Sparklin Weekly Learnings: Chaebol System of South Korea, Brain Systems, Breathable Air on Planes and the City of Bridges

From South Korea’s corporate giants to the psychology of decision-making, from poetic coding to the hidden mechanics of in-flight oxygen—this edition is packed with insights that’ll make you see the world a little differently.

Buckle up, because we’re exploring everything from economics and tech to science, history, and travel—with a few surprises along the way. Let’s jump in! 🚀

Shreenidhi came across South Korea’s chaebol system—where powerful family-run conglomerates dominate the economy. This system has fueled incredible growth but also deep-rooted corruption and public disillusionment. With corporations prioritizing profit over people, the country has become a hyper-capitalist machine, making life so competitive and expensive that South Korea now has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. The government is scrambling to reverse this crisis with pro-family policies, but so far, nothing seems to be working. He wonders if South Korea find a way out, or is this demographic decline inevitable?

Atul picked up the book ‘Zero to One’ by Peter Thiel and was introduced to two fascinating concepts: Vertical Progress and Horizontal Progress:

In Thiel’s view, technology drives vertical progress, while globalization fuels horizontal progress. One transforms the world; the other expands it.

Omkar, our in-house Frontend genius, found a fix to a few problems with animating in React which often require third-party libraries like Motion or React Spring.

He discovered that React is experimenting with something new—the ViewTransition API, built on the browser's native View Transition API. He read a blog ‘Revealed: React's experimental animations API’ by Matt Perry which dives into how this experimental feature could change the game for React animations, making them smoother and more seamless than ever—without relying on external libraries.

Shreshtha figured that our brains run on two modes of thinking:
System 1: the fast, intuitive autopilot
System 2: the slow, deliberate decision-maker.

But here’s the twist: even when you think you’re being rational, System 1 is often calling the shots. Your gut feeling? It’s working overtime behind the scenes.

These two systems don’t just coexist—they shape every choice you make. Over time, System 1 trains System 2 through habit, making decisions feel second nature. And guess who loves hijacking this shortcut? Marketers. They know exactly how to tap into your instinctive, snap judgments before System 2 even gets a chance to step in.

Rohit dived into a fascinating white paper titled ‘The Next 700 Programming Languages’, published way back in 1966. It introduces a bold new approach to programming language design, centered around the ISWIM (If You See What I Mean) language family.

The paper envisions a future where programming languages prioritize expressiveness, abstraction, and declarative programming, while also offering a structured framework for formal reasoning about code. Even decades later, its ideas continue to influence modern programming paradigms—proof that some visions are truly ahead of their time..

Pratyush believes that every poem is a masterpiece, woven with meaning, where each word flows seamlessly into the next, painting a vivid tapestry of thoughts. Coding is no different. Every line of code harmonizes with the others, building upon each instruction to shape something elegant, functional, and beautiful. Like poetry, great code isn’t just written—it’s crafted, with rhythm, intent, and a touch of artistry.

Mayank was honestly shocked to learn how airplanes maintain breathable air at high altitudes. It turns out that jet engines play a crucial role in making sure we can breathe on a flight. The air outside the plane is incredibly thin and inhospitable, but the engines work their magic by drawing in and compressing air, then circulating it through the cabin. Multiple fans inside the engine help break down the dense air, transforming it into the perfect mix we can inhale comfortably at cruising altitude.

A friend asked Mohit, “How many Muslim scientists can you name? How many Christian scientists can you name?" At first, he was stumped and then he though: Algebra, for instance, is deeply tied to Islamic history, but how many people can name the person who invented it? Yet, everyone knows Newton's Laws of Motion, Euler's Formula, and the Bernoulli Principle—by their inventors. Why is that?

The friend’s answer: The Western world has controlled the narrative of scientific and mathematical history, partly thanks to the printing press, invented in the West. There’s truth to this, but Mohit couldn’t shake the feeling that such a powerful narrative couldn’t survive centuries without a deeper reason. So, he dug a little further.

During the Islamic Golden Age (8th–14th centuries), a period of immense intellectual growth, the pursuit of knowledge was seen as a religious duty (ilm), and scholars thrived in alchemy, chemistry, mathematics, and more. They collected, translated (that's how Indian numerals and the concept of zero made their way to Europe), and synthesized knowledge. However, their work was often seen as part of a larger continuum, with ultimate credit going to God, not individuals. This could explain why people remember the methods, but not always the names.

Then came the English Renaissance (15th–17th centuries), where Christianity and science were closely intertwined. Scientists viewed their work as a way to glorify God, seeing the natural world as a divine revelation. However, a major shift occurred with Humanism, which celebrated the potential of the individual. This is where things changed: names started to take center stage, and that's why people remember inventors like Newton and Euler.

In short, the cultural and religious influences of the times shaped how knowledge was passed down and how credit was given—from collective to individual recognition.

That’s a wrap on Weekly Learnings this week ✨

We’ll keep learning, keep growing, and perhaps make the coming week even better. Got thoughts, questions, or insights of your own to share? We’d love to hear them—drop us a hello at hello@sparklin.com and join the conversation.