Recent content on Amal Bansode
For the third time in recent memory, it felt like the world was on fire while the University of Michigan was on spring break. When I was a student at Michigan, I somberly wrote about the 2020 and 2022 spring break incidents (COVID hitting mainstream US life and Russia-Ukraine, respectively). While I’m no longer a student there, I know Michigan was on spring break recently and world news…
When my family explained the Marathi idiom Gaddhe Panchvishi (गद्धे पंचविशी) to me a few months ago, I couldn’t help but laugh and feel a little exposed. Roughly translating to “donkey-like behavior at age 25”, it describes a supposed tendency for 25-year old men to be headstrong, careless, and impulsive in their decision-making — like a wild donkey kicking and braying its way…
I’ve been trying to learn Rust for years now, and I finally understand enough to (t)rust the process. Or maybe I should say, <T>rust the process. My efforts began in college through reading The Rust Programming Language book, but I was rarely able to proceed past a hump around chapter 4. I think my emphasis on simply reading the book was a large reason for my failures. It’s like when I…
After months of influencing from friends, family, and social media, I finally made the quintessential tech-guy Japan pilgrimage. I was largely motivated by food, having been sufficiently wowed by the Gyukatsu at a previous layover in NRT and being very influenced by konbini store snack reels. Beyond food, I enjoyed the order of the public transit system, the courteous people, and the many sights…
That’s what I explained to a friend in jest after I told them I was going to a concert — that I wasn’t just quipping “the who?” in response to their repeated questioning. Watching one of my favorite bands in my first real concert is all I could’ve asked for. I have faint recollections of being taken to a few concerts as a kid, but those don’t really count…
source I apologize if you’re here to make comparisons — I don’t think it’s healthy for either of us. Visit my contact page if you’d like to get in touch instead :) If you really feel inclined, here’s my LinkedIn.
Hi, I’m Amal. I like to make things. I’m a software engineer and I enjoy learning about: network design, computer security, rocket science, renewable energy, and philosophy. Please feel free to reach out regarding anything — from how strange Matlab is, to a comprehensive discussion on microwave ovens. Memes are always appreciated ッ Here’s my resume, if you’re into that kind of stuff. Last…
My relationship with voluntary book-reading has gotten pretty tumultuous over the last few years. Through high school and college, most of my reading has been textbooks, articles, and code — all usually serving some kind of extrinsic purpose. The few books I read on my own volition each year were down-to-earth “boring” non-fiction: Quiet, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Factfulness,…
A few weeks ago I found myself writing a note to self about how many happenings in life the last few months seemed like Murphy’s Law at play. I went on to note how I always feel suspicious at the end of a “good week”, since things are almost always too good to be true. Surely life can’t be this easy right? What’s the plotline for this episode? However, two things…
Today Me isn’t really the type of person who flocks to productivity gurus or “self-help” style media. Sometimes I think it’s a good thing for my mental health, but other times I’ll also question if it’s stopping me from truly becoming a “better person”. Nonetheless, I felt pretty intrigued after hearing about James Clear’s book Atomic Habits…
I’ve spent the last two and a half years working with the Michigan Solar Car Team, where we design, build, and test the world’s fastest and most efficient solar-powered racecars. The strategy/software division I work with develops simulation models, optimizations, and other software products to aid engineering divisions and determine our on-race strategy. I’ll try to write about the…
It was around this time two years ago that I took my last in-person exam in college. Since then we’ve wrangled with various methods of test administration: proctoring via Zoom, open-note tests, 24-hour windows, and more. These new methods brought their own slew of quirks too: buggy software losing students’ answers, cheating increasing 200%, students being forced to install spyware that…
I’ve noticed a recent uptick in the number of USPS Informed Delivery emails I’m receiving (and of course, the increased mail to accompany it). Contrary to my hopes that they’re letters from secret admirers, I seem to be receiving more marketing offers now. It turns out that my credit score has finally risen past the good threshold, and our corporate overlords have taken note of…
I’ve owned amalbansode.com for about three years now, and have held some form of Internet real estate since the early 2010s. I think some of my early attempts at building websites have been lost to the business cycle (honestly, thank goodness). If you’re wondering what those looked like, think: <marquee></marquee>. I also hopped around on Blogger and Wordpress over the years, and have taken…
It’s happening again. Michigan is heading to spring break. And the world is on fire. Two Years Ago Here’s Wikipedia’s international event summary for February 24, 2020. During my second semester of college, I had a decent routine going. I’d head to the gym 4-5 evenings a week, and then recover and grab dinner at our dining hall. I’d generally have dinner by myself and use the time to catch up on…
It’s been about two years since I began adulting. Things like acclimatizing (or acclimating? who designed this language??!) myself to millions of new brand names for every household product, eventually realizing that Clorox™ wipes are the one-size-fits-all solution to cleaning most surfaces, and distinguishing between a million varities of bread and milk are some of the key experiences I’d list in…
In my previous blog, I described my experience flying Spirit Airlines for the first time. Spoiler: it wasn’t that bad, and I honestly will likely do it again. I ended that on a note about how I suspect Spirit may actually be emitting less harmful stuff by way of flying lean and reducing its mass load. Below I detail some napkin math that I did on board the plane (well not literally, because they…
A few months ago my family and I found ourselves trying to plan a trip to southern California during my college’s winter break. I couldn’t help but feel defeated as I looked at flight prices for the late-December period. At the end of my hunt, it seemed like the cheapest fare through Spirit Airlines beat other airlines by a factor of 3-4x. After adding in Spirit’s fees for baggage beyond a single…
The turn of every year is an interesting time, despite my sometimes laid-back or cynical attitude of “so what’s the big deal”. The thing I associate most with the new year is new year’s resolutions, the idea of “new year, new me”. To be honest, I probably haven’t made any concrete new year’s resolutions since my early teenage years. I think I gave up since I recognized my behavioral inertia back…
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The University of Michigan’s (UMich) Board of Regents approved a 1.9% hike in tuition and a 5.6% increase in undergraduate financial aid late June 2020 for the following academic year. The move was met with a lot of criticism from students. I don’t intend to turn this into an opinion piece about the move, but it certainly intrigued me. Given this is the first time I actively know I’m living…
If you are a Medium member, support me by reading my story here instead. About a decade ago, Instagram piloted its photo-based mobile check-in app. The app’s launch was a success — it took less than a quarter of a year for the app to gain one million users. The app’s emphasis on sharing images complemented the growth in the popularity of camera phones. Instagram became increasingly popular and…
It’s been a while since I last published an article. The truth is that life has gotten pretty busy since I moved to college. A new environment, new friends, new jobs, and more. Anyway, I have been thinking about a lot of things the past year. I’ve managed to save some thoughts, while others have faced worse fates. Either way, I intend on sharing these at some point. I recently read a thread on…
Visualize the changes in production quantities of various non-agricultural products in India over time. This is a member of a two-part visualization. Here’s the first part, covering agricultural foodstuff production. var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1546850012685'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width = '100%'; vizElement.style.height =…
Visualize the amount of electricity consumed by various sectors in India. var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1548499135529'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width = '100%'; vizElement.style.height = (divElement.offsetWidth * 0.75) + 'px'; var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src =…
Visualize crowdsourced data about mobile data speeds (2G, 3G, and 4G) offered by different cellular service providers in India. Interesting Insights Reliance Jio has a suspiciously high average data speed (see tab #2 and #3). The state of Bihar, on an average, records the highest mobile data speed in the 4G spectrum. The state of Haryana, on an average, offers the highest mobile data speed in the…
Visualize the changes in production quantities of various agricultural products in India over time. This is a member of a two-part visualization. Here’s the second part, covering non-agricultural foodstuff production. Interesting Insights India’s sugarcane production is off the charts, with nearly 300 kg being produced per capita. Compare that with the production of commodities like Rice and…
Visualize the changes in key metrics like distance flown, passengers carried, and cargo carried by the Civil Aviation sector in India. var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1546846237972'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width = '100%'; vizElement.style.height = (divElement.offsetWidth * 0.75) + 'px'; var scriptElement =…
Visualize the changes in retail prices of essential commodities sold in locations across India. Fun Fact: This visualisation uses 2,527,015 rows of data to compute the results you see below. Interesting Insights The price of potatoes and onions peaks during the October–January period in most locations. The price of tomatoes, on an average, peaks every August in most locations. var divElement =…
Visualization showing number of school-related incidents of gun violence in the USA, complete with accompanying data on victims, weapons used, and more. This visualisation is updated automatically as news events are verified (see data source information). var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1546324977157'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0];…
Find and visualise colleges based on statistics. This can serve as a basic tool to point students towards prospective universities. Interesting Insights Stanford University has an ungodly acceptance rate of 4.81%. var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1546289920943'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; vizElement.style.width = '100%'; vizElement.style.height =…
Visualize the changes in names given to babies at birth over the years 1910–2015. Interesting Insights 99,836 babies born in 1947 were given the name “Linda”. 664 babies born in 2015 were given the name “Princeton”. The 21st Century marked the rise of the name “Abcde”. There is a greater variety of names today as opposed to the early and middle 20th Century. var…