{"version":"https://jsonfeed.org/version/1.1","title":"Rishikesh Sreehari","home_page_url":"https://rishikeshs.com/","feed_url":"https://rishikeshs.com//index.json","items":[{"content_html":"Today I learned that markdown code blocks in Hugo have language hints that tell the Chroma syntax highlighter which programming language to use for proper coloring.\nSyntax is like this:\n```LANG [OPTIONS] CODE ``` Usage example:\n```javascript function greet(name) { console.log(`Hello, ${name}!`); } Hugo\u0026rsquo;s Chroma highlighter applies JavaScript-specific syntax coloring instead of rendering plain text. But you need the right config settings in your config.yml:\nmarkup: highlight: codeFences: true # Enable fenced code blocks guessSyntax: false # Keep false - auto-detection is very limited style: dracula # Color scheme noClasses: true # Use inline CSS styles lineNos: false # No line numbers for cleaner look Here are some examples of different use cases:\nPython code:\ndef hello_world(): print(\u0026#34;Hello, World!\u0026#34;) CSS styling:\n.highlight { background-color: yellow; font-weight: bold; } Bash commands:\nsudo apt update cd /home/user Plain text (no highlighting):\nThis is just plain text No syntax highlighting needed JSON data:\n{ \u0026#34;name\u0026#34;: \u0026#34;John\u0026#34;, \u0026#34;age\u0026#34;: 30, \u0026#34;active\u0026#34;: true } As someone who uses markdown codeblocks for different languages and also for text, this is quite useful.\nMore info(supported languages and identifiers) on syntax highlighting can be read on the official docs .\n","date_published":"2025-07-28T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/hugo-syntax-highlighting/","summary":"How to properly configure Hugo\u0026rsquo;s Chroma syntax highlighter to work with language hints in markdown code blocks.","title":"Configuring Hugo Syntax Highlighting with Language Hints","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/hugo-syntax-highlighting/"},{"content_html":"So we\u0026rsquo;ve been thinking of buying a robot vacuum cleaner ever since we moved to a bigger 1 BHK apartment in Abu Dhabi. We have a decently sized hall with lots of empty space, and cleaning is a hassle. I work from home while my wife goes to the office, so home is my workspace and I love a tidy environment. But the reality is that I don\u0026rsquo;t enjoy the cleaning part. With construction going on nearby and the dusty weather in the UAE, the house needs sweeping at least every two days, plus there\u0026rsquo;s the amount of hair my wife sheds (I\u0026rsquo;m bald, so it\u0026rsquo;s definitely not mine!). Long story short, we need a robot vacuum and don\u0026rsquo;t mind doing occasional deep cleaning. We don\u0026rsquo;t have pets or kids, so something mid-range or budget-friendly would work for us.\nDockless Roombas When I started searching for robot vacuums, I was overwhelmed by the plethora of options and confusing naming conventions. I\u0026rsquo;m no expert, but the folks at r/RobotVacuums were incredibly helpful during my research. Think of this guide as notes or lessons I learned during the process - most are probably obvious to seasoned users. If you find any mistakes or outdated information, please comment or reach out, and I\u0026rsquo;ll keep updating this post.\nThe Major Players The main brands I encountered were iRobot (Roomba), Eufy (by Anker), Ecovacs, Xiaomi, Dreame, and Narwal. Roomba popularized the robot vacuum concept, while Xiaomi outsources manufacturing to other companies. Xiaomi owns a stake in Dreame and Roborock as well.\nSuction Power Marketing Some vacuums specialize purely in vacuuming, while others focus on mopping or do both. Here\u0026rsquo;s the thing about suction power: while more suction is generally better, higher suction numbers don\u0026rsquo;t always translate to better cleaning performance. It\u0026rsquo;s become more of a marketing gimmick than a reliable performance indicator.\nBrush Systems and Anti-Tangle Technology There are several approaches to handle hair tangles. Some use cutting systems that slice tangled hair as the brush runs - either passive approaches like TriCut/EasyChop where spinning drives the cutting module like a razor, or active approaches like Midea (sold under Eureka overseas) that runs an electric shaver in the brush compartment. Others use combing approaches with sharp combs (Roborock\u0026rsquo;s low-end models and Eufy) or angled brush bristles with combs. The most effective approach uses airflow and angled bristles based on Archimedes\u0026rsquo; screw - arguably the best system as it\u0026rsquo;s quietest and easiest to clean. This was first seen on Dyson\u0026rsquo;s anti-tangle cleaning head, which Narwal took inspiration from, and now many brands have similar approaches. Brands like Ecovacs also have \u0026ldquo;ZeroTangle 3.0\u0026rdquo; technology with V-shaped bristles. These systems can reduce hair tangles by 60-70% compared to traditional brushes, though you\u0026rsquo;ll still need scissors occasionally.\nBasic vs. Advanced Stations Entry-level vacuums come with a basic charging dock where you manually clean the mop pads and empty the dustbin. As you move up the price ladder, you get self-emptying stations that automatically handle dust disposal and mop cleaning.\nWater Tank Configurations Here\u0026rsquo;s where it gets tricky. Some vacuums don\u0026rsquo;t have internal water tanks - they wet their mop at the station, clean for a while, then return to rewet or clean the mop when it gets dirty or dry. Premium models have internal water tanks that continuously wet the mop or do so as needed. This is useful for larger floor areas since the robot doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to constantly return to the station, reducing cleaning time. However, some people prefer external tanks since internal water chambers require additional maintenance and have potential mold buildup issues over time.\nExtendable Mop Design and Edge Cleaning Premium vacuums feature extendable mops that can reach corners and edges more effectively. Look for \u0026ldquo;extending\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;FlexiArm\u0026rdquo; technology where side brushes and mop pads automatically extend when corners are detected. This reduces the typical 15mm gap most robots leave along walls to just 0-3mm, providing much better corner cleaning performance. It\u0026rsquo;s a nice feature but comes at a higher price point.\nCleaning Solution Dispensers: High-end models include dispensers for cleaning solutions. Some use proprietary cartridges (which can be expensive), though users have found workarounds by drilling holes and adding their own solutions. Others use refillable trays. The key is using non-foaming solutions designed for robot vacuums to avoid clogging or damaging internal components.\nClimb Height Capability How much a robot vacuum can raise itself is apparently a premium feature. Higher clearance means your robot can climb over thick carpets, rugs, or even small steps between rooms. New systems like Dreame\u0026rsquo;s ProLeap technology can handle 60mm thresholds using retractable legs (42mm first threshold plus 18mm second threshold right after). There are ramps available specifically designed to help robots navigate elevation changes, though I haven\u0026rsquo;t tried them yet.\nNavigation and Obstacle Detection The best navigation currently combines structured light/LiDAR or 3D dot matrix projectors with RGB cameras and good LED fill lights. LiDAR systems work in the dark but can struggle with black objects and mirrors, while camera-based systems need good lighting but handle dark objects better. Added RGB cameras are a premium feature where the robot sends photos of obstacles to your phone. These models can also function as surveillance cameras if you have pets - imagine a CCTV that can navigate your entire home!\nSelf-Emptying Variations Self-emptying is more complex than it sounds. Some stations only empty dust, while others also empty dirty water and clean mop pads. For mop cleaning, basic models use regular water, while premium versions use hot water to better prevent mold growth. The most advanced models include hot air drying for the mop pads. Keep in mind that even \u0026ldquo;self-emptying\u0026rdquo; models need the dust bags replaced every 4-6 weeks, though this can extend to 75 or even 90 days if pet hair isn\u0026rsquo;t an issue.\nNoise Levels I didn\u0026rsquo;t consider this before buying, but robot vacuums are louder than what I had in mind. So if you\u0026rsquo;re someone who works from home and has meetings often, sound levels are definitely something to consider. More premium models tend to be quieter, with some operating at 50-55dB (quiet conversation level) versus 65+dB (vacuum cleaner level). Some robots even have \u0026ldquo;quiet modes\u0026rdquo; specifically for calls and work hours.\nRecurring Costs While buying, please consider the recurring costs as well. The mop pads, dust bags, HEPA filters, and brushes need replacement based on usage. In dusty environments like ours in the UAE, filters might need replacing every 2-4 months rather than the 6 months claimed.\nDock Size and Placement Before you press order, have a look at the dock size, its power requirements, and placement as well. Those fancy all-in-one stations can be massive and require 4-5 feet of clearance in front, consuming significant floor space in small apartments. Some very latest models even have an option to have a water inlet and outlet similar to a washing machine if you don\u0026rsquo;t like manual emptying of water.\nPrivacy If privacy is a concern for you, then you are in a tough spot. With multiple sensors that map your house and cameras, there are some real concerns about privacy. I\u0026rsquo;m not an expert in this, but this post by Vacuum Wars share some interesting insights. When I was shopping, I was also looking for something open-source and reliable, but couldn\u0026rsquo;t find anything that fit my requirements. Mine does not have a camera so I\u0026rsquo;m a bit relieved, but I don\u0026rsquo;t have pets or require complex image processing, so I\u0026rsquo;m not compromising on anything. But here are some interesting ones I saw:\nValetudo is a cloud replacement for vacuum robots enabling local-only operation. It supports some popular models, but require you to hack into the model and root the device. It seems like the most legitimate and promising option so far. Bumper is a standalone and self-hosted implementation of the central server used by Ecovacs vacuum robots. It allows you to have full control of your Ecovacs robots, without the robots or app talking to the Ecovacs servers and transmitting data outside of your home. Awesome Vacuum is a curated list of free and open source software and hardware to build and control a robot vacuum. It was updated 4 years back, but the list seems interesting. Matic claims as the most private and secure robot vacuum with its in-device processing. It is not open-source so I\u0026rsquo;m a bit skeptical. Rocky has a friend now! So which one did we end up buying? We went with the Xiaomi X20 Pro and bought it during the prime day sale. My main rationale behind choosing X20 Pro over X20+ was the hot air mop drying feature. I was able to get it at a cost of 1100 AED (~$270) with an extra one year extended warranty by an external provider. I like the peace of mind considering the number of moving parts and how frequently the machine operates.\nI have used some Xiaomi products in the past in India and had no issues relating to service or spare parts. Considering the common Dreame and Xiaomi parts availability in Chinese e-retailers like Temu and AliExpress, I don\u0026rsquo;t think parts will be an issue for at least a couple of years.\nAnother thought process I had was that since Dreame L10 models have the cleaning solution feature, I believe I can add some non-foaming liquid to the X20 Pro without any issue (the manual says NO!). This is my assumption, but I might be wrong. From my little research, I also see that some Dreame-compatible TriCut brushes are available in the market that claim to work with the X20 Pro. So if tangling becomes a major problem down the line, I might explore those options as a potential upgrade.\nAt the time of writing, it\u0026rsquo;s been a day, so far things have been good. Too early for a review, but I shall post one soon and link it here!\n(｡◕‿◕｡) [°-°] ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ\nSpecial thanks to u/FarConcern2308 for the suggestions and being incredibly helpful in picking the right vacuum on r/RobotVacuums! This is a living document based on my research experience. Feel free to share corrections or updates in the comments!\nUpdate #1 - 29-07-2025, 15:00 GST Thanks to u/FarConcern2308 for corrections in stakes of Xiaomi in Roborock and Dreame Added a section for privacy 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-07-27T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/robot-vacuums/","summary":"So we\u0026rsquo;ve been thinking of buying a robot vacuum cleaner ever since we moved to a bigger 1 BHK apartment in Abu Dhabi. We have a decently sized hall with lots of empty space, and cleaning is a hassle. I work from home while my wife goes to the office, so home is my workspace and I love a tidy environment. But the reality is that I don\u0026rsquo;t enjoy the cleaning part.","title":"Notes on Robot Vacuums","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/robot-vacuums/"},{"content_html":"Today I learned that Google Drive doesn\u0026rsquo;t auto-mount in WSL2 like regular Windows drives. Even though ls /mnt/g/ showed my Google Drive folder, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t access anything inside it.\nThe fix:\nsudo mount -t drvfs G: /mnt/g cd \u0026#34;/mnt/g/My Drive\u0026#34; WSL2 needs you to manually mount network/virtual drives using drvfs. After mounting, all my Google Drive files were accessible normally.\nSimple solution, but took way too long to figure out!\nTook way too long to figure out thanks to LLM hallucinations - sometimes Stack Exchange is still to the rescue! 🤦‍♂️\n","date_published":"2025-07-21T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/google-drive-wsl/","summary":"When installing bike pedals, the left pedal is reverse threaded - turn clockwise to loosen, counterclockwise to tighten.","title":"How to Access Google Drive in WSL2","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/google-drive-wsl/"},{"content_html":"This is my entry on the topic \u0026lsquo;Take Two\u0026rsquo; for June\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival hosted by Nick Simson .\nMy mind was blank and I had no ideas when I sat down to write on the topic \u0026ldquo;Take Two\u0026rdquo; for this month\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival.\nOne main reason? I don’t really believe in take twos in life.\nSure, we can all imagine alternate histories - what if I\u0026rsquo;d chosen a different career, moved to another city, or said yes instead of no to that opportunity? But here\u0026rsquo;s the thing: the person typing these words right now wouldn\u0026rsquo;t exist without every choice I\u0026rsquo;ve made, good or terrible. Whether my decisions came from wisdom or sheer stupidity, they led me here. There\u0026rsquo;s no point dwelling on hypothetical second chances.\nSo what could I write about?\nAnd then, out of nowhere, a memory struck me. A hobby I had once loved and completely forgotten about.\nLet me explain.\nSource ; I don\u0026rsquo;t have a photo of my collection During my second year of undergrad, I had this odd little habit: collecting sand samples from every new place I visited. Sounds weird? My friends thought so too.\nThe bottles looked like this! I’d carry small glass bottles with cork stoppers (ordered from AliExpress in China) and collect soil or sand from the spot. I’d add a little slip of paper with GPS coordinates inside the bottle. I even built a small wooden tray with my limited woodworking skills to organize and display them. I kept an index of all the bottles with coordinates and place names. I did this for a year or two. Back then, I hadn’t traveled much outside my home state, but I had collected 30 to 40 unique samples, each from a place with different terrain and memories.\nThen time passed. I moved on. I completely forgot about it until this Carnival prompt somehow fired a few long-forgotten neurons in my brain.\nNow, more than a decade later, I’ve traveled a bit more, across India and beyond. I live in a different country now, with very different soil underfoot. It would’ve been so cool to have a collection of samples from all those places. So much better than the shitty fridge magnets, which always seem to fall off anyway.\nWhile the idea felt novel to my younger self back then, now that I’ve seen all sorts of quirky hobbies, I feel like it’s probably not that unique. A quick Google search confirmed it. There’s even a word for it: arenophile .\nIt\u0026rsquo;s strange to admit, but of all the things I\u0026rsquo;ve done in life, the one I genuinely wish I could have a take two on is my old sand collection hobby.\nI mean if you think of it, isn\u0026rsquo;t it the perfect souvenir? A piece of land, a piece of geography, with stories of asteroids and dinosaurs and hunters and war, of rocks weathering and continents shifting, embedded in every grain.\nMaybe it’s not too late for a take two.\n(´∀｀)♡ (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ (っ˘▽˘)っ\nIf you have written something similar for this month\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival, please send it to me as well.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-06-09T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/the-hobby-i-forgot/","summary":"This is my entry on the topic \u0026lsquo;Take Two\u0026rsquo; for June\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival hosted by Nick Simson .\nMy mind was blank and I had no ideas when I sat down to write on the topic \u0026ldquo;Take Two\u0026rdquo; for this month\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival.\nOne main reason? I don’t really believe in take twos in life.\nSure, we can all imagine alternate histories - what if I\u0026rsquo;d chosen a different career, moved to another city, or said yes instead of no to that opportunity?","title":"The Hobby I Forgot I Had","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/the-hobby-i-forgot/"},{"content_html":" A Real Pain Directed by Jesse Eisenberg Movie 2024 English 90 min 🇺🇸 USA Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Script ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Impact ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Budget: $3,000,000 Collection: $24,900,000 (+730.0%) Watched on: May 16, 2025 Reviewed on Jun 2, 2025 What a beautiful movie! I don\u0026rsquo;t have much to say, but this is such a wholesome movie. There were a lot of moments with visual tension, which was conveyed so well by the director. Especially the initial briefing scene before the trip, as well as the dinner scene. I personally did a Holocaust tour in Germany back in 2019, and I could relate a lot to certain scenes. The ending is left open, which I loved, but my wife disagrees. Overall, a great movie with awesome performances. There is nothing much to say!\n","date_published":"2025-06-02T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/real-pain/","summary":"A shot review of Real Pain(2024) Movie with ratings and a quick take","title":"A Real Pain(2024) Movie Review - ★★★★☆","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/real-pain/"},{"content_html":"This time when I went home to Kerala, I noticed that the ceiling fan in my room had been replaced with a BLDC fan. I’m not against energy-efficient tech, but I absolutely hate these new fans.\nThe Fan Let me explain.\nWe used to have a simple regulator. The newer ones were electronic step regulators - speed 1 to 5, all smooth. With BLDC fans, that whole system goes out the window.\nI miss my fan regulator BLDC stands for brushless direct current electric motor . These fans use a small onboard circuit to control speed by regulating voltage and frequency. They don’t work with traditional regulators because those just cut the voltage to control speed, which messes with the fan’s internal electronics. So the regulator is bypassed completely. The fan has to be controlled by its own remote.\nAnd that’s where my problems begin.\nHere’s my usual night routine. I set the fan to full speed before I sleep. Around early morning, when it gets cooler, I reduce the speed. Quick trip to the washroom, twist the regulator clockwise to zero, then back to one. Done in seconds. Zero brain cells involved!\nNow, with this BLDC fan, I have to find the damn remote. And at 4 AM, that remote is always missing. It’s fallen under the bed or buried under a pillow. So there I am, half-asleep, crawling on the floor, looking for a stupid fan remote.\nWorld\u0026rsquo;s Best Remote And the remote? It’s the worst. It has 13 buttons. Thirteen. For a fan. All I want is an ON/OFF switch and a +/- for speed. But no. The speed controls are packed into this weird round button with five tiny directions. I can’t tell front from back. There’s no texture or indentation. Just smooth plastic in the dark.\nHere’s a totally unnecessary, detailed documentation of all the remote buttons:\nON // Turns the fan on. Simple enough, right? OFF // Why the hell is there an OFF button when there\u0026#39;s already an ON? One button could’ve toggled power, but nooo. 1 2 3 4 5 Sleep // I don\u0026#39;t understand how this works when there are time settings. I lost the manual as well. HYP // This is the hyper mode, one notch above 5. 1H 2H 3H 4H And it needs batteries. Another thing to maintain. One night, during my bedtime rolls, one of the batteries popped out. When I grabbed the remote to change the speed, one was missing. Ahh, what a wonderful thing to deal with when you’re half asleep and blinded by myopia.\nWhy make something this simple so complicated? If a remote is inevitable due to limitations of technology, why make it so big and complicated? Sure, maybe with enough muscle memory I’ll get used to it. But for now, it just pisses me off.\nI don\u0026rsquo;t want my fan to be smart. Just bring back the regulator!\n(ಠ益ಠ)(¬_¬)\nY View Hacker News Discussion 13 • 23 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-05-15T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fan-regulator/","summary":"This time when I went home to Kerala, I noticed that the ceiling fan in my room had been replaced with a BLDC fan. I’m not against energy-efficient tech, but I absolutely hate these new fans.\nThe Fan Let me explain.\nWe used to have a simple regulator. The newer ones were electronic step regulators - speed 1 to 5, all smooth. With BLDC fans, that whole system goes out the window.","title":"I Miss My Fan Regulator","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fan-regulator/"},{"content_html":" The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan Directed by Stewart Sugg Documentary 2025 English 3 episodes Overall Rating ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Script ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Cinematography ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Impact ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Watched on: Feb 28, 2025 Reviewed on Mar 3, 2025 I had no idea about this documentary, but it came up just in time before the coveted India vs. Pakistan match in the Champions Trophy. This looked like a publicity stunt by Netflix to capitalize on the high-profile match and get some eyeballs on its platform. I mean, I\u0026rsquo;m not sure why they made this documentary. Nothing was particularly good or bad. It felt like the overall series existed for no reason. Weirdly, I cannot find much information about the series online either. Even the name of the director was hard to find. I found him on IMDb but had never heard of him! Coming to the documentary, it was more like a few past India/Pakistan players sharing their experiences. This shouldn\u0026rsquo;t have existed. If anything, it would have been a better fit as a YouTube series!\n","date_published":"2025-03-03T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/greatest-rivalry/","summary":"A shot review of India vs Pakistan(2025) Netflix Documentary with ratings and a quick take.","title":"The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan(2025) Documentary Review - ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/greatest-rivalry/"},{"content_html":"This is my entry on the topic \u0026ldquo;Affirmations\u0026rdquo; for February\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival hosted by Joe Crawford . If you have written something similar for this month\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival, please send it to me as well.\nWhen I came across the IndieWeb Carnival on VH Belvadi’s website, I was excited. I had written last month’s theme with so much clarity, the words flowing effortlessly. But when February’s theme by Joe Crawford— \u0026lsquo;Affirmations\u0026rsquo; was announced, I had no idea what to write.\nI knew what affirmations were. But I wasn’t someone who actively practiced them. I didn’t stand in front of a mirror, repeating phrases of self-encouragement. I didn’t have a set of words I lived by. At first, I thought about skipping this month’s theme altogether. But the thought lingered.\nWhat is my affirmation?\nDo I even have one?\nWhat is something I always look up to?\nThe Pioneer plaque on board the 1972 Pioneer 10 Like most kids, I was endlessly curious. But I had my own quirks. My mom tells me I had a strange fascination with boxes and cartons—I’d find them wherever I went and inspect them like they held some great mystery. I also remember how much I loved taking things apart. I wanted to see inside things, to figure out how they worked.\nI never had LEGO kits growing up, but I did have a Mechanix Construction Set , and it was one of my absolute favorites. The moment I saw a picture of it online recently, memories flooded back. I remembered every single part, every screw and plate. I spent hours assembling and disassembling things, not because I had to but because I wanted to understand them. And it wasn’t just toys. Over the years, I took apart clocks, mixer grinders, television sets, music players — anything I could get my hands on. If it had screws, I was determined to figure out what was inside.\nAs I grew older and finished school, engineering felt like the natural path. The goal was the same: I wanted to know how things worked. But somewhere along the way, curiosity started taking a backseat to practicality. I made decisions—not necessarily the best ones—based on stability and career prospects. I started playing it safe, stopped experimenting as much, and convinced myself that life wasn’t always meant to be curious.\nAt some point, curiosity felt less like a gift and more like a burden—making me restless, chasing new things at the cost of stability. Some found it annoying. I convinced myself curiosity was a luxury, something to sacrifice for \u0026lsquo;success\u0026rsquo;.\nBut over time, something inside me felt off. I was moving forward, yet I wasn’t exploring. I was doing, but I wasn’t wondering. I had always been the kind of person who questioned everything—now, I was just accepting things as they were.\nThen last year happened. After moving cities and watching my career take a hit, I found myself at one of the lowest points of my life. Everything felt uncertain. It wasn’t that I had followed all the \u0026ldquo;right\u0026rdquo; steps—I hadn’t. But I also hadn’t been completely lost. I was somewhere in between—not particularly good or bad at my job, not failing but not thriving either. I had just been moving forward for the sake of it, without questioning where I was headed.\nAnd somewhere along the way, I had lost something.\nThe curious kid in me— the one who loved taking things apart just to see how they worked, the one who found joy in learning for the sake of it— had faded into the background. I had stopped chasing ideas that excited me, stopped asking What if? Instead, I had settled into a version of myself that felt\u0026hellip; dull.\nBut maybe that was the real problem. Maybe curiosity is what drives me. It always has. It’s what made me excited about work, about learning, about building something new. And maybe, instead of waiting for the \u0026ldquo;right\u0026rdquo; path to appear, I just needed to let curiosity lead me again.\nEver since I made peace with myself, things have started to look a bit more promising. As a freelancer, every project is a chance to learn something new—new tools, new approaches, new challenges. Instead of seeing obstacles as roadblocks, I try to see them as puzzles waiting to be solved.\nThis very blog you’re reading started out of curiosity. One day, while casually browsing Hacker News, I came across the term \u0026lsquo;Hugo\u0026rsquo; . I had never heard of it before, but something about it piqued my interest. That small spark led me down a rabbit hole of figuring things out. As someone who had never programmed much before, this exploration unexpectedly made me fall in love with coding. That curiosity, starting with a single unfamiliar term, ignited a passion in me, and I’ve been learning and building ever since.\nFollowing this curiosity has led me to sign new clients, work on interesting projects, and feel excited about the road ahead. I even restarted my newsletter , which I had initially created as a way to share the interesting things I came across in my learning journey.\nI’m no Buddha with enlightenment. I still have self-doubts and anxieties. But for the first time in a while, I’m genuinely excited about the future. I don’t know the destination, but I know the journey will be interesting, led by curiosity.\nI may fail. I may take detours. But as long as curiosity fuels me, I know I’ll always be moving forward.\nI’ve never really had affirmations, and maybe I still don’t—not in the traditional sense. But if I were asked to pen down my affirmations, they would be something like this:\nI may not know the destination, but I trust the journey.\nIf something excites me, I follow the thread.\nI don’t need all the answers. I just need to keep exploring.\nBe Curious, always!\n(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ:･ﾟ✧*\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-02-20T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/be-curious/","summary":"This is my entry on the topic \u0026ldquo;Affirmations\u0026rdquo; for February\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival hosted by Joe Crawford . If you have written something similar for this month\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival, please send it to me as well.\nWhen I came across the IndieWeb Carnival on VH Belvadi’s website, I was excited. I had written last month’s theme with so much clarity, the words flowing effortlessly. But when February’s theme by Joe Crawford— \u0026lsquo;Affirmations\u0026rsquo; was announced, I had no idea what to write.","title":"Be Curious, Always","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/be-curious/"},{"content_html":" Beast Games Directed by Tyler Conklin, Kate Douglas-Walker TV Show 2024 English 10 episodes 🇺🇸 USA Overall Rating ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Script ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Performances ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Impact ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Budget: $100,000,000 Watched on: Feb 14, 2025 Reviewed on Feb 16, 2025 I must admit, I sort of like Jimmy (MrBeast) for his grind and determination! I have watched most of his videos over the last couple of years, but lately, I’ve been bored due to the repetitive content. However, when he announced a show with Amazon, I was excited and expected a lot, considering the humongous budget!\nBut I must say, I’m disappointed! This just felt like yet another MrBeast video with some grandiosity for the sake of it. The editing felt poor, with unnecessary cuts here and there to create artificial drama. Jimmy’s exaggerated delivery, along with his co-stars, was so annoying. Regardless of the effort they put in, it lacked creativity. The usual boring MrBeast challenges—nothing extraordinary. In fact, while reviewing it, I realized just how creative the folks behind Squid Game were, but with MrBeast, all the games felt dull or like something I had already watched.\nThere is no shortage of reality shows, so what was the point of this if the only unique proposition was the prize money and the budget? This might be too harsh to say, but at times, the editing made it feel like I was watching some Survivor reality show or some MTV garbage!\nAlso the unnecessary emotional scenes felt uite fake and didn\u0026rsquo;t fit into place at all. Also, I noticed this. Some contestants who were portrayed as poor\nDear MrBeast, I expected a lot from you, and you failed. Please deliver something unique and creative next time!\nOverall, I wouldn’t recommend watching this. I watched it just to see what the hype was all about. At no point was I excited or on the edge of my seat, unlike with some of MrBeast’s past videos. This should have been a YouTube series instead of premiering on Amazon Prime!\n","date_published":"2025-02-16T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/beast-games/","summary":"A shot review of Beast Games(2024) TV Show with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Beast Games(2024) Series Review - ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/beast-games/"},{"content_html":"Today I learned about Hugo\u0026rsquo;s resources.GetRemote function while trying to add Hacker News discussion stats to one of my blog posts . I wanted to display the upvotes and comments count from HN in a nice badge, and discovered that Hugo can fetch this data during build time.\nAn example of Hackernews discussion stats on Hugo Post Here\u0026rsquo;s an example of how I used it to fetch Hacker News discussion stats:\n{{ $id := .Get \u0026#34;id\u0026#34; }} {{ with resources.GetRemote (printf \u0026#34;https://hacker-news.firebaseio.com/v0/item/%s.json\u0026#34; $id) }} {{ with .Content | unmarshal }} Upvotes: {{ .score }} Comments: {{ .descendants }} {{ end }} {{ end }} To make this reusable, I created a shortcode that displays an interactive badge with live stats from HN:\n{{ $id := .Get \u0026#34;id\u0026#34; }} \u0026lt;div class=\u0026#34;hn-discussion\u0026#34;\u0026gt; \u0026lt;a href=\u0026#34;https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id={{ $id }}\u0026#34; target=\u0026#34;_blank\u0026#34; rel=\u0026#34;noopener noreferrer\u0026#34;\u0026gt; \u0026lt;div class=\u0026#34;hn-badge\u0026#34;\u0026gt; \u0026lt;div class=\u0026#34;hn-content\u0026#34;\u0026gt; \u0026lt;svg width=\u0026#34;20\u0026#34; height=\u0026#34;20\u0026#34; viewBox=\u0026#34;0 0 16 16\u0026#34; class=\u0026#34;hn-logo\u0026#34;\u0026gt; \u0026lt;rect x=\u0026#34;0\u0026#34; y=\u0026#34;0\u0026#34; width=\u0026#34;16\u0026#34; height=\u0026#34;16\u0026#34; fill=\u0026#34;#ff6600\u0026#34;/\u0026gt; \u0026lt;text x=\u0026#34;3\u0026#34; y=\u0026#34;12\u0026#34; fill=\u0026#34;white\u0026#34; style=\u0026#34;font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; font-size: 12px;\u0026#34;\u0026gt;Y\u0026lt;/text\u0026gt; \u0026lt;/svg\u0026gt; \u0026lt;div class=\u0026#34;hn-text\u0026#34;\u0026gt; \u0026lt;span class=\u0026#34;hn-main-text\u0026#34;\u0026gt;View Hacker News Discussion\u0026lt;/span\u0026gt; \u0026lt;div class=\u0026#34;hn-stats\u0026#34;\u0026gt; {{ with resources.GetRemote (printf \u0026#34;https://hacker-news.firebaseio.com/v0/item/%s.json\u0026#34; $id) }} {{ with .Content | unmarshal }} \u0026lt;span class=\u0026#34;stat-item\u0026#34;\u0026gt; {{ .score }} upvotes\u0026lt;/span\u0026gt; \u0026lt;span class=\u0026#34;stat-divider\u0026#34;\u0026gt;•\u0026lt;/span\u0026gt; \u0026lt;span class=\u0026#34;stat-item\u0026#34;\u0026gt; {{ .descendants }} comments\u0026lt;/span\u0026gt; {{ end }} {{ end }} \u0026lt;/div\u0026gt; \u0026lt;/div\u0026gt; \u0026lt;/div\u0026gt; \u0026lt;/div\u0026gt; \u0026lt;/a\u0026gt; \u0026lt;/div\u0026gt; Please also note that you have to enable external data fetching in your Hugo configuration by explicitly allowing requests to hacker-news.firebaseio.com. For instance, I added the following to my config.toml:\nsecurity: http: methods: - GET urls: - https://hacker-news.firebaseio.com/* This ensures that Hugo permits fetching remote data from the specified URL while keeping security restrictions in place.\nHugo’s resources.GetRemote opens up a lot of possibilities for fetching external data in static sites while keeping everything efficient. Super useful! I might also convert the live fitness data on my now page using Strava API and update the data on build rather than relying on a separate webjob!\n","date_published":"2025-02-16T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/hugo-remote-data/","summary":"Hugo\u0026rsquo;s resources.GetRemote lets you fetch external data during site build","title":"Hugo can fetch live data during build using resources.GetRemote","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/hugo-remote-data/"},{"content_html":" CBI 5: The Brain Directed by K Madhu Movie 2022 Malayalam 164 min 🇮🇳 India Overall Rating ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Script ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Performances ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Cinematography ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Impact ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Budget: $1,713,947 Collection: $4,226,420 (+146.6%) Watched on: Mar 2, 2025 Reviewed on Mar 3, 2025 A humble request from my side, please do not watch this movie if you value your time! I used to love other CBI movies by K. Madhu, and the last few ones were at least watchable. But this was truly a disaster. I don\u0026rsquo;t know what they were thinking when they wrote this script. This is the first movie where I gave zero to all the rating parameters! The script was so poor, performances felt fake, and it felt like the work of a first-time director! I do not want to waste any time writing about this movie and wasting my time on it!\n","date_published":"2025-02-08T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/cbi5/","summary":"A shot review of CBI 5: The Brain(2022) Malayalam Movie with ratings and a quick take","title":"CBI 5: The Brain(2022) Malayalam Movie Review - ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/cbi5/"},{"content_html":" Mandela'மண்டேலா' Directed by Madonne Ashwin Movie 2021 Tamil 140 min 🇮🇳 India Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Script ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Impact ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Watched on: Jan 12, 2025 Reviewed on Feb 8, 2025 This is a political satire movie showcasing the deep-rooted caste issues in India.\nI watched this on a lazy Sunday, hungover. It’s a feel-good movie with nothing much to say! Performances were spot on from everyone(Yogi Babu was spot on!), including all supporting and junior artists. I really felt like I was in that village, watching all the events unfold. I was on my toes until the ending happened. But after the climax, it felt like a movie with an Aesop’s fables kind of message.\nOverall, a decent watch, highlighting important social issues with some good highs!\n","date_published":"2025-02-08T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/mandela/","summary":"A shot review of Mandela(2021) Tamil Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Mandela(2021) - Tamil Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/mandela/"},{"content_html":"Today I learned that many South and Southeast Asian scripts, like Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Odia, Burmese, Khmer, Javanese, and Balinese, have rounded letterforms because they were traditionally written on palm leaves.\nBhagavad Gita written on a palm leaf in malayalam script I first heard about this on a podcast, where they explained that when writing on palm leaves, straight vertical and horizontal strokes could tear the surface. To prevent this, scribes developed curved characters, which influenced the way these scripts look today.\nSources: The Leaf That Shaped Asian Writing Forever Wikipedia: Palm-leaf Manuscript ","date_published":"2025-02-08T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/palm-leaf-writing/","summary":"Many South Asian scripts, like Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, and Burmese, have rounded shapes because angular strokes could tear palm leaves, which were used as writing material.","title":"Palm leaves influenced the shape of South Asian scripts","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/palm-leaf-writing/"},{"content_html":" The Mehta Boys'द मेहता बॉयज' Directed by Boman Irani Movie 2024 Hindi 118 min 🇮🇳 India Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Script ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Impact ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Watched on: Feb 7, 2025 Reviewed on Feb 8, 2025 ⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nMy wife started watching this movie, and I wasn’t supposed to watch it, but I found it interesting in the first 10–15 minutes. Decided to go for it and ended up with a decent watch. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Boman Irani, but there were a few moments that reminded me of some scenes with the Principal from \u0026lsquo;3 Idiots\u0026rsquo; film, and I was spot on—he was the same guy!\nComing to the movie, there were a lot of emotional moments combined with amazing acting. Boman Irani just rocked the show throughout the film!\nThe art direction throughout was a standout for me. \u0026nbsp;The balcony scene where they were drinking and the restaurant scene were so well done . Where the film lacked was in a solid script. The premise and context were amazing, but the writers failed to produce something classy to complement the acting and direction. The writing felt so loose and so typical in multiple places, especially the scene \u0026nbsp;in the office where Avinash argues with his senior manager .\nThe ending was realistic but a bit meh for me! I know this is cliché, but I wished the ending was like this: \u0026nbsp;Avinash goes to drop his father at the airport, and just as he’s about to go inside, I wanted him to tell his father not to move to Florida! Then both of them move back to their home and settle there. Probably, this is my nostalgia speaking—feeling homesick being away from home .\nThere were some solid moments throughout the movie that created a lot of visual tension and emotions. I just wish the script had been a bit more solid—this could have been a great movie. Still, a decent watch you won’t regret!\n","date_published":"2025-02-08T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/mehta-boys/","summary":"A shot review of The Mehta Boys(2024) Hindi Movie with ratings and a quick take","title":"The Mehta Boys(2024) Hindi Movie Review - ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/mehta-boys/"},{"content_html":"Yesterday, I randomly came to know about the Wall of Entropy at Cloudflare\u0026rsquo;s(CF) San Francisco office. You might wonder what’s so special about a bunch of lava lamps in a tech company’s lobby. Well, TL;DR: Cloudflare uses them for cryptography. If you want the full details, CF\u0026rsquo;s blog post on the same is an excellent read, but in a nutshell, encryption needs a random seed, and computers—being deterministic— can’t generate truly random numbers on their own. With the same inputs and conditions, a computer will always produce the same “random” seed. That’s obviously not ideal for security and cryptography.\nSo, to increase the entropy of its system, CF uses a live video feed of these lava lamps and combines it with other sources to generate the seed. Because the motion of the lava inside each lamp is chaotic, it’s nearly impossible to get two identical frames, which makes for a genuinely random seed. I found this absolutely fascinating! It got me thinking: isn’t randomness the most powerful force in the world?\nLava Lamps at Cloudflare\u0026rsquo;s Office I read a post by Charles Seife that resonated with me on this topic. According to him, our brains revolt against the idea of randomness. As humans, we’re wired to seek patterns—think of pareidolia, where we see faces in clouds or shapes on burnt toast. It’s likely an evolutionary survival mechanism, but it also means that true randomness often defies our instincts. While we struggle to comprehend it on a grand scale, I believe it is the most powerful force in the world. This got me thinking—if randomness is so fundamental at a small scale, what about at the grandest scale possible: the origins of life itself?\nLet\u0026rsquo;s look at abiogenesis , the process by which life emerged from non-living matter. The whole idea of the emergence of life from non-living organic compounds to self-replicating molecules is a marvel. The probability of that happening seems close to zero, or we would have observed multiple origins of life. According to current scientific consensus, every organism on Earth originated from a single ancestor. The fact that something we call life—something so unique—exists at all is a marvel of randomness.\nEverything in this universe just feels random. The K–Pg extinction event wiped out the dinosaurs—something they could never have foreseen! Would humans have evolved if that event hadn’t occurred?\nNow consider evolution. During genetic copying, random mutations occur. Most are neutral, some are harmful, but occasionally one leads to something beneficial. These random “errors” gave rise to the vast genetic diversity we see today. About 400 million years ago, some marine life moved into shallower waters, then slowly crawled onto land for food. That random transition resulted in everything we see around us today. The ability to see colors in primates is believed to be due to random gene duplications. All of this happened because of some random occurrences!\nRandomness doesn’t just shape the natural world—it influences human history, personal decisions, and even technological breakthroughs in ways we can’t always anticipate. On a more anecdotal level, I listened to a podcast about Naveen John, a Purdue engineer who decided to return to India and ended up changing the face of Indian cycling. This seemingly small and random decision, in the grand scheme of things, transformed the cycling landscape in the country. Another random event elevated it again in 2022 when Rick Nobel, a Dutch diplomat, came to India for work and took up cycling. Until that moment, there was little competition at the professional level in India, but his involvement sparked a sense of higher-level competition. I also remember reading about a young father who accidentally discovered he had cancer—only because he was in an accident in the sand dunes. A moment of misfortune led to an unforeseen diagnosis. How random are these events?\nAs I\u0026rsquo;m drafting this, DeepSeek AI is making news. Almost $600 billion of NVIDIA’s market share has been wiped out—just because the DeepSeek team managed to train models at a fraction of the usual cost. I’m not sure if this qualifies as a black swan event or if it could have been predicted, but this kind of randomness shapes our world, fuels creativity, and drives us forward.\nCoincidentally, while drafting these thoughts, “Cornfield Chase” by Hans Zimmer (from the Interstellar OST ) started playing on my phone. Perhaps that’s just another random event—or maybe randomness itself is the hidden architect of everything we know.\n╯°□°)╯︵ 🌍\nNote: Randomness, the origin of life, the K–Pg extinction event, LUCA (Last Universal Common Ancestor), quantum physics, etc., are tricky and confusing when viewed on a grand scale or from a macro perspective. I wrote this without aiming for strict factual accuracy—it’s more of a reflection, written probably to think better. The title A Random Universe was consciously chosen to acknowledge that I am speaking from the perspective of the random universe I inhabit, while also acknowledging the possibility of parallel universes. Comments and criticism are welcome!\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-01-29T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/random-universe/","summary":"Yesterday, I randomly came to know about the Wall of Entropy at Cloudflare\u0026rsquo;s(CF) San Francisco office. You might wonder what’s so special about a bunch of lava lamps in a tech company’s lobby. Well, TL;DR: Cloudflare uses them for cryptography. If you want the full details, CF\u0026rsquo;s blog post on the same is an excellent read, but in a nutshell, encryption needs a random seed, and computers—being deterministic— can’t generate truly random numbers on their own.","title":"A Random Universe","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/random-universe/"},{"content_html":"Today I learned that you can get an RSS feed for any subreddit or even an individual Reddit post by appending .rss to the URL.\nFor example, if you want to subscribe to the RSS feed for the r/SideProjects subreddit, simply add .rss to the end of the URL:\nhttps://www.reddit.com/r/sideprojects.rss\nThis method works with and without the final slash. You can use the resulting feed URL in your preferred RSS reader to keep up with subreddit activity without opening Reddit.\nBonus: You can also track Reddit links to a specific domain by visiting:\nhttps://www.reddit.com/domain/yourwebsite.com.rss\nThis can be handy for monitoring when a website is linked on Reddit.\nThis trick is a simple yet effective way to stay updated without the distractions of browsing Reddit!\n","date_published":"2025-01-24T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/reddit-rss-feed/","summary":"You can get an RSS feed for any subreddit or Reddit post by simply adding \u0026lsquo;.rss\u0026rsquo; to the URL.","title":"How to Get an RSS Feed for Any Subreddit","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/reddit-rss-feed/"},{"content_html":" Paatal Lok Season 2'पाताल लोक' Created by Sudip Sharma TV Show 2025 Hindi 8 episodes 🇮🇳 India Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Script ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Impact ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Watched on: Jan 20, 2025 Reviewed on Jan 20, 2025 ⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nI watched Paatal Lok a few months back and loved it. My wife suggested we watch the latest season, and we ended up binge-watching it in one go! I loved this season even more than the first!\nWhat can I say? Jaideep Ahlawat\u0026rsquo;s performance is on another level! Having lived in Delhi for some time, I can’t think of anyone who could portray this character better than him. The chemistry between Ansari and the other characters was spot on. The shots in Nagaland and the actors who portrayed Naga characters were amazing. I read comments from various Naga people about how well the local language and culture were handled, which makes it even more impressive.\nWith minor superhuman elements involving Jaideep here and there, the script overall was excellent. However, \u0026nbsp; the hospital scene, where he tries to block a group of people, wasn’t entirely convincing . I also have a few doubts that remain unresolved:\n\u0026nbsp; - What was the whole scene with Reddy about? Some closure would have been great! - Why did Max Rizu hang himself? Was it because he felt guilty about his son? - Who killed the businessman who was trying to buy the hotels? - What about the hawala note scene? I found it quite confusing. I read on Reddit that hawala dealers use a torn note as some sort of code. Overall, it’s a fantastic watch! I enjoyed it even more than the first season. I’m also thrilled that a major TV show like this is portraying a less-represented part of India, such as the North-East.\n","date_published":"2025-01-20T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/paatal-lok-2/","summary":"A shot review of Paatal Lok Season 2(2025) Series with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Paatal Lok Season 2(2025)  Series Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/paatal-lok-2/"},{"content_html":" Rifle Club'റൈഫിൾ ക്ലബ്ബ്' Directed by Aashiq Abu Movie 2024 Malayalam 120 min 🇮🇳 India Overall Rating ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Script ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Impact ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Budget: $1,155,000 Collection: $3,465,000 (+200.0%) Watched on: Jan 20, 2025 Reviewed on Jan 20, 2025 ⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nI had high expectations from the trio—Aashiq Abu, Dileesh Pothan, and Shyam Pushkaran—but the movie was a disappointment. While the performances were wonderful, the storyline was quite poor. Barring a few punchy dialogues and double-meaning jokes, the movie didn’t serve much purpose.\nThe performances by all the actors were commendable, but the screen time given to each character was too little to develop any complex arcs. The artwork and overall setting were amazing, but the loose storyline ruined the experience. The movie overall felt like Varathan , where only the last 15 minutes seemed to matter. Until the first half, I was fully invested, but the second half and the climax were a complete letdown. I kept waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but nothing clicked.\nI’m not against shorter films, but this one felt incomplete.\nAlso, I had a doubt: \u0026nbsp; the final tally shows a total of 39 bullets fired—3 each for 13 people. But that doesn’t feel accurate. Does this include the final shots fired at Anurag? And what about the guns in the locker? Was there any explanation for that? I’m not sure why people on Reddit compare this movie to Tarantino’s works. \u0026nbsp;It would’ve been epic if someone had gone to the locker and used a flamethrower, like in [Once Upon a Time in Hollywood](https://letterboxd.com/film/once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood/)! At least that would’ve added some excitement. Overall, it’s not worth the hype. Watch it for some fun, but don’t expect anything extraordinary.\n","date_published":"2025-01-20T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/rifle-club/","summary":"A shot review of Rifle Club(2024) Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Rifle Club(2024) - Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/rifle-club/"},{"content_html":" Mississippi Masala Directed by Mira Nair Movie 1991 English, Swahili 118 min 🇺🇸 USA Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Script ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Impact ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Budget: $5,000,000 Collection: $7,332,515 (+46.7%) Watched on: Cinema Space, Abu Dhabi Jan 16, 2025 Reviewed on Jan 17, 2025 ⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nThe film was screened at the Cinema House in the Manarat Al Saadiyat art gallery in Abu Dhabi as part of a new film restoration project. I loved the movie. It’s beautifully captured, with wonderful acting, direction, and cinematography. I really felt like I was transported to the Indian motel in Mississippi, and the scenes set in Uganda were quite emotional.\nWhen it comes to the climax and writing, it wasn’t epic, but it was a feel-good movie. While this is rated very highly—at least on Rotten Tomatoes—perhaps due to my lack of understanding of the historical and cultural context, I could only give it a 3/5. For something to come out like this in 1991, it must have been a big deal. Personally, I prefer in-depth, complex scripts, and this didn’t feel like that. However, it was emotional, especially \u0026nbsp; the scenes where Jay had to leave Uganda, which were well done . I could hear my wife weeping throughout the movie during certain moments!\nIn terms of performances, everyone did a good job overall. However, Demetrius\u0026rsquo;s (Denzel’s) family members gave outstanding performances.\nOverall, it was a warm, feel-good movie. Though it might not entirely fit the \u0026ldquo;feel-good\u0026rdquo; category, it left a comforting warmth behind.\n","date_published":"2025-01-17T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/mississippi-masala/","summary":"A shot review of Mississippi Masala(1991) Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Mississippi Masala(1991) -  Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/mississippi-masala/"},{"content_html":" Squid Game Season 2'오징어 게임' Created by Hwang Dong-hyuk TV Show 2024 Korean 7 episodes 🇰🇷 South Korea Overall Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Script ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Cinematography ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ Impact ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Budget: $76,000,000 Watched on: Jan 5, 2025 Reviewed on Jan 17, 2025 ⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nI loved the show, other than the fact that \u0026nbsp; they could have just made this into one single season instead of extending it to another season and ending it on a cliffhanger! Very good performances, direction, cinematography—everything was spot on, at least for me. Loved the surprises and, overall, the game part. \u0026nbsp; Loved the mini-game round as well! Looks like the Korean writers have no issues, while Mr. Beast is struggling to find new ideas for games!\nI can\u0026rsquo;t wait for the 3rd season, especially \u0026nbsp; what the security guard girl is going to do. ","date_published":"2025-01-17T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/squid-games-2/","summary":"A shot review of Squid Game Season 2(2024) TV Series with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Squid Game Season 2(2024) -  TV Series Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/squid-games-2/"},{"content_html":"This is my entry on the topic \u0026ldquo;Importance of Friction\u0026rdquo; for January\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival hosted by V.H. Belvadi . If you have written something similar for this month\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival, please send it to me as well.\nBefore I moved to a Hugo blog, I had a WordPress blog. To be honest, it was super easy to use. I could log in, type, edit directly within the browser on any device, and publish with just a few clicks. At the same time, it was quite boring. While the job of writing and publishing was easier, it felt repetitive with not much joy. Even if I wanted to build something cool on my blog, I was confined to the limits of what a WordPress blog could do easily.\nLast year, when I decided to move to a blog powered by Hugo, everything changed. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t the familiar login-edit-publish workflow anymore. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t as simple as logging in, editing in a rich text browser, and clicking publish, but that was the beauty of it. The challenges, the constraints, and yes, the friction, became part of the joy. I started with a theme and had to tweak it to make the blog like how I wanted. I tweaked a lot. I spent almost half a year tweaking unnecessarily, caught in the endless loop of tweaking. I was slowly embracing the new friction while loving the endless possibilities ahead.\nBeyond the veil – The Flammarion engraving (19th century, wood engraving; later hand-colored) Ever since, I\u0026rsquo;ve enjoyed and loved the process of shaping this blog into something that is uniquely mine. While I used probably the most popular Hugo theme of all time, it still felt different. Through minor tweaks here and there, most of them that would never be discovered by anyone, the blog was slowly becoming a living, nicheless art piece—and probably the greatest art I will ever produce .\nTake my over-engineered blog versioning system , for example. It tracks every change I’ve ever made to the blog, from design tweaks to content updates. Is it necessary? Absolutely not. When I was fed up with the Disqus comment system, I decided to build my own static HTML comments. The friction has cultivated creativity in ways I never expected. Working within constraints of a static blog (and the free tier of Cloudflare!) has pushed me to experiment and innovate. Fun projects like my \u0026ldquo; useless button \u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo; the pixel mosaic \u0026rdquo; wouldn\u0026rsquo;t have existed if I had been still blogging on WordPress. The act of writing shortcodes, solving problems, and overcoming technical hurdles isn’t just fulfilling—it’s fun.\nBefore, uploading images to a post was so easy. I used plugins that would compress and convert images into WebP, a better format for the web (correct me if I\u0026rsquo;m wrong, especially for a11y). Now it\u0026rsquo;s different, but this friction made me write and publish a Python package that converts all images in my blog directory to optimized WebP format with just one command. It was a small project, but a lot of new learnings and definitely a new sense of accomplishment to have your own Python package on PyPI !\nBlogging with friction has transformed my experience of writing, coding, and publishing. It’s no longer about chasing algorithms or optimizing for convenience. Instead, it’s about crafting something that’s truly mine, something that reflects who I am and what I care about. This blog is now my home on the web—a place where I gather and share my ideas and document my life.\nYes, it\u0026rsquo;s harder. Yes, it takes more time. But that\u0026rsquo;s exactly what makes it worthwhile. In a web increasingly focused on making everything instant and effortless, sometimes the best experiences come from embracing the friction. Friction isn’t a barrier; it’s a catalyst. And for me, it’s made all the difference, at least in blogging.\nThese days, I spend much of my time experimenting with tweaks on my blog and discovering unique personal sites across the IndieWeb and webrings . If you don’t have a blog yet, I strongly encourage you to start one. Build it from the ground up, embrace the challenges, and craft something that’s truly your own!\nLet me know if you’re doing it—I’d love to hear about your experience!\n(｡◕‿◕｡)\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-01-15T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/blogging-friction/","summary":"This is my entry on the topic \u0026ldquo;Importance of Friction\u0026rdquo; for January\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival hosted by V.H. Belvadi . If you have written something similar for this month\u0026rsquo;s IndieWeb Carnival, please send it to me as well.\nBefore I moved to a Hugo blog, I had a WordPress blog. To be honest, it was super easy to use. I could log in, type, edit directly within the browser on any device, and publish with just a few clicks.","title":"Blogging with Friction","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/blogging-friction/"},{"content_html":"I\u0026rsquo;m not sure where I heard about it, but I had read about the 12 hour walk sometime last year and had noted it down in my journal. I had forgotten about it, but happened to read it again last weekend while browsing Reddit. With weather being super nice here in Abu Dhabi, I thought why not take this challenge! Unlike Dubai where I had lived earlier, Abu Dhabi felt more pedestrian friendly with the whole network of cycling and jogging tracks (Do you know that Abu Dhabi is the first city in Asia to be awarded \u0026lsquo;UCI Bike City\u0026rsquo;?). Also, with Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial (PAAD) happening, it felt like the perfect opportunity! Since I\u0026rsquo;m relatively new in the city, it felt like a great opportunity to assess some good routes that I can bike or walk later. This post is a small documentation of my walk with the routes, what to pack and some reflections, in case someone wants to do it, especially in Abu Dhabi. I wrote this looking at some pictures and reading some of my notes.\nAbout the Challenge The 12 hour walk was conceptualized by Colin O\u0026rsquo;Brady , an American adventurer, endurance athlete, and motivational speaker. He has even written a book titled \u0026lsquo;12 Hour Walk: Invest One Day, Conquer Your Mind, and Unlock Your Best Life\u0026rsquo;. I haven\u0026rsquo;t read the book but the reviews seem decent on Amazon and Goodreads. The rules of the 12 hour walk are simple:\nWalk for 12 continuous hours Walk alone with no companions Avoid any distractions such as music, podcasts or audiobooks Your phone must be on flight mode always, only for emergencies and tracking via the 12 hour app Take breaks as needed, but the clock keeps on ticking The Plan Since Abu Dhabi is a relatively new planned city and safe, I had no issues with getting lost. As a backup, I had downloaded an offline version of the city on Google Maps. My plan was to start from home, walk north and reach the mangrove walks, then walk the trail, head west to reach the corniche area of the city, roam around, watch few public art pieces along the way, walk around the area and return home. This was my gear/packing list for the walk:\nUniqlo Jogger Pants since it\u0026rsquo;s so comfy Decathlon Loose Fitness T-Shirt since it\u0026rsquo;s slightly thick in case it gets chilly. Vans Old Skool since my running shoes are worn down and this felt comfy as well A cap Powerbank for emergencies and charging my watch A 1L bottle A hoodie in case it gets cold Extra pair of socks My camera in case I find something to capture A small notebook to note my reflections Forecast for the day I had no goals for hitting any distance. I decided to go along with the flow with no expectations. I also decided to use my phone for photos, but phone will be on flight mode always. The weather forecast also looked decent with a low of 13 and a max of 26 with no rain in sight. Since my wife goes for football on Tuesdays and comes back late, I thought I would start by 8 and reach home by 8.\n12 Hour Walk I ended up waking up late, but decided to go anyway. Packed all my stuff, had a protein shake and started by 9AM sharp. Within half an hour it started to feel weird. I mean I\u0026rsquo;ve gone to multi-day hikes and treks in the wild, but walking without listening to music or not having internet in an urban jungle felt weird. Within 30 minutes, I reached the mangrove trail or the walk that runs parallel to the mangrove forests. The weather was good and the views were serene. It was mostly empty with occasional cyclists passing by.\n1 2 3 4 (Left to right) I think I have Pareidolia; Cat, hooman \u0026amp; a broken iPhone; Pretending to relax; Close to the City Around 10 AM, I saw some public binoculars which can be used to watch birds on the other side resting in the mangroves. I also found a cat which was trying to dry itself. Decided to take a 5 min break playing with the cat and I walked along. One hour in, I saw round resting thingies, which was surprisingly comfy. Took a few mins break, sipped some water and followed the path. As I walked along, the view of the skyscrapers was starting to get bigger as I was getting close to the city.\n1 2 3 (Left to right) Rani Drink; Resting; Biriyani @ Payyanur Restaurant By 11:30 I reached the city with few kms pending to reach the corniche. I had this urge to eat something even though I was not really hungry, maybe a 6/10. But one thing I\u0026rsquo;ve learned from my past long endurance bike rides, it\u0026rsquo;s always better to eat before you\u0026rsquo;re hungry and drink before you\u0026rsquo;re thirsty. Another thing that I like about these long endurance activities is that you can eat whatever you want as you would end up burning way more calories than you can eat. Grabbed a Rani Drink , which is one of my favorite soft drinks here in the Middle East. The shopkeeper suggested a good place for lunch which was coincidentally my favorite Kerala restaurant in the city as I had ordered from them in the past. I walked through the sidewalks in the city and reached Payyanur Restaurant . My plan was to eat some chapathi and beef fry, but the waiter convinced me to try their Thalassery biryani and he assured that I won\u0026rsquo;t regret. Eh, I couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist the urge and ordered that. I mean biryani is a too heavy meal for a walk like this. The biryani came, the portion was too big, it was so tasty, but I ended up eating only 3/4th of it. The food was great and slowly started walking again.\n1 2 (Left to right) The Sun Dial; \u0026lsquo;Among Trees\u0026rsquo; by Khalil Rabah By 1:30 I reached a park nearby corniche. Abu Dhabi has a lot of parks and I can\u0026rsquo;t exactly remember what it was. Found a cool sundial in the park and I walked along the park. The boards and signs of the Public Art Abu Dhabi Biennial (PAAD) were showing up everywhere. Saw this art installation called \u0026ldquo;Among Trees\u0026rdquo; by a Palestinian artist named Khalil Rabah. These are basically olive trees planted in rusted metal containers. As per the art statement, these are supposed to move evoking the cycling nature of Sufi rituals, but nothing happened. I stared at them for a good 15 minutes, but they never moved, weird!\n1 2 3 4 (Left to right)\u0026lsquo;Barzakh\u0026rsquo; by Wael Al Awar; \u0026lsquo;1% offering\u0026rsquo; by Oscar Murillo; \u0026lsquo;Homesickness\u0026rsquo; by Farah Al Qasimi;\u0026lsquo;Kombwelo\u0026rsquo; by Sammy Baloji I moved along and reached the corniche route. Saw few art installations on the way. No more art info to bore anyone, maybe I will save it separately for an exclusive post about PAAD. It was getting sunny, I wanted to check the temperature, but then I remembered I do not have internet. Then the thought came to me, I mean checking temperature except warnings doesn\u0026rsquo;t add any value to anyone. It felt hot, probably mid 20s which I had seen in the forecast. Decided to take some rest in shade and sipped some water.\nFoot reflexology pathway So far no sign of blisters and no major issues. My quads and calves were feeling a bit tight, but that\u0026rsquo;s expected since I\u0026rsquo;ve been walking nearly for 6 hours now with some rest. Also I did some squats and calf raises in the gym yesterday. Coincidentally after few mins, I saw a walkway named as Reflexology pathway, paved with some river stones. I\u0026rsquo;m not a big fan of alternative therapies or things with no scientific evidence irrespective of the fact that it is practiced for centuries as wiki says. Had the urge to walk on it, but was too lazy to remove my shoes.\nI walked along and found a Cinnabon outlet. It also says Seattle\u0026rsquo;s Best Coffee. Are these both the same? Few moments I wish I had internet, but totally unnecessary. Ordered an iced americano, since it was sunny and I decided to sit outdoors along the beach. Tried the coffee and it was so bad. I love coffee but this was super bad. Worst tagline for a business. Sipped my coffee lost in my thoughts and was thinking why I never came here for a swim. Got lost in my thoughts and left there after around 20 minutes.\n1 2 (Left to right) View of Emirates Palace Hotel; ADNOC HQ Walked along the beach route, saw many cyclists passing. Overheard a woman saying that the rented bicycles and scooters are geotagged and automatically turn off when they are out of the designated cycling path. Made a mental note that I would research about it later. Walked along the sidewalk that leads to the epic Emirates Palace hotel. Saw so many people trying to catch some fish. Stared at them for few minutes and walked along finally where the walking path reached a dead end. The time was around 5:30 PM and then I realized even if I walk my way back, I won\u0026rsquo;t reach home in the designated 12 hours. Who cares, decided to walk back enjoying the city views.\nOn my way back, I decided to follow the city sidewalk route since by the time clock hits 12 hours, if my guesses are correct, I would be 6 hours before my home. One mistake I did during this walk was not picking the correct socks. I went for the comfiest socks I had in my wardrobe which were loose and it was causing a problem. I could feel some blisters getting formed. Also, the Vans shoes were not suited for this walk. I wish I had worn some shoes with cushion or something designated for long walks. The shoes felt like a brick now. I changed to a fresh pair of socks, but that clearly didn\u0026rsquo;t help. No visible blisters, but feet were paining a bit. Took few mins to drink some water and relax.\nI took a detour from the beachside route and entered the city. It\u0026rsquo;s been 10 hours since I started the walk, and I\u0026rsquo;m still lost in my thoughts. It felt magical to be lost in a bustling city evening with no phone or internet. Walked along the sidepath for few kms and feet pain was getting worse. Decided to take some rest, eat few biscuits and drink some juice. After 10 minutes decided to walk again and finally reached the Abu Dhabi bus station. Met two girls who were offering map guides and a poem by an artist as part of the art exhibition. Grabbed them and started to walk again.\n1 2 (Left to right) 12hr app is buggy; Screenshot from Strava By 9PM, 12 hours in, I finished the challenge having walked around 40.07 kms, 54,017 steps and burnt 4,538 calories as per my watch. My feet hurt, quads and calves feel tight. It felt nice to finally complete the walk. Since I was 5kms away from home, decided to take a taxi and head home.\nThe activity can be viewed on Strava here and you can ↓ download the GPX file .\nSome Stats Total Distance: 40.07 km Steps: 54,017 Calories Burned: 4,538 Average Pace: 13:10 /km Total Moving Time: 08:42:04 Total Elapsed Time: 12:06:18 Note: Total distance, steps and calories burnt are from my watch. Average and moving time copied from Strava. Data may appear inconsistent since Strava truncates data when uploaded. EXPENSES Item Cost (AED) ----------------------------------- Rani Drink 1.50 Bourbon biscuit 2.50 Peanuts 1.00 Thalassery Chicken Biriyani 15.00 Cold Americano 17.00 Lacnor fruit cocktail 2.50 Salted Peanuts 2.50 Al Rawabi lemon mint 1.50 Taxi to home 15.00 ----------------------------------- Total AED 58.50 USD 11.84 Glad that I took a water bottle, lots of points for refilling water. Saved lots of water and avoided so much plastic. Also, it\u0026rsquo;s weird to see that an americano costs more than a biriyani! Brand value I guess!\nWhat I Would Do Different Put on sunblock. I never thought it would get this sunny Pack some snacks and few protein bars Wear some good blister-free socks Wear footwear that is designed for long walks Start a bit early to catch the golden hour at dawn and also at dusk Reflections As 12hourwalk.com says, \u0026ldquo;An eye-opening experience to conquer your mind and unlock life\u0026rsquo;s limitless possibilities\u0026rdquo;, I never had any such eye-opening experience. I felt meditative for sure, lost in my own thoughts. In 2022, I had done a 600km bike ride , so maybe I\u0026rsquo;m used to such feelings in the past. But it felt nice being disconnected, away from all the digital noise. I was not under any information overload and I just reacted. For few hours I felt like an organism that just responds to external stimuli, not being influenced by anything digital. It also felt nice zoning out in the middle of city, with you and your own thoughts, with the only intention of walking. Also, when I finally ended my walk and decided to turn off the flight mode, my phone was stuck for 2-3 mins with all the notifications pouring in. Reminded me of all the unnecessary things we end up getting notified, just because some company wants us to. Nothing major had happened in the last 12 hours. Feeling grateful and proud of what I did. It also felt like a nice way to connect with the city I live in from morning to evening.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s it!\nHighly recommend trying this out, especially if you\u0026rsquo;re looking for a digital detox. It\u0026rsquo;s amazing what your mind discovers when there\u0026rsquo;s no screen to distract you.\nLet me know if you\u0026rsquo;re doing it!\n(｡◕‿◕｡)\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-01-08T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/12-hour-walk/","summary":"I\u0026rsquo;m not sure where I heard about it, but I had read about the 12 hour walk sometime last year and had noted it down in my journal. I had forgotten about it, but happened to read it again last weekend while browsing Reddit. With weather being super nice here in Abu Dhabi, I thought why not take this challenge! Unlike Dubai where I had lived earlier, Abu Dhabi felt more pedestrian friendly with the whole network of cycling and jogging tracks (Do you know that Abu Dhabi is the first city in Asia to be awarded \u0026lsquo;UCI Bike City\u0026rsquo;?","title":"My 12 Hour Walk in Abu Dhabi","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/12-hour-walk/"},{"content_html":"2024 was a year of surprises and challenges. Moving to Dubai at the start of the year, and later to Abu Dhabi, brought a lot of excitement, but it also came with its fair share of struggles—particularly in my career. Despite my background in renewable energy and months of searching, I couldn’t find the kind of employment opportunities I was hoping for. Those months were tough, filled with frustration, self-doubt, and extreme anxiety.\nBut life has a way of steering you toward unexpected paths. When life doesn’t go as planned, you pivot. Freelancing wasn’t my dream—it was a necessity. What started as a way to sustain myself turned into an exciting new chapter. Over the past few months, I’ve landed clients, built a flexible routine, and rediscovered my independence. Freelancing comes with its uncertainties, but it also gives me freedom, and that’s something I deeply value.\nFewer Goals In 2024, I lacked a plan. The result? A year spent trying too many things without focus. Even in 2023, I set so many goals that they became overwhelming and unmanageable. This year, I’m doing things differently.\nSome random notes 2025 is all about fewer goals and laser focus. Instead of chasing everything, I’m committing to three key areas that truly matter to me: financial stability, health, and personal growth.\nMy Goals for 2025:\nAchieve $5,000 in recurring revenue by the end of the year. Reduce body fat to below 25% while building strength and endurance. Sharpen my writing and programming skills. 1. Achieving Financial Stability Goal: Achieve $5,000 in recurring revenue by December 2025.\nThis will come from three sources: freelancing, newsletter growth, and launching a product.\nFreelancing: Building My Niche Freelancing has shown me the potential to create a sustainable income on my terms. This year, my focus is to grow my freelancing business to $3,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR).\nMy Niche:\nBuilding ultra-high-performance static sites with Hugo. Crafting personal blogs designed for readers, not SEO. Writing engaging, data-driven, and interactive stories. Action Steps:\nSend 3 cold emails per week to prospective clients. Publish 5 in-depth, data-driven interactive articles on my blog by the end of H1 2025 to build a portfolio. Do you like my blog?\nDo you have an idea for creating a unique personal blog in 2025?\nI’m truly passionate about personal blogs, and as a freelance dev, I’m taking on 2 clients this quarter.\nLet’s chat —discovery calls are free!\nNewsletter: Turning Readers Into Subscribers My newsletter, 10+1 Things , is my main distribution channel. In fact, most of my freelance projects in the last couple of months were through readers of my newsletter. My goal is to grow my free subscriber base by 1,000 new subscribers and gain 100 paying subscribers, reaching $1,000 MRR.\nAction Steps:\nPublish at least 50 editions this year (roughly one per week). Collaborate on at least 2 cross-promotions per month with other creators. Engage with 5-star readers from Substack to brainstorm paid content ideas and gather feedback. Experiment with a paid tier launch in Q3, with a full launch in Q4. Product Launch: Adding Another Revenue Stream By the end of 2025, I want to launch a product that aligns with my skills while providing a passive income stream. My goal is to create an open-source, open-core project with a paid tier for subscribers.\nInitial Ideas:\nAn analytics tool for Substack writers. A simple calorie-tracking tool. Action Steps:\nResearch product ideas in H1 with quick POCs and EOI forms. Validate the idea by mid-year through pre-sales or surveys. Begin development in Q3 and launch by Q4. 2. Health: Getting Leaner and Stronger Goal: Reduce body fat to below 25% while building strength and endurance.\nIn 2024, I learned the importance of focusing on fewer things. This year, no marathons, no triathlons, no BRMs. My sole focus is getting leaner, fitter, and stronger.\nAction Steps:\nLog daily health metrics on my fitness page. Strength train consistently, paired with evening walks. Include regular runs and bike rides for cardio. Limit alcohol consumption to once a month. Stretch and focus on flexibility regularly. Aim for consistent and quality sleep every night. 3. Mastering Writing and Programming Goal: Write more, code better, and build a strong foundation of skills.\nWriting: Finding My Voice I know my writing needs improvement, and the only way to get better is to write more. This year, I’m focusing on volume and consistency.\nAction Steps:\nPublish 30 blog posts this year. Write 2 threads per month on X (formerly Twitter). Publish 3 posts per week on X using the POSSE (Publish Once, Syndicate Everywhere) approach. Build a micro page on the blog to syndicate content seamlessly and make the blog the hub for all my writing and content. Learning: To Code Better To become a better coder, I need disciplined practice. This year, I’ll sharpen my skills through problem-solving and focused learning.\nAction Steps:\nComplete the Foundations and Intermediate HTML and CSS and JS modules in the The Odin Project - JS Path Solve 36 problems on Project Euler (~3 problems per month). Complete energy system modeling course by Q4 2025. Final Thoughts 2025 is the year of doing less but achieving more. By narrowing my focus to a few key goals, I’m giving myself the clarity and energy to make meaningful progress. Some of these goals are ambitious—$5,000 MRR from home isn’t easy—but I’m committed to giving it my best. Whether I achieve it or not is another story, but I’m aiming high, and I’ll give it my best shot. If I fail, I’ll still be happy knowing I tried.\nHere’s to a focused, purposeful 2025.\nHappy New Year!\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2025-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/2025/","summary":"2024 was a year of surprises and challenges. Moving to Dubai at the start of the year, and later to Abu Dhabi, brought a lot of excitement, but it also came with its fair share of struggles—particularly in my career. Despite my background in renewable energy and months of searching, I couldn’t find the kind of employment opportunities I was hoping for. Those months were tough, filled with frustration, self-doubt, and extreme anxiety.","title":"2025: One Year, Three Goals","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/2025/"},{"content_html":" Nunakkuzhi'നുണക്കുഴി' Directed by Jeethu Joseph movie 2024 Malayalam 128 min 🇮🇳 Overall Rating ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Detailed Ratings Direction ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Script ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Performances ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ Cinematography ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ Impact ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Budget: $1,170,000 Collection: $2,690,000 (+129.9%) Watched on: ZEE5 Dec 25, 2024 Reviewed on Dec 29, 2024 Well, Jeethu Joseph as a director is not my favorite, but I had some expectations from him. However, this totally blew me off. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure why he agreed to direct such a poor script. It\u0026rsquo;s a comedy movie, I agree, but there should be some thread at least, right? Poorly written with cooked-up stories just for the sake of stretching the movie. It reminds me of old Dileep movies! Nothing special when it comes to acting. Basil did a decent job, but it\u0026rsquo;s high time he comes out of these kinds of roles before the audience gets bored of his repetitive performances. Siddique did a decent job. Manoj K Jayan\u0026rsquo;s acting didn\u0026rsquo;t feel realistic. Except for some typical one-liners by Baiju, the jokes didn\u0026rsquo;t click at all.\nOverall, a poor movie I don\u0026rsquo;t recommend at all. The weird thing is that the pre-release promotions by the crew were better than the whole movie itself.\nUpdate 17-01-2024: Last weekend, I was forced to watch it again with couple of friends. I was drunk, so laughed a bit more. But yeah still, it\u0026rsquo;s a film not worth watching!\n","date_published":"2024-12-29T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/nunakkuzhi/","summary":"A shot review of Nunakkuzhi(2024) - Malayalam Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Nunakkuzhi(2024) - Malayalam Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/nunakkuzhi/"},{"content_html":"Today I learned that many bike pumps with a reversible head can be used for both Schrader and Presta valves by flipping the internal components.\nAn illustration generated in IKEA style from the content using Nano Banana Pro Inside the pump head, there are small parts that can be reversed to fit either valve type. Schrader valves are typically found on car tires and some bikes, while Presta valves are more common on road and performance bikes. This clever design means you don’t need separate pumps for different valve types. But ensure that you rememeber this configuration.\n","date_published":"2024-12-22T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/reversible-pump-head/","summary":"Reversible bike pump heads can be adjusted to work with both Schrader and Presta valves by flipping the internal components.","title":"Cycle pumps with reversible heads work for Schrader and Presta valves","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/reversible-pump-head/"},{"content_html":"Today I learned that the left bike pedal is reverse-threaded—tightened counterclockwise and loosened clockwise—and it’s not just a random design choice.\nIt’s intentionally designed this way to prevent the pedal from unscrewing itself while riding, thanks to a physics phenomenon called precession . Pretty cool how engineering accounts for even the tiniest details!\nHere\u0026rsquo;s a simple mnemonic by Lex to keep this in mind:\n\u0026ldquo;Left pedal - \u0026rsquo;left\u0026rsquo; threading, not \u0026lsquo;right\u0026rsquo;!\u0026rdquo;\n","date_published":"2024-12-21T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/bike-pedal-reverse/","summary":"When installing bike pedals, the left pedal is reverse threaded - turn clockwise to loosen, counterclockwise to tighten.","title":"The left pedal spindle on a bike is reverse threaded","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/til/bike-pedal-reverse/"},{"content_html":"Following the trend on the internet, I published 27 lessons when I turned 27 and 28 lessons when I turned 28. I missed out last year, but as I recently turned 30, I decided to share a few lessons this time. These are insights I jotted down in Obsidian throughout the year, which I’ve polished and edited into this post to mark my birthday.\nNumber 30 by Jackson Pollock It doesn\u0026rsquo;t matter who you were; all that matters is who you are now. As Sivers says , \u0026ldquo;Someone who played football in high school can’t call himself an athlete forever. Someone who did something successful long ago can’t keep calling himself a success.\u0026rdquo; Before renting or buying a place in a new area, visit it at different times on different days. A quiet neighborhood on Sunday can be noisy during the week due to nearby construction. Pack your running shoes, swimming shorts, and goggles everywhere you go. Build relationships and don’t burn bridges throughout your career. References and recommendations matter, especially if you’re applying for research positions or switching careers. If you are starting strength training, focus on the main compound lifts: deadlift, squats, bench press, barbell rows, and overhead press. Learn and master them. Invest in good running shoes. They can be pricey, but they’re worth it for injury prevention and maintaining proper form. Don’t try to create a fitness routine on your own. Many experts have already done the work, so don’t reinvent the wheel. Pick a beginner routine from r/fitness , stick with it, and trust the process. Always carry a small padlock when you travel. You never know when your suitcase lock might malfunction. If your air conditioner, especially a window AC, smells fishy, chances are there’s mold inside. Jot down the dates of all your international travels. This comes in handy when applying for visas, which often require details of your past travel history. If your kitchen or room smells of fish, boil orange peel with cinnamon and cloves. Let it simmer for a while to get rid of the bad odor and leave a pleasant fragrance. When visiting a new city, start with a small guided walking tour to get familiar with the place. Most big cities offer free walking tours. To know more about your close friends or life partners, go on a multi-day trek with no cellphones or distractions. Your bachelor’s or master’s thesis or projects matter a lot. Pick an interesting one with depth so it creates scope for engaging conversations during interviews. Before shaking your protein shaker or bottle, always double-check if the lid is closed and tightened properly. You don’t want it to splash everywhere! Oral hygiene matters a lot. Start flossing and use interdental brushes if needed. Unless it’s a pressing issue that affects you or others, don’t correct people. Most of the time, it can come across as offensive. When learning to lift or mastering swimming, watch short videos before sessions, even if you think you know it. Over time, it will reinforce good techniques in your form. You’re never going to watch all the movies you want to watch, read all the books you want to read, or tick off everything from your dream list. If you can afford it, hire a personal trainer. If they’re good enough, they will push you to your limits and teach you proper form. If not, at least hire one for a few sessions to learn the main compound lifts. Indoor air quality is often worse than outdoor air due to lack of circulation. If you live in a city and have kids, monitor indoor air quality and consider getting an air purifier. Most gyms offer daily passes, which can be more economical if you go fewer than four days a week. For example, my gym charges 600 AED for a three-month plan, but a 50-day pass book costs me only 500 AED. Plus, I don’t have to pay for days I don’t want to go! If your crypto is worth more than $500, move it to a hardware wallet and store it safely. When buying socks, stick to two colors: one for your workouts (running, gym, etc.) and the other for everyday life. Hire a nutritionist, even if you already know about calories, macros, and overall nutrition. Having someone to be accountable to can work wonders. Over time, it will help you build better habits and discipline with food. There’s nothing wrong with following up or sending reminder emails. Before booking tickets to a country that requires a visa, call a local travel agent. Some countries tend to reject tourist visas without giving a reason. If you have crooked, gapped, or rotated teeth, or any other dental issues, get braces as soon as possible. They can fix a lot of problems like biting, smiling, and even jaw disorders. If you want to avoid braces and have the budget, consider Invisalign . Don’t be the person who doesn’t show up for meetings or appointments. If you can’t make it, at least have the courtesy to inform in advance. When you add a new contact to your phone, append it with their birthday. For instance, save it as “John Doe 2811.” That\u0026rsquo;s it see you next year!\n＼(◎o◎)／\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2024-11-28T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/30/","summary":"Following the trend on the internet, I published 27 lessons when I turned 27 and 28 lessons when I turned 28. I missed out last year, but as I recently turned 30, I decided to share a few lessons this time. These are insights I jotted down in Obsidian throughout the year, which I’ve polished and edited into this post to mark my birthday.\nNumber 30 by Jackson Pollock It doesn\u0026rsquo;t matter who you were; all that matters is who you are now.","title":"30 Lessons from 30 Years","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/30/"},{"content_html":"When I moved this blog from WordPress to Hugo, I added a version number to the footer. While it served no practical purpose at the time, it made the blog feel more polished, more deliberate—an aesthetic touch, rather than utilitarian. I used to update it occasionally, but often used to forget about it and it was never automated.\nA few months later, during a casual conversation, a friend asked, \u0026ldquo;You seem to tweak your blog a lot. How many times have you changed it?\u0026rdquo;. It was meant to poke fun at my endless fiddling with the blog\u0026rsquo;s design and features, but the question stayed in my mind.\nHow many times had I updated my blog? Could there be a way to track it? Should I?\nLet\u0026rsquo;s address the elephant in the room: version control for blogs isn\u0026rsquo;t necessary, especially for personal blogs. It\u0026rsquo;s not like software where a misplaced change can crash an entire system, or academic research where drafts evolve significantly over time.\nVersion Control in Software Version control systems truly shine when managing package releases or software distributions. You\u0026rsquo;ve probably encountered this yourself - a tech support representative asking about your app version or device firmware while troubleshooting.\nThe most widely used system is Semantic Versioning (SemVer) , which breaks down updates into:\nMajor: Fundamental changes (e.g., version 2.0 vs. 1.0) Minor: New features or additions (e.g., version 1.2) Patch: Small fixes like typos or bugs (e.g., version 1.0.1) Other systems include:\nCalendar Versioning (CalVer) : Tied to dates, like Ubuntu\u0026rsquo;s 22.04 Sequential Versioning : Incrementing numbers without specific meaning Hash Versioning : Based on the hash of the latest commit Build Number Versioning: Used in platforms like Stack Overflow Beyond Software Draft Copy of Declaration of Independence. Credits: US Gov Version control isn\u0026rsquo;t limited to software though. We\u0026rsquo;ve all created documents with names like FILE_Name_v1 or Filename_revised or the dreaded FIleName_final_final_new. Probably it\u0026rsquo;s a natural human instinct and necessity to track changes. In fact, there are even version control for recipes! In the academic world, Eric J Ma proposed Semantic Versioning for Papers , adapting semantic versioning for academic drafts. Will Darwin wrote about applying version control to blogging , using a modified semantic versioning system where:\nMAJOR changes require readers to re-read the post MINOR changes include adding resources, clarifying sentences, or adding footnotes PATCH changes cover spelling fixes, formatting, and technical cleanup Several bloggers - Evan Travers , Søren Birkemeyer , Timothy Miller , Martin \u0026amp; Marcel Krčah - maintain changelogs for individual posts. While I appreciated this approach, I wanted something broader - a versioning system for the entire blog.\nWhy Version in Blogs? Blogs aren\u0026rsquo;t static documents - they\u0026rsquo;re living entities that evolve over time. A finance blog might need to revise outdated market advice, while a science blog must keep pace with new research findings. Technical tutorials require updates as software versions change, and even the most carefully curated resource lists eventually face broken links. Beyond these obvious changes, there’s the constant refinement of writing, the clarification of thoughts, and the improvement of explanations.\nTraditional version tracking systems, built for software development, focus on code changes and breaking updates. But blog updates follow a different pattern. Content evolves gradually, old versions remain valuable for context, and changes can be subtle yet significant. Updates often happen across multiple posts, and maintaining links and resources becomes a crucial part of blog health.\nI needed a system that could answer seemingly simple questions:\nHow many times was my blog updated in a year? What kinds of changes were made? When was the last update? Which parts of the blog are actively maintained? SemVer and CalVer weren’t designed to track blog updates or provide the transparency I wanted. They couldn\u0026rsquo;t capture the nuanced evolution of blog content or provide the transparency I wanted for my readers. I needed something different - a system designed specifically for blog maintenance and evolution.\nMy System After some brainstorming and experimenting, I developed a versioning system tailored for blogs:\nYY.Push.Type.DDMM 24.50.M.1904 │ │ │ └─── Date │ │ └─────── Type │ └────────── Push └───────────── Year Component Description YY The year of the most recent update. Push A sequential counter tracking the total updates made during the year. Type Categorizes the nature of the update: N: New post. U: Content update (e.g., clarifications or expansions). F: Fix (e.g., typos or formatting corrections). X: Feature update (e.g., design or functionality changes). M: Mixed updates involving multiple types of changes. DDMM The date (day and month) of the latest update. For example the version number v24.628.M.2111 tells me that:\nThe blog was last updated in 2024. There have been 628 updates so far this year. The most recent update involved multiple changes on November 21st. Despite my rudimentary coding skills and occasional ChatGPT hallucinations, I wrote a small script (pre-push) that automatically updates the footer version number and generates a changelog whenever I make changes to my blog. It does this:\nTracks Changes: On push, it asks for category of each commit. Updates the Footer: Automatically updates version numbers by incrementing the push number, updates the respective push type and also the date. Generates Changelogs: Creates logs in a predefined format along with commit hash, files changed and commit message. Script asking for the category of each commit An example of generated change log can be viewed below:\n### **v24.628.M.2111** (2024-11-21) #### **Fixes** 1. **Fixed formatting issues in watch/kishkindha** - *Commit:* [`a491c7f`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/commit/a491c7f) - *Files:* 1. [`content/watch/kishkindha.md`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/blob/main/content/watch/kishkindha.md) 2. [`content/watch/meyyazhakan.md`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/blob/main/content/watch/meyyazhakan.md) 2. **Spelling fix on log** - *Commit:* [`4526b6a`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/commit/4526b6a) - *Files:* 1. [`content/log.md`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/blob/main/content/log.md) #### **Updations** 1. **Updated link in footer for logs** - *Commit:* [`a1eb04e`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/commit/a1eb04e) - *Files:* 1. [`themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/blob/main/themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html) 2. **Updated file over app with new additions** - *Commit:* [`31792db`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/commit/31792db) - *Files:* 1. [`content/blog/file-over-app/index.md`](https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog/blob/main/content/blog/file-over-app/index.md) Looking forward This system works for me, but it\u0026rsquo;s still experimental. Yes, it\u0026rsquo;s complex. Yes, it might seem excessive for a personal blog. But it serves its purpose, enabling systematic tracking of how my blog evolves over time.\nNothing in this blog is set in stone. Things change and evolve, and now I can track that evolution systematically. Perhaps this will enable interesting insights at year\u0026rsquo;s end, or maybe a timeline showing how the blog has grown.\nIt’s too early to call this approach a manifesto. Before formalizing anything, I need to gather more feedback, refine the system, and see how it holds up over time.\nWould versioning work for your blog? Or do you prefer to keep updates invisible? Let me know—I’d love to hear your thoughts.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2024-11-21T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/blog-version/","summary":"When I moved this blog from WordPress to Hugo, I added a version number to the footer. While it served no practical purpose at the time, it made the blog feel more polished, more deliberate—an aesthetic touch, rather than utilitarian. I used to update it occasionally, but often used to forget about it and it was never automated.\nA few months later, during a casual conversation, a friend asked, \u0026ldquo;You seem to tweak your blog a lot.","title":"Why and How I Version My Blog","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/blog-version/"},{"content_html":"I recently spoke to a reader on the blog during unoffice hours , and we got into a discussion about Notion. While I agree that Notion\u0026rsquo;s UI is sleek and feature-rich, I had my concerns. I used Notion for a while in early 2021 but eventually switched to Obsidian. This isn\u0026rsquo;t a promotion for Obsidian—nor am I affiliated—but I made the switch because I wanted a tool that\u0026rsquo;s local-first, fast, and lets me export files that can outlast any app.\nObsidian, like Notion, uses Markdown for note-taking, but Obsidian stores everything as plain text files on my device. I believe in the long-term value of open, accessible file formats like Markdown, HTML, and plain text. Just as plain text has outlived many technologies, these formats will likely outlive me. Being tied to an app creates potential issues in the long run.\nThe Philosophy of File Over App When I think about note-taking, I believe we should take a long-term view. An undergrad today might want to refer back to their notes in their 30s or 40s. In this context, preferring files over apps makes sense. This idea isn\u0026rsquo;t new; it resonates with something Steph Ango , the CEO of Obsidian, said:\n\u0026ldquo;File over app is a philosophy: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control, in formats that are easy to retrieve and read. Use tools that give you this freedom.\u0026rdquo;\nI relate deeply to this perspective. In fact, I have some bitter memories about data loss. When I was interrailing (or EU railing) in Europe, I used Google Trips to plan my itinerary, make notes, and track expenses. When the app was discontinued , I lost all that data because I hadn\u0026rsquo;t backed it up. Another time, in 2022, I tracked my food intake with HealthifyMe for a few months, only to discover that it offered no way to export or analyze the data. Though I managed to retrieve a raw data blob, it was too cumbersome to work with. If I\u0026rsquo;d kept that data in a simple, plain-text file, I could have easily processed it with a script.\nPersonal Experience and Practical Applications Today, almost all of my notes are in Obsidian. I\u0026rsquo;m aware that Obsidian might not last forever, but the files will. Markdown files can be read with any text editor, ensuring accessibility across future devices. Plain text has been and will continue to be universally readable. While this article is not about text files, text files are the god-mode of longevity when it comes to files. Derek Sivers talks a bit about this in his blog post, \u0026lsquo;Write Plain Text Files\u0026rsquo; . Since 1990, he\u0026rsquo;s written, blogged, journaled, and even coded in plain text. Donald L. Brown Jr. also goes into detail about the longevity of plain text files in his short book titled \u0026lsquo;A Plain Defense for Plain Text \u0026rsquo;.\n\u0026ldquo;Every device, including ones long gone, and ones not invented yet, can read and edit plain text. Whether in VR or a chip implanted in your earlobe, plain text will be there. Will Microsoft Word? Evernote? Notion? Maybe. But plain text? Always.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ndash; Derek Sivers\nIn my setup, I sync everything to Google Drive (and iCloud) and back it up locally. My Obsidian vault contains everything from notes to interesting links I collect for my newsletter. For example, I keep a service log for my bike, saved as a note on Obsdidian:\n#### Service Log - Triban RC100 3. Date of Service 03-12-2022 Service done by Bike Shop Green Park, Delhi Odo: 5637 km Details: Stripdown, hub, dust cap replace, packed Cost: INR 2000 Notes: INR 300 for home delivery 2. Date of Service: 28-09-2022 Service done by UBC Odo: 4632 km Details: Hub Service, FD(Claris), BB and Crank installation Cost: INR 8500 Notes: Bilal messed up my hub with the wrong bearings. 1. Date of Service: 20-07-2022 Serviced by Bilal at Home, Kerala Odo: 3768km Details: Chain/Cassette Change Cost: 2200 INR Notes: Last cassette/chain casted - 1150.215km A simple service log of my bike! If Obsidian shuts down, it won\u0026rsquo;t affect my ability to access these files. My directory structure remains intact, readable by any plain text editor. I take this philosophy into other projects as well. For instance, I haven’t found a calorie tracker that allows easy export and syncing, so I\u0026rsquo;m building my own system using a double-entry accounting format for calories.\nC:\\USERS\\RISHI\\ICLOUDDRIVE\\ICLOUD~MD~OBSIDIAN\\SECOND BRAIN ├───Archives ├───Notes │ ├───Books │ ├───Career │ │ ├───Job │ │ ├───Learning Notes │ │ └───xxx │ │ └───Daily Notes │ ├───Crypto │ ├───Cycling │ ├───Daily │ ├───Fitness │ ├───Learning │ │ ├───Artificial Intelligence │ │ │ └───Deep Learning - Fast AI │ │ │ └───Notes │ │ ├───Buddhism │ │ ├───Career │ │ │ ├───Energy System Modelling - Tom Brown │ │ │ └───Energy Systems TU Berlin - 2021 │ │ ├───Computer Science │ │ ├───Drawing │ │ ├───Energy Economics │ │ ├───Generative Art │ │ ├───Mathematics │ │ ├───Python │ │ ├───Theoretical Physics │ │ ├───Visualisation │ │ └───Web development │ ├───Misc │ ├───Personal │ └───Running ├───Projects │ ├───Art └───Unprocessed A truncated version of my Obsidian Directory A Balanced Approach to File over App I\u0026rsquo;m not 100% \u0026lsquo;File over App\u0026rsquo;. I still rely on Apple\u0026rsquo;s ecosystem for several things, but I try to back up and store data in accessible formats to reduce dependency. For example, my steps and calorie data sync to a .csv file from Apple Health, and my Strava workout data is stored in .csv files. My gym workout details, tracked in Strong, are scraped into text files. In all digital decisions, I aim to be \u0026lsquo;File over App\u0026rsquo; as much as possible.\nThat said, some projects do rely on specific ecosystems. For example, my pension fund tracker, npsnav.in , is built with Cloudflare Pages and Workers. If Cloudflare were to shut down, I could migrate the code, but it would require effort. Similary my blog relies on Hugo Framework, which is a dependency I want to eliminate. My goal is to create a blog composed of HTML files with basic CSS and JS, reducing external dependencies.\nTools Aligned with File-over-App Philosophy How screenwriting looks in Fountain These are a few tools and projects that align with this philosophy. Here\u0026rsquo;s a list of apps that I\u0026rsquo;ve found useful, and if you have suggestions, let me know so I can add them:\nObsidian - A markdown-based personal knowledge management tool Paisa.fyi - An open-source personal finance manager using double-entry accounting FlatHabits - A habit tracker that uses org-text, a plain text format for data storage Fountain - A plain text markup language for screenwriting Plain Org - A to-do list app using org mode text Notable - A note-taking app using markdown ToDo.txt - A command-line to-do list tool Bruno - Ceate plain-text API files wih version control using Git. SilverBullet - An open-source PKM system with plain-text as back-end. Logseq - An open-source knowledge based on markdown files. Emacs with Org Mode – A plain-text tool for managing notes, tasks, and projects, focused on flexibility and long-term accessibility. OneFolder - Open-source photo organizer storing tags, faces, and locations in metadata, ensuring no lock-in. Lyrcs - A lyrics writing app that stores its content in plain text files. Markor - A text editor for notes and to-do app for Android using simple markup formats. Ledger and hledger for plain-text accounting! Maro - Presentations using markdown. A full list of apps/services that allow creating slide decks can be viewed here . If you are working on a similar tool, happy to have a look and add them to the above list!\nIn the end, \u0026lsquo;File over App\u0026rsquo; isn\u0026rsquo;t just a philosophy - it\u0026rsquo;s a guideline for making digital choices that prioritize the longevity of data. With each decision, I\u0026rsquo;m creating a lasting digital archive, one file at a time.\nY View Hacker News Discussion 60 • 24 Update #6 - 02-06-2025, 15:16 GST Thanks again to Miika for suggesting presentation software that uses markdown! Update #5 - 26-12-2024, 12:16 GST Thanks to Miika for suggesting Ledger and hledger! Update #5 - 06-12-2024, 17:50 IST Thanks to Srikanth for suggesting Marko! Update #4 - 28-11-2024, 10:50 IST Thanks to WetSponge for recommending Lyrcs.app! Update #3 - 21-11-2024, 12:45 GST Thanks to Antoine for recommending OneFolder and the great work behind! Update #2 - 19-11-2024, 19:03 GST Thanks to Burno for recommending Emacs with Org Mode Update #1 - 18-11-2024, 13:30 GST Somehow, this featured on the front page of Hacker News. 🎉 Thanks to @reddalo for suggesting Bruno. Thanks to NotABug for recommending SilverBullet and Logseq. 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2024-11-13T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/file-over-app/","summary":"I recently spoke to a reader on the blog during unoffice hours , and we got into a discussion about Notion. While I agree that Notion\u0026rsquo;s UI is sleek and feature-rich, I had my concerns. I used Notion for a while in early 2021 but eventually switched to Obsidian. This isn\u0026rsquo;t a promotion for Obsidian—nor am I affiliated—but I made the switch because I wanted a tool that\u0026rsquo;s local-first, fast, and lets me export files that can outlast any app.","title":"File Over App: A Philosophy for Digital Longevity","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/file-over-app/"},{"content_html":"I will admit it—I often look at my blog\u0026rsquo;s analytics now and then. I can see which posts are popular, and I find a sense of joy looking at it. But when I sit down to write, SEO, algorithms, click-baity titles, or pageviews are the last things on my mind. Usually, I just have an idea, like this one while I was high on coffee with racing thoughts. When an idea hits me, I jot it down in my Obsidian notes without worrying about spelling or grammar—just capturing the raw thought. I write for something much deeper, the freedom to be irreplaceable, to create the only version of my thoughts and experiences that exists in the world.\nCodex Atlanticus , Leonardo da Vinci’s Notebook of Ideas This blog is my digital playground, where I don’t need a specific direction or niche to justify what I share. I even touched on this in My Blog is My Greatest Art , where I think of the blog as an evolving art project, but it’s also a space where I get to be myself without boundaries, write without restrictions, and explore whatever piques my curiosity.\nBecoming Unique I think one common career advice people receive is to become irreplaceable in organizations. But I think this never works in a career—even Steve Jobs was replaceable. In a world filled with specialized content, being nicheless is my way of embracing my own uniqueness. Out of the billions of people online, no one can capture my unique perspective, my strange intersections of thought, or the winding journey that led me here. Writing without a niche lets me shape a space that reflects all the different parts of me—without having to fit into anyone else’s categories. This is my version of the world, with all its quirks, imperfections, and randomness. It’s mine, and no one else can replicate it.\nKeeping the Spirit of the Old Web I want this space to feel like the old internet—a time when people wrote blogs to connect with other people, not to please bots and algorithms. There’s a charm in creating content purely for the joy of sharing, a rare authenticity in knowing that every word here is for whoever stumbles upon it, whether that’s one person or one thousand. And that’s part of why I became nicheless: it’s my way of keeping the spirit of that web alive.\nLook at people like Derek Sivers . His blog is a testament to the beauty of being nicheless; he writes about everything from creative writing to tech advice. His “now” page is a pleasure to read—simple, unfiltered, just like his posts. Or take Taylor.Town , where he explores topics as varied as philosophy, culture, and personal growth. Taylor’s posts often read like open-ended explorations, as he shares whatever topic grabs his interest, be it philosophy, work, or life reflections. These creators share for the sake of sharing, leaving breadcrumbs of their own lives and interests without worrying about hitting a niche. All of them keep alive the spirit of the old web, creating content meant for people, not algorithms.\nThen there’s 100 Rabbits, where Rekka and Devine document their off-grid life on a sailboat, creating open-source software, experimental games, and artwork all from the middle of the ocean. Their blog, 100r.co , is a digital journey of self-reliance, sustainable design, and creativity, free from trends or expectations. It’s a beautifully unconventional space that feels like a throwback to the days when personal blogs were raw, exploratory, and full of surprises.\nRecently, I was happy to see that Pieter Levels started a new, playful blog project , complete with a Minecraft server, to capture that same old-internet magic. His project is a nod to early online communities, reminding us of a time when blogs and web spaces were places of exploration, humor, and unfiltered creativity. His blog isn’t about promoting products or reaching metrics (at least this one, I hope so)—it’s about having a corner of the internet that’s just for fun, just for sharing, just because.\nBlogs and creators like these inspire me to keep this space a place of pure, unstructured expression. They remind me that this blog doesn’t have to fit into a niche or follow trends; it can simply be a place to document my thoughts, connect with like-minded people, and leave a little of myself behind. Being nicheless isn’t just a choice—it’s a way of honoring the internet’s origins and keeping its authentic, person-centered spirit alive.\nZero Resistance Being nicheless gives a sense of freedom; it is my way of writing without any resistance or hesitance. Each time I start a post, I know there’s no checklist of topics to fit or tone to strike; I can just write. This blog is the one space in my life where I don’t have to answer to anyone’s rules. I don’t need to be a specialist or stick to a single theme. And I find that liberating.\nThe result? The excitement stays. Each time I post, it’s a new layer, a new spark, a new thread in this ongoing tapestry. I’m not just adding content; I’m creating a living, breathing digital diary that’s evolving right along with me.\nRediscovering Myself As I write, I’m discovering what truly interests me. I didn’t set out with a roadmap or destination, and that openness has led me to surprising intersections. This blog has become one of the main drivers of my life, nudging me to explore new skills and projects without worrying about where they’ll lead. In a way, it’s a mirror, reflecting parts of myself I hadn’t fully noticed. I’m excited to work on things that don’t need any clear purpose or meaning, trusting that these paths will intersect over time, guiding me to passions and ideas I couldn’t have anticipated.\nCheckout The Pixel Mosaic Blogging has shown me that creating doesn’t have to be practical or profitable to be meaningful. Often, the most unexpected projects bring the greatest insights. My Pixel Mosaic project, for example, began as a fun experiment inspired by other blogs but evolved into a form of digital art that syncs in real time with my blog, bridging my digital and personal worlds. Lately, I’ve also been drawn to heraldry, inspired by a blog with a coat of arms in the footer. Designing my own feels both random and deeply meaningful, as if this blog nudges me to explore these old-world symbols and merge them with modern digital life. Projects like these have led me down paths I hadn’t planned, revealing new, fulfilling interests along the way.\nWhat I value most is this ongoing process of rediscovery. The blog gives me permission to embrace odd fascinations and pursue projects that may not make sense to anyone else. It reminds me that life doesn’t have to follow a set plan and that some of the most rewarding experiences come from veering off the usual path. Each post, each project, each curiosity adds a layer, revealing parts of myself that might have stayed hidden without this space. This blog isn’t just a collection of ideas—it’s a map of my own self-discovery, where each random thought or interest has the potential to lead somewhere beautifully unexpected.\nA Quest for 1000 True Fans I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care at all about having readers. But my aim isn’t mass appeal; it’s something more personal—a quest to find what Kevin Kelly called my \u0026ldquo;1,000 True Fans\u0026rdquo;. Kelly’s idea is that you don’t need a massive audience, just a small tribe of people who genuinely resonate with your work. These are the readers who show up again and again, who follow your journey not because of any trend or SEO boost, but because something about your work speaks to them.\nFor me, this idea of true fans is like building a tribe—people who find value in the same quirks, the same unpredictable blend of topics I share. They’re readers who don’t mind the detours, the exploration of strange paths, or the deeply personal reflections. My tribe wouldn’t expect a single theme but would instead embrace the eclectic mix of ideas, projects, and insights that make this blog uniquely mine. They would come back for the story, the evolution, and the feeling of being part of something more personal, a digital space that reflects both the writer and the readers.\nA Place of My Own, Where Control Is Mine As I had reflected in My Blog is My Greatest Art , this blog is more than a creative outlet; it’s one of the few spaces I have complete control over. I’m not bound by expectations to stay within one niche or limit myself to what’s “expected.” Here, I get to be the most authentic, most irreplaceable version of myself. I’m building something unique, even if it’s only for me. This isn’t just a blog; it’s a space for rediscovery, for keeping the spirit of personal creativity alive, and for finding joy in being nicheless.\nIf you’re reading this, I hope it inspires you to think about starting your own nicheless blog. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know where it’ll go or what it’ll become. Just let yourself write without boundaries, and see what beautiful intersections you uncover. And, if you need any help in setting up your blog or brainstorming ideas, reach out . I always respond!\nSomewhat inpsired by Nicheless IS a Valid Option This New Niche Perspective Got Me Excited Why I Decided To Experiment With Being Nicheless If You Want to Be a Millionaire, You Need to Be Nicheless 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2024-11-07T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/nicheless/","summary":"I will admit it—I often look at my blog\u0026rsquo;s analytics now and then. I can see which posts are popular, and I find a sense of joy looking at it. But when I sit down to write, SEO, algorithms, click-baity titles, or pageviews are the last things on my mind. Usually, I just have an idea, like this one while I was high on coffee with racing thoughts. When an idea hits me, I jot it down in my Obsidian notes without worrying about spelling or grammar—just capturing the raw thought.","title":"Why I chose to be Nicheless","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/nicheless/"},{"content_html":"Had an early meeting, so I woke up early and had the usual breakfast of boiled eggs with mayo. Slept only for a few hours, so took an early morning nap. Wife made some Puliyodharai (South Indian style tamarind rice), some beef fry, potato, and yogurt.\nA pic from the concert! Took a nap again since I had a concert to attend by AR Rahman ! Had a protein shake in the evening and then headed to the concert. Had a few beers at the concert and came back home super hungry. It was too late to order anything, so went for the default grilled chicken with hummus from a nearby place.\nOverall, the day was fun, but very little movement and a lot of calories (loads of protein as well)!\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 2342 Cal - Protien: 176g - Fibre: 23g - Carbs: 194g - Fats: 85g - Protein/BW Ratio: 2.25g/kg - Steps: 3185 steps - Calories Burnt: 88 Cal ","date_published":"2024-11-02T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/17/","summary":"Had an early meeting, so I woke up early and had the usual breakfast of boiled eggs with mayo. Slept only for a few hours, so took an early morning nap. Wife made some Puliyodharai (South Indian style tamarind rice), some beef fry, potato, and yogurt.\nA pic from the concert! Took a nap again since I had a concert to attend by AR Rahman ! Had a protein shake in the evening and then headed to the concert.","title":"Protein Overload \u0026 Musical Feast","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/17/"},{"content_html":"Woke up and had breakfast since I had my last scheduled physiotherapy session and a consultation with the doctor. Had the usual egg breakfast (2 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, and mayo). Went to see the doctor, who did some assessments. My ankle is healing, and he suggested another round of physiotherapy sessions. He also gave the green light for light jogs and squatting, which made me very happy. Since I have overpronation, it’s another reason for ankle stability issues. He suggested using shoe inserts, but they’re quite expensive and usually not covered by insurance. Anyway, we decided to apply for insurance and see how it goes.\nMy overpronated feet measurements! Had my measurements taken, and it was quite late to cook lunch, so I had Kerala meals (rice, sambar, cabbage stir fry, fish fry, fish curry, and papadam) and a beef fry for lunch. Quite cheap—the whole meal cost less than yesterday’s ridiculous protein drink. The beef fry wasn’t necessary, but my brain played its games, and I couldn’t resist. Came home, had some oranges, and started work.\nKerala Fish Curry Meals Since the doctor suggested running, I decided to go for a short jog. Ran for 2.2 km ; it felt amazing, but my legs felt tight overall, probably because I haven’t run in a long time. Decided to walk a bit and order dinner. Walked for 5 km and ordered dinner from a nearby restaurant— the usual, grilled chicken, hummus, and bread.\nCharcoal Chicken Had dinner, spent some time with my wife, and went off to bed. Feeling amazing, probably due to the fact that I can run again. But I need to be careful!\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1797 Cal - Protien: 118g - Fibre: 17g - Carbs: 164g - Fats: 74g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.51g/kg - Steps: 6975 steps - Calories Burnt: 1026 Cal ","date_published":"2024-11-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/16/","summary":"Woke up and had breakfast since I had my last scheduled physiotherapy session and a consultation with the doctor. Had the usual egg breakfast (2 egg whites, 2 whole eggs, and mayo). Went to see the doctor, who did some assessments. My ankle is healing, and he suggested another round of physiotherapy sessions. He also gave the green light for light jogs and squatting, which made me very happy. Since I have overpronation, it’s another reason for ankle stability issues.","title":"I'm Running Again","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/16/"},{"content_html":"Woke up and decided to skip breakfast and head to the gym. It was a bad decision as I felt quite tired, especially once I started the deadlift session. Lesson learned: unless I\u0026rsquo;m going to the gym before 11 AM, never skip breakfast. I decided to get a quick energy boost and grabbed an oat drink from the gym\u0026rsquo;s shop. That turned out to be a mistake—I didn’t check the price and ended up paying 15 AED for a 250ml pack of oat shake. That\u0026rsquo;s a lot for the UAE, considering a can of Coke is just 2.5 AED and a 30g protein drink is 7 AED. It’s even double the price of the same drink in the UK! Felt like I got scammed.\nPull Up (Assisted) Set 1: −49.9 kg × 9 Set 2: −49.9 kg × 9 Set 3: −49.9 kg × 11 Bent Over Row (Barbell) Set 1: 20 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 25 kg × 10 Set 3: 30 kg × 10 Set 4: 35 kg × 10 Deadlift (Barbell) Set 1: 40 kg × 8 [Warm-up] Set 2: 50 kg × 8 Set 3: 55 kg × 8 Set 4: 60 kg × 8 Set 5: 65 kg × 8 Bicep Curl (Barbell) Set 1: 15 kg × 12 Set 2: 15 kg × 12 Set 3: 15 kg × 12 Crunch (Machine) Set 1: 5 kg × 12 Set 2: 5 kg × 12 Set 3: 10 kg × 8 Standing Calf Raise (Bodyweight) Set 1: 27 reps Set 2: 28 reps Set 3: 24 reps Earth\u0026rsquo;D Chocolate Oat Drink Low energy and motivation made for a poor gym session, likely due to the lack of breakfast. By the time I got to calf and ab workouts, I was really struggling. Left the gym and somehow craved a Kerala meal for lunch. When I got there, they had run out, and only mutton biryani was available. Ended up eating a subpar mutton biryani! Came home, did some work, and had a protein shake as an evening snack.\nMutton Biriyani It was Diwali eve, so my wife suggested we go to the city for some shopping. Went there but couldn’t find any clothes we liked, so we didn’t buy anything. Found a cute stall selling fried potatoes, so we ordered a medium portion. When we were in Dubai, Kamath restaurant was one of my wife’s favorites, so we decided to go there. The waiter messed up our order—apparently, it was his first day. We thought we were ordering something spicy as he suggested, but it turned out to be sweet. Luckily, a senior waiter stepped in before the order was placed, and we switched to safe options: burnt garlic fried rice, gobi manchurian as mains, and paneer hariyali tikka as a starter. The food was a disaster—probably the worst manchurian we’ve had. My wife is finding it hard to get good vegetarian food in Abu Dhabi. Felt upset, came home, had some oranges to relieve the uneasiness, and went to bed.\nCute Potatoes Overall, lots of carbs today, but not enough protein! It’s hard to meet the protein requirement, especially when having vegetarian food!\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1923 Cal - Protien: 77g - Fibre: 27g - Carbs: 190g - Fats: 99g - Protein/BW Ratio: 0.98g/kg - Steps: 13208 steps - Calories Burnt: 452 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-31T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/15/","summary":"Woke up and decided to skip breakfast and head to the gym. It was a bad decision as I felt quite tired, especially once I started the deadlift session. Lesson learned: unless I\u0026rsquo;m going to the gym before 11 AM, never skip breakfast. I decided to get a quick energy boost and grabbed an oat drink from the gym\u0026rsquo;s shop. That turned out to be a mistake—I didn’t check the price and ended up paying 15 AED for a 250ml pack of oat shake.","title":"Gym Rip-Off, Biryani Bust \u0026 Manchurian Fail","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/15/"},{"content_html":"Woke up and had breakfast for the first time in a long time. The usual: 2 whole boiled eggs and 2 boiled egg whites with some garlic mayo for flavor. Had some pending work, so went straight into it. Got on a call with a friend and caught up on a lot of things, but it lasted long, and I had a very late lunch at 3:30 PM. Lunch was some chapathi, some dal curry, 100g of pan-seared chicken breast, and some yogurt.\nCharcoal Chicken Back to work mode with a lot of pending tasks since it was newsletter publishing day as well. Had a banana for an evening snack and ordered charcoal chicken from outside. The portions were huge—280g of grilled chicken, 60g of hummus, and some garlic mayo.\nPublished the newsletter and slept peacefully, skipping the protein shake as I was quite dormant and had already hit my protein intake. I need to ensure that I get some movement on days like these!\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1921 Cal - Protien: 126g - Fibre: 13g - Carbs: 143g - Fats: 95g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.61g/kg - Steps: 6106 steps - Calories Burnt: 166 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-30T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/14/","summary":"Woke up and had breakfast for the first time in a long time. The usual: 2 whole boiled eggs and 2 boiled egg whites with some garlic mayo for flavor. Had some pending work, so went straight into it. Got on a call with a friend and caught up on a lot of things, but it lasted long, and I had a very late lunch at 3:30 PM. Lunch was some chapathi, some dal curry, 100g of pan-seared chicken breast, and some yogurt.","title":"Newsletter Hustle and Chicken Dinner","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/14/"},{"content_html":"I recently came across this interesting concept called the \u0026ldquo;Lindy Effect\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Lindy\u0026rsquo;s Law.\u0026rdquo; It is a phenomenon or a theory that suggests that the older something is, the more likely it is to continue existing far into the future. The longevity of non-perishable things—especially ideas, technologies, cultural artifacts, etc.—increases the chances of enduring even longer. From ancient philosophies to classic literature, traditional recipes, rituals, and age-old technologies, some things not only survive but become more likely to persist the longer they exist.\nThe Origin The Lindy\u0026rsquo;s location at Broadway and 51st Street; a look at the interior and the famous Lindy\u0026rsquo;s cheesecake. Source: Wiki The Lindy Effect originated at Lindy\u0026rsquo;s Deli in New York City, where regulars noticed that Broadway shows and acts that had been running longer were likely to continue for even longer. If a play had been running for a year, it was highly likely it would run for another year. Or, if a play had been running for a decade, chances were it would continue for another decade. The origin of the term can be traced back to journalist Albert Goldman, who wrote an article in 1964 titled \u0026ldquo;Lindy\u0026rsquo;s Law\u0026rdquo; in The New Republic , discussing this observation. Later, mathematician Benoit Mandelbrot in his 1982 book The Fractal Geometry of Nature, formalized this concept as the Lindy Effect, giving it a statistical basis and applying it to more than just show business. He observed that things not subject to biological aging, such as books, ideas, or technologies, seem to have an increasing chance of continued survival with each passing year. The idea was later popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book Antifragile , where he generalized the concept to apply to ideas, technologies, and other non-perishable entities.\nHow it Works The Lindy Effect is simple: for non-perishable things, longevity is an indicator of future resilience.\nNon-biological Aging: Unlike living beings, non-perishable entities such as books, technologies, cultural practices, etc., don’t undergo biological aging. A book’s paper may deteriorate, but its content and influence remain unaffected by biological factors. Thus, the survival of such non-perishable items over a time period suggests an ability to withstand external forces or competition, thereby increasing their probability of future endurance. If a book has been read for a hundred years, there’s no inherent reason it should stop being read tomorrow.\nLife Expectancy Increases with Age: At its core, the Lindy Effect proposes that the life expectancy of certain things is proportional to their current age. In simpler terms, if an idea, technology, or cultural artifact has existed for a certain amount of time, it’s likely to endure for an equivalent amount of time into the future. If a book has been read for 100 years, it’s likely to be read for another 100 years.\nPower Laws and Predictability: Mathematically, the Lindy Effect is related to power laws, which govern phenomena where longevity increases exponentially rather than linearly. This means that certain things, like ancient texts or enduring tools, gain future life expectancy as they age. For example, the durability of democracy as a form of governance over millennia suggests that it may continue to be practiced far into the future, despite societal changes.\n_If a book has been in print for forty years, I can expect it to be in print for another forty years. But, and that is the main difference, if it survives another decade, then it will be expected to be in print another fifty years. This, simply, as a rule, tells you why things that have been around for a long time are not “aging” like persons, but “aging” in reverse. Every year that passes without extinction doubles the additional life expectancy. This is an indicator of some robustness. The robustness of an item is proportional to its life!’\nNassim Taleb, the author of Antifragile .__ Some Examples While the theory and statistical explanations of the Lindy Effect seem complex, we see its effects in things we interact with and encounter in everyday life. Some examples include:\nTexts like The Iliad, The Odyssey, and ancient philosophies from figures like Confucius or Socrates that have survived for millennia. Works such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, and Meditations by Marcus Aurelius that have endured through centuries, proving their value and relevance across diverse cultures and eras. Core mathematical concepts, such as geometry from Euclid’s Elements or the Pythagorean theorem, which have remained fundamental for thousands of years, indicating they are likely to stay relevant in education and science. Precious metals like gold and silver, which have been considered stores of value for millennia. Their enduring popularity as \u0026ldquo;safe-haven\u0026rdquo; investments suggests they’ll remain valuable long-term. Simple tools like the hammer, knife, and wheel that have been used since ancient civilizations and are unlikely to be replaced, as they fulfill basic and essential functions. Recipes such as Italian pasta, Indian curry, or Japanese sushi that have withstood time, maintaining their popularity and cultural significance across generations and geography. Caveats While the Lindy Effect is compelling, it’s not a universal theory. Some caveats can limit its applicability and predictive power:\nThe Lindy Effect has a built-in survivorship bias, as it focuses only on entities that survived while ignoring those that didn’t. For instance, we may look at ancient philosophical texts that survived while ignoring countless others that have been lost or forgotten. The Lindy Effect doesn’t apply to everything. It’s only relevant for non-perishable entities, such as ideas, technologies, and cultural practices, and doesn’t apply to things with biological aging or natural obsolescence (e.g., humans, consumable goods, or software versions). It doesn’t account for disruptions or “black swan” events. For example, from 2001–2007, Nokia was the top mobile phone manufacturer in the world. If we applied Lindy’s principles, Nokia would likely have lasted another seven years. But in 2007, Apple disrupted the mobile industry with the iPhone, which ultimately led to Nokia’s decline. The Lindy Effect can sometimes lead to resistance against new, potentially beneficial innovations. By favoring the old simply because it has lasted, people might dismiss newer, potentially more efficient or valuable technologies and ideas. Some ideas or practices survive simply because they are deeply entrenched or institutionalized, sometimes without inherent value or adaptability. This can lead to outdated, non-optimal practices or ideas persisting beyond their useful life. Certain things may survive for centuries within a particular cultural or environmental context but may become obsolete if that context changes. For example, with the rise of mobile phones and internet communication, landlines have become nearly obsolete for most households. Though valuable in a specific era, shifts in technology and lifestyle made them unnecessary in today’s world. Living by the Lindy Effect Despite these limitations, the Lindy Effect can still offer practical insights for everyday decision-making. It can serve as a practical guide for making informed decisions with long-term value and resilience. Some ways the Lindy Effect can be applied in daily life include:\nRead timeless classics like The Odyssey, Pride and Prejudice, or 1984 to gain insights that have resonated across generations. Master traditional cooking skills like baking bread from scratch or making pasta by hand, techniques that have been enjoyed for centuries and add depth to home cooking. Invest in a quality kitchen knife that’s durable, easy to sharpen, and made to last, reducing the need for replacements over time. Develop a morning routine that includes journaling—a centuries-old habit practiced by figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Marcus Aurelius—to improve mindfulness and clarity. Learn foundational design principles in art and architecture that emphasize proportion, balance, and symmetry, which continue to influence modern aesthetics. Cultivate a reading habit with a mix of history and philosophy, such as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius or The Art of War, to gain perspective from timeless thinkers. Practice a classic board game like chess or Go to improve strategic thinking, as these games have challenged and entertained people for centuries. Adopt enduring technologies like HTML and CSS for web development; they form the backbone of the internet and are unlikely to become obsolete. Read my thoughts on evergreen blogs here . Invest in quality items like a durable pair of shoes or a classic watch that can last years, prioritizing long-term use over short-term trends. I see the Lindy Effect more as a mental framework than just a statistical concept. While we can dissect its principles, at its core, it’s about valuing resilience, depth, and quality over fleeting trends. Yet, this doesn’t mean holding onto things simply because they’ve always been there; it’s also about recognizing when change is necessary. Finding this balance allows us to build a life rooted in stability and timeless values, with room for growth and evolution\nReferences The Lindy Effect by Toby Ord, University of Oxford Lindy Effect: A Simple Heuristic To Predict Life Expectancy Lindy Effect - Wikipedia 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2024-10-29T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/lindy-effect/","summary":"I recently came across this interesting concept called the \u0026ldquo;Lindy Effect\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Lindy\u0026rsquo;s Law.\u0026rdquo; It is a phenomenon or a theory that suggests that the older something is, the more likely it is to continue existing far into the future. The longevity of non-perishable things—especially ideas, technologies, cultural artifacts, etc.—increases the chances of enduring even longer. From ancient philosophies to classic literature, traditional recipes, rituals, and age-old technologies, some things not only survive but become more likely to persist the longer they exist.","title":"The Lindy Effect: Why Things That Last, Last Longer","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/lindy-effect/"},{"content_html":"Had to wake up early because I had an appointment with the physio. Normal scenes there, and on the way back, decided to walk barefoot in the park. It was very ironic to see a palm tree in a green pasture!\nNo breakfast and decided to hit the gym directly!\nBench Press (Barbell) Set 1: 20 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 30 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 3: 30 kg × 10 Set 4: 35 kg × 10 Incline Chest Press (Machine) Set 1: 13.6 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 22.7 kg × 10 Set 3: 22.7 kg × 10 Set 4: 22.7 kg × 10 Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) Set 1: 2.5 kg × 12 [Warm-up] Set 2: 5 kg × 10 Set 3: 5 kg × 12 Set 4: 5 kg × 12 Leg Press Set 1: 50 kg × 8 Set 2: 60 kg × 10 Set 3: 70 kg × 10 Set 4: 80 kg × 10 Knee Raise (Captain\u0026#39;s Chair) Set 1: 20 reps Set 2: 20 reps Set 3: 22 reps Standing Calf Raise (Bodyweight) Set 1: 30 reps Set 2: 28 reps Set 3: 25 reps I was still feeling some pain and uneasiness in the wrist joint, especially while twisting. So I was careful while doing bench press. All the grip videos on YouTube, they are not really helping me. I feel quite weird lifting with my knuckles facing the ceiling. Maybe I’ve been lifting wrong all this while. Over to the overhead press and, geez, I realized I didn’t mess up my wrist while doing bench press, but overhead press was the culprit. Couldn’t risk it further, so I decided to go for lateral raises. Did some leg press instead of leg extensions today and was out of the gym quickly.\nLunch with King Fish Fry On the way back, grabbed some king fish fry as protein for lunch along with some leftover rice, spinach, and some gravy. No evening snack, and dinner was chapathi, chicken breast, and some black gram stir fry.\nHad a protein shake before bed and off to sleep.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1400 Cal - Protien: 115g - Fibre: 21g - Carbs: 159g - Fats: 35g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.47g/kg - Steps: 8688 steps - Calories Burnt: 361 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-29T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/13/","summary":"Had to wake up early because I had an appointment with the physio. Normal scenes there, and on the way back, decided to walk barefoot in the park. It was very ironic to see a palm tree in a green pasture!\nNo breakfast and decided to hit the gym directly!\nBench Press (Barbell) Set 1: 20 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 30 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 3: 30 kg × 10 Set 4: 35 kg × 10 Incline Chest Press (Machine) Set 1: 13.","title":"Wrist Woes and King Fish","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/13/"},{"content_html":"Director: C. Prem Kumar\nRating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★☆☆ Direction\n★★☆☆☆ Script\n★★★★☆ Performances\n★★★☆☆ Cinematography\n★★☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nA feel-good, heartwarming movie with great performances and an average script. I think such movies should not be dissected for technicality. It\u0026rsquo;s a simple movie, a tale of two men with not much of a storyline. Don’t think too much—it makes you feel warm and nostalgic at times.\nComing to the performances, Karthi and Arvind Swamy killed it with their rapport. I even teased my wife, saying that maybe Vijay Sethupathi should learn acting from Arvind Swamy , considering my disappointment watching Maharaja . The cinematography was decent, with some beautiful shots. There’s nothing much to say about the direction; there were moments where I felt it was too cringe or unnecessary, \u0026nbsp; especially the bride scene on the stage, the bull-fight part and also the cobra thing. I also felt that the intro scene were they were moving was too long and boring . The script lacked depth, but they probably meant for this movie to be light.\nA great one-time watch!\nUpdate 29-10-2024: I read on Reddit that almost 20 minutes were cut from the original theatrical release to address the movie\u0026rsquo;s lagginess. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure why!\nWatched on 27-10-2024 on Netfllix.\nReview wrrited on: 28-10-2024\n","date_published":"2024-10-28T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/meiyazhagan/","summary":"A shot review of Meiyazhagan(2024) Tamil Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Meiyazhagan(2024) Tamil Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/meiyazhagan/"},{"content_html":"Thanks to yesterday\u0026rsquo;s movie , I woke up pretty late. Decided to skip breakfast and have a banana instead. Had some work to do, so went for a chicken shawarma downstairs. Apparently, they put only 90g of chicken in the shawarma. Too little, ain\u0026rsquo;t it?\nNo evening snacks, and dinner was simple: some rice, some pan-seared chicken breast, leftover spinach from yesterday, and dal curry. Post-dinner, had 2 oranges and went for a 5km walk .\nOverall, very few calories, so felt decent considering I did some movement.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1093 Cal - Protien: 102g - Fibre: 15g - Carbs: 123g - Fats: 21g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.30g/kg - Steps: 7969 steps - Calories Burnt: 491 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-28T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/12/","summary":"Thanks to yesterday\u0026rsquo;s movie , I woke up pretty late. Decided to skip breakfast and have a banana instead. Had some work to do, so went for a chicken shawarma downstairs. Apparently, they put only 90g of chicken in the shawarma. Too little, ain\u0026rsquo;t it?\nNo evening snacks, and dinner was simple: some rice, some pan-seared chicken breast, leftover spinach from yesterday, and dal curry. Post-dinner, had 2 oranges and went for a 5km walk .","title":"Nothing happened today","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/12/"},{"content_html":"Woke up late and skipped breakfast as usual! Since yesterday was quite chicken-heavy, I decided to go for veggies for lunch. Had some rice with 3 boiled eggs, cauliflower stir-fry, and spinach stir-fry. After lunch, I mostly rested and had a few almonds and a Brazil nut for an evening snack.\nAlmost Medium-Rare I was craving something meaty and found a good deal on a rib-eye steak. It arrived within 10 minutes, thanks to hyper-delivery services these days. I’m no steak expert, but I feel I did a decent job considering my non-stick pan. Had the steak with some leftover rice and a fried egg.\nDecided to watch a movie with my wife and ended up snacking on some Lays and half a can of Coke. Ended the day with a protein shake, regretting a day spent entirely on the couch.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 2169 Cal - Protien: 109g - Fibre: 9g - Carbs: 169g - Fats: 118g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.39g/kg - Steps: 388 steps - Calories Burnt: 7 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-27T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/11/","summary":"Woke up late and skipped breakfast as usual! Since yesterday was quite chicken-heavy, I decided to go for veggies for lunch. Had some rice with 3 boiled eggs, cauliflower stir-fry, and spinach stir-fry. After lunch, I mostly rested and had a few almonds and a Brazil nut for an evening snack.\nAlmost Medium-Rare I was craving something meaty and found a good deal on a rib-eye steak. It arrived within 10 minutes, thanks to hyper-delivery services these days.","title":"Rib-Eye, Rest, and Regret","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/11/"},{"content_html":"With yesterday\u0026rsquo;s carb- and fat-heavy dinner, I decided to skip breakfast and go to the gym on an empty stomach. Had a decent session, but the lack of food and energy was clearly visible in my sets, especially toward the end, as I couldn\u0026rsquo;t push much in the core and bicep workouts.\nPull Up (Assisted) Set 1: −59 kg × 10 Set 2: −54.5 kg × 10 Set 3: −49.9 kg × 9 Set 4: −49.9 kg × 9 Set 5: −49.9 kg × 8 Bent Over Row (Barbell) Set 1: 20 kg × 10 Set 2: 25 kg × 10 Set 3: 30 kg × 10 Set 4: 30 kg × 10 Deadlift (Barbell) Set 1: 30 kg × 8 [Warm-up] Set 2: 40 kg × 8 [Warm-up] Set 3: 50 kg × 8 Set 4: 55 kg × 8 Set 5: 60 kg × 8 Set 6: 60 kg × 8 Crunch (Machine) Set 1: 5 kg × 12 Set 2: 10 kg × 8 Set 3: 5 kg × 13 Preacher Curl (Machine) Set 1: 0 kg × 11 Set 2: 2.5 kg × 9 Set 3: 2.5 kg × 9 Standing Calf Raise (Bodyweight) Set 1: 27 reps Set 2: 28 reps Set 3: 25 reps Chicken Mandi I was super hungry on the way back, so I grabbed a Chicken Mandi from a local restaurant. Ended up having 250g of chicken with some mandi rice. Had 2 leftover kaju katlis from yesterday and then went for a nap.\nWoke up feeling quite energetic and decided to go for a 5.4 km walk . I wasn’t in the mood for cooking, so I grabbed some grilled chicken for dinner. Had the grilled chicken with some hummus and garlic mayo. My wife had ordered some pani puri, so I had a few for fun.\nOverall, it was a decent day in terms of workout, but there was a lot of chicken and protein. It wasn’t intentional, but hopefully, it will balance out yesterday\u0026rsquo;s deficit. I’m not really sure about the science, but I guess too much protein in a meal might be expelled by the body without being fully utilized, or maybe even converted to fat!\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 2044 Cal - Protien: 151g - Fibre: 9g - Carbs: 115g - Fats: 106g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.93g/kg - Steps: 16030 steps - Calories Burnt: 931 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-26T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/10/","summary":"With yesterday\u0026rsquo;s carb- and fat-heavy dinner, I decided to skip breakfast and go to the gym on an empty stomach. Had a decent session, but the lack of food and energy was clearly visible in my sets, especially toward the end, as I couldn\u0026rsquo;t push much in the core and bicep workouts.\nPull Up (Assisted) Set 1: −59 kg × 10 Set 2: −54.5 kg × 10 Set 3: −49.9 kg × 9 Set 4: −49.","title":"The Protein Revenge","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/10/"},{"content_html":"Skipped breakfast and worked all morning. Decided to go straight for lunch with yesterday\u0026rsquo;s beef, gobi manchurian, and cauliflower leftovers. Had that and worked for the rest of the evening.\nSince it was Friday, my wife decided we should go for a South Indian vegetarian dinner at Sangeetha\u0026rsquo;s. The thing is, I don\u0026rsquo;t hate vegetarian food, but the fact is it\u0026rsquo;s just full of carbs, which isn’t ideal with my current fitness goals. Nevertheless, I decided to go for it.\nDosa is BIG Had a podi masala dosa along with a portion of kothu porotta. Dosa is a savory crepe made with fermented batter, and podi masala dosa is filled with mashed potatoes in masala, sprinkled with a spice blend. Porotta is a South Indian flatbread made with refined flour, which is not very healthy. Kothu porotta is essentially a stir-fry of porotta with some veggies. A friend joined us for dinner, and on the way back, somehow the waiter convinced me to purchase some sweets ( kaju katli ).\nTalked with my friend for a while and decided to walk 4.5 km back home to burn off some of those calories. Surprisingly, by the end of the day, I was still hungry and still at a calorie deficit. I highly doubt this since tracking calories for complex Indian food is a tricky affair.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1422 Cal - Protien: 48g - Fibre: 13g - Carbs: 145g - Fats: 75g - Protein/BW Ratio: 0.61g/kg - Steps: 6746 steps - Calories Burnt: 371 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-25T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/9/","summary":"Skipped breakfast and worked all morning. Decided to go straight for lunch with yesterday\u0026rsquo;s beef, gobi manchurian, and cauliflower leftovers. Had that and worked for the rest of the evening.\nSince it was Friday, my wife decided we should go for a South Indian vegetarian dinner at Sangeetha\u0026rsquo;s. The thing is, I don\u0026rsquo;t hate vegetarian food, but the fact is it\u0026rsquo;s just full of carbs, which isn’t ideal with my current fitness goals.","title":"The Carb(\u0026Fat) Overload","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/9/"},{"content_html":"Woke up a bit early; my wrist was still a mess, so I decided to skip the gym. Had the usual breakfast: 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites with some mayonnaise. Lunch was chapathi, pan-seared chicken breast, and gobi masala.\nFor an evening snack, I had some almonds, Brazil nuts, and a mandarin. For dinner, my wife decided to order from a Kerala restaurant that I like a lot. The thing with Kerala restaurants is that the veg food can be hit or miss. My beef tawa masala was delicious, but her gobi manchurian was a disaster—peppery with a weird sauce flavor. She didn’t even touch it, so I had to eat a portion of it. Ended up having a can of Coke and a KitKat. I think I really have a sweet tooth.\nWith all the gobi manchurian guilt in me, I went for a 7.3 km walk . Had a protein shake before bed, then off to sleep.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 17220749 Cal - Protien: 138g - Fibre: 18g - Carbs: 204g - Fats: 18g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.76g/kg - Steps: 10968 steps - Calories Burnt: 552 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-24T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/8/","summary":"Woke up a bit early; my wrist was still a mess, so I decided to skip the gym. Had the usual breakfast: 2 whole eggs and 2 egg whites with some mayonnaise. Lunch was chapathi, pan-seared chicken breast, and gobi masala.\nFor an evening snack, I had some almonds, Brazil nuts, and a mandarin. For dinner, my wife decided to order from a Kerala restaurant that I like a lot. The thing with Kerala restaurants is that the veg food can be hit or miss.","title":"Gobi Manchurian went wrong","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/8/"},{"content_html":"Woke up very late since I slept late at 3 AM. Decided again to skip breakfast and go directly for lunch. Gym session was not possible as expected due to the sore wrist. Made some ground beef with eggs, had it with chapatis along with yesterday\u0026rsquo;s dal curry and cauliflower stir-fry. Ended up eating the whole ground beef, which was approximately 200g cooked!\nGround Beef with Eggs Rest of the day was mostly busy with lots of work and was sedentary most of the day. Had 5 almonds and a Brazil nut as a snack in the evening. Skipped the shake since lunch was protein-heavy.\nDinner was some quick stir-fried chicken cubes with a chapati and some dal. Had a few oranges post-dinner for something sweet and the day was almost over. Was feeling a bit hungry later, so I had a protein shake to end the day.\nA super sedentary day I regret, but decided not to go for a walk late at night and start fresh tomorrow.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1729 Cal - Protien: 116g - Fibre: 26g - Carbs: 196g - Fats: 57g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.48g/kg - Steps: 1368 steps - Calories Burnt: 31 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-23T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/7/","summary":"Woke up very late since I slept late at 3 AM. Decided again to skip breakfast and go directly for lunch. Gym session was not possible as expected due to the sore wrist. Made some ground beef with eggs, had it with chapatis along with yesterday\u0026rsquo;s dal curry and cauliflower stir-fry. Ended up eating the whole ground beef, which was approximately 200g cooked!\nGround Beef with Eggs Rest of the day was mostly busy with lots of work and was sedentary most of the day.","title":"Beef Feast \u0026 Zero Movement","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/7/"},{"content_html":"Woke up feeling better than yesterday but had only 5.5 hours of sleep. Had to eventually wake up because I had an appointment with the physiotherapist for my ankle sprain . Quickly ate 2 egg whites and whole boiled eggs and went for the session. Returned, had a coffee for energy and also a banana before the gym session. Felt good after hitting the gym in a while.\nBench Press (Barbell) Set 1: 20 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 30 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 3: 35 kg × 10 Set 4: 40 kg × 7 Set 5: 40 kg × 10 Incline Chest Press (Machine) Set 1: 9.1 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 13.6 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 3: 22.7 kg × 10 Set 4: 27.7 kg × 10 Set 5: 22.7 kg × 10 Overhead Press (Barbell) Set 1: 20 kg × 8 Set 2: 20 kg × 8 Set 3: 25 kg × 8 Set 4: 25 kg × 7 Leg Extension (Machine) Set 1: 21 kg × 8 [Warm-up] Set 2: 28 kg × 8 [Warm-up] Set 3: 42 kg × 8 Set 4: 49 kg × 8 Set 5: 56 kg × 8 Knee Raise (Captain\u0026#39;s Chair) Set 1: 15 reps Set 2: 15 reps Set 3: 23 reps Standing Calf Raise (Bodyweight) Set 1: 25 reps Set 2: 25 reps Set 3: 25 reps Decent session with some improvements in bench press. My left wrist is aching, probably due to a strain from a poor grip. I need to improve on that, particularly on the flat bench press. Overhead press is stagnant as usual, but I think it takes time. I can see definite progress in both knee raises and calf raises. Leg extension, as always, is progressing. I\u0026rsquo;m missing squats, but that has to wait considering the ankle injury.\nCame back, had no time to cook as a few meetings were lined up, so picked up a chicken shawarma from Uncle Shawerma . Topped it with some yogurt and honey. Had a protein shake in the evening along with 5 almonds and a Brazil nut. Dinner consisted of 150g of rice, 200g of leftover chicken from yesterday, 100g of cauliflower stir-fry, and some oranges.\nUncle shawarma Post dinner, went for a short 5km walk , listening to a video explaining parallel worlds .\nAn uneventful day, but quite decent considering the last couple of days. Protein intake is showing a bit on the higher side, probably due to the miscalculation from the 300g shawarma at lunch. Wrist still hurts, can\u0026rsquo;t rotate it much, let\u0026rsquo;s see if I can do pull-ups and deadlifts tomorrow.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1775 Cal - Protien: 181g - Fibre: 18g - Carbs: 170g - Fats: 43g - Protein/BW Ratio: 2.32g/kg - Steps: 14014 steps - Calories Burnt: 679 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-22T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/6/","summary":"Woke up feeling better than yesterday but had only 5.5 hours of sleep. Had to eventually wake up because I had an appointment with the physiotherapist for my ankle sprain . Quickly ate 2 egg whites and whole boiled eggs and went for the session. Returned, had a coffee for energy and also a banana before the gym session. Felt good after hitting the gym in a while.\nBench Press (Barbell) Set 1: 20 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 30 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 3: 35 kg × 10 Set 4: 40 kg × 7 Set 5: 40 kg × 10 Incline Chest Press (Machine) Set 1: 9.","title":"Bench Press, Wrist Mess, and Protein Excess","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/6/"},{"content_html":"Woke up pretty hungover and had no energy to go to the gym or work. Regretted with every cell in my body why I took the initiative to drink on a Sunday night and start the week so low. Had some tea, then 2 egg whites and 2 whole eggs boiled with some mayonnaise for breakfast. Took a shower after ruminating on the couch for a while and felt better.\nHad some leftover rice from yesterday and ate it along with some beef fry and fish curry. Finished lunch with some yogurt and honey.\nChicken with tomatoes - 10min prep Had a couple of meetings, so couldn’t go for a walk but decided to eat healthy for dinner. Pan-grilled some chicken strips with tomato and had it with the leftover rice from yesterday. Opened the fridge and found half a Kinder Bueno and ate it without any hesitation. Had some blackberries post-lunch and two spoons of samosa chaat my wife ordered.\nOverall in a calorie deficit today, but mood was quite low due to the hangover and no movement at all. Slept late thanks to a late coffee, with a hope that tomorrow will be better.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1394 Cal - Protien: 89g - Fibre: 8g - Carbs: 168g - Fats: 43g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.14g/kg - Steps: 1011 steps - Calories Burnt: 13 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-21T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/5/","summary":"Woke up pretty hungover and had no energy to go to the gym or work. Regretted with every cell in my body why I took the initiative to drink on a Sunday night and start the week so low. Had some tea, then 2 egg whites and 2 whole eggs boiled with some mayonnaise for breakfast. Took a shower after ruminating on the couch for a while and felt better.","title":"The Hangover Story","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/5/"},{"content_html":"Woke up late, chilled around, and decided to skip breakfast again considering how carb-heavy yesterday\u0026rsquo;s dinner was. Did some cleaning, got a head massage from my wife, and took a nice bath. Decided to order lunch and ended up ordering beef fry and something called \u0026lsquo;Uruliyiloottu.\u0026rsquo; I\u0026rsquo;ve never had this dish in Kerala, but I think it\u0026rsquo;s some sort of invention by the Kerala restaurants in the Middle East. It\u0026rsquo;s basically rice mixed with spicy fish gravy, with some beef roast, chicken roast, and fish fry on the side. Since there was an offer, I ordered an extra beef fry as well. The portions were too big, so I ate some and kept the rest for later.\nUruliyiloottu Took a nap and chilled all evening. Somehow, an impromptu plan came up, and we decided to go out drinking on a Sunday night as there was happy hour until 10 PM. Reached there at 9 PM and realized that they changed the offer, and happy hour was only until 8 PM. I had a pint of Stella and Hoegaarden. Had lots of complimentary peanuts and a portion of breaded jalapeños which tasted more like bread than jalapeños. Had a good time, and on my way back, I talked to the manager about the whole happy hour thing. He offered us a complimentary pint each as a token of compensation. Third pint of the day, and I could really feel that I\u0026rsquo;m getting old. Before I could tell, he poured me Hoegaarden when I wanted to have BrewDog\u0026rsquo;s Punk IPA. Next time!\nHappy Hour Came home almost wasted, drank lots of water. Was feeling hungry after a while and had a small portion of leftover rice and the beef fry.\nA not-so-good day in terms of health. I will regret this tomorrow.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 2049 Cal - Protien: 83g - Fibre: 13g - Carbs: 227g - Fats: 54g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.06g/kg - Steps: 3979 steps - Calories Burnt: 91 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-20T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/4/","summary":"Woke up late, chilled around, and decided to skip breakfast again considering how carb-heavy yesterday\u0026rsquo;s dinner was. Did some cleaning, got a head massage from my wife, and took a nice bath. Decided to order lunch and ended up ordering beef fry and something called \u0026lsquo;Uruliyiloottu.\u0026rsquo; I\u0026rsquo;ve never had this dish in Kerala, but I think it\u0026rsquo;s some sort of invention by the Kerala restaurants in the Middle East. It\u0026rsquo;s basically rice mixed with spicy fish gravy, with some beef roast, chicken roast, and fish fry on the side.","title":"Happy Hour and lots of Beer","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/4/"},{"content_html":"Had a decent night of sleep and relaxed all morning. Decided to skip breakfast and go directly for lunch. Wife made some noodles with scrambled eggs and then went for a nap.\nWoke up super hungry and decided to have yesterday\u0026rsquo;s leftover chicken. Ended up eating 300g of chicken :)\nVada Paav and Paav Bhaji Wife was craving some chaat, and we decided to go to a place called Chaat Junction with a lot of people hyping it up. Turned out to be just okay. Had some pav bhaji, 2 pani puris, and half a vada pav. Somehow, the waiter convinced me to order a custard apple cream dessert. Had a few spoons of it and packed it.\nDecided to go to Corniche Beach to get some steps in and also burn off the carb-heavy dinner we just had. Ironically, we ended up having ice cream from ColdStone. Did a short walk of 4km , came back, had a few spoons of the dessert, and off to sleep.\nI was supposed to go to the gym today but somehow convinced myself to skip it and just relax. Not much regret, but yeah, lots of carbs. Also, I feel these calories bit off, especially for Indian food.\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 1974 Cal - Protien: 108g - Fibre: 9.8g - Carbs: 188.2g - Fats: 84.3g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.38g/kg - Steps: 12316 steps - Calories Burnt: 611 Cal ","date_published":"2024-10-19T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/3/","summary":"Had a decent night of sleep and relaxed all morning. Decided to skip breakfast and go directly for lunch. Wife made some noodles with scrambled eggs and then went for a nap.\nWoke up super hungry and decided to have yesterday\u0026rsquo;s leftover chicken. Ended up eating 300g of chicken :)\nVada Paav and Paav Bhaji Wife was craving some chaat, and we decided to go to a place called Chaat Junction with a lot of people hyping it up.","title":"Chicken, Chaat and Beach","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/3/"},{"content_html":"On my way back from the physiotherapist, I decided to walk home through a nearby park. After living in a concrete jungle for almost a year, it felt amazing to see and walk through greenery. While it was risky, I decided to walk barefoot through the grass. I noticed a few people looking at me — I mean, it\u0026rsquo;s not a common sight in a city like Abu Dhabi to see someone walking barefoot in a park, holding their slides in hand. But who cares, it felt amazing. The sprinklers were on, and the grass was wet in a few spots, which made it even better. It brought back memories from my childhood, where we used to play barefoot and walk on the grass without a care in the world.\nThe Feeling was Amazing While I don’t agree or believe in all the tribalism around barefoot walking and the BS about grounding and such, I have to admit it felt amazing. Maybe it’s just the sensation of the earth directly under your feet. I think I\u0026rsquo;ll do it again!\nI\u0026rsquo;ve seen so many weirdos, especially Westerners, walking barefoot in the mountains, claiming the health benefits of barefoot walking. I mean, I agree that shoes can compress your toes and all, but walking barefoot in the mountains? That doesn’t make sense. There are many adverse health effects related to it. If you don’t believe me, read what the experts say .\nLong story short, it felt amazing, and I might do it again. But I need to be careful because I can’t afford another ankle sprain, especially with winter around the corner and the weather getting better.\n","date_published":"2024-10-18T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/journal/barefoot-walking/","summary":"On my way back from the physiotherapist, I decided to walk home through a nearby park. After living in a concrete jungle for almost a year, it felt amazing to see and walk through greenery. While it was risky, I decided to walk barefoot through the grass. I noticed a few people looking at me — I mean, it\u0026rsquo;s not a common sight in a city like Abu Dhabi to see someone walking barefoot in a park, holding their slides in hand.","title":"Barefoot Walking","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/journal/barefoot-walking/"},{"content_html":"Slept just 5 hours yesterday and woke up early with a headache. Couldn\u0026rsquo;t sleep more as I had an appointment for my 4th physiotherapy session for my ankle sprain .\nHad just a green tea and went for the session. On my way back, I walked barefoot in the nearby park and it felt amazing. On the bus, I randomly watched a short video and it triggered a huge craving for porotta for breakfast. Went to the nearby restaurant and had 2 porottas and a beef curry for breakfast. Porotta has loads of calories, so I regretted it immediately.\nDecided to skip lunch due to the carb-heavy breakfast. Had 2 cups of coffee and a banana as an evening snack. Was feeling a bit hungry, so I had my protein shake.\nMy wife decided to order some chaat (Indian savoury snacks!), so I had a few bites of samosa chaat, vada pav, and 2 pani puris.\nDinner was simple:\n150g of baked chicken 150g of baked carrots with garlic 1 orange Baked Chicken, Carrot and Garlic for Dinner Post-dinner, I went for a 6km walk .\nStats for the day - Total Calories: 2049 Cal - Protien: 97g - Fibre: 20g - Carbs: 209g - Fats: 94g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.24g/kg - Steps: 14446 steps - Calories Burnt: 584 Cal As per my goals, I need to limit my calorie intake to somewhere around 1800 calories, and today I failed again. The biggest culprit was the heavy breakfast in the morning, which ruined everything. I was craving some yogurt after my walk, but I couldn\u0026rsquo;t have it since I was already in a calorie surplus.\n","date_published":"2024-10-18T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/2/","summary":"Slept just 5 hours yesterday and woke up early with a headache. Couldn\u0026rsquo;t sleep more as I had an appointment for my 4th physiotherapy session for my ankle sprain .\nHad just a green tea and went for the session. On my way back, I walked barefoot in the nearby park and it felt amazing. On the bus, I randomly watched a short video and it triggered a huge craving for porotta for breakfast.","title":"The Porotta Regret","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/2/"},{"content_html":"Woke up bit wonky after a not-so good sleep. Had a carb heavy meal so decided to skip breakfast.\nGreen tea, banana and off to gym.\nLat Pulldown (Cable) Set 1: 15 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 25 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 3: 35 kg × 10 Set 4: 35 kg × 10 Set 5: 40 kg × 8 Seated Row (Cable) Set 1: 25 kg × 12 [Warm-up] Set 2: 30 kg × 12 Set 3: 35 kg × 12 Set 4: 35 kg × 12 Set 5: 35 kg × 12 Deadlift (Barbell) Set 1: 40 kg × 8 [Warm-up] Set 2: 45 kg × 8 Set 3: 50 kg × 8 Set 4: 55 kg × 8 Set 5: 60 kg × 8 Set 6: 60 kg × 8 Preacher Curl (Machine) Set 1: 0 kg × 12 Set 2: 2.5 kg × 12 Set 3: 2.5 kg × 9 Crunch (Machine) Set 1: 5 kg × 12 Set 2: 5 kg × 12 Set 3: 5 kg × 12 Standing Calf Raise (Bodyweight) Set 1: 20 reps Set 2: 20 reps Set 3: 20 reps Decent day at the gym. My form on deadlifts is still wobbly due to the ankle sprain. I could have gone for 65 kg on the last set but decided not to push my body too much. Calf strength is building up—I could easily do 20 reps each set. I\u0026rsquo;m still not ready to do weighted calf raises or seated calf raises due to the ankle pain rehab . As always, the preacher curl machine in this gym destroys my biceps. Uff!\nCame home and had a protein shake with creatine. The Dymatize Protein is very sweet, too sweet for my liking, to be honest. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure how creatine works, but I can feel that my strength has increased ever since I started taking it. Whether it\u0026rsquo;s a placebo effect or an overall improvement of the mind-body connection is something to investigate.\nLunch was simple:\n100g of sauteed chicken breast with tomato 100g of black chickpea stir fry(കടല മെഴുക്കുപുരട്ടി) 120g of boiled rice 150g of yogurt with 15g honey Lunch Had an apple as an evening snack. Wifey came with some Aloo Bhujia and Kinder Bueno. Couldn\u0026rsquo;t resist the urge.\nWent for a walk afterward—a solid walk of approximately 6 km.\nCame back and had dinner, but went a bit overboard with the rice:\n250g of white rice 100g of chicken 150g of black chickpea stir fry(കടല മെഴുക്കുപുരട്ടി) 50g of potato stir fry (ഉരുളക്കിഴങ്ങ് മെഴുക്കുപുരട്ടി) 50g of dal curry 1 Kitkat finger 1 Orange Stats for the day - Total Calories: 2176 Cal - Protien: 110g - Fibre: 41g - Carbs: 298g - Fats: 61g - Protein/BW Ratio: 1.41g/kg - Steps: 12796 steps - Calories Burnt: 648 Cal Not a good day in terms of diet. I went overboard as I should ideally stay under 1700 Cal. I need to be more disciplined.\n","date_published":"2024-10-17T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/1/","summary":"Woke up bit wonky after a not-so good sleep. Had a carb heavy meal so decided to skip breakfast.\nGreen tea, banana and off to gym.\nLat Pulldown (Cable) Set 1: 15 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 2: 25 kg × 10 [Warm-up] Set 3: 35 kg × 10 Set 4: 35 kg × 10 Set 5: 40 kg × 8 Seated Row (Cable) Set 1: 25 kg × 12 [Warm-up] Set 2: 30 kg × 12 Set 3: 35 kg × 12 Set 4: 35 kg × 12 Set 5: 35 kg × 12 Deadlift (Barbell) Set 1: 40 kg × 8 [Warm-up] Set 2: 45 kg × 8 Set 3: 50 kg × 8 Set 4: 55 kg × 8 Set 5: 60 kg × 8 Set 6: 60 kg × 8 Preacher Curl (Machine) Set 1: 0 kg × 12 Set 2: 2.","title":"I walked a lot, then ate a lot of Rice","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/fitness-log/1/"},{"content_html":"When I think about this blog, I see it as more than just a collection of posts. To me, this blog itself is an artwork, something that evolves with me over time. Nothing here is original—it\u0026rsquo;s heavily inspired by numerous blogs from the wild corners of the internet. Like any other art piece, every inch of this website is crafted carefully with vision, attention, and reason.\nIn today\u0026rsquo;s social media, AI-bloated web, personal blogs like these bring me immense joy—those aha moments when I discover a random blog are truly magical. These weird, seemingly meaningless blogs about something random—people creating one million checkboxes , cleaning a Birkenstock, showering in Antarctica , or documenting their lives for no one but themselves—are fascinating. I often spend countless hours hopping between blogs in webrings , mesmerized by the sheer randomness of human experiences.\nThe Diary of Merer : A logbook written approx. 4500 years ago ; Source: X.com While today\u0026rsquo;s web is dominated by algorithms forcing content upon us, this blog is where I have complete control. I\u0026rsquo;m the master here; I can write about anything, in any way, without worrying about pleasing an audience or an algorithm. This autonomy is liberating and essential for my self-expression. One thing I find empowering is the ability to delete all of this in one go. I\u0026rsquo;m the creator, curator, and destroyer of this space. While I know sites like the Wayback Machine might archive it, I still hold the power to pull the plug from the original domain. At its core, this website is a collection of HTML files with some CSS and unnecessary JS spit out by Hugo, with boatloads of dependencies. To learn more, read the colophon .\nAs with any art, this blog will evolve. There’s no fixed definition of what it should be or how it should look. It is truly nicheless—fluid and changing as I grow. This blog is all about self-expression, capturing who I am at any given moment. Over time, I envision it becoming a comprehensive documentation—a wiki of my life. Everything I learn, read, watch, and aspire to do will find a place here. It will be a repository of my existence, a digital archive of my thoughts and experiences.\nLike every human being, I do enjoy fame, recognition, or attention. While I appreciate traffic to my projects and feedback on my work, at its core, this is a deeply personal project. It is an evolving organism, taking multiple forms, growing, and eventually, like all things, it will die. This could happen if Cloudflare goes bankrupt or if the domain expires and I can’t renew it forever. I would love to make this blog immortal and evergreen, especially given that 25% of webpages posted between 2013 and 2023 have vanished from the internet. I wish there were a service that pools money from investors to ensure the longevity of their blogs. I wrote more about this in my journal recently.\nThis blog is a testament to my life, my thoughts, and my creativity. It is my greatest art, a living, breathing entity that will continue to evolve as long as I do. And when its time comes, it will be a beautiful reflection of a life well-lived, a masterpiece in its own right..\nThe web needs more weirdness. And more excitement. And more personality.\nSO GET OUT THERE AND MAKE A FUCKING DYNAMIC WEBSITE.\nTHERE\u0026rsquo;S NOTHING STOPPING YOU.\nYOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID.\n10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND\nWITH MUCH LOVE.\n~ JES Somewhat inpsired by I love my website too I love my website Articles - Adactio Why You Should Start a Blog Right Now 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2024-10-12T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/blog-art/","summary":"When I think about this blog, I see it as more than just a collection of posts. To me, this blog itself is an artwork, something that evolves with me over time. Nothing here is original—it\u0026rsquo;s heavily inspired by numerous blogs from the wild corners of the internet. Like any other art piece, every inch of this website is crafted carefully with vision, attention, and reason.\nIn today\u0026rsquo;s social media, AI-bloated web, personal blogs like these bring me immense joy—those aha moments when I discover a random blog are truly magical.","title":"My Blog is My Greatest Art","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/blog-art/"},{"content_html":"I often think about the longevity of my blog and other blogs. There are endless blogs on the internet, where people write about random things and document tiny parts of their lives with no reason. While this may seem unimportant at present, for future generations, this can give a glimpse of how life was in the past. With history being rewritten for selfish gains, these kinds of blogs do need to be evergreen and survive over time. Talking about the technology of blogs these days that are JS-heavy and whether they survive the test of time would be a whole other discussion for another day. But I do believe blogs that primarily rely on HTML/CSS would endure and survive over the years.\nWhile there are sites like Wayback Machine, there are high chances that these services would be taken down by some weird lawsuit from some publisher. So the question arises, how do I ensure that my blog stays online forever? Here are some concerns:\nHow can I keep the domain renewed forever? How do I ensure that my hosting never goes down? I could set up a trust or something, hoping that it would take care of this forever. But does it make sense to set up a trust for this simple task? So I had an idea\u0026hellip;\nPool some money from people who are interested in keeping their site up forever. Let\u0026rsquo;s call this the \u0026lsquo;Evergreen Webring.\u0026rsquo; All the money goes into a company/fund/trust that manages the fund and invests in ETFs or other financial instruments that give a return. While alive or until they can afford it, all members should pay for the hosting as well as the domain charges. The company provides static hosting for all members along with domain renewals. All the returns generated are reinvested into the company, and the only goal should be to ensure the longevity and uptime of all member blogs. This might sound like a utopian idea, but I think it can work. The cost of running a server is quite low, and the only recurring charges would be the domain renewal each year. With some proper governing mechanism and active management, I believe it can work.\nJust another shower thought !\nThoughts? Comments are open for discussion.\nUpdate #1: Checkout Digital Legacy Trust by Derek Sivers which shares the same philosophy.\n","date_published":"2024-10-11T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/journal/evergreen-blogs/","summary":"I often think about the longevity of my blog and other blogs. There are endless blogs on the internet, where people write about random things and document tiny parts of their lives with no reason. While this may seem unimportant at present, for future generations, this can give a glimpse of how life was in the past. With history being rewritten for selfish gains, these kinds of blogs do need to be evergreen and survive over time.","title":"Evergreen blogs","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/journal/evergreen-blogs/"},{"content_html":"Met online on 08-10-2024 at 21:00 GST\nBen found out about me through the nownownow directory and reached out because I also live in the UAE now. It was a small and interesting discussion on random topics. We talked about how the UAE is overall safe, accommodating, and tax-free. He stays in Dubai, where I used to live before moving to Abu Dhabi. I told him about Abu Dhabi and how it\u0026rsquo;s different from Dubai. The UAE has a hyper-delivery service called Careem, where you can order food and groceries. Ben was surprised by how fast they deliver. I told him about the situation in India, where hyper-delivery startups are very popular, with services like Blinkit delivering in a matter of minutes. I also mentioned how advanced payments in India are, especially with UPI. He told me about Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he is practicing, and how it is quite popular in Dubai.\n","date_published":"2024-10-08T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/meet/2/","summary":"Hyper Delivery, UAE and BJJ","title":"#2 Ben - Unoffice Hours","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/meet/2/"},{"content_html":"I had my first physiotherapy session in my life. I wish I had taken care of my ankle more seriously. With winter around the corner, I now live in Abu Dhabi where winters are awesome. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to go out and run, cycle, or go for long walks. I hope my ankle heals fast. Although my plans of running a half marathon in November are almost shattered, I should at least be able to run short distances.\nMy physiotherapist told me to stick to the RICE method, which is basically Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation for all injuries. I told him that I knew this but never did it. He laughed and replied that he himself didn\u0026rsquo;t do this when he had an ankle sprain, and he\u0026rsquo;d had 5 sprains ever since. What a weird world!\nThe Ant Machine The session was simple. He applied some weird gel on my ankle and massaged the area with an ultrasound gun which apparently heals. Then he attached some probes to the affected area and turned on a dial. It felt like ants moving around with a slight bit of pain. I wish I had known what it was so that I could Google more about it. I asked him, but his English was broken, so I didn\u0026rsquo;t push it further. If I try hard enough, maybe I can find it on Google. My mind is already overloaded with all the information crap in the world which I shouldn\u0026rsquo;t know, so I decided against it. Maybe when I go to bed, if I remember, I\u0026rsquo;ll Google it.\nApparently, calf raises help with ankle sprain rehab. (Also, the only gains in my entire body!) ","date_published":"2024-10-07T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/journal/ankle-sprain/","summary":"I had my first physiotherapy session in my life. I wish I had taken care of my ankle more seriously. With winter around the corner, I now live in Abu Dhabi where winters are awesome. I can\u0026rsquo;t wait to go out and run, cycle, or go for long walks. I hope my ankle heals fast. Although my plans of running a half marathon in November are almost shattered, I should at least be able to run short distances.","title":"Ankle Sprain, Rehab and RICE","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/journal/ankle-sprain/"},{"content_html":"Director: Naga\nView on Serializd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5) ★★★★☆ Direction\n★★★★☆ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★★★ Cinematography\n★★★☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nThis is a Tamil adaptation of the popular series Panchayat by Netflix. Nothing much to say—excellent performances, direction, and cinematography. The comedy was spot on, and I felt like I was living in that village. As I\u0026rsquo;m writing this, I\u0026rsquo;m humming the title song and imagining the title sequence. The dynamics between Sundaram and Meenakshi were also a delight to watch. Later, I found out that they are actually a couple in real life!\nOverall, a great, refreshing watch!\nProbably I would watch the Hindi version soon!\nFinished watching on 26-09-2024 on Amazon Prime.\nReview wrriten on: 27-09-2024\n","date_published":"2024-09-26T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/thalaivettiyaan-paalayam/","summary":"A shot review of Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam(2024) with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam(2024) Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/thalaivettiyaan-paalayam/"},{"content_html":"Director: Dinjith Ayyathan\nRating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★★☆ Direction\n★★☆☆☆ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★★☆ Cinematography\n★★☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nAfter last week\u0026rsquo;s disaster , I was hesitant to invest time in watching another of Asif\u0026rsquo;s movies. I didn’t watch the trailer, so there were zero expectations. It turned out to be a decent watch, with amazing performances, a superb background score, and great cinematography. The only letdown was the script at times. There were a few loopholes or things that didn’t make sense. But overall, it was a great concept and a different kind of thriller that you don’t often see in Malayalam cinema.\nAlso, I have a couple of questions that baffle me: \u0026nbsp; Why didn’t the wife feel suspicious about the blood stains on his ex-wife\u0026#39;s dress? How did Vijaya Raghavan get the medical records of someone else? At times, the movie felt like an amalgamation of 50 First Dates and Shutter Island. I wish they had worked a bit more on the script, and it could have been a stunner! Overall, it’s a decent watch with solid performances and filmmaking, with no lag! Loved Vijaya Raghavan’s performance, especially. Asif really surprised me with his acting!\nWatched on 20-09-2024 at VOX Cinemas, Abu Dhabi Mall\nReview written on: 27-09-2024\n","date_published":"2024-09-20T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/kishkindha-kandam/","summary":"A shot review of Kishkindha Kandam(2024)Malayalam Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Kishkindha Kandam(2024) Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/kishkindha-kandam/"},{"content_html":"Met online on 15-07-2025 at 21:00 GST\nRomir is the founder of Hikoflow , an AI-powered assistant for coding teams. He showed me a demo of the product and asked for the feedback. Felt like an interesting product, but I suggested I give more feedback after testing it myself. We also discussed about on what AI models he use, prompt injections and vulnerabilities within vibe coding. The most interesting part of the story was that he found me via ChatGPT! Looks like the llms.txt works!\n","date_published":"2024-07-15T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/meet/3/","summary":"Devops, Product \u0026amp; AI","title":"#3 Romir - Unoffice Hours","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/meet/3/"},{"content_html":"When I shared my 2022 review , I mentioned that becoming a \u0026lsquo;Super Randonneur\u0026rsquo; was one of the best things that happened last year. After publishing the blog post, I received a few messages from readers asking about the same, and I thought of jotting down my experiences in this blog post. To start with, Randonneuring is a long-distance cycling sport that originated in France. It is characterized by self-supported endurance rides that cover distances of 200 kilometers or more, called brevets (BRM). Riders typically participate in organized events that follow a predetermined route and have time limits for completion. The goal is to complete the ride within the time limit, rather than racing against other riders. In my opinion, randonneuring is more or less a race against yourself.\nThe Why As mentioned earlier, the goal of randonneuring is to complete the required distance within the time limit and is not a race against other participants. There are no podium prizes for people who complete first, and it\u0026rsquo;s all about completing the ride within the timeframe. Riders are meant to be self-sufficient, and there are no support crews or vehicles involved. Audax Club Parisien (ACP) is the international governing organization for randonneuring and oversees the conduct of BRMs by various clubs around the globe.\nSuper Randonneur is a title awarded to cyclists by ACP who complete a series of BRMs within a calendar year. The series includes four brevets of varying distances: 200km, 300km, 400km, and 600km with cut-off times of 13.5, 20, 27, and 40 hours respectively. All these have to be completed in a calendar year by Audax, i.e., from November 1st to October 31st. I always had the goal of becoming a Super Randonneur (SR) but never intended to do it in 2022. My goal for 2022 was to complete a 200 and 300 BRM, but due to the support from my cycling clubs and inspiration from others, I decided to go for it and somehow achieve it. Becoming an SR is not about completing the distance or earning a title, but is about the journey and the experience of pushing yourself to limits you never imagined. It\u0026rsquo;s about the camaraderie and sense of accomplishment that comes with overcoming unexpected challenges on the road. I enjoyed each and every moment during the journey and was often astonished by the results we can achieve if we have control of our minds.\nMy Experience Last year, I was living in Kerala, India, and participated in BRMs organized mainly by Cochin Biker\u0026rsquo;s Club and Trivandrum Biker\u0026rsquo;s Club. I was fortunate and lucky enough to ride with an amazing community of people around me and enjoyed all these rides to the core. BRMs are those times when you ride without any fear of calories and eat as much as you want!\nStrava activity map of my 300km BRM ride. My first BRM was a 300km one that was organized by Cochin Biker\u0026rsquo;s Club on June 12th, 2022. It was a fairly easy route with limited elevation, but the only issue was the onset of monsoons and bad roads. I was riding with my club mates from my local cycling club, Cherthala Cycling Club (CCC), and reached halfway at a pretty decent pace despite the scorching heat of the sun. On our way back, it was raining continuously and we had to ride in wet clothes with no mudguard or fenders for at least 4-5 hours if I remember correctly. The roads were bad but nevertheless, we all completed the ride without any punctures or injuries. I was able to complete the ride in 18 hours, 2 hours before the cut-off time.\nStrava activity map of my 400km BRM ride. After the 300km ride, I was supposed to complete a 400km ride earlier, but couldn\u0026rsquo;t participate as my friend was injured in an accident. So after 3 months since I completed the 300 BRM, I signed up for the 400 BRM on September 10th by Cochin Biker\u0026rsquo;s club. The route was fairly easy but had some elevation at one stretch and crazy headwinds. Before this, I had never ridden in heavy headwind conditions, but some of my co-riders had mentioned how hard it was when they attempted it earlier. To make things worse, I was recovering from flu and had never attained full fitness, but this was my only chance to complete the 400 BRM as the calendar year was coming to a close. I decided to go for it by taking a paracetamol tablet and taking a call later in the day if things got worse. The headwinds were crazy during the Palakkad stretch of the ride and I remember pedaling hard to move on a downhill stretch. This was also the first time I experienced sleeplessness as I was very tired during the last 150 km after midnight. Nevertheless, we all pushed ourselves and completed the ride successfully in 24 hours and 20 minutes. It was a great example of teamwork and how we pushed ourselves.\nStrava activity map of my 200km BRM ride. With just one month left for the calendar year to close and my plans for shifting to Delhi, I had no choice but to attempt the 200km BRM at Trivandrum. It was titled \u0026lsquo;Lord of the Winds\u0026rsquo; because of the crazy head and crosswinds in the route. The route stretched from Trivandrum in Kerala to Kanyakumari, the southern tip of India, and back. Within the 1st hour of the ride, somehow my pedal got loose and I was left alone with no choice as I had no spanner to tighten the pedal in the early hours of the day. I almost decided to quit the ride, but luckily I met a mechanic randomly who helped me. With this lifeline, I was determined to complete the race by giving my best. The route was very difficult and we had to pass through an area filled with wind power plants. It was so windy that I had to slow down and stop at a point to ensure that I didn\u0026rsquo;t crash because of the crosswinds. It was a tough ride since I was riding alone with no mates and somehow completed it in 12 hours.\nStrava activity map of my 600km BRM ride. With one week left to shift to Delhi, this was my last chance to become a Super Randonneur at my home place. I decided to give my best and rode with a teammate from my local club. The ride stretched from Kochi to Kanyakumari and back. I was a bit confident and scared about the last windy stretch which I had already ridden 2 weeks before this ride. The ride started smoothly and we reached the halfway mark without much drama despite the crazy rolling terrain we had to ride through. On my way back, I received a call from my clubmate and he had a puncture on his rear tire. I had already reached the checkpoint and punched my card, but decided to go back and help since he had no pump. I went back and helped him, and started the ride ahead as time was running out. I had 4 hours left to reach the next checkpoint which was 108 km away. This would have been pretty easy for me any other day, but since I was already exhausted riding 400 km, this was a tough task ahead. I had no time to eat or drink and decided to carry two bottles of water and a packet of cookies to consume while riding. The next 4 hours felt like an eternity and I had never pushed myself like this in my entire life. I rode non-stop for the next 4 hours, not stopping as I had no luxury of time. At times, I felt like tripping due to exhaustion and lack of proper sleep. Somehow I reached the checkpoint 2 minutes before the cut-off time and eventually ended up completing the ride and became a Super Randonneur. My friend whom I had mentioned earlier had to quit since he had a few more punctures and was not able to make it. The sense of accomplishment and the high feeling when I completed was something I cannot describe in words.\nThe Super Randonneur certificate from AUDAX India Learnings The journey to becoming a super randonneur is a hard one and it teaches you a lot of hard lessons that you never imagined. If you ask me it\u0026rsquo;s about 50% determination, 30% hard work, and 20% luck. Following are some lessons I learned during this journey:\nMastering Luck: Luck plays a major role in such events in my opinion. Since it is a self-sufficient ride, you might face challenges you never imagined. My first BRM was a disaster since I had 2 punctures before the race started and my pump ran out of battery. Punctures are something that you cannot avoid and accidents may happen. My pedal went off during the 200 BRM and I was stuck on the road for almost an hour. The only way to have luck on your side is to put in the hard work and weed out all possibilities that can affect your ride. I learned that it is essential to plan and prepare for the ride, not just in terms of the route but also in terms of the gear, food, and other necessities. Carry all the essentials that you need if you have to repair your bike and ensure that you\u0026rsquo;ve tested and used all your accessories beforehand. I made the mistake of carrying a battery-operated air pump in my first BRM and ended up quitting it since I had no charge left. Learn everything about your bike and learn to fix most of the issues while on the road. Ride as much as possible and face these unfortunate events and eventually, you will master luck.\nPower of Mind: The brevets are not only physically challenging but also mentally challenging. I learned that a strong mind is just as important as a strong body when it comes to completing the journey. 600 BRM taught me a lesson that if you have determination, you can push your limits to the extent you never thought of.\nThe importance of camaraderie: The journey to becoming a Super Randonneur is not a solo endeavor. I learned that the camaraderie and support of other riders are essential. The sense of community and shared experience is one of the most rewarding aspects of the journey. My clubmates were in constant touch with me with all support and this encouraged me to complete the rides despite the hard moments.\nThe value of patience: The brevets are not races, and the goal is not to finish as quickly as possible. I learned that patience is essential when it comes to completing the journey. It\u0026rsquo;s about enjoying the ride and not getting caught up in the rush to finish. I really love those phases where you are lost in the flow of riding and enter a trance state of mind!\nThe beauty of the open road: One of the most rewarding aspects of being a Super Randonneur is the chance to explore the beautiful landscapes and roads that this journey offers. I learned that the open road is not just a place to ride but also a place to discover and appreciate the beauty of nature. I always look for trying out new food and culture, especially on these long rides.\nThe importance of self-care: The journey to becoming a Super Randonneur is demanding, both physically and mentally. I learned that taking care of oneself is essential, not just during the ride but also before and after. During the ride, my golden rule is to eat before I feel hungry and drink before I feel thirsty. Post-ride, I prefer a protein-rich diet and go for long walks for recovery. Also, a deep-tissue massage helps in reducing the soreness in your muscles.\nWay Forward It\u0026rsquo;s been 3 months since I became a \u0026lsquo;Super Randonneur\u0026rsquo;. I do not ride much these days as I shifted to New Delhi, thanks to the crazy pollution and extreme weather. I\u0026rsquo;m looking forward to connecting with new clubs here and riding a few BRMs this year. I would love to become a Super Randonneur again but I do not see it happening this year. In terms of a long-term goal, here are some that I look forward to completing in a few years:\nI want to complete at least 2 LRMs in India. LRMs are rides that span over 1000 km and are 2X tougher than the 600km BRM. I look forward to completing these in the near future.\nParis-Brest-Paris (PBP) is a long-distance cycling event that takes place every four years. It is organized by Audax Club Parisien (ACP) and is considered one of the most prestigious randonneuring events in the world. The event is a 1200 km (750 miles) non-stop, non-competitive ride that starts and finishes in Paris, France. The route goes through the beautiful countryside of France, and riders must complete the distance within a time limit of 90 hours. I plan to attend the event in 2027!\nLondon Edinburgh London (LEL) is a long-distance cycling event that takes place every four years. It is organized by Audax UK, a randonneur cycling organization based in the United Kingdom. The event is a 1400 km (870 miles) non-stop, non-competitive ride that starts and finishes in London, UK. The route goes through the beautiful countryside of England, Scotland, and Wales, and riders must complete the distance within a time limit of 96 hours. I plan to participate in 2026 if everything goes well.\nThese are distant goals but require dedication and practice. If everything goes well in terms of health and finances, I look forward to completing these in the coming years. Even if I don\u0026rsquo;t, this is something I look forward to and keeps me motivated.\nY View Hacker News Discussion 11 • 6 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2023-01-15T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/super-randonneur/","summary":"When I shared my 2022 review , I mentioned that becoming a \u0026lsquo;Super Randonneur\u0026rsquo; was one of the best things that happened last year. After publishing the blog post, I received a few messages from readers asking about the same, and I thought of jotting down my experiences in this blog post. To start with, Randonneuring is a long-distance cycling sport that originated in France. It is characterized by self-supported endurance rides that cover distances of 200 kilometers or more, called brevets (BRM).","title":"The Super Randonneur Journey","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/super-randonneur/"},{"content_html":"As the year 2022 comes to a close, I look back to see how I’ve done and set more meaningful goals for 2023. Inspired by interesting creators and personalities online, 2022 was the first year of my life in which I made a rough plan for the year ahead. Even though I didn\u0026rsquo;t achieve everything I aimed for, I\u0026rsquo;m still happy that I had some direction. As I did in 2022 , the main areas of 2023 planning will revolve around health, wealth, and career. Unlike 2022, where I tried many things and hoped for the best, this year I\u0026rsquo;m embracing with a lot of clarity. Thus, 2023 is a year of execution where I stick to my principles and routine. I’ve also decided to take fewer things on my plate to make this plan more sustainable.\nInstead of doing a separate blog post about last year\u0026rsquo;s review, I thought of including the same in this year\u0026rsquo;s plan. To sum up, the 3 main highlights of 2022 were:\nSwitching my career to a field that I\u0026rsquo;m interested in at the intersection of data, sustainability, and writing. Getting engaged to my girlfriend and one step closer to getting married. Becoming a super randonneur by completing 200, 300, 400, and 600-kilometer cycle rides in a calendar year. Goals for 2023 To be fit and healthy by the end of 2023. Create a consistent recurring passive income by the end of 2023. Continue learning to code and create a portfolio by the end of the year. Objectives To achieve the goals mentioned, the following objectives have been laid out. Some of these objectives are interconnected and contribute to more than one of the goals.\n🏋 Weight The goal for 2023 is to end the year at a healthy weight of 65, which puts me in the normal range on the BMI scale. Last year, I had a similar goal and reached 67 kgs by August but failed miserably as the year came to a close.\n🛌 Sleep My goal for this year is to have an average of 7 hours of sleep throughout the year. I struggled to track sleep effectively last year, and I’m looking for better solutions to track it without a wearable device.\n🚴 Cycling The goal for 2023 is to ride 4000 km in Delhi and complete a few 200 km rides. Last year, my goal was 6000 km, and I finished the year with 5,642 km despite relocating.\n🏃‍♂️ Running My goal for 2023 is to run a total of 600 km and complete a half marathon.\n🏊‍♂️ Swimming The goal for 2023 is to swim at least once a week and clock 30 km of swimming distances by the end of the year.\n🧘‍♂️ Meditation In 2023, the goal is to remaster the art of meditation and end the year with at least 220 mindful days with at least 10 minutes of meditation each day.\n⏲ Fasting The goal for 2023 is to fast for a total of 4000 hours, with an aim of five 16-hour fasts per week.\n🍲 Diet For 2023, the goal is to have 65% of days with less than 2000-calorie consumption. I will also focus on a balanced, protein-rich diet on training days.\n🍺 Alcohol I\u0026rsquo;ve set a monetary goal of a maximum of 15,000 INR (~$180) spent on alcohol this year.\n💻 Programming The goal is to master Python by completing all exercises on Exercism and attending a full-stack Python Bootcamp. I also plan to dive into AI/ML and enhance my skills in energy and power system modeling tools like PyPSA.\n🎨 Art In 2023, I aim to complete at least 2 photography projects and publish them on my portfolio.\n📰 Newsletter The goal is to hit 4000 subscribers by the end of the year. I will explore ways to go paid with a solid plan for 2024.\n✍️ Blogging I aim to publish 20 blog posts in 2023.\n📚 Reading The goal is to read 30 books by the end of the year.\n💸 Side Hustles The goal for 2023 is to generate a total passive income of 3,60,000 INR (~$4300) by the end of 2023.\n💰 Emergency Fund I aim to set up an emergency fund of at least 3 months by the end of 2023.\n💰 Investment Portfolio Risk Management The goal for 2023 is to reduce my crypto exposure to less than 10% and have at least 20% of assets as cash for liquidity.\nFinal Thoughts As mentioned earlier, I had too much on my plate in 2022, which often left me feeling out of focus. This year, I want to avoid that and move forward with more clarity. I’m in a much better headspace in terms of career and life direction. It\u0026rsquo;s all about consistent execution this year, and I hope to write a much more positive and happy report in 2024.\nHappy New Year!\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2023-01-05T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/2023-plan/","summary":"As the year 2022 comes to a close, I look back to see how I’ve done and set more meaningful goals for 2023. Inspired by interesting creators and personalities online, 2022 was the first year of my life in which I made a rough plan for the year ahead. Even though I didn\u0026rsquo;t achieve everything I aimed for, I\u0026rsquo;m still happy that I had some direction. As I did in 2022 , the main areas of 2023 planning will revolve around health, wealth, and career.","title":"2023: A Year of Execution","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/2023-plan/"},{"content_html":"On Jan 9, 2007, Steve Jobs announced the original iPhone by saying, \u0026ldquo;An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator. An iPod, a phone, are you getting it?\u0026rdquo;. The original iPhone\u0026rsquo;s multiple functionalities with a touch screen interface were revolutionary and paved the way for the smartphone and the digital revolution. Undoubtedly, smartphones have changed the lives of many across the globe by providing access to information. But it is also important to look at the impact of smartphones on our attention and the addiction they have caused us. On average, a person checks their smartphone 150+ times a day, and I\u0026rsquo;m no different. Just like any other person living in this connected world, I\u0026rsquo;m addicted to my phone, even though I have reduced my usage over the last couple of months. I\u0026rsquo;ve written about the concept of making your phone boring in the past, but how do we replace smartphones in our lives if we are so dependent on them? Then came the thought of single-purpose devices, and this article is my reflection on the same while trying to be mindful and aware of my smartphone usage.\nImportance of Single-Purpose Devices To start with, a single-purpose device is a device that serves only one purpose or function. On the contrary, the smartphone is a multipurpose device that serves many functions. The problem with multipurpose devices like a smartphone is distraction. Imagine you\u0026rsquo;re trying to read on your smartphone, and suddenly you\u0026rsquo;re distracted by a notification, and the flow is lost. Even though there are many multipurpose devices in our lives, nothing has penetrated our lives like a smartphone. As someone who grew up in a developing country with minimal access to technology, I can clearly see the shift from single-purpose devices to multi-purpose devices. The majority of these single-purpose devices were replaced with the introduction of smartphones. Some examples of real-life situations where single-purpose devices have been replaced by smartphones are below:\n📞 Communication: My first mobile was a CDMA mobile by Reliance, whose sole purpose was calling and messaging. With the advent of instant messaging services, SMS-based text messaging is very limited these days. I do not wish to go back to the old days when I had to wait for 2 minutes for a reply, but when I had a basic phone, its sole purpose was communication. Nowadays, even while texting friends on WhatsApp, I multitask by switching windows, and I\u0026rsquo;m less mindful. 📷 Camera: Mobile photography has boomed over the years and has made everyone a photographer. But have we lost the essence of photography and enjoying moments with smartphone cameras? If you go to any national monument or an epic landscape, the majority of people would be battling to capture the best shot for posting on social media. Has access to a camera altered the way we enjoy moments? As a person who loves photography, I cherish those moments when I\u0026rsquo;m lost in the streets with my camera in a meditative state with nothing on my mind. I do not get the same feeling while shooting with a smartphone camera, as I would be easily distracted by notifications or something else on my phone. 🎧 Music: I remember the days when I used to travel on the bus solely listening to offline songs stored in my Sony Walkman. Gone are those days when music was the prime focus. I don\u0026rsquo;t know if it\u0026rsquo;s just me, but I\u0026rsquo;m usually distracted even when listening to music, as it plays in the background. Having a specific device for listening to music is a great idea for distraction-free enjoyment. 📚 Books: Have you ever tried reading a book on your smartphone? Even though reading books on a smartphone sounds accessible, many of us get distracted by notifications or feel tempted to check other apps while reading. Having a physical book or a Kindle is a great alternative. Since Kindle is distraction-free with minimal features, it is a great example of a single-purpose device. ⏰ Alarm: I\u0026rsquo;ve been thinking of getting an analog alarm clock for a while now. Since I usually set my alarm on my smartphone, it becomes another excuse to keep my phone near my bed. There are times when I wake up in the middle of the night and end up checking my smartphone. The Future of Single-Purpose Devices As we move into a future where everyone is concerned about their attention span, more single-purpose devices will emerge. In fact, I\u0026rsquo;ve been trying to make my phone boring these days to curb my addiction and be less dependent on it. Single-purpose devices like dumbphones have seen increased sales in the last couple of years. Analog alarm clocks are in demand across the world, and people are even trying to find ways to write distraction-free using specialized distraction-free writing devices . A handful of companies are trying to market flip phones, thanks to rising demand. Companies like Apple have started adding focus modes on iPhones to make them distraction-free while working or reading. While Spotify is still popular, the market has seen a slight increase in the sales of vinyl records, proving there is a market outside of vinyl enthusiasts.\nWhat Can You Do? Even though it is easy to say we should embrace single-purpose devices, it\u0026rsquo;s pretty hard, considering the connected world we live in. In my opinion, the only way to solve this problem is to slowly evolve from being dependent on smartphones to single-purpose devices. For example, while traveling, try putting your phone on flight mode and take photographs with a DSLR or an old smartphone solely meant for photography. If your budget and space allow, set up an exclusive workstation or device for writing. Minimize your smartphone usage while watching videos, and try to consume video content on your laptop or PC. Try reading books using a physical copy or a Kindle. By slowly allocating separate devices for different purposes, we can become less dependent on our smartphones and preserve our attention.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-08-16T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/single-purpose-devices/","summary":"On Jan 9, 2007, Steve Jobs announced the original iPhone by saying, \u0026ldquo;An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator. An iPod, a phone, are you getting it?\u0026rdquo;. The original iPhone\u0026rsquo;s multiple functionalities with a touch screen interface were revolutionary and paved the way for the smartphone and the digital revolution. Undoubtedly, smartphones have changed the lives of many across the globe by providing access to information. But it is also important to look at the impact of smartphones on our attention and the addiction they have caused us.","title":"Importance of Single Purpose Devices in a Distracted World","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/single-purpose-devices/"},{"content_html":"Impulse buying, or impulse purchase, is an unplanned decision by a person to buy a product or service. We are all victims of the marketing strategies deployed by various companies that compel us to buy things we don\u0026rsquo;t really need. In a digitally connected world where everything is convenience-oriented and immediately available, the pleasure of delayed gratification is essentially eliminated. I personally had the habit of impulse buying online and hoarding stuff in the past. If you check my room, you would find all sorts of items that I hardly ever use. One small psychological trick that worked for me is the tested and proven method known as the \u0026lsquo;72-Hour Rule.\u0026rsquo; In a nutshell, anytime you feel like purchasing something that is not essential, do not immediately buy it. Instead, delay the purchase decision for 72 hours. In this post, I discuss the importance of the 72-hour rule by listing the external cues that lead to impulsive purchases, followed by tips on how to stop impulse buying through specific strategies.\nThe Triggers Let’s not blame marketers—it’s their job to promote products and influence us to buy. Over the years, marketers have mastered various techniques that push consumers toward impulsive purchasing. Some techniques have evolved over time, especially with the recent surge in e-commerce. However, the underlying psychology remains the same, and today every app with something to sell is fighting for our attention , pushing us to buy things. Before attempting to reduce impulse buying, it\u0026rsquo;s important to understand the cues strategically designed to encourage such purchases:\nApps utilize FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) to pressure consumers into making immediate purchase decisions. This is why you often see sale days, discounted prices, and tags like \u0026lsquo;Limited Supply\u0026rsquo; or \u0026lsquo;Only 1 remaining.\u0026rsquo; Same-day delivery, often marketed by Amazon, encourages late-night purchases. Imagine you’re browsing for shoes at 2 AM, and Amazon shows that the shoes can be delivered the same day with a countdown timer. The probability of instant ordering increases significantly. \u0026ldquo;Pay Later\u0026rdquo; schemes, especially popular in India, let consumers buy products without entering card information or even when they don’t have money available. Cues like \u0026lsquo;Buy Now, Pay Later\u0026rsquo; can prompt impulsive purchases. Imagine it\u0026rsquo;s noon, and you\u0026rsquo;re hungry. UberEats or Zomato suddenly sends a notification offering a deal at your favorite restaurant. The well-timed trigger, combined with your hunger, often leads to ordering food that you didn’t intend to. Add-on products or services offered at a discount also play on the FOMO strategy, pushing you to buy extras you don’t need. I’m a big fan of eBooks, but the convenience of instantly downloading books to my Kindle has led me to buy a lot of books that I haven’t even started reading. Recommended products are another tactic used by marketers to make us look at items we never intended to purchase. The age-old tactic of placing chocolates or gum at the checkout counter is a classic example of impulse buying cues. How to Stop Impulse Buying After becoming more mindful of my purchases, here are some ways you can avoid impulse buying:\nThe next time you feel like buying something online or offline, evaluate whether the product is a need or a want. Even if it’s a need or a want, unless it’s an emergency, delay the purchase by 72 hours. Do not add the product to your wishlist on Amazon or any other app. After 72 hours, if you still remember the product, evaluate the pros and cons. Make a mental note of why you need it before deciding to purchase. Try not to buy anything online using a credit card or \u0026ldquo;Buy Now, Pay Later\u0026rdquo; schemes. Disable app tracking and suggestions so apps cannot provide you with a recommended set of products or services. Disable notifications for apps that aren\u0026rsquo;t essential, such as food delivery, grocery, and e-commerce apps, to reduce external cues. Don’t fall for deals, discounts, or sales days. Just because there’s a sale doesn’t mean you need to buy something. Closing Thoughts Impulse buying doesn’t matter much when it comes to small items like candy or gum. But I’ve had serious issues with impulse buying in the past. Some of the weird items I ordered but never used include a belly fat caliper, fine liner pens, stacks of beautiful journals, a GoPro, and a streaming card. A couple of weeks ago, I was browsing YouTube and saw a video from a famous productivity YouTuber discussing bullet journaling. I immediately opened Amazon and came close to ordering a fancy bullet journal and pens for journaling. But somehow, I remembered the 72-hour rule and didn’t think about bullet journaling again until now, while writing this article. I think the key to controlling impulse purchases is identifying the external cues and being mindful of how we respond to them.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-07-26T22:04:25+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/72-hour-rule/","summary":"Impulse buying, or impulse purchase, is an unplanned decision by a person to buy a product or service. We are all victims of the marketing strategies deployed by various companies that compel us to buy things we don\u0026rsquo;t really need. In a digitally connected world where everything is convenience-oriented and immediately available, the pleasure of delayed gratification is essentially eliminated. I personally had the habit of impulse buying online and hoarding stuff in the past.","title":"72-Hour Rule: How to Stop Impulse Buying?","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/72-hour-rule/"},{"content_html":"Sometime in mid-2021, I came to know about the idea of the curator economy and realized its immense potential in an era where we are struggling with our attention span . I wanted to create and contribute something to the curator economy space and started a newsletter called 10+1 Things , a curated newsletter sharing 11 interesting things catered for generalists. It started as a personal project to keep me on track and commit to a routine, but fast-forward to 2022, the newsletter has close to 2,000 subscribers with excellent engagement. As the newsletter started to grow and gain some attention, I’ve been getting constant queries from people around the world inquiring about how I curate my newsletter. I thought of describing my process in this blog post so that it can be beneficial to others who want to pursue something similar.\nThe Structure Before I start explaining my process, it is important to discuss the structure of my newsletter. I’ve structured my newsletter in such a way that it explores some key areas/topics that I’m exploring in my life and during the week. Every edition of my newsletter follows this structure (it has evolved a bit over time) as described below:\n✍️ An article on my blog: The first link is generally a blog post on this blog. This structure forces me to write at least once every week. This also acts as a funnel for building an audience on my personal blog. Some articles like this one have been picked by major publications like Hustle! 🌍 Climate/Sustainability: I care a lot about climate change and sustainability. Thus, I read a lot of articles in this space and share one article surrounding this topic every week. 📚 Books: I try to read at least one book every week, although this often results in having multiple books to read parallelly. But I love exploring new books every week and thus a new book is shared every week. 🧵 Thread: Twitter is the only social media I’m active on, and I’m a fan of amazing Twitter threads. Threads do an excellent job in distilling complex information into bite-sized tweets, and I actively look for interesting threads throughout the week. My long-term plan is to write at least one Twitter thread every week, but at the moment, it is not sustainable for me. Thus, I share threads published by other people every week. 👩‍🎨 Artist: I love art and would love to be known as an artist in the future. This means I need to actively explore other people’s artworks. I share one art project that I’ve been exploring every week. 🎬 Video: I consume a lot of video content on YouTube/Vimeo every week and try to share some interesting videos every week. This part keeps me mindful about consuming meaningful content, and trust me, it’s quite hard! 🧪 Science: I try to share some new advancements in science, such as a new invention by researchers or new technology. 💡 Original Thoughts: This is usually the last and the 11th section of the newsletter and explores an original thought I’m having or some experiment I did. I find a lot of joy in writing this part of the newsletter, and some originals like the newsletter strike system were shared by Recomendo ! 🔗 Other 3 Links: These are usually quirky or interesting stories or information that I discovered during the week. These links usually have the most engagement in my newsletter. 📣 Shoutouts: I actively look for cross-promotions with other writers to grow my newsletter. This section includes such shoutouts with a one-liner written by me. Sometimes I include some classified links as well, but this section is restricted to a maximum of 3 links a week. 💬 Quote: I also share an interesting quote I’ve read throughout the week. This structure has been consistent for the last couple of months in my newsletter, and I’ve tweaked it after studying data and feedback from users. This consistent structure allows me to define a process to curate this newsletter every week.\nThe Sources Sharing 11 new things every week is no joke and requires a lot of passive effort on my end. This commitment forces me to be aware and mindful of the content I’m consuming and seek out interesting things around the structure of my newsletter. My main information sources for my newsletter are:\nNewsletters: These are my major source of information. I subscribe to at least 50+ newsletters and try to keep my inbox clean by spending 30 minutes every day. I follow a process called the newsletter strike system such that my inbox is never full of any junk information. Some of my favorite newsletters are Farnam Street , Recomendo , Design Lobster , Uncharted Territories , David Perell , and Sunday Snippets by Ali Abdaal. Reddit: I explore the rabbit holes of information on Reddit and sometimes find very interesting articles there. Hacker News: I really love the Hacker News community and find a lot of interesting content there that I’ve never seen elsewhere. Twitter: Twitter also helps me find interesting threads and sources of information. Whenever I read something interesting on Twitter, I research more and usually find even more content by following the trail. YouTube/Video: I trust YouTube’s recommendation engine to bring me interesting videos every week, even though it has failed multiple times. I tweak my feed by sending the \u0026ldquo;not interested\u0026rdquo; feedback. I also closely follow Vimeo’s editors’ picks for interesting documentaries and short films. Recommendation Engines: Sample and Refind are two recommendation engines that help me find new content and newsletter writers. Sample sends a new newsletter every day for me to explore, and Refind sends a list of interesting articles on the topics I’ve subscribed to! Art Websites: I subscribe to many art websites, especially photography magazines, so I’m introduced to various contemporary and fine art projects. Having an extensive list of information sources is easy, but being organized and disciplined about consuming content is the hardest part. Irrespective of the source of information, the ultimate beauty of curation lies within the curator.\nThe System It’s important to have a proper system to collect and store the articles and information I explore from the data sources mentioned earlier. Some articles I find are mostly long-form, and I collect them to read later. I’ve seen others using complex systems built on Notion, spreadsheets, or custom software to track links. But for me, lists work perfectly, and I like to have everything in one space available locally. I use Obsidian as my only personal knowledge management system, and everything I read, consume, and study is stored in it, synced to my iCloud.\nA snapshot of my Link Repository I have various notes in the newsletter section of my Second Brain (aka personal knowledge management system) where I store links as I find them. The notes I use in my system are:\nLink Repository: This is where all interesting stories I find go. All links are added at the top so the latest ones are available first. I add a small description to identify the article followed by a link to it. This serves as the main source for curating content for my newsletter. Art Projects: Every art project I come across goes into this section. Twitter Threads: Whenever I see an interesting Twitter thread, I store it in this note. Videos: When I watch an interesting video that resonates with my audience, it is added here. Originals: Any original thought or idea goes here so that I can refer back to it for my newsletter. Quotes: All interesting quotes that I read are added here, usually picked up from Readwise . Misc: I also use other notes for maintaining my newsletter, such as a working document for the latest edition, a list of newsletter upgrades, and a note to track cross-promotion commitments. As explained earlier, the process is simple. Every time I read something interesting, I copy the link and collect it in the corresponding note. Since Obsidian is synced to my iCloud, I can access it on both my laptop and my phone.\nThe Process The whole process, from curation to publishing, is described in the following sections:\nCuration The skeleton I use for drafting. I use Obsidian to draft my newsletter in Markdown format because I’m comfortable with it and it’s distraction-free. I have a skeleton template that I use to draft new editions every week. This follows the structure of my newsletter and allows me to add various content from my link repository and other sources. By the weekend, I usually finalize all the titles and content for the upcoming edition. Once the sections are frozen, I start to write summaries for each section by researching and verifying the credibility of the articles or information over the weekend or by Monday.\nOnce the draft is complete, I finalize a title for the newsletter. I usually add numbers in the title (e.g., 40 Concepts or 13 Maps) because this results in the most engagement. All links are added with a UTM tag. I finalize the title and add necessary tags so related notes are linked in Obsidian.\nFormatting Editing on Hemingway editor. I try to achieve a readability score of 9 or less! Once the draft is ready, I copy it to the Hemingway Editor for readability and grammar checks using the Grammarly plugin . Hemingway ensures the sentences are not complicated and that the readability is acceptable. I tweak the recommendations and make necessary changes to grammar. I also use WordTune to find synonyms or tweak sentences.\nPublishing After formatting, I paste the content into the Substack editor for final formatting. I add buttons with corresponding links and spacers between titles. I use an emoji plugin to add an emoji related to each title for visual appeal. I add the current edition number as a subheading with the place of publishing, the temperature, and an indication of the weather with an emoji.\nOnce formatting is done, I send a test edition to my inbox and review it on both my iPhone and laptop to check for any errors. Once everything looks good, I schedule the newsletter to go out at 5:30 AM IST on Wednesdays. After analyzing engagement, I found this time works best across time zones.\nAfter publication, I usually share the link on Reddit and Twitter after 7-8 hours for additional visibility.\nThe Grind The system I’ve explained in this post is one that I’ve tweaked over a year. What works for me might not work for you, and it’s important to find a system that is frictionless for you. The system evolves over time as I study engagement and analyze data. Regardless, this newsletter has made me 1% better every week, if not every day!\nDo you have a newsletter? What system do you use? I’m curious to know more.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-07-19T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/how-i-curate-my-newsletter/","summary":"Sometime in mid-2021, I came to know about the idea of the curator economy and realized its immense potential in an era where we are struggling with our attention span . I wanted to create and contribute something to the curator economy space and started a newsletter called 10+1 Things , a curated newsletter sharing 11 interesting things catered for generalists. It started as a personal project to keep me on track and commit to a routine, but fast-forward to 2022, the newsletter has close to 2,000 subscribers with excellent engagement.","title":"How I Curate my Newsletter","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/how-i-curate-my-newsletter/"},{"content_html":"I prefer to have a schedule of things in my calendar so that I have an idea of what to focus on during a particular day. During weekends, I try to plan my upcoming week in advance using Google Calendar. I’ve tried multiple calendar apps in the past, but have reverted back to Google Calendar because it is simple, free, and syncs flawlessly across all my devices. I was looking for a way to track how I feel during the day and came across this method of color-coding calendar events by Sahil Bloom. He recently named it the \u0026lsquo;Energy Calendar\u0026rsquo; , a method where you color-code a particular event in your calendar based on how you feel. By looking at the color patterns in your calendar, you can get a holistic view of your day and prioritize tasks that are less daunting.\nThe Method A screenshot of last Friday\u0026rsquo;s calendar. See the different energy levels! The framework or method is simple. Just color-code the events in your calendar at the end of the activity or day using the following categories, or something similar:\n🌲Energizer: Energized me and made me think about it for hours. 🔵Energy Gainer: Created some energy. ⭐️Neutral: Not too great or too bad. 🔺Energy Drainer: Sucked the energy out of me. How to Take Control of Your Time At the end of the week, review the past week’s events and reflect on which events drained your energy. If two consecutive events are draining your energy, try to reorganize them. Revisit these events again next week. Reevaluate events that are constantly draining your energy. If any particular item in your calendar was not as energizing as expected, analyze what happened. Maybe the timing was not right. Be grateful for the energizing activities. Strive to make your calendar fully green! Disclaimer: Even though this hack sounds fancy, I’ve discontinued this method as it adds too much friction to my process.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-07-05T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/energy-calendar/","summary":"I prefer to have a schedule of things in my calendar so that I have an idea of what to focus on during a particular day. During weekends, I try to plan my upcoming week in advance using Google Calendar. I’ve tried multiple calendar apps in the past, but have reverted back to Google Calendar because it is simple, free, and syncs flawlessly across all my devices. I was looking for a way to track how I feel during the day and came across this method of color-coding calendar events by Sahil Bloom.","title":"Energy Calendar: How to take Control of Your Time","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/energy-calendar/"},{"content_html":"I must admit, I’m quite addicted to my smartphone. My average daily screen time used to reach over 9 hours, which was clearly unhealthy. This article is a follow-up to the one I published last year on the importance of an attention diet . My smartphone addiction had negative effects on me, such as neck and back pain due to poor posture, lack of attention, and an inability to concentrate. Since we are living in the 21st century and our world is quite interconnected, there was no point in disowning a smartphone. I came across the idea that the only way to stop my phone addiction was to make my phone boring. The boring phone is a sequence of steps or methods one can take to ensure that their smartphone becomes so boring to use. This might sound funny, but the trick clearly worked for me, and within a few months of implementing this in my life, I saw my screen time reduce by over 70%.\nThe idea was to ensure that I consumed as little information as possible via my smartphone and reduced as many triggers that forced me to pick up my phone. My primary means of information consumption was through my laptop, and I used my phone to consume content only while traveling or during unavoidable circumstances. Below are some steps and tips that I followed in the Boring Phone framework to reduce my smartphone addiction. I don’t claim that following these steps made me completely free from smartphone addiction, but they did have a significant impact on my life. Any suggestions mentioned in the comments that are relevant to this framework will be added to this article with credit.\nTry to use a smartphone with a smaller screen size. A smaller screen size means it’s harder to watch video content. I made the switch a couple of months back from OnePlus to an iPhone 13 Mini , which has a 5.4\u0026quot; screen. I no longer watch very long content on my phone as the screen is too small! Ensure that there are no streaming apps on your smartphone. This includes Netflix, YouTube, etc. I even canceled my YouTube Premium subscription as I found that ads actually prevent me from watching content for too long. Do not grant permission for all apps to send notifications. Only give notification access to apps that are extremely important, like banking-related apps. Set your phone on silent mode or DND (Do Not Disturb) as much as possible. Turn off the notification sound on your smartphone. Uninstall all social media apps from your smartphone and access them only via the web using your laptop. Turn off all recommended and personalized suggestions across apps. If you’re using an iOS device, ask the app not to track your information. Do not browse Wikipedia on your smartphone browser. Make use of focus modes on your smartphone. If you’re working, set your phone to work mode so you stay undistracted. Even if your phone is slower, try not to upgrade, as a faster phone can keep you addicted for longer periods. Do not install any games on your smartphone. Do not sleep or wake up with your phone next to your bed. Ensure that your phone is at least a few steps away from your bed. Do not use your smartphone in the toilet. I prefer reading newspapers or using a Kindle while in the toilet. Make a decision that while consuming content on your smartphone, you do it only while sitting in a chair or standing, but not in bed. Try not to use your smartphone at least 30 minutes before sleeping and after waking up. Set a boring wallpaper so that you don’t have any visual cues to pick up your smartphone, even to check the picture. While traveling and taking photos, ensure that your phone is in flight mode. This makes you more mindful while clicking photos. Long story short, make your phone boring to use.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-06-21T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/boring-phone/","summary":"I must admit, I’m quite addicted to my smartphone. My average daily screen time used to reach over 9 hours, which was clearly unhealthy. This article is a follow-up to the one I published last year on the importance of an attention diet . My smartphone addiction had negative effects on me, such as neck and back pain due to poor posture, lack of attention, and an inability to concentrate. Since we are living in the 21st century and our world is quite interconnected, there was no point in disowning a smartphone.","title":"Boring Phone: How to Stop Phone Addiction","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/boring-phone/"},{"content_html":"Disclaimer: I\u0026rsquo;m an amateur athlete who started training seriously this year. Please do not take this as expert advice or scientific advice for Zone 2 training. Everything mentioned in this article has been derived from various online articles or videos based on my research. Please do your own research or consult an expert before engaging in any training program.\nAs mentioned in my 2022 planning , one goal I have for this year is to complete a half marathon, ideally under 2 hours and 15 minutes. Unlike cycling, running was quite new to me, and it was challenging in the beginning. At the time of writing this post, I can easily run a 10K distance and have completed a sub 30-minute 5K run . Even though I enjoy running, I used to feel quite exhausted and tired at the end of my runs. I was looking for ways to train efficiently for long-distance running without overexerting my body and stumbled upon a concept called Zone 2 Training while reading Finding Ultra by Rich Roll .\nIn a nutshell, Zone 2 training involves training at a low-intensity level for a longer period of time. The goal of Zone 2 training is to sustain an intensity for longer periods such that your heart rate lies in the range of 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. Training at this intensity is incredibly easy, yet boring at the same time. When I started Zone 2 training, I was a bit skeptical as it seemed too easy; I always had the \u0026lsquo;go hard or go home\u0026rsquo; attitude when it came to training. Over time, I learned to appreciate the art of slowing down and how it can contribute to my aerobic fitness. In fact, the majority of high-performance endurance athletes follow the Zone 2 training regime, and it has proven benefits according to many scientific studies. The concept can be quite tricky to grasp, as it\u0026rsquo;s hard to comprehend how training slower can help us go faster. To understand it more, it is necessary to dive into some of the science behind zone training, which I’ve tried to summarize below.\nThe Science of Zone 2 Training How an athlete performs depends upon their ability to convert chemical energy into mechanical energy. All cells in our body are fueled by something called Adenosine Triphosphate, or ATP. Mitochondria in our cells generate ATP mainly in two ways—through aerobic or anaerobic mechanisms. The aerobic mechanism involves the conversion of fat into ATP, while in the anaerobic mechanism, carbohydrates are used. Additionally, our muscles contain slow-twitch (Type 1) and fast-twitch (Type 2) fibers. Type 1 muscles have many mitochondria and prefer fat as fuel, whereas Type 2 fibers are glycolytic and prefer carbohydrates. Burning glucose or carbohydrates produces lactate and hydrogen ions, which result in muscle fatigue.\nSource: Training Peaks By training in Zone 2, we primarily use Type 1 muscle fibers, utilizing fat deposits as fuel. Lactate build-up is limited in this zone, allowing us to sustain efforts for longer periods. Training in this zone stimulates Type 1 muscle fibers, encouraging mitochondrial growth and improving fat utilization. This allows us to preserve glycogen in our body to use during the final stages of a race when we typically move faster. As mentioned earlier, utilizing Type 2 fibers results in lactate production, but a transporter called MCT-4, present in Type 1 fibers, can transport this lactate to the mitochondria for ATP generation. Thus, Type 1 fibers play a crucial role in lactate clearance as well.\nTo summarize, training in Zone 2 stimulates Type 1 muscle fibers, which increase mitochondrial density in our muscles. This in turn improves fat utilization and increases lactate clearance, thereby enhancing athletic performance.\nHow to Train Ideally, 80% of all training should be done in Zone 2 to improve endurance. The most common and easiest way to train in Zone 2 is by monitoring your heart rate. For this, you’ll need a heart rate monitoring device. I personally use the Amazfit T-Rex Pro , as it’s the only heart rate monitor I have access to. It’s a good and affordable option, and based on my tests, the results are 98% similar to those of the Apple Watch Series 7 . If you have the budget, I would recommend investing in a good heart-rate chest strap or a better watch, like the Garmin Forerunner . Chest straps generally provide more accurate results compared to wrist-based heart rate monitoring in smartwatches.\nThe first step is determining your maximum heart rate. I personally use the maximum heart rate from the data of all my workouts. You can also engage in an activity like cycling or running, increasing your pace every 2 minutes until you can no longer sustain it. Your heart rate at this point will be your maximum heart rate. Alternatively, you can use the traditional formula by subtracting your age from 220 (for example, if you are 25, your max heart rate would be 195 bpm).\nOnce you have a maximum heart rate value, your Zone 2 heart rate range will be approximately 70-80% of that number. So if your max heart rate is 195 bpm, your Zone 2 range will be 136-156 bpm. There are various calculators available online to calculate your Zone 2 range. Many recommend the MAF 180 Formula , which you can use to calculate the upper range of your Zone 2.\nTraining in Zone 2 is simple, yet difficult at the same time. You can run, cycle, or engage in any activity such that your heart rate stays within your Zone 2 range. If you\u0026rsquo;re running and your heart rate exceeds your upper limit, slow down or start walking to bring it back down. This can be challenging because we all tend to push harder, and running slowly when starting Zone 2 training can feel frustrating. I personally recommend starting with cycling, as it is easier to maintain Zone 2 levels compared to running. If your smartwatch allows, try setting alerts to notify you when your heart rate is out of range. Ideally, 80% of your training should be done in Zone 2.\nMy Experience So Far I still struggle to stay in Zone 2 I don’t have any miraculous experiences to share regarding Zone 2 training, as I’ve only been doing it for a few months. I try to do four workouts a week in Zone 2, and I’ve noticed some changes. I feel less fatigue and tiredness post-workouts these days. After a few Zone 2 training sessions, I feel like I can go on forever during my runs. In fact, my first 10K was accidental—I initially planned to do a 5K run while maintaining my heart rate in Zone 2, but after finishing, I felt like I could keep going, so I continued and completed my first 10K. I still struggle to stay in Zone 2, as my heart rate sometimes exceeds the range. When I started, I could only stay in Zone 2 for about 30% of the time, but now I can easily maintain it for 80% of the workout. I’m trying to improve day by day and will update this post when I see more tangible results.\nReferences Howard Luks: Zone 2 HR Training Training Peaks: Zone 2 Training for Endurance Athletes Art of Manliness: Zone 2 Training 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-06-07T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/zone-2-training/","summary":"Disclaimer: I\u0026rsquo;m an amateur athlete who started training seriously this year. Please do not take this as expert advice or scientific advice for Zone 2 training. Everything mentioned in this article has been derived from various online articles or videos based on my research. Please do your own research or consult an expert before engaging in any training program.\nAs mentioned in my 2022 planning , one goal I have for this year is to complete a half marathon, ideally under 2 hours and 15 minutes.","title":"Zone 2 Training: The Art of Slowing Down","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/zone-2-training/"},{"content_html":"Imagine a hypothetical scenario wherein in the split of a second you\u0026rsquo;re transported back to the past thousands of years ago. You\u0026rsquo;re the only surviving man from the future. You\u0026rsquo;re surrounded by 100 other uncivilized humans who do not have a clue about who you are, yet they obey you. You are surrounded by pristine untouched natural landscapes with abundant resources. Your cognitive abilities and memory of the future remain intact, but you\u0026rsquo;re not carrying anything from the future. You\u0026rsquo;re just a raw human with some crazy knowledge and ideas. How will you shape your present world with the knowledge you have from the future? Is your knowledge enough to create a civilization as good as your future? What all things can you build with the human resources you have?\nThe Experiment The Man from the Future is a thought experiment that I\u0026rsquo;ve been exploring over the years to understand the basics of everything we\u0026rsquo;re experiencing today ranging from food to our gadgets. Human history is quite fascinating and the pleasures we\u0026rsquo;re enjoying today have been achieved through multiple iterations of science, technology or culture, built upon the knowledge of past generations. The first principles thinking and Thomas Thwaites\u0026rsquo;s Toaster Project had a great influence on this thought experiment. I use this thought experiment as a way to deeply understand our history and human evolution. If I cannot think of a way to do something from scratch, chances are that I do not know everything about it. This is quite daunting considering the number of things we use daily but gives us an idea of the evolution of things over time.\nAnalysis Coming back to the thought experiment, what all things can you build? Do you think you can advance humanity with the complex knowledge you possess in your lifetime in the past? I\u0026rsquo;ve been thinking about this for a while and have listed down a few things that are essential with possible scenarios to achieve them. The list also includes items that I wanted to achieve but failed due to the lack of knowledge I have. This also questions the depth of knowledge I have on everyday things. I think Yuval Harari said this in Sapiens (not sure!) that the average knowledge of a hunter-gatherer was more than the average knowledge of a modern human. The overall collective knowledge of humanity has increased over years, but at a personal scale, the amount of collective knowledge has decreased.\nThis is a working article and will be updated accordingly as I explore more ideas.\nTools: A tool like a knife is essential to survive and build humanity. A tool with metals is not possible until the discovery and extraction of metals, but one with a stone can be easily made. Hit a sharp stone with another or file it against another rock to make a basic knife or shrapnel to cut trees and branches. Thanks to some survival YouTube videos I have seen! Rope: The tool would be better with a wooden handle. Some ropes are needed to secure the wooden stick with the stone tool. I can use some long roots or strong climbers or hanging branches as ropes for these purposes. Shelter: With the tool I have and human resources available, I can make some basic houses for shelter. I can use tree logs and branches to create a strong structure secured by ropes collected. The roof can be covered using palm leaves or any other branch cut using a knife. I need to build this shelter as close to the water as possible. Fire: Fire is very important for survival, but as I\u0026rsquo;m writing this I realized I don\u0026rsquo;t really know much about making fire from scratch. When I was young, I had tried and failed to make fire using stones. I know fire can be made using rotating a piece of wood against another, but what kind of wood should I use? I\u0026rsquo;m not really confident about this as I\u0026rsquo;ve never done this. I wish I had known how flint rocks look in nature. Food: Finding food is tricky since nature is untouched. Many of the vegetables and fruits that we eat today do not look the same in the wild. What we see and eat today are plants that have been collectively bred by humans over centuries. My best bet in such a scenario would be to find some mushrooms, root plants or berries. But I do not have any idea what is edible or not. At this point with the limited tools I have, catching animals won\u0026rsquo;t be a good idea. Even if I find food, it would probably suck as there is no salt. If I have a sea or ocean nearby, I can collect some water in a coconut shell and let it dry to collect some salt. Agriculture: Agriculture is key for my survival and the tribes\u0026rsquo;. Every time I eat something, I need to store the seeds or stem of the plant to reproduce it at a scale next time. But how do I group things? I do not have a label maker or even a pen. I also do not have a pouch or a plastic bag to store the seeds. Better make storage out of stones to store and group these seeds. I can use some plant leaves or flowers to mark these stones as I still remember the alphabet. I\u0026rsquo;m also not sure whether the seeds I\u0026rsquo;ve collected will sprout. I need to collect and use them wisely to obtain the right yield. Knowledge: As I do not have any books or electronic media to store information, I need to find a way to store the information I acquire over the days. At a basic level, I need to develop some sort of a pictorial writing system until I figure out how to make paper and some sort of pen and ink. Fishing: Fish are an excellent source of protein low in fat with omega-3 fatty acids. Since the tribe lives near the water body, it\u0026rsquo;s an easier source of food. I can use some stone tools that are attached to a wooden stick to make some sort of spear to catch fish in the shallow waters. I do not know which fish I shouldn\u0026rsquo;t eat but I guess at this point everything is edible. I also need to train a few members of the tribe on how to swim and dive. Diving is essential as some shellfish live on the bottom portion of the water body and are excellent sources of protein. Transportation: Over time as I expand my civilization, transportation is essential. The idea of the wheel is simple but making it is quite tough in the wild with primitive tools. The idea here is to dedicate some human resources to making some wheels from logs of wood and stones by carving and filing. Ideally, I want to build some sort of cart with a wooden axle supported by four stone or wooden wheels. Animals: As I\u0026rsquo;m writing this, I feel like this is quite unethical. But for the survival of my species, I feel like animals are essential. What animals should I tame and how do I tame them? Can I find a cow in the wild? Can I find a rooster and a hen in the world? I don\u0026rsquo;t think dogs exist as wolves are their ancestor. Catching and taming a wolf or buffalo at this point is quite tricky. I\u0026rsquo;m clueless at this point. But as my cart is getting ready, I would need some animals to pull it. Irrigation: If I\u0026rsquo;m planning on agriculture, water is key for its growth. How do I transport water from the river to the fields? I can ask my people to dig some canals as this is the most practical thing to do. Or should I use some bamboo water pipes to bring water? I feel like this part is quite easy and doable. Clothing: Is clothing necessary at this point in time? I don\u0026rsquo;t think there are enough resources to ensure clothing for everyone. I can try to make some clothing using leaves or animal skin. Some palm leaves with some ropes can be used to make a basic skirt. Time: Tracking time is vital as this can help me predict seasons. But how do I track time? Should I use a cave wall to mark the number of days? But what day is today? Which season are we going through now? This is quite tricky. Food Preservation: Once I have figured out the timings of seasons, it is now time to look at preserving food. How do I preserve food? I know how to preserve fish with salt and sunlight. I can also preserve meat and some vegetables the same way, but success can be achieved only by some trial and error. Another problem is where will I store the preserved food? Do rats exist in the wild? How do I create a makeshift storage space with the limited resources I have? Education: So far my tribe members have obeyed me, but we do not communicate. We communicate through some actions, but I feel it is time to teach them some language. What language should I teach them? I feel like English is quite complicated for a primitive population. How do I design a new language or how are languages formed? If I die someday accidentally, it is important that I preserve the knowledge for future generations. But how do I preserve it? Should I build a new language from scratch? The End As I\u0026rsquo;m writing this, I\u0026rsquo;ve realized that much knowledge I possess like electromagnetism, string theory, aerodynamics, etc. is of no use until the civilization advances to a point. I had much fun writing this post and will update it as I get more ideas over time. Meanwhile, drop your comments on things that you feel you can achieve.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-03-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/man-from-the-future/","summary":"Imagine a hypothetical scenario wherein in the split of a second you\u0026rsquo;re transported back to the past thousands of years ago. You\u0026rsquo;re the only surviving man from the future. You\u0026rsquo;re surrounded by 100 other uncivilized humans who do not have a clue about who you are, yet they obey you. You are surrounded by pristine untouched natural landscapes with abundant resources. Your cognitive abilities and memory of the future remain intact, but you\u0026rsquo;re not carrying anything from the future.","title":"The Man from the Future: A Thought Experiment","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/man-from-the-future/"},{"content_html":"2021 was a crazy year by all means. Learning from past mistakes, I decided to create a proper plan for 2022, something I’ve never done in the 27 years of my life . Even though I love working on different goals or projects at the same time, this can often be hectic and quite inefficient. The idea here is to create a plan for 2022 so that I have a clear vision of the things I’m pursuing. I do not plan to take up anything extra other than what I’ve mentioned in this plan. This planning will also act as a skeleton for the long-form article I’m working on, revolving around the concept of ‘How to Live’. The overall vision for 2022 is to achieve the goals defined based on the three focus points I have for the year: Health, Career, and Wealth.\nGoals To be fit and healthy by the end of 2022. Create alternate work streams and passive income by the end of 2022. Master programming and transition my career into a more data-oriented one. Objectives To achieve the goals mentioned in the previous section, the following objectives have been laid out. Some of these objectives are interconnected and contribute to more than one of the goals.\n🏋 Weight At the time of writing this post, my weight is 70 kgs, putting me slightly in the obese range on the BMI scale. I have shed close to 6 kgs in the last month, but by the end of 2022, I want to achieve a target weight of 65 kgs. I’m tracking this progress on Google Fit as well as the Zepp app.\n🛌 Sleep Last year, I read enough about the importance of sleep, and it’s quite evident from scientific literature that human beings need close to 7-8 hours of sleep, irrespective of what hustle gurus say. Having a consistent sleep schedule is important as it balances the circadian rhythm. My plan is to sleep around 11 PM every night and wake up at around 6 AM every day, along with a 30-minute nap in the afternoon. I would love to track my sleep, but whenever I wear my fitness tracker while sleeping, it’s quite uncomfortable and affects my sleep quality. For now, I’m tracking my sleep in a habit tracker on a Google Sheet! (I have some ideas for developing an obstruction-free fitness tracker. If you work in that space or would love to build one, do ping me!)\n🚴 Cycling I rode around 3000 kms in 2021. I recently purchased a road bike, and I’m planning to take cycling seriously this year. In 2022, I plan to ride a minimum of 6000 km. I love long-distance cycling/randonneuring and plan to compete in 200 and 300 BRMs this year. So far, I’ve completed 600+ km and am well on track. Follow me on Strava to see what I’m up to!\n🏃‍♂️ Running I’ve always wanted to run but never committed to it. So the plan this year is to start slow and work towards being fit enough to participate in a half marathon event or complete a virtual half marathon by the end of this year. At the time of writing, I can run 5k comfortably and am working on building endurance for a 10k.\n🏊‍♂️ Swimming I learned proper swimming at the end of last year and have decided to dedicate 2 days a week to swimming. My goal is to swim continuously for 800 meters by the end of the year. Swimming is new for me, so I haven’t set any ambitious targets here. This training will help me gain confidence in open-water swimming, a plan I have for 2023.\n🧘‍♂️ Meditation As Naval Ravikant said, meditation is the art of doing nothing. I’ve been using Waking Up by Sam Harris for meditating. Last year I logged 120 mindful days, accounting for a total of 2000+ minutes of meditation. The goal for 2022 is to move away from the app and start practicing unguided meditation every day for 20 minutes.\n⏲ Fasting I tried intermittent fasting during the second half of last year, and it worked wonders for me. I love the concept of fasting as it gives me so much energy throughout the day. I plan to continue 16/8 fasting with two 24-hour fasts each month, aiming for at least 4500 hours of fasting by the end of the year. I’m also thinking of developing an app to track fasting more easily using an NFC tag.\n🍲 Diet I aim to cut down on outside food this year and eat more meals at home. My goal is to follow a diet with zero added sugar, more fiber, seasonal produce, fatty fish, lean meats, least processed, colorful (more antioxidants), and fermented foods. I also plan to take a 60-day no-sugar challenge in May 2022.\n🍺 Alcohol I’ve been drinking socially since 2013, but lately, I’ve noticed that alcohol affects my sleep and digestion. Even a single pint of beer gives me a hangover. The goal this year is to drink as little as possible and stay hydrated.\n💻 Programming I’ve always felt like I missed the bus when it comes to programming. This year, I’ve decided to stop complaining and master it. My goal is to learn Python, master data science basics, and transition into a data-oriented career. I also want to learn JavaScript and write smart contracts to stay updated with Web 3.0 developments. By the end of 2022, I want to create a portfolio for university applications and job hunts.\n🎨 Art Creating art gives purpose to my life. I want to focus more on art in 2022, aiming to create a portfolio of at least 3 art projects. Some of my planned projects include \u0026ldquo;Abandoned Gods,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Memoirs of an ALS Patient,\u0026rdquo; and an NFT project involving generative art.\n📰 Newsletter My newsletter, 10+1 Things , exceeded my expectations and crossed 700 subscribers in 2021. The goal for 2022 is to reach 2000 subscribers. I’m also open to cross-promotion opportunities, so feel free to connect!\n✍️ Blogging I aim to publish a minimum of 30 original blog posts by the end of 2022. I’ve also got a list of 75+ ideas to explore. I plan to migrate my blog to a fully custom static site based on the Eleventy framework by year-end.\n📚 Reading I failed to meet my target of 52 books in 2021, ending with 33 books. This year, I aim to read a minimum of 45 books.\n🎓 Theoretical Physics and Interaction Design Apart from programming, I’m pursuing theoretical physics and interaction design. The goal for 2022 is to complete a course on classical mechanics in theoretical physics and finish a UX design course on IDF.\n💸 Side Hustles I plan to generate at least 50,000 INR (~$670) per month from side hustles by the end of the year, mainly through sponsorships, freelancing, and a course I’m developing.\n💰 Emergency Fund One of my biggest mistakes in 2021 was traveling without an emergency fund. I aim to build an emergency fund by the end of the year that will cover 6 months of expenses.\n💰 Portfolio Risk Management My portfolio is currently 35% cryptocurrency, which is a huge risk. I aim to minimize my crypto investments to 20% and allocate more to debt instruments to reduce risk.\n💭 Other Objectives Aside from my main objectives, I also plan to increase my earning potential, relocate to Europe with my partner, and set up a business for my mother. Additionally, I want to improve our front yard and build a small vegetable garden.\nFinal Thoughts A wise man once said that you should always have a plan, irrespective of the timeline. I may or may not achieve these goals by the end of 2022, but this plan gives me perspective and focus. At the end of 2022, I’ll update you on the status of all these objectives with a year-end review. While I thrive on pursuing multiple things at once, I believe that magic happens at the intersection of these wild pursuits. I’m excited to experience those \u0026ldquo;aha\u0026rdquo; moments in 2022!\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2022-02-21T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/2022-planning/","summary":"2021 was a crazy year by all means. Learning from past mistakes, I decided to create a proper plan for 2022, something I’ve never done in the 27 years of my life . Even though I love working on different goals or projects at the same time, this can often be hectic and quite inefficient. The idea here is to create a plan for 2022 so that I have a clear vision of the things I’m pursuing.","title":"2022: A Year of Hope","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/2022-planning/"},{"content_html":"Following the trend on the internet, I published 27 lessons last year when I turned 27, which turned out to be quite popular and got featured in a few publications. As the last year progressed, I tried to scribble down some lessons I learned over the year. I turned 28 a couple of weeks ago, and here are some lessons I’ve learned over the years:\nI’ve always thought that travel agents and tour packages sucked and were a scam. I learned it the hard way when I messed up my vacation with my partner to Armenia. If you’re short of time, have the budget, and want to enjoy your vacation without much hassle, go with travel agents. Ask permission before touching or playing with other people’s pets. Pets are like family, and some pets, especially dogs, can be quite sensitive to strangers’ presence. I hate Instagram and hate the fact that it has made millions addicted with its reels and stories. Irrespective of my opinion, if you’re a business owner or a content creator, Instagram is the place to be to drive your conversions. Tourism has become mainstream, and there is no way to avoid crowds. Accept the reality and move on, or try exploring places that are not accessible by roads. To make better choices, give yourself more choices. This is also the best way to improve your luck. It is okay if you gave your best and you failed. It’s not okay if you failed and you didn’t give your best. All my life I thought I would backpack forever, and only fancy people stay in resorts or five-star hotels. Lately, I’ve stayed in a few good places, and now I get it. If you pay more, you get better experiences. If a service or product is bad, rather than being annoyed, give feedback so that it can improve in the future. Buy a good memory foam pillow. I still don’t have it, but I tried it once for a night and it was awesome. The feeling to quit while pushing your body to the limits is the same for everyone. Be it an Olympian or a world champion. They all feel the same. But what matters is how you respond to that feeling and keep moving. Try to consume as few calories in liquid form as possible. Very few animals do that in the animal kingdom, and you shouldn’t either. Never let your curiosity go down. It’s the path to opportunities, luck, and eventually success and fulfillment. No one really writes an app and puts it on the app store for free. If it’s free, either you have to pay more for features, or chances are that the app can be quite shitty. You don’t have to like everything you do at work. At some point in their career, every passionate person would have been forced to do something he or she didn’t like. Create a plan for anything you do, be it training, studying, or anything else. Things might not go according to the plan all the time, but a plan gives you a sense of direction to excel. It’s easy to lose a habit than to make it. Never miss a habit for two days consecutively. Don’t drink coffee after 3 PM as it messes up your sleep even if you’re not that sensitive to coffee. I’ve tried it and proved it myself, but for some scientific backing, listen to neuroscientist Huberman’s podcast. It is okay not to do anything during a vacation or while traveling. A hectic schedule will make you tired by the end of your trip, and that is not something everyone wants. Plan your taxes accordingly during the beginning of the financial year. Especially if you’re living in India, there are provisions for deductions, and you can save a lot by planning accordingly. I didn’t, and I’m losing a lot on deductions this year. Don’t try to explain to a person who doesn’t care or understand art. You might be passionate or it matters to you, but the other person might not have the same perspective. Every time you do a workout, record your reps and weights used. Next time you are working out, this will help in progressive overloading. I use the Strong app for this. Even if religion or spirituality doesn’t matter to you, it matters to others. Religion or spirituality gives hope to those who believe in it, and you have no right to offend anyone’s belief. Degrease and grease your bike/cycle every 200 km. Use WD-40 to degrease the chain, use soap to remove the dirt, and dry it with a cloth. A smooth drivetrain ensures a smoother ride and longevity of your moving parts like the chain/cassette. Never take your credit card when you go out to a party and drink. Chances are that you might get drunk and end up overspending on yourself or buying other people drinks. The majority of the people who work in the sustainability space do not actually care about it. They happen to do it by accident or out of no choice. Most are driven by money, fame, or power and never the environment. Living in a village for the last couple of years, I never cared about the Air Quality Index (AQI). When I moved to Delhi, I ignored the AQI warnings and continued roaming around outdoors. I ended up with a severe throat infection within a week and learned the lesson the hard way. Just because millions live in a city with hazardous air quality doesn’t mean that it is safe. It is okay to be lost even when you’re nearing your 30s. It takes time to have a sense of understanding of the world and your part to play in it. As you grow old, life becomes better. 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-12-27T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/28-lessons/","summary":"Following the trend on the internet, I published 27 lessons last year when I turned 27, which turned out to be quite popular and got featured in a few publications. As the last year progressed, I tried to scribble down some lessons I learned over the year. I turned 28 a couple of weeks ago, and here are some lessons I’ve learned over the years:\nI’ve always thought that travel agents and tour packages sucked and were a scam.","title":"28 Lessons I’ve learnt in 28 Years","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/28-lessons/"},{"content_html":"IKEA Effect is a cognitive bias in which we overvalue products that we’ve built or created more than pre-assembled items. The IKEA Effect is the reason why we are in love with LEGO kits and IKEA furniture. It was named after the Swedish manufacturer and furniture retailer that sells furniture items requiring assembly. People’s love for IKEA products was explored by Michael I. Norton, Daniel Mochon, and Dan Ariely in a series of three experiments. The results were published in a paper titled: The “IKEA Effect”: When Labor Leads to Love .\nThey described the IKEA effect as \u0026ldquo;labor alone can be sufficient to induce greater liking for the fruits of one’s labor: even constructing a standardized bureau, an arduous, solitary task, can lead people to overvalue their (often poorly constructed) creations.\u0026rdquo;\nIKEA Effect can be observed in many real-life examples like:\nWhen instant cake mixes were introduced in the 1950s to simplify life, American housewives were reluctant to buy them because it made cooking too easy. Manufacturers had to change the recipe to require adding an egg to improve sales. Subway is popular because it gives people the feeling that they are making their own sandwich and allows for customization. People are willing to pay a premium for apple-picking experiences, even though the actual cost of apples is less. Many distilleries and breweries offer factory tours that allow customers to make their own beer or whiskey, charging a hefty amount for the experience. Haycations are popular in some parts of the world, where people come to harvest produce from farms during holidays. Kids tend to like and eat more vegetables if they are involved in the cooking process. From shoes to toys, many manufacturers allow some form of customization, triggering the IKEA Effect and increasing sales. Some animals, such as rats and starlings, prefer to eat food from sources that required effort on their part. Source: Sketchplanations In the study, a series of experiments were conducted by the researchers among a group that was split into two groups. I read the paper and have tried to distill the results below:\nIn the first experiment, participants were split into builders and non-builders. Builders were asked to assemble an IKEA storage box themselves using instructions, while the non-builders were told to inspect an already assembled similar storage box. Afterward, the participants were told to bid a price for the product. The builders’ group valued the product more than the non-builders, even though the product was the same.\nIn the second experiment, builders were asked to make an origami frog or crane using instructions. Builders were asked to bid a price at which they would buy back these origami creations. Non-builders were told to bid a price on these creations made by builders, as well as on professionally made origami creations. The results indicated that the builders’ bids for their own creations were high, as they wanted to avoid losing their creation. Builders\u0026rsquo; bids were close to the price bid by non-builders for expert origami creations.\nIn another experiment, the group was split into builders and incomplete builders. Builders were allowed to assemble an IKEA product, but incomplete builders were not allowed to finish assembling the product, even though they had all the pieces. As expected, the bid prices of builders were significantly higher than those of incomplete builders.\nThese results indicate the magnitude and extent to which the IKEA Effect can influence our decisions. If you’re interested, you can read the detailed study here .\nI’m new to this concept, and this post is a working document. I’ll update it with more information as I discover more examples of the IKEA Effect. Nevertheless, it is an excellent cognitive bias that can be used by marketers and engineers to craft products that sell organically by leveraging this bias.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-11-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/ikea-effect/","summary":"IKEA Effect is a cognitive bias in which we overvalue products that we’ve built or created more than pre-assembled items. The IKEA Effect is the reason why we are in love with LEGO kits and IKEA furniture. It was named after the Swedish manufacturer and furniture retailer that sells furniture items requiring assembly. People’s love for IKEA products was explored by Michael I. Norton, Daniel Mochon, and Dan Ariely in a series of three experiments.","title":"The IKEA Effect: Why DIY Products make us happier","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/ikea-effect/"},{"content_html":"Brilliance and genius are often traits associated with STEM fields like mathematics, physics, engineering, etc. Despite multiple studies showing that gender plays no role in brilliance, brilliance is often attributed to men. Brilliance bias is the tendency to consider brilliance as a male characteristic.\nAn illustration of brilliance bias by Sketchplanations Our history books include few women, so subconsciously, from a young age, men are often our first thought when we consider brilliant people. Because of this underrepresentation, STEM careers that often require brilliance have fewer women employed . Many studies have indicated that women often suffer from impostor syndrome, which prevents them from pursuing STEM careers since brilliance is often seen as a male characteristic. A 2018 study found that people were 40% less likely to refer a woman for a job that required high levels of brilliance.\nAndrei Cimpian, PhD, a professor of psychology at New York University, recently conducted a study to explore how 5- to 7-year-olds viewed brilliance. Children were told a story about someone who was really smart and were asked to pick the story\u0026rsquo;s subject from a collection of pictures of men and women. 5-year-olds showed a lot of pride and chose the same gender. However, the results from 6 and 7 year-olds were quite shocking. According to the results, girls of these age groups did not associate being smart with their group (females), but boys continued to do so. When boys and girls grow up, girls often associate being smart with something that boys do. A belief like this can have a snowball effect and often result in bias in the future.\nThe solution to this: add more women from history in our curriculum and books. Let’s celebrate the contributions of both women and men equally throughout history and erase this bias for future generations!\nWhat do you think of this bias? Do you think your thoughts are influenced by Brilliance Bias? Leave a comment or contact me directly.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-10-10T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/brilliance-bias/","summary":"Brilliance and genius are often traits associated with STEM fields like mathematics, physics, engineering, etc. Despite multiple studies showing that gender plays no role in brilliance, brilliance is often attributed to men. Brilliance bias is the tendency to consider brilliance as a male characteristic.\nAn illustration of brilliance bias by Sketchplanations Our history books include few women, so subconsciously, from a young age, men are often our first thought when we consider brilliant people.","title":"Brilliance Bias: Brilliance as a Male Trait","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/brilliance-bias/"},{"content_html":"A thought experiment is an imagined sequence of events used to evaluate the consequences and outcomes of a hypothesis, theory, or principle. The Ovarian Lottery is a thought experiment popularized by Warren Buffett , one of the greatest investors of all time. The experiment was inspired by concepts from the book \u0026lsquo;A Theory of Justice \u0026rsquo; by philosopher John Rawls , which argues that a truly just society can only be created when everyone agrees on its principles without knowing where they’ll land in the society. The thought experiment stresses the importance of luck in life and focuses on when and where we are born in this world.\nOvarian Lottery, The Thought Experiment Warren Buffett explains the concept with a thought experiment: Imagine a Genie appears 24 hours before you are born. The genie grants you the wish to determine the economic and social system into which you will emerge. However, there’s a catch: you have no control over where you’ll be born. If you play the lottery, you do not know whether you’re going to be:\nBorn in India, Afghanistan, Somalia, the UK, the USA, or somewhere else. Born male, female, or another gender. White, Black, Brown, or of any other ethnicity. Tall, short, average height, or a dwarf. Intelligent, average, or cognitively impaired. Born to rich, poor, or middle-class parents. Aborted or die during birth. In school or forced to work in a cobalt mine for corporations. Even if you’re playing the lottery, what sort of economic and social system would you create?\nWould you even take the lottery?\nAccording to Buffett, ideally, you would want to create a system that produces an abundant amount of goods that increase at a rapid rate so that future generations would have a better life. The system should incentivize the people who won the lottery but also ensure that those who didn’t win still have a decent life.\nBuffett says, “When I was a kid, I got all kinds of good things. I had the advantage of a home where people talked about interesting things, and I had intelligent parents, and I went to decent schools. I don’t think I could have been raised by a better pair of parents. That was enormously important. I didn’t get money from my parents, and I really didn’t want it. But I was born at the right time and place. I won the ‘Ovarian Lottery.’”\nBuffett was a special individual, born into the right family at the right time. His dad, Howard Buffett, owned a small brokerage, which gave him a head start in learning about investing. Buffett points out the case of his two sisters, who were equally smart and ambitious. However, at that time, there were very limited opportunities for women, and they couldn’t achieve as much. As a Caucasian male, it was easier for him to become a billionaire, unlike Oprah Winfrey, who faced a much tougher road to becoming the first Black billionaire.\nThe Gratitude Angle “The womb from which you emerge determines your fate to an enormous degree for most of the seven billion people in the world.”\n— Warren Buffett\nAt the time of writing this article, the world population stands at somewhere around 7.9 billion. If you’re reading this article, irrespective of your geography or financial status, you’re in the top 60% of the population that has access to the internet.\nI feel like I’ve won the lottery. I was born in a developing economy as a male. I always had a roof over my head, never faced any problem accessing food or water, had opportunities for education, and was lucky not to be born during a time of conflict or war.\nIf I’m guessing right, most people with a computer, freedom to access the internet, the ability to speak some English, and smart enough to reach this website would never take the Ovarian Lottery. We always complain about the shortcomings in our lives, but think about someone born today in Afghanistan or a refugee camp in Somalia? Someone like that would likely be up for a gamble and would definitely take the lottery!\nI also wonder about the randomness and the lack of control we have over our lives. Where we start in life has a tremendous effect on where we end up. This thought experiment gave me a sense of gratitude, and I’ve never felt so happy about my life until now.\nI would love to hear your thoughts on the experiment. Would you take the lottery? If yes, what changes in the system would you make to ensure that everyone is served well? You can leave your comments or contact me .\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-10-02T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/ovarian-lottery/","summary":"A thought experiment is an imagined sequence of events used to evaluate the consequences and outcomes of a hypothesis, theory, or principle. The Ovarian Lottery is a thought experiment popularized by Warren Buffett , one of the greatest investors of all time. The experiment was inspired by concepts from the book \u0026lsquo;A Theory of Justice \u0026rsquo; by philosopher John Rawls , which argues that a truly just society can only be created when everyone agrees on its principles without knowing where they’ll land in the society.","title":"The Ovarian Lottery: A Thought Experiment","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/ovarian-lottery/"},{"content_html":"We are living in a century where we are bombarded with information. Thanks to the rise of social media, digital journalism, and live media, we now have access to vast amounts of information like never before. Distractions have become so common in this digital age that we have started to accept them as normal. We have reached a point where we have more ways to get distracted than to be focused. Attention Diet is a term coined by Mark Manson , the author of the popular book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck .\nDistractions have become so pervasive in the digital age that we\u0026rsquo;ve come to accept them as normal. But we can escape their grip and free our minds.\n— Mark Manson What is an Attention Diet? An Attention Diet is to be followed in the 21st century, an era where we are bombarded with information. Attention diet focuses on the amount of media, content, and socializing people are doing these days, eventually distracting themselves. The goal of an attention diet is to find highly nutritious sources of information and relationships to build our lives around them. The diet gives more importance to quality over quantity.\nAccording to Manson, the Attention diet is all about prioritizing nutritious sources of information and relationships over junk ones. Nutritious information is reliable, long-form, and deeply engaging, whereas junk information is unreliable, short, addictive, and emotionally charged. Nutritious relationships are people or groups who make you feel better, are positive, and help you grow. Junk relationships are often with people or groups having little mutual trust, consistently making you feel worse about yourself or the world.\nWhy does it Matter? It all boils down to the question: why does it matter? Why should we follow an Attention Diet? The Attention Diet is essential for weeding out all the unwanted junk in the information universe and focusing on what is important. (I have written a piece on the importance of curated content in this context! ) With the number of options we have, we are always distracted. Our attention span is very short, and we cannot focus on anything for long. We are addicted to clickbait titles and consume media more than ever before. Smartphones and social media are often called the \u0026ldquo;cigarettes for millennials.\u0026rdquo; According to Manson , you only grow in this world by your ability to correctly focus on less. Just like we tackled junk food and lifestyle diseases through nutritional diets in the 20th century, we need to improve our focus through the attention diet.\nIf you’re interested, check out 10+1 Things : a weekly newsletter finely curated by me, featuring 11 interesting things to spark your curiosity. Check out the Archive! How to Start an Attention Diet? The concept of the Attention Diet is similar to a nutritional diet where you cut down on unwanted food and eat more healthy to balance your macros and micros. In an Attention Diet, you mindfully limit the distractions you have, prioritize nutritious sources of information and relationships, and eventually reduce your craving for junk sources of information and relationships.\nThree steps to follow in an attention diet are:\nIdentify nutritious sources of information and relationships. Weed out all junk sources of information and connections. Cultivate the habit of deep focus and a longer attention span. From May 2021, I’ve been trying to adopt a lifestyle where I’m conscious about the information I’ve been consuming. I’ve been following the steps mentioned below in my attention diet. I do not claim that these will work for you, but they have definitely worked for me as I now have better focus and a longer attention span within just 3-4 months. This is a working article, and I will update it with more action items as soon as I discover them.\nReduce Social Media I’ve been annoyed with the BS content present on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. In April, I unfollowed everyone on Instagram and unsubscribed from every YouTube channel. I no longer have any social media apps on my phone. The only platforms I use are Twitter and Reddit, where I have better control over what I’m consuming.\nUnfollow News and Media Outlets I do not follow any news or media outlets anymore. I have removed all news and media apps from my phone. I had a habit of checking the news several times an hour, and this eliminated that habit.\nTurn off Personalized Suggestions By tracking our search results, Google ensures that there is always content available for us to consume 24x7. I see far fewer ads and recommendations after turning off personalized results and suggestions.\nTry to consume long-form content I consume long-form content such as books, podcasts, well-researched articles, and documentaries. I take notes while reading books or articles. Long-form content is generally better researched and less full of fluff, which enhances my attention span.\nMute all notifications All notifications are muted on my phone except for call notifications during work hours.\nFind Sources of Accurate and Meaningful Information The majority of the information I consume now comes through newsletters. For trustworthy publications, bloggers, or writers, I usually subscribe to their newsletters, allowing me to consume information through my email. Besides this, I do a lot of research using Wikipedia. I only consume external content when researching a particular topic, like writing this blog post.\nTime Blocking I use the technique of time blocking for reading emails, social media, or entertainment. I try to spend no more than 1.5 hours per day on emails. I limit social media platforms like Reddit and Twitter to a maximum of 30 minutes per day. Entertainment, such as music or YouTube, usually accounts for a maximum of 1 hour per day. The rest of my time is spent reading books, building stuff, or learning something new.\nNo-Distraction Time I usually have these phases of no-distraction throughout the day. For example, when I’m writing an article or learning something, I turn on Zen Mode on my phone. This ensures that I cannot use my phone during this period. Also, on Sundays, I try to avoid smartphone use for as long as possible. Outside office hours, my phone is usually set to Airplane mode to avoid unnecessary calls or messages.\nSet Phone Display to Monochrome Most smartphones have an option to set the display colors to monochrome. I use a OnePlus handset, and it allows me to do this. My phone is usually set to monochrome, making the display less appealing and reducing my usage.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-08-15T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/attention-diet/","summary":"We are living in a century where we are bombarded with information. Thanks to the rise of social media, digital journalism, and live media, we now have access to vast amounts of information like never before. Distractions have become so common in this digital age that we have started to accept them as normal. We have reached a point where we have more ways to get distracted than to be focused.","title":"How to Start an Attention Diet?","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/attention-diet/"},{"content_html":" At the end of May 2021, I started a newsletter called 10+1 Things on Substack. The main idea behind the newsletter was to funnel some traffic to this blog and to other projects I’m working on. In fact, I came up with the name 10+1 Things in 15 minutes and decided to start it on Substack as it was quick to set up. As I’m writing this, 10+1 Things has just crossed 100+ subscribers. From being a small fun project, the newsletter has grown into a separate project and has become part of my routine. All this happened in just 2 months, and the newsletter is growing strong with a +50% open rate and an expected subscriber count of 300+ by the end of 2021 (I extrapolated the subscriber data!). I started at zero and haven’t spent any money on ads or promotions. All growth has been organic so far, thanks to some cross-promotion with other fellow writers in the community. Here’s what I learned from growing my newsletter from 0 to 100 subs in 2 months:\nJust Start! I created the first logo using some random font from the internet! I have always struggled to start. Being a person who cares a lot about design and aesthetics, I usually spend a crazy amount of time tweaking things to launch the perfect product. When I started 10+1 Things, I decided that I was going to start anyway, irrespective of the design or clarity. If you check the initial few issues in the archive , you can see that the style was different and not uniform. All I wanted to do was start and write about 11 things every week. Things have changed a lot, and now I have created a process to optimize the workflow . But I think the reason this newsletter has come so far is that I decided to just start and forget about tweaking small things.\nImpostor Syndrome Impostor Syndrome is an internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. I always had problems with Impostor Syndrome and always had the fear of not being good enough. This was one reason that held me back from starting a blog or a newsletter . Even though I overcame it by publishing the first edition, I was reluctant to share it with the public. I was worried that I wouldn’t be good enough and that I would eventually drop it due to inconsistency. Only after I published my second edition did I start sharing the newsletter with friends and the public. One quote by Derek Sivers in his book Anything You Want has helped me a lot in this matter: “What’s obvious to you is amazing to others.” The book Show Your Work by Austin Kleon also helped me a lot in overcoming this fear. To everyone who is reading this, my advice would be to just start and forget about others\u0026rsquo; opinions.\nCommunity Matters When it comes to newsletters, community matters a lot. I was lucky enough to get good support from my close friends, which encouraged me to continue this journey. Also, Substack has a great community of writers who unite every Thursday for Writer Hours to help each other. This sense of community has benefitted me greatly. In terms of numbers, I have done 3-4 cross-promotions with other newsletter writers, which helped me grow the subscriber base. I also have a close-knit group of newsletter creators with whom I often connect for advice and support, and this has contributed a lot to the newsletter’s growth.\nDeveloping a Process Since 10+1 Things is a newsletter that features curated content , it involves a lot of effort and time. Over time, I have created a process that helps me identify, collect, and sort important snippets of information that I plan to feature. Newsletter writing has become part of my routine and it inspires me to read and learn throughout the week. Because of this routine, I’m more mindful of consuming information and I weed out unwanted distractions. I’m about to publish the 12th edition, and thanks to the processes and systems I have created, I have reduced the effort of writing each week by at least 30%. If you want to read more about the process I follow, I have written about it on the about page of my Substack .\nAre you a newsletter writer or do you want to start one? I would love to connect with you and discuss more.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-08-08T11:17:58+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/first-100-email-subscribers/","summary":"At the end of May 2021, I started a newsletter called 10+1 Things on Substack. The main idea behind the newsletter was to funnel some traffic to this blog and to other projects I’m working on. In fact, I came up with the name 10+1 Things in 15 minutes and decided to start it on Substack as it was quick to set up. As I’m writing this, 10+1 Things has just crossed 100+ subscribers.","title":"What I learnt from my  first 100 Email Subscribers on Substack","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/first-100-email-subscribers/"},{"content_html":"I came to know about the concept of Resonance Journal when I watched Ali Abdaal’s video on how he uses Notion for keeping his resonance calendar . After watching the video, I felt like the term ‘Resonance Calendar’ was not apt for what I wanted to achieve. I decided to rename it as Resonance Journal and set up one similar to Ali on Notion. I currently use the Resonance Journal as a tool in my journey towards self-discovery.\nAnytime I come across anything at all that resonates with me, I drop it into the Resonance Calendar on Notion. This lets me keep track of articles I’ve read, YouTube videos I’ve watched, books and podcasts I’ve listened to, and anything else I come across in life.\n— Ali Abdaal How does it work? How an entry looks in Resonance Journal The concept is simple. Every time you come across a video, podcast, job, article, book, project, etc., that resonates with you, add it as an entry to the Resonance Journal. Use the existing tags or create one if it doesn’t exist. Over time, you will notice patterns or common threads of things that resonate with you. Some items often resonate with you and have multiple entries in the journal. For example, I came across articles, blogs, and personalities centered around human-centered design a lot in my journal. Interestingly, there were very few entries related to renewable energy, which was my major! 🙂\nDownload the template Self-Discovery using Resonance Journal I have always struggled with figuring out what I wanted to do in life. I’ve always wanted to work on something I’m truly passionate about, especially in terms of a career since it occupies a major part of life. Journaling about things that resonate with me has positively impacted my self-discovery journey. I realized that what I thought mattered to me or what I thought fit me wasn’t always something I had a true connection with. Through this process, I found interesting patterns and repeatedly encountered multiple personalities in different contexts.\nAt the time of writing this, I’m currently doing a program on Design Research by the Interaction Design Foundation (IDF) . This is something I discovered after journaling for a few months in the Resonance Journal. I noticed several instances where I felt deeply connected to design research, such as works by IDEO , Acumen Academy , Space10 , and Don Norman . Every time I read about something related to UX, like design research or interaction design, I felt a strong connection and was excited to learn more. What’s funny is that these were the same topics that excited me two years ago, but I dismissed them as mere curiosity cravings. I don’t know if this is the right or wrong path, but I’m happy to pursue something that resonates with me rather than doing something accidentally.\nYou can check out my sample Resonance Journal using the link below.\nResonance Journal Template on Notion What do you think of Resonance Journaling? Does it make sense to you? If you’re into journaling, check out my article on stress journaling .\nI would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or message me directly .\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-08-08T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/resonance-journal/","summary":"I came to know about the concept of Resonance Journal when I watched Ali Abdaal’s video on how he uses Notion for keeping his resonance calendar . After watching the video, I felt like the term ‘Resonance Calendar’ was not apt for what I wanted to achieve. I decided to rename it as Resonance Journal and set up one similar to Ali on Notion. I currently use the Resonance Journal as a tool in my journey towards self-discovery.","title":"Resonance Journal as a Tool for Self-Discovery","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/resonance-journal/"},{"content_html":"Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual is a tiny book by Michael Pollan . I came to know about the book from Derek Siver’s website and thought of reading this. The book distills Pollan’s wisdom of food and diet into 64 simple rules for eating healthily and happily. The book is small and I finished it in less than an hour. Many ideas discussed in the book might already be known to you. The basic idea of the book is “eat what your grandmother or your ancestors would recognize as food.” The book is divided into three parts: What should I eat?, What kind of food should I eat?, and How should I eat? Pollan does not discourage us from eating something unhealthy once in a while but suggests avoiding processed food as much as possible. The whole book can be distilled into seven words:\nEat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.\n— Michael Pollan This book is a must-read if you are looking to get some insights on diet and leading a healthy lifestyle.\nBUY FROM AMAZON How the book has changed me? As mentioned earlier, many ideas were already known to me. But the book brought more clarity to my stance against processed food. The French Paradox mentioned in the book was also thought-provoking. The practice of having a colorful diet backed up by the idea of phytochemicals was new to me. I have also decided to include fermented food at least in one meal per week after reading about its benefits.\nKey Notes An ideal diet consists mainly of plant-based ingredients as less processed as possible. The more processed and longer the shelf life of products, the less nutritious they are. Any food that contains added sugar is harmful to health. Eat whole foods and try to avoid liquid food as much as possible. Humans are one of the few mammals who consume calories via liquid foods after weaning. Favorite Quotes from the book The healthiest food in the supermarket—the fresh produce—doesn’t boast about its healthfulness because the growers don’t have the budget or the packaging. French paradox: the mystery (at least to nutritionists) of a population that eats all sorts of supposedly lethal fatty foods and washes them down with red wine but is nevertheless healthier, slimmer, and slightly longer-lived than we are. The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead. Highlights from Kindle Populations that eat a so-called Western diet—generally defined as a diet consisting of lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, lots of everything except vegetables, fruits, and whole grains—invariably suffer from high rates of the so-called Western diseases: obesity, type diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. Today, foods are processed in ways specifically designed to get us to buy and eat more by pushing our evolutionary buttons—our inborn preferences for sweetness, fat, and salt. These tastes are difficult to find in nature but cheap and easy for the food scientist to deploy. Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry. Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup. Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetener) listed among the top three ingredients. The healthiest food in the supermarket—the fresh produce—doesn’t boast about its healthfulness because the growers don’t have the budget or the packaging. The more processed a food is, the longer the shelf life, and the less nutritious it typically is. Real food is alive—and therefore, it should eventually die. Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature. If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don’t. By eating a diet that is primarily plant-based, you’ll be consuming far fewer calories since plant foods—with the exception of seeds, grains, and nuts—are typically less energy-dense than other foods. Vegetarians are notably healthier than carnivores and live longer. “Eating what stands on one leg (mushrooms and plant foods) is better than eating what stands on two legs (fowl), which is better than eating what stands on four legs (cows, pigs, and other mammals).” The colors of many vegetables reflect the different antioxidant phytochemicals they contain—anthocyanins, polyphenols, flavonoids, carotenoids. Many of these chemicals help protect against chronic diseases, but each in a slightly different way, so the best protection comes from a diet containing as many different phytochemicals as possible. Eat animals that have themselves eaten well. The dazzling diversity of food products on offer in the supermarket is deceptive because so many of them are made from the same small handful of plant species, and most of those—the corn, soy, and wheat—are seeds rather than leaves. The fields and forests are crowded with plants containing higher levels of various phytochemicals than their domesticated cousins. Why? Because these plants have to defend themselves against pests and diseases without any help from us. We’ve also selected and bred crop plants for sweetness; many defensive compounds that plants produce are bitter. We also breed for shelf life, which has reduced levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plants, as these fats quickly oxidize—turning rancid. Humans are one of the few mammals that obtain calories from liquids after weaning. “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.” People who eat lots of whole grains tend to be healthier and live longer. Cultures that took corn from Latin America without the beans or the lime ended up with serious nutritional deficiencies such as pellagra. French paradox: the mystery (at least to nutritionists) of a population that eats all sorts of supposedly lethal fatty foods and washes them down with red wine but is nevertheless healthier, slimmer, and slightly longer-lived than we are. The American food system has for many years devoted its energies to increasing quantity and reducing price rather than improving quality. As the cost of food in America has declined, in terms of both price and effort required to put it on the table, we have been eating much more (and spending more on health care). Eat when you are hungry, not when you are bored. If you are going to snack, try to limit yourself to fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Some people follow a so-called S policy: “no snacks, no seconds, no sweets—except on days that begin with the letter S.” BUY FROM AMAZON 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-07-31T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/food-rules/","summary":"Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual is a tiny book by Michael Pollan . I came to know about the book from Derek Siver’s website and thought of reading this. The book distills Pollan’s wisdom of food and diet into 64 simple rules for eating healthily and happily. The book is small and I finished it in less than an hour. Many ideas discussed in the book might already be known to you.","title":"Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual: Book Summary \u0026 Notes","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/food-rules/"},{"content_html":" I started journaling when the second wave of Covid-19 hit India in April 2021. I’m not a daily journal person, though I would like to make it a daily habit. I journal my thoughts occasionally on Obsidian in digital format using Markdown. I also maintain an Idea Journal in public , a resonance journal in Notion , and a private art journal in Obsidian . The only journal I write in physical form is my Stress Journal. I’m not sure where I got the idea, but I think I read about it on Twitter (I wish I knew the source so I could credit it). If you don’t know what journaling is, it’s a self-practice where you record your thoughts and emotions in a diary, whether digital or physical.\nDo you know what’s common between Albert Einstein, Anne Frank, Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Frederick Douglass? They all kept journals.\n— Source: Mintexports This is how entries will look in a stress journal The idea of a stress journal is simple. Anytime you face anxiety or stress, write the date and describe the feeling and what triggered it. I usually give it a score out of five to indicate how much it bothers me. Every time I open the journal to write a new entry, I go through all the previous entries. I cross out entries that don’t bother me anymore. This helps me reflect on times when I felt stressed, but it was short-lived.\nBUY MY JOURNAL Journaling about stress gives me perspective on all the things that bother me. Sometimes we get stressed about things that aren’t significant enough to be anxious about. I used to feel like I was stressed all the time, but the journal gave me insight into how stress-free my life actually is. Even the small things that bother us are temporary, and it’s a great way to reflect on our thoughts!\nAre you planning to keep a stress journal? Check out this journal on Amazon where I write my thoughts.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-07-31T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/stress-journal/","summary":"I started journaling when the second wave of Covid-19 hit India in April 2021. I’m not a daily journal person, though I would like to make it a daily habit. I journal my thoughts occasionally on Obsidian in digital format using Markdown. I also maintain an Idea Journal in public , a resonance journal in Notion , and a private art journal in Obsidian . The only journal I write in physical form is my Stress Journal.","title":"Why I keep a Stress Journal","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/stress-journal/"},{"content_html":"The idea of meditation has always confused me. Being an atheist ( This is my bible! ) as well as a rationalist, I thought of it as another woo-woo thing. Woo-Woo basically means \u0026ldquo;ideas or methods that are based on false beliefs or imaginary things, rather than reason or scientific knowledge.\u0026rdquo; Earlier this year, I was backpacking through North India and I met many people who had life-changing experiences with meditation. I also saw multiple scams where westerners were lured into this whole spirituality trap in the name of meditation.\nMeditation is good for nothing. That’s why you do it.\n— Amir Motlagh I had struggled with a bit of anxiety and restlessness ever since I quit my job last year. I had received suggestions from many people to try meditation, but I was overly skeptical considering the scent of spirituality it had. Then I happened to read a Twitter thread by Naval Ravikant . [Naval][1] is someone I admire, and his ideas and philosophies resonate a lot with me. To be honest, the only reason I tried meditation was that I read about it from someone like Naval (I’m working on being more open to things).\nSince I was new to meditation, I needed some starting point. I tried multiple apps like Calm , Headspace , but nothing worked for me. I discovered an app called Waking Up by Sam Harris , after reading his book Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion . Even though I have mixed thoughts about new atheism and the ideas in his books , I decided to give the app a try.\nThe plan was to try the 28-day introductory course in the app, along with 2 daily meditations for a total of 30 days, and then see how it goes. I started the challenge on the 15th of May 2021 and decided to scribble my thoughts every day in a journal. These 30 days were amazing for me and opened up new perspectives. I could see changes in my everyday life due to the 10–20 minutes I spent every day. I’m now comfortable doing my own style of meditation and defining my own process. At times, I use the daily meditation option in the Waking Up app, but most days it’s just me sitting quietly, listening to my mind. Meditation is now a part of my routine just like working out. Based on my experience, I have penned down my own conclusions and observations on meditation below:\nMeditation is not spiritual but fasting for the mind As Naval has said, meditation is the art of doing nothing. It is simply switching off your mind. While meditating, you cut off the outside noise and focus just on yourself. You don’t need gurus, chakras, Buddhas, kundalinis, or anything bogus to meditate. It is good to have an app like Waking Up to get started, but if you have a strong desire to start, you can do it by focusing on yourself. The whole idea that meditation takes us into altered states of consciousness doesn’t make sense to me. I felt relaxed and calm after meditation, but that doesn’t mean anything spiritual. I feel the same trance when I’m involved in something I like. I felt the same while photographing dogs in the alleys of Varanasi or doing gardening at home. I feel the same when I go for a hike in nature and I’m lost in my own mind.\nMeditation is a skill Just like any other skill you try to learn, meditation takes consistent practice. It’s more like exercising a muscle you’ve never worked out before. It takes time to calm your mind and do nothing. Doing a 60-minute meditation is easier than doing a 30-minute meditation because it takes some time to get rid of thoughts in your mind. Meditation is not something you do for a challenge or seasonally. It should be practiced for at least 30 minutes daily as part of your routine. Since it’s a skill, it’s better to start with guided meditation using an app or video. Once you feel comfortable, experiment with the process and define your own style of meditation.\nBeing mindful I have realized that I’m more mindful after starting meditation. I have these self-pause moments throughout the day before speaking or analyzing things. I often think about why I’m doing a particular activity before starting it. I’ve started noticing the small things in my backyard, like the spider web behind my house or the moss patterns on the wall. Being mindful throughout the day has been the most positive impact meditation has had on me. I enjoy the small pauses of self-reflection and often wonder why I’m engaging in certain actions. In terms of photography, I believe I have a better eye now. I can see abstract patterns or stories I never noticed before in everyday life. In fact, recently I was thinking of doing a project on rust after seeing rust patterns on metal around my home.\nIt’s all about you There is no good or bad method. It’s not about reciting mantras or focusing on the breath. It’s a form of self-examination where you explore yourself while sitting quietly without disturbance. There’s no perfect style of meditation. It’s all about discovering what works for you. What I do is start by focusing on my breath and letting my mind wander and do nothing. I don’t resist or reject anything, I just let my mind choose the trail. I often feel grateful for the things I have in life during these sessions.\nThe science As per my research, there is no solid scientific proof of the benefits of meditation. There have been some studies with controlled groups showing positive results, but the results weren’t conclusive or better than existing treatments. I’m not in a position to comment on the science of meditation. For me, it’s more about calming myself and starting the day fresh. You can read more about the science of meditation here . I also came across an article on how mindfulness caused a nervous breakdown for a practicing meditator .\nThe journal As I mentioned earlier, meditation is all about you. When I did the 30-day Meditation Challenge, I kept a small journal of my thoughts every day after meditating. These thoughts are random, don’t always make sense, and are never meant to be followed. Ignore all the advice on the internet about meditation, including this article. It’s all about you, and you have to discover it.\nJournal Entries #1: Tried focusing on the visual field with closed eyes. Patterns were unique and realistic. At times, I got lost in thoughts but came back. I feel like I’m good at visualizing?\n#2: Noticed thoughts. Traced them to their roots. Tried observing the visual field behind closed eyes.\n#3: Tried to understand that the visual field, thoughts, and sensations all happen in consciousness. Tried to observe the subject that was looking. Explored the concept of where consciousness resides.\n#4: Explored how I could improve the present moment. Realized my mind was restless and tried to understand the root cause of it.\n#5: Breath concentration has become easier. I look forward to meditating every day. Still trying to find the root cause of thoughts.\n#6: Breath concentration improved. Not distracted by sounds but still lost in thoughts occasionally. I’m trying to pay more attention to my thoughts throughout the day.\n#7: Concentrating on specific emotions like jealousy and self-doubt was difficult but insightful. Felt better after the session. Tried locating where the emotion is physically.\n#8: Started mental noting and breath counting, up to 60. Felt less distracted and more relaxed today.\n#9: Noticed body sensations and external sounds seem to happen in the same space. Outside noise doesn’t bother me as much anymore.\n#10: Felt stressed and noticed a sensation in the top of my head. Realized the thought of being disturbed is itself a sensation.\n#11: Felt lighter. Visualized a smoothie bottle with lemonade and straw so vividly I moved my lip to check if the straw was there.\n#12: Introduced a good and bad thought and observed both. Not much difference, but they were merely sensations in consciousness.\n#13: Felt restless due to multiple thoughts. Should have meditated earlier. Observing the breath helped. Planning to do another session for clarity.\n#14: Challenging day. Found it difficult to concentrate. Slightly understood the difference between attention and consciousness.\n#15: More relaxed. Introduced the concept of mood today. Noticing that sounds and sensations exist in the same space.\n#16: Extremely relaxed. Easily lost in trance.\n#17: Tried to feel inside the head. Realized everything happens in the same space. Still searching for the feeling of \u0026ldquo;I.\u0026rdquo;\n#18: Struggled to concentrate with eyes open. Tracked body sensations and thoughts back to their roots.\n#19: Tried Meta Meditation. Felt happy for others’ achievements, which had a profound effect on my consciousness.\n#20: Focused on an unpleasant thought that was causing stress. When I paid attention to it, the sensation vanished.\n#21: Gazed into the space behind my eyelids. Forced a thought and object into consciousness. Couldn’t control the thoughts, but they come and go.\n#22: Observed thoughts and sensations in the mind. Head felt disturbed, might try a longer meditation session.\n#23: Meditation is positively affecting my life. Explored the concept of \u0026ldquo;self\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;I.\u0026rdquo;\n#24: Introduced unpleasant emotions during meditation. Felt odd, but okay.\n#25: Reintroduced a negative emotion and explored the root cause.\n#26: Introduced a smile into consciousness. Felt restless before meditation but afterward, I reached out to people I’ve been avoiding.\n#27: Tried Subject-Object exercise. Found it difficult to observe the self during meditation.\n#28: Paused before doing things. Investigated why certain thoughts appeared.\n#29: Focused on the breath. Felt peaceful. Meditation is not about being good at it, but about exploring the present moment.\n#30: Reached a point where I prefer meditating without a time constraint. I was lost in nothingness and was interrupted by the end of the 20-minute session. Maybe I should meditate without a guide next time.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-07-25T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/lessons-30-day-meditation-challenge/","summary":"The idea of meditation has always confused me. Being an atheist ( This is my bible! ) as well as a rationalist, I thought of it as another woo-woo thing. Woo-Woo basically means \u0026ldquo;ideas or methods that are based on false beliefs or imaginary things, rather than reason or scientific knowledge.\u0026rdquo; Earlier this year, I was backpacking through North India and I met many people who had life-changing experiences with meditation.","title":"5 Lessons I Learned from the 30 Day Meditation Challenge","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/lessons-30-day-meditation-challenge/"},{"content_html":"With the rising quantity of content on the internet, thanks to the boom of the creator economy, we are now at the age of information overload . Present-day AI is not yet powerful enough to wade through the vast information universe and provide content with context and intent. Curators are humans who bridge this gap by curating relevant information from the vastness available to us. Over the years, curators have become a vital part of information commerce. The curator economy is booming, and several businesses have proved it to be a sustainable business model. This article looks at the context of the curator economy, why it is important, and its present state in the age of information overload.\n“Digital curators are the librarians of the internet”.\nAnamaria Iuga in Beyond on Curator Economy\nThe Boom of Creator Economy With the rising popularity of social media and the internet, the creator economy is at an all-time high. In 2021 alone, the creator economy saw a record funding of $1.3 billion . The cost of creating content continues to go down as more content creators appear online. The shift of content creation from big corporations to independent small creators worldwide has resulted in an age where we are overloaded with the vast availability of information. Decentralized and democratized content on the internet is driving this creator boom.\nAge of Information Overload With the creator economy booming , sorting content from the vast universe of information is becoming harder day by day. The information you want to read is already there but is buried in vast piles of articles, videos, and blog posts. We are currently in an era overloaded with information. Every day, we are bombarded with never-ending streams of irrelevant content, making it easy to get lost. Here are some numbers to give you some context:\n300 hours of video are uploaded on YouTube every minute in 2021. 90% of the data on the internet has been created since 2016. By the end of 2020, 44 Zettabytes of data made up the entire digital universe, growing at the rate of 1.7 Mb per second per person. Every day, 306.4 billion emails are sent, and 500 million tweets are made. Rise of Algorithms vs. Human Curation The rise of algorithms replacing humans in curating content started to gain traction 20 years ago. Amazon replaced humans with algorithms for curating product recommendations to users. Algorithms play a major role in the content we see on the internet today. Algorithms drive 70% of content on YouTube .\nEven though algorithms powered by AI curate large chunks of content for users, the future of content is human-to-human. Human-to-human interaction always wins over the logic of algorithms. The AI at present is limited in terms of context when it comes to curation. The main aim of AI is to make users stay on the platform as long as possible. The big difference between AI and humans is the intent behind it. While humans are inefficient in processing large chunks of information like AI, they can bring context to information. A human can analyze content, find common themes, and display only relevant information. Even though AI is here to stay, it cannot replace human curation . Every curator is different due to their unique skills and knowledge. These factors, along with the curator\u0026rsquo;s audience, create a combination that AI cannot replace.\nThe Birth of Curator Economy Curation of content enables users to understand, explore, and make sense of a topic by organizing the best available information sources on the internet. When information is served with context, insights can be easily drawn, saving time and effort.\nCuration is one of the 3 Cs of information commerce : Creation, Curation, and Consumption. Curation requires time and proper attention to sort through hundreds of articles and posts to recommend information. The curation economy is booming , and over the years, it has become a sustainable business. As mentioned earlier, curation requires effort, and curators often monetize their work. Here are some examples of the current state of the content curation economy:\nFlowState on Substack charges $8/month to get access to curated Spotify lists. The Browser charges $5/month for weekly article recommendations. The Browser has over 10,000 subscribers paying annually. The Generalist has over 33,000 subscribers and generates around $11,000 per month. NowIKnow is a free newsletter that sends interesting things daily to your inbox. It has over 100,000 subscribers and makes around $1,500 per month from patrons. Everything Bundle has over 1,000 paid subscribers within its first month of going premium. Why Content Curation is Important Based on my experience and research, here\u0026rsquo;s a list of reasons why content curation is important:\nInformation is growing at an all-time high rate. Multiple blogs, social channels, and news sources are launched every day, making finding relevant content more difficult. With the rising information tsunami, it becomes hard for inexperienced users to identify reliable sources. If not checked properly, users are served spam or misleading content. Webmasters and creators are optimizing for visibility on platforms, often leading to clickbaity, irrelevant, or spammy content. As free time decreases, it is essential to deliver and consume content that is precise, concise, and relevant. To understand a broader idea, some content usually needs to be contextualized. How to Become a Content Curator A content curator is someone who sifts through vast amounts of information, selects the best content, and presents it in a contextual manner to the audience. Proper curation is about understanding the limited time and attention span of the audience. The best curators consume large amounts of information, extract the best, and present concise, relevant pieces to their audience.\nFor my newsletter, 10+1 Things , I follow these steps for curation:\nSince curation requires expertise, I read extensively. Every week, I go through 40+ newsletters, 70+ articles, 2 books, and 20+ videos. Every time I consume something interesting that triggers my curiosity, I create a note about it in my Knowledge Management platform, Obsidian . On Fridays, from the long list of ideas, I finely curate 11 outstanding stories to form the skeleton of the newsletter. Every story is cross-checked for factual accuracy. Content finalized on Friday is elaborated on Saturday, with more context added to match the newsletter\u0026rsquo;s style. Grammar checks and readability tests are done to ensure the best delivery of content. Conclusion The concept of the curator economy is not new and has been discussed over the years as the future of content. Curation can eventually help build a personal brand or audience. Data shows that content curation is booming and can be a sustainable source of income.\n“The future is in the intersection of Content Curation, Knowledge Management, and Community.”\nFounder of Glasp This article is not an original idea but was inspired by research, articles, and blog posts from the internet. Read more about the reference sources and my research notes on my Digital Garden .\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-07-18T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/curator-economy/","summary":"With the rising quantity of content on the internet, thanks to the boom of the creator economy, we are now at the age of information overload . Present-day AI is not yet powerful enough to wade through the vast information universe and provide content with context and intent. Curators are humans who bridge this gap by curating relevant information from the vastness available to us. Over the years, curators have become a vital part of information commerce.","title":"Curator Economy: Why Human Curation matters","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/curator-economy/"},{"content_html":" Naval Ravikant, often called the \u0026lsquo;Angel Philosopher\u0026rsquo; , is one of the greatest thinkers and entrepreneurs of this generation. Naval has this amazing ability to distill big, universal ideas and philosophies into bite-sized Twitter tweets . The book, \u0026lsquo;The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness\u0026rsquo; , is a collection of Naval\u0026rsquo;s wisdom from Twitter, podcasts, and essays over the past decade. The author of the book, Eric Jorgenson , created a Twitter poll asking the audience whether he should compile Naval\u0026rsquo;s tweets into a book. The tweet went viral and was retweeted by Naval himself. That\u0026rsquo;s how this book came into shape . If you follow Naval on Twitter or through other podcasts, the ideas in this book won’t be new to you.\nBUY ON AMAZON How the book changed me? Naval\u0026rsquo;s life philosophy resonates with me a lot, and this book strengthened that connection. His ideas and his vision towards life had a huge impact on me, making this one of the best books I’ve read . His views on judgment and leverage have been very influential to me. This is one book I revisit multiple times a year, usually by opening a random page and reading his ideas to get a fresh perspective.\nKey Notes Happiness is a skill to develop and a choice we make. The idea that achieving something external will make us happy is a delusion. Happiness is a choice and can be controlled. The state of happiness is reached when you\u0026rsquo;re content with what you have. Sugar + Fat is a deadly combination and doesn’t occur naturally in whole foods. The Power of Leverage Favorite Quotes from the book I read out of curiosity and interest.\nThe fundamental delusion: There is something out there that will make me happy and fulfilled forever.\nI think the smartest people can explain things to a child.\nHighlights from Kindle Seek wealth, not money or status. Wealth is having assets that earn while you sleep. Money is how we transfer time and wealth. Status is your place in the social hierarchy. You’re not going to get rich renting out your time. You must own equity—a piece of a business—to gain your financial freedom. Learn to sell. Learn to build. If you can do both, you will be unstoppable. Specific knowledge cannot be taught, but it can be learned. Most of life is a search for who and what needs you the most. \u0026ldquo;All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.\u0026rdquo; Intentions don’t matter. Actions do. That’s why being ethical is hard. An old boss once warned: \u0026ldquo;You’ll never be rich since you’re obviously smart, and someone will always offer you a job that’s just good enough.\u0026rdquo; If someone is talking a lot about how honest they are, they’re probably dishonest. I think the smartest people can explain things to a child. The really smart thinkers are clear thinkers. The number one thing clouding us from being able to see reality is we have preconceived notions of the way it should be. Facebook redesigns. Twitter redesigns. Personalities, careers, and teams also need redesigns. The moment you tell somebody something dishonest, you’ve lied to yourself. Happiness is the state when nothing is missing. If I say I’m happy, that means I was sad at some point. It’s about the absence of desire, especially the absence of desire for external things. You’re born, you have a whole set of sensory experiences and stimulations (lights, colors, and sounds), and then you die. Happiness is what’s there when you remove the sense that something is missing in your life. The fundamental delusion: There is something out there that will make me happy and fulfilled forever. Happiness is being satisfied with what you have. You can get almost anything you want out of life, as long as it’s one thing and you want it far more than anything else. You’re born alone. You’re going to die alone. All of your interpretations are alone. All your memories are alone. Do you want to be the world’s best lover and known as the worst, or the world’s worst lover and known as the best? One day, I realized with all these people I was jealous of, I couldn’t just choose little aspects of their life. If you’re not willing to do a wholesale, 24/7, 100 percent swap with who that person is, then there is no point in being jealous. Once I came to that realization, jealousy faded away because I don’t want to be anybody else. I’m perfectly happy being me. When it comes to medicines for the mind, the placebo effect is 100 percent effective. At the end of the day, you are a combination of your habits and the people who you spend the most time with. Many distinctions between people who get happier as they get older and people who don’t can be explained by what habits they have developed. We should be two monkeys sitting in the jungle right now watching the sun going down, asking ourselves where we are going to sleep. The most important trick to being happy is to realize happiness is a skill you develop and a choice you make. It’s the news’ job to make you anxious and angry. But its underlying scientific, economic, education, and conflict trends are positive. Stay optimistic. “What is the positive of this situation?” Fundamentally, it boils down to one big hack: embracing death. Death is the most important thing that is ever going to happen to you. Certainly, listen and absorb, but don’t try to emulate. The combinatorics of human DNA and experience are staggering. You will never meet any two humans who are substitutable for each other. Nothing like a health problem to turn up the contrast dial for the rest of life. Outside of math, physics, and chemistry, there isn’t much “settled science.” If you eat a fatty meal and throw some sugar in, the sugar is going to deliver hunger, and fat is going to deliver the calories, and you’re just going to binge. Why all desserts are large combinations of fat and carbs together. In nature, it’s very rare to find carbs and fat together. The combination of sugar and fat together is really deadly. World’s simplest diet: The more processed the food, the less one should consume. “Easy choices, hard life. Hard choices, easy life.” If you make the easy choices right now, your overall life will be a lot harder. Your body saying it’s cold is different from your mind saying it’s cold. Meditation is intermittent fasting for the mind. Choiceless Awareness, or Nonjudgmental Awareness. Life-hack: When in bed, meditate. Either you will have a deep meditation or fall asleep. Victory either way. “The Attraction for Drugs Is Spiritual.” I just want to be the most successful version of myself while working the least hard possible. Applied science becomes technology, and technology is what separates us from the animals and allows us to have things like cell phones, houses, cars, heat, and electricity. The returns in life are being out of the herd. Mathematics is us reverse engineering the language of nature, and we have only scratched the surface. Courage is not caring what other people think. Understanding the long-term consequences of your actions. The democratization of technology allows anyone to be a creator, entrepreneur, or scientist. The future is brighter. I read out of curiosity and interest. Forget rich versus poor, white-collar versus blue. It’s now leveraged versus un-leveraged. 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-07-09T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/almanack-of-naval-ravikant/","summary":"Naval Ravikant, often called the \u0026lsquo;Angel Philosopher\u0026rsquo; , is one of the greatest thinkers and entrepreneurs of this generation. Naval has this amazing ability to distill big, universal ideas and philosophies into bite-sized Twitter tweets . The book, \u0026lsquo;The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness\u0026rsquo; , is a collection of Naval\u0026rsquo;s wisdom from Twitter, podcasts, and essays over the past decade. The author of the book, Eric Jorgenson , created a Twitter poll asking the audience whether he should compile Naval\u0026rsquo;s tweets into a book.","title":"Almanack of Naval Ravikant: Book Summary \u0026 Notes","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/almanack-of-naval-ravikant/"},{"content_html":"Digital Garden is a collection of notes, resources, ideas, quotes, or summaries shared publicly. Unlike a blog post or a published essay, there is no publication date in a digital garden. Everything published in a Digital Garden is evergreen and grows over time. Nothing is considered finished work, and the garden evolves. Digital Gardens are usually lightweight and focus on text and content over the fancy styling features of modern websites.\nRead more about the History and Ethos of Digital Gardens .\nFeatures Publication dates are not important to Digital Gardeners. Posts are connected via references or common themes. There are no featured posts or chronological lists of items. Readers can enter through any note, follow any trail, and exit as they wish. Digital Gardens are constantly evolving and are never complete. There is no pressure to publish a perfect post in digital gardens as notes grow over time, just like plants in a garden. Every Garden is unique, as the patterns and relationships between notes vary from person to person. Gardens are a way of learning in public, opening more possibilities for collaboration. How I Built My Digital Garden Using Hugo Since today’s internet is full of blogs and websites filled with scripts and trackers, I decided to keep my Digital Garden simple. I was already frustrated with the performance of WordPress on this blog and wanted something lightweight. I explored various static website frameworks and finally decided to build one using Hugo . Hugo was the obvious choice since I already use Obsidian for research, which uses Markdown , and I was excited to learn a new framework from scratch.\nThis is not an extensive tutorial providing step-by-step instructions on setting up a website using Hugo. If you’re familiar with some web development or are curious enough, Hugo is pretty easy to learn. If you’re looking to build something quickly with minimal code, check out some no-code options compiled by Ness Labs .\nSetting Up Hugo Install Hugo on your computer. Read more .\nCreate a folder where you want to build your websites.\nOpen Terminal or Command Prompt and navigate to that folder (For example: C:\\Users\\rishi\\Desktop\\digital-garden).\nLearn more about terminal navigation .\nhugo new site example This command will create a new site called \u0026ldquo;example\u0026rdquo;. Read more .\nNow you need to add a theme. For my digital garden , I use a theme called Hugo Bear Blog . You can download other themes from the Hugo theme library . Download the theme package from the corresponding website, in this case, from GitHub.\nUnzip the file and copy the folder inside the themes/ directory of your website folder.\nNavigate to themes/hugo-bearblog/exampleSite/ and copy the config.toml file. Paste the config.toml file into the main directory.\nOpen the config.toml file using a text editor and make necessary changes. Make sure that the theme name in config.toml matches the theme folder name inside the themes/ directory.\nNow run: hugo server The site will be compiled, and you will get a localhost address to access the site live from the browser.\nSetting up Hugo Server Using an editor like Atom , make the necessary changes to customize the theme. To fit my digital garden, I removed the code that displayed dates and sorted lists. If you want to replicate my website, you can access the theme here . Using Atom to edit config.toml file For creating a new post, run the command hugo new filename. For instance hugo new cycling will create a new post called \u0026ldquo;cycling\u0026rdquo;.\nOnce you have made the necessary changes locally, press Ctrl + C to stop the server. Then type:hugo. This will compile the website and create the static HTML for your website inside the public/ directory.\nCompiling the site Using an FTP client like Filezilla , upload the contents of the public/ directory to the corresponding domain on your server. I have set it to automatically synchronize, so every time I make a change, Filezilla automatically updates my website in the cloud. Using Filezilla to manage files on the server If you don’t have your own hosting, you can use GitHub Pages or Netlify . Building this Digital Garden was a lot of fun, and I would definitely recommend creating one from scratch so you can customize it to your liking.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re trying to build a Digital Garden and need assistance, contact me , and I’d be happy to help you set one up.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-07-09T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/build-a-digital-garden/","summary":"Digital Garden is a collection of notes, resources, ideas, quotes, or summaries shared publicly. Unlike a blog post or a published essay, there is no publication date in a digital garden. Everything published in a Digital Garden is evergreen and grows over time. Nothing is considered finished work, and the garden evolves. Digital Gardens are usually lightweight and focus on text and content over the fancy styling features of modern websites.","title":"How I built my Digital Garden using Hugo","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/build-a-digital-garden/"},{"content_html":"Beginning in April 2021, I decided to get back into reading and take up the 52 books in a year challenge. Over the years, I have read multiple books but hardly remember any insights from those books or apply any of those learnings in my life. I wanted to improve this process and started researching various ways to effectively read books . Since I’m using a Kindle to read, I started highlighting books and taking smart notes while reading. In the process, I discovered a tool called Readwise . Readwise is a subscription service that helps you remember what you’ve read using proven techniques. It syncs all your highlights and notes from your Amazon account, Instapaper , and more. Readwise uses a mix of techniques like Spaced Repetition and Active Recall to master the knowledge you have acquired.\nMy Current Reading Flow Readwise has many features that have personally helped me remember what I’ve read. Readwise is now an integral part of my personal knowledge management flow. To give a quick idea, here is the reading workflow I use to remember what I’ve read:\nMark highlights and take notes while reading on my Kindle. Export highlights and notes from Readwise to Obsidian (the software I use for personal knowledge management ). Review highlights and notes using Obsidian for further research and drafting book note articles. Use daily highlights and the \u0026lsquo;Mastery\u0026rsquo; feature on Readwise daily for actively recalling important insights from books I’ve read. Write a book note on my website using the data from Obsidian after one month. Why I Like Readwise As I mentioned earlier, Readwise is a part of my knowledge management workflow. My favorite features of Readwise are the Mastery and daily highlights using spaced repetition and active recall. Below are some of the features of Readwise that I personally find the most useful.\nDaily Highlights Daily highlights on Readwise Every day, Readwise sends an email with highlights from books, articles, or other sources of information I have synced. I have set this to arrive in my inbox daily at 9 AM. It helps me passively remember small snippets of information from my favorite books. For example, last week I recalled an idea from James Clear ’s book Atomic Habits , which I had totally forgotten. Ever since I started using Readwise in April, I’ve religiously read and reviewed all of Readwise’s daily highlights.\nMastery The Mastery option in Readwise helps convert any passive highlight into an active highlight by providing the option to review it. Readwise converts highlights into digital flashcards that use active recall and spaced repetition for optimal retention.\nAn example of Cloze Deletion Cloze Deletion is a fancy term for \u0026lsquo;fill in the blank.\u0026rsquo; With the cloze deletion feature, you can hide any keyword or phrase of the highlight, giving you a chance to pause and think about the word.\nQnA of highlights on Readwise The question and answer option in Mastery allows you to add a question and answer for any relevant highlight. This is not automated and is useful for important highlights meant to be mastered in the long term.\nOnce any highlight is reviewed using active recall, Readwise prompts you to select how often you want to review the highlight. This is an excellent feature and helps in prioritizing the highlights that matter the most.\nTagging Organizing highlights on Readwise using Tags Readwise has a native tagging feature for organizing your highlights across multiple topics. It also has an inline tagging feature that allows you to create tags while using Kindle . Inline tags can be created on Kindle by adding notes while highlighting using the format .tagname. For example, if you want to create a tag for productivity, add a note with .productivity. This is very useful when you’re researching a particular topic and want to easily find your notes and highlights from the books you’ve read.\nExporting Exporting highlights from Readwise in markdown format The option to export your highlights and notes, especially in Markdown format, is very useful for me since Obsidian is also based on Markdown. I export my highlights from a book in Markdown format and import them into Obsidian for further research. Readwise also allows you to export your highlights to CSV files, Notion, Evernote, and more.\nIs Readwise for You? I have been using Readwise for two months now, and it is one of those subscriptions I happily pay for every month. You can create an account on Readwise using my link for free (I get 30 days when you sign up), and you will get a 60-day free trial to evaluate the service. However, if you’re not using Kindle or don’t create enough highlights, I wouldn’t recommend Readwise to you. Readwise gets better as you sync more highlights and make the necessary micro-configurations. The habit of creating highlights and notes is essential for using this service.\nTRY READWISE for FREE 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-06-12T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/readwise-review/","summary":"Beginning in April 2021, I decided to get back into reading and take up the 52 books in a year challenge. Over the years, I have read multiple books but hardly remember any insights from those books or apply any of those learnings in my life. I wanted to improve this process and started researching various ways to effectively read books . Since I’m using a Kindle to read, I started highlighting books and taking smart notes while reading.","title":"Readwise Review: How to remember what you read?","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/readwise-review/"},{"content_html":" Show Your Work by Austin Kleon is the main reason why I started this blog . Through the book, Austin teaches people how to think about their work as a never-ending process that attracts like-minded people. It explains why you don’t have to be a genius to present your ideas to the world. It stresses the importance of having a personal blog to share your ideas and how it will transform into a self-invention machine. It’s a must-read manual for anyone who is slightly interested in creativity or entrepreneurship in this digital age.\nBUY ON AMAZON How the book changed me? The book completely changed me and my thought process of sharing stuff online. I’m now more comfortable putting my thoughts online and have more confidence in talking about my work in public. As mentioned earlier, I started this blog inspired by this book and became a keen follower of Austin’s blog . In fact, the newsletter I run on this blog, 10+1 Things , was also inspired by his newsletter. Currently, I’m reading Austin’s other book titled How to Steal Like an Artist.\nKeynotes Sharing your thoughts, processes, and work online for free does more than you can imagine. Think of your website as a machine for self-discovery. Being an amateur is one of the greatest things, and you don’t need to be an expert to share your work. Never wait to become an expert to show your work (this has happened many times with me). It’s all about taking that first step and just doing it. Sharing your work online actually attracts a tribe who care about or connect with the stuff you are working on. This audience would be interested in your thoughts and the process you followed for the project. Document everything you have done using photos, notes, videos, etc. Favorite Quotes Don’t think of your website as a self-promotion machine, think of it as a self-invention machine.\nIf you’ve just completed a project, show the final product, share scraps from the cutting-room floor, or write about what you learned.\nBut whatever the nature of your work, there is an art to what you do, and there are people who would be interested in that art, if only you presented it to them in the right way.\nOvernight success is a myth.\nMy Kindle Highlights Great ideas are often birthed by a group of creative individuals—artists, curators, thinkers, theorists, and other tastemakers—who make up an “ecology of talent.” “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities,” said Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki. “In the expert’s mind, there are few.” The real gap is between doing nothing and doing something. Even for professionals, the best way to flourish is to retain an amateur’s spirit and embrace uncertainty and the unknown. Obituaries are like a near-death experience for cowards. Reading about people who are dead now and did things with their lives makes me want to get up and do something with mine. Whether you share it or not, documenting and recording your process as you go along has its own rewards: You’ll start to see the work you’re doing more clearly and feel like you’re making progress. Once a day, after you’ve done your day’s work, go back to your documentation and find one little piece of the process that you can share. If you’ve just completed a project, show the final product, share scraps from the cutting-room floor, or write about what you learned. “Dumpster diving” is one of the jobs of the artist—finding the treasure in other people’s trash, sifting through the debris of our culture, paying attention to the stuff that everyone else is ignoring, and taking inspiration from the stuff that people have tossed aside. Attribution is all about providing context for what you’re sharing: what the work is, who made it, how they made it, when and where it was made, why you’re sharing it, why people should care about it, and where people can see more work like it. Don’t share things you can’t properly credit. Find the right credit, or don’t share. “Personal stories can make the complex more tangible, spark associations, and offer entry into things that might otherwise leave one cold.” If you want to be more effective when sharing yourself and your work, you need to become a better storyteller. 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-06-11T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/show-your-work-by-austin-kleon-book-summary-notes/","summary":"Show Your Work by Austin Kleon is the main reason why I started this blog . Through the book, Austin teaches people how to think about their work as a never-ending process that attracts like-minded people. It explains why you don’t have to be a genius to present your ideas to the world. It stresses the importance of having a personal blog to share your ideas and how it will transform into a self-invention machine.","title":"Show Your Work by Austin Kleon: Book Summary \u0026 Notes","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/show-your-work-by-austin-kleon-book-summary-notes/"},{"content_html":"Delta-4 is a theory coined by Kunal Shah , the founder of the CRED app and former founder of Freecharge (acquired by Snapdeal for $450M), on \u0026lsquo;How to evaluate your startup idea?\u0026rsquo;. It can be used as a framework for self-assessment to evaluate ideas or startups to see whether they are on a path towards creating wealth. This blog post is a summary of some research and notes prepared by me while watching Kunal\u0026rsquo;s talk at the TechSparks Summit. If you prefer watching a video (it\u0026rsquo;s 30 minutes long!) instead of reading this post, click here .\nEfficiency Scoring of an Idea Since human beings are hacking evolution, all inefficient things are in the past, and efficient things are in the future. Wealth is generated when businesses help humans move from point A to point B in a more efficient manner. This theory can be used to test an idea or an existing business. The efficiency score of a business solution or approach can be represented on a scale of 1-10 by the amount of efficiency it creates. For example, booking tickets via the IRCTC app (Indian Railways official booking platform) can be given a score of 8 or 9, while going to the railway station might score 2 or 3.\nThe Delta-4 Theory \u0026ldquo;Every time the Delta of Efficiency is greater than 4, you unlock the pot of gold.\u0026rdquo;\n— Kunal Shah , Founder of CRED According to Kunal, if the delta of the efficiencies is greater than 4, the business or solution will unlock the pot of gold. Once the business or product achieves a delta \u0026gt; 4, it becomes unstoppable and turns into a wealth creation machine. Examples include Uber (allowing users to book cabs easily and efficiently), Google (helping users search the web faster), Truecaller (helping identify unknown calls), WhatsApp (making text communication faster, efficient, and free), and more.\nTraits of Delta-4 Irreversible Once Delta 4 has been established, it\u0026rsquo;s impossible for people to go back to the previous state of inefficiency. A person who has booked a flight or train ticket online will never go back to the station or airport to book a ticket again, as Delta 4 has already been achieved.\nUniversal Bragworthy Position (UBP) \u0026gt; Universal Selling Point (USP) Delta-4 products have a UBP so high that they grow organically without the need for aggressive marketing. One example given by Kunal is Truecaller, which became popular without any advertisements. The product was so good that people were talking about it, and it grew organically.\nHigh Tolerance Once Delta 4 is established, people will have a high tolerance for the product. For example, even if Uber is down for an hour or if a ride gets canceled due to some error, people continue to use Uber. This is contrary to businesses that haven\u0026rsquo;t achieved Delta 4. For example, if purchasing clothes online goes wrong once—say, due to a misfit—people may abandon buying clothes online completely and prefer returning to brick-and-mortar stores.\nExceptions for Delta-4 Affordability Even if Delta 4 is achieved, if the technology or product is not affordable, wealth cannot be unlocked. For example, people travel by train in India even though flights are far more efficient, as flights are comparatively expensive for the average Indian household.\nMarket Readiness If a supporting ecosystem is not present in a market, wealth will not be created even when Delta 4 is achieved. An example is introducing a cab booking app in a country where smartphones are not popular. Delta 4 may be achieved by a business offering SMS-based cab bookings until smartphones become more widespread.\nLearning Effort If the new business or approach involves a steep or time-consuming learning curve, wealth cannot be unlocked. For instance, a new software designed to replace Tally (commonly used by accountants) may not succeed due to the learning curve involved.\nMicro-Configurations The more micro-configurations people have made to an existing product, the more friction there is to adopt a new product. For example, people rarely change operating systems (OS) since adapting to a new OS and making all the necessary micro-configurations can be tedious and time-consuming.\nCollective Participation If an existing product already has a large user base, such as WhatsApp, it will be difficult to create momentum for a new product with better features.\nBranded Lanes or Verbs When a brand or verb is created to describe a product\u0026rsquo;s function, it becomes challenging to shift people away from it. For example, phrases like \u0026ldquo;WhatsApp me!\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Google it!\u0026rdquo; have become so common that even if a better solution comes along, it will be hard to onboard people to the new product.\nFaking Delta-4 Fake Inefficiencies FMCG companies often create fake inefficiencies to achieve a Delta-4 state. For example, 50-60 years ago, nobody cared about dandruff or fairness. FMCG companies created this notion to promote their anti-dandruff shampoos .\nInfluencers Delta-4 can be faked by using influencers in the market. If an influencer, like a sports star or media personality, endorses a product, people are more likely to adopt it. Similarly, if a large brand uses a particular service or product, smaller brands often follow suit.\nPiggybacking Delta-4 can also be achieved by piggybacking on another Delta-4 product. For example, anti-fog wipes for glasses will continue to sell as long as people keep buying spectacles. However, this market will decline once laser treatments for vision correction achieve Delta-4 and people abandon spectacles.\nHow to Evaluate Your Idea? Delta-4 Theory can be used by entrepreneurs to evaluate startup ideas or existing products. It serves as a framework to assess whether a product or solution is creating extraordinary value and has the potential to generate wealth in the future. Problems are a subset of inefficiencies. This theory can also be used to reverse-engineer existing inefficiencies to find problems—and therefore, potential products.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re looking to evaluate an idea or your existing business, I believe this article will help in the process. Please [reach out to me][1] if you\u0026rsquo;re trying to analyze your product or business using this theory. I\u0026rsquo;d love to feature you in a post! 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-06-07T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/delta-4-theory-how-to-evaluate-your-startup-idea/","summary":"Delta-4 is a theory coined by Kunal Shah , the founder of the CRED app and former founder of Freecharge (acquired by Snapdeal for $450M), on \u0026lsquo;How to evaluate your startup idea?\u0026rsquo;. It can be used as a framework for self-assessment to evaluate ideas or startups to see whether they are on a path towards creating wealth. This blog post is a summary of some research and notes prepared by me while watching Kunal\u0026rsquo;s talk at the TechSparks Summit.","title":"Delta-4 Theory: How to Evaluate your Startup Idea?","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/delta-4-theory-how-to-evaluate-your-startup-idea/"},{"content_html":"At the end of 2020, I decided to quit my job and backpack for the next 6 months on a journey of self-discovery. Fast-forward to April 2021, I had to stop traveling and go back home due to the second wave of the pandemic in India . The journey changed me a lot, and I decided to make small changes in my daily routine for a fulfilled life with happiness and financial freedom. Among the daily habits I decided to follow, reading was one of them.\nI have always loved reading, but somewhere in the past few years, I lost the habit. I decided to take up the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge in 2021 and was constantly searching for books to read. That\u0026rsquo;s when I stumbled upon the book, \u0026lsquo;Show Your Work!\u0026rsquo; by Austin Kleon , shared by the productivity YouTuber Ali Abdaal , whom I have been following for a while.\nI read the book and was surprised by how much I connected with its ideas. In the book , Austin describes your work as a never-ending process and explains how you can build an audience around it with goal-accountability. The idea struck me so well that I decided to document my personal transformation journey through this blog. Below are the 5 reasons that eventually led me to start this blog.\n1. Goal Accountability Putting your ideas or projects into the public makes you more accountable than having a mental note. As the famous scientist Richard Feynman said, \u0026ldquo;The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.\u0026rdquo; Having my projects or goals documented in a blog makes me more accountable than if they were just in my head. I can no longer procrastinate or forget about my goals because I’m now accountable to my readers.\n2. Documenting Life I no longer remember the books I have read or the projects I have worked on in the past. I do not have any notes or photos of those. Blogging helps me document my journey, and later I can reflect on myself to see where I can improve. In fact, the early days of blogging were indeed about documenting your life and writing about everyday happenings.\n3. Writing as a Skill I have always struggled with writing. I remember my postgraduate days when I struggled with writing 3,000-word assignments. Blogging can improve your writing skills and change your perspective. It also improves your ability to convey thoughts or ideas into words. Writing is one skill I aim to improve by the end of this year.\n4. Building a Community One of my dreams is to build a community of people with whom I share the same values and perceptions of life. The ideal community would work on solutions for the sustainability of this planet. Through this blog, I can connect with like-minded people who share similar interests (My current interests are mentioned on this page ). The \u0026lsquo;10+1 Things\u0026rsquo; newsletter, which I publish on Substack, is my first step toward building that community.\n5. One Step towards Financial Freedom Like many people, achieving financial freedom is one of my life goals. This blog is one of the first steps toward it. I plan to document some projects I have been working on for a while on this blog. As my audience grows, blogging will help me increase the reach of those projects. I also use affiliate networks, especially Amazon , on this blog for passive income.\nGoals for Blogging in 2021 I’m targeting a traffic of 5,000 visitors per month for this blog by the end of 2021. I also aim to grow my \u0026lsquo;10+1 Things\u0026rsquo; newsletter by 1,000 subscribers and my Twitter / Instagram followers by 1,000 followers.\n📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2021-05-11T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/5-reasons-why-i-decided-to-start-a-blog/","summary":"At the end of 2020, I decided to quit my job and backpack for the next 6 months on a journey of self-discovery. Fast-forward to April 2021, I had to stop traveling and go back home due to the second wave of the pandemic in India . The journey changed me a lot, and I decided to make small changes in my daily routine for a fulfilled life with happiness and financial freedom.","title":"5 Reasons Why I Decided to Start a Blog","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/5-reasons-why-i-decided-to-start-a-blog/"},{"content_html":"When I turned 27 this year, during a flight journey I thought of scribbling down 27 lessons I’ve learnt over the years. I’ve tried to keep these lessons as short as possible with maximum clarity.\nJOMO \u0026gt; FOMO . Embracing Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) over Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is the key to happiness and fulfilment over a long time. Organic Farming might sound sustainable and fancy, but it is not practical to use it to feed the rising population. Also, it is quite unsustainable considering the amount of land it uses. Learning doesn’t end in school and is a lifelong process. Self-learning is key in the 21st century. Programming or Coding is an essential skill that needs to be learnt. I regret not learning it, but I’m in the process to master it. Excel is the most wonderful software in the world. I had underestimated or hated Excel till 2019 and thought of it more as accounting software. When I started using Excel at work, I realized how amazing it is and its applications in various fields. I never paid much attention to Economics all my life and thought of it as a boring subject. But during my postgraduate studies, I attended one of the lectures on the economics of renewable energy and I fell in love with economics. In fact, I’m slowly reading Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith in my free time! Statistics is not bullshit and is very important in terms of career and understanding trends in data. Yet another mistake I did was to never pay attention to statistics and now I regret it. I’m learning statistics now as I’m trying to transition into a more data-oriented career path. Humans are wired to think linearly and it’s hard for us to visualize exponential growth. There is no secret formula for weight loss. Track your calories and make sure that calorie-in must be always than calorie-out. Tried this for 4 months consistently and I lost 7 kgs. I was always too reluctant to change or update my belief systems. Over time I realized that there is no harm or problem in changing your life philosophies or beliefs. Successful people are those who question and change their beliefs quite often. Just like any other skill, reading is a skill to learn. Active reading is key for remembering ideas and applying those to your life. No matter how great or revolutionary your ideas are, execution matters the most. Never compare yourself with others. Would you swap your life with the person you’re comparing with? There should be a purpose for every trip or travel you do. For me personally, I would love to learn a new skill or something from every place I visit. Never put too many spices in any food. Even though Indian food is quite famous around the world, in the majority of the dishes, the spices overpower the protein. In my opinion, fish should taste like fish and not spices. People come and go in life. Death is inevitable and is not something to be concerned about. We are all destined to die someday. Observe and learn from everyone. Everybody is unique and there is always something to learn, no matter how toxic they are. Limit your digital time and make sure you’re spending time on digital devices mindfully. Plan and start an attention diet on the information you consume. Stop looking for inspirations or examples all the time. Nobody would have done what you want to achieve and it doesn’t mean that you cannot do it. You’re not an impostor. Impostor syndrome is common and everybody who has put something out in the public would have suffered from it. Learn to overcome it. Algorithms are designed to keep you addicted and are smarter than you think. Never fall for its trap. Make sure you clear your cookies, reset your search history and make sure that the algorithm doesn’t know you well. Never create art with an audience in mind. Create the art for your own joy and pride. The audience will eventually find it and if your art is good enough, it will survive generations. Sugar is toxic for your body. In nature, sugar doesn’t exist at the scale we are having. A hunter-gatherer or forager would never have access to sugar as much we have now. Our bodies are not designed to handle sugar overdose If relationships turn out to be toxic, let go of them. It doesn’t matter how close you are/were, but if it’s toxic, there is no point in continuing it be it, friends or family. There is a lot of misinformation or pseudoscience out there. Be it hormone-free chickens, Ayurveda or MSG fear. You don’t have to read or follow the news as most of it is irrelevant. If want to follow a specific topic, try following an independent writer/creator via newsletter. Exercising and being fit is not a seasonal thing, but a lifelong commitment you have to make. Key to stay fit and live a healthy life is create a set of lifehabits that are sustainable over time. 📚 Want to stay connected? If you enjoyed this post, you might like my weekly newsletter 10+1 Things read by 2500+ curious minds from 94 countries. Each week, I share personal insights and 11 fascinating finds — books, articles, or random curiosities that spark ideas. No pressure, but I'd love to have you along for the ride! Subscribe View past issues ","date_published":"2020-12-27T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/27-lessons/","summary":"When I turned 27 this year, during a flight journey I thought of scribbling down 27 lessons I’ve learnt over the years. I’ve tried to keep these lessons as short as possible with maximum clarity.\nJOMO \u0026gt; FOMO . Embracing Joy of Missing Out (JOMO) over Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is the key to happiness and fulfilment over a long time. Organic Farming might sound sustainable and fancy, but it is not practical to use it to feed the rising population.","title":"27 Lessons I’ve learnt in 28 Years","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/27-lessons/"},{"content_html":"Met online on 01-10-2024 at 21:00 GST\nThis was my first official Unoffice Hours . I\u0026rsquo;m glad people take the time to navigate my blog and book slots! Irfan found out about me through a common blogging WhatsApp group and was nice enough to point out some errors on my site, which I later corrected.\nIrfan is a digital marketer from Mahe, India. We talked about digital marketing in general and his past projects. He is trying to become a specialist in LinkedIn and WhatsApp digital marketing.\nDuring the Covid-19 lockdown, there was a huge surge of home bakers in Kerala. During that time, he ran an online WhatsApp-based cake booking service in his locality.\nHe also loves Notion and wants to become a specialist in that as well. He is very interested in making websites using Notion and believes it has true potential. I counter-argued the longevity of the platform and my bias towards Obsidian since it uses plain markdown and the format is platform-agnostic.\nHe is looking for interesting opportunities, full-time or as a freelancer!\nLinks Irfan\u0026rsquo;s Website Substack ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/meet/1/","summary":"Digital Marketing, Cake booking, Notion \u0026amp; more.","title":"#1 Irfan Muhammad - Unoffice Hours","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/meet/1/"},{"content_html":"10+1 Things is a weekly newsletter where I share 11 interesting things that I encounter each week. I write a newsletter called \u0026lsquo;10+1 Things\u0026rsquo; on Substack. I started it in 2021 as a way to share some interesting things I come across. The idea was to manually curate a set of 11 links and slowly create an audience. I never had much hope regarding it, but surprisingly it was well received and now it has around 3,000 subscribers across 89 countries and 47 states in the US. Normally, the structure of the newsletter is more like one link each on psychology/productivity, climate/sustainability, an interesting art project, a book I\u0026rsquo;m reading, an interesting video I watched, some interesting tools, a data visualization, and an originals section usually featuring an idea, a project, or something I\u0026rsquo;m exploring. You can subscribe to the newsletter by signing up on the form below. For shoutouts or sponsorships, head over to the advertise section . For the previous editions of the newsletter, check out the archive Advertise on 10+1 Things Stats at a Glance* 📊 Subscribers: 2454\n📧 Open Rate: +52%\n🔗 Click Rate: +37%\n📈 Opens: ~2910\n🌍 Geography USA (~45%), India, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, etc.\n🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Reader Profiles Productivity enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, newsletter writers, developers, freelancers, artists, students, and indie creators.\n💰 Previous Partnerships Refind, Sample, Meco, Creatively, Weekly Filet, Morning Brew, PostApex, Alternative Assets, Salt Sear Savour, Time Machiner, etc.\nBOOK A SLOT There are currently two types of sponsorships allowed in the newsletter. Details of each are mentioned below.\nTitle Sponsor A high placement slot in the opening paragraph\nOne image/banner One link with ad copy (\u0026lt;300 characters) One CTA button BOOK TITLE SLOT Shoutouts Text ad at the most clicked section of the newsletter One link Ad copy with less than 80 characters of text A maximum of 3 shoutouts per issue Ideal for newsletter writers, making an announcement of your project or blogs. BOOK A SHOUTOUT Discounts Book 4 shoutouts and get the 5th one free! 5% discount on booking 3 slots for title sponsor 15% discount on booking 4 slots for title sponsor 25% discount on booking 5 slots for title sponsor Process Send me an email (use the buttons above or use the contact form ) with the type of sponsorship you are interested in. Include any specific dates you want to target and I will send you a link to make the payment. Once payment is done, a confirmation will be sent along with the date when the ad will go live. Once the ad is live, I will send you the web version link immediately. Notes Same sponsorship or shoutouts won’t be published in consecutive editions of the newsletter. Open rates, click rates, and number of opens are the averages of the last 3 issues. Read here to know more about these metrics and how they are calculated on Substack. Reader profile was deduced from data collected from readers who responded to surveys and welcome emails. Geography data was collected from Substack dashboard. I reserve the right to reject any ads that don’t feel like a good fit for my audience or my personal views. Post payment and confirmation, ads will be run on the next edition as per the availability. If you prefer any particular date for your promotion, please mention it in the email. If for any reason, such as in case of an emergency, a particular issue of the newsletter is delayed or not published, I will notify you and your ad will be allotted in the next edition. Newsletter stats last updated on 10-07-2023 ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/newsletter/","summary":"10+1 Things is a curated weekly newsletter by Rishikesh. Join and learn more.","title":"10+1 Things","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/newsletter/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Sep 1, 2025 • ചിങ്ങം 16, 1201 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more My name is Rishikesh (ഋഷികേശ്/ऋषिकेश).\nMy pronouns are he/him/his and you can call me either Rishi (ree-shee) or Rishikesh (ri-shee-kay-sh).\nI currently live in Abu Dhabi with my wife. My journey began in a small village in Southern India, precisely at 9.754 latitude and 76.363 longitude, on a national strike day, when the atmosphere held 358 ppm of carbon. Most of my childhood was spent in Kerala, India, where I was born. To know more about my life as a whole, timeline is a great place.\nWhat I do I hold a bachelor\u0026rsquo;s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a postgraduate degree in Renewable Energy. Most of my previous experiences have been in the field of renewable energy specifically on energy policy, energy system modelling and mini-grids. My interests are ever-evolving, but my passion lies in addressing the greatest threat humanity faces: climate change. I am deeply committed to solving this issue and believe it is imperative for our future. I discovered the joy and the fascinating world of coding late in my life. So I\u0026rsquo;m currently on a quest to figure out a way to combine programming and my expertise in energy to become a specialist and contribute my part in energy transition of the world and eventually climate change. I\u0026rsquo;m actively looking for opportunities in energy system modelling (which I have some experience) or computational social science.\nWhile I am currently looking for new opportunities, I am actively working on side projects to learn how to write, code, build, and ship things while growing my audience on my newsletter . Apart from these I mainly love to run, cycle, swim, lift, travel, read , watch and spend time with my wife. I have this sense of curiosity about this world and that drives me everyday. I\u0026rsquo;m so grateful to be alive this point of history where everyone with a access to internet and a computer, can literally learn anything in this world. I\u0026rsquo;m so excited about the sheer amount of things that are out there to discover and learn, and excited about the fact that it is an infinite game. I find the most joy when I discover something, learn more about it and figure out how it works.\nI thrive at those \u0026lsquo;ahaa\u0026rsquo; moments where I understand how things work.\nHow I see the world I identify as an INTP-T , explorer , omnivore , atheist , and skeptic . I\u0026rsquo;m a curious and skeptical person who questions everything around me. While my philosophies are still evolving and I’m still learning, I closely associate with Absurdist Existentialism , if that makes sense. I believe in an absurd, meaningless universe, where randomness is the dominant force. I accept that there’s no inherent meaning or purpose, but I still navigate life by creating my own meaning in the face of this absurdity.\nI don\u0026rsquo;t believe in any inherent meaning or creator - the universe\u0026rsquo;s existence doesn\u0026rsquo;t require a supernatural explanation, regardless of whether it had a beginning or has always existed in some form. I also reject concepts like karma, rebirth, afterlife, or spirit. As a skeptic, I doubt things and reject all forms of pseudoscience , including practices like yoga (in its spiritual aspects), homeopathy , Ayurveda , naturopathy , etc. I believe in spreading scientific temper and fighting misinformation, seeing it as a civic duty.\nWhile I acknowledge that scientific understanding changes and contradicts itself over time, I see this as progress. I think finding the meaning of the universe is a never-ending quest we should pursue, but it\u0026rsquo;s not a finite game. I believe in physics and its laws, and that all human actions are driven by our evolutionary needs and chemical reactions in our bodies. Despite this, I believe in moral values that keep our society functioning, recognizing our evolution beyond just another organism. I\u0026rsquo;m not spiritual, and I don\u0026rsquo;t believe in a larger or shared conscience. I like to meditate, but I view it purely as a mental exercise to refocus, calm myself down, and process my thoughts.\nI slightly align with longtermism and care about the future of humanity, including the possibility of becoming a space-faring, interplanetary species. I deeply value relationships and friendships; the probability of forming these connections in such a vast, absurd universe makes them extraordinarily special, highlighting the beauty that can emerge from randomness. While we perceive direction and time in the universe, I believe these are human constructs – the universe simply exists as a series of random events, without inherent beginning or end. While my philosophies are evolving and overlap with each other, they resonate more with something like \u0026ldquo;Skeptical Scientific Absurdism\u0026rdquo;.\n\u0026ldquo;I don\u0026rsquo;t think I\u0026rsquo;ll ever see Carl again. But I saw him. We saw each other. We found each other in the cosmos, and that was wonderful.\u0026rdquo;\n― Ann Druyan Why this blog? This blog is nicheless and is my digital home where I share my thoughts and experiences. For a long time, I struggled to become a specialist. Be it career, life, or hobbies, I have always had multiple passions and interests that evolve over time. I\u0026rsquo;ve come to realize that being a generalist is not a bad thing, and this blog reflects that.\nI think of this blog itself as an art piece , something that evolves over time. It\u0026rsquo;s inspired by numerous blogs and sites out there in the wild west corner of the internet. Like any art piece, each inch of this website is crafted with clear vision, attention, and reason. You can read more about how this blog is built on the colophon page.\nSome more info To know more about my life, visit my timeline . The dream has a list of stuff I want to do, the Lifestack page lists the things I use, and the now page shows what I\u0026rsquo;m currently up to. If you\u0026rsquo;re curious, the library has a list of books I\u0026rsquo;ve read recently, and the watch page lists movies and shows I\u0026rsquo;ve seen. This website is designed to be explored with no end goal in mind, featuring various interesting pages and easter eggs(ping me, if you find any!). Useless Button and The Pixel Mosaic are good starting points, feel free to wander as you wish.\nI also host an Ask-Me-Anything (AMA) on this blog. If you enjoy the content, please sign my guestbook .\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/about/","summary":"About Rishikesh Sreehari - What I do, How I see the world and why I write this blog.","title":"About","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/about/"},{"content_html":"Director: Nahas Nazar View on LetterBoxd Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (0/5) ☆☆☆☆☆ Direction\n☆☆☆☆☆ Script\n☆☆☆☆☆ Performances\n☆☆☆☆☆ Ci☆nematography\n☆☆☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nPlease do yourself a favor and don\u0026rsquo;t even try watching this. Movies like this shouldn\u0026rsquo;t even exist.\nSuch a bad movie, except for a few glimpses where Suraj excelled in serious situations. Asif Ali, as usual, was a letdown. His \u0026lsquo;Boss-ee\u0026rsquo; calling irked me so much that it felt like it was ringing inside my brain even after the movie was finished. I came across this movie on Netflix as it was apparently trending in the UAE, probably due to the Kerala demographic. The only reason we decided to finish watching it was to see what the hell they were trying to convey. I\u0026rsquo;m agitated! Worst way to spend 2.5 hours of my life!\nWatched on 15-09-2024 on NETFLIX.\nReview wrrited on: 17-09-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/adios-amigo/","summary":"A shot review of Adios Amigo(2024) Malayalam Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Adios Amigo(2024) Malayalam Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/adios-amigo/"},{"content_html":"This page has been moved to newsletter If you are not redirected automatically, follow this link.\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/advertise/","summary":"This page has been moved to newsletter If you are not redirected automatically, follow this link.","title":"Advertise","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/advertise/"},{"content_html":"This is my antilibrary , a collection of books that I intend to read in the future. While the original idea of an antilibrary refers to a collection of books that are owned but not yet read, for me, this is more of a \u0026rsquo;to-read\u0026rsquo; list that I maintain whenever I come across an interesting book. Comments are enabled on this page, and if you have any good suggestions, I would love to add them to my list.\nCurrently, there are 202 books in my antilibrary. It will take me approximately 11.9 years to finish all these books at my current reading pace. If I were to read at my best rate (27 books in 2021), it would take 7.5 years. I mainly read on my e-book reader, but if I owned all these books in physical form, it would require around 6.7 bookshelves to store them and would weight approximately 101.0 kg in total. How to Know a Person The Programmer\u0026#39;s Brain: What every programmer needs to know about cognition How to Expect the Unexpected: The Science of Making Predictions Why Zebras Don\u0026#39;t Get Ulcers The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch How Computers Work: The Evolution of Technology, 10th Edition Geek in Japan Selfish Gene Tipping Point Guns, Germs, and Steel Humankind: A Hopeful History Antifragile The Black Swan Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Elements of User Experience Gorge: My Journey Up Kilimanjaro at 300 Pounds Superintelligence The Wright Brothers Beating the Street Art of Burning Man The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don\u0026#39;t The Snow Leopard What Do You Care What Other People Think? No One Is Talking About This David Broom: Gin: How to Drink it Zurich Axioms Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done Outsider: An Old Man, a Mountain and the Search for a Hidden Past Weather For Dummies No More Mr Nice Guy Your Life, Uploaded: The Digital Way to Better Memory, Health, and Productivity Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris The Omnivore\u0026#39;s Dilemma Art of Thought The Happiness Project An Astronaut\u0026#39;s Guide to Life on Earth Storyworthy Code as a Creative Medium Fast This Way: Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation, and Eat Like the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life The Visual Display of Quantitative Information Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life Bombay Stories Atlas Shrugged A Philosophy of Software Design The Song of the Cell Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most The Escapist: Cheating Death on the World\u0026#39;s Highest Mountains Can\u0026#39;t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds Outlive Era of Darkness Obstacle is the Way Stillness is the Key E-Myth Revisited Design as Art A Little History of Philosophy The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life Hortus Malabaricus Someday is Today: 22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life Existential Kink: Unmask Your Shadow and Embrace Your Power Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Meter Peak Debt: The First 5000 Years Feed Zone Portables The Elegant Universe The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos When I Stop Talking, You\u0026#39;ll Know I\u0026#39;m Dead A Guide to the Good Life Letters from a Stoic The Physicist and the Philosopher A Manual for Living Just Ride: A Radically Practical Guide to Riding Your Bike Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making Design Emergency: Building a Better Future Life: A Natural History of the First Four Billion Years of Life on Earth Lost Objects: 50 Stories About the Things We Miss and Why They Matter Islands of Abandonment: Nature Rebounding in the Post-Human Landscape Infinite Jest The Ocean at the End of the Lane What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture Think Like a Street Photographer How to Teach Quantum Physics to Your Dog Last Chance to See This Mortal Coil: A History of Death 438 Days: An Extraordinary True Story of Survival at Sea Pragmatic Programmer A Beautiful Constraint Undeniable Ignore Everybody Zen: The Art of Simple Living Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now A Runner\u0026#39;s High: Older, Wiser, Slower, Stronger 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos The Last Walk: Reflections on Our Pets at the End of Their Lives Toward a General Theory of Expertise: Prospects and Limits The Joys of Compounding: The Passionate Pursuit of Lifelong Learning Determined: A Science of Life Without Free Will Impactful Data Visualization: Hide and Seek with Graphs Hacking Health: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need to Live Your Healthiest Life In My Own Way: An Autobiography e: The Story of a Number The Omnivore\u0026#39;s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals Exhalation: Stories Writing Well The Art of Possibility Embedded Entrepreneur Hackers and Painters The Art of Noticing The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity Ultramarathon Man Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future Thirst: A Story of Redemption, Compassion, and a Mission to Bring Clean Water to the World How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach \u0026amp; Practice Sports Skills The Urge: Our History of Addiction Proof Of Stake: The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains The Fabric of Reality: The Science of Parallel Universes and Its Implications No Limits: The Art And Science Of High P: The Art and Science of High Performance Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update Why Math? by R.D. Driver The Character of Physical Law When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World\u0026#39;s Most Powerful Consulting Firm Made to Stick Tribes Zero to Sold Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees Thich Nhat Hanh: Mindfulness Essentials How Asia Works Chicken Soup for the Soul: Runners: 39 Stories About Pushing Through, Where It Takes You and Triathlons How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We\u0026#39;re Going The Happiness Project: Or Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun Rituals of Work Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World Self-Made Olympian by Ron Daws The Good Gut Life in Five Senses: How Exploring the Senses Got Me Out of My Head and Into the World Cave in the Snow Make Ink: A Forager\u0026#39;s Guide to Natural Inkmaking The Braider River First 20 Hours You and Your Life Making Work Visible It\u0026#39;s All About the Bike Metabolical The Polymath: Unlocking the Power of Human Versatility The One-Page Financial Plan: A Simple Way to Be Smart About Your Money What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma Notes on a Nervous Planet Stranger in a Strange Land Kinfolk Travel: Slower Ways to See the World The Work of Art: How Something Comes from Nothing How to Know Higher Worlds: A Modern Path of Initiation How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States The Invention of Brownstone Brooklyn Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha Dangerous Book for Boys Size Vaclav Lady Testing Tea A Grain of Sand: The Story of One Man and an Island History of Kerala How Will You Measure Your Life? Introduction to Systems Analysis: Mathematically Modeling Natural Systems Endurance by Alfred Lansing Against Hate Turbaned Tornado: The Oldest Marathon Runner Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health The Last Nomad: Coming of Age in the Somali Desert Hackers \u0026amp; Painters Around the World on a Bicycle The Chimp Paradox Monsoon Economies Whole Numbers and Half Truths: What Data Can and Cannot Tell Us About Modern India Everyday Data Science: Optimize Your Life We Learn Nothing Storyworthy The Power of Now Thinking in Systems Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning The Hidden Life of Trees The Courage to be Disliked The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer Die with Zero Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don\u0026#39;t Have To Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human No Ego The Practice of Groundedness: A Transformative Path to Success That Feeds--Not Crushes--Your Soul Find Your Stride The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact One Up on Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market Once You\u0026#39;re Lucky, Twice You\u0026#39;re Good: The Rebirth of Silicon Valley and the Rise of Web 2.0 Intuitive Eating for Every Day: 365 Daily Practices \u0026amp; Inspirations to Rediscover the Pleasures of Eating Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making A Biography of the Pixel Free Will The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles Show More ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/anti-library/","summary":"single","title":"Anti Library","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/anti-library/"},{"content_html":"Welcome to the AMA (Ask Me Anything) page! This is a space to ask any questions you have about my blog, my projects, or anything else you\u0026rsquo;re curious about. Please note that this space is dedicated to questions, and if you wish to leave feedback, use the guestbook instead. Also, use the comment section of individual posts for questions regarding the articles. I\u0026rsquo;ll do my best to respond to all questions and provide insightful answers. All entries will be moderated before publishing and there are no email notifications for the same. The email field in the form is optional and is not published anywhere.\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/ama/","summary":"Ask Me Anything(AMA) is a space to any questions you have about my blog, my projects, or anything else you\u0026rsquo;re curious about.","title":"Ask Me Anything","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/ama/"},{"content_html":"This page has been moved to library If you are not redirected automatically, follow this link.\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/book-notes/","summary":"This page has been moved to library If you are not redirected automatically, follow this link.","title":"Book Notes","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/book-notes/"},{"content_html":"All changes and commits to this blog are versioned using a structured format and displayed in reverse chronological order. These changelogs are generated automatically using pre_push.py triggered by a pre-push hook. Learn more about the rationale behind this formatting here .\nv24.70.M.2912 (2025-12-29) Fixes Yaml configuration fixes Commit: 49266c87 Files: content/about.md content/archive.md content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md content/blog/2022-planning/index.md content/blog/2023-plan/index.md content/blog/2025/index.md content/blog/27-lessons/index.md content/blog/28-lessons/index.md content/blog/30-lessons/index.md content/blog/72-hour-rule/index.md content/blog/a-piece-of-home/index.md content/blog/be-curious-always/index.md content/blog/blogging-with-friction/index.md content/blog/boring-phone/index.md content/blog/build-a-digital-garden/index.md content/blog/curator-economy/index.md content/blog/delta-4-theory-how-to-evaluate-your-startup-idea/index.md content/blog/energy-calendar/index.md content/blog/file-over-app/index.md content/blog/food-rules/index.md content/blog/how-i-curate-my-newsletter/index.md content/blog/how-i-version-my-blog/index.md content/blog/i-miss-my-fan-regulator/index.md content/blog/ikea-effect/index.md content/blog/jordan-2025/index.md content/blog/jordan-notes/index.md content/blog/lindy-effect/index.md content/blog/man-from-the-future/index.md content/blog/my-blog-is-my-greatest-art/index.md content/blog/nicheless/index.md content/blog/notes-robot-vacuums/index.md content/blog/now-sky-gradient/index.md content/blog/ovarian-lottery/index.md content/blog/random-universe/index.md content/blog/readwise-review/index.md content/blog/resonance-journal/index.md content/blog/single-purpose-devices/index.md content/blog/super-randonneur/index.md content/blog/the-hobby-i-forgot/index.md content/blog/zone-2-training/index.md content/fitness-log/01112024/index.md content/fitness-log/02112024/index.md content/fitness-log/17102024/index.md content/fitness-log/18102024/index.md content/fitness-log/19102024/index.md content/fitness-log/20102024/index.md content/fitness-log/21102024/index.md 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content/now-archive/now-2024-10-18.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-22.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-23.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-28.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-30.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-05.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-06-1.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-06.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-14.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-19.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-20.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-28.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-03.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-06.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-09.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-17.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-20.md content/now-archive/now-2025-01-10.md content/now-archive/now-2025-01-17.md content/now-archive/now-2025-02-16.md content/now-archive/now-2025-03-03.md content/now-archive/now-2025-03-27.md content/now-archive/now-2025-05-29.md content/now-archive/now-2025-07-24-1.md content/now-archive/now-2025-07-24-2.md content/now-archive/now-2025-07-24.md content/now-archive/now-2025-08-11.md content/til/_index.md content/til/hugo-remote-data/index.md content/watch/IC814.md content/watch/adios-amigo.md content/watch/aliya.md content/watch/home.md content/watch/house-of-dragon.md content/watch/janeman.md content/watch/kaathal.md content/watch/maharaja.md content/watch/paatal-lok.md content/watch/squid-games-2.md content/watch/suzhal.md content/watch/thalaivettiyaan-paalayam.md content/watch/vaazhai.md content/webrings.md Updations Added Monero address Commit: 6912f2f3 Files: content/support.md v24.69.U.1012 (2025-12-10) Updations Added movie to watchlist\nCommit: 44902941 Files: data/watchlist.yaml Added meshindia link to support page\nCommit: 81da0b29 Files: content/support.md v24.68.U.1012 (2025-12-10) Updations Update cryptocurrency donation addresses in support.md Commit: 32ce252e Files: content/support.md v24.67.U.2511 (2025-11-25) Updations Added image Commit: afd4f722 Files: content/til/reversible-pump-head/bike-pump.webp content/til/reversible-pump-head/index.md v24.66.U.2511 (2025-11-25) Updations Added gpx map to content\nCommit: f87d0d14 Files: content/blog/jordan-2025/index.md Added new gpx map component\nCommit: ed4a2937 Files: config.yml themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/gpx-map.html v24.65.U.3110 (2025-10-31) Updations Added some images\nCommit: b03d9fb4 Files: content/blog/jordan-2025/1.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/10.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/11.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/12.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/13.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/2.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/3.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/4.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/5.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/6.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/7.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/8.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/9.webp content/blog/jordan-2025/index.md content/blog/jordan-notes/index.md Added numbering to gallery\nCommit: 9209e782 Files: assets/css/extended/misc.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/gallery.html v24.64.U.2910 (2025-10-29) Updations Added draft posts\nCommit: f2273b36 Files: content/blog/jordan-2025/Petra_Hike.gpx content/blog/jordan-2025/index.md content/blog/jordan-notes/index.md Update goal\nCommit: e4d9b2eb Files: data/goals.json v24.63.M.2710 (2025-10-27) Additions Added new blog post as draft Commit: 2ea4165f Files: content/blog/a-piece-of-home/index.md content/now.md Updations Udpated name with hindi and malayalam\nCommit: b0e49579 Files: content/about.md Added malayalam date to post meta\nCommit: 96270626 Files: assets/css/extended/misc.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/post_meta.html Generated malayalam calendar from 2019 to 2026\nCommit: d801ba64 Files: data/malayalam_calendar.json scripts/generate_malayalam_calendar.py Added malayalam date to calendar\nCommit: 485a726d Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/updated_on.html Generated malayalam calendar mapping\nCommit: afe38767 Files: data/malayalam_calendar.json Added script for generating malayalam calendar\nCommit: 0e2bb888 Files: scripts/generate_malayalam_calendar.py added venv to gitignore\nCommit: a603e3c1 Files: .gitignore v24.62.U.2608 (2025-08-26) Updations Updated watchlist Commit: e2aa8461 Files: data/watchlist.yaml v24.61.U.1808 (2025-08-18) Updations Added puzzle #3 Commit: ff5c9a00 Files: content/puzzle.md v24.60.M.1608 (2025-08-16) Fixes Fix: Url encoding issue for Abu Dhabi\nCommit: 11a87d55 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/weather-with-sky.html Fix: Scroll to top error fix\nCommit: 3c85e555 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html Additions Add: Draft blog post\nCommit: 5a303970 Files: content/blog/now-sky-gradient/index.md Added eslint settings\nCommit: 5f664196 Files: .vscode/settings.json v24.59.M.1108 (2025-08-11) Additions added vscode settings\nCommit: 6d3335ec Files: .vscode/settings.json Added vscode settings to repo\nCommit: 26f1f6f7 Files: .gitignore .vscode/settings.json Updations Added emoticon to robovacc post\nCommit: 165c50f4 Files: content/blog/notes-robot-vacuums/index.md Udpated easter emojis\nCommit: 0a1369f2 Files: config.yml updated now\nCommit: 03dc8460 Files: content/now.md Update gradient text\nCommit: c11e8296 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/weather-with-sky.html Added caching for weather and sky gradient\nCommit: a4af93bf Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/weather-with-sky.html Rename shortcode\nCommit: 094bca7f Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/current_weather.html Added credits\nCommit: cff4a647 Files: content/credits.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/weather-with-sky.html Updated weather shortcode with gradient\nCommit: ed694da4 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/weather-with-sky.html v24.58.U.2907 (2025-07-29) Updations Updated post with privacy field Commit: 754a48d3 Files: content/blog/notes-robot-vacuums/index.md v24.57.M.2807 (2025-07-28) Additions New post on robot vacuums\nCommit: 2a3f9665 Files: content/blog/notes-robot-vacuums/index.md content/blog/notes-robot-vacuums/robot-vacuum.png content/blog/notes-robot-vacuums/xiaomi-x20-pro.png Added TIL about syntax highlighting\nCommit: a26da7b7 Files: config.yml content/til/hugo-syntax-highlighting/index.md Updations Udpated shortcode leveraging webp conversion in hugo\nCommit: a659d769 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/photocaption.html Added resources to gitingore\nCommit: 82291d46 Files: .gitignore CSS changes to the comment author\nCommit: 97ead492 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/assets/css/common/comments.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/disqus.html Updated gitingore\nCommit: c007df56 Files: .gitignore v24.56.F.2507 (2025-07-25) Fixes Small fix Commit: 003a5b1d Files: content/now.md v24.55.U.2507 (2025-07-25) Updations Updated now Commit: 6f832850 Files: content/now.md hooks/pre-push v24.54.M.2107 (2025-07-21) Additions Added new TIL google drive mounting in WSL Commit: 5ddb7622 Files: content/til/google-drive-wsl/index.md Updations Removed unnessary front matter Commit: c0fa2a34 Files: content/meet/3-romir-unoffice.md v24.53.M.1607 (2025-07-16) Fixes Added missing config for llms.txt Commit: efedaa7b Files: config.yml Additions Added new meet Commit: 7f7afb53 Files: content/meet/3-romir-unoffice.md v24.52.U.1507 (2025-07-15) Updations Added miscwebring to webrings Commit: fa013045 Files: content/webrings.md v24.51.U.1207 (2025-07-12) Updations Updated unoffice hours day availability Commit: 94ab2c08 Files: content/unoffice.md v24.50.U.2106 (2025-06-21) Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: ca023b15 Files: Updated puzzle message\nCommit: 45379b92 Files: content/puzzle.md v24.49.U.2106 (2025-06-21) Updations Updated puzzle with #2 Commit: 896c09f6 Files: content/puzzle.md v24.48.M.2006 (2025-06-20) Fixes Fix: Remove webmentions from pages Commit: 9a0ff101 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/webmentions.html Updations Updated short urls\nCommit: e734fb4c Files: content/ama.md content/button.md content/library.md content/now.md content/unoffice.md Automated daily update of my_data.json\nCommit: 985d6c7f Files: data/my_data.json Automated daily update of my_data.json\nCommit: 3528b87a Files: data/my_data.json Automated daily update of my_data.json\nCommit: bb7799cb Files: data/my_data.json Stash changes before pull\nCommit: e7fa0d5e Files: data/shorturl.yaml Update log.md\nCommit: 57e316f3 Files: content/log.md Automated daily update of my_data.json\nCommit: 046a0800 Files: data/my_data.json Merge pull request #60 from rishikeshsreehari/shorturl\nCommit: 17d3ad32 Files: v24.47.U.1606 (2025-06-16) Updations Added micropub/microsub links Commit: e3a5dbcb Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html v24.46.M.1606 (2025-06-16) Fixes Fix: Removed no_link_found cases from webmention retry Commit: d43d49b7 Files: scripts/send_webmentions.py Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: aa36361c Files: v24.45.M.1606 (2025-06-16) Fixes Fix: Show all types of webmentions\nCommit: c8f28fa7 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/webmentions.html Fix: Make webmention elements visually hidden\nCommit: 36d46feb Files: assets/css/extended/misc.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/single.html Fix config duplication issue\nCommit: d9f1a0be Files: config.yml Additions Added webmentions to posts, closes: Add webmentions #53\nCommit: dc0dc631 Files: assets/css/extended/webmention.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/webmentions.html Added canoncial to params\nCommit: b56fea8e Files: config.yml Updations Updated webmentions data\nCommit: 7a6a05b3 Files: data/webmentions.json Updated webmentions\nCommit: 221d6e57 Files: data/webmentions.json Added more params for webmentions\nCommit: e6ebd13e Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/single.html Update paypal link\nCommit: 12ad3192 Files: content/support.md v24.44.M.1606 (2025-06-16) Fixes Fixed formatting Commit: a3cfc9ee Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: a462e88f Files: data/sent-webmentions.json Added webmention counter to individual posts\nCommit: c3235a91 Files: assets/css/extended/webmention.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/webmentions.html Added webmetion semantic\nCommit: fd84cfc5 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/single.html Added comments h3 title\nCommit: e804c5a8 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/disqus.html Updated sent-webmentions.json from local.\nCommit: ddf7b0e5 Files: data/sent-webmentions.json v24.43.M.1606 (2025-06-16) Fixes Fixed formatting Commit: 59b6b17c Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md Additions Added webmention counter to individual posts Commit: c479cd5b Files: assets/css/extended/webmention.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/webmentions.html Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: f3c586d1 Files: data/sent-webmentions.json Added webmetion semantic\nCommit: e099299d Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/single.html Added comments h3 title\nCommit: 4a8a0955 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/disqus.html Updated sent-webmentions.json from local.\nCommit: edbd0b5b Files: data/sent-webmentions.json v24.42.M.1406 (2025-06-14) Fixes Fix external link render issue.\nCommit: 50ad1164 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/_markup/render-link.html Fix: UTM source removal\nCommit: d0ca4ccb Files: content/blog/the-hobby-i-forgot/index.md Additions Added webmentions tracking Commit: e6f5e940 Files: data/webmentions.json scripts/fetch_webmentions.py Updations Added environmen variable for build.py\nCommit: 2f624855 Files: .github/workflows/build.yml Added script for sending webmentions\nCommit: 0c72c573 Files: data/sent-webmentions.json requirements.txt scripts/send_webmentions.py updated build script for webmentions\nCommit: 9eeae4f5 Files: scripts/build.py v24.41.U.0906 (2025-06-09) Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: ce96bcc4 Files: updated blog post with pics\nCommit: 268c5a3c Files: content/blog/the-hobby-i-forgot/glass-bottles.webp content/blog/the-hobby-i-forgot/index.md content/blog/the-hobby-i-forgot/sand-collection.webp v24.40.N.0906 (2025-06-09) Additions New blog post: Take two Commit: 8e340aa8 Files: content/blog/the-hobby-i-forgot/index.md v24.39.U.0206 (2025-06-02) Updations Added pronouncs to about Commit: d935e3de Files: content/about.md v24.38.M.0206 (2025-06-02) Additions Added real pain review Commit: 4f6fcc9d Files: content/watch/real-pain.md static/images/watch/real-pain.webp Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: ec06e416 Files: Updated watch list with movies pending\nCommit: 901fd4df Files: data/watch.yaml Updated watchcard logic to accomodate disney+\nCommit: b90c6df2 Files: static/images/platforms/disney-plus.webp themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html Updated file over app with markdown presentations\nCommit: 8f7847ac Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md Added HN discussion link\nCommit: b27a7452 Files: content/blog/i-miss-my-fan-regulator/index.md v24.37.U.3005 (2025-05-30) Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: 032bff8 Files: Trying out Georgia font\nCommit: e808094 Files: assets/css/extended/misc.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/extend_head.html v24.36.M.3005 (2025-05-30) Additions Added regulator blog post Commit: a64c99a Files: content/blog/i-miss-my-fan-regulator/fan.webp content/blog/i-miss-my-fan-regulator/index.md content/blog/i-miss-my-fan-regulator/regulator.webp content/blog/i-miss-my-fan-regulator/remote.webp Updations Updated now\nCommit: ae4e3d8 Files: content/now.md Updated dream\nCommit: 78b1079 Files: content/dream.md Updated dream\nCommit: e73fc96 Files: content/dream.md Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: 44f069d Files: Added env.sh to gitignore\nCommit: 383baf8 Files: .gitignore v24.35.U.2803 (2025-03-28) Updations Added existentialism to about Commit: e6e20c7 Files: content/about.md v24.34.M.2703 (2025-03-27) Fixes Fix llms.txt issues Commit: c8a20e2 Files: config.yml themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/index.markdown.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/index.txt themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/list.markdown.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/single.markdown.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html Updations Added criclite to projects\nCommit: 900d030 Files: data/projects.yaml static/images/projects/criclite.webp Updated now\nCommit: c2be2bf Files: content/now.md v24.33.U.1403 (2025-03-14) Updations Fixed dream list Commit: d5f44d7 Files: content/dream.md v24.32.M.1403 (2025-03-14) Fixes Fix: Config.yml for depreciated configurations\nCommit: 6014421 Files: config.yml Date format fix\nCommit: 83455ca Files: content/blog/ovarian-lottery/index.md Updations Updated dream.md\nCommit: 645567a Files: content/dream.md Added hugo-version file for CF\nCommit: 7ed539f Files: .hugo-version fix: update deprecated Hugo functions and config options to v0.145.0\nCommit: 4d07dc3 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/disqus.html themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/templates/opengraph.html themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/templates/twitter_cards.html themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/ama.html themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/guestbook.html Removal Removed google analytics tag Commit: 55703e5 Files: config.yml v24.31.M.0503 (2025-03-05) Fixes Fixed avatar linnk\nCommit: 2b2fd4f Files: config.yml Fixed hotlink avatar link\nCommit: ef45ff0 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html Updations Updated pre-push button name Commit: df4e09f Files: scripts/pre_push.py v24.30.M.0503 (2025-03-05) Additions Added hotlink image for cloudflare Commit: 6af3c1c Files: static/hotlink-ok/avatar.png Updations Udpated hotlink links for avatar Commit: bd4862f Files: config.yml themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html v24.29.M.0303 (2025-03-03) Additions Added cv Commit: 7dda780 Files: static/docs/CV.pdf Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: dfaef00 Files: Updated dream\nCommit: a82b7a2 Files: content/dream.md v24.28.M.0303 (2025-03-03) Additions Added greatest rivalry review\nCommit: eddb9d3 Files: content/watch/greatest-rivalry.md static/images/watch/greatest-rivalry.webp Added cbi5 watch review\nCommit: 4144440 Files: content/watch/cbi5.md static/images/watch/cbi5.webp Added updated on shortcode\nCommit: 6e6e3a3 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/updated_on.html Updations updated watch.yaml with latest movies\nCommit: e87af01 Files: data/watch.yaml Updated watch card to handle zero rating edge case\nCommit: e47b1dc Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html Updated now\nCommit: db556eb Files: content/now.md Updated footer easter\nCommit: a68b81e Files: config.yml Updated now\nCommit: a276592 Files: content/now.md Updated ideas page with vape idea\nCommit: 98ce6e0 Files: content/ideas.md v24.27.U.2102 (2025-02-21) Updations Updated content on home\nCommit: 843f91d Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/home_info.html Added yeti link\nCommit: 09552dc Files: content/about.md v24.26.M.2102 (2025-02-21) Additions Added be curious post! Commit: 96583a8 Files: content/blog/be-curious-always/be-curious.webp content/blog/be-curious-always/index.md Updations Added rating to beast games title Commit: 06c39a9 Files: content/watch/beast-games.md v24.25.M.1602 (2025-02-16) Fixes Fixed missing image in TIL Commit: acc3e11 Files: content/til/palm-leaf-writing/index.md Updations Added image to TIL post\nCommit: 4d62d66 Files: content/til/hugo-remote-data/hn-stats-on-hugo.webp content/til/hugo-remote-data/index.md Added bluesky link\nCommit: 229470e Files: config.yml v24.24.U.1602 (2025-02-16) Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: c34ad07 Files: Added rss and substack links\nCommit: d2d8836 Files: config.yml Added substack and bluesky icons\nCommit: 70303e3 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/svg.html Updated tags\nCommit: fd3b13a Files: content/til/hugo-remote-data/index.md content/watch/beast-games.md v24.23.M.1602 (2025-02-16) Additions Added beast games post\nCommit: 905a9b3 Files: content/watch/beast-games.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/beast-games.webp Added TIL for Hugo Get.Remote\nCommit: 5caed4b Files: content/til/hugo-remote-data/index.md Updations Updated episodes and creators of tv shows\nCommit: 2d102b0 Files: data/watch.yaml Added condition for created by and epsiodes and season\nCommit: dc1c8d7 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html Updated now page\nCommit: d251d34 Files: content/now.md v24.22.M.1002 (2025-02-10) Additions Added HN discussion shortcode Commit: c4f21e7 Files: config.yml themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/hn-discussion.html Updations Updated title of mehta boys post\nCommit: 7636369 Files: content/watch/mehta-boys.md added HN discussion to super randonneur blog post\nCommit: 82e93d4 Files: content/blog/super-randonneur/index.md Added HN discussion to file=over-app blogpost\nCommit: 1dca48a Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md v24.21.M.1002 (2025-02-10) Fixes Fix file name Commit: 66858a9 Files: content/watch/meiyazhagan.md Updations Updated missing dates for watch content. Some still pending Commit: 3dae921 Files: content/watch/kishkindha.md content/watch/mandela.md content/watch/mehta-boys.md content/watch/mississippi-masala.md content/watch/nunakkuzhi.md content/watch/paatal-lok-2.md content/watch/rifle-club.md content/watch/squid-games-2.md content/watch/thalaivettiyaan-paalayam.md v24.20.M.0802 (2025-02-08) Fixes Fix for broken images\nCommit: 8d68bfa Files: static/images/letterboxd.png static/images/serializd.png added condition to prevent create of now-archive list page\nCommit: 07bf3cf Files: content/now-archive/_index.md fix broken link\nCommit: 12c7e7b Files: content/blog/blogging-with-friction/index.md fix link\nCommit: 98fbc81 Files: content/til/cycle-reverse-thread/index.md Additions Added south asian scripts til\nCommit: c5345eb Files: content/til/palm-leaf-writing/index.md content/til/palm-leaf-writing/palm-leaf-manuscript.webp Added mandela review\nCommit: e2fe34e Files: content/watch/mandela.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/mandela.webp Added mehta boys review\nCommit: 4d35f1a Files: content/watch/mehta-boys.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/mehta-boys.webp Updations converted barefoot image to webp Commit: 64fa82a Files: content/journal/barefoot/barefoot.jpg content/journal/barefoot/barefoot.webp content/journal/barefoot/index.md v24.19.M.3001 (2025-01-30) Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: ad42764 Files: Removal removed duplicate image Commit: 9c73205 Files: content/blog/random-universe/blogging.webp v24.18.N.3001 (2025-01-30) Additions New post about randomness\nCommit: 64a7596 Files: content/blog/random-universe/blogging.webp content/blog/random-universe/entropy.webp content/blog/random-universe/index.md Added til - reddit rss feed\nCommit: 38081e6 Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md content/til/reddit-rss-feed/index.md v24.17.U.2201 (2025-01-22) Updations Updated subscriber count after culling\nCommit: 55dee5c Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/subscribe_block.html Updated image caption with more context\nCommit: 3c8a1da Files: content/blog/blogging-with-friction/index.md v24.16.M.2001 (2025-01-20) Fixes Corrected IC814 rating Commit: c8e2707 Files: data/watch.yaml Additions Added paatal lok 2 review\nCommit: d21c67c Files: content/watch/paatal-lok-2.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/paatal-lok-2.webp Added rifle club review\nCommit: f8bb2e0 Files: content/watch/rifle-club.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/rifle-club.webp Added platform logos and moved existing to /platforms\nCommit: 5c4b70b Files: static/images/platforms/Zee5.svg static/images/platforms/letterboxd.png static/images/platforms/netflix.png static/images/platforms/primevideo.png static/images/platforms/serializd.png static/images/platforms/zee5.png Updations Added link to previous post\nCommit: e1f4560 Files: content/watch/paatal-lok-2.md Design changes to accomodate platform logos in watch card\nCommit: 932c7df Files: assets/css/extended/watch-card.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html logic modication to include country also in watch card meta\nCommit: d814f98 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html v24.15.M.1801 (2025-01-18) Fixes Small CSS change to fix alignment\nCommit: 6ac3c52 Files: assets/css/extended/watch-card.css Corrections in review text\nCommit: c31f843 Files: content/watch/mississippi-masala.md fixed an issue with letterboxd link\nCommit: 2b184bf Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html Additions Added Squid Game post in watch\nCommit: e53e33d Files: content/watch/squid-games-2.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/mississippi-masala.jpg static/images/watch/mississippi-masala.webp static/images/watch/nunakkuzhi.jpg static/images/watch/nunakkuzhi.webp static/images/watch/squid-games-2.webp Added missisppi masala movie review\nCommit: ff5193e Files: content/watch/mississippi-masala.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/mississippi-masala.jpg Updations updated now\nCommit: d281876 Files: content/now.md Updated now tiles\nCommit: 7ba1b1d Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/now_tiles.html Updated the logic to show budget even if there is no collection\nCommit: 9282160 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html Added a logic for serializd links for series\nCommit: 6a6667b Files: assets/css/extended/watch-card.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html Design update for watch card footer\nCommit: 3c55ac2 Files: assets/css/extended/watch-card.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html Updated nunakkuzhi for the latest design\nCommit: 3c0cc21 Files: content/watch/nunakkuzhi.md data/watch.yaml static/images/watch/nunakkuzhi.jpg Updated watch card design\nCommit: fa9f755 Files: assets/css/extended/watch-card.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/watch-card.html v24.14.F.1601 (2025-01-16) Fixes Fixed the cover front matter in latest post Commit: 69b4948 Files: content/blog/blogging-with-friction/index.md v24.13.U.1601 (2025-01-16) Updations renmaed blank.css to misc.css\nCommit: b362f75 Files: assets/css/extended/misc.css Updated the footer easter with breathing effect\nCommit: 56a05f4 Files: assets/css/extended/blank.css Updated footer easter\nCommit: 6498712 Files: config.yml themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html Added image to the post\nCommit: b466e7f Files: content/blog/blogging-with-friction/blogging.webp content/blog/blogging-with-friction/index.md v24.12.M.1601 (2025-01-16) Additions Added blogging with friction post Commit: d739ba6 Files: content/blog/blogging-with-friction/index.md Updations Updated dream Commit: 56cd713 Files: content/dream.md v24.11.U.1001 (2025-01-10) Updations Updated subscribers blurb\nCommit: 5ddf374 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/subscribe_block.html Updated now\nCommit: a080c2d Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md content/now.md Update home info with latest stats on subscribers\nCommit: fed0c23 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/home_info.html v24.10.M.0901 (2025-01-09) Fixes Fixed an issue with embed link Commit: 3c722f2 Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md Updations Updated caption Commit: d8dd058 Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md v24.9.F.0901 (2025-01-09) Fixes Fixed rotation issue with images Commit: 3df438d Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/3.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/9.webp v24.8.M.0901 (2025-01-09) Fixes Corrected version numbers in /log Commit: 258e352 Files: content/log.md Updations Corrected the push count Commit: 77358ac Files: data/version.json v24.7.U.0901 (2025-01-09) Updations Updated the gpx viewer embed link Commit: d74dd1d Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md v24.6.M.0901 (2025-01-09) Fixes Spelling correction Commit: 96f7927 Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md Updations Updated post with a note Commit: b729ffc Files: content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md v24.5.M.0901 (2025-01-09) Additions Added 12 hour wak blog post\nCommit: b7497de Files: assets/css/extended/blank.css content/blog/12-hour-walk/1.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/10.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/11.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/12.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/12_Hour_Abu_Dhabi.gpx content/blog/12-hour-walk/13.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/14.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/15.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/16.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/17.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/18.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/2.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/3.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/4.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/5.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/6.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/7.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/8.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/9.webp content/blog/12-hour-walk/index.md content/blog/12-hour-walk/weather.svg content/blog/12-hour-walk/weather.webp Added gallery shortcode for displaying multiple images\nCommit: edcf9fd Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/gallery.html Added download shortcode\nCommit: 082725b Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/download.html Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: 2861dc6 Files: Updated footer emoji\nCommit: ae771d6 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html v24.4.U.0601 (2025-01-06) Updations Added webring to footer Commit: 326bc6c Files: assets/css/extended/blank.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html v24.3.M.0601 (2025-01-06) Fixes Fixed an issue with favicon not displaying Commit: 11db8b1 Files: config.yml static/favicon.ico themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html Updations Updated webrings with meta webring Commit: ec76d97 Files: content/webrings.md v24.2.U.0201 (2025-01-02) Updations updated blog post with freelancing gig Commit: dc971ee Files: content/blog/2025/index.md v24.1.M.0201 (2025-01-02) Additions Added 2025 post Commit: a82a0a9 Files: content/blog/2025/2025.webp content/blog/2025/index.md Updations Updated footer easter\nCommit: 2a0fcd2 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html Updated dream.md\nCommit: 8948803 Files: content/dream.md v24.647.M.2912 (2024-12-29) Fixes Corrected double-ledger to double-entry Commit: e76f16a Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md Additions Added nunakkuzhi to watch Commit: 27d9b7a Files: content/watch/nunakkuzhi.md data/watch.yaml Updations Added more data to watch for recent movies.\nCommit: 88e1518 Files: content/watch/viduthalai-1.md data/watch.yaml Updated Paypal link to UAE\nCommit: d07c91f Files: config.yml v24.646.M.2612 (2024-12-26) Fixes Fixed incorrect image config(avatar.png) Commit: 1711fe1 Files: config.yml Updations Updated til with a mnemonic\nCommit: 28b1266 Files: content/til/cycle-reverse-thread/index.md Added file over app with new addition\nCommit: 9557d27 Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md v24.645.M.2612 (2024-12-26) Updations Updated JSON Feed to 1.1 spec\nCommit: 2cece78 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/index.json Added a front matter condition to hide in RSS for now pages\nCommit: 51ff22c Files: content/now-archive/now-2024-06-09.md content/now-archive/now-2024-08-16-1.md content/now-archive/now-2024-08-16-2.md content/now-archive/now-2024-08-16-3.md content/now-archive/now-2024-08-16.md content/now-archive/now-2024-09-17.md content/now-archive/now-2024-09-23.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-03.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-15.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-16.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-18.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-22.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-23.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-28.md content/now-archive/now-2024-10-30.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-05.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-06-1.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-06.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-14.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-19.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-20.md content/now-archive/now-2024-11-28.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-03.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-06.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-09.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-17.md content/now-archive/now-2024-12-20.md content/now.md content/then.md scripts/then.py themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/rss.xml New Features Added atom feed Commit: 4e4d6b4 Files: config.yml themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/index.atom.xml v24.644.N.2312 (2024-12-23) Additions Added Today I learnt page\nCommit: e5082fc Files: assets/css/extended/til.css config.yml content/til/_index.md content/til/cycle-reverse-thread/index.md content/til/reversible-pump-head/index.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/til.html Added viduthalai to watch\nCommit: 372ada8 Files: content/watch/viduthalai-1.md data/watch.yaml v24.643.U.2012 (2024-12-20) Updations Updated now Commit: 04f226a Files: content/now.md v24.642.U.1712 (2024-12-17) Updations Added location in post meta and updated fitness logs \u0026amp; journals\nCommit: 40d40b6 Files: content/fitness-log/01112024/index.md content/fitness-log/02112024/index.md content/fitness-log/17102024/index.md content/fitness-log/18102024/index.md content/fitness-log/19102024/index.md content/fitness-log/20102024/index.md content/fitness-log/21102024/index.md content/fitness-log/22102024/index.md content/fitness-log/23102024/index.md content/fitness-log/24102024/index.md content/fitness-log/25102024/index.md content/fitness-log/26102024/index.md content/fitness-log/27102024/index.md content/fitness-log/28102024/index.md content/fitness-log/29102024/index.md content/fitness-log/30102024/index.md content/fitness-log/31102024/index.md content/journal/ankke-sprain-rehab/index.md content/journal/barefoot/index.md content/journal/evergreen-blogs/index.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/post_meta.html Added date in posts to be displayed\nCommit: 7594044 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/post_meta.html v24.641.M.1712 (2024-12-17) Fixes Added encoding=\u0026ldquo;utf-8\u0026rdquo; in pre_push.py to handle emojis\nCommit: de4929d Files: scripts/pre_push.py Fixed an issue with favicons\nCommit: 8abc4ad Files: config.yml Updations Updated now\nCommit: b62b790 Files: content/now.md Udpated webrings with 🕸💍\nCommit: 210fb36 Files: content/webrings.md v24.640.U.1512 (2024-12-15) Updations Updated dream log with new items Commit: 7859b68 Files: content/dream.md v24.639.M.0912 (2024-12-09) Fixes Fixed broken avatar link in head Commit: 2210b47 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html Updations Added microsub endpoint for aperture Commit: eb14697 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html v24.638.M.0912 (2024-12-09) Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: 3d6e30b Files: New Features Added webmention feature to the website\nCommit: dd5056c Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/_default/single.html themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/webmentions.html Added hidden h-cards\nCommit: 85ab3ea Files: static/images/avatar.png themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html v24.637.U.0912 (2024-12-09) Updations Added rel=me links and indieauth in head partial\nCommit: 72c17f8 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/head.html Updated url twitter.com to x.com\nCommit: c613c46 Files: config.yml Updated Now\nCommit: 425b8cf Files: content/now.md Updated books.yaml with more metadata\nCommit: 4488d2b Files: data/books.yaml Updated antilibrary\nCommit: 2e3c780 Files: data/books_unread.yaml v24.636.U.0612 (2024-12-06) Updations Updated file-over-app post with a new suggestion\nCommit: 8d231d6 Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md Updated now page\nCommit: 51300bd Files: content/now.md v24.635.U.0512 (2024-12-05) Updations Added lobste.rs icon and link to the blog Commit: 9e97702 Files: config.yml themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/svg.html v24.634.M.0312 (2024-12-03) Fixes Fixed a broken link Commit: 7a0d892 Files: content/unoffice.md Updations Updated guestbook\nCommit: e8e9c28 Files: content/guestbook.md Updated about with links\nCommit: d6b283e Files: content/about.md Updated now and added lost into watch\nCommit: 59366cb Files: content/now.md content/watch/lost.md data/watch.yaml static/images/serializd.png themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/lost_numbers.html v24.633.U.2811 (2024-11-28) Updations Added image for bl0g-version post Commit: 1e4c0bb Files: content/blog/how-i-version-my-blog/blog-commit-version.webp v24.632.M.2811 (2024-11-28) Fixes Fixed a spelling mistake in /log Commit: 7cb7f87 Files: content/log.md Additions Added 30 lessosn post Commit: d7c0b23 Files: content/blog/30-lessons/30.webp content/blog/30-lessons/index.md Updations Updated blog version post with pre-push category screenshot\nCommit: 51b7c21 Files: content/blog/how-i-version-my-blog/index.md Added footer easter\nCommit: 1666766 Files: assets/css/extended/blank.css themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html Updated timeline\nCommit: c9f25be Files: content/timeline.md data/timeline.yaml Removal Removed unnecessary header from about\nCommit: da2be6e Files: content/about.md Remove ? from title\nCommit: 17182cc Files: content/blog/how-i-version-my-blog/index.md v24.631.M.2811 (2024-11-28) Fixes Fixed a broken link Commit: 67c236f Files: content/watch/kishkindha.md Updations Updated now page and shortcodes to handle custom cases\nCommit: 9fb685c Files: content/now.md themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/current_time.html themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/current_weather.html Updated article title\nCommit: 5d30c60 Files: content/blog/how-i-version-my-blog/index.md Updated file over app list and small corrections for brevity\nCommit: 01343c2 Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md Removal Removed timezone parameter from config.yml Commit: 8fbc832 Files: config.yml v24.630.M.2211 (2024-11-22) Updations Merge branch \u0026lsquo;main\u0026rsquo; of https://github.com/rishikeshsreehari/personal-blog Commit: 71fc39a Files: Updated projects shortcode to handle cases with no image\nCommit: 14ee40b Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/shortcodes/projects.html Added WebPAll to projects\nCommit: 37dfa91 Files: data/projects.yaml Added a link to blog versioning article to log\nCommit: b2ab448 Files: content/log.md Removal Removed buymeacoffee link Commit: 84beafd Files: config.yml v24.629.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Fixes Fixed letterboxd link issue Commit: 20b297b Files: content/watch/meyyazhakan.md Additions Added new blog post and updated links in log and colophon Commit: c8bf625 Files: content/blog/how-i-version-my-blog/blog-version.webp content/blog/how-i-version-my-blog/index.md content/colophon.md content/log.md Updations Small corretion in log page\nCommit: 5c5e850 Files: content/log.md Updated Readme title\nCommit: daddd8a Files: README.md v24.628.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Fixes Fixed formatting issues in watch/kishkindha\nCommit: a491c7f Files: content/watch/kishkindha.md content/watch/meyyazhakan.md Spelling fix on log\nCommit: 4526b6a Files: content/log.md Updations Updated link in footer for logs\nCommit: a1eb04e Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html Updated file over app with new additions\nCommit: 31792db Files: content/blog/file-over-app/index.md v24.627.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Fixes Spelling correction in changelog Commit: 8b1b25a Files: content/log.md Updations Updated now page\nCommit: 3e4c7a0 Files: content/now.md Updated colophon\nCommit: fd28466 Files: content/colophon.md Updated log page\nCommit: 843c220 Files: content/log.md v24.626.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Fixes Formatting issue in watch/kishkindha Commit: bbb631a Files: content/log.md content/watch/kishkindha.md Updations Updated changelog format in prepush.py\nCommit: 4829739 Files: scripts/pre_push.py Updated log with latest format\nCommit: c35ccb2 Files: content/log.md v24.625.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Additions Added setup-hooks.ch Commit: 2526007 Files: setup-hooks.ch Updations Updated Readme\nCommit: 69c52f5 Files: README.md Updated gitignore to exclude some files\nCommit: 04a55e9 Files: .gitignore Updated hooks location\nCommit: 89a9f22 Files: hooks/pre-push Removals Updated gitignore to remove some files\nCommit: 59f7d20 Files: .hugo_build.lock .vscode/settings.json Removed link_update.txt\nCommit: 1740506 Files: link_update.txt Removed netlify.toml\nCommit: 00e923e Files: README.md netlify.toml v24.624.U.2111 (2024-11-21) Updations Updated hooks location Commit: 89a9f22 Files: hooks/pre-push v24.623.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Fixes Fixed a CF link issue in footer Commit: 4faabe3 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html Updations Updated footer with log page hyperlinked Commit: 0c70178 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html v24.622.U.2111 (2024-11-21) Updations Updated simplified workflow with production branch removed\nCommit: a4e5ecc Files: .github/workflows/build.yml Removed update_version.py from build.py\nCommit: d56ef4d Files: scripts/build.py v24.621.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Updations Updated pre_push.py GUI\nCommit: 0d931ee Files: scripts/pre_push.py Updated changlog\nCommit: b032130 Files: content/log.md Removals Removed notes.md Commit: bcc12c4 Files: notes.md v24.620.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Fixes Fixed commit hash issue in footer\nCommit: d108110 Files: themes/hugo-PaperMod/layouts/partials/footer.html Removed unnecessary files\nCommit: 15daf29 Files: hook.log hook_debug.log push.txt scripts/git_hooks.py scripts/update_version.py Updations Updated config.yml\nCommit: 4245b37 Files: config.yml Added removal type in pre_push.py\nCommit: 8ac92be Files: scripts/pre_push.py v24.619.U.2111 (2024-11-21) Updations Updated log.md with frontmatter Commit: f79cade Files: content/log.md v24.618.U.2111 (2024-11-21) Updations Added hyperlinks to files and hash in changelog Commit: ff1ef42 Files: scripts/pre_push.py v24.617.M.2111 (2024-11-21) Fixes Fixed an issue updatechangelog function in prepush\nCommit: b4a1330 Files: content/log.md data/version.json scripts/pre_push.py Fixed an issue with pre-push\nCommit: 069fcee Files: scripts/pre_push.py Updates Updated prepush logic for correct log format Commit: 7929af0 Files: content/log.md scripts/pre_push.py ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/log/","summary":"Changelog of rishikeshs.com adhering to the Personal Blog Versioning Manifesto","title":"Changelog","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/log/"},{"content_html":"Last updated on 21-11-2024 An Overview of How This Blog is Built and Roadmap Ahead This blog has been inspired by numerous blogs by incredibly talented individuals out there in the web universe. Over time, I\u0026rsquo;ve compiled a list of things that I loved in different blogs I\u0026rsquo;ve visited, and this blog is an end result of that. As someone who started coding less than a year back, this blog is not the best, but over time, as I gain programming skills, I intend to perfect it.\nThis site is built like a maze and contains easter eggs here and there. For instance, the useless button is an interesting page. If you find any, please do message me .\nThe blog is built using the Hugo framework with a modified PaperMod theme. It is currently hosted on CloudFlare Pages and the source code of the website can be found here . I use VS Code for all coding and pushing changes to the GitHub repository. All my domains are registered on PorkBun. Obsidian is my tool of choice while writing blog posts. I do not track any personal data for analytics and use GoatCounter for simple analytics. The comments on pages are static and are fetched from a .json file during the build process with the URL as the identifier. The comment form is handled using Google Forms and is moderated using Google Sheets, which adds the comment to the .json file upon approval.\nOn library , anti-library , lifestack , and other pages, I use Amazon affiliate links that let me earn some revenue in case someone purchases by clicking the link without costing anything extra to the reader. I use Genius Links for localizing links and geo-targeting to the respective Amazon storefront of the user. Apart from Amazon affiliate links, I also use some other affiliate links, just like the Genius Referral link in the previous sentence. Please note that none of these cause the reader to pay anything extra and it supports my work.\nAll pages containing data like library , travel, timeline , etc., are fetched from .yaml files and these are updated manually as and when required. The only exception to this is the now page where a Google script updates the data automatically using a Google script that is triggered every day. Whenever there is a change pushed into the repository, during deployment on Cloudflare, Python codes located in the script directories read the .yaml files from the data folder and generate SVGs required in different pages.\nRoadmap The following list lays out the plan I have for this blog in the long run:\nMove away from frameworks and write/own every piece of the source code. Set up a minimal solar version of the site inspired by Low Tech Magazine . The goal is to self-host a solar version of the website on a Raspberry Pi that is portable. Integrate live weather using a personal weather station on the now page. This can be integrated with the solar hosting module mentioned earlier as well. Create an art page for my website to host my art/photography projects. Create a statistics page to display statistics about this blog. Revisit the SVG creation using Python code and convert it to inline SVG. Lay out a plan for the longevity of the blog by sticking with pure HTML and CSS. Set up a URL shortener and use it instead of Genius Link . Self-host my newsletter using a service like listmonk . Implement grammar and broken link checks during deployment. Add a family tree to the About page. Rewrite the backend of comment system using Flask. Add a fitness page to update my fitness stats. Check it out . In case you find any bugs that are not listed on Github , create an issue on Github or please contact me.\nA changelog of the website can be seen on the log page.I\u0026rsquo;ve written about the rationale behind this blog\u0026rsquo;s versioning here .\nThe hash at the footer of the website redirects to the GitHub commit page showing the details about the latest commit. I respect privacy of my readers and more can be read here. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/colophon/","summary":"An Overview of How This Blog is Built and Roadmap Ahead","title":"Colophon","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/colophon/"},{"content_html":"The best and quickest way to connect with me is by filling out the form below. I usually reply within 3-4 days unless I\u0026rsquo;m traveling or out of network. I’m passively active on some social networks, and you can reach out to me by following the icons below. To support my work, visit the support page.\nI love interacting with new people and talking about interesting stuff, and often meet people virtually or in-person if they are in the same city. If you wish to have an open conversation with me virtually or in-person, check out my meet page .\nIf you loved my site, leave a message and sign my guestbook !\nContact Me Before you contact me, please ensure the following:\nThis is a personal blog, and I do not accept guest posts. I usually respond within 24 hours, but sometimes, if I\u0026rsquo;m traveling or caught up with something, it may take longer. When you fill out the form below, ensure that your message is clear and concise. Low-effort messages like \u0026ldquo;Hey dude, can you help me?\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;I want a blog like yours; how can I do that?\u0026rdquo; will be ignored. Please be polite, and I promise I\u0026rsquo;ll be polite with you as well. Name: Email: Message: Submit ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/contact/","summary":"Different ways to contact me personally.","title":"Contact","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/contact/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Aug 11, 2025 • കർക്കടകം 26, 1200 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more The gradient showing skycolors on now is an adaption of the Horizon project by Daniel Lazaro The weather data is displayed on now page is using Wttr by Chubin . All avatars on comments, AMA and guestbook is generated using Dicebear For analytics, Goat Counter is used. The hugo theme is a fork of Papermod by Aditya Telange ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/credits/","summary":"Credits for various individuals, projects or services that helped to build this site.","title":"Credits","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/credits/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Apr 7, 2026 • മീനം 24, 1201 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more This is a list of things I want to do in my life. Call it a to-do list, a bucket list, or whatever you like. I love the fact that this list grows day by day and, in a way, gives me a sense of direction and excitement for the future. While I know I may never achieve everything on this list in my lifetime, that\u0026rsquo;s okay. The finite nature of life gives it purpose and makes me feel profoundly grateful for every experience and quest I pursue. This list includes physical goals, things I want to achieve, places I want to visit, things I want to learn, and more. For the dreams I have already achieved, I’ve crossed them out with the date when they were accomplished. My goal is to have atleast 100 dreams at a time, but it\u0026rsquo;s not easy.\nStart a business Watch Northern Lights dancing across the sky. Run a full marathon (~42.2km) Learn to swim in open water and ocean. Become an IronMan Become a Super Randonneur . Done on 03-10-2022. Read about it here. Climb a mountain with an elevation \u0026gt;6000m Complete Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek and Annapurna Circuit. Learn to snowboard. Eat at a Michelin Star Restaurant, ideally at Noma , The Fat Duck , or Alinea . Start a co-living space and live together with like-minded individuals, something like Archive in San Francisco. Go to space someday. Quite possible these days if you have the money. Learn how to sail. Earn a Six Star Medal by running all World Marathon Majors. Run an ultramarathon. Contribute to at least one vital article on Wikipedia. Learn to play a musical instrument. Invent a new musical instrument. Visit all the continents of the world. Self-publish a book end-to-end, from writing, editing, designing, printing, to publishing. Build an incremental game, something like CivClicker with Man From the Future as the theme. Attend the Burning Man Festival. Design and build a card game like Cards Against Humanity . Make my own font probably inspired by Kokorobot . Learn to create electronic music, publish, become famous, and remain anonymous. Get a Ham Radio License and become a ham radio operator. Launch my own stationery brand. Learn to shoot in analog and start developing photographs myself. Start a Podcast with the first guest as Derek Sivers or Ali Abdaal Build a small outhouse from scratch. Learn how to build trails and build one. Cross a pass in the Himalayas self-supported. Definitely inspired by Peter Van Geit Learn Horology and become a watchmaker. Travel, ideally walk along with the monsoon through India, inspired by Chasing the Monsoon: A Modern Pilgrimage Through India by Alexander Frater. Bicycle tour through Route 66 . An all-India bicycle expedition covering all states of India. Walk on foot along the path of River Ganga, from Gangotri Glacier to Sundarbans. Complete the 496 challenge. Walk the Bibbulmun Trail . Ride the entire Eurovelo Iron Curtain Trail Finish both Paris-Brest-Paris and London-Edinburgh-London events. Hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail . Dreaming of it ever since I finished Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Stay in Japan for a month. Start a silent cafe with a bookshop. Own a dog. Buy a huge piece of land in a remote area, try out permaculture, farmsteading, and try to live off-grid as much as possible. Start earning online, live as a digital nomad, and travel with Yeti in Southeast Asia. Setup a pickle business for mom. Get a publishing deal with a major publisher and write a book. Publish a research paper in a major journal. Exhibit my art in a prestigious national or international exhibition. Get to 15% body fat. Run a marathon under 3 hours. Ride 100kms on bike under 3 hours. Learn [falconry(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartender#Mixologist)]. Start a Cult. Create a personal NFT collection for 1000 fans. Write a Haiku Circumnavigate navigate earth on cycle - min 29,000 kilometers, cross 2 antipodal points and travel in one direction. Become a mixologist . Learn to speak, read and write Tamil , my wife\u0026rsquo;s mother tongue, and also one of the oldest languages in the world. Learn Foiling . Walk the Pampir Trail once the mapping is complete. Do a tandem bikepacking tip with Yeti Start a Little Free Library Travel around the world for a year with a World Ticket. Attend [Olympics], ideally to watch 100m event. Design a tattoo myself and get inked. Write, shoot, direct, edit and self-publish a short-film or a documentary. Contribute to OpenStreetMaps Build my own comment system for the blog. Patent an idea. Build a search engine for personal blogs. Create a solar version of my blog. Run \u0026ldquo;Tour De Stade\u0026rdquo; in a big enough stadium. Crowdfund and Ship a product on Kickstarter! Launch a product on ProductHunt! Do 10 pullups in a row! See my abs before I die! Publish a Python Package. Published on 08-11-2024: WebPAll Create a personal coat of arms and add it to the footer. I need to study heraldry in detail for this! Learn to whistle. Walk the Camino de Santiago. Learn to play handpan Complete 12 hour walk challenge. Done on 07-01-2025. Read more about it here . Learn to play Renju Complete 100k steps a day challenge. Learn to Taxidermy Contribute to Indic Digital Archive Go on a Lost Tour in Hawaii. Squat 1.5x, Deadlift 2x, Bench Press 1x, and Overhead Press 0.75x my bodyweight. Run 10km in 50 minutes. 500-m row in 90s. Visit New 7 Wonders of the World - Great Wall of China, Petra, Colosseum, Chichén Itzá, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal and Christ the Redeemer. (2/7) Try to visit every country in the world. (11/195) Walk the 300km Pekoe Trail in Sri Lanka. Cycle the entire coastline of Sri Lanka Attend Electromagnetic Field camp. Hike all [Seven Hills in Edinburgh]( https://www.seven-hills.org.uk/course0 ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/dream/","summary":"List of things I want to do in my life.","title":"Dream List","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/dream/"},{"content_html":"Director: Bash Mohammed View on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ (1/5) ★☆☆☆☆ Direction\n☆☆☆☆☆ Script\n★★★☆☆ Performances\n☆☆☆☆☆ Cinematography\n☆☆☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nWanted to watch something brainless while having lunch. Found this randomly on Prime and decided to give it a go. Nothing much to say—poor script, mediocre direction, with some decent performances by Siddique and Suraj. I don\u0026rsquo;t even know why they take movies like these. If this were a short film, it would have made some sense.\nWatched on 04-10-2024 on Amazon Prime.\nReview wrrited on: 17-10-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/aliya/","summary":"A shot review of Ennalum Ente Aliya(2023) Malayalam Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Ennalum Ente Aliya(2023) Malayalam Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/aliya/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Jul 25, 2025 • കർക്കടകം 9, 1200 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more Here\u0026rsquo;s a list of things that I want to purchase sometime in the future, in the order of importance.\nA New Road Bike: I\u0026rsquo;m eyeing on Scott\u0026rsquo;s Speedster 10 or Trek\u0026rsquo;s Domane SL5 as of now. It\u0026rsquo;s an expensive purchase, but will probably buy it in next 2 years. Temporarily I might go for Polygon\u0026rsquo;s Strattos S2 .\nWahoo KICKR Core: I really need to structure my cycling workouts and a smart indoor trainer like Wahoo\u0026rsquo;s KICKR CORE looks ideal paired with a ZWIFT subscription.\nCoros Pace 3: My current fitness tracker is dying. I would love to upgrade to a Coros Pace 3 soon!\nWahoo ELEMNT ROAM: I plan to couple of long cycling events like PBP \u0026amp; LEL in upcoming years and a bike computer like the Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM is essential.\nAirpods Pro 2: My current headphones are fine, but integration with iPhone is not seamless. Would love to upgrade to Airpods Pro alongwith the Mac.\nStryd: My running form is not the best and I would love to get some more analytics with a Stryd tracker .\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/futurestack/","summary":"List of things I want to purchase sometime in the future.","title":"Future Stack","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/futurestack/"},{"content_html":"I know guestbooks are a thing of the past now with the arrival of social media, but I\u0026rsquo;ve always wanted to have one. If you like my content or website, leave feedback here and it will stay here forever as long as the website is alive. Please note that for individual comments on specific blog posts, use the comment section under the article. I also have an AMA section where I answer reader\u0026rsquo;s questions. This space is just for feedback. All entries will be moderated before publishing and there are no email notifications for the same. The email field in the form is optional and is not published anywhere.\nName Email [optional] If you're a human, leave this field blank! Comment Submit Mr. Ton 2026-01-19 Inspiring ideas in this blog. Never abandon this amazing project!\nImMrPibbon 2025-08-30 Nice page!! Keep it up Myzekon 2025-08-10 Hi! Just read your now page. It was very fun to have a glimpse into a stranger's life :) Thought I'd let you know. I'll probably setup a now page for myself one of those days :) Cheers\nSameeron 2025-01-21 I genuinely started loving this blog, just read your milestones on that calendar, very interesting!! 🙂👍\nDamien peteeton 2025-01-16 Great read\nAloysius Thomason 2025-01-05 Good work, keep it up! 🙌\nSSPon 2024-12-11 Absolutely love how you've built your site. Some super neat ideas spread all over. Would love to 'steal' and implement a few on my portal!\nDavid Ron 2024-12-05 I love your blog. Thanks for keeping the spirit of old web alive!\nJatinon 2024-11-29 Your project on NPS API is superb..it is super simplified for tech novice people!\rKeep up with your exceptional work. Shalini Singhon 2024-11-22 Love your curation and mind. Thank you for this little bit of internet that means so much to me!\nPalon 2024-11-18 Thank you for sharing your experiences and for the beautiful website.\nDavidon 2024-09-27 Very interesting blog! Keep up the good work!\nRavion 2024-09-19 I just wanted to say that I love the new look of your website. I've been following your blog and newsletter for a few years now. I remember reading your article about the Delta-4 a few years back! Keep up the good work.\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/guestbook/","summary":"A guestbook where visitors can sign and leave feedback.","title":"Guestbook","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/guestbook/"},{"content_html":"Last updated on 14-10-2024 Welcome to my hire page! Here’s where you can find out more about how I can contribute to your projects. Whether you\u0026rsquo;re in academia, industry, or working on something entirely new, here’s how I can help:\nEnergy/Climate Space I hold a Master’s Degree in Renewable Energy and Distributed Generation and have experience in energy system modeling, focusing on open energy models and low-carbon strategies. My expertise includes using frameworks like PyPSA to explore net-zero pathways and renewable energy integration. I have worked on projects at both national and sub-national levels, developing optimization models, forecasting energy demand, and analyzing electricity consumption trends.\nAlongside system modeling, I’ve also worked in the mini-grid sector, managing smart metering systems and overseeing the remote monitoring of mini-grid sites. This experience has given me valuable insights into distributed energy systems and the intricacies of ensuring reliable, clean energy access.\nI’m currently available for remote positions or jobs in UAE and open to relocating for opportunities in Europe or North America. I’m particularly interested in roles within academia or industry that involve energy system optimization, renewable energy integration, or climate-related research. I’m also open to pursuing a funded PhD or Research Assistant position in these areas.\nIf you’re looking for expertise in energy system modeling or renewable energy solutions, I’d love to collaborate.\nContact Me Personal Blogs I have a deep love for personal blogs and the eclectic, interesting content shared by people in wild west corners of the internet. If you’re looking to create your own blog or need help setting one up, I’d be happy to assist. Whether it’s Hugo, Pelican, WordPress, or a custom-built blog using more basic technologies, I can help you bring your ideas to life.\nWhat really excites me isn’t just the tech behind blogs, but the spirit of personal expression they represent. If that resonates with you, let’s explore some ideas together\nFreelance Web Development I’m also open to freelance work as a web developer, specializing primarily in Python-based solutions. Whether you need help building a custom web app, API development, or backend functionality, I can bring your vision to life with a clear focus on performance and user experience.\nIf you have a web development project in mind, I’m ready to dive in.\nBeyond these specific areas, I’m always curious to hear about exciting new ideas and challenges. I’m based in the Middle East and have a particular interest in projects in this region, though I’m open to working with teams from anywhere in the world. If you’re working on something innovative, I’d love to be a part of it.\nContact Me ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/hire/","summary":"About Rishikesh Sreehari - What I do, How I see the world and why I write this blog.","title":"Hire Me","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/hire/"},{"content_html":"Director: Rojin Thomas View on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★☆☆ Direction\n★★★☆☆ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★★☆ Cinematography\n★★★★☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nA feel-good movie with great performances, decent direction, and an average script. Indrans, as always, delivered a phenomenal performance along with Manju Pillai. I loved the overall art direction and the atmosphere of the home. While the script and story were not extraordinary, it is a wholesome movie that keeps you engaged throughout and, at times, makes you weep.\nOverall, a decent watch!\nFinished watching on 28-09-2024 on Amazon Prime.\nReview wrriten on: 08-10-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/home/","summary":"A shot review of Home(2021) Malayalam Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Home(2021) Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/home/"},{"content_html":" View on Serializd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5) ★★★★★ Direction\n★★★★☆ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★★★ Cinematography\n★★★☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nI loved the performances by everyone. I appreciate that they didn’t rush the episodes just to finish the season. The direction was excellent, and the performances were top-notch as well. \u0026nbsp;However, I felt that Daemon was a bit underutilized this season. As always, I loved Ramin Djawadi’s music. \u0026nbsp;I also felt that the last scene between Rhaenyra and Alicent should have been more powerful. I didn’t like that part, even though it was pivotal—it could have been made more emotional. Other than that, I think the finale wasn’t grand enough; they could have ended it better, especially considering that fans will have to wait a year or more for the next season. But the build-up is there, so I’m hopeful! Finished watching on 05-08-2024\nReview written on: 10-08-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/house-of-dragon/","summary":"A shot review of House of the Dragon (2024) Season 2 with ratings and a quick take.","title":"House of the Dragon (2024) Season 2 Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/house-of-dragon/"},{"content_html":"Director: Anubhav Sinha View on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (2/5) ★★★☆☆ Direction\n★★☆☆☆ Script\n★★★☆☆ Performances\n★★☆☆☆ Cinematography\n★★☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nIt was a decent watch with some thrilling moments. Loved the performance of the captain and also the DRS. I felt that there were a lot of holes in the script and many questions were left unanswered. I won\u0026rsquo;t comment on the inaccuracies, but I felt \u0026nbsp; the terrorists were portrayed too nicely. Not sure if they were actually this nice in real life! Also, I have a couple of questions that baffle me:\n\u0026nbsp; - What was the whole point of that reporter and the newspaper? - What was the deal with the RAW officer on the flight? What was that about? - Who the hell cares about business class when you\u0026#39;re being hijacked? - Why weren’t the names of the hijackers mentioned? Overall, a decent watch with solid performances and filmmaking, with no lag!\nWatched on 15-09-2024 on NETFLIX.\nReview wrrited on: 17-09-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/IC814/","summary":"A shot review of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack(2024) with ratings and a quick take.","title":"IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack(2024) Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/IC814/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Mar 3, 2025 • കുംഭം 19, 1200 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more This is a public list of ideas that I would like to work on someday. This is a copy of the ideas note I have in my Obsidian vault, where I jot down interesting projects, concepts, and thoughts that I find intriguing and might want to explore in the future. Since it is not practically possible for anyone to work on every idea they have, I thought it would be better to make this note public so that someone else might build it someday.\nIdeas that I\u0026rsquo;m currently working on are crossed out and have been moved to my projects page. Against each idea, I\u0026rsquo;ve added a short description to provide more context. If you are interested in any of the ideas mentioned below and want to work on them or collaborate with me, feel free to contact me. In case any of the ideas already exist, please let me know, and I will cross them out with a backlink to the project.\nVape with a Puff Limiter A vape that lets you set the maximum number of puffs you can have in a day via an app or something! Looks like another person has thought about the same . A Search Engine for Personal Blogs I\u0026rsquo;m unable to search for content in personal blogs on google or any other search engine. Kagi small web is there, but it\u0026rsquo;s not personal blog specific. A World Travel Lottery A lottery with the grand prize as a fully-expensed, world travel package to visit n countries across all continents Cricket Guard Line Projector If you watch cricket, you can see batsmen often marking guard lines against the stumps by asking the umpire. Why can\u0026rsquo;t we have a laser projection of the stumps controlled by the umpire with a remote? A cheap running tracker There are multiple running trackers that you can attach to shoes, like Stryd , but these are quite expensive. Why is it so hard to make cheaper running trackers? A platform to read both sides of an argument. A moderated platform where a dedicated page is present for popular topics, and people can read about both sides of the argument. Indian News Aggregator with relevance India is struggling with misinformation and rigged news. The magnitude is quite high, considering the huge population, the demographics, and the rising internet penetration. A platform like News Minimalist that removes clickbait titles and filters relevant news would be useful for India. Global Fish Database in different languages Fishnames are tricky if you travel around the world. Within a country itself, fish names would be different. A global database of fishnames in all different languages would be great! Bookmark for Videos \u0026amp; Podcasts I wish there was a tool to record a particular timestamp on a video or a podcast so that I can watch it from the saved timestamp when I resume, rather than scrolling and finding the time. Strava for Writers Strava is a great tool to track your activities. As a writer, such a tool would be great to see the number of words written every day and also get a sneak peek at others\u0026rsquo; writings. About Me Collection I love reading the About Me sections of various personal blogs. A curated list of the best about pages would be cool. Evergreen Hosting People put a lot of effort into their blogs, and most often, after the person passes away, these blogs go obsolete. How about a service that you can pay for one-time or in installments, ensuring that your blog stays live forever?\nUpdate: I wrote about in detail here . Also, checkout Digital Legacy Trust by Derek Sivers.\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/ideas/","summary":"A repository of ideas I had over the years.","title":"Ideas","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/ideas/"},{"content_html":"Director: Chidambaram\nView on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4/5) ★★★★☆ Direction\n★★★☆☆ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★★☆ Cinematography\n★★★☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nA simple story. Loved the dark comedy and the \u0026nbsp; depiction of depression. Overall, a decent movie—fun to watch, and all the actors performed well. Not much else to say. A good watch!\nFinished watching on 08-08-2024 on Amazon Prime\nReview written on: 10-08-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/janeman/","summary":"A shot review of Jan-e-Man(2021) Malayalam movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Jan-e-Man(2021) Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/janeman/"},{"content_html":"Director: Jeo Baby\nView on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★★☆ Direction\n★★★☆☆ Script\n★★★☆☆ Performances\n★★★★☆ Cinematography\n★★☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nA bold attempt by Mammootty. His acting was top-notch, along with some beautiful frames, especially of Jyotika. However, Jyotika\u0026rsquo;s acting and the dubbing/lip-sync were a letdown. The story and idea were great, but the script lacked depth. There were some moments of visual tension, but overall, the impact was minimal. At times, it felt like the movie relied too heavily on \u0026nbsp; the LGBTQ content. The other co-actors, except for Mammootty’s advocate, were just average. I’m not sure what value the young kid\u0026#39;s character added to the story. I’m also confused about how everyone knew about the divorce and its details—who leaked it? While the thread was great, the script lacked depth, and the acting was poor, except for Mammootty.\nFinished watching on 10-08-2024 on Amazon Prime\nReview written on: 10-08-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/kaathal/","summary":"A shot review of Kaathal - The Core(2023) Malayalam movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Kaathal - The Core(2023) Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/kaathal/"},{"content_html":"This is a list of all the books I can remember reading. Since I remember them, most are pretty good. Again, they are in roughly descending order of subjective quality. If you want to see books I hope to read in the future, see my anti-library .\nStarting in 2021, I decided to track all the books I read.\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/library/","summary":"A list of books that I\u0026rsquo;ve read in the last couple of years.","title":"Library","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/library/"},{"content_html":"Last updated on 28-11-2024 This page represents a timeline of my life in weeks, inspired by \u0026lsquo;Life in Weeks\u0026rsquo; by Tim Urban. Each box represents a week of my life, starting from the week I was born. Each row consists of 26 weeks, so approximately two rows represent one year of my life. Since a standard (non-leap) year consists of 52 weeks and 1 day, while a leap year consists of 52 weeks and 2 days, there may be a slight error in the week calculation, which is insignificant. The percentage indicator shows what percentage of my life I\u0026rsquo;ve already lived, based on a global life expectancy of 73.4 years . In the timeline below, green boxes indicate the weeks I\u0026rsquo;ve already lived, empty ones indicate weeks yet to live, and blue ones indicate weeks with important milestones (hover to view or long press on mobile on blueboxes).\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/timeline/","summary":"A timeline of my life inspired by the \u0026lsquo;Life in Weeks\u0026rsquo; by Tim Urban.","title":"Life in Weeks","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/timeline/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Jul 25, 2025 • കർക്കടകം 9, 1200 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more This page is an attempt to document the tools, apps, gadgets, gear, and other stuff I use regularly. This is quite an extensive list, and I\u0026rsquo;ve tried my best to categorize them to the best of my abilities. Everything listed on this page is what I use. The things I no longer use are moved to the Graveyard section at the bottom with justification. Some of the links below contain affiliate tags that allow me to earn some income if you make purchases using the links. It does not cost you anything extra and supports my work. If you have any better suggestions for the items listed below, please let me know.\nA list of things that I plan to buy in the future can be found on the \u0026lsquo;Future Stack\u0026rsquo; page.\n📟Gadgets 🏋Fitness ⚰️Graveyard - Inspired by Lillian\u0026rsquo;s, Dave Redfern\u0026rsquo;s, Aaron Parecki\u0026rsquo;s and many other interesting humans. 📟Gadgets 💻 Computer: I recently upgraded to a MacBook Pro M4 Pro with 24GB RAM and 512GB storage, and I\u0026rsquo;ve loved it so far. It\u0026rsquo;s a significant upgrade from my previous 8-year-old Asus Zenbook UX310UQ . I use a Logitech MX Master 3S as my mouse. Claude Sonnet is my preferred AI model and I prefer chatting with it directly over using AI assistants like Cursor. For development, I use iTerm2 as my terminal and VS Code as my IDE.\n📱 Smartphone:My 5.4 inch iPhone 13 Mini is the greatest phone I\u0026rsquo;ve ever owned. It\u0026rsquo;s small, light, compact, yet powerful. It\u0026rsquo;s such a shame that Apple and other manufactures have stopped making compact phones. It has served me great and I wish it lasted forever. Since the battery on this phone is not that great, I also use an Ambrane 20,000mAh powerbank along with it.\n📖 E-Reader: I own a Kindle Paperwhite 2017 edition and it\u0026rsquo;s unarguable the best purchase of my life. I use it before going to bed, while traveling, during hikes, toilet and everywhere you can imagine. It has survived well over the years and have zero complaints. Paired with a ReadWise account , all my highlights from books are synced the cloud and I get an email everyday morning with 10 highlights from Readwise. If you are into e-books, then definitely checkout Readwise(Free!) .\n🎧 Audio: In terms of Audio, I recently purchased Oneplus\u0026rsquo;s Nord Buds 2 , that are great value for money with ANC upto 25 dB, but not the best. Apart from these, I use the classic Apple wired EarPods with lightning connector. They sound awesome for the price and even with couple of accidental washes, they still work fine. The only downside is how messy they tangle while in pocket or in bag. I also use a pair of Anker Soundcore neckband headphones while running \u0026amp; cycling. They sound terrible and I\u0026rsquo;m looking for an alternative.\n📸 Camera: I also own a Canon 700D/Rebel T5i crop sensor DSLR camera since 2015. I pair it with a [Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM] or a Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens . These are great prime lenses and I love the extra sharpness and the creatve limitness due to the lack of zoom. It also came with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II and EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 lenses, but I rarely use them as the lenses have aged and I prefer prime lenses over zoom.\n🏋Fitness ⌚️ Fitness Tracker: I use Amazfit T-Rex Pro as my fitness tracker. It tracks my cycling, running and swimming workouts. The accuracy is pretty decent for the price and heart rate values are comparable to Apple Watch. It\u0026rsquo;s rugged and battery life is awesome. The only downside for me is that it doesn\u0026rsquo;t measure heart rate while swimming and also doesn\u0026rsquo;t allow to pair any external sensors. All my activities are recorded via this and is synced to Strava .\n🚲 Cycling: I\u0026rsquo;ve been using a Triban RC 100 road bike for last 2 years now. It\u0026rsquo;s a decent bike and I\u0026rsquo;ve clocked close to 10,000 kms so far. The one I have does not have drop bar shifters and came with 1x7 configuration. I\u0026rsquo;ve upgraded the bike with a Shimano FC-R2000 Claris Crankset and a Shimano Claris Front Derailleur . I wear these Endura Xtract Gel Shorts II for my long rides and I\u0026rsquo;ve wore them over 400kms in one-go. I also use these Endura Aerogel Mitt gloves for long endurance rides. I use these these CateEye Omni 5 rear LEDs that are battery powered and also these rechargable cheap front lights that can be charged using a power bank. For lubing the chain, I use Squirt Lube , for punctures on the go, I use the Park Tool\u0026rsquo;s VP-1 patch kit alongwith the Giyo GM-71 Hand Pump . All other accessories like spare tubes, multitool, bags, jerseys,helmet,rain covers etc are from Decathlon. I use Strava for recording my rides and if the rides are longer (\u0026gt;200kms), I usually split it into multiple records and combine them using GOTOES 🏃 Running: My primary running shoe is Hoka Mach 5 . These are great shoes as they offer quite cushioning and are light. I also own a pair of Hoka Rinon 3 . I bought since I got it at a very good deal. These are not as premium as the Mach 5, but still very light and fast. I use these and these pair of shorts by Decathlon for running. My training app of choice for running is TrainAsOne , an AI based training app that adapts with your performance.\n🍎 Nutrition: I don\u0026rsquo;t take many supplements apart from whey protein and fish oil. I currently take Dymatize\u0026rsquo;s ISO100 Hydrolyzed Protein Powder to meet my protein intake(Please do not buy the Gourmet chocolate, it\u0026rsquo;s too sweet!). For fish oil, I prefer Swisse\u0026rsquo;s High Strength Odourless Wild Fish Oil , as my fish intake has been low since moving to the UAE. I\u0026rsquo;m not 100% convinced of its benefits, but you can read some studies on it here .\n💪 Strength \u0026amp; Recovery: I mainly use Strong app for tracking my workouts. At the end of the workout, I usually copy the exercises and the reps to my Strava workout as a backup. At times, I also use StrenghtLevel for checking my strength level and see how I compare with others. My go to resource for workouts and stretching is MuscleWiki . I also use the Recover app for doing stretching especially after my cardio workouts or when I\u0026rsquo;m nusring an injury. Other than this, I use this deep tissue massage gun after my runs and also foam roll ocassionally for recovery. For my calves, knees and shin, I use this cold gel pack for easy recovery.\n🧘 Meditation: My goto app for meditation is Waking Up and I try to meditate listening to the daily meditations everyday. At times when I don\u0026rsquo;t need a guided meditation, I use the Oak for creating a custom meditation with background noise.\n🥗 Diet: I try to be on calorie deficit on most of the days and use HealthifyMe for tracking. I prefer it over MyFitnessPal since lot of the dishes I eat in Kerala cuisine is not available on MyFitnessPal. I occasionally do fasting and I prefer Zero to track these. I use Libra for tracking my weight manually using a scale. I also use MeThreeSixty app for determining my body fat composition. Lately the app has been performing quite buggy, so not really happy about that.\n🎲 Misc: For treking I use the Decathlon\u0026rsquo;s Forclaz Trek 100 shoes.\n⚰️Graveyard GoPro Hero 5 : I do not use it anymore. It\u0026rsquo;s one of the worst purchase decisions of my life. Montra MadRock : Upgraded to Triban RC100 Kalenji Run Support : I do not run in these anymore. Optimum Nutrition : ON is a great brand outside India, but a recent protein project showed some traces of metals in ON powders in India. Shiatsu Massager : Too bulky to carry around and store. Back to Top Inspired by Lillian\u0026rsquo;s , Dave Redfern\u0026rsquo;s , Aaron Parecki\u0026rsquo;s and many other interesting humans. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/lifestack/","summary":"A documentation of the tools, apps, gadgets, gear, and other stuff I use regularly.","title":"Life Stack","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/lifestack/"},{"content_html":" Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5/5) ★★★★★ Direction\n★★★★★ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★★☆ Cinematography\n★★★★☆ Impact\n4 Uff, what an amazing series, considering it came out in 2004! Loved every bit of it!\nI mean, we can talk all about the ending and also the explanation of various features of the island, but I think the series is all about the various character arcs! Casting was spot on! Some characters who are meant to be annoying became annoying. The art department did a wonderful job with the set and location. I must admit I\u0026rsquo;m a bit confused about the ending, but after a bit of reading, I got some sort of idea. But that does not take away anything from the series! I would rate this among the best I\u0026rsquo;ve seen on television. I\u0026rsquo;m envious of the people who had the opportunity to wait each week for a new episode, discuss it with friends, and speculate stuff when it was airing through. At the same time, I\u0026rsquo;m grateful that there exist services like Netflix where I can binge-watch and finish the series.\nNow it\u0026rsquo;s time to indulge more in Lostpedia , discover lots of Easter eggs, and become a certified Lost head!\nSee you in another life, brother!\nFinished watching on 01-12-2024 on Netfllix.\nReview wrrited on: 03-12-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/lost/","summary":"A shot review of Lost(2004) with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Lost(2004) TV Series Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/lost/"},{"content_html":"Director: Nithilan Swaminathan\nView on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (2/5) ★★☆☆☆ Direction\n★★☆☆☆ Script\n★★☆☆☆ Performances\n★★☆☆☆ Cinematography\n★☆☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nFelt like a cooked up script to reach the climax. There were no moments of visual tension or emotional connection. Vijay Sethupathi\u0026rsquo;s performance was a letdown. Anurag Kashyap tried, but his body language and acting felt unnatural at moments. I think there were issues with dubbing as well. Overall, standout performances were by the actress who played the Jyothi character and also the \u0026nbsp;actor who played Nallasivam. How the police figured out all this story and how maharaja has 15 lakh in bank account is a mystery to me. Apart from taking the daughter to the sports meet, I still don\u0026#39;t know the significance of the coach\u0026#39;s character. Overall, the direction and script were a letdown. There were no moments of brilliant cinematography and the movie had zero impact on me.\nWatched on 07-07-2024 at VOX Cinemas, Deira City Center, Dubai.\nReview on: 08-07-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/maharaja/","summary":"A shot review of Maharaja (2024) Tamil movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Maharaja (2024) Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/maharaja/"},{"content_html":"Last updated on 07-11-2024 My name is Rishikesh. It is pronounced as \u0026lsquo;Rish-ee-kaysh\u0026rsquo;. I\u0026rsquo;m not sure why my mother named me like that, and I think she also has no idea. It\u0026rsquo;s not really a unique name if you\u0026rsquo;re from India. In fact, there\u0026rsquo;s a place in India called Rishikesh, lying on the foothills of the Himalayas, on the banks of the Ganges. The place is called the Yoga capital of the world and is often a destination for people seeking spirituality (The Beatles visited the place), but I do not have any interest or affiliation to either of those.\nThere is a railway station in my name! Source: IndiaRailInfo However, I have visited the place, stayed there for a few months, and made some amazing friends during my backpacking trip in 2021. It was a good conversation starter while I was there. How often do we go to places that have the same name as us? I remember it being a cool thing when I used to check in to hostels as the people at the reception would ask again for my name or be surprised when they looked at my ID card. I have this fun memory of an evening on the famous Laxman Jhula Ghat in Rishikesh, where artists come and jam in the evening. When a girl asked for my name, she couldn\u0026rsquo;t believe it, and I had to show her my ID card to make her believe.\nPeople often call me \u0026lsquo;Rishi\u0026rsquo; (\u0026lsquo;Rish-eee\u0026rsquo;), a short version of my name, and I don\u0026rsquo;t mind that. I feel like non-Indian speakers find my name challenging and \u0026lsquo;Rishi\u0026rsquo; is often easier to pronounce. While I was working in hospitality in Edinburgh, my Russian supervisor used to call me \u0026lsquo;Raashi\u0026rsquo;.\nThis page serves as a place where I describe my name in different languages. While I was searching for my name in different languages, I found this page by Thejesh GN , who has also done the same. I\u0026rsquo;ve included most languages and used AI and Google Translate for transliterating my name. The verified column next to my name indicates whether the name has been verified by a native speaker. I\u0026rsquo;ve already verified the same for English, Malayalam, Hindi, and Tamil, the languages spoken by me and my wife. In case you find any mistakes in the transliteration, feel free to comment or contact me. If your language is not listed, I would like to add it, with a backlink to your blog. So feel free to reach out. I have also enabled comments on this page for feedback.\nLanguage Name Verified English Rishikesh ✅ Malayalam ഋഷികേശ് ✅ Hindi ऋषिकेश ✅ Tamil ரிஷிகேஷ் ✅ Bulgarian Ришикеш ✅ by Drago Serbian Ришикеш ✅ by Sasha Abkhazian Rishikesh Achinese Rishikesh Acoli Rishikesh Adangme Rishikesh Adyghe Rishikesh Afar Rishikesh Afrikaans Rishikesh Akan Rishikesh Albanian Rishikesh Amharic ሪሺኬሽ Arabic ريشيكيش Armenian Ռիշիկեշ Assamese ঋষিকেশ Avaric Rishikesh Avestan Rishikesh Aymara Rishikesh Azerbaijani Rishikesh Bambara Rishikesh Bashkir Ришикеш Basque Rishikesh Belarusian Рышікеш Bengali ঋষিকেশ Bihari languages Rishikesh Bislama Rishikesh Bosnian Rishikesh Breton Rishikesh Burmese Rishikesh Catalan Rishikesh Cebuano Rishikesh Chagatai Rishikesh Chamorro Rishikesh Chechen Ришикеш Cherokee Rishikesh Chichewa Rishikesh Chinese (Simplified) 里希凯什 Chinese (Traditional) 里希凱什 Chuvash Ришикеш Cornish Rishikesh Corsican Rishikesh Cree Rishikesh Croatian Rishikesh Czech Rishikesh Danish Rishikesh Divehi Rishikesh Dutch Rishikesh Dzongkha Rishikesh Esperanto Rishikesh Estonian Rishikesh Ewe Rishikesh Faroese Rishikesh Fijian Rishikesh Finnish Rishikesh French Rishikesh Frisian Rishikesh Galician Rishikesh Georgian რიშიკეშ German Rishikesh Greek Ρισικες Gujarati ઋષિકેશ Haitian Creole Rishikesh Hausa Rishikesh Hawaiian Rishikesh Hebrew רישיקש Herero Rishikesh Hiligaynon Rishikesh Hungarian Rishikesh Icelandic Rishikesh Ido Rishikesh Igbo Rishikesh Indonesian Rishikesh Inuktitut Rishikesh Irish Rishikesh Italian Rishikesh Japanese リシケシュ Javanese Rishikesh Kannada ಋಷಿಕೇಶ್ Kashmiri رِشِکیش Kazakh Ришикеш Khmer Rishikesh Kinyarwanda Rishikesh Korean 리쉬케쉬 Kurdish Rishikesh Kyrgyz Ришикеш Lao ລິຊິເຄຊ Latin Rishikesh Latvian Rishikesh Lithuanian Rishikesh Luxembourgish Rishikesh Macedonian Ришикеш Malagasy Rishikesh Malay Rishikesh Maltese Rishikesh Maori Rishikesh Marathi ऋषिकेश Mongolian Ришикеш Nepali ऋषिकेश Norwegian Rishikesh Pashto Rishikesh Persian ریشیکش Polish Rishikesh Portuguese Rishikesh Punjabi ਰਿਸ਼ਿਕੇਸ਼ Quechua Rishikesh Romanian Rishikesh Russian Ришикеш Samoan Rishikesh Scots Gaelic Rishikesh Sesotho Rishikesh Shona Rishikesh Sindhi Rishikesh Sinhala රිෂිකේෂ් Slovak Rishikesh Slovenian Rishikesh Somali Rishikesh Spanish Rishikesh Sundanese Rishikesh Swahili Rishikesh Swedish Rishikesh Tagalog Rishikesh Tajik Ришикеш Tatar Ришикеш Telugu ఋషికేశ్ Thai ริชิเกช Tibetan Rishikesh Tigrinya Rishikesh Tok Pisin Rishikesh Tswana Rishikesh Turkish Rishikesh Turkmen Rishikesh Ukrainian Рішікаш Urdu ریشیکیش Uzbek Ришикеш Vietnamese Rishikesh Welsh Rishikesh Wolof Rishikesh Xhosa Rishikesh Yiddish רישיקעש Yoruba Rishikesh Zulu Rishikesh Inspired by Thejesh GN . ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/name/","summary":"Story behing my name and its transliteration in different languages.","title":"My Name","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/name/"},{"content_html":"Director: Prosit Roy, Avinash Arun View on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★★☆ Direction\n★★☆☆☆ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★☆☆ Cinematography\n★★☆☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nLoved the performances of all the artists except Sanjeev Mehra\u0026rsquo;s wife. The direction was decent; there weren\u0026rsquo;t many \u0026ldquo;wow\u0026rdquo; moments in cinematography, but overall, it was decent. However, the story and script itself were a letdown. There were unnecessary plots here and there, too many personal stories, and a weird climax that is not at all believable. \u0026nbsp; I cannot believe they did all this just to kill a guy! Countless stories for no reason – the story of a transgender, the story of an accountant, the story of a stupid sports teacher, the story of a stupid brother-in-law who sells weird soda machines, and many more. Ansari was just in the story to bring the Hindu-Muslim feud in the country into the plot. Jaideep Ahlawat lived the character, and overall, the dialogues in the movie were spot on. Overall predictable story, great performances, but story a letdown!\nFinished watching on 25-07-2024 on Amazon Prime\nReview written on: 25-07-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/paatal-lok/","summary":"A shot review of Paatal Lok (2020) Series with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Paatal Lok (2020) Series Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/paatal-lok/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Aug 18, 2025 • ചിങ്ങം 2, 1201 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more I love solving puzzles. In fact, one of my favorite bedtime routines is to solve Wordle and Connections every day before I go to sleep. So, I had this idea the other day - why not run a puzzle that never ends? A perpetual puzzle that continues as long as I\u0026rsquo;m alive or able to update this website. With the rise of AI, creating challenging puzzles has become harder, as AI can often solve them in seconds. I have used AI to help craft the poems and clues, but the core ideas are entirely original. The real fun comes from solving them without AI, so I trust you’ll enjoy the challenge on your own.\nHow it works:\nOnly one puzzle is active at a time - it stays open until solved. New puzzle appears once the current one is cracked. First solver gets a mention and backlink (both optional; personal sites or socials only). To participate:\nSend answers to puzzle[at]rishikeshs.com. Include your name and backlink(optional). Keep it simple - just the answer in the email body. No specific rules, just figure out the word/thing/place/item. If 5 or more people request a clue for the current puzzle, I’ll provide one.\nNote: Puzzles marked \u0026ldquo;Source: Self\u0026rdquo; are original. \u0026ldquo;Source: External\u0026rdquo; puzzles will have attribution once solved.\nPuzzle #3 - The Hidden City In a hexagonal hall of lore, Where endless pages hide in store, A single word is yours to find, For patient minds and those inclined. The hall you seek bears my own name, Within its walls begins the game. Recall a friend whose memory stays, The Wall you seek comes from the month, Add its digits — you’ll see at once. Count the letters in the name, That number marks the shelf’s true claim. From a date of sorrow, mark the day, It guides the Volume you must survey. To reach the page where gibberish lies, The largest die will show the way, Square its count, then turn your eyes, See the hidden words emerge from the text. Among the letters, you shall see A city rise in quiet decree. From words of greatest strength and size, Its hidden glory waits your eyes. Total Submissions: 0.\nClue requests: 0/5\nSource: Self\nPuzzle #2 Start here:\nI left a trail for the curious. Just follow the shortcut to ‘find’ it. Sometimes, the shortest path leads straight to the truth. P.S: I hate long URLs. Solved by:\nJoshua Seigler on 22-06-2025. Icarus on 05-08-2025 Jeremy Rader on 15-08-2025. Answer: \u0026nbsp; The answer is \u0026#39;Salvator Mundi\u0026#39;. The way to find the puzzle is to go to this page: r1l.in/find . The page shows a riddle that signals the user to check the source code, which gives a phrase that needs to be deciphered using a Caesar Cipher shifted by 7, depicting the 7 hills of Rome. Total Submissions: 12\nClue requests: 1/5\nSource: Self\nPuzzle #1 Decode the audio below to find the answer:\nYour browser does not support the audio element. Download Answer: \u0026nbsp; The answer is \u0026#39;pi\u0026#39; - the Morse code corresponds to the first 9 digits of pi. Solved by Joshua Seigler on 21-06-2025.\nTotal Submissions: 9\nClue requests: 2/10\nSource: Self\nThis puzzle will run forever in memory of my friend James who passed away on 17/11/2023. He always loved puzzles!\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/puzzle/","summary":"single","title":"Perpetual Puzzle","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/puzzle/"},{"content_html":"I built this page for fun, inspired by Aaron Parecki\u0026rsquo;s Pixel Art . When a visitor clicks on a pixel in the grid, it changes to a random color. The data is stored, and the location of the user is checked. If the location is unique, it is also displayed at the bottom. In summary, it\u0026rsquo;s a simple public pixel art project!\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/mosaic/","summary":"A simple public pixel art project that evolves over time.","title":"Pixel Mosaic","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/mosaic/"},{"content_html":"Last updated on 17-07-2024 As a privacy freak myself, I try to be as transparent as possible.\nUnless you entered your email on any of the forms or emailed me directly, I do not have any means to know who you are.\nI use GoatCounter for analytics, a privacy-friendly, free, open-source alternative to Google Analytics. It does not use cookies and identifies unique visits without storing any personal data. All I see on my analytics dashboard is the browser information, location, screen size, and referring sites.\nI use Genius Links for localizing Amazon affiliate links on the site. But Genius is click-based and does not use any cookies to redirect to respective Amazon storefronts. Amazon, on the other hand, uses cookies, and these may stay up to 24 hours in your browser, letting affiliates earn some money without costing you anything. Read more about Amazon\u0026rsquo;s privacy notice here .\nI\u0026rsquo;ve enabled analytics on my hosting provider CloudFlare, but this \u0026ldquo;does not use any client-side state, such as cookies or localStorage, to collect usage metrics. We also don’t \u0026lsquo;fingerprint\u0026rsquo; individuals via their IP address, User Agent string, or any other data for the purpose of displaying analytics.\u0026rdquo; Read more about it here .\nIf you have entered any forms on my page or emailed me directly, all your information is saved on Google. So you will have to refer to Google\u0026rsquo;s respective policies for information on those.\nThe subscribe form on the newsletter page is an embedded iframe from Substack itself. Your email and other information are directly stored at Substack, and you can refer to their privacy policy here .\nOn some pages, for instance, the Substack subscribe iframe on the newsletter page and other pages that do not exist now but might in the future, those services may or may not collect data. For more information on those, please refer to the respective privacy policies.\nThis site contains links to other sites that are not operated by me. If you click a third-party link or service, you will be directed to and may use the third party\u0026rsquo;s site or service. I strongly advise you to review the privacy policy of every site you visit. I have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.\nFor any more information on the privacy of this blog or if you have any suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you have commented or emailed me in the past and wish to delete your data, please send me an email .\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/privacy-policy/","summary":"Privacy Policy of Rishikeshs.com","title":"Privacy Policy","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/privacy-policy/"},{"content_html":" StackStats Advanced Analytics for Substack Writers\nTrackMonk Track health like texting a friend!\nFormBeep Get Instant Notifications for Form Submissions on Your Phone!\nCriclite Live Cricket Scores and Analysis in Plain Text!\n10\u0026#43;1 Things 11 interesting things, curated by a human, every week.\nExifviewer.pro A privacy-friendly, browser-based EXIF viewer.\nCalcBun Online calculators for all applications.\nUnirank.one Top 300 University Rankings in the world all at one place.\nNPSNAV National Pension Scheme (NPS) Free API and fund tracker\nUPI Me! Easy UPI Donation Page for Creators\nWebPAll A simple python based CLI tool to convert images into webp with custom quality\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/projects/","summary":"single","title":"Projects","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/projects/"},{"content_html":"If you have reached so far in my blog and you are reading this, first of all, I\u0026rsquo;m so grateful for that. If you feel that my work added some value to your life, you can support me by buying me a coffee ($1 or ₹75) or sending a donation via Paypal .\nI also accept cryptocurrency donations at the following addresses:\nBitcoin (BTC): bc1qfqz8h4ehmlnyk0xknkwal7wtp77l83nknmjwjk Ethereum (ETH): 0x072492A59799e3CA3ed14236d6AB46d47422176c Solana (SOL): BbL1Gw622fDSiBRRRtb3SeSPX5TAPskBE6Ny1f5NDyGQ Monero (XMR): xmr.rishikeshs.com1 If you can\u0026rsquo;t support me monetarily, join my newsletter and that will mean a lot to me.\nI also donate a portion of my earnings to the following charities, and you can support them directly as well:\nWikimedia Foundation Better Art Foundation Internet Archive Anna\u0026rsquo;s Archive MESH India OpenAlias is a human-readable Monero address. You can paste it into a Monero wallet (instead of a long address), and the wallet will resolve and display the actual address before you confirm the transaction.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/support/","summary":"A page to support my work.","title":"Suport","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/support/"},{"content_html":"Director: Anucharan, Bramma G View on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★☆☆ Direction\n★★★☆☆ Script\n★★★☆☆ Performances\n★★☆☆☆ Cinematography\n★★★☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nIt was a decent watch with some thrilling moments. Loved Kathir’s performance. The cinematography and direction were okay, but nothing magnificent. A satisfying watch with moments of thrill and no lag.\nFinished watching on 25-09-2024 on Amazon Prime.\nReview wrriten on: 27-09-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/suzhal/","summary":"A shot review of Suzhal - The Vortex(2022) with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Suzhal - The Vortex(2022) Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/suzhal/"},{"content_html":"The idea of a then page was stolen from Matthew Smith This page is an archive of all my \u0026lsquo;Now\u0026rsquo; page updates. I view it more as a journal, showing how my \u0026lsquo;Now\u0026rsquo; page has evolved over time. Please note that dynamic content from the \u0026lsquo;Now\u0026rsquo; page, such as the data on tiles, is not copied here in the archives.\nArchives 2026-03-18 2025-08-11 2025-07-24-2 2025-07-24-1 2025-07-24 2025-05-29 2025-03-27 2025-03-03 2025-02-16 2025-01-17 2025-01-10 2024-12-20 2024-12-17 2024-12-09 2024-12-06 2024-12-03 2024-11-28 2024-11-20 2024-11-19 2024-11-14 2024-11-06-1 2024-11-06 2024-11-05 2024-10-30 2024-10-28 2024-10-23 2024-10-22 2024-10-18 2024-10-16 2024-10-15 2024-10-03 2024-09-23 2024-09-17 2024-08-16-3 2024-08-16-2 2024-08-16-1 2024-08-16 2024-06-09 ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/then/","summary":"An archive of all now pages on this site.","title":"Then","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/then/"},{"content_html":"Every Tuesday and Wednesday, 09:00 PM GST (UTC+4) , my calendar is open for 45 minutes for an open discussion.\nUnoffice hours are informal conversations without an agenda, topic, or preparation. Some interesting topics we can discuss are:\nAn interesting movie you saw recently and why it\u0026rsquo;s great. A project you are working on and need some feedback. If you wish to hire me for some work or want to collaborate with me on a project. You were intrigued by some ideas I listed and wanted to chat more. Or anything you want to discuss. BOOK A CALL Some notes from past meetings can be read here .\nIf the above timeslots, do not work for you due to timezone differences, contact me and we can work something out.\nAs an experiment, Matt Webb came up with the idea of Unoffice hours in 2020 as a twist to office hours and opened up his calendar to discuss random things.\nThis site is a part of a webring by Dave Smyth that consists of other people offering Unoffice Hours. Check them out:\nPrevious site Next site Random site List all sites Join the ring ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/unoffice-hours/","summary":"Unoffice hours are informal conversations without an agenda, topic, or preparation. My calendar is open.","title":"Unoffice Hours","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/unoffice-hours/"},{"content_html":"This is a useless button. It absolutely does nothing useful. Seriously, don’t even think about clicking it. Your energy is precious, and clicking this button is a complete waste of it. If you click it, it just updates the click count, that’s all. Trust me, it’s not worth it. But hey, if you’re curious, go ahead and click!\nDo not click This button has been clicked .. \u0026nbsp;times for no reason. Why? I have no idea. javascript fatigue:\nlonging for a hypertext\nalready in hand\n~ haiku If you like this page, you might like Pixel Mosaic ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/button/","summary":"This is a useless button with no use. Do not click it!","title":"Useless Button","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/button/"},{"content_html":"Director: Mari Selvaraj\nView on LetterBoxd Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★★☆ Direction\n★★☆☆☆ Script\n★★★★★ Performances\n★★★★★ Cinematography\n★★★☆☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nAn interesting movie with exceptional acting and cinematography. Everyone acted so well, especially Sekar and Sivanandhan\u0026rsquo;s mother. While I was watching, all I could think of was how many frames were so similar to Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam , which I loved. Apparently, the cinematographer is the same for both movies, which explains the resemblance.\nComing to the negatives, I felt the script lacked depth in terms of storyline. Some frames and moments, although beautiful, felt out of place and seemed like they were used as mere fillers. \u0026nbsp; While the climax was sad, it didn\u0026#39;t really touch me. I felt there was a lot of potential in the part where Sivanandhan was eating despite the tragedies. I\u0026#39;m not sure what the underlying thread was—was it hunger, caste oppression as everyone says, or just the everyday struggle of life? Considering this is sort of a memoir, it was good, but nothing outstanding apart from the acting and cinematography. I wish the makers had worked a bit more on the script to make it more impactful, considering there was a lot of potential. Probably I missed some emotions since I\u0026rsquo;m not a Tamil speaker. Overall, great acting, direction, and cinematography, but the script lacked depth and failed to convey emotions at times.\nWatched on 24-08-2024 at VOX Cinemas, Burjuman, Dubai.\nReview wrrited on: 30-08-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/vaazhai/","summary":"A shot review of Vaazhai (2024) Tamil movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Vaazhai (2024) Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/vaazhai/"},{"content_html":"Director: Vetrimaaran\nRating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3/5) ★★★☆☆ Direction\n★★★★☆ Script\n★★★☆☆ Performances\n★★★☆☆ Cinematography\n★★★★☆ Impact\n⚠️ SPOILERS AHEAD, CLICK TO REVEAL! ⚠️\nThis is my first time watching a Vetrimaaran movie, other than watching Oor Iravu (Paava Kadhaigal) . I\u0026rsquo;m not sure if it\u0026rsquo;s because I watched the OTT version, but I felt some edits were very weird. There were some abrupt scene changes, probably due to reducing the total running time. However, I believe I watched the director\u0026rsquo;s cut on ZEE5.\nLoved the performances by Suri and Chetan. Can\u0026rsquo;t really judge Vijay Sethupathi\u0026rsquo;s acting since his screen time was limited. I didn\u0026rsquo;t particularly like his acting \u0026nbsp; in the flashback scene at the police station . Hated Gautam Vasudev Menon\u0026rsquo;s acting—not sure why he was cast for this role. I loved the script. The cinematography was promising in some shots, especially the opening scene. But at times, it failed to create those \u0026ldquo;wow\u0026rdquo; moments.\nMy biggest issue with the movie is the locations. Maybe it\u0026rsquo;s just me, but I felt quite disconnected with the premise that this is happening in a hilly area. At the start, \u0026nbsp; when Suri goes to a checkpost inside the forest, it really gave me a hilly vibe . But other than that, I think some locations and the topography didn\u0026rsquo;t connect with me. It’s probably because of a mental image I have of a hilly village. Another thing I disliked was the poor acting by supporting characters—it could have been much better.\nOverall, a good watch with a great script that created a lot of emotions, which I believe matters the most.\nExcited for Viduthalai 2 ! Watched on 22-12-2024 on ZEE5\nReview wrrited on: 23-12-2024\n","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/viduthalai-1/","summary":"A shot review of Viduthalai: Part I -Tamil Movie with ratings and a quick take.","title":"Viduthalai: Part I - Tamil Movie Review","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/viduthalai-1/"},{"content_html":"Since late 2023, I\u0026rsquo;ve been tracking every movie, TV shows, and documentary I\u0026rsquo;ve watched. Mostly, I watch content in Malayalam (my mother tongue) and English, but with my wife being a Tamilian and a fan of Hindi movies, I\u0026rsquo;ve started to watch content in these languages as well. The goal is to rate and reflect on each one, capturing my initial impressions and seeing how my opinions evolve over time. It\u0026rsquo;s fascinating to see how tastes change—some films I once disliked have become favorites, and vice versa. All ratings and opinions are my own and if you have a conflicting opinion, I would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to reach out . I will try to add a short review of what I felt after watching each item. If a review is missing, I\u0026rsquo;ll link to the corresponding Letterboxd page for movies or Serializd for tv shows.\nFor a list of what I\u0026rsquo;m planning to watch in the future, head over to the watchlist page!\nNewest \u0026rarr; Oldest Best \u0026rarr; Worst Name Language Rating Date Superboys of Malegaon Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; May 2025 Officer on Duty Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; May 2025 A Real Pain English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; May 2025 Swades Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Mar 2025 Adolescence English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733; Mar 2025 CBI 5: The Brain Malayalam \u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Mar 2025 The Greatest Rivalry: India vs Pakistan English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Feb 2025 Beast Games English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Feb 2025 Mandela Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jan 2025 The Mehta Boys Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Feb 2025 Paatal Lok Season 2 Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Jan 2025 Rifle Club Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jan 2025 Mississippi Masala English, Swahili \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jan 2025 Squid Game Season 2 Korean \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Jan 2025 Nunakkuzhi Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Dec 2024 Viduthalai: Part I Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Dec 2024 Lost English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733; Dec 2024 Meiyazhagan Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Oct 2024 Ennalum Ente Aliya Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Oct 2024 Home Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Sep 2024 Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Sep 2024 Suzhal - The Vortex Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Sep 2024 Kishkindha Kaandam Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Sep 2024 IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Sep 2024 Adios Amigo Malayalam \u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Sep 2024 Vaazhai Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Aug 2024 Neru Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Mar 2024 Kaathal - The Core Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Aug 2024 Jan-e-Man Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Aug 2024 House of the Dragon - S2 English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Aug 2024 Paatal Lok Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jul 2024 Maharaja Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jul 2024 Ullozhukku Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Jun 2024 The Rat Catcher English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jun 2024 The Test English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jun 2024 3 Body Problem English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jun 2024 Aavesham Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; May 2024 Oor Iravu (Paava Kadhaigal) Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; May 2024 Laapataa Ladies Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; May 2024 Baby Reindeer English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733; May 2024 The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; May 2024 Madgaon Express Hindi \u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Apr 2024 The Goat Life Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Mar 2024 Better Call Saul English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733; Mar 2024 Aattam Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733; Mar 2024 Anweshippin Kandethum Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Mar 2024 Manjummel Boys Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Mar 2024 Dune: Part Two English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Mar 2024 Bramayugam Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Feb 2024 Premalu Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Feb 2024 Iratta Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Feb 2024 Malaikottai Vaaliban Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Feb 2024 Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733; Feb 2024 Falimy Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jan 2024 Kerala Crime Files Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jan 2024 12th Fail Hindi \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Jan 2024 House of Cards English \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Jan 2024 Ela Veezha Poonchira Malayalam \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734; Dec 2023 Gargi Tamil \u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9733;\u0026#9734;\u0026#9734; Dec 2023 ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/","summary":"A list of movies, tv shows and documentaries I\u0026rsquo;ve watched with my ratings and opinions.","title":"Watch","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watch/"},{"content_html":"This is a list of movies, TV shows, and documentaries that I\u0026rsquo;m planning to watch in the future, probably recommended by someone. I\u0026rsquo;m always looking for more movie suggestions, so if you have any recommendations (any language!), I\u0026rsquo;ve enabled comments on this page. Please share your favorites!\nTitle Year Language Train Dreams 2025 English Fargo 2014 English Twin peaks 1989 English Speak No Evil 2022 Danish Nowhere Special 2020 English The Green Ray 1986 French Ghostlight 2024 English Perfect Days 2023 Japanese The Taste of Things 2023 French A Letter from Kyoto 2022 Korean The Monk and the Gun 2023 Dzongkha Follower 2023 Marathi Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World 2023 Romanian The Double Life of Veronique 1991 Polish Alone in the Wilderness 2004 English Contact 1997 English Solaris 1972 Russian Synecdoche, New York 2008 English Fallen Leaves 2023 Finnish Close-Up 1990 Persian 20th Century Women 2016 English Court 2014 Marathi The Darjeeling Limited 2007 English The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014 English The Iron Claw 2023 English A River Runs Through It 1992 English Cinema Paradiso 1988 Italian Dark Matter 2015-2017 English Shikara 2020 Hindi They Live 1988 English Hans Zimmer: Hollywood Rebel 2022 English Memories of Murder 2003 Korean Soul 2020 English Poor Things 2023 English Capernaum 2018 Arabic The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999 English Sisu 2022 Finnish Joyland 2022 Urdu How to Have Sex 2023 English ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/watchlist/","summary":"A list of movies, tv shows and documentaries I\u0026rsquo;ve watched with my ratings and opinions.","title":"Watchlist","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/watchlist/"},{"content_html":"Last updated on 15-07-2025 This blog is part of various webrings on the web. This is a dedicated page that lists the different webrings this blog belongs to. Occasionally, when I have a creative block or am in search of new ideas, these webrings serve as a source of inspiration.\nThis site is part of the Unoffice Hours Webring: [← Previous] [Random] [Next →] 👻 Proud member of The Darktheme Club 👻 ← An IndieWeb Webring 🕸💍 → This site is part of the Meta Ring: [← Previous] [Random] [Next →] ← ~misc-ring~ ? → ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/webrings/","summary":"A dedicated page to list of which all webrings this site is a part of.","title":"Webrings","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/webrings/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-06-09\nLast updated on 09-06-2024, somewhere from Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) This is now a page and gives a glimpse on what I\u0026rsquo;m upto now!!\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently unemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working on some side projects mainly focusing on What Routine and Affliary . What Am I Reading? What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles Authority by Nathan Barry Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn web development by following the curriculum at The Odin Project My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to healthy levels. I workout 6 days a week with 3 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Phraks\u0026rsquo; Greyskull LP program on Boostcamp. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I do not have a bike to ride here in UAE, so all my rides are indoors to ensure that my muscle memory stays intact. I try to swim 3 times a week, trying to learn how to swim freestyle properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-06-09/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-06-09/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-08-16\nLast updated on 15-08-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 The local time here is ⏰ ****\nAnd it feels like 🌡️ **** outside!\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working onsd some side projects ! I\u0026rsquo;m currently working from the Wo-rk by the Co-Spaces in Burjuman, Dubai, UAE. Come say hi, if you are around!\nNow in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to below 25%. I workout 6 days a week with 4 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan fousing on 4 days of fullbody workouts. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I don\u0026rsquo;t have a bike to ride here in the UAE, so I don\u0026rsquo;t ride at all, except for some indoor rides at the gym. I try to swim atleast once a week, trying to learn freestyle and breaststroke properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16-1/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16-1/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-08-16\nLast updated on 15-08-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 The local time here is ⏰ ****\nAnd it feels like 🌡️ **** outside!\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working onsd some side projects ! This is a test to see if now logic works!\nNow in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to below 25%. I workout 6 days a week with 4 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan fousing on 4 days of fullbody workouts. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I don\u0026rsquo;t have a bike to ride here in the UAE, so I don\u0026rsquo;t ride at all, except for some indoor rides at the gym. I try to swim atleast once a week, trying to learn freestyle and breaststroke properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16-2/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16-2/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-08-16\nLast updated on 15-08-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 The local time here is ⏰ ****\nAnd it feels like 🌡️ **** outside!\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working onsd some side projects ! Well this script is a joke!\nNow in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to below 25%. I workout 6 days a week with 4 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan fousing on 4 days of fullbody workouts. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I don\u0026rsquo;t have a bike to ride here in the UAE, so I don\u0026rsquo;t ride at all, except for some indoor rides at the gym. I try to swim atleast once a week, trying to learn freestyle and breaststroke properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16-3/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16-3/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-08-16\nLast updated on 15-08-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 The local time here is ⏰ ****\nAnd it feels like 🌡️ **** outside!\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working onsd some side projects ! I\u0026rsquo;m currently working from the Wo-rk by the Co-Spaces in Burjuman, Dubai, UAE. Come say hi, if you are around!\nNow in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to below 25%. I workout 6 days a week with 4 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan fousing on 4 days of fullbody workouts. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I don\u0026rsquo;t have a bike to ride here in the UAE, so I don\u0026rsquo;t ride at all, except for some indoor rides at the gym. I try to swim atleast once a week, trying to learn freestyle and breaststroke properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-08-16/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-09-17\nLast updated on 15-08-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 The local time here is ⏰ ****\nAnd it feels like 🌡️ **** outside!\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working onsd some side projects ! Well looks like things are working!\nNow in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to below 25%. I workout 6 days a week with 4 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan fousing on 4 days of fullbody workouts. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I don\u0026rsquo;t have a bike to ride here in the UAE, so I don\u0026rsquo;t ride at all, except for some indoor rides at the gym. I try to swim atleast once a week, trying to learn freestyle and breaststroke properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-09-17/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-09-17/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-09-23\nLast updated on 15-08-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 The local time here is ⏰ ****\nAnd it feels like 🌡️ **** outside!\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working onsd some side projects ! Well looks like things are working!\nNow in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to below 25%. I workout 6 days a week with 4 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan fousing on 4 days of fullbody workouts. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I don\u0026rsquo;t have a bike to ride here in the UAE, so I don\u0026rsquo;t ride at all, except for some indoor rides at the gym. I try to swim atleast once a week, trying to learn freestyle and breaststroke properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-09-23/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-09-23/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-03\nLast updated on 15-08-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working onsd some side projects ! Well looks like things are working!\nNow in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Cashvertising by Drew Eric Whitman I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing down my body fat to below 25%. I workout 6 days a week with 4 strength training sessions and cardio in the form of running, swimming, and cycling. For strength training, I currently follow the Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan fousing on 4 days of fullbody workouts. Since it\u0026rsquo;s summer here in the Middle East, I mostly run indoors on a treadmill. I don\u0026rsquo;t have a bike to ride here in the UAE, so I don\u0026rsquo;t ride at all, except for some indoor rides at the gym. I try to swim atleast once a week, trying to learn freestyle and breaststroke properly.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-03/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-03/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-15\nLast updated on 03-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain, so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-15/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-15/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-16\nLast updated on 03-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\nWhat am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers What Am I Reading? The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\nWhat Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain, so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-16/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-16/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-18\nLast updated on 17-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki 📺 What Am I Watching? Vikings (2013) - Currently at S06E07 Lost (2004) - Currently at S01E19 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain , so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-18/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-18/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-22\nLast updated on 18-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time. Trying to revive 10+1 Things a newsletter I started few years back. Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S02E03 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it\u0026rsquo;s affecting my sleep 😢 Vikings (2013) - Currently at S06E07 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain , so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-22/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-22/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-23\nLast updated on 23-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? I\u0026rsquo;m currently umemployed, so mostly looking for a job most of the time.\nCurating interesting stories at 10+1 Things !\nWorking on some side projects !\nNow in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S02E07 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it\u0026rsquo;s affecting my sleep 😢 Vikings (2013) - Currently at S06E07 - stuck not feel like watching, but don\u0026rsquo;t want to abandon. 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain , so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-23/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-23/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-28\nLast updated on 23-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S02E07 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it\u0026rsquo;s affecting my sleep 😢 Vikings (2013) - Currently at S06E07 - stuck not feel like watching, but don\u0026rsquo;t want to abandon. 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain , so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-28/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-28/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-10-30\nLast updated on 28-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S03E01 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it was a mistake to start this. 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain , so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-30/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-10-30/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-11-05\nLast updated on 31-10-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S03E08 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it was a mistake to start this. 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. I\u0026rsquo;m nursing an ankle sprain , so squats and running are out of the equation, at least for a couple of weeks. Summer is officially over, and the weather is getting nicer day by day. I\u0026rsquo;m itching to run, but I guess I\u0026rsquo;ll have to wait and focus on rehab.\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-05/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-05/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-11-06\nLast updated on 06-11-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S04E05 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it was a mistake to start this. 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;m doing strength training three times a week, following Greg Nuckols\u0026rsquo; beginner program on Boostcamp. On gym days, I aim to walk 5km, and on other days, I try to do light jogs. My ankle is feeling better, and the doctor has given the green light for short runs and squats with light weights. I still feel a bit uneasy with deep squats at the lower position, so I need to work more on stability, with a few more rehab sessions to go. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to run freely!\nI\u0026rsquo;m now doing strength training 3x a week, following Greg Nuckol\u0026rsquo;s beginner program on Boostcamp. On gym days, I try to walk 5km and on other days I try to do light jogs. My ankle is feeling better, and the doctor has given the green light for short runs and squats with light weights. I still feel a bit uneasy with deep squats at the lower position. Need a bit more work on the stability part, few more rehab sessions to go. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to run freely!\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-06-1/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-06-1/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-11-06\nLast updated on 05-11-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S04E05 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it was a mistake to start this. 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focusing on transforming my body and bringing my body fat down to below 25%. That means a lot of protein and long walks to ensure that I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while gaining muscle and losing fat. These days, I work out four days a week at the gym following Trainer Winny\u0026rsquo;s beginner plan . It\u0026rsquo;s mainly a mix of compound exercises like bench press, overhead press, barbell row, squat, and deadlift. My ankle is feeling better, and the doctor has given the green light for short runs and squats with light weights. I still feel a bit uneasy with deep squats at the lower position. Need a bit more work on the stability part, 5 more rehab sessions to go. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to run freely!\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-06/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-06/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-11-14\nLast updated on 06-11-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects ! Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S04E05 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, it was a mistake to start this. 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;m now doing strength training 3x a week, following Greg Nuckol\u0026rsquo;s beginner program on Boostcamp. On gym days, I try to walk 5km and on other days I try to do light jogs. My ankle is feeling better, and the doctor has given the green light for short runs and squats with light weights. I still feel a bit uneasy with deep squats at the lower position. Need a bit more work on the stability part, few more rehab sessions to go. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to run freely!\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-14/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-14/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-11-19\nLast updated on 13-11-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects especially tweaking npsnav.in Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S05E06 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, and I want it to end! 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;m now doing strength training 3x a week, following Greg Nuckol\u0026rsquo;s beginner program on Boostcamp. On gym days, I try to walk 5km and on other days I try to do light jogs. My ankle is feeling better, and the doctor has given the green light for short runs and squats with light weights. I still feel a bit uneasy with deep squats at the lower position. Need a bit more work on the stability part, few more rehab sessions to go. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to run freely!\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-19/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-19/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-11-20\nLast updated on 19-11-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Working on? Currently unemployed , so spending most of my time applying for jobs. Curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Working on some side projects especially tweaking npsnav.in ✈️ Going Home! I\u0026rsquo;ll be in India from 23rd November to 16th December. My current plan is Mumbai → Nagpur → Chennai → Kochi. I\u0026rsquo;m excited to visit Mumbai to meet a friend after a long time, try some yummy street food, attend a friend\u0026rsquo;s wedding in Nagpur, reconnect with family in Chennai, and spend time at home. We\u0026rsquo;ll also take a short trip to my wife\u0026rsquo;s ancestral house in Tanjavur! Super excited!\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re based in any of these cities, feel free to reach out !\nNow in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S06E01 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, and I want it to end! 🏋 My Workout Regime I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;m now doing strength training 3x a week, following Greg Nuckol\u0026rsquo;s beginner program on Boostcamp. On gym days, I try to walk 5km and on other days I try to do light jogs. My ankle is feeling better, and the doctor has given the green light for short runs and squats with light weights. I still feel a bit uneasy with deep squats at the lower position. Need a bit more work on the stability part, few more rehab sessions to go. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to run freely!\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-20/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-20/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-11-28\nLast updated on 21-11-2024 I’m currently in 🌍 !\nThe local time here is ⏰ ****\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . ✈️ Going Home! I\u0026rsquo;ll be in India from 23rd November to 16th December.\nMy current plan is Mumbai → Nagpur → Chennai → Kochi.\nI\u0026rsquo;m excited to visit Mumbai to meet a friend after a long time, try some yummy street food, attend a friend\u0026rsquo;s wedding in Nagpur, reconnect with family in Chennai, and spend time at home. We\u0026rsquo;ll also take a short trip to my wife\u0026rsquo;s ancestral house in Tanjavur! Super excited!\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re based in any of these cities, feel free to reach out !\nNow in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S06E04 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, and I want it to end! 🏋 My Workout Regime Currently in travel mode with very little activity. Lots of junk food, no time spent in the gym, with occasional runs. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to bring back my bike, start cycling, hit the gym regularly, and get in shape!\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-28/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-11-28/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-12-03\nLast updated on 28-11-2024 🌍 I’m based in but currently in Chennai, India for vacation!\n⏰ The local time here is ****\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . ✈️ Going Home! I\u0026rsquo;ll be in India from 23rd November to 16th December.\nMy current plan is Mumbai → Nagpur → Thanjavur → Chennai → Kochi.\nI\u0026rsquo;m excited to visit Mumbai to meet a friend after a long time, try some yummy street food, attend a friend\u0026rsquo;s wedding in Nagpur, reconnect with family in Chennai, and spend time at home. We\u0026rsquo;ll also take a short trip to my wife\u0026rsquo;s ancestral house in Tanjavur! Super excited!\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re based in any of these cities, feel free to reach out !\nNow in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach City of Gold: Dubai and the Dream of Capitalism by Jim Krane The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Lost (2004) - Currently at S06E04 - I\u0026rsquo;m binge watching, and I want it to end! 🏋 My Workout Regime Currently in travel mode with very little activity. Lots of junk food, no time spent in the gym, with occasional runs. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to bring back my bike, start cycling, hit the gym regularly, and get in shape!\nFor my latest fitness updates, read my fitness log . It\u0026rsquo;s interesting, I promise. If you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-03/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-03/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-12-06\nLast updated on 03-12-2024 🌍 I’m based in but currently in Chennai, India for vacation!\n⏰ The local time here is ****\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . ✈️ Going Home! I\u0026rsquo;ll be in India from 23rd November to 16th December.\nThe plan is Mumbai → Nagpur → Thanjavur → Chennai → Kochi.\nDone with Mumbai, Nagpur, Thanjavur and Chennai! Off to Kochi now.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re based in any of these cities, feel free to reach out !\nNow in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Finished watching Lost (2004) . What a show! 🏋 My Fitness Currently in travel mode with very little activity. Lots of junk food, no time spent in the gym, with occasional runs. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to bring back my bike, start cycling, hit the gym regularly, and get in shape!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-06/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-06/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-12-09\nLast updated on 06-12-2024 🌍 I’m based in but currently in Kochi, India for vacation!\n⏰ The local time here is ****\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . ✈️ Going Home! I\u0026rsquo;ll be in India from 23rd November to 16th December.\nThe plan is Mumbai → Nagpur → Thanjavur → Chennai → Koci.\nDone with Mumbai, Nagpur, Thanjavur and Chennai! Back home mostly chilling, finishing some pending work@\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re around Kochi, feel free to reach out !\nNow in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 🏋 My Fitness Currently in travel mode with very little activity. Lots of junk food, no time spent in the gym, with occasional runs. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to bring back my bike, start cycling, hit the gym regularly, and get in shape!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-09/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-09/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-12-17\nLast updated on 09-12-2024 🌍 I’m based in but currently in Kochi, India for vacation!\n⏰ The local time here is ****\n✈️ Going Home! I\u0026rsquo;ll be in India from 23rd November to 16th December.\nThe plan is Mumbai → Nagpur → Thanjavur → Chennai → Kochi.\nDone with Mumbai, Nagpur, Thanjavur and Chennai! Back home mostly chilling, finishing some pending work! If you\u0026rsquo;re around Kochi, feel free to reach out !\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Japan Traverse Hike 2023 by Jan Miksovsky Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 🏋 My Fitness Currently in travel mode with very little activity. Lots of junk food, no time spent in the gym, with occasional runs. Can\u0026rsquo;t wait to bring back my bike, start cycling, hit the gym regularly, and get in shape!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-17/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-17/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2024-12-20\nLast updated on 09-12-2024 🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? The weather is very good here in Abu Dhabi now—it\u0026rsquo;s the best time for some sightseeing. I\u0026rsquo;m excited about visiting a few art galleries and museums. One big goal I have now is to get my driving license here in Abu Dhabi. It\u0026rsquo;s a challenge, but exciting times lie ahead!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Japan Traverse Hike 2023 by Jan Miksovsky Exercised by Daniel Lieberman Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 🏋 My Fitness Travel is finally over, winter is here, and my bike is with me. Excited to get back in shape!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-20/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2024-12-20/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-01-10\nLast updated on 20-12-2024 🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? The weather is very good here in Abu Dhabi now—it\u0026rsquo;s the best time for some sightseeing. I\u0026rsquo;m excited about visiting a few art galleries and museums. One big goal I have now is to get my driving license here in Abu Dhabi. It\u0026rsquo;s a challenge, but exciting times lie ahead!\nAlso working as a freelancer in UAE is bit tricky when it comes to finding information online. Figuring out the whole freelance license thing!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Japan Traverse Hike 2023 by Jan Miksovsky Exercised by Daniel Lieberman The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 🏋 My Fitness Travel is finally over, winter is here, and my bike is with me. Excited to get back in shape!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-01-10/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-01-10/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-01-17\nLast updated on 10-01-2024 🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? The weather is very good here in Abu Dhabi now—it\u0026rsquo;s the best time for some sightseeing. I\u0026rsquo;m excited about visiting a few art galleries and museums. One big goal I have now is to get my driving license here in Abu Dhabi. It\u0026rsquo;s a challenge, but exciting times lie ahead!\nAlso working as a freelancer in UAE is bit tricky when it comes to finding information online. Figuring out the whole freelance license thing!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently unemployed , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Japan Traverse Hike 2023 by Jan Miksovsky The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Feynmans The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 🏋 My Fitness I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;m now doing strength training 3x a week, following Greg Nuckol\u0026rsquo;s beginner program on Boostcamp. On gym days I try to go for a walk in the evenings. Other days, I try to alternate between cycling and light jogging.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-01-17/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-01-17/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-02-16\nLast updated on 18-01-2024 🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? Having lots of fun biking around the city! I\u0026rsquo;m so grateful for this nice weather and this great city!\nIn terms of a life update, I’ve finally decided to get a driving license here. The feeling is a bit scary since the failure rates in the UAE are very high. I’m going for the Golden Chance opportunity, where I directly take a road test—but I only get one \u0026lsquo;Golden\u0026rsquo; chance!\nI’m also trying to learn Arabic! I shall write about my plan soon!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? Japan Traverse Hike 2023 by Jan Miksovsky The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Feynmans The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Barry Schwartz I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Learning more about Energy Systems and Modelling from the lectures of Tom Brown . Trying to learn more about stock markets on Varsity a great initiative by Zerodha . Trying to learn Python by following the curriculum at University of Helsinki . 📺 What Am I Watching? Shark Tank India Season 4 - I don\u0026rsquo;t like the editing or the judges. Just watching to see what Indian businesses are up to! Beast Games - I\u0026rsquo;m not really impressed, considering all the hype! 🏋 My Fitness I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;m now doing strength training 3x a week, following Greg Nuckol\u0026rsquo;s beginner program on Boostcamp. On gym days I try to go for a walk in the evenings. Other days, I try to alternate between cycling and light jogging.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-02-16/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-02-16/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-03-03\nLast updated on 16-02-2024 🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? Winter is almost over and I can feel it. I can see Vimto bottles popping up in stores, with Ramadan around the corner. Grateful for the winter, but yet again not prepared mentally to face the summer heat! I want to cycle as much as I can before summer hits hard!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? The Art Thief by Michael Finkel The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Spending most of the time following the curriculum at 100xDevs 📺 What Am I Watching? Shark Tank India Season 4 - I don\u0026rsquo;t like the editing or the judges. Just watching to see what Indian businesses are up to! 🏋 My Fitness I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve gone with a personal trainer since I felt that I\u0026rsquo;m not pushing myself enough! I go to the gym four days a week. I try to walk 5 km on gym days and bike a bit on Wednesdays and weekends! I\u0026rsquo;m following a sort of Push-Pull-Legs split since that is what my trainer is confident with. So it\u0026rsquo;s Push on Monday, Pull on Tuesday, and Legs on Thursday. On Fridays, I focus on core and some weak muscles like arms and shoulders!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-03-03/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-03-03/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-03-27\n🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? The month of Ramadan has begun, and the weather is getting warmer. I wanted to squeeze in some cycling and running as much as possible before summer hits hard. A bit of traveling is coming up next month. First, Sri Lanka in the first week of April, followed by a month in India, and then Armenia in the second week of May. A bit of planning to do, but excited!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? The Art Thief by Michael Finkel The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Spending most of the time following the curriculum at 100xDevs 📺 What Am I Watching? Shark Tank India Season 4 - I don\u0026rsquo;t like the editing or the judges. Just watching to see what Indian businesses are up to! 🏋 My Fitness I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve gone with a personal trainer since I felt that I\u0026rsquo;m not pushing myself enough! I go to the gym four days a week. I try to walk 5 km on gym days and bike a bit on Wednesdays and weekends! I\u0026rsquo;m following a sort of Push-Pull-Legs split since that is what my trainer is confident with. So it\u0026rsquo;s chest and triceps on Monday, back and biceps on Tuesday, legs on Thursday, and finishing the week with shoulders and weakmuscles \u0026ndash; chest, biceps, and core on Friday. Feeling stronger, but not much fat loss has happened, to be honest!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-03-27/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-03-27/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-05-29\n🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? Summer is here and I\u0026rsquo;m sad! But excited about going to India in the next couple of weeks. Before that I\u0026rsquo;m heading to Sri Lanka on 4th! :)\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? The Art Thief by Michael Finkel The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Spending most of the time following the curriculum at 100xDevs 📺 What Am I Watching? What We Do in the Shadows - Loving it! Currently at S1E06 🏋 My Fitness I\u0026rsquo;m currently focused on transforming my body and reducing my body fat to below 25%. This involves a lot of protein and long walks to ensure I\u0026rsquo;m in a calorie deficit while building muscle and losing fat.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve gone with a personal trainer since I felt that I\u0026rsquo;m not pushing myself enough! I go to the gym four days a week. I try to walk 5 km on gym days and bike a bit on Wednesdays and weekends! I\u0026rsquo;m following a sort of Push-Pull-Legs split since that is what my trainer is confident with. So it\u0026rsquo;s chest and triceps on Monday, back and biceps on Tuesday, legs on Thursday, and finishing the week with shoulders and weakmuscles \u0026ndash; chest, biceps, and core on Friday. Feeling stronger, but not much fat loss has happened, to be honest!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-05-29/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-05-29/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-07-24\n🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? No more travel at least for next few months. All I want to do is have a routine, gain some momentum and just focus on things I want to do. For now it\u0026rsquo;s about health, learning and job hunt. Nothing else.\n🔨 What am I Doing? Building TrackMonk Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? - Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff\nI read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Spending most of the time following the curriculum at 100xDevs 📺 What Am I Watching? What We Do in the Shadows - Loving it! Currently at S1E09 🏋 My Fitness Gained a bit of fat after the India trip. So mostly it\u0026rsquo;s 4 x strength training trying to hit 10,000 steps a day. Trying to run twice a week with a bike ride on weekends. But summer is here and its hot!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-07-24-1/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-07-24-1/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-07-24\n🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? Most of my time now is spent working on TrackMonk . If you\u0026rsquo;re someone who is interested or has tried calorie tracking I would love to speak to you. So kindly reach out! 🔨 What am I Doing? Building TrackMonk Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? - Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff\nI read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Spending most of the time following the curriculum at 100xDevs 📺 What Am I Watching? What We Do in the Shadows - Loving it! Currently at S1E09 🏋 My Fitness Gained a bit of fat after the India trip. So mostly it\u0026rsquo;s 4 x strength training trying to hit 10,000 steps a day. Trying to run twice a week with a bike ride on weekends. But summer is here and its hot!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-07-24-2/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-07-24-2/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-07-24\n🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? No more travel at least for next few months. All I want to do is have a routine, gain some momentum and just focus on things I want to do. For now it\u0026rsquo;s about health, learning and job hunt. Nothing else.\n🔨 What am I Doing? Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? - Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff\nI read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Spending most of the time following the curriculum at 100xDevs 📺 What Am I Watching? What We Do in the Shadows - Loving it! Currently at S1E09 🏋 My Fitness Gained a bit of fat after the India trip. So mostly it\u0026rsquo;s 4 x strength training trying to hit 10,000 steps a day. Trying to run twice a week with a bike ride on weekends. But summer is here and its hot!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-07-24/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-07-24/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2025-08-11\n🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? Most of my time now is spent working on TrackMonk . If you\u0026rsquo;re someone who is interested or has tried calorie tracking I would love to speak to you. So kindly reach out!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Building TrackMonk Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? - Tiny Experiments: How to Live Freely in a Goal-Obsessed World by Anne-Laure Le Cunff\nI read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📝 What Am I Learning? Spending most of the time following the curriculum at 100xDevs 📺 What Am I Watching? What We Do in the Shadows - Loving it! Currently at S1E09 🏋 My Fitness Gained a bit of fat after the India trip. So mostly it\u0026rsquo;s 4 x strength training trying to hit 10,000 steps a day. Trying to run twice a week with a bike ride on weekends. But summer is here and its hot!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-08-11/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2025-08-11/"},{"content_html":"This is an archive of the Now page on 2026-03-18\n🌍 I’m currently in ⏰ The local time here is ****\n💭 What’s on My Mind? Most of my time now is spent working on TrackMonk . If you\u0026rsquo;re someone who is interested or has tried calorie tracking I would love to speak to you. So kindly reach out!\nAlso, my latest obsession is Pakistani food, obsessed with the Payas and the oily food. Not the best for weight loss, but so yumm!\nIt\u0026rsquo;s peak summer, and cannot wait for Winter! Started my driving lessons and hopefully if everything goes well, I\u0026rsquo;ll have better mobility this winter!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Building TrackMonk ! Currently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities. In search of 1000 True Fans by curating interesting stories at 10+1 Things ! Unnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here . Now in Numbers 📚 What Am I Reading? How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📺 What Am I Watching? What We Do in the Shadows - Loving it! Currently at S1E09 Rewatching entire Harry Potter film series, currently at Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 🏋 My Fitness It\u0026rsquo;s peak summer, so walks have reduced. My weekly workout looks like Push, Pull, Legs \u0026amp; Upper + Core followed by 30-min incline treadmill walk on gym days. I try to cycle 2x a week, but can\u0026rsquo;t wait for winter.\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2026-03-18/","summary":"single","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now-2026-03-18/"},{"content_html":" Updated on Mar 18, 2026 • മീനം 4, 1201 Date in the Malayalam calendar. Learn more 🌍 I’m currently in Abu Dhabi ⏰ The local time here is Loading... Loading... 📋 💭 What’s on My Mind? My life, like many others in the Gulf, has a different rhythm now. Emergency alerts have become a part of life and they don’t startle me anymore. Amidst all this, the city is still standing, the sun is still rising and life as usual finds a way to carry on.\nI\u0026rsquo;m devoting most of my time working on small projects on the internet, trying to make some money!\n🔨 What am I Doing? Building StackStats , TrackMonk and FormBeep !\nCurrently looking for opportunities , I’m dedicating most of my time to job applications and exploring freelance opportunities.\nUnnecessarily tweaking and over-engineering this blog! You can see the progress here .\nNow in Numbers 🏃 Running 48.2 km\n8% Goal: 600 km\n🚶 Walk 101.2 km\n10% Goal: 1000 km\n🚴 Cycling 75.2 km\n3% Goal: 2500 km\n📰 Subscribers 2680\n67% Goal: 4000\n📈 Portfolio Returns 17.23%\nTarget: \u0026#43;14%\n🧍 Body Fat % 32.5 %\nTarget: \u0026lt;25%\nUnlike other information, this tile data is updated daily from a Google Sheet and was last updated on 4/12/2026, 12:37:09 AM IST. This experiment is a part of a personal dashboard I'm working on, inspired by the Quantified Self concept. 📚 What Am I Reading? Obviously Awesome by April Dunford I read 3-4 books in parallel most of the time on my e-book reader .\n📺 What Am I Watching? Akkarakazchakal - OG sitcom in Malayalm from 2008. Loving it, currently at E32! 🏋 My Fitness Following a 3 day full-body split with 3x runs a week. Can\u0026rsquo;t bike until the war situation is sorted!\nIf you found my now page interesting, checkout \u0026ldquo;Then\u0026rdquo; , an archive of all my \u0026ldquo;Now\u0026rdquo; pages. This is a \u0026ldquo;now page\u0026rdquo; inspired by Derek Sivers, and you should make one too. ","date_published":"0001-01-01T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https://rishikeshs.com/now/","summary":"A glimpse of what I\u0026rsquo;m upto inspired by the nownownow movement by Derek Sivers.","title":"What I'm Doing Now","url":"https://rishikeshs.com/now/"}]}