Bojack Horseman: Season 5- Review/Reflections

Bojack Horseman, Season 5 was probably the most evenly distributed season of the show ever. Things happened in a more grounded way than ever. The only blown out of proportions storyline was of Todd and his sex robot. But then, that is why we keep Todd to do over-the-top subplots for the show which somehow evolve or rather snowball into major events for the rest of the characters. 

Welcome everyone, to the show which strangely combines visceral existential crisis with ubiquitous animal puns and tongue in cheek humour. Been 5 years now, and our despicable protagonist’s undergone some major emotional changes and turbulences now. But one thing does not change, his misery, self-loathing and insecurity. At this point it would be an injustice to call the show about Bojack, instead we’ve delved so deep into the psyche and stories of other characters as well that Bojack is just a piece which keeps it all together now. A piece which is as significant as the others, not more not less. 

Season 5 is different than season 4 which threw many elements at once onto the viewer. Season 5 seems a bit more mellowed down and tamed. It does have its fair share of heartbreaks and irreverent moments but things seem to tie up very well at the end of it all. 

The season starts with Bojack having creative differences with the showrunner of his latest TV outing- Philbert. Now the showrunner/writer, Flip (Rami Malek), is the typical secluded and distraught creative type, sometimes suffering from major blocks, who wants to create a perplexing and daring gritty cop drama which is highly unlike what Bojack is used to with 'Horsin’ Around'. Bojack’s latest lady is Gina (Stephanie Beatriz), a hardened nihilist who doesn’t want to do anything with feelings. 

The home and the misery of Philbert mimic Bojacks's own. 

According to me, the show now is more daring than before quite like Philbert. Everything now seems to be a reflection of his new show and Philbert's life in Bojack’s eyes now. This time as well we had a few episodes which defied the traditional narrative style and chose to do something new. Like the depiction of Bojack’s mother’s demise was quite heartfelt despite just being wholly covered by a monologue. By the time we reach the end episodes, we have everyone at their toes and about to lose something they’ve once lost before but the impact still feels as much. Especially Bojack now seems to be diving into mental sickness category from emotional turmoil. 

Bojack's still conflicted about his feelings towards his mother even when she is dead. For the major part, he still hates her but he desperately wants that to change if his mom's left even a single cherishable memory which he longs to find.  

Other than the show and character build-up, I’d really like to talk about the delineation of addiction and insecurities in the series. How nothing ever ends and there is always that day after the perfect day. Non-linearity is hence used very brilliantly in the show both as a great plot deliverer and a metaphor for the ‘moments’ which happen in life, which may be high or low but often perceived as a path which an individual follows: start->troubles->overcoming them->happiness at last; and how we expect to have a happy ending when there is always a tomorrow after that perfect happy ending which may not be so perfect. Diane and Mr. Peanubutter are both fighting away their own shortcomings and never seem to escape their pasts. Diane cannot get over herself or her broken marriage and becomes increasingly impulsive and bitter. She feels a lack of connection and belongingness everywhere and decides to find her roots through visiting Vietnam which ends in disaster like all her life decisions. Now she’s got nothing in life to live for and her ideals may sometimes be the only thing for which she stands up making it rather inconvenient for everybody else. Her righteousness now seems only like a bandage which she puts on to mend her shattering and purposeless existence. Mr. Peanutbutter is still the most cheerful and lovable character but he now starts wondering if there’s any pattern between his actions and his failed attempts at monogamy. He starts questioning how immature he’s been all his life and soon as the women realise this, they become less interesting to him and in general, moving on to a better more suited life for themselves but Mr. P keeps on falling into the same pattern. Next we move to the now seemingly okay on the surface but totally fickle and restless on the inside- Bojack Horseman. He tried limiting his alcohol consumption, but could not. Minor illnesses give him an excuse to get painkiller pills and indulge in his vice whether knowingly or unknowingly. No wonder it also has physical consequences as he suffers a major accident through a relapse.  

For workplace disputes, when mediation fails, you are forced to go an 'arbitration' 

Due to Bojack’s addiction and dependence on substance abuse, Bojack has reached a stage where he even experiences hallucinations and does not shy from maligning anyone or commiting illegal actions to procure his fix. He doesn’t care about the people in his life when it comes to getting his fix which is shown through his little regard for Hollyhock when she dumps his pills.

A major portion of the season focuses on how well the character Philbert and the show Philbert mirrors Bojack’s own life. It happens with many actor’s, they start noticing similarities between themselves and the character they are playing and end up bringing the persona back to their homes with them. The lines of reality start blurring and even his sense of time reaches a loss. He doesn’t remember who or where he is anymore. At one point in the show, Bojack loses his mind so much that he nearly kills a co-star.

Unwanted pregnancy and adoption were also major themes this season

This is the most difficult part of being a junkie perhaps- coming to terms with your actions after you sober up. And our protagonist’s not good at it. He tries to slander his own image in order to derive some sort of relief from what he’s done. And the season wraps up with him finally accepting he needs to seek professional help and heads to a rehabilitation centre. 


The verdict
The season succeeds on many levels and fails on many. Does that mean it’s bad? Does anything described as having qualities other than positives is bad? Aren’t there atleast two facets to everything which makes it a whole and they're irrelevant without each other? This is what the existence of Bojack is in a nutshell- insatiable and forever in doubt. As for the show, if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll love the new season without having one particular favourite episode which did something utterly awesome. Instead you’d be treated with multiple episodes of multiple storylines and entangled narratives and dissatisfying yet heart-wrenching moments. If you are somebody who’s still haven’t decided whether to give Bojack a shot or not, now is the time. This is not an uplifting comedy or 'feel better' watch though. This is satire with dark undertones and mature subjects handed through seemingly funny punchlines while mocking the unforgiving world we live in and trying to find solace through meaningless acts. 

Apple Slowing Down The Older iPhones - My Thoughts!

On December 20th 2017, Apple announced that they deliberately slow older iPhones. Just as
expected, the public was aghast. The users always suspected that their old phones weren’t as
snappy as they used to be when they bought them but for a multi-billion corporation to
outright admit that people’s anxiety was very well founded was something nobody expected.
They confessed that it isn’t just collective speculation but they did actually send out updates
which forced their phones to run slower than when the device was newly bought.

Apple’s explanation is that they only do it because of battery issues in older phones. Obviously, they deny what the public is so inclined to believe that they do it so that people may lose interest in the older models and buy new ones. But Apple claims that it will never do any such thing to harm the consumers’ interests. They have clarified that the issue is due to the limited capacity and eventual deterioration of the Lithium Ion batteries. They said as the batteries grow older, they lose the ability to hold charge and cannot handle peak phone performance and might shut down midway. So as to prevent that from happening, they release updates which identify the phones with obsolete batteries and slow their performance. But until recently, the public was unaware of this and even now we don’t have any control over it. Before this, John Poole, developer at Geekbench, carried out a study of large data sets and concluded that over time the phones’ performance do lag and this could be related to battery or other components.

Personally, I feel the manufacturer should do all they can to avoid widespread glitches or faults capable of potentially breaking down the functions of a device. A little confusion about slow devices rather than an uproar about dying batteries is preferable if it can be achieved through certain means. But that in no way gives the producer the right to hide this fact from the consumers. I would have preferred people to have been informed earlier so that Apple could better explain and defend their position.

Now, Apple has issued an apology to the consumers in an official statement. They have assured people to lower the rate of a new battery from 79$ to 29$. They also say that the feature of updates which impede the performance won’t work if the battery is new and it is only restricted to iPhones; it does not affect iPads or Mac. On December 28th, they announced to release software which would help users better understand the quality and performance of their device’s components.

Whatever they do now, this move has certainly impacted the company’s credibility and goodwill with people fuming all over, some even filing lawsuits. I wouldn’t recommend such extreme actions but Apple surely needs be more transparent about their practices especially when they so directly affect their product and hence the consumer experience.

           -Anurag Singh

“The author always told people that companies send updates to slow down their devices so that they buy new products. People called him a conspiracy theorist.”

Future of Facial Recognition

Facial recognition is the system of biometrics which uses the characteristic features of the face of a person to distinctly identify them or various purposes. Over the years, facial recognition has become a widely used variant of various security systems and other applications.

Started as a science fiction element in many spy movies and envisioned by technology pioneers in the 60’s, this little piece of tech is very much a reality these days. Not Just real but its application is very commonplace. Government uses facial recognition from surveillance devices to identify potential threats to society or missing persons. Not just limited to large institutions but its usage is made available to every smartphone user. All of us have it on our phones. We use it for motion games, camera apps, unlocking our device etc.

There was a time when facial recognition wasn’t considered a safe measure in order to lock our devices but advancements in the field have enabled us to strengthen this technique. Everybody wanted to just be able to look at their device and unlock it. With total security and nobody else able to access your device but you. But the problem was face of individuals is not steady. Its dynamic data and changes in real time with our expressions and age etc. The software needs to be able to discern that. And it came to life when Apple introduced the FaceID feature on the IphoneX. According to Apple, its 100% reliable and secure. It can identify the user anytime, anyplace. All you need to do is glance at your device. Unless you got a twin, you have nothing to worry about.

So, now with this level of security tech in the hands of regular public, what does the future hold? Next would be installing this tech in more convenient paraphernalia where it can be used for even more effective applications. Most practical use right now is the glasses. We’ve had the google glass for years now and even the snapglasses for some time. They both may be able to employ fully efficient use of facial recognition but it’s a step in the right direction.

Recently, the Chinese police declared the use of facial recognition glasses for its force to scan and track citizens in during busy times and crowded places. Along with law enforcement, regular citizens of the world may soon find access to devices such as these which can tell them the random stranger they saw on the street this morning was their facebook friend for 3 years. It can help us keep a track of all people we met during a certain time period and upload images in real time while people undergo changes in life and in our memory. Just for applications of camera and video recording, it will very enabling. Imagine just looking at your family or group of friends, blinking and clicking 10 photos and a video without even moving your hands which are then directly sending to your cloud storage which can only be accessed by your face. Imagine sitting in front of your workstation devices and they unlock themselves. The usage of drones to use facial recognition for deliveries to certain people; using data analytics in real time to tell if the person in front of you is lying. The applications can be endless. But for now perfecting this tech and making it available for everyone is a task. Once that happens effectively, they’re no telling what human imagination can do.

(Who knows the US president’s secret service and other covert government agencies are already using a more sophisticated version of the tech already.)

Cool Telegram Messenger App Tricks

Telegram is our favourite non-profit cloud-based messenger app. Not because of how slick and sufficient it is but because it’s a class apart. Telegram allows users to not only text and use other basic facilities available in other messenger apps but packs some serious distinctive and definitive features. But some of these features are not very easily noticeable to the average consumer. So, we personally tested the app however way we can and discovered some really cool things which we can exclusively do with it. Here, check out the list yourself:-

     

      1.)    Edit already sent messages- Other than deleting already sent and even read messages, telegram allows you to edit those messages as well. Just tap on a text bubble and you should see this option.           

      2.)    Self-Destruct texts in Secret chat- You can start a secret encrypted chat and put a destruction timer on your texts and after that the messages will disappear. Just click on the three dot icon in any secret chat and set the timer. Also you cannot screenshot secret chats.

  

      3.)    Hold and preview chats- This is a pretty known feature of the app but still useful. Just tap and hold any chat window to see its preview and see messages without reading them. Even photos and videos will be visible. (note:- feature only in Telegram X*)

      4.)    Night mode- In Telegram X*- night mode is available simply in the swipe right menu but the same effect can be achieved in the regular telegram app by enabling the dark theme.

                            

           

5.)    Channel- Instead of broadcast messages, here we can create channels which can be public or private. You control who can send messages in both channels. Additional benefit of a public channel is that it can be joined by anyone with a link and can be found on the main search bar. So your channel is much like your youtube or twitter for telegram users. You can share admin privileges, remove/ban members and also pin messages to stay on top forever.

     

      6.)    Choose if member will be notified or not when you send texts in channels- Just click on the bell icon while in a channel.

      7.)    Terminate illegal sessions- One of the main features of this app is that it allows a single user to run multiple copies of the app while being signed into just one ID. This means you can use two or more devices, install telegram and log into both as yourself simultaneously and your data will be in sync. To terminate other sessions from certain devices, go to settings->Privacy and security->active sessions

 

                                                                 

8.)   Customisable notifications- Open a chat window, click on the username then click on notifications and choose customise. Through this you can set personalised notifications for any individual contact.

       

      9.)    Secure voice call- While on a voice call, confirm the emojis visible to you and the other person. If they match, it’s a 100% secure call.

10.)    Use inline bots- There are multiple inline bots built into the app. Just while chatting with anyone use ‘@’ before a bot name and search and send the output. Example- type “@imdb Monsters Inc,” and you can send an IMDb search of the movie. A list of bots-

• @gif – GIF search
• @vid – Video search
• @pic – Yandex image search
• @bing – Bing image search
• @wiki – Wikipedia search
• @imdb – IMDB search
• @bold – Make bold, italic or fixed sys text
• @youtube - Connect your account for personalized results
• @music - Search and send classical music
• @foursquare – Find and send venue addresses
• @sticker – Find and send stickers based on emoji

11.)    Chat with inline bots- In some cases, when you first use a bot, you’ll see settings on top of the search. Click on it and you’ll see the option ‘chat with this bot’. A new chat with the bot will be initiated where you can use commands like ‘/start/ to know all things the bot can do.

            

12.)    Record audio video without holding the key- As standard procedure, you can record audio/video by long pressing the mic whilst in chats. But you can swipe up to start recording permanently without having to keep your finger on it.

 

                                     

13.)    Play music in background- The app has a built-in music player with all the basic functions. Just play some music used in a chat and music will continue to play even if you exit the app.

14.)    Access the inbuilt media player- To access the in-built music player, tap on the song’s name visible over the chats.

15.)    Manually clear cache of data in channels- The app does not save media in the phone’s gallery unless specifically asked to. You can long press a chat and choose to clear the temp memory and recover data space.

16.)    Swipe Gestures- Just left swipe over any text for replying to it. (right swipe over it for forwarding also available only on Telegram X).

17.)    Portable video window*- When a video is sent in a window, you can play it and choose to continue using the app while the video is being played. Just click on the ‘pop out’ icon in the player. It contracts to a small box where it keeps on playing and the box is portable on the screen. (Feature only available in Telegram X)

                                   

18.)    Self Destructing accounts- You can set your account to permanently self-destruct after a certain period of inactivity. It is very useful if you lose your device or uninstall the app and forget to log out or delete the account. With this, your profile will safely be erased on its own. Just go to settings-> privacy and security-> click on ‘if you’re away for’ under ‘Account self-destructs’.

19.)    Proxy Browsing- You can use a proxy server to conceal your web activity and access restricted sites while browsing in the app and even proxy secure your calls. Just go to settings->Data and Storage-> click ‘proxy settings’ under ‘proxy’

     

                     

20.)    Convert to Supergroup- Supergroups are different from regular groups as new members can see full chat history, deleted texts disappear for all, texts can be pinned and a public link for joining can be made available. Just open options of any group->click on 3-dot settings icon->click on ‘Convert to Supergroup’

Surprise trick- Text two people simultaneously!

This requires you to have two telegram apps in a single device. For this you can download Telegram and another client Telegram X. Sign into both as yourself. Use the multi window feature of android to open them both at once and side by side. This way you can open two different chats in both the apps and talk with them both simultaneously. (switch on screen rotation and try landscape mode for more fun!)

*Note:- Telegram X is another telegram client app which is very similar to the original one but with a slightly sleeker user interface and many more options. Both work in sync if you’ve installed them both.

The 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch: A Review

The book talks about a pattern which has baffled professionals like economists and investors since forever. This pattern is observed everywhere and nobody can explain why. The author talks about the 80/20 rule. A strange phenomenon which states that a lot is actually a by-product of a lot less. It states that how only 20% effort is required to get 80% results; how only 20% of our actions constitute repercussions which shape 80% of our lives. Using this principle, the author suggests a way to excel in life, both personal and professional. He also shares some business tips and tactics to succeed in career as well. He starts with explaining how pervasive the 80/20 principle is. He states the actual statistics might differ but the gist of it remains the same- “A lot more, was once a lot less”. He explains how our regular way of life is absolutely absurd if we’re looking to bring about drastic positive change in our lives. Then he also explains business strategies in purview of the same and how employees and employers can extract the most from their skills to achieve critical success for their organisation. But mostly, for the later part the book covers the universal nature of the rule and how to use its influence in our lives in the most positive manner possible.

The author asks the audience to work less but work in a manner to get noticed and earn more. Similarly he suggests to give little time but with full attention to personal relationships to strengthen them and make them act as a pillar of support in your life instead of being another source of stress. The author eccentrically enough asks the readers to forget time planning and undergo a total overhaul of their schedules; be lazy but be competent; employ unconventional investment strategies, etc. Then he asks the audience to believe in their sub- consciousness and don something which they inherently find pleasant.

All in all, I found the book a very interesting read. The author is not only insightful but also humorous and even radically innovative at times. The chapters in the middle about running a business through the 80/20 principle might not appeal to everyone as they have some technical terms and processes but the rest of it was a very well thought after effort on the part of the author in order to give us his life’s wisdom of succeeding though a weird but powerful phenomenon- the 80/20 principle.

The 7 Habits Of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey: A Review

The book talks about how one can ensure victory in both personal and professional life by following 7 simple rules as stated by the author in the title. Firstly, he gives an overview of the rules which are meant to be employed and followed in real life and the individual should ingrain them in their routine. These habits would them allow the person to live their lives to the fullest and realise their actual potential and unlock unprecedented levels of happiness.

The book is divided into four parts- Paradigms and Principles; Private Victory; Public Victory; Renewal. The first and the last parts talk about how principles may affect the lives of individuals and how to keep practicing them. It also gives a synopsis of sorts before actually coming to the habits. It explains how changes in perception might lead to drastic paradigm shifts. Parts two and three are the actual principles in action and how they help an individual evolve into a better version of themselves.

The seven principles/habits are:- Be proactive; begin with the end in mind; put first things first; think win/win; seek to understand, then to be understood; synergize; sharpen the saw. Habit one, two and three deal with winning over our own nature. They are about how to understand ourselves and then effectively put ourselves into action. They are about harmony with oneself. They talk about how we should be somebody who takes initiative. They explain that in order to get something done, somebody has to do it. They explain how to plan effectively and prioritize our tasks in a fashion which is most lucrative.

Then the habits four, five and six are about utilising the developed personality and a better sense of planning in order to achieve personal and professional goals. They talk about the ideal social behaviour and leadership qualities. Starting with thinking about the needs of others at the same level as our own needs and employing a successful win/win strategy. They the author asks the readers to empathise with the public a lot. He asserts that one can only expect to be understood if he/she is willing to put themselves in others’ shoes as well. After being empathetic he states it is also quite important to come together in order to complete tasks. Cooperation is the key to collective growth as the author insists. The final habit- Sharpen the saw is about living a balanced life and appreciating the good things in it and being grateful for them. It suggests how to keep enacting the rest six habits for the rest of our lives for a healthy brain/body.

The book was a remarkable read in terms of engagement and writing style. Although some chapters in between are rather slow but it soon picks the pace. The author successfully provides some very useful and relatable anecdotes from his own life to help the reader form a better connection with the content. Lastly, it was quite intuitive and praise worthy. Not to mention the practical applications of the book which would undoubtedly benefit the reader in multiple ways.