All stories by Devangshu Datta
As Microsoft's Internet Explorer bows out, a look at its chequered life
Rediff.com21 Aug 2020The potted history of the browser wars indicates how much the online space has altered in the last 25 years. Chrome's dominance, says Devangshu Datta, is unlikely to last forever.
How did the Twitter hack happen?
Rediff.com31 Jul 2020The hack may have been done by a rogue Twitter employee, or it may have been a smart hack into the Twitter system, or a social hack where someone conned Twitter's employees into giving them access,' suspects Devangshu Datta.
Ludo or Rummy? What's your choice?
Rediff.com29 Jul 2020These games of skill with a large social component have managed the transition to a new online avatar.
Is the worst over for the Indian IT sector?
Rediff.com28 Jul 2020The IT industry advisories show that they think they've weathered the worst, observes Devangshu Datta.
Why advertisers are boycotting Facebook
Rediff.com14 Jul 2020'This is the first time there has been an attempt to use market forces to counter disinformation on social media,' notes Devangshu Datta.
Aurangzeb's time and ours
Rediff.com6 Jun 2020The emperor's appetite for enlarging his realm translated into a fetish for raising taxes, despite the simplicity of his personal lifestyle, points out Devangshu Datta.
Why you need to watch out for April SIP numbers
Rediff.com28 Apr 2020Due to tax associations with the fiscal-ending, April is a month of SIP renewal. So, the April numbers will be important and may perhaps, mark a change in retail attitude.
India's greatest test since Partition
Rediff.com23 Apr 2020'The steady poverty reduction achieved over the last three decades could be largely reversed in this one financial year with hundreds of millions sliding below the red line,' warns Devangshu Datta.
The Ministry of Acronyms, Shlokas and Slogans
Rediff.com19 Apr 2020'This way, you'll maintain our glorious traditional values and get more efficient governance as well.'
How maths helps you understand the coronavirus
Rediff.com5 Apr 2020The first cycle starts with 1, then 2, then 4, 8, etc, until the infected population jumps to 16,384 at the 14th cycle, explains Devangshu Dutta.
How the world will change after coronavirus
Rediff.com23 Mar 2020'Tens of millions will be working from home for months at a time, which means the smartest brains in business will be focussed on creating more efficient WFH processes,' predicts Devangshu Datta.
Which way is Covid-19 headed?
Rediff.com18 Mar 2020The disease could go down several paths. One possibility, the least likely, is that it will just disappear. The most likely is that it will have seasonal impact, says Devangshu Datta.
Investments in the time of coronavirus
Rediff.com9 Mar 2020Gold, forex assets, IT sector, pharma. Devangshu Datta explains why each of these is a good hedge against market shocks at this time.
Being evil pays. Does it pay enough?
Rediff.com5 Feb 2020Construction companies will make money building detention centres. Information technology companies will make money on the enumeration of the CAA, NRC and NPR, notes Devangshu Datta.
Investors must stay positive amidst the gloom
Rediff.com29 Jan 2020Investors must be prepared to believe that things will get better eventually, no matter how bad the current situation may look. If you don't possess this optimism, you will not possess the courage to invest and if you don't invest, you don't give yourself any chance to get wealthy, says Devangshu Datta.
Making Wikipedia more useful
Rediff.com18 Jan 2020Guesstimates suggest that around 80 to 85 per cent of Wiki information is accurate. That is less than 95 per cent that is considered the gold standard for 'normal' encyclopedias'. But 80 per cent is a reasonable baseline for somebody who's starting to research a topic and it does suggest that crowd-sourcing works, even though it is a long way from perfection, says Devangshu Datta.
Now is the time to focus on mid and small-caps
Rediff.com13 Jan 2020Long-term investors should consider moving into smaller stocks. Rather than try to pick stocks, it makes sense to build a diversified portfolio by exposure across midcap and small caps funds, suggests Devangshu Datta.
Don't underestimate the average Indian
Rediff.com8 Jan 2020'And don't underestimate the enabling power of bribery.' 'Hark back to demonetisation.' 'All of the cash did come back.' 'The same thing will happen with the alphabet soup of the NRC, NPR and CAA except that this exercise will deal in documents, not cash.' 'Bribes will be paid.' 'Documents will be magically generated,' points out Devangshu Datta.
Economy very close to hitting crisis point
Rediff.com30 Dec 2019'The Indian economy is in slowdown and growth may stay slow,' notes Devangshu Datta.
Want to migrate to Nithyananda's 'Kailaasa'?
Rediff.com16 Dec 2019'It's a moot point if Kailaasa will ever evolve beyond being a haven for a fugitive from justice,' notes Devangshu Datta.