Rohini Lakshané
LightNews LightNews
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Rohini Lakshané
@aldebaran14.bsky.social
640 followers 880 following 1.1K posts
Engineer, interdisciplinary researcher, Wikimedian, polyglot. Writing. Teaching. Gaia is god. Personal views. The personal is political. https://about.me/rohini
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Rohini Lakshané @aldebaran14.bsky.social · Nov 24
aarohini.medium.com/award-c93ee6...
#LMA2025 #LMAAGS2025
Award
The Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity for the most difficult writing I have ever done — a longform article on…
aarohini.medium.com
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Some quacks are interdisciplinary.
An image shows a blue sign with white text mounted on a railing of a building. The building has a light brown exterior and a pink overhang. The sign displays the following text: "SCIENTIFIC ASTROLOGY", "Consultation by Appointment Only", "Mobile" (with a blacked-out section), and "Working Hours: 11.30 AM to 1.30 PM". In the background, parts of other buildings and some greenery are visible.
January 25, 2026 at 2:51 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Happy 25th anniversary of #Wikipedia to everyone. Here is a message I contributed to a time capsule for this day on Wikipedia's 10th anniversary (15 January 2011):
aarohini.medium.com/to-wikipedia...

#wikipedia25
To Wikipedia of the future
(My message to Wikipedia of 2026, posted and frozen in a time capsule on its tenth anniversary in 2011.)
aarohini.medium.com
January 14, 2026 at 6:38 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
This is a PR fluff piece published in a newspaper. And it has clear markers of AI writing. Whoever paid for this should ask for their money back.

www.financialexpress.com/sports/sport...

#AIslop
Anil Kumble: The ‘Jumbo’ engineer building a multi-million dollar business empire
From the lanky kid in Basavanagudi to the master of the PowerBat, the story of Jumbo is about more than just wickets. It is about a plan that always had a backup.
www.financialexpress.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:42 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
The emails that start with "From the Desk of the CEO:" to convey that the CEO's minion has written the email to me and not the CEO themselves... I feel like sending them a box of wood shavings with the label, "From the desk of Rohini Lakshané."
a toy minion is sitting on the ground in the dark .
ALT: a toy minion is sitting on the ground in the dark .
media.tenor.com
January 12, 2026 at 2:47 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
One of the joys of being a long-time freelancer is to be able to watch 'manager, HR, and ass-licker employee' comedy videos and laugh without feeling miserable.

Case in point (in Indian English): www.instagram.com/reel/DSzjfCh...
Instagram
Create an account or log in to Instagram - Share what you're into with the people who get you.
www.instagram.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:37 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
I wonder when benne (butter) dosa became so popular in #Mumbai. Besides, it's not from #Bengaluru the way it is touted. This food is from #Davengere in #Karnataka.

#travel #dosa #India #food
January 10, 2026 at 11:58 AM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Wow.
amandalitman.bsky.social Amanda Litman @amandalitman.bsky.social · 16d
“When I speak about making our city more affordable, my vision is not limited to the homes that we live in or the child care that we’re making universal — it’s also a vision where we make it possible for working people to afford lives of joy, of art, of rest, of expression.”
Handing Out Free Tickets, Mamdani Says Theater Should Not Be ‘a Luxury’
www.nytimes.com
January 10, 2026 at 4:53 AM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
A kitty 🐈 wiser than some humans I know.
george-station-cat.bsky.social George The Station Cat @george-station-cat.bsky.social · 18d
Good morning welcome to Tippetty tap tap Thursday

Another person's beauty is not the absence of your own.

Beauty is in the way you hold yourself.
It is how you treat people.
The way you love.
It's self acceptance.
Beauty is in your soul
January 8, 2026 at 10:49 AM
Reposted by Rohini Lakshané
nwmindia.bsky.social
Doxing, Deepfakes and Digital Harassment in this month's InkSights by Anupama Bijur

"Most conversations around AI so far have been its impending threat to jobs. But a disturbing crisis is unfolding – AI-powered and technology-facilitated violence against women."

#InkSights #AnupamaBijur #NWMI
Illustrated poster showing a woman seated behind a laptop, raising her hands to shield her face as large gray, abstract shapes loom over her. Handwritten text reads “AI is coming for our jobs,” with the word “women” added in red over “our,” and a header above says “AI-powered & technology-facilitated violence against women on the rise.” The image uses dark tech-themed borders to suggest digital threat and pressure.
January 4, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Reposted by Rohini Lakshané
aldebaran14.bsky.social
The website on which the registration form for the India AI impact Summit 2025 is hosted (IndiaAI.gov.in) is geofenced like many other government websites. So, I am guessing non-Indians are not able to register for this global summit.

#AI #IndiaAIImpactSummit #DigitalIndia
This is a screenshot of a promotional post on LinkedIn for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 from the IndiaAI account (72,155 followers, posted 2h ago). It states “Registrations are now open for the #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026” and describes the event as “one of the largest AI Summits in the Global South and engage with globally renowned leaders and experts shaping the AI ecosystem.” The post includes the registration link “https://lnkd.in/g2rs5tRv” and hashtags #ResponsibleAI #PeoplePlanetProgress #AIforGood. It lists participants: Ashwini Vaishnaw Jitin Prasada S Krishnan Abhishek Singh Kavita Bhatia Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Digital India Programme MyGov India. Below, logos (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Digital India, INDIAai, AI Impact Summit) appear alongside event details “India AI Impact Summit 2026 | 15-20 February, 2026 | New Delhi,” a pink button “Registrations are now Open!”, and a background image of a modern building with a pink and purple illuminated structure against a sunset sky.
December 30, 2025 at 12:07 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
So, Grok behaves like an AI replica of Elon Musk. Perhaps, that is intentional. He once said that Grok is meant to be 'a rebellious AI with few guardrails.'

www.forbes.com/sites/johnko...

#Grok #AI #LLM #Musk
www.forbes.com
January 4, 2026 at 12:26 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Thread: Women are using LLMs to ease household tasks. It shows how overburdened women are, and that they have no human help.

www.reuters.com/technology/a...

#LLM #AI #sexism #nutrition #food
How AI tools are easing the load at home for India’s women
Priyanshi Durbha has spent more than a decade helping companies adopt emerging technologies like AI into their workflows. But the 37-year-old Bengaluru resident says her most transformative AI moment ...
www.reuters.com
January 4, 2026 at 10:34 AM
Reposted by Rohini Lakshané
epiphenomenal.bsky.social
I'll start replying to my emails like this.

#science #academia #academic #philosophy #philsky
December 29, 2025 at 10:39 AM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Papadopoulos sounds like an Indo-Greek surname. Someone who makes papad but in Greece.
December 30, 2025 at 4:58 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Getting rejected by numerous auto-rickshaw drivers in Mumbai after I tell them my destination while rushing to a work meeting feels much worse than getting rejected on Tinder.
December 30, 2025 at 12:27 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
The website on which the registration form for the India AI impact Summit 2025 is hosted (IndiaAI.gov.in) is geofenced like many other government websites. So, I am guessing non-Indians are not able to register for this global summit.

#AI #IndiaAIImpactSummit #DigitalIndia
This is a screenshot of a promotional post on LinkedIn for the India AI Impact Summit 2026 from the IndiaAI account (72,155 followers, posted 2h ago). It states “Registrations are now open for the #IndiaAIImpactSummit2026” and describes the event as “one of the largest AI Summits in the Global South and engage with globally renowned leaders and experts shaping the AI ecosystem.” The post includes the registration link “https://lnkd.in/g2rs5tRv” and hashtags #ResponsibleAI #PeoplePlanetProgress #AIforGood. It lists participants: Ashwini Vaishnaw Jitin Prasada S Krishnan Abhishek Singh Kavita Bhatia Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology Digital India Programme MyGov India. Below, logos (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Digital India, INDIAai, AI Impact Summit) appear alongside event details “India AI Impact Summit 2026 | 15-20 February, 2026 | New Delhi,” a pink button “Registrations are now Open!”, and a background image of a modern building with a pink and purple illuminated structure against a sunset sky.
December 30, 2025 at 12:07 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

#YouTube #AI #AIslop
More than 20% of videos shown to new YouTube users are ‘AI slop’, study finds
Low-quality AI-generated content is now saturating social media – and generating about $117m a year, data shows
www.theguardian.com
December 28, 2025 at 3:29 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
December 28, 2025 at 12:33 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Dopamine.
A notification panel from ResearchGate under the "Today" label, displaying a message at 17:30. The sender is ResearchGate, shown with a yellow circular icon containing a black "R". The message reads: "Rohini, you have one more citation of your research"..
December 28, 2025 at 12:16 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
I was in Hi-tech City, #Hyderabad to attend a conference last month, and stayed in an Airbnb flat in a gated apartment complex. Large, securitised business districts are aplenty, so are gated apartments.

Thoughts from the experience of visiting them: aarohini.medium.com/of-business-...

#urbanism
Of business districts and enclave living
November 2025. I was in Hi-tech City, Hyderabad to attend a conference.
aarohini.medium.com
December 26, 2025 at 5:16 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Feat. Yours truly in today's Mint.

epaper.livemint.com/Home/MShareA...

(This is the e-paper. The website story is paywalled here: www.livemint.com/industry/ind...)

#AI #jobs #hiring
Hinterland, gigs, AI to set hiring theme for 2026
The Chinese zodiac predicts that 2026 will be the Year of the Fire Horse, symbolizing bold decisions, ambition and sharply moving away from the strategic thinking that was 2025, the Year of the Wood S...
epaper.livemint.com
December 26, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Reposted by Rohini Lakshané
sansip.bsky.social
Once more, with feeling.
December 24, 2025 at 4:35 AM
Reposted by Rohini Lakshané
lukesteuber.com
wait, come back
A four-panel comic by Jim Benton: 1. Top left: A wise man in purple with a crown says to baby Jesus in the manger, "YOU ARE SUPER NEAT AND COOL." Mary responds, "OH THANKS." 2. Top right: The wise man continues, "ONE DAY WE'LL NAIL YOU TO A POLE OR SOMETHING." Mary, looking surprised, says, "WHAT." 3. Bottom left: The wise man holds a box labeled "5 LBS MYRRH BABY STYLE" and says, "IN THE MEANTIME, HERE'S SOME MYRRH." Baby Jesus says, "WHAT POLE." 4. Bottom right: Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus look on as the wise man waves goodbye. Baby Jesus says, "WHAT NAILS."
May 28, 2024 at 4:25 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
Chuffed to have contributed as a part of the expert network of the "Human in the loop" project on the unintended consequences of Generative AI in India.
loop.digitalfutureslab.in/team

It's not related to the eponymous film.
Team
Human in the Loop is a participatory foresight and storytelling project that explores the near-future risks of Generative AI in India.
loop.digitalfutureslab.in
December 25, 2025 at 1:07 PM
aldebaran14.bsky.social
I like localised Christmas decorations. No alien reindeer or sleighs. Nativity scenes with Indian animals in the barn. Santa driving a freight train carrying gift packages from India to Bethlehem. Carols in Indian languages.
www.flickr.com/photos/rohin...

#Christmas #XMas #Newtonmas #Santa
Because riding a one-horse-open sleigh is too mainstream
www.flickr.com
December 25, 2025 at 12:29 PM