This Week I Learned - Week #236

This Week I Learned -

* With the native integration between Azure Cosmos DB and Azure Functions, you can simply add a trigger function directly from your Azure Cosmos DB account. The benefit of a trigger function is that it only executes when an event happens, which triggers a function call. Using Functions and Azure Cosmos DB, you can create and deploy event-driven, planet-scale serverless apps with extremely low-latency access against very rich data for a large number of customers across the globe.

* SQL Server Developer offers free images for development/testing (not production). You only pay to run the operating system (OS) in the virtual machine. SQL Server Express’ images are free-licensed for lightweight production workloads. If you want to run a lightweight workload in production (GB/database), then use the free-licensed SQL Server Express edition. A SQL Express VM will only charge for the cost of the VM, not SQL licensing.

* Alexa, Amazon’s voice-assistant, is the cloud-based brain of Echo,  the voice-controlled family of speakers.

* YouTube has audio version of complete books read out by netizens.

A zipper has about 12 components

* Belgian born Jean Dreze has lived in Indian since the late 70s, earning his PhD at the Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi, and becoming an Indian citizen in 2002. He is considered to be one of the world's finest development economists

* Over the past three years, you would have seen a 2.5% decline in the rate of interest that you earn from your FDs, from 8.75% to 6.25% . However, in terms of actual income, that's a reduction of 40%. Over the past year, a FD would have yielded 7% interest, which was the rate in late 2016. Over the same period, an average liquid fund, which has negligible risk and variability, would have yielded 7.5%. That's 10% higher in terms of earnings. Interest is income, while mutual fund returns are capital gains. When you receive interest from a deposit, the entire thing is considered income. However, when you withdraw money from your mutual fund investment, a part of it is the original principal you invested, which is obviously tax-free.

* "This fake news/WhatsApp forwards industry -- and especially, the use of it in politics -- is one of the biggest threats to our world today"

Comments