This Week I Learned - Week #33 2023

This Week I Learned -  

* Example of an LLM agent architecture for a product documentation chatbot

* What made Netflix a success story? 

A big part of it was luck, I’m not gonna lie: the right time, right place, right technology, right market, all coinciding. And a big part was a culture of experimenting and refining that let us turn an idea into a service that actually worked.

But underneath all that was a critical tension. Reed (Hastings, co-founder of Netflix), applying relentless, unsentimental logic in evaluating every concept; and me, with an endless supply of new ideas and enthusiasm. And crucially, we were both OK with that. We debated, analyzed, revisited, and threw things out, and we still kept going.

* mSeva AppStore is an Indian government-owned mobile application hosting platform

* Tata Sons has invested Rs 18,943 crore into digital and e-commerce businesses through Tata Digital.

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* Hills are easier to climb than mountains. They are less steep and not as high. But, like a mountain, a hill will usually have an obvious summit, which is its highest point. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is no official difference between hills and mountains. - NatGeo

* Breaking bad is a Southern colloquialism meaning, among other things, "raising hell". The words possess a wide variety of nuances: to 'break bad' can mean to 'go wild', to 'defy authority', and break the law, to be verbally 'combative, belligerent, or threatening' or, followed by the preposition 'on', 'to dominate or humiliate'. While the phrase "breaking bad" can be used creatively to describe a range of negative changes or transformations, its meaning is often rooted in the idea of a gradual shift towards more morally ambiguous or undesirable behavior, similar to the transformation of the protagonist in the TV series. Sample usage:

"The weather forecast said it would be sunny, but it's suddenly pouring rain. The weather is really breaking bad today."

"The company started out with good intentions, but over the years, their practices have been breaking bad."

"His health was fine a year ago, but now it's really breaking bad. He needs medical attention."

"She's at a point in her life where she needs to make some tough decisions. It's like she's on the verge of breaking bad."

"They tried to fix a small leak, but now the whole plumbing system is breaking bad."

"Ever since he got involved with that new group, his attitude has been breaking bad."

"Her cooking used to be amazing, but lately, her culinary skills are breaking bad."

* In Buddhism, it is believed that happiness can only be achieved by understanding the nature of suffering and the causes of suffering. Happiness is not something that is outside of ourselves, but rather a state of being that arises from within. It is not dependent on external circumstances, but rather on our own ability to tap into our inner potential and live our lives in accordance with the principles of Buddhism. As Daishonin explains, "True happiness is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose".

* The Eightfold Path consists of eight practices: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right samadhi ('meditative absorption or union'; alternatively, equanimous meditative awareness, tranquility of mind or one-pointedness). In Buddhist symbolism, the Noble Eightfold Path is often represented by means of the dharma wheel (dharmachakra), in which its eight spokes represent the eight elements of the path. 

* To me the whole of Bhutan had seemed like a large botanical garden...

* Roughly, passive funds are 0.8% cheaper than active funds.

* Interest is calculated on a monthly basis in an EPF account, however, they are deposited at the end of a financial year. 

* The Dutch East India company is considered to be the first multinational corporation in the world.

* Kandhamal ranks 29th out of Odisha’s 30 districts on the state’s Human Development Index.

* The British Empire was the world's biggest drug cartel - Amitav Ghosh, Smoke and Ashes

* Amitav Ghosh is the first English-language writer to win the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honour.

* Old lawyer joke - “If the facts are against you, argue the law. If the law is against you, argue the facts. If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell." 

* "I don't have talent, so I just get up earlier." -  Henry Rollins

* From the mistakes of others, a wise man corrects his own. - Publilius Syrus 

* “Fools are always confident and the wise are always in doubt” - Socrates