It started out as a convenience.

An added layer of security - the inclusion of a One Time Password (OTP) to process transactions online.

Then it became a source of stress.

Some smartphones could help you copy a number and paste it to let a transaction go through

Or apps which automatically entered the OTP. But that was confusing to some people as well.

There was no standard procedure to deal with them.

For users with varying degrees of expertise, it became a race to switch between the messaging app to see if the OTP had arrived, memorise it, switch back to the app and enter it...

With banking transactions, this became a clear liability. A mistake in the entry and the whole process had to be initiated all over again.

The last straw that got telecom operators to move away were SIM swaps where OTPs were used to gain control over the user's phone and drain bank accounts

A new system is being piloted where one software layer will talk to another to verify mobile numbers and approve  transactions automatically. Users don't have to intervene.

OTPs will probably disappear over time.

And life will probably be a lot safer and definitely less stressful as well.

2020 was a leap year

The Olympics did not happen.

The races were in hospitals and clinical laboratories

Time stood still even while weeks and months came and went

We discovered how it felt to be stuck in a loop.

Masks became symbols of protection, not aggression

Travel was largely in our thoughts

And a cough set off waves of panic.

Screens became the core of our interactions.

And vaccines the saviors

We were glued to scorecards of the spread of cases.

Denied the simple pleasures of eating out or hugging close friends, we craved them.

And yet, marriages took place, babies were born and life continued.

So what does 2021 hold? Now that we’re practically at the end of it, it remains to be seen what ‘22 will hold.

The new year resolution is to survive

We've moved to an online existence.

Seeking out the solace of binge watches and parties in absentia.

There's a clear divide between people required to be outside all the time

And those who are told to stay home 

Graduations and love stories are scripted in a void.

Prayers have to be confined to the heart.

We're trying to press 'Pause' and 'Play' in unison

The masks have started to slip. The crowds are surging

But somewhere at the back of our mind

Fear and fantasy keep swapping places.

The charge of the local brigade

In India, Jio is getting local merchants online.

Will the charge of the local brigade succeed?.

Each of us receives messages to help small local shops

But that involves going around to each of them in the area to find what you want.

It was the only way to do it before Flipkart and Amazon arrived.

People care about their own convenience. And prices.

And between whipping out the mobile phone or taking a vehicle out to buy something, what do you think most people will settle for?

Intentions don't matter, actions do.

Sook is a browser extension for Chrome.

The developer, Jonathan Sandals is approaching local shopping from another angle.

He's going city by city

To begin with, he's aggregated local merchants in Seattle.

So, people living in the city can add the browser extension, to shop local online.

Without having to go to individual websites of the local shops. And registering at each one.

Aggregation is the only way it will work.

But this is bottom up, not top down.

Of course, the shop has to have a website, or else it won't work

In India, the shops will probably be built on WhatsApp

But this idea has legs.

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