Things on our mind
Notes, ideas, and the odd behind-the-scenes from the studio. Short reads about the apps, games, and tools we build — and why we build them the way we do.
The distant strait that sets the price of your day
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea most Indians will never see — but a huge share of the world's oil and gas passes through it, and India buys almost all of its energy. Here's how a threat to that one strait travels, step by step, into your fuel, your kitchen, your loan, and the money your family earns in the Gulf.
India could grow its fuel in the ocean
The ethanol India blends into every litre of petrol is distilled from thirsty sugarcane and grain. But it doesn't have to be. The same fuel can be brewed from seaweed grown in the sea — no farmland, no freshwater — and Indian scientists have already pulled it off with a salt-tolerant yeast. Here's the idea that could change where our fuel comes from, and why it isn't at the pump yet.
Surveillance pricing: when the price tag is about you, not the product
More and more, the price you see online isn't the product's price — it's your price. Companies are using your data to guess the most you'll pay, then charging exactly that. Here's how it works, and how to make yourself a smaller target.
Meet InkFlow — turn any font into an animated write-on
Type a word, pick a font, and watch it get written on-screen, letter by letter — then download it as a Lottie, video, or GIF and drop it into your project. Free, in-browser, and nothing you type ever leaves your device.