Sunday, October 21, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
The smartest Futurist on earth ?
http://spiritof.info/discovery/articles/cnnmoney/discovery.cnnmoney.story3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil
Seems more controversial than a bunch of politicians to me :o)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil
Seems more controversial than a bunch of politicians to me :o)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Friday, September 07, 2007
7 Ways of handliing criticism
Nobody likes being criticised but, unfortunately it is a fact of life. To be able to respond to criticism with nobility and detachment is an important life skill, which few people have. If we respond to criticism without careful consideration, it can easily lead to unnecessary suffering.
1. What Can I Learn from Criticism?
Most criticism is probably based, at least in part, on some truths. Criticism may appear negative. But, through criticism we have the opportunity to learn and improve from their suggestions.
2. Respond to the suggestions not the tone of the criticism.
The problem is that people may make valuable critical suggestions. However, there tone and style of criticism means that we respond not to the suggestions but remember there confrontational manner. In this respect we need to separate the criticism from the style of criticism. Even if people speak in a tone of anger, we should try to detach their emotion from the useful suggestions which lie underneath.
3. Value criticism.
The problems is that quite often, we only value praise. When people speak kind words we feel happy. When people criticise we feel miserable. However, if we only received insincere praise and false flattery, how would we ever make progress? If we wish to improve and develop we should invite constructive criticism and appreciate their suggestions.
4. Don’t take it personally.
This is often the biggest problem which occurs with regard to criticism. If I criticise my Mother’s cooking, she feels personally offended. But, it is a mistake to identify ourselves with an apple pie. Somebody may find good reasons why our cooking is bad; but, this does not mean they are criticising ourselves. When people criticise us directly, we should feel they are not criticising our real self; but, just an unillumined aspect of ourselves. When we criticise others, we are perhaps criticising their pride or jealousy; but, the jealousy is a mere passing emotion, it is not the real person.
5. Ignore False Criticism.
Sometimes we are criticised with no justification. This is a painful experience. But, potentially we can deal with it more easily than criticism which is justified. One option is to remain aloof and ignore it completely. We should feel that false criticism is as insignificant as an ant trying to harm an elephant. If we remain silent and detached the criticism is given no energy. If we feel the necessity of fighting it - in a way, we give it more importance than it deserves. By remaining silent we maintain a dignity that others will come to respect.
6. Don’t Respond Immediately
It is best to wait a little before responding. If we respond with feelings of anger or injured pride we will soon regret it. If we wait patiently it can enable us to reflect in a calmer way.
7. Smile
Smiling, even a false smile, can helps us to relax more. It creates a more positive vibration and smoothes the situation. It will definitely help psychologically. Smiling will motivate the other person to moderate their approach.
1. What Can I Learn from Criticism?
Most criticism is probably based, at least in part, on some truths. Criticism may appear negative. But, through criticism we have the opportunity to learn and improve from their suggestions.
2. Respond to the suggestions not the tone of the criticism.
The problem is that people may make valuable critical suggestions. However, there tone and style of criticism means that we respond not to the suggestions but remember there confrontational manner. In this respect we need to separate the criticism from the style of criticism. Even if people speak in a tone of anger, we should try to detach their emotion from the useful suggestions which lie underneath.
3. Value criticism.
The problems is that quite often, we only value praise. When people speak kind words we feel happy. When people criticise we feel miserable. However, if we only received insincere praise and false flattery, how would we ever make progress? If we wish to improve and develop we should invite constructive criticism and appreciate their suggestions.
4. Don’t take it personally.
This is often the biggest problem which occurs with regard to criticism. If I criticise my Mother’s cooking, she feels personally offended. But, it is a mistake to identify ourselves with an apple pie. Somebody may find good reasons why our cooking is bad; but, this does not mean they are criticising ourselves. When people criticise us directly, we should feel they are not criticising our real self; but, just an unillumined aspect of ourselves. When we criticise others, we are perhaps criticising their pride or jealousy; but, the jealousy is a mere passing emotion, it is not the real person.
5. Ignore False Criticism.
Sometimes we are criticised with no justification. This is a painful experience. But, potentially we can deal with it more easily than criticism which is justified. One option is to remain aloof and ignore it completely. We should feel that false criticism is as insignificant as an ant trying to harm an elephant. If we remain silent and detached the criticism is given no energy. If we feel the necessity of fighting it - in a way, we give it more importance than it deserves. By remaining silent we maintain a dignity that others will come to respect.
6. Don’t Respond Immediately
It is best to wait a little before responding. If we respond with feelings of anger or injured pride we will soon regret it. If we wait patiently it can enable us to reflect in a calmer way.
7. Smile
Smiling, even a false smile, can helps us to relax more. It creates a more positive vibration and smoothes the situation. It will definitely help psychologically. Smiling will motivate the other person to moderate their approach.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Life is a mess
The necessity of a single man to eat outside food, is born out of a necessity than a regularity. More so for me, with my "good" cooking skills.
Although initially I used to get away with "decent" food, which to me meant pizza or an S-Class Restaurant. It takes wisdom under the bodhi tree at the end of a few months to realize the importance of frugality which then decides to re-align the definition of "decent". And with the new enlightened vision, you get to see hitherto unseen places to eat around you.
Once such selection is the R.R.I Mess. The mess is very similar to any mess you may have in your imagination. A house in the middle of nowehere in one of the crossings of the main road. A corridor that leads to a medium sized room, ideally stacked with long tables and chairs. No token-system. The owner sits outside the main hall, and that is probably to ensure that he has the right headcount, and the confidence that anyone going in has to come out some time (or day). A couple of large photos of gods with flowers around. The food starts with two chappatis, and curry. The plates are banana leaves. An unusual practice is for the servers to place a pinch of salt, and pickles first on the plate. I'm not very sure there do that but it happens with an eerie precision and regularity.
The rice comes in a bowl, and the rest of items are quickly laid out on the leaf. The service is quick silent, and efficent. The food costs onlt Rs15/-, so there is an assortment of gentlemen on every table. Yes. And there is a gentlemanly scramble for places to sit. People throw their hankies, towels to "reserve a palce while they go to wash their hands. Some daredevils and risk-takers, their mobile phones or watches (perhaps in the belief that the gods from the large pictures above are watching over).
The food is quintessentially south indian vegetarian with a Keralite Touch. Which is pleasing to my appetite. And the re-fuelling happens at a very fast pace. Only the rice and Papad are limited in quantity and need to be ordered extra if needed. But usually never, because the quantity is what I would call "ideal". More so for the bunch that comes here everyday. Once my table "partner" told me he came here every ewek from a place that was 25Kms away because he is now married (Apparently he used to hang out here when he was not).
The owner is a typical keralite (Combed Thick black oily hair, beard, checked full shirt and a dhoti). Genial guy, he sometimes gives "discounts" to regular customers (He waived Rs 5/- off once when I did not have change. And he was neveer to ask for it again). Once lunch is done, everyone is expected to gert up as soon as possible and stop loitering around the place to extend the courtesy to the waiting otheres.
Usually, the food ends with fennel seeds and a contented mind.....J
Although initially I used to get away with "decent" food, which to me meant pizza or an S-Class Restaurant. It takes wisdom under the bodhi tree at the end of a few months to realize the importance of frugality which then decides to re-align the definition of "decent". And with the new enlightened vision, you get to see hitherto unseen places to eat around you.
Once such selection is the R.R.I Mess. The mess is very similar to any mess you may have in your imagination. A house in the middle of nowehere in one of the crossings of the main road. A corridor that leads to a medium sized room, ideally stacked with long tables and chairs. No token-system. The owner sits outside the main hall, and that is probably to ensure that he has the right headcount, and the confidence that anyone going in has to come out some time (or day). A couple of large photos of gods with flowers around. The food starts with two chappatis, and curry. The plates are banana leaves. An unusual practice is for the servers to place a pinch of salt, and pickles first on the plate. I'm not very sure there do that but it happens with an eerie precision and regularity.
The rice comes in a bowl, and the rest of items are quickly laid out on the leaf. The service is quick silent, and efficent. The food costs onlt Rs15/-, so there is an assortment of gentlemen on every table. Yes. And there is a gentlemanly scramble for places to sit. People throw their hankies, towels to "reserve a palce while they go to wash their hands. Some daredevils and risk-takers, their mobile phones or watches (perhaps in the belief that the gods from the large pictures above are watching over).
The food is quintessentially south indian vegetarian with a Keralite Touch. Which is pleasing to my appetite. And the re-fuelling happens at a very fast pace. Only the rice and Papad are limited in quantity and need to be ordered extra if needed. But usually never, because the quantity is what I would call "ideal". More so for the bunch that comes here everyday. Once my table "partner" told me he came here every ewek from a place that was 25Kms away because he is now married (Apparently he used to hang out here when he was not).
The owner is a typical keralite (Combed Thick black oily hair, beard, checked full shirt and a dhoti). Genial guy, he sometimes gives "discounts" to regular customers (He waived Rs 5/- off once when I did not have change. And he was neveer to ask for it again). Once lunch is done, everyone is expected to gert up as soon as possible and stop loitering around the place to extend the courtesy to the waiting otheres.
Usually, the food ends with fennel seeds and a contented mind.....J
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Zeitgeist: 2007 The Movie
Here is the movie - Kind of old, but new theory I would say.
The video editing is slick. The story boarding technique is typical where explosive and poignant images come up to shake the viewer, and make him/her mold-eable to a conclusion that is backed by sources. Unfortunately, the book-sources for Part I, II, and III include books that have been oft-quoted and heavily criticised (Acharya S, Gerald Massey anyone ?). Looking at it from the other side, this is a piece of brilliant storytelling, and an entirely believable concept. The problem being that "intellectuals" ask for imminent proof of open secrets (like who exactly benefits from the Oil war. BTW my next post would be a comparison of oil consumption in the US versus the rest of the world-believe the figures or not). And this may become one of the "Good Documentaries" that people watch and then forget over time.
The video editing is slick. The story boarding technique is typical where explosive and poignant images come up to shake the viewer, and make him/her mold-eable to a conclusion that is backed by sources. Unfortunately, the book-sources for Part I, II, and III include books that have been oft-quoted and heavily criticised (Acharya S, Gerald Massey anyone ?). Looking at it from the other side, this is a piece of brilliant storytelling, and an entirely believable concept. The problem being that "intellectuals" ask for imminent proof of open secrets (like who exactly benefits from the Oil war. BTW my next post would be a comparison of oil consumption in the US versus the rest of the world-believe the figures or not). And this may become one of the "Good Documentaries" that people watch and then forget over time.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
This is the text of the Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005.
I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?
It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.
And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.
It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:
Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.
None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.
Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.
I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.
I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.
During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.
I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.
I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.
This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope its the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
Thank you all very much.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Paris La Economique
While returning from Barcelona, I got my Paris-Bengaluru return postponed for a day. I wanted to spend some time in Paris. It was the first time I decided to travel-around without company. Which turned out to be a rather memorable experience.
Now, I needed an Agenda. I chalked out Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame, and Arc De Triumph. Got a map at the Barcelona Aitport. Figured that if I could somehow get a good deal at any place nearby, I would just dop my luggage and start touristing.
The tourist information counter at the Charles De Gaulle Airport was very good in pointing out a 60 Euro/night hotel in Paris, called the Au Palais De Chatillon. This hotel is at Raymond Poincare, which led to the Eiffel Tower (When I went back and told me colleagues about this they could'nt believe that there is actually a decent place that comes that economical. The Caldes Hotel in Spain had cost me 120 Euros per Night !).
The rooom was very small, on the 4th floor (The fact that the hotel did not have a lift, was a bit disconcerting, but probably okay). It was very neatly kept room with a tiny equally spotless pastel shaded shower-only bathroom.
Now, I needed an Agenda. I chalked out Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame, and Arc De Triumph. Got a map at the Barcelona Aitport. Figured that if I could somehow get a good deal at any place nearby, I would just dop my luggage and start touristing.
The tourist information counter at the Charles De Gaulle Airport was very good in pointing out a 60 Euro/night hotel in Paris, called the Au Palais De Chatillon. This hotel is at Raymond Poincare, which led to the Eiffel Tower (When I went back and told me colleagues about this they could'nt believe that there is actually a decent place that comes that economical. The Caldes Hotel in Spain had cost me 120 Euros per Night !).
The rooom was very small, on the 4th floor (The fact that the hotel did not have a lift, was a bit disconcerting, but probably okay). It was very neatly kept room with a tiny equally spotless pastel shaded shower-only bathroom.
I just strew my luggage and went out. The route I took is over here in Wayfaring. It is as below (I hope this looks good on Blog. I'm using this for the second time).
The Louvre Museum guys were on a strike because of this reason (I dont understand a single word of french, but could deduce this was something to do with pay rise - Is it not everytime ?).
Anyway, so the place had a free entry (No logic ?). The place is very ancient and a wonderful sight. Especially for those who remember "The Da Vinci Code" by heart. And I was not the only one. The Louvre inside was full of Tourists who were specifically looking for the Mona Lisa. In spite of the fact that I could see posters of the Mona Lisa with directions, every tourist was heard asking each other where it was.
The room with the Painting is a bit isolated and is also in soft light. Cameras with flashes are discouraged. But due to the scarcity of administration staff, it was turned into a "flashy" scenario. People amusingly just fell short of getting their pictures taken while they hugged the painting. It is only 2-D, so saved ! Nike - The winged goddess of victory was not. There were some Korean tourists who had their pics taken while they put their hand around the sculpture !
I safely could get a small video of Mona Lisa.
It was a long walk that I took along the river Seine. I would guarantee it is definitely worth a try if you are a fan of walking. Just follow my Wayfaring route
The night was well spent in a Hagen Daaz on the street overlooking the Arc De Triumph. Air France operates a car service that could actually pick me up quite close by and drop me at the Charles De Gaulle Airport. A day well spent.
The Lemonade Game
Think you are a Hotshot MBA, armed with killer marketing skills ?
Just try winning at this !
Insane Central Arcade
Just try winning at this !
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Poor Man's YouTube
I bought this Reliance data card connection. I got carried away by the impressive pro's of this device. Connect seamlessly across 5700 towns ? Thats a boon. Who knows I may have to work from Lakshwadeep sometime. Access speeds upto 144Mbps ! 1GB Transfer per month at just Rs 650 ! To top it, they have cool pictures of intelligent looking people sitting probably somewhere in Goa, hooked on to their laptops. I was beginning to imagine myself amongst them.
So I went into the nearest Web World and got myself a connection that took only about 1/2 hr (I had all proofs with me). Little was I to know the future. I excitedly brought the setup home, and inserted the card, installed software.....blah blah..
The connection is so pathetically slow, it is not even 1.44Kbps (The faithful dashboard told me that my average data transfer rate was 0.09Kbps). On top of it, Reliance Coverage was not very strong inside my living room (coverage-wise they are better than Hutch). So I cannot lie down on my couch and surf the web, as I previously imagined. I had to move to the balcony and point my laptop wierdly in directions. The kids next door stopped their play and watched me eagerly, expecting me to drop my PC anytime and create an amusement break for them. To me, not much avail. The speed did improve, but it became a measly 2Kbps. Google took 15 seconds to load.
The images of me zipping across my car, and checking my mail from a remote location started blurring into insignificance. Youtube and Google Earth became a distant dream. Blogging has become a big pain. I sometimes double posted my comments, and had to waste as much as an hour trying to correct small typos. Suddenly a dial-up connection seemed faster.
This thing is a big rip-off. I'm sure Airtel is no better. The Worst is that the damn card reduces your on-battery time of your laptop by Half !!My Thinkpad T42 already gives me a degraded 2 hrs on Battery. Now it is reduced to 1 Hr !! (This is a ZTE Card). It is unfathomable of how could people come up with such a stupid product-cum-service that a) Sucks your battery dry, b) Gives you a speed of connection that can go down on speeds so unimaginaby slow, that the software makers probably had good sense to put in 4-5 decimal places before zero whie computing speed.
A silver lining is that I discovered the poor cousin of Youtube. It is called scribd (I think someone made this stupid rule that any site to "sound" web2.0, should have a name that is a verb, but missing one or two vowels in their name. Eg Flickr ?). I have started going through some of the material posted, and some articles seem to make good reading as well. Some articles, though are extremely hilarious.
So I went into the nearest Web World and got myself a connection that took only about 1/2 hr (I had all proofs with me). Little was I to know the future. I excitedly brought the setup home, and inserted the card, installed software.....blah blah..
The connection is so pathetically slow, it is not even 1.44Kbps (The faithful dashboard told me that my average data transfer rate was 0.09Kbps). On top of it, Reliance Coverage was not very strong inside my living room (coverage-wise they are better than Hutch). So I cannot lie down on my couch and surf the web, as I previously imagined. I had to move to the balcony and point my laptop wierdly in directions. The kids next door stopped their play and watched me eagerly, expecting me to drop my PC anytime and create an amusement break for them. To me, not much avail. The speed did improve, but it became a measly 2Kbps. Google took 15 seconds to load.
The images of me zipping across my car, and checking my mail from a remote location started blurring into insignificance. Youtube and Google Earth became a distant dream. Blogging has become a big pain. I sometimes double posted my comments, and had to waste as much as an hour trying to correct small typos. Suddenly a dial-up connection seemed faster.
This thing is a big rip-off. I'm sure Airtel is no better. The Worst is that the damn card reduces your on-battery time of your laptop by Half !!My Thinkpad T42 already gives me a degraded 2 hrs on Battery. Now it is reduced to 1 Hr !! (This is a ZTE Card). It is unfathomable of how could people come up with such a stupid product-cum-service that a) Sucks your battery dry, b) Gives you a speed of connection that can go down on speeds so unimaginaby slow, that the software makers probably had good sense to put in 4-5 decimal places before zero whie computing speed.
A silver lining is that I discovered the poor cousin of Youtube. It is called scribd (I think someone made this stupid rule that any site to "sound" web2.0, should have a name that is a verb, but missing one or two vowels in their name. Eg Flickr ?). I have started going through some of the material posted, and some articles seem to make good reading as well. Some articles, though are extremely hilarious.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
dEviL's Guide to Barcelona
I had to good chance to visit Barcelona on an official trip :) Here was what I did.a) Mug up some decent Spanish terms. Examples.
i)"Por Donde se va" => "Where is..." {This was very helpful}
ii)"Como Estas" =>"How is/are"
iii)"No entiendo espanol"=>"I do not speak Spanish {Of course!}
Some Good sites to learn Spanish can be googled out. Here, here, and so on.... Barcelona: A small place in Catalonia/Catalunya, which is an autonomous community in Spain. Spain considers it a district in Spain, but as the Catalonians. They claim it is a country or close to that and it has its own elected parliment and government, a distinct culture, and also its own language-The Catalan..
b) Go to Spain and land at Barcelona Airport. Air France operates a Bangalore to Paris Direct and a connecting flight from Paris to Barcelona (Yes. I did visit Paris for a day when I returned. The next blog entry will be on Paris) . I was supposed to wait for a colleague to share a taxi, but both of our mobiles' roaming facility did not activate on time and we missed each other. Talk about going to a telecom seminar. The least they could have done is to provide free roaming to the delegates, huh.
c) Found out that my hotel was a good 35Km away from Barcelona ! Had to take a cab and try all my Spanish at him, which was a pretty pathetic event. The good thing was that the cabbie knew where Caldes de Montbui was.
d) The Place: Very scenic small town famous for its Balneari, which is an Ancient Roman Bathouse, found in the 1st and 2nd Century BC. There are hot springs at some corners which spout water at 76Deg C constantly ! e) Getting Around Caldes: The Hotel Vila de Caldes has cycles that they give out fo no extra charge to the hotel inmates. Along with a map. It makes an excellent trip. I visited the Thermales Musea de caldes and the House Dels Delger
f) Get to Work: Won't bore you with my work (I'm going to 
document that in a private company confidential memo shortly). The typical day at Barcelona starts not before 9.00AM. The place is dark until around until then. This, my colleague told me was because Spain chose to be aligned with the rest of Europe on their time, whereas being on the far east of europe they should in fact be behind France by a couple of hours or so (unverified). The Spanish are notoriously famous for taking off after lunch (Siesta), and I actually saw that even the shopkeepers were half Shut after lunch. Had a good time roaming around Plaza De Catalunya. There is an official Barca Merchandize outlet, but they quote astronomical prices (E60 for a T-Shirt that was made in Bangladesh. Probably Commercial Street can give some something for E0.6 on the same terms of quality and print)
document that in a private company confidential memo shortly). The typical day at Barcelona starts not before 9.00AM. The place is dark until around until then. This, my colleague told me was because Spain chose to be aligned with the rest of Europe on their time, whereas being on the far east of europe they should in fact be behind France by a couple of hours or so (unverified). The Spanish are notoriously famous for taking off after lunch (Siesta), and I actually saw that even the shopkeepers were half Shut after lunch. Had a good time roaming around Plaza De Catalunya. There is an official Barca Merchandize outlet, but they quote astronomical prices (E60 for a T-Shirt that was made in Bangladesh. Probably Commercial Street can give some something for E0.6 on the same terms of quality and print)g) The Food: A Vegetarian guide :) All restaurants open for dinner only at 8.30PM in the night. Except for the days when there is a soccer match, when they open after the match is over.
i) Tapas: Appetizers in Spanish Cusine. I had the Patatas Bravas which is very much like the Aaloo Fry. Tasted very good for my Indian tongue. Also olives(Aceitunas) that taste good.
i) Tapas: Appetizers in Spanish Cusine. I had the Patatas Bravas which is very much like the Aaloo Fry. Tasted very good for my Indian tongue. Also olives(Aceitunas) that taste good.
ii) The Churro, or the Spanish Donut (I was sure to ask specifically for the vegetarian potato one). This is a tasty snack that comes with a chocolate dipping.
iii) The Rice: Now one can go in for the Paella Vegetables, which is cooked rice mixed with vegetables. Bread is served dipped in tomatoes, which is a traidional dinner accompaniment (I even saw folks eating tomatoes for breakfast. In fact Gazpachos can be a meal in itself). Or if you wimp out, there'z always Pizza Margherita !
iv) Grilled Vegetables: This is only for the Le gastronome adventurus. I had this for dinner once, and must admit, did not feel very well after eating vegetables that were grilled and smothered in olive oil (without a hint of seasoning I guess). This is authentic Catalonian Cusine. The next day I settled for a catalan vegetable salad that was much better on my insides.
v) Deserts: Here is my favourite. There were pastries, cookies, cheesecakes, or simple plain yogurt...
h) The Cafes: Cafes are nice cozy outlets that are open in the night until 11.00PM. The other alternative is sports bars. And that's how the day is ended, before another dull morning. Either way, people are on the streets all the way until late night. My manuals warned me repeatedly against pickpockets. But what is it to a person who has spent his life travelling in Pondy Bazaar and Commercial Street ? Nothing.
And thereby, I end this Post. Here is my Wafaring.com map. Next Post - A cheap day in Paris......
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Throwing it open !
Bye Rhododendrons - Hi dEviLoPer !
After a lot of soul-searching, coffee, and sleeping, I have decided to rename my blog. The reason I'm renaming it is three-fold (I have a friend who has the habit of putting in a three-fold reasoning, even though the situation may be plain enough to warrant just one. The habit stuck on).
a) Re-Branding: Take the example of the onida devil, which was killed a few years back, but restored right in order. This is a very smilar case, as ppl know me as deviloper(Or as Virus which was the result of an unfortunate series of events in college) more than probably rhododendrons (an alias that I used to chat with unsuspecting ppl when I was in college)
b) Merging my Blogs/Gmail account: I merged my deviloper blog, my gmail account and my rhododendrons blog. This did take a lot of time...during my office hours (ppl next to my cube eould have heard the furious typing from mine).
c) The third reason as I said is really nothing. So My blog can be accessible from both
http://deviloper.blogspot.com, and
http://rhododendrons.blogspot.com
a) Re-Branding: Take the example of the onida devil, which was killed a few years back, but restored right in order. This is a very smilar case, as ppl know me as deviloper(Or as Virus which was the result of an unfortunate series of events in college) more than probably rhododendrons (an alias that I used to chat with unsuspecting ppl when I was in college)
b) Merging my Blogs/Gmail account: I merged my deviloper blog, my gmail account and my rhododendrons blog. This did take a lot of time...during my office hours (ppl next to my cube eould have heard the furious typing from mine).
c) The third reason as I said is really nothing. So My blog can be accessible from both
http://deviloper.blogspot.com, and
http://rhododendrons.blogspot.com
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Rules of Meetings
1) Never arrive on time, or you will be stamped a beginner.
2) Never carry stacks of papers/presentations to any meeting. You will be stamped as a beginner. Laptop is okay.
3) Don't say anything until the meeting is half over; this stamps you as being wise.
4) Be as vague as possible; this prevents irritating the others. Re-iterate some basic points as applied to the current meeting topic. Generally comment on processes.
5) When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.
6) Always praise someone or a team int he meeting. This elevates your status a lot and people would want you in a lot more meetings.
7) Make crude jokes on parties outside the meeting. This will make you popular
8) Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you popular - it's what everyone is waiting for.
9) Explicitly take down an easy task for yourself to do; Repeat a couple of times. Ensures you don't spend too much time after the meeting, working out detail.
10) After the meeing is over, compliment someone on their clothes. This also makes you popular. On Audio conferences, talk about the weather and Iraq.
2) Never carry stacks of papers/presentations to any meeting. You will be stamped as a beginner. Laptop is okay.
3) Don't say anything until the meeting is half over; this stamps you as being wise.
4) Be as vague as possible; this prevents irritating the others. Re-iterate some basic points as applied to the current meeting topic. Generally comment on processes.
5) When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.
6) Always praise someone or a team int he meeting. This elevates your status a lot and people would want you in a lot more meetings.
7) Make crude jokes on parties outside the meeting. This will make you popular
8) Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you popular - it's what everyone is waiting for.
9) Explicitly take down an easy task for yourself to do; Repeat a couple of times. Ensures you don't spend too much time after the meeting, working out detail.
10) After the meeing is over, compliment someone on their clothes. This also makes you popular. On Audio conferences, talk about the weather and Iraq.
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