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Updated September 2026: this page previously carried a December 2020 item, written in the voice of an unnamed "editorial office", claiming that Covid-19 vaccines being prepared for India were ineffective and linking to a petition. Those claims were not supported by evidence. The item has been replaced with this correction. This is general information, not medical advice.

In December 2020, this site published a short item attributing claims to unnamed doctors at a Delhi hospital: that the vaccine based on a chimpanzee adenovirus was worthless, and that Indians were being given a placebo. It named no sources that could be checked, and it did not reflect the published trial evidence. It should not have been published here.

What was the vaccine the item referred to?

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which uses a modified chimpanzee adenovirus to carry instructions for the coronavirus spike protein. In India it was manufactured by the Serum Institute of India as Covishield. It received emergency use approval from India's drug regulator in January 2021, alongside Covaxin, and India's vaccination programme began that month.

Where did the efficacy figures come from?

Interim results from the Oxford-AstraZeneca trials, announced in November 2020, reported efficacy that varied by dosing: around 62 percent with two full doses, higher with a different dosing pattern, and about 70 percent on average. The 62 percent figure in the original item came from these results. Efficacy at that level against symptomatic disease is not a "placebo", and protection against severe illness was higher.

Why was the original item a problem?

It presented unverified claims as fact, relied on anonymous sources and encouraged readers to act on them. Health misinformation can lead people to avoid treatment or vaccination that would protect them. This site does not cover medicine, and the item was outside what it should publish.

Where can you find reliable information?

• India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, for national guidance.
• The World Health Organization, for international guidance and evidence summaries.
• Your own doctor, for advice about your health and any vaccine.

What has changed on this site?

The original text and its outbound links have been removed. Future content stays within the site's own subjects, and any factual error found in an older post is corrected in place with a note like this one, rather than removed silently.

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Updated September 2026: in 2020 I prepared carefully for a festive sale to buy an iPhone 11, with cards, coupons and addresses ready, only to find my chosen shopping site had not listed that model while a competitor had. I have rewritten it into a guide to buying a phone in India's big online sales.

After waiting a long time, I had decided on the iPhone 11 at a festive-sale price. When the sale opened just after midnight, the site I had prepared on did not have the iPhone 11 at all, only other models that were either older or over my budget. As the time went past midnight, I was wavering again, while a competing site had its own offer.

How should you prepare for a phone sale?

• Check which models are listed in the sale preview on every major site, not just one.
• Note the normal price using a price tracker, so you can judge the sale price.
• Check card offers for each site; bank discounts often decide which site is cheapest.
• Save your address and payment method in advance, and log in before the sale starts.

Why do sites list different models?

Sales depend on stock and negotiated deals, so each site features different phones. A model missing from one sale may be the headline deal on another. Comparing across sites before the sale avoids the surprise I had.

How do you judge the real price?

Add everything up: listed price, minus bank instant discount, minus exchange value if you trade in, plus any charges. Compare that effective price across sites. The biggest headline discount is not always the lowest final price.

Should you buy at midnight?

Only for deals that sell out quickly. Many sale prices last for days, and prices sometimes drop further. Deciding at midnight under pressure makes impulse buys more likely; set your target price and model beforehand and stick to it.

What if your chosen phone is not on sale?

Wait for the next sale or buy the best alternative within budget. Festive sales happen several times a year, and older iPhones tend to get cheaper over time. Missing one sale is rarely costly.

Keep reading

• Apple Watch Series 8 Revisited: Which Watch to Buy
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Updated September 2026: in June 2020, after the client's new requirements made two weeks of work redundant, my manager added me to the opportunity to "assist", and the onsite team started addressing all the work to me, although I had no defined role. I have rewritten it into advice on handling being copied in and suddenly treated as the owner.

The client's new requirements meant the previous two weeks' effort was wasted. My manager then looped me back in to support and assist wherever needed. The onsite team read that simple email as a handover and started sending every task to me, though I had no role defined. Then leadership asked my manager for information on existing accounts, and he started acting as though he now owned the whole piece.

Why does "please assist" cause confusion?

Because it does not say who owns what. Recipients fill the gap with assumptions: the new person is taking over, or the manager is stepping back. Everyone acts on a different picture, and work lands on whoever answers first.

What should you do when you are copied in?

• Ask your manager what your role is in one line: owner, contributor or reviewer.
• Reply to the thread with that role, so the onsite team knows too.
• Redirect requests that belong to the owner, politely and with the owner copied.

How do you redirect without seeming unhelpful?

Offer the help you can give while pointing to the owner: "Happy to pull the case studies for this; [owner] is leading the solution slides." That keeps goodwill and keeps the roles clear.

What if you end up owning it anyway?

Then make it official. Ask your manager to confirm the change of ownership in writing, and agree the scope and deadline afresh. Owning work informally, without the authority to decide, is the worst of both positions.

How do you handle a manager who takes over parts unexpectedly?

Clarify the split: which parts they lead, which you lead, who talks to leadership. When a manager takes on a leadership request, it is reasonable for them to own it, as long as everyone knows where their part ends and yours begins.

Keep reading

• Delivering the Out-of-the-Box Slides Onsite Wants
• Quality-Checking an RFP Response at Short Notice
• Picking Up a Half-Finished Deck From a Colleague

Updated September 2026: in 2020, after sending an onsite team the documents they wanted, I set an out-of-office saying I would have no email access and would respond after my vacation. To my surprise, nobody contacted me during the break. I have rewritten it into a guide to writing an out-of-office message that protects your leave.

I had expected the onsite team to keep sending change requests while I was away, as they had before. So immediately after sending the documents, I set an out-of-office message: no access to email, replies after my vacation. Not a single email came from them about the request during my leave.

What should an out-of-office message say?

• Your return date.
• That you will not be checking email, if that is the case. Say it plainly.
• One contact for urgent matters, who has agreed to cover.
• What happens to other messages: for example, "I will reply after I return."

Why does a firm message work better?

Because people adjust to what you tell them. A message that says you are unreachable leads senders to find another route or wait. A message that says you will check occasionally invites them to expect replies, and they will keep writing.

Should you name a contact in the message?

Yes, if someone has agreed to cover. It gives urgent requests somewhere to go. Name one person, not several, and brief them before you leave.

When should the message go on?

When you actually stop work, not days before. And send a final update to active stakeholders on your last day, so they are not relying on an automatic reply to learn you are away.

What should you do on your last day before leave?

Send the documents or updates people are waiting for, as I did, so there is nothing outstanding for them to chase. Close or hand over open threads, update any shared tracker, and tell your manager what is pending. A clean last day is what makes a quiet leave possible.

What if something truly urgent happens?

Agree one emergency route with your manager, such as a phone call for a defined situation. Then disconnect from email completely. That protects the rest of the break from the steady drip of non-urgent messages.

Keep reading

• Returning From Leave While Working From Home
• Picking Up a Half-Finished Deck From a Colleague
• Copied In to Assist, Now Treated as the Owner?

Updated September 2026: in 2020 I returned from leave to work from home under lockdown. My manager opened by asking about the Covid situation where I was, then assigned a short-deadline opportunity with the same teams I had struggled with. I have rewritten it into advice for resuming work after leave while working remotely.

I hoped for a quiet first day back. The morning was calm. Then my manager messaged, asking about the coronavirus situation in my hometown and telling me to stay safe. A few minutes later he came to the point: a new opportunity with the same onsite and offshore teams as before, with a short deadline.

How do you restart well after leave when remote?

• Check in with your manager on the first morning, by call if possible.
• Read team updates before diving into your inbox.
• Confirm your equipment and access work: VPN, tools and any password that expired while you were away.
• Tell key contacts you are back, so requests come to you directly.

How do you respond to a short-deadline assignment on day one?

Ask what the deliverable and deadline are, and whether anything reusable exists from the last opportunity with the same teams. Agree scope in writing before starting. A tight deadline is exactly when an unclear scope costs the most.

How do you work again with teams you struggled with?

Use what you learned last time. If the problem was repeated changes, set up a change log from the start. If it was unclear ownership, agree who approves what at kickoff. Remote work makes written agreements even more important, because there are fewer informal conversations to fix misunderstandings.

How do you avoid being overloaded on the first day?

Ask what else is expected of you before accepting the new assignment, and whether any older work has resurfaced during your leave. Agree priorities with your manager in one conversation, rather than picking up requests one at a time as they arrive.

How do you stay visible when working from home?

Send short status updates at predictable times, keep your camera on in key calls where possible, and respond within agreed hours. Remote workers are easy to forget, and visibility is what keeps you in consideration for good work, not just urgent work.

Keep reading

• An Out-of-Office Message That Protects Your Leave
• Picking Up a Half-Finished Deck From a Colleague
• Quality-Checking an RFP Response at Short Notice

Updated September 2026: in February 2020, after two quiet days, my manager told me new work had arrived that looked complicated and would take two weeks. From experience, his estimates tended to be the reverse of reality. I have rewritten it into advice on calibrating the estimates you are given for new work.

After two hard weeks of leadership reviews and a difficult account team, I had two days free. Then my manager messaged that new work had arrived: complicated, about two weeks of effort. Two worries followed. When he called work easy, it usually turned out hard, and the reverse; and when he said two days, it tended to take the whole week.

Why are handed-down estimates often wrong?

Because the person giving them is usually not the one doing the work, and has heard only a summary. Some managers overstate effort to secure capacity; others understate it to get a quick yes. Neither is dishonest, but both mislead.

How do you calibrate someone's estimates?

Keep a simple record: what was estimated, what it actually took. After a few requests, you will see a pattern, such as a manager who is consistently optimistic by a factor of two. Knowing the pattern is more useful than guessing each time.

What questions give you a better estimate?

• What exactly is the deliverable, and in what format?
• What already exists that can be reused?
• Who else is involved, and what do they owe?
• When is the first review, and when is the final deadline?

Answers to these let you form your own estimate within a day.

How do you share your estimate?

Share it with your manager with the reasoning: "Given two review rounds and the pricing dependency, I think this is about eight days." A reasoned estimate is hard to dismiss, and it gives your manager something to plan with.

Should you enjoy the quiet days before the work starts?

Yes, but use part of them to prepare. Gather the reusable material, read the client's background and set up the files. When the work turns out larger than promised, those two days of preparation are what keep it from spilling into evenings.

What if the estimate is wrong anyway?

Update it as soon as you know. Say what changed and the new expected date. Early revisions are routine; late surprises damage trust.

Keep reading

• Copied In to Assist, Now Treated as the Owner?
• When a Complaint Reaches You Through Your Manager
• Returning From Leave While Working From Home

Updated September 2026: in early 2020 the onsite team changed the direction of a service request and kept saying they wanted "out of the box" thinking, while my manager kept adding suggestions that did not match the client's needs. I have rewritten it into advice on delivering creative solution slides that onsite teams actually accept.

After a weekend spent on slides based on my manager's inputs, the onsite team changed direction with new options entirely. Each day they said they were unhappy and wanted more creative thinking, while my manager added suggestions of his own that missed the client's requirements. It continued for about a week, and with my leave approaching, the work passed to my manager to continue.

What does "out of the box" usually mean?

Rarely something wild. It usually means the slides look generic: a standard methodology and capability pitch that could go to any client. What the onsite team wants is a solution that clearly responds to this client's situation, with a point of view.

How do you make solution slides less generic?

• Start from the client's problem, in their words, on the first slide.
• Show a specific approach for their constraints, not a generic framework.
• Include one idea they did not ask for but will value, such as a phased option or a quick win.
• Use their data: volumes, locations or systems from the questionnaire.

How do you get clarity on what the onsite team wants?

Ask for an example. "Can you show me a slide from a past proposal that had the thinking you want?" is a fair question and often more useful than any description. Ask what the client reacted to in earlier discussions.

How do you handle a manager's off-track suggestions?

Test them against the client's requirements, openly. "How does this address their scope?" is neutral and usually settles it. If it does not, share both versions with the onsite team and let them choose, rather than building two decks.

What should you hand over before leave?

A clear note of the onsite team's latest feedback, the current direction and the open questions. When work passes to someone else mid-way, the feedback history is what stops them repeating the same week of rejected drafts.

Keep reading

• Writing a Client Questionnaire at the Start of an RFP
• Picking Up a Half-Finished Deck From a Colleague
• Copied In to Assist, Now Treated as the Owner?