Review: Movie- Passengers

You know how there's always that character in cartoons who's soul leaves the body for a moment because he's in a lot of pain? Yeah, that's exactly what will happen to you if you watch Passengers. If you decide to watch this movie, you'll walk out of the theater feeling like someone conned you out of your hard earned money. And since they spent $110 Million on this movie, I think the producers conned themselves out of their hard earned money too.

Let's put the story aside. No one goes into this movie expecting a hard hitting drama anyways. But, they do expect entertainment, which this movie fails to deliver. There are just two characters in the whole movie (if you ignore the weird bartender humanoid). Throughout the movie, you fail to connect with either of the two characters. Nothing will really pull you into the movie. So, I give it 1 star out of 5. I wish I could go lower, but I have to respect the fact that they spent so much money. The only problem is, I don't think they'll make that money back, which in Trump's words is Sad!

Review: Wikpedia- Why Wikipedia has lost all credibility

If I told you that there is a website where anyone can create any username and edit the content. Subject matter experts, industry consensus, or research is actually ignored. What they do rely upon are secondary sources and only if they project a certain bias. And if these users do this long enough, they gain enough browny points to become credible editors. Would you refer to such a website for information? I should hope not. But, that is exactly what happens on Wikipedia. And that is also the reason why page visits to Wikipedia has declined tremendously.

So, a couple of days ago, my friend asked me about my surname and wanted to know where it came from and why it sounds "funny". I pointed him to a wikipedia link that explains the whole thing. Or at least that's what the page did a few years ago. This friend came back to me and said there's nothing relevant on that page, just a couple of lines.

I took a look at it. A similar thing happened with another friend of mine who wanted to know something about someone's history. So, I just pointed them to a wiki link and said read on your own. Amazingly, that page had been vandalized too. Now, vandalism is normal on wikipedia. But, vandalism from "vigilante" editors is just as common.

Being a history buff, I tried to correct the historical page, but a really angry editor reverted my changes and gave me a warning. So, I supplied tens of citations including books, websites, and so on. But, he clearly didn't want the page changed. He seemed really obsessed. This person was a westerner and he seemed hell bent on removing any mention of anything historical happening before the birth of Christ. So, he kept reverting any changes to this page. By the way, pages on wikipedia can be protected, so he could have done that instead of being angry.

Now, the problem with wikipedia is that there is really no escape from this kind of a thing. Anyone can create a username, use the anonymity to make changes, and then run away. Some of these vandals have become editors and then they really let their darkside on to wikipedia. In fact, wikipedia's content is highly biased and that has not gone unnoticed as can be seen on this Bloomberg Article. Also, subject matter experts are generally ignored as can be understood from this article on NPR.

On top of that, you'd think that wikipedia could simply hire or request subject matter experts to clean content up every few months. Instead, they have allowed this free for all where just because someone doesn't "believe" something, they can project their insecurities on to a site that was meant to supply knowledge. Editors have their own biases as has been admitted by one on reddit.

So essentially, wikipedia supplies incomplete information written and edited by non-experts. Needless to say, Wikipedia has lost all of its credibility. And it will continue to do so even within the US where most of its views come from because it has made no efforts to fix any of its issues. And if Wikipedia was meant to be a democratized forum for knowledge sharing, it no longer holds that distinction.

Review: Hotstar Android App

It has quickly become my new go-to source of entertainment. Hotstar provides great quality content and amazingly it's all free. Unlike Youtube and other free video platforms, Hotstar isn't cluttered with amateur videos. It is Netflix, but free.

On top of that, the mobile app allows you to download a movie or a tv show, which is extremely efficient. You can put something on download about one hour before you leave work, and by the time you leave, there's content waiting for you for the commute. So, you don't have to worry about buffering during your commute.

It offers 3 different video qualities so you can adjust according to the kind of network you're using. I usually download at medium or low quality when using mobile data, and high when using wifi. All in all, Hotstar gets a 4 out of 5 from me. I have used other such apps as well, but so far Hotstar is the only one that has been able to offer me all the solutions in an easy to use package.

How To Earn $2000 Writing Online And Websites To Avoid

There's a lot of talk about earning online these days. However, most people don't know where to start. Generally, they end up getting scammed or working for pennies. Certainly, very few people actually write for a living by just using the interwebs. But, there is a way to do that and without worrying about getting scammed too. The best way to earn and at the same time to build a portfolio is by writing. As long as you can put together grammatically correct sentences together, there is work for you.

Firstly, let us understand the websites that you should completely avoid. Low-paying content mills such as iwriter and textbroker are a definite no-no. Those two websites are like online sweatshops and pay less than 1 cent per word when you start writing for them! So, you'll have to write a thousand words just to make $10, which is absurd. Anyone who pays a writer that deserves to be jailed for exploitation. I would also avoid "freelancing" websites because they make writers compete for minimum wage too.

Secondly, there are some irregular but reliable websites like Fiverr. Initially, you'll make something like $50 in the first month. But, as the reviews roll in, you'll easily make $50 a week and then maybe $50 a day. However, it's not regular work. It's just a website where you don't bid for projects, people who require writeups, essays, blog posts, reports, or scripts contact you. Plus, unlike those low-paying content mills and freelancing websites, Fiverr will always support the artist or writer. And disputes get resolved quickly.

Lastly, let us look at some decent websites. Hubpages pays you next to nothing, but it is a good place to blog about things and build a portfolio to show people what you can write. You get reviewed and receive a score, which conveys how well you write. I have a score of 81 out of 100, despite writing some controversial pieces on American politics. In any case, you need to be available on HubPages because that's where people will recognize you for your writing. Also, try to get published on some ezine or maintain a blog on the side. You'll see why HubPages and published articles are so important in a bit.

Now is the time to understand how to earn better than most writers.

Firstly, register on two websites: Skyword and Clearvoice. These two websites connect you(the writer) to clients(the webmasters and corporations). All you need are writing samples related to the kind of writing you want to do. This is where those published hubs on Hubpages will come in handy. And you can charge the moon if you think that's what you should charge. So, essentially, you set the price for your work. When some work pops up, they'll email you. I would recommend asking for at least $60-100 per hour if you're starting out. I know writers who charge $700 per hour for finance articles. These are actual fortune 500 and fortune 1000 companies or genuine webmasters, who'll pay for great content.

Secondly, write one mail a day, to some online publication. Offer five topics you want to write about. And explain why you believe you're a great fit for the job. Again, use your portfolio of writing to convey your writing style and approach. Simply google "write for us" and "earn $2000 for writing online" to obtain a list of websites that pay that much. Then, see if you can write the kind of content they require. The goal is to get published online, hopefully for a major publication. But, even a minor one would do.

Lastly, once you get published, scout for your own clients. This isn't difficult. Suppose you write about business or entrepreneurship, contact business and community websites that publish articles about those topics. Ask them if you could write for them directly. Contact startups that have terrible websites or brochures, and ask them if you could improve their content for a price. For my first gig, I did something like that for $45 per 700-word article. The webmaster needed new content and he needed as many articles as possible. Little did he know that I would churn out tens of articles in a week- all original and impeccably written. Build a website(even a free one) that has testimonials from a few clients. Use all of your content to obtain bigger clients.

Paypal is your friend in all cases. When in doubt, ask for half payment up front. Generally, though people don't chicken out. For you, $100 per hour might be a lot, but for a billion dollar corporation it's nothing. Simply pay your taxes on time and enjoy the good life. Oh and if you're wondering where the heck have I mentioned those websites that pay $2000, well the list exists elsewhere on the interwebs. It is the process mentioned above that writers don't get, otherwise there are plenty of people out there who can create amazing content. Good luck writing :)

Review: Sapan Verma's Obsessive Comedic Disorder On Amazon Prime

Sapan Verma is one of those comedic geniuses who rarely misfires. His new bit on Amazon Prime titled Obsessive Comedic Disorder is a witty, yet occasionally repetitive take on the world as we know it. Witty because it has all the elements that would essentially tickle your humor buds. Repetitive because we have all heard the Delhi/North India related jokes in some form or the other. Also, the rare political joke also falls flat even for the live audience.

However, the saving grace is his ability to take some of those "clichéd" topics and present them in a new light. He is also able to capture the viewer's attention within the first few minutes, which helps him do more than just harp on the material. Other than the clichéd topics, everything else seems amazingly done. You can tell almost immediately that the material is original because there are certain loopholes that only the newly written material could contain.

Additionally, Sapan has touched on societal issues and done so in a rather non-cringy manner. This doesn't mean that he hasn't tried to push the envelope but that he was able to do so in a relatively tasteful manner, unlike some other comedians who seem to be all too obsessed with testing boundaries in an ugly manner. Also, the bits of banter with the live audience are also quite good.

All in all, Obsessive Comedic Disorder is worth a watch at least once. It won't bore you to death, but you won't necessarily be rolling on the floor laughing either. While it touches issues, some of the material does seem clichéd and "safe". I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.