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India Today
a day ago
- India Today
ChatGPT, crisis of em dash, and please leave our beloved punctuation alone
Almost two decades ago in The Statesman newsroom — this was when I started my training in page-making in QuarkXPress — one of the first things I learnt was ALT + 0151. Soon, mashing together ALT + 0151 in a quick and fluid moment became second nature while typing. This was the key combination that we would input subconsciously while going through news copies — of course, after placing them inside the mighty Quark with which we spent our evenings. A quick ALT + 0151 and each time it would replace with em dash, that puny mark which reporters used to write in a stopped making pages around 15 years ago after I switched from desk work to full-time writing and reporting. But em dash has stayed with me all this while. It is one mark that I love, largely because it is — along with the comma — the mightiest and most versatile punctuation mark. And while it has its share of problems like any other punctuation mark, for people who are in the business of writing, it is a scalpel and an axe at the same time. It can be utilitarian, like in a news copy, or it can be used to make words sing in a book like in 2025, I am rethinking. For years, I encouraged writers in my team to use em dash because of its ability to organise information neatly. In 2025, I sometimes ask them to remove it from their pieces. I know I should not and yet I do. Thank you, ChatGPT! Or not. Yes, it is all because of ChatGPT and that crazy beast called popular taste. Many among you dear readers, many among you, will read the first two paragraphs of this piece and immediately think that it has been written by ChatGPT. Because somewhere you have read, or someone has told you, or maybe you have seen some X thread called How To Identify ChatGPT Writing, explaining that one tell-tale sign of AI writing is em dash. It is not without logic. ChatGPT and other AI tools do use em dash liberally. But what is not right is that just because an AI tool loves a punctuation mark, we are being forced to discard is a reason. ChatGPT loves em dash because writers love it. Em dash is not a punctuation mark like semicolon, a reviled and pretentious sign that is neither here nor there. Semicolon deserves its ignominy. Samuel Beckett hated it so much that in his novel Watt, he ended up writing, 'how hideous is the semicolon.' And Kurt Vonnegut famously called it 'transvestite hermaphrodites' in an era when politically incorrect things could be said without a lynch-mob forming outside one's house. Vonnegut was clear: no semicolons. 'Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. All they do is show you've been to college,' he once semicolon deserves all the hate. But not em dash. Because em dash, along with comma, represents how we think. And how we think is how we our regular conversations, such as when everyone is sharing gossip during dinner, we talk linearly. This means one word leads to another, one thought leads to the next, and there is a thread running through them. But writing is different. Writing is not speaking. Instead, writing is a far truer reflection of thinking. And when it comes to thoughts, it is easy to notice that our thoughts are not linear. Instead, thoughts are haphazard, and every time you think about how sweet mangoes are, you are also probably thinking that similarly sweet are love em dash because it can be used in tens of different ways to organise haphazard thoughts. It can be used to branch out to a new tangent — and how lovely that is, like wishfully thinking of sun on a rainy day — while staying the course. It can be used to connect two bits in a statement — join them together so they seem whole. It can be used to put emphasis on something — and think about this deeply — because it is an important point. It can be used to end a sentence with some force — stop. Its versatile nature makes em dash a favourite of is also why ChatGPT — and other AI tools — learnt to use it. Various AI models have been trained in high-quality writing. Just a few weeks ago, we got reports that Anthropic bought millions of books and scanned them to train its Claude AI. The case is similar for ChatGPT and Gemini, or DeepSeek. You can say that AI has learnt writing from people like Hemingway and Joyse and Nabokov, the writers who used to love em that AI has been trained more on writing, and less on speech, it uses punctuation that may seem out of place in 2025. We live in a time of podcasts and short videos and text messaging, a time when reading and writing are considered pretentious activities, when vocab of an average person is considered outsized if it has the word 'delve' in it. In this time, something like em dash may come across as a mark of artificiality even when it is is a tricky subject. Rules exist, and more so in India, where we place our Wren & Martin on the same shelves where we keep our holy books, but in reality, these rules are extremely flexible. Their only task is to bring clarity and meaning to words. It doesn't matter in what manner they do it. This is the reason why Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison struggled with her editor on commas. Her idea was that a comma is not for grammar, a thought that apparently did not sit well with her editor. 'He does not understand that commas are for pauses and breath. He thinks commas are for grammatical things. We have come to an understanding, but it is still a fight,' Morrison once famously said. It is also the reason why Gertrude Stein, who too disliked commas, wrote sentences such as 'Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.'Writing is this complex, beautiful, shape-shifting thing. It slithers and simmers and, in the hands of good writers, it rarely follows, ahem, a script. But as AI takes over, there is a great rush to create new rules that can distinguish between AI writing and the words that humans have put together. The task is futile. Good writing is going to be good writing. And the marker for that goodness needs to be decided by merit and taste, and not on the basis of how many times em dash and the word 'delve' have been used in it.(Javed Anwer is Technology Editor, India Today Group Digital. Latent Space is a weekly column on tech, world, and everything in between. The name comes from the science of AI and to reflect it, Latent Space functions in the same way: by simplifying the world of tech and giving it a context)- Ends(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Trending Reel
The Independent
14-07-2025
- The Independent
A holiday in the Arctic that's more than just searching for polar bears
A brilliant-white creature, camouflaged by snow, rests on a solitary slab of ice in the Arctic Ocean, sparkling under the polar summer sun. This majestic bird, the ivory gull, is a poignant symbol of an environment disappearing due to uncomfortably warm temperatures in the far north. Weighing around 500g, it is approximately 600 times smaller than Svalbard's most famous resident, the polar bear. Yet, contrary to widespread belief, the polar bear is not the sole monarch of the Arctic. Far fewer in number and considerably rarer, the brilliant-white ivory gull could easily claim that crown, its existence intrinsically linked to the vanishing ice. The bird, which lives at high latitudes for its entire lifespan – even in 24 hours of darkness, is one of the species I've been searching for on a circumnavigation of Svalbard with leading polar expedition cruise experts Quark. Admittedly, these angelic white birds are rarely far from the hulking fluffy white bears that have historically brought people to these regions – from hunters and trappers, through to tourists and photographers. Scavenging for scraps, they keep a close eye on the apex predators' moves. When I first visited Norwegian-governed Svalbard more than a decade ago, it was a very different place; there were less (and smaller) cruise ships navigating waters, and more ice. New regulations have been introduced to cope with the growing pressures of over-tourism and climate change, taking effect from January this year. The biggest change is the introduction of minimum distances for viewing bears – 500metres (from March 1 to June 30) and 300metres (from July 1 to February 28). Inevitably, there are grumblings and concerns about rules that reduce most bear encounters to viewings of a blob no bigger than a Rice Krispie through a supersized scope. But companies like Quark are determined to work within the new parameters and still deliver an excellent experience, proving there is so much more to Svalbard than painstakingly hunting for bears. During mid-summer, when the sun never sinks, it's possible to move around the entire Arctic archipelago reached by a one-hour and 40-minute flight from Tromso into former coal mining settlement turned tourist hub, Longyearbyen – (or, in my case, a three-hour charter flight from Helsinki). Our first excursion had been a hike across the tundra at Camp Zoe, on the western coast of main island Spitsbergen. Surrounded by the area's trademark spiky peaks, we walked across spongey soils, stopping to look at clusters of purple saxifrage as delicate as millefiori glasswork and sniffing the rose-like scent of moss campion. Tiny waterfalls trickled and snow bunting whistled, signalling the surprising variety of life at these extremes. A second hike in Buchananhalvoya, the following day, introduced us to forests of polar willow – the biggest 'tree' in Svalbard, standing at only 8cm tall. 'They say, if you're lost in the forests of Iceland, just stand up,' quipped expedition guide Kelly. 'If you're lost in a forest in Svalbard, just open your eyes.' Along our trail, pawprints the size of dinner plates reminded us bears can be anywhere, explaining why all hikes are led by guides with rifles, and landings are only ever made if a site has been carefully scouted and deemed clear. As part of the new regulations, landings have been limited to 43 designated sites and only ships with a maximum of 200 passengers can enter protected areas. Carrying less than that number, our ship, the Ultramarine, was perfectly suited to explore the best spots. The ideal way to view bears is – and always has been – from a ship, in ice. Beyond Svalbard's 12-nautical-mile protection zone, there are no set restrictions on viewing distances. During the summer months, this is where the remaining pack ice can be found. Heading to 81 degrees north, the furthest north Ultramarine has ever travelled, we enter the Arctic's frozen kingdom. A mosaic of shattered slabs drifts around us like pieces in an ever-shifting jigsaw puzzle. It isn't long before we sight two male bears playing and rolling in the snow, taking dips in sapphire-blue patches of water to cool off from the blazing sun. Watching wildlife is a game of patience. After several hours, a curious bear approaches our vessel, sniffing the air with his coal-black nose, until he is only metres from the bow. Dwarfed by the expanse of a frosted realm stretching into infinity, it's the iconic image of an animal at the frontline of climate change. In extreme environments, weather dictates everything. Much of expedition leader Sarah Zaubi's time is spent analysing and cross-referencing weather charts, looking at wind speeds and fog. Although a storm is approaching, we have a small window of opportunity to visit Svalbard's premier bird cliffs at Alkefjellet along the Hinlopen Strait – a body of water separating Spitsbergen from neighbouring island Nordaustlandet. At 5.30am the next morning, visibility is gloomy. The sharp ridges of steep cliffs appear like turrets of medieval castles in the low, foreboding light. Motoring closer to the site in Zodiac RIB boats, the bickering of squealing birds grows loader, eventually drowning out the sound of our engines. More than 60,000 breeding pairs of Brünnich's guillemots nest here every summer, crammed onto ledges like residents of inner-city tower blocks. Jostling for a comfortable position, the small bids flutter their monochrome wings as they squabble and fight, creating even bigger black clouds in the skies overhead. Amidst the chaos, crafty foxes sneak between the ridges to steal eggs. While wildlife is Svalbard's biggest attraction, its landscapes shouldn't be underestimated – from glaciers with walls taller than skyscrapers to polar deserts rolling into a seductive unknown beyond. Whether out on the bow or sitting in the elegant dining room, I spend hours watching mountains rise and fall in the mist as chubby fulmars and even several humpbacks flank our vessel. Throughout our 14-day voyage, we clock up bears on ice, rocks and even strolling below a glacier. But it's the tiny creatures that leave the biggest impressions – fox kits tumbling in the tundra, a newborn baby bearded seal clinging to a drifting stack of ice, hundreds of little auks flocking metres from my face as I huddle into a cluster of lichen-stained rocks. New regulations and bigger crowds have undoubtedly made it more challenging to visit Svalbard, but 'the land of cold shores' is still warmly inviting. With the right approach and correct planning, it's possible to enjoy everything the archipelago has to offer. Although it's in those impromptu, unexpected moments that the real beauty lies. How to plan your trip
Indian Express
13-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
She built an AI road tech startup in Mohali, and it's racing ahead
From Delhi weekends to Mohali mornings. Before entrepreneurship, life for Prerna Kalra was split between cities. She worked in Delhi; her husband Rahul stayed in Chandigarh. For over three years, they lived a 'weekend marriage'. When their son was born, she continued in Delhi, returning only on weekends. 'It was a very tough time, leaving my kid here,' she says. 'But it wouldn't have been possible without Rahul and my in-laws. You never grow alone.' Eventually, she moved back, joining Quark—one of the region's first product-based IT companies. 'I was in the core team,' she recalls. 'It was a big shift from the public to the private sector. I had to work double so no one would say I couldn't manage.' Her work took her across India—from Delhi to Chennai, Guwahati to Bangalore. 'I used to just change my suitcase and leave again,' she says. She later joined IBM, then Edifecs, the health information technology company where she reported directly to its founder, Sunny Singh. 'An amazing person,' she says, 'who ran the company like a family.' After years in corporate leadership and IT consulting, the idea of starting up took shape. 'I was contributing so much to others' companies—I felt I should build something of my own,' she says. That conviction strengthened when she met her eventual co-founder, Manav Singal. What followed was Road Athena—an AI and GIS-powered platform offering insights into road conditions, identifying potholes and cracks, forecasting asset lifespans, and streamlining maintenance. 'Our country has the second-largest road network in the world, and it's not humanly possible to maintain it manually anymore,' she says. 'Technology here isn't just important—it's inevitable.' None of the three co-founders come from civil engineering. 'That's why we could think differently,' she says. While Prerna provided vision, Manav led research, and Rahul—her husband—brought operations expertise. A practising dentist with seven city clinics, Rahul was initially a silent funder but became increasingly involved and eventually joined full-time. Their complementary skills became one of the startup's biggest strengths. In a short time, HanuAI has won the Nasscom Deep Tech Award, ESC Ubharte Sitare Award, and was invited by the World Bank to showcase its work in Washington D.C. It's also been featured in Silicon Valley and listed among India's most promising startups by Forbes. Today, HanuAI works with two international and three major Indian clients. 'We've already hit our annual targets in the first quarter,' she says. 'We don't really have a day or night—we live our work.' Despite bigger markets elsewhere, the founders chose Mohali. 'Quality of life here is high,' she says. 'You can build from anywhere now. And coming back to Chandigarh always feels like coming home.' Still, local hiring remains a challenge. 'Startups can't match the high packages colleges expect for freshers,' she says. 'We need people with a startup mindset—resilient and eager to learn.' At the heart of HanuAI's work is ethical AI. 'It's about what data you feed and who builds the model,' she explains. 'We design solutions that deliver value from top decision-makers to workers on the ground.' Despite the intense schedule, the team makes time to unwind. 'We play badminton when we can—it's therapeutic,' she says. 'I used to be a national-level springboard diver. No one knows that.' With rapid national and global expansion, HanuAI is poised for more. But the founders stay grounded. 'We believe our company is run by divine force. That's why we named it HanuAI,' she says. 'Whatever happens, we trust it's for the best.'
Auto Blog
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Why Koenigsegg's Quark Is the Best E-Motor to Get Left Behind
By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Koenigsegg's Quark e-motor and its unique performance approach Koenigsegg turned the heads of engineering and automotive enthusiast circles by unveiling its Quark e-motor in 2022, but this innovative technology has faded into the background after it was cut from one of the manufacturer's hypercars. Quark was initially scheduled to appear in Koenigsegg's Gemera, a hybrid which the automaker began delivering early this year. Koenigsegg designed the Quark to be used in multiples, specifically a trio in the Gemera, with a single motor delivering an impressive 335 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. Despite its robust power, a Quark motor weighs just 63 lbs when most hybrid motors in mainstream models weigh between 40 and 70 lbs, but deliver far less power. Traditional e-motors also had adopted either axial flux solutions with more torque and less power, or radial flux solutions emphasizing power over torque. Koenigsegg broke new ground by engineering Quark with a raxial flux solution, resulting in the industry's best torque-to-power-to-weight ratio, a lead it still maintains. The Quark is made of 300M steel, a high-strength material common in motorsports and the aerospace industry. Its incredible light and compact design stemmed from design choices like direct cooling and a rotor using Koenigsegg Aircore hollow carbon fiber technology, which you'll find in the manufacturer's rims, seats, and more. Koenigsegg Quark — Source: Koenigsegg Another innovative facet of the Quark motor is its ability to operate in direct-drive instead of needing a step-down transmission to get the desired output RPM and torque, which most small, high-revving motors require. This direct-drive configuration allows Quark to extend beyond the automotive industry into the marine and aircraft industries. Koenigsegg's electric-motor design led Dragos-Mihai Postariu to say: 'The Quark is designed to bolster the low-speed range of the Gemera, where you need it, for brutal acceleration. The ICE [internal combustion engine] then focuses on the high-speed range,' Road & Track reports. Koenigsegg expressed openness toward licensing Quark's technology to other automakers, but these deals never materialized, and the company instead opted to use its new Dark Matter motor in the four-seater Gemera. What is the Dark Matter motor? Are you curious to know what makes Dark Matter special enough to take the place of Quark motors in Koenigsegg's Gemera? Space constraints were a primary factor, as this hypercar only had enough room for one motor. A single Dark Matter motor produces 800 horsepower and 922 lb-ft alongside the Gemera's twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 engine to deliver a combined 2,300 horsepower and 2,028 lb-ft of torque. Koenigsegg's Dark Matter motor also maintains a low weight of 86 lbs and retains the Quark's raxial flux design. The Gemera's production was limited to 300 units, with each example spoken for. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Koenigsegg Quark torque specs — Source: Koenigsegg Final thoughts While Quark was ultimately sidelined at Koenigsegg for the automaker's more compact and powerful Dark Matter motor, it set a new benchmark for torque-to-power ratio, which influenced Dark Matter's design. Additionally, its direct-drive capability extends its usage to many applications for simpler packaging and more efficiency. Koenigsegg was so confident in the Quark that it remained open to licensing the technology, and the motor's engineering lessons helped its four-seat Gemera hypercar come to fruition. About the Author Cody Carlson View Profile
Miami Herald
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Why Koenigsegg's Quark Is the Best E-Motor to Get Left Behind
Koenigsegg turned the heads of engineering and automotive enthusiast circles by unveiling its Quark e-motor in 2022, but this innovative technology has faded into the background after it was cut from one of the manufacturer's hypercars. Quark was initially scheduled to appear in Koenigsegg's Gemera, a hybrid which the automaker began delivering early this year. Koenigsegg designed the Quark to be used in multiples, specifically a trio in the Gemera, with a single motor delivering an impressive 335 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque. Despite its robust power, a Quark motor weighs just 63 lbs when most hybrid motors in mainstream models weigh between 40 and 70 lbs, but deliver far less power. Traditional e-motors also had adopted either axial flux solutions with more torque and less power, or radial flux solutions emphasizing power over torque. Koenigsegg broke new ground by engineering Quark with a raxial flux solution, resulting in the industry's best torque-to-power-to-weight ratio, a lead it still maintains. The Quark is made of 300M steel, a high-strength material common in motorsports and the aerospace industry. Its incredible light and compact design stemmed from design choices like direct cooling and a rotor using Koenigsegg Aircore hollow carbon fiber technology, which you'll find in the manufacturer's rims, seats, and more. Another innovative facet of the Quark motor is its ability to operate in direct-drive instead of needing a step-down transmission to get the desired output RPM and torque, which most small, high-revving motors require. This direct-drive configuration allows Quark to extend beyond the automotive industry into the marine and aircraft industries. Koenigsegg's electric-motor design led Dragos-Mihai Postariu to say: "The Quark is designed to bolster the low-speed range of the Gemera, where you need it, for brutal acceleration. The ICE [internal combustion engine] then focuses on the high-speed range," Road & Track reports. Koenigsegg expressed openness toward licensing Quark's technology to other automakers, but these deals never materialized, and the company instead opted to use its new Dark Matter motor in the four-seater Gemera. Are you curious to know what makes Dark Matter special enough to take the place of Quark motors in Koenigsegg's Gemera? Space constraints were a primary factor, as this hypercar only had enough room for one motor. A single Dark Matter motor produces 800 horsepower and 922 lb-ft alongside the Gemera's twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V8 engine to deliver a combined 2,300 horsepower and 2,028 lb-ft of torque. Koenigsegg's Dark Matter motor also maintains a low weight of 86 lbs and retains the Quark's raxial flux design. The Gemera's production was limited to 300 units, with each example spoken for. While Quark was ultimately sidelined at Koenigsegg for the automaker's more compact and powerful Dark Matter motor, it set a new benchmark for torque-to-power ratio, which influenced Dark Matter's design. Additionally, its direct-drive capability extends its usage to many applications for simpler packaging and more efficiency. Koenigsegg was so confident in the Quark that it remained open to licensing the technology, and the motor's engineering lessons helped its four-seat Gemera hypercar come to fruition. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
