Things have been slow around here, you may have noticed. A few people have asked why. Part of the reason has been that I have been really distracted. First there was the travel. I had left for India early December 2015. Visiting places and meeting people is distracting although fun. I started back from India on Jan 23rd. First stop was Brussels. I arrived at Zaventem airport in Brussels at 8 AM on Jan 23rd. That was two months ago. Seeing the pictures of the bombed-out departure hall brings back memories. I have walked that hall close to a dozen times over the last few years. Yesterday’s terrorist attack at Brussels airport felt somewhat personal to me. After Brussels, I stopped for a week on the East coast to visit friends in New Jersey and Boston, and got home to San Jose on 2nd February.
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It’s time to have a conversation. I intend to have google hangouts on a regular basis. I am taking suggestions on the day and time. But first, would you like to join? Would the weekends be a good time for you? And if so, what time? Of course, you can ask me anything by leaving a comment on this post. I hope to hear from you on this open thread.

No, no, this blog is not dead. It’s resting. Probably pining for the fjords. (Also see “Global Poverty and the Cell Phone.”)

Sometimes they are held for moderation. Patience is called for. Else one will have to put up with the embarrassment of multiple comments.

Thanks to all who bother to post comments and advance the discussion. To make it easier on all of us, may I suggest that proof-reading before hitting the post button is important. Otherwise you have to waste time writing a correction. And one more thing. Please, please use html blockquote code to indicate, where appropriate, what specifically you are commenting about. See below for how to do that.
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I have started getting some abusive comments. I think it is mainly from Islamists and Congress camp followers. I understand where they are coming from. Continue reading →