Karthik S | beastoftraal.com

Bhavish Aggarwal, the rider CEO, and Ola scooters vs. Ola cabs

July 7, 2021 by Karthik S

Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal did something interesting recently. He took a test ride of Ola’s soon-to-be-launched electric scooter. Here is the video that he shared. That brings me to two different threads of thought: Bhavish posing as a user of…

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The climate is changing. Will we?

July 6, 2021 by Karthik S

“Antarctica hits record temperature of 18.3 degrees Celsius, UN confirms”. When I saw this headline a few days ago, I literally fell from my seat. 18 degrees is the temperature in Ooty. That simply cannot be the temperature in Antarctica! There must…

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The tiny billboards movement

July 5, 2021 by Karthik S

What exactly are tiny billboards? Billboards scream ‘huge’ and attract attention by being usually very large in a public space. Tiny billboards aim to achieve the same—that is, visibility in a public space, by being the extreme opposite of large. You may…

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Knowing more

July 2, 2021 by Karthik S

I have very fond memories of growing up as a kid in Srirangam, a small, temple-town right next to Trichy (which itself was a small town back then) in the mid-80s. It was a magical period – of our first TV (Solidaire),…

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Ethics in the subscription business

July 1, 2021 by Karthik S

Last year, Netflix announced a new policy for inactive accounts and how the company will deal with such accounts’ cancellations. I wrote about it then and hailed it as a great move – a ‘right thing to do’ move that seems right…

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The work-from-anywhere fantasy

June 30, 2021 by Karthik S

Jobs site Indeed’s recent study in May 2021 says that searches for remote work skyrocketed by 966% year-on-year. Microsoft’s 2021 work trend index indicates that three in four employees in India are seeking remote work options. Avaya’s Life and Work Beyond 2020…

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KFC’s ogling boys and Ceriz’s whistling kid

June 29, 2021 by Karthik S

Back in January 2020, KFC launched an ad in Australia for the Zinger Popcorn box. The 15-second ad features a young woman checking her reflection on a parked car’s tinted window, not realizing that there is someone inside the vehicle. As the…

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