Arvind’s Newsletter

1.24% rise in cybercrime in India during 2022, Kolkota safest city: NCRB report

India saw a rise of 24 per cent in cybercrimes registered in 2022 compared to 2021, whereas other categories of crime – including economic offences (11%), crimes against senior citizens (9%), against women (4%) – too recorded an increase, as per the latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB)

Kolkata has again topped the list of cities with the least number of cognisable offences per lakh population, making the metropolis the safest city of India in 2022, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report.

As per the latest NCRB data based on cases recorded and shared by the state government to the Centre, Kolkata reported 86.5 cases of cognisable offences per lakh people, followed by Pune(Maharashtra) at 280.7 and Hyderabad (Telangana) at 299.2.

2.Google’s ‘Gemini’ makes mobile breakthrough for generative AI, reported Financial Times.

Google has launched a new set of generative artificial intelligence models that will run directly on mobile phones for the first time, a breakthrough in the tech company’s efforts to take on rivals such as ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

The company described “Gemini” as its “largest, most capable and most general” AI system, which can analyse information from images and audio and has sophisticated reasoning and “planning” capabilities. It will power Google’s Bard chatbot from Wednesday and will be launched more broadly into its search engine from next year.

A version of Gemini, known as “nano”, was designed specifically for running on mobile devices and would be integrated into Google’s latest Pixel phones. Google told the Financial Times this would “run natively” on the device, and that the “nano” model was “optimised for mobile — so Android developers can easily build AI apps and features that work offline, or use personal [information] better kept private on-device”.

This advance could help answer an economic problem with the technology. Running generative AI with the computing power available on mobile handsets, rather than through the cloud on servers operated by big tech groups, would vastly reduce the costs of operating such systems. This also provides a layer of assurance for those wanting to keep private data restricted to a device.

3.TIME ranks Taylor Swift as Person of the Year, Sam Altman as CEO of Year

TIME eulogised American singer Taylor Swift being made Person of the Year as, the editors pointed out, since 1927, the ‘person chosen has typically been a ruler over traditional domains of power. He—and yes, usually it has been a “he"—is very often a politician or a titan of industry. Fourteen US Presidents, five leaders of Russia or the Soviet Union, and three Popes have all been recognized.’

However, Taylor Swift ticks none of these boxes, and yet managed to reveals her social transformative capability throughout 2023, says TIME. 

“In a divided world, where too many institutions are failing, Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. No one else on the planet today can move so many people so well." says TIME.

“Taylor Swift is also a symbol of generational change: she is only the fourth solo Person of the Year born in the past half century." notes TIME. 

Sam Altman was named CEO of the Year 2023 by TIME magazine. Altman co-founded OpenAI developed ChatGPT, a revolutionary tool, launched in November 2022. ChatGPT became one of the most rapidly adopted technology ever. Altman had told TIME magazine.

4.The Indian siblings taking the chess world by storm: are first Grandmaster brother-sister pair in history.

In the last decade, few have fit the chess prodigy descriptor as well as India's Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. He was 10 years old when he became the then-youngest International Master, the second-highest title after Grandmaster.

He became the second-youngest Grandmaster in 2018, defeated five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen three times in a row in online games, and is only the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to make a World Cup final and qualify for the Candidates tournament.

While all of this unfolded, another chess-playing member of his family diligently awaited her turn - Praggnanandhaa's sister Vaishali, who is older than him by four years.

The first in the family to play chess, Vaishali's skill and toil have never been in doubt. She's now ended India's 12 year-wait, becoming only the third-ever female Grandmaster after Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli. It also makes the Chennai siblings the first Grandmaster brother-sister pair in history.

5.Wasabi, beloved on sushi, linked to "really substantial" boost in memory, Japanese study finds

A study conducted in Japan suggests there's more to sushi than just a healthy dose of fish and seaweed. Researchers at Tohoku University found that wasabi, that spicy green condiment traditionally dabbed on the raw fish dish, improves both short- and long-term memory.

Rui Nouchi, the study's lead researcher and an associate professor at the school's Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, told CBS News the results, while based on a limited sample of subjects without preexisting health conditions, exceeded their expectations.

The main active component of Japanese wasabi is a biochemical called 6-MSITC, a known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory known to exist in only trace amounts elsewhere throughout the plant kingdom, Nouchi said. The double-blind, randomized study involved 72 healthy subjects, aged 60 to 80. Half of them took 100 milligrams of wasabi extract at bedtime, with the rest receiving a placebo.

After three months, the treated group registered "significant" boosts in two aspects of cognition, working (short-term) memory, and the longer-lasting episodic memory, based on standardized assessments for language skills, concentration and ability to carry out simple tasks. No improvement was seen in other areas of cognition, such as inhibitory control (the ability to stay focused), executive function or processing speed.