We’re more scared of maybe getting an electric shock than we are of definitely getting an electric shock, such is our fear of uncertainty. Dr Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist and host of the popular podcast 'A Slight Change of Plans,' delves into the fundamental question of how human beings can better prepare for change. She points out that our most common fear regarding change is that it challenges our self-identity. Dr Shankar also emphasizes that unexpected changes can lead to lasting personal growth. In our conversation with Maya, after her thought-provoking TED Talk on the topic, she urges us to anchor our identities to things that feel more stable. We should focus not just on 'what we do,' but on 'why we do it.' This shift allows us to feel more secure in the foundations, helping us cope with the unsettling nature of change.
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Common sense is not so common. Yejin Choi, professor and computer science researcher, thinks we need to take AI way more seriously for this very reason. Even for the most advanced AI systems, common sense remains difficult to program. Stupid AI isn’t funny, it’s dangerous, and Choi’s years exploring the ethics behind machine learning is distilled into her TED talk. We got to speak to her hours after she delivered it, and explained to us why anything that is learning from the internet is unavoidably going to have racist, sexist and ableist tendencies that we have to actively correct for. Most importantly: we need regulation. Choi believes in fostering a diverse community of thinkers, including philosophers and psychologists, working collectively to bridge AI's gaps of understanding to include ethics, racial equity, and common sense.
Is the world’s biggest climate summit actually just a trojan horse for fossil fuel companies to make more money? And does COP28 actually change anything? The COP President, selected through the regional group members of the host region, is Sultan al-Jaber, the CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Meanwhile, $700M has been committed to the loss and damage fund in the first day of the conference. Equally important, this is the one stage where activists, Indigenous delegations and the media come face to face in one room with world leaders. This video is produced and hosted by Sophia Li and edited by Seung Won Baik. With additional archival from UN Climate Change, Sky.com, The Intercept, KCCU, The New York Times, The Guardian, FRANCE 24 English, Bloomberg.com, Daily Sabah, Visual Capitalist, Statista, NPR, Simpleflying, Climate Change News, BBC, Earth.org, Oxfam, Instagram: climatereality.indsa, Instagram: reearthinitiative
Indo-Chinese is one of India’s most popular foods, though most people haven’t heard of it–including Chinese people. Why did Chinese food become so popular in India and what does it tell us about the history of these two regions? Today, this collaborative cuisine is taking over the world. Did you know that Chicken Manchurian isn’t Chinese? Nelson Wang, a third-generation Chinese immigrant in India, created the dish in 1975 while working at Mumbai’s Cricket Club. But Chinese food in India dates way further back than the 70’s. The oldest restaurant opened in 1925, and was frequented by many Bollywood stars. Chinese immigration to India dates way back to the 18th century, when many Chinese workers filled industries from sugar-mills to leather and carpentry. To cater to them, eateries began opening that would replace native Asian ingredients with Indian cooking staples. Further, Chinese men began marrying Indian women, making the union of these two cuisines even more tangible. Now found around the world, here’s the history of Indo-Chinese cuisine.
Biryani, one of the most beloved dishes in India and Pakistan, is iconic, regal, and dates back 3,000 years. Today, it has become a street food that is affordable and accessible to all–and it’s thanks to a brand that was launched in Karachi in the 1980’s: Shan Masalas. Usually made with meat and cooked in layers of spicy, tangy, and sweet flavors, Biryani is an elaborate rice dish. In the 1980’s, Shan Masala, packaged spice mixes, were launched–modernizing desi cuisine and freeing up many South Asian women’s time. In 2020 alone, Shan Masala made around $85 million USD in revenue. Mentions of Biryani have been found in Tamil poems that date as far back as 200 CE, to 17th century cookbooks from a royal Mughal kitchen. Biryani today represents several millennia of the subcontinent's unique mix of different flavors, techniques and cooking cultures. Though there’s a lot of hype around who invented biryani and who has the best biryani, every region has delicious biryani–and comes with its own story.
Which country actually invented dumplings? You’d probably think it’s China but historians have traced dumplings to Central Asia and the migration of Turkic people. It’s said that Turkic and Mongol tradesmen and horsemen traveled across Asia in cold winters carrying ‘mantu’, which we now call dumplings. That’s because 1600’s England called this delicious dough pocket ‘dumpling’, a sophisticated derivative of ‘lump’. In fact, when it comes to the origins of mantu, historians encourage us to look at language. Most Asian cultures call the dumpling how the Turks originally did–Koreans call it mandu, Greek people call it manti, Afghans call it mantu, and Chinese people call it mantou too. But the origins aren’t the only debatable part of the convo–who has the best dumplings?