naka (street corner in Mumbai lingo). It was the routine and the naka was our local grapevine. We would exchange news and views about everything under the sun. At the naka, we talked about which building had caught fire, where burglars had struck, heard the buzz around elections, movie releases, how a batsman had batted (we spent more time discussing cricket than anything else). We talked about everything, from mob beatings of gold chain snatchers (a big menace then), to births, birthdays, marriages, as well as break-ups and deaths.

Continue reading Have you ever seen a funeral live on social media? →

By Alvin R. Cabral

Well, of course, emojis are not limited to smartphones; they’re everywhere, much like the     s in the Milky Way.

My first mobile phone was a Motorola T2288. And I spent around 5,000 pesos (Dh343) to finally own one. Man, I was so        .

Continue reading Do you even remember life before emojis? 😉 →

By Allan Jacob

Last month, a friend on a school WhatsApp group quit in disgust at the treatment meted out to him for his full-throated support of a global political leader that often bordered on the naive and emotional. I thought what he did was brave — cutting off virtual ties with his old pals for his political (and religious) beliefs. His dogmatic and dogged defence of recurring issues that concern many of us — migration, politics and religion — got me thinking. “They picked on me for my beliefs,” he wailed. I did, too, I reminded him, and said he was often blinded by fawning over a man who had his good sides and bad. “There is no rationale in your arguments, be reasonable, take a neutral line,” was my unsolicited advice to him, which he deftly threw out.

Continue reading Stalker, Crybaby or Expert? What kind of troll are you? →

By Allan Jacob

Forgive me if I sound like a doomsday prophet when I launch into the dangers of excesssive technology. Neo-Luddite suits me fine. There is always this hovering feeling that peace is in peril when individual and community spaces are being watched in an air of suspicion. In this scenario, I feel challenged to be peacenik, or a dove when it comes to drones — my current fleeting objects of attention. My desire is not to possesss them but to admire these magnificent miniature flying machines from afar and proclaim: Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Continue reading What you should know about killer drones and peace doves →