Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green

Tuberculosis is one of the oldest disease which has survived millions of years, and has been infecting humans for a long time. It is still one of the biggest curable disease which records higher mortality.

But how does a curable disease which has a known medication for more than fifty years is still lethal

There are two broad reasons, first is how a patient is getting diagnosed, and second which part of the world this patient comes from.

India has the highest total number of deaths globally but Lesotho and other African countries have higher mortality rate per person.

TB has a romantic historical charm since many of the big literary figures succumbed to it, and their work was more looked from a perspective of an artist with a tragic end. It doesn't devalue their work but does offer a romantic narrative to their stories. Remember the coughing blood in the rags and the very thin portrayals of the patients.

But a modern world which has all the tools available to prevent it fails miserably when it comes to the poor population. So, a one time romantic disease is a disease of poor now.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacteria which causes this but the treatment lies in the right mix of antibiotics and living condition. Out of the two medicine is the tricky part but the living conditions are more likely to affect if the medicine is going to be available and prove effective for a patient which makes the difference between surviving and succumbing.

Peace

Empire of AI by Karen Hao

Ideas are born as a root/seed or a stem/trunk?

When the ideas take shape they are very different from how they were conceived. And this is true for anything be it philosophy, science, technology or any thing else.

This book does highlight how OpenAI developed over a period of time, and does focus a lot on the founder as a person. It very well covers the ups and downs of a company and how it became as valuable as it is today. But the ecosystem is not driven by one company, and anyone who follows this can see that OpenAI is not what it was when it launched the first version. The world has changed a lot since then and though it is still a major player, it doesn't stand taller than anyone in the game.

The book also delves into the persona and personal life of the founder but this is where it diverges a bit from the main narrative, and starts reading like a blurb. The founders do represent a company but it doesn't really define how the company is going to fight in the market. There is no love in the market which tests everything on rationality and profit margins. So, even if a company is able to delay the end game, it is set to loose in the absence of strong fundamentals.

The book follows all the developments and discourse around OpenAI closely which is what is the highlight of the book. An interested reader will skip all the details which are more personal, and less to do with how it was built, and executed.

Love

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad

The major point of a non-fiction book is that it should be as neutral as possible, and not include a lot of points which are on tangent but don't really align with the argument.

This book puts so many important points but the argument against a system of inaction is a bit far fetched. There is some inaction from the heads of different countries but on a more grass root level the issue was not only flagged but fiercely pushed ahead for action. And this did result in some developments.

The interest of different head of states can't be really justified as a moral standing of people. The revolution comes from inside, and can rarely been influenced from outside. And implementing the personal experience in context of what is happening is a bit far fetched.

Of course xenophobia is a true but it is not driven by what is happening in a country. It is driven by what the leaders sell to their population which owns the view in majority or minority. Which does define a few nuances of the discourse but doesn't really impact the decision making.

Peace

Chokepoints by Edward Fishman

Chokepoint is a point of congestion or blockage effectively. But in this book it is explained as an strategic tool that can be used to build pressure in an economic eco system which follows the strongest buyer.

There was a time in not too distant past when the countries used to come together to build resistance against a global malevolent force. But eventually this exercise in collaboration turned into the force of coercion. With more and more vested interests merging together the whole idea changed from a tool to a weapon. A weapon which listens to the strong and not the right.

The book cites a lot of cases where this was used effectively to get a polarized opinion on what is best without taking into account of what is most inclusive. The groups that travelled the world to threat the nations and not convince them to work towards a common goal. An instrument which was all stick and no carrot.

It has been painted in a very positive terms without highlighting that this eventually created the opinions which were not based on common good but of getting ones own wishes come true. A world that became more siloed than collaborative. An option which was exercised so many times with no trust around it that it eventually lost its might. Because that uncontrolled usage led to the building of an ecosystem that could survive the onslaught.

Power doesn't make the things happen. Its always the more human qualities like trust and empathy which lead to a positive result.

Peace