The article has a refers to a few sources towards the end including:
One such study found that children who grew up in homes with between 80 and 350 books showed improved literacy, numeracy, and information communication technology skills as adults.
I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss this as vanity or consumerism.
Re: India. It’s very common. Large IT firms like Tech Mahindra, Cognizant etc do it. I had offers from a company where they wanted around 1 year salary of signed check. If I leave before 2 years, they use the check.
Some companies go a step ahead and keep your original documents (Degree certificate etc) so you can’t apply elsewhere after accepting offer. It’s ridiculous.
I rarely blog about interesting problems that I think could help others and sometimes gaming.