Subway Surfers - New High Score

 

For people who may taking my blogging too seriously, here is a screenshot of my latest high score from Subway Surfers.

Please focus your energies on beating my new high score.

CRM app and variants

The beauty of building a basic CRM app today is that almost anyone can do it. And once you've built one, a small tweak to the UI—or just a simple reskin—is all it takes to turn it into something entirely different.

Want a personal fitness tracker? Done.

Just enter your workouts, reps, or cardio sessions into the same kind of form you'd use to log client calls. Store that data locally or in your own database. Then run your own AI scripts or prompts on it—summarize trends, get nudges, or even auto-generate weekly fitness summaries.

Now you’ve got a personalized fitness system. No ads. No pushy upsells for mushroom coffee or plastic dumbbells. Just you, your data, and the tools to make sense of it.

This is how software should feel: lightweight, flexible, private, and empowering.

First book in Esperanto

 I just completed my first book in Esperanto—while still at the A1 level.

That’s not just a personal milestone; it makes a broader point.

It shows that languages can be learned far more rapidly than we assume—if the language is well-designed. This suggests that many of the deep-rooted problems we associate with illiteracy and linguistic inequality are not inevitable. They are design problems.

Imagine a world where a child—or even an adult from a rural or under-resourced background—can go from zero to basic reading, writing, and speaking proficiency in a matter of months. It’s possible. But it requires us to think differently.

Instead of forcing people to climb the steep mountain of English—with all its quirks, exceptions, and status baggage—we can build and promote conlangs (constructed languages) that are easier, fairer, and more inclusive. Imagine something like Hesperanto, a mix of Hindi and Esperanto, designed to be an alternative working language in India.

With such a system, people from non-English-speaking, vernacular backgrounds wouldn’t have to feel shame or inadequacy just because they don’t speak English well. They’d have another path—a faster, more empowering one.

That’s why this book is just the beginning. I plan to write nine more. Not just to make art, but to make a point: Language should be a bridge, not a barrier.

And yet, despite the potential, very little is being done to actively solve these problems.

It’s time we changed that.

Maintaining a Balanced View: My Thoughts on Public Figures

 

Maintaining a Balanced View: My Thoughts on Public Figures

In the current political climate, it's easy for discussions about public figures to become polarized. My aim with this blog is to explore ideas and share insights, and that includes offering balanced perspectives on various personalities, even when those perspectives might run contrary to popular narratives. Sometimes, simply acknowledging a positive contribution can be seen as taking a side, but my intention for this year at least is to remain as politically neutral as possible, focusing on policy and impact rather than partisan alignment. As I have indicated, this is not really a traditional blog at all but rather a site for my A.I. experiments. Think of it as me using Blogger to store some content that I think is particularly useful to keep around or opinions that I want to put out there on the Internet.

For instance, I've shared some positive observations about Donald Trump in recent posts. It's important to understand that this isn't an endorsement of every action or policy, but rather an acknowledgment of specific aspects I found noteworthy. I am not at all saying that this is a summary of my opinions of Trump's administration. Rather, owing to the current political climate, I am choosing to be rather quiet about some of my opinions where they can be easily found and analyzed. I have posted numerous critiques of Trump's government policies elsewhere. I just don't want to tell you where. I mostly want to avoid making enemies right now, and that is mostly because that is how I have often operated about politics in India when I lived in the U.S. Now, I am simply applying the same logic to American politics, since I now live in India.

Here’s how Gemini, the AI, summarized some of my comments on this topic:

---

Gemini's Summary of My Reflections on Public Figures

Reflections on Public Figures and Geopolitics ("Grokking" Trump)

• "Grokking" Concept: Anand introduces the concept of "grokking" (from Robert Heinlein) to explain his intuitive understanding of certain public figures, notably Donald Trump and Elon Musk. This provides a framework for his analysis of their actions and motivations.
• Trump's Diplomacy (India-Pakistan): He consistently praises Trump's role in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, emphasizing Trump's pragmatism and a desire for peace, and lamenting the lack of a "thank you" from the Indian establishment.
• Trump's Resilience: He expresses admiration for Trump's "stately resilience" through various challenges and his ability to "reason with" him on international issues.
• Vivek Ramaswamy: Anand respects Ramaswamy for his "clarity, audacity, and willingness to speak into uncomfortable spaces."
• Focus on Policy, Not Politics: Despite discussing political figures, Anand states his focus is on policy, aiming to avoid making enemies and emphasizing empathy and understanding in interactions.
• Economic Views (Dalio and Tariffs): He echoes Ray Dalio's warnings about Trump's tariffs, aligning with the idea that they are a "terrible political instrument" and an "incredibly" bad idea from an economic perspective (referencing Ricardo's Theory of Comparative Advantage). This is a point where he explicitly disagrees with a policy action by Trump, even while "grokking" him.

---

While Gemini's summary is not inaccurate, it's also worth noting that it doesn't capture the full breadth of my views. As many of you know from past posts on certain WhatsApp Groups, I've offered numerous critiques and observations on various political and economic matters pertaining to the Trump administration. However, in the current political environment, I'm choosing to be somewhat circumspect about what I share regarding the current government where it may be easily found. My primary goal remains to foster dialogue around innovation and impactful ideas.

---

The Future of CRM: Accessible and AI-Powered

On a completely different note, is a small app I am building as an experiment in the area of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). I truly believe that reasonably good CRM systems can be built for very little cost. The real game-changer comes when we integrate Generative AI (GenAI) capabilities. One can build small versions of useful CRM apps even for personal use. (Imagine CRMs that don't just track interactions but also intelligently draft follow-up emails, summarize meeting notes, or even suggest proactive engagement strategies based on past conversations.)

This isn't just about saving time; it's about making sophisticated relationship management accessible to everyone. Both large companies and individuals stand to benefit immensely from these advancements, transforming how they connect and collaborate. The CRM system can even be run with a lot of manual help from ChatGPT.

---

I hope this clarifies my approach and some of my recent discussions. As always, I welcome your thoughts and engagement on these topics via email.

RALPH platform - Message for Prof. Avinash Dixit

Here is one of my longer emails referencing the RALPH technology platform.

This also tells you the state of affairs as regards.... well, certain things.

Please note that the nickname "Digital Blue" came after 2009.

~

 Dear Professor Dixit,

I hope this finds you well.

I wanted to share a small but personally significant milestone: I’ve just finished writing my first book in the Esperanto language. What makes this even more remarkable is that I’m still only at the A1 level — I’m literally sitting with beginners in my Esperanto classes. And yet, despite that, the book is done.

The responses from the Esperanto community have been encouraging. One comment in an Esperantist Telegram group simply read “Mirinda” — “amazing.” (Please find attached to this email two screenshots from my cellphone, where you can see the "Mirinda" comment.) What no one said was “this is impossible.” That’s important, because it reflects an underlying truth that I’ve been exploring for a while: constructed languages (ConLangs) can be picked up far more quickly than natural languages, and here is the best part: they can be specially designed so that technology systems today can easily impart them to children and adults.

This aligns with the central thesis of my Digital Blue paper, which I wrote in part while on a break from HBS. In that paper and subsequent work, I have argued that technologies built on ConLangs — and platforms that support the learning of ConLangs — offer a dramatically more efficient route to literacy. If the core goal of literacy is to help someone go from zero to one — from not being able to read, write, or speak any language to mastering one — then ConLangs make sense as a solution. In a nutshell: Build technologies on ConLangs, and get people literate fast.

Natural languages are full of irregularities and exceptions that make them slow to learn. English, for example, is riddled with quirks that frustrate learners and educators alike. Most teachers of French or English say that it takes at least two years to learn French or English. So why not take a more engineered approach? Why not design languages explicitly for the purposes of rapid uptake, aligned with current technologies, and teach them — even if not as a first language, then as a gateway second language?

I have already done a Reddit AskMeAnything for one of my poetry books, because it was written so quickly (using NLP and A.I.) and with certain ideas in mind. Now, everyone knows about ChatGPT and knows that this can be easily done. I’m planning to try and do another Reddit AMA soon to discuss these ideas. Even if formal academic interest is limited, perhaps someone in the philanthropic world — a millionaire or billionaire aligned with education or digital equity — might see the value in exploring this approach. But this seems like such a roundabout approach. I would like to be able to explain the whole thing to someone such as yourself. Almost everyone who has spent the time to understand this idea sees the merit in this approach. One does need to support this idea further with empirical research, but interventions involving development economics often cost a lot of money. A quarter million dollars would not be considered outrageous, and, of course, we would need to find sponsors. I would appreciate it if perhaps, I could meet someone in your department, or indeed, yourself, if you have the time some time later in the year.

In the meantime, if this line of thought sparks any ideas or connections on your end, I’d be very grateful for your thoughts.

Warm regards,

Anand

New Release: "The Dead Japanese Poets’ Society Poetry Book" -> Message for Esperantistoj Amikoj

 

New Release: "The Dead Japanese Poets’ Society Poetry Book"

I am happy to share my latest poetry collection written in Esperanto! This book contains 19 haikus about world monuments—specially designed for beginner and intermediate learners of Esperanto (A1–A2 level). This book might be of interest to the Polyglots Community, and Facebookers, in general, and I will tell you why.

I am myself a beginner at the A1 level and consider myself more of an Esperanto translator. This collection was created with the help of AI tools, which combine creativity and language learning in a unique way. That is what is interesting about this book, which is part of a series. I am able to show that one can learn certain conlangs extremely rapidly to the extent that one can be a reasonably reliable translator, even after a mere two or three months with the language.

Whether you are just starting your Esperanto journey or simply love poetry, this book aims to inspire and teach through simple and beautiful verses.

Additionally, it supports a charitable cause!

Check it out here:

https://leanpub.com/japanese_poets_society_esperanto/

Help spread the joy of language and poetry by sharing this post!

#Esperanto #Haiku #LanguageLearning #Poetry #AI #Charity

[+]

[ ROUGH TRANSLATION OF A PORTION OF THIS MESSAGE]

Nova Eldono: "La Poemaro de la Societo de Mortintaj Japanaj Poeto"

Mi ĝojas kundividi mian plej novan poezian kolekton verkitan en Esperanto! Ĉi tiu libro enhavas 19 haikojn pri mondaj monumentoj — speciale desegnita por komencantoj kaj interaj lernantoj de Esperanto (A1–A2 nivelo).

Mi mem estas komencanto ĉe la A1-nivelo kaj konsideras min pli kiel tradukiston de Esperanto. Ĉi tiu kolekto estas kreita ankaŭ kun helpo de AI-iloj, kiuj kunigas kreemon kaj lingvolernadon en unika maniero.

Ĉu vi ĵus komencas vian Esperantan vojaĝon aŭ simple amas poezion, ĉi tiu libro celas inspiri kaj instrui per simplaj kaj belaj versoj.

Krome, ĝi subtenas bonfaran celon!

Kontrolu ĝin ĉi tie:

https://leanpub.com/japanese_poets_society_esperanto/

Helpu disvastigi la ĝojon de lingvo kaj poezio dividante ĉi tiun afiŝon!

#Esperanto #Haiku #Lingvolernado #Poezio #AI #bonfaro

[+]

Longer message to Mr. Himanshu Malik, Ms. Gul Panag & others

From Q City to KonektoCRM: Bridging Creativity and Technology

Hi Himanshu and others,

Over the past year, I’ve been fortunate to wear more than one hat: one as an author and the other as a software architect. These paths have now begun to converge in the most exciting ways.

My recent book, Q City, explores a unique narrative I’m proud of—and I'm currently in conversations with filmmaker Lakshmi Iyer and actor-director Himanshu Malik (the talented abovementioned man himself is being referred to here, of course!) about turning it into a feature film. Both expressed genuine interest in the story, and these early discussions have been encouraging. Ms. Iyer, in particular, recently worked with the talented model and actress Gul Panag, someone I’ve long admired for her multidimensional career and creative energy.

In parallel to my literary journey, I’ve also just completed architecting KonektoCRM, a modern customer relationship management platform designed specifically with creators in mind. Think of it as a flexible, secure way for filmmakers, authors, educators, and producers to manage ongoing conversations, collaborations, and feedback from people like me—people who approach them with creative ideas, pitches, and projects.

Even keeping around brief notes about a project and the person who approached you regarding that could pay off in the long run. For example:

Anand Manikutty | proposal to convert book "Q City" into film | Budget: $40,500 to $50,000 | book complete | book even has backstories for characters (like Elves and Dwarves in LotR) | author has developed new languages that characters speak (like Elvish).

This simple practice builds optionality—the right, but not the obligation, to pursue an idea or opportunity at a later time. Optionality is vital for creators. Why? Because creative pipelines can be unpredictable. A creator may be flush with opportunities one year and face radio silence the next. Even incredibly talented actors like Zeenat Aman or Jaya Bhaduri—icons in their own right—have experienced such lulls. In those moments, revisiting previous leads or ideas with strong documentation can make all the difference. Optionality means you don’t need to start from scratch when the winds shift.

KonektoCRM lets creators:

• Track conversations across multiple projects

• Maintain HTML-formatted notes

• Record leads, opportunities, and action items

As a former Oracle engineer who has spent years in enterprise software, I can say confidently: CRM software is a massive category. Products like Salesforce generate over $1 billion annually, and yet there’s been surprisingly little innovation aimed at the creative industries. Oracle CRM was solid in its time, but let’s be honest—many of today’s government and commercial sites that leave you staring at a loading screen for minutes are still using older CRM platforms. You’re often stuck in the past.

KonektoCRM aims to change that—faster, smarter, and tuned for modern creators, small business owners as well as large enterprises. KonektoCRM includes support for emerging technologies like Claude, Gemini, and others that can supercharge workflows.

While I’ve discussed KonektoCRM with a few creators already, I haven’t yet shared it with Ms. Lakshmi Iyer—but I’d love to. And I believe that people like Gul Panag, with her wide-ranging experience in cinema, public life, and entrepreneurship, might find value in what KonektoCRM can do.

If you’re a leading creator navigating a growing set of collaborations and projects, and have a large Twitter following (>500k followers), I’d love to show you what we’ve built. It just might save you time, streamline your process, and help you focus more on what you do best—creating. Plus, there just might be equity involved. Hey, if Ashton Kutcher can get into the tech startup space, why can't you? Equity and stock options often pay off in the long-term.

Thank you for your kind attention to this blog post!

—
Anand Manikutty
Author of Q City | Architect of KonektoCRM | Formerly @Oracle

A short message for Gul Panag

 Hi Gul,

I’m a software architect and recently finished building KonektoCRM, a lightweight CRM tailored for creators. Interestingly, I’ve also written a novel titled Q City, which Ms. Lakshmi Iyer and Mr. Himanshu Malik expressed interest in adapting for film. I heard you recently worked with Ms. Iyer — wonderful to see creators like yourself bringing bold stories to life.

I'd love to connect and, if you're open to it, discuss how tools like KonektoCRM can help streamline creative collaborations — while also exploring the journey of turning Q City into a film. With my background at Oracle in the very group that builds the tools to develop apps like Oracle CRM and Oracle HCM and the CRM space being a billion-dollar domain, I think this could be worth your time.

I can be reached at: teamqwykr@proton.me.

Warm regards,

Anand Manikutty

Short message to Mr. Srikumar V.R.

I want to post below a recent message I will be sending to my friend Mr. V. R. Srikumar (ex-IIT Madras, ex-IIM Kolkata).

This is just to highlight how KonektoCRM fills a real need in the CRM space.

-+-

 Hey Srikumar! 😄

Remember that “not-so-great” CRM we were wrestling with back at MaxedS? Ha ha ha... I think I aged 3 years every time I tried to find a contact in it.

Well, I just finished architecting KonektoCRM—a CRM that doesn’t make you want to throw your laptop out the window. Let me know if you want to take it for a spin... purely for emotional healing from past CRM trauma. 😂

Hope all’s well!

-+-

KonektoCRM: Not Just for Creators

 KonektoCRM: Not Just for Creators

On social media, I have introduced KonektoCRM—a new kind of customer relationship management tool I architected with creators in mind. Filmmakers, authors, educators, producers—anyone managing conversations, pitches, and collaborations. But here's something important I want to clarify:

KonektoCRM isn’t just for creators. It’s for anyone who manages interactions, relationships, or leads in a project-oriented or people-centric world.

Why start with creators? Because creative workflows are painfully underserved when it comes to smart, intuitive, modern software. If you're a creator, you're probably tracking ideas in Google Docs, WhatsApp chats, Notes apps, and maybe a half-filled Airtable. KonektoCRM brings that all together—structured, searchable, and sharable.

But the same applies to:

• Startup founders tracking investors and early adopters

• Any employee of a Fortune 100 or Fortune 500 company managing customers, opportunities clients and/or tasks.

• Consultants and advisors managing client pipelines

• Community managers coordinating outreach and partnerships

• NGO leaders recording volunteer tasks, grant applications, or impact reports

• Freelancers and agencies organizing client work across multiple domains

What matters isn’t the job title—it’s the need for structured optionality. That means the power to say, “This might be useful someday. Let me make a note.” And when “someday” comes, you're not digging through inboxes or sticky notes.

KonektoCRM includes:

✅ Clean interface
✅ HTML-formatted note-taking
✅ Action item and opportunity tracking
✅ Fast response times (yes, it loads quickly—no spinning wheels of doom)

So yes, I designed KonektoCRM with creators in mind—but I invite entrepreneurs, technologists, independent professionals, corporate employees, educators, and teams of all sizes to give it a spin.

CRM isn’t just about selling things. It’s about remembering things, organizing intent, and building bridges—whether to a client, a fan, a funder, or a future collaborator.

If you're interested in testing it early or exploring potential partnerships (including equity for early evangelists), feel free to reach out to Qwykr Support (teamqwykr@proton.me).

Let’s build the future of smart relationships—together.

—
Anand Manikutty
Author of Q City | Architect of KonektoCRM | Formerly @Oracle