#India Independence Day 1947 Pictures- Awesome!

I just got this via email - i dont know the source or the copyright information - so if someone believes this is copyrighted material and want me to take it down - i will happily comply!

Crimson Chakra - A review

I chanced apon a visit to Crimson Chakra over the weekend, and out of disdain i decided to pen down everything i thought was simply terrrible at the place.

This might be long.. uh oh! :)

firstly, the restaurant claims to be a fine dining restaurant, however, there was hardly any fine in the dining. the place was crowded, noisy and the waiters were sweaty and flustred. Now, when you come to a restaurant where you shell out so much money from your pocket, one would expect that there would be decent linen on the table, and a white pristine table cloth, well arranged napkins and adequate cuttlery. However, this was far from that. Ther was tissue paper and two table spoons on the table. There was a general mat which can be bought at LifeStyle and the glasses were very ordinary. there was no soup spoon and we had to use a table spoon. They removed all our cuttlery with the starters and did not give us alternatives for the rest of the meal.

There were no table cloths and it was this runner that ran across the table. the runner was dirty and the toilet had piping exposed and no paper/ towels.

Either there was something wrong with the water supply or it was not being filtered enough, with every dish and drink smelling of stale water, it put me off to no extent.

The drinks had no substance in them. I tried a ginger and jagery based drink which is not the best drink to have on an empty stomach considering it was quite sweet.

the soup was nxt - the first thought that comes to mind with their soup is broth. Spicy broth. there was no chicken or even a hint of it when we went through it. It was spicy rasam. very spicy rasam.


The next came the starters - the variety in meat was wide- Prawns, Fish, Chicken and Mutton, however, they were pretty similar in their taste and there were almost no accompanyments. Yes, they did provide a set of dips - but there were a 3 dips and 2 powders. Dunno what they expected people to use the spicy powders with spicy chutney and spicier starters.

The Appam - it was an insult to any true bred malayali to eat such abysmial apams. Cold, flat and thick. Appams need to be hot, crisp and cannot be brought one at a time for a large group. What are they thinking?

there ware two dishes to be had with the appam and roti, and then the biryani was brought. That was just OK. nothing great.

The sweet dishes that we got were just terrible. there was WAY too much ghee in the goosberry halwa and the other had some goo (called cotton seed souffle) coming out. finally stuck to ice cream - and had the most sour cherry on it.

All these combined, makes me think - what are people doing putting such expensive restaurants together. At 425 per head for lunch + Taxes - this si no wWAY a cheap place, and the place was in no way "fine dining"

so, they need to pull their socks up togther with some hard work - elese - i hope they see the light of six months!

#Airtel - you are bad!

I just received an SMS from Airtel -

Kindly note- All Local SMS sent on 2nd August (Friendship day) will be charged @50p/SMS. Dial 171152 (Toll Free) For more details.

On dialing the number- you get the same pre recorded message. how can they do this? if they are doing it for "friendship day" what stops them from doing the same on all other holidays.

So even though I have paid Rs 99 for unlimited SMS (9999 sms actually) per month, I pay for the sms on that day. Doesnt this correlate to extortion?

Airtel - you suck! im being open about it. You are a very bad person. The minute the number portability comes out- im outa airtel. hate you more and more!

outstanding! #quotes

The object of our Constitution makers was free movement and exchange of goods throughout India. It is essential for the economy of India and for sustaining improving living standards of its people. It should ultimately lead to one-country-one-people concept and economic benefit of the development should reach every citizen wherever he lives. The people of the state must sink and swim together. The long-run prosperity and salvation lies in union and not division. Economic unity is the main force for achieving cultural and political unity and stability and progress can be achieved only by demolishing artificial boundaries and barricades and should be sidelined.


http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/1409791-post1.html

Of luck and #entrepreneurship ! #startups

I was thinking the other day, as an entrepreneur, do i rely on luck or chance or both? well, as they say, you get lucky if you are at the right place at tht right time, but does luck play an integral part?

if you have a good day, you will think back and say - yes, i heard this song in the morning, shampooed my hair and used this soap, then there becomes a favorite soap, then it becomes the only soap you use. I think as an entrepreneur, you tend to become a lot more superstitious- so to say.

i remember during the 12th board exams - more than a decade ago, ( i like that phrase) i used to get dropped in the morning, on the way, i used to listen to music, and the days i could not listen to music in the car, i used to panic, and go and mess up the exam. then i started carrying a walkman, listening to a cassette even if the car music system did not work. So how is that relevant now?

My case exactly, if i listen to something nice in the morning, start feeling happy, then use my favouritest shampoo and soap, eat my favorite serial, and then wear my favorite dress, there is a high probability that i will hav a nice day.

now that brings me to the second point and infact, a point which i believe is quite important- positive thinking.

i believe that we should go to our day with a cheer and excitement, not or dispair... yes, there are bound to be stressful events, however, allowing those events to bog you down is not the best thing to have around.

so as an entrepreneur, i think luck plays a pivotal role, and possitive thinking paves the way for luck!

abysmal Customer service @ shopper stop?

Quite a horrifying tale of pathetic customer service at Shopper stop. considering its proximity to my place, i think i would have easily spent over 30,000 there atleast.

Its even more pathetic when it hits so close to him. My wife had visited and was talked to such...

I had visited Shopper’s on Thursday, July 23rd ’09 at about 8.00 PM. Having selected a shoe, I was waiting my turn at the billing counter. Once I got to the front, there seemed to be some trouble with the billing machine/system. Meanwhile there was an executive counting out cash (of someone else’s purchase) at the same counter.

Having waited for over 20 minutes at the counter without any billing having taken place– I happened to ask the person behind the counter if he could please let me know when the billing for my item could be done.

To which he responded in the most condescending manner “Can’t you see I’m counting out money?! If you’re so impatient – why don’t take this and count!”, and he extended the cash towards me!!
I was OUTRAGED at being responded to in such as manner – to a very polite question to which he could have given a simple answer!!!
I told him so – to which he responded again in arrogance “Don’t be so impatient the systems are also down – if you can’t wait, just leave!”. I told him I would like to meet the manager and not have him responding to a customer in SUCH A RUDE MANNER! He then billed my item in 2 minutes time and shoved it across the counter, all the while muttering to himself!

When i read this email - i was quite aghast! this is very sad! Where are we heading in this world? Does shoppers stop believe that they can get away with such a crime?

Bad doggy shoppers stop! I know for one - im going to stop going there. please do the same!

Flyby Chennai!

Whilst making our final approach to chennai domestic airport, we were flying quite low - given the fact this was an ATR. I took the liberty of trying to take a few picture, however, due to the total spaz nature of the phone, it brought the flash on even though i turned it off. The airhostess then decided to give us a tip "take a video" which was one of the most brilliant ideas i heard.

anyways, took a short clip of the approach and flgith over chennai at night. Need to go again, and shoot a better video... :)

kerala in the rains

i am visiting kerala after a gap of about 6 month, and i think to the best of my knowledge, this is the first time im coming in july. Maybe i have done so earlier, but i cant remember.

Some pictures i snapped from the train.

x Files - the Movie

Terrible!

Have been a long time X-Files fan so when the new movie was released, I quickly got the DVD when it hit the stands. So yesterday, my wife and i decided to watch the movie.

summary in a single word - terrible.

The plot, story, characters and the overall movie would hav been a good film if it did not have the xfiles tag, as there was no X in it at all!

at the end of the movie it was an all and all disappointing flick, that mulder and scully had a kid who dies, but they are not married, that the FBI is looking and that no one but him believes in psychics.

One would have assumed that the movie would have started off where the other left off. but that was not the case, and it brought about a whole different angle to it.

It would have made a good episode in the x-files but not a full length film.

The power of positive thinking!

a long and standing mantra that most people believe in is the power of positive thinking- which according to google throws out about 7,650,000 pages of information. Now how does one not ignore this?

I did not think too much of it till recently. Going through a rather tough patch myself at work, i decided to think positive with the focus on whats happening rather than whats not.

Personally, i think it has made a huge difference. I feel happier, feel less stressed, and most importantly, am enjoying my work a lot more than i could have imagined that i could. I am really beginning to fathom this concept, and guess at a stage where i might embrace it simply for its sheer power and size.

i love camera phones - my picture of the day

was driving home last evening, and the skies did a little dance. i was at the right place at the right time- i captured this dance.

Its now the turn of Twitter!

A new spammed malware attack is impersonating messages from micro-blogging site Twitter.

Researchers at Symantec said that the attack poses as an invitation to join Twitter with the message: 'Your friend has invited you to Twitter.' The message also contains images of the Twitter logo and front pages.

Rather than send the user to Twitter by way of a URL, however, the message asks the user to open an attachment under the name 'InvitationCard.zip'. On launching the attached file, the user is infected with a malicious worm that attempts to send out mass email messages.

Users are advised not to open the invitation attachments or any other unsolicited or suspicious email attachments.

"As Twitter continues to gain popularity among social networking users, people are regularly receiving invitations and email updates from fellow users, " wrote Symantec researcher Sammy Chu in a blog post.

"We expect that spammers will continue to use Twitter and other popular social networks as bait in their attacks."

The practice of disguising malware as email attachments and greeting cards is not new. Attacks such as the infamous Storm worm were routinely spread under the guise of greeting card attachments.

Attacks targeting Twitter have also become more common in recent months as the site has seen its popularity soar. Attacks have ranged from account-stealing hacking attempts to cross-site scripting attacks and malware distribution attacks.

source: http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2244458/malware-threat-targets-twitter

Facebook Worm!

A general word of caution to all facebook users- considering its one of the most popular social networking sites, i guess is a general caution to all.

There are several worms doing the rounds on facebook - the most recent of them being the koobface.
the modus operandi is the same- send a link through a message, considering its coming from a friend, you tend to visit it, after that it downloads a trojan onto the system. Now the scary part is that its using the macromedia / activex route to run this exploit.
its asking for the update, its downloading a worm onto the system, and then when you visit facebook the next time, it gets your username / password and replicates itself. from the facebook account. It has appeared to have been more complext through a greater level of automation than before. So next time a message comes from a friend, please check the message before visitng the site.

More :
http://news.cnet.com/facebook-fights-new-koobface-worm-another-rogue-app/
http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/07/elaborate-facebook-worm-virus-spreading/

The game that is Gravity

http://www.media.perthnow.com.au/multimedia/2008/12/html/gravity.html

i came across this game on the internet- flash based, however, terribly addictive. I am not trying to score top points, but jus trying to complete each level.

you have to move the ball to pick up all the magic balls on the way. you need to draw shapes with the mouse to move the ball- all using the laws of physics. So, use levers, weights, inclines etc and move it...
try it- its addictive!

Apple site hacked!!!

pretty excited with my finding - the apple site http://www.apple.com/asia/buy/locator/svcindex.html if you select a country and then click serach - it takes you to

http://foo.example.com/cgi-bin/tester

thats a comprimize or a REALLY bad upgrade job- like forgetting to remove the gauze from a patient during an operation.

Love affairs with Horns!

Something must really be done to those jokers who cheating on their wives, girlfriends and boyfriends with the horn. Its so weird, and i dont think i will ever get the reason people are so anxious to blo0w the horn. there will be nothing in front of them, yet blow the horn.

thats why i believe we need to start a de-addiction center to help those who have the following:
1. fetish for blowing horns on empty roads
2. hornblowingholic
3. someone who is cheating on their partnr - with the horn - using every opportunity to touch, feel, caress and press the damn horn!

there should be something which makes people reaslise that blowing the horn will not get it done faster, but just make you more irratated. I think the order of the day is to install horns INSIDE cars. so if someone uses it in excess, they cut down automatically, since the noise is now inside as well! :)

Legend that is Yuyutsu

A friend of mine and his wife are expecting their first child, when asked what is the name on his mind - the name Yuyutsu came up. At first - I thought it was an african name, with the Us and Ys... but then on further research, I was uniquely surprised that its an Indian name and more importantly from the Mahabharatha.

I read the great indian epic a few months ago and, to say the least, have been quite inspired by it. Indraprashtra - the home for the gods was also the kingdom of the Pandavas after they lost everything- a symbol of what can be built even with nothing - now thats inspiration. It towered over the landscapes and contained all the comforts that adorned a king, however, the land was barren before the pandavas were given the place.

coming to Yuyutsu - i starting doing some research and found him to be quite a character. He was the 101st kaurava but was born to Dhritrashtra by a Maid servant who was waiting on him. He was one of the 11 athirathi or one who is capable of killing 10,000 warriors at a time.

He was righteous to the point he stood up against Dhuryodhana's actions - against dhraupadi and the pandavas and was thus the last and only survivor of the Kurkshetra war simply because he joined the side of the Pandavas.

when the pandavas finally passed over - Yudhishthir handed over Indraprashtra to Yuyutsu.

What a story!

sourced from all over the internet.

Techie Awards

Well,
one must realise with evolving times, the awards and prizes must also evolve. So when you have a bunch of nerds, you obviously want to give them something they like- for instance a limited edition Star Wars Lightsaver! :) (this is inspiration from Big Bang Theory)

I recently came across a rather interesting set of prizes.

The Prizes
The prizes are sponsored by Microsoft India. The winner gets to choose any one prize from the following:

2 Year Flickr Pro Account
(or)
50 WordPress.com Premium Credits
(or)
2 Premium Wordpress Themes
(or)
1 .com domain of your choice, valid for 5 years
(or)
1 .in domain of your choice, valid for 3 years
(or)
1 Premium RapidShare account, valid for 6 month

How Cool is that! Now I'm inspired to compete!

Breaking traffic rules

Its frustrating when you see drivers blatantly breaking all the road rules, just to make their life easier. This morning, I noticed a large innova with the number TN 04 P 9995 - yes, i am publishing the number here, with the sincere hope that someone reads this and tells the owner- coming out and turning onto the wrong side of the road, and driving a good 100 mts. What more annoying is that this guy does it EVERY day, and sometimes much longer distances.

I know the apartment, but i dont know if i should stop him and tell him to go the other way. :( I just had to get it out of my system... so here is the post.

remember the number is TN 09 P 9995- If you see it - tell the driver to respect road rules and drive properly!

cycling coverage in India

http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epaperpdf/19042009/18sunday-pg15-0.pdf

Twitter

Have started moving more towards Twitter. Going to try and blog more often.
you can follow me http://twitter.com/madan/

fundraising and VCs

Venture Capital Crash Course with Jason Mendelson from Andrew on Vimeo.

Uphill ride

Did my first uphill ride today. It was hard, and time consuming but the low gear ratios on the trek 4300D really helped a lot. the first leg of the journey was a 15 km ride to the base of the hill. from there it was about a 2 km ride UP... now that was killing. However, i told myself that i will not walk- that meant that i had to ride up. I stopped 3 times, but that was worth it. Managing to cycle up.. got me highly kicked. Even though i was the last one up (considering i was the last to start) cycling up was totally worth it! :)

safari 4 Beta

Really impressive feature

roadside blogging

one of the biggest disadvantages of having a really fast car is the urge and tendency of pushing the car, now throw in a set of race specificaiton tyres and an empty road well... Damn!!!

So i decided to "see what MY CAR can do" and pushed it. It was an exhilaraing experience, loved every minute of it... But sadly, all good things ,must end and so did my joyride. All things were going jus great when i suddlenly see the temp needle hitting the roof. I stop & check & realise albiet Naturally- that ive blown the cooling system. Bummer.

So i stop, make a few calls and ask for the mech to come by, waiting out here on the side of the road, i decided to blog. Very bizzare but never in my life did i imagine this would happen. Technology would reach such a stage taht i can actually do this.

But the nicest thing to ever happen- a youg lad stops by and says - ive noticed that youve brpken down for more than half hour, would you like some help!!! God bless him. I was speechless. Thank you- for stopping and for being concerned!

Still here, been almost 2 hours, guess ill be out of here in a bit.




Damn i love this country!!!

Delhi 6

my wife and i finally went for a move after a very long time. we got tickets for delhi 6 - a  new realease by the same director who made Rang De Basanti - Rakyesh Omprakash - it was a TRAGIC disappointment. One would assume that with a cast of rishi kapoor, om puri and wahida rahaman, the film will be as gripping as ever, the only gripping that was happening was me clawing into my seat out of sheer desperation. 

the film has a very relevant theme- of communal hatred being stirred by people with ulterior motives, caste and arranged marriages. the same thing that all people think of when they come to india. 

but thats it, it stops there,. there was a story that was smaller than a grain of rice, and the acting by certain characters was non existent. The most amount of dialogue came from the "news reporters" in the movie than from the lead characters. 

how did this get funding? :( 

apologies?

i was thinking and penning down something similar  - but this blogger took the words right out! :)

http://imdur1980.blogspot.com

to think about it, there are a few people that i would like to rewind the clock and not say what i had said, and apologize to them, but i don't see that happening. :(

Slum Dog Millionaire - a repeat?

i know this might seem a little excessive, but what if? I equate this to the East India Company again. they came, they saw, they liked, they used, they got glory and now claim to be theirs.
Danny boyle (As much as I appreciate the other flicks sir!) has said it himself - "In Reality - IT is a british film".
Though the cast, crew, music, script and original story are indian - he is claiming it to be brit! damn!

Source: Times of India: http://is.gd/kCWE

Danny Boyle, 52, was born into a middle-class Irish family. He grew up in Northern England, and perhaps it is because he contemplated priesthood as a vocation in his youth that he now has this inexorably calm demeanour that refuses to be ruffled by accusations of poverty porn. Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan has even called him a saint. The self-deprecatory Brit in Boyle laughs off the praise. “My mother would have loved it if I had been a saint, but I’m far from it. I’m a very real guy,’’ he says.

A very real guy who has made a very real film, the brightest feather in a cap which boasts other acclaimed productions such as 28 Days Later and Trainspotting. “We worked with a budget of 13 million dollars. That is the amount I could raise without having a major Hollywood star in it, but we made it look like a hundred million dollars because we spent all of it on screen.’’

Talking to Times of India from Los Angeles an hour after he picked up his Oscar, a slightly out of breath, Boyle said, “I’m truly happy that every Indian I meet is beaming, and it is the ultimate compliment for me that people in India see Slumdog Millionaire as an Indian film. However, in reality it is a British film. It is a very gritty in the beginning and very realistic because our film culture is based on that kind of realism which in Hollywood and Bollywood isn’t quite there.’’

How soon does Boyle intend to return to Mumbai? “As I have said earlier, I intend to do a thriller in Mumbai. We are talking to a couple of people. It will be a while before the script is ready. I would be very privileged to work in India.’’

Although Boyle’s exposure to Bollywood is admittedly limited, he has seen some of its cinema. “Honestly I hadn’t seen too much of it before I came to Mumbai to shoot Slumdog,’’ he says. “I’ve seen films by Shekhar Kapur, Mira Nair and Anurag Kashyap and Ram Gopal Varma’s Satya and Company. I liked what I saw because they are very much like my taste. These were different films, but I love the regular Bollywood stuff as well.

Finally, who is the real Danny Boyle? Sinner or saint? “I am not a saint, sadly,’’ he says. “I just give my job and the people I work with a lot of respect. And I’m always willing to learn. As a film-maker it is not about having a reputation and just going and doing it. With each film, you have got to learn. I like learning. I like starting from scratch. You learn that from your actors and from people who help you like Loveleen Tandan, Raj Acharya, Resul Pookutty and, of course, the charismatic Rahman.’’

lovely charts!

finally! i found a site where i can make my process flows et al, without having to lug two laptops (one mac and one pc) just to do my process flows.
and its pretty powerful as well.

check out ...
www.lovelycharts.com

the need to state!

sometimes, i still wonder- the actual reason to explisitly state the obvious!

"Contents of the cup may be hot" this has already been printed onto a plastic cup that i bought from abroad.

well, as they say - only there can this happen!

I was browsing a rather large online retailer - which led me to a product:
Something (changed name) 10-Foot Premium Shuffleboard Table with Solid Maple Playfield.. so now we know that this is 10ft long made of wood.
but what really took the cake was:

"Ships Separately in Original Packaging: If sending as a gift, note that contents cannot be concealed."
wow! i was wondering how i would conceal a table of 10 ft length!

Competition

The Automated Teller Machine market is highly competitive. With the large players being Tritron, NCR, Diebold, Wincor etc. so when a website wants to ensure high advertisement charges, what do they do?
advertise all at the same time! :)

I couldnt capture the screen shot, but the article was sponsored by Tritron, one ad from NCR talking about their 120 year heritage and the other from Diebold talking about their 150 year heritage.

So, the question is - would i choose the 120 years or 150 years?? hhmm? i dont know, given the fact that 120 years ago also there were no ATMs.

the Diebold Ad

finally- some nice shots

i have begun to realize that i take some nice pictures with my phone camera- maybe i should get a better phone camera! :) 

Fiat Linea

The much awaited Fiat Linea based on the grand Punto platform has finally arrived. Much to the relief of eager customers, who have booked the cars even before the prices have been announced- such is the anticipation with which the car has been received. Touted as competition to the Fiesta, SX4, Verna and Honda City G3 the Linea beats them with its commanding presence and feature packed offering.

The Linea comes to India after a hiatus of almost 6 years with no new vehicle launches by Fiat India, so the excitement of a new product is palpable. With the Palio launch in 2002, with the upgrades in 2003, and the Stile launch in 2005 and the MJD launch in 2008, the Palio has seen a mild transformation between engines and facelifts.

The Linea on the other hand is going to be a rocker. With showrooms clambering to display the product, and with fiat delaying the official word on the cost till its “official” launch on Jan 14th 2009, the Linea will be the most important product for 2009- because Fiat needs a success. Fiat has also gone all out to ensure this- with the Fiat – Tata tie up for sales and service, and the ramping up of the distribution network for spares, the company is ensuring that they do not fall along where they have failed before.

The Car:
Exteriors – the Fiat comes with rather bold body lines. Made it Europe is written all over, with its huge grill, stylized headlights and large tail lamps, the linea has some of the most exciting lines. The finish of the body panels is quite nice and the car appears to be firmly planted with the standard 15” wheels. The ground clearance in the showroom looks ok, but how this fares in the real world will need to be tested.

The Engine: The Linea comes with the tried and tested 1.3Multi Jet Diesel, however, what sets it apart from the rest of the herds of Swifts, dZirs, Palios and Vistas is the fact that Fiat has re-engineered the engine to include a VGT turbo, thus, allowing for a more liner delivery of power, as opposed to a turbo kick at about 1450 RPM. The VGT thus allows for a better squeeze, and this mill is able to push out about 20.4 Kgm at a decent 1750 rpm. Now, that is pretty impressive, considering its only a 1.3L engine. Power wise, critics admit that an additional 10bhp to push it over the three digit figure of 100+bhp would have been nice, but the car must be test driven to check the handling and the power. The linea 1.3mjd comes with 90bhp being pushed out at about 4000rpm.

Interiors- the car now takes the interiors to a completely different level. It would appear as though this is the first car in its price bracket (expected to be about 8L) to come with rear vents and a sun screen for the rear windshield. The quality of plastics in the interior are a class apart, and the technology packed into the onboard computer makes it a car supercomputer. The Blue & Me technology co developed with Microsoft and Fiat allows for all windows based mobile phones to sync up to the car and be voice activated, thus allowing for a safer driving experience. The car also syncs with most phones featuring PDAs and allows for the phone book to be transferred to the car computer, thereby allowing the driver to control the phone book from the steering remote. The display screen niftily shows the fuel efficiency, CD track being played and name of the person calling, once all the features have been setup. Now- that’s pretty powerful.
The seating positions are pretty nice, except the initial feeling of lack of space is soon wiped away. The large windscreen gives one a commanding view and the height adjustable seat allows for drivers of most sizes to drive comfortably. The boot is HUGE to say the least and the nicest feature is that the hinges are attached to the body and not inside controlled pneumatically, thus allowing for greater loading space and better control.

The Linea comes with two engines ; the 1.3 mjd and the 1.4liter 8V Petrol. The petrol pushes out about 77ps at 6000rpm, thus on paper appearing to be a little underpowered, however, how it fares in the real world needs to be seen. The versions are the Active, Dynamic and Emotion. The Dynamic and Emotion come with Packs as well that has the Blue&Me and Airbags. However, all cars (Except Active) come with ABS, but lack EBD and Airbags can be added, thus increasing the safety ratings of these cars. Fiat is also putting in a lot in terms of product assurances, the standard warranty is 2 years and 80K kms and the extended is 4 years and 1.5L Kms. The Diesel mill is expected to have an oil change every 15K kms and parts for the car have already started coming in, thus spares shouldn’t be the bottleneck for this car.


Overall – the package appears to be good! However, if the performance lives up to the hype created and fiat is able to deliver on the service front, we might have a winner on our hands.

strikes and the economy

a strike is usually associated with trade unions- when they disagree with the owners on certain aspects. however, this has filtered its way into mainstream life with a strike being called from everything to anything.
there is a truck strike currently on.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2009/01/06/stories/2009010652150500.htm

"AIMTC, the body which had called the strike, claimed that the first day of the strike was successful. Spokesperson of AIMTC, Mr N.L. Gupta, said, “The first day of the strike call has been successful. In Maharashtra, eight lakh trucks went off the road, causing a loss of Rs 800 crore.”

How can you measure a sucessful strike with a loss of 800 crores in a single day? How different is this from stealing or from any other activity? Is Mr. Gupta happy with the fact that the economy and the truck drivers lost so much money?

I just don't get this logic. During an economic scenario like what exists currently, I really don't believe that calling strikes and causing more irreversible damage like this is going to help. I guess this is why no MNC is looking at india as a Manufacturing base- simply because the logistics is no match to China. and we have bodies such as the AIMTC helping justify the cause.

Bovine intervention - the year 2008

The year 2008 started on a rather sober note for me and my wife. our first new years as a married couple.. we went to bed at a glorious 11pm... so much for an exciting life!

As a new years resolution, i decided to very consciously cut down my non vegetarian intake - that included a multitude of critters (avian and mammal! :) )

it worked quite well for a long time, then i substituted my meat intake with other fatty foods and reduced it quite a bit.

Jan 2008- my first time as a track official at the JK Tyre national racing championships 2008.

February 2008 - i moved team in my company. It was a sad move - i really enjoyed my old team, the kind of work and the learnings. However, the new team had its own challenges and most importantly it was a different learning.


June - finally bought my cycle! :) yes! the trek 4300D.. i was lusting over it for a long time, and finally dcided to take the plunge and buy it. so that was and is the BIGGEST purchase for the year! however, the bike is worth every bit of the $560 odd i paid for it. Its such a pleasure to ride and miles get chomped off. I guess from the date of purchase till date - i have done over 1000kms (guestimate)

July4th - I cycled to work for the first time on a working day. I usually attempted the ride on a satuarday or a holiday.. it was nice .. and different. ever since then, i decided to start peddling to work every friday (we got to wear jeans on those days)

July 31st - my last day at Cognizant. As much as it was a different life, I did not think i would miss it. Yes, I did and do miss the comfort and safety net of a regular paying job. I finally was taking the plunge that i had always dreamed of doing. Starting up. I guess I must thank (at this point) all my friends, well wishers and managers at Cognizant who taught me a lot.

August 1st - Launch of Virtu Technologies ! Wow!

October 2008 - we finally get our accountant to do our billing - and guess what- we ARE profitable from the start. quite a nice feeling - being a scrooge helps!

november 2008 - still profitable .. sizeable client roster. lot of work keeping us busy.

December 2008 - our 3rd employee comes on board. nice feeling.

December 31st 2035 hrs - my first blog about the past year! :)

Lets see what 2009 holds.

the frustrations of tele marketing

one of the greatest inventions of time is email. simply because it helps spread the word! :)
now, almost everyone in india would have been besieged with calls from various banks offering "special" packages and the bells and whistles.

I got this forward, which had me laughing on the floor- and for Gunjan Agarwal - i do feel bad! :) but it was simply hillarious! :)

Enjoy!



Incase the above does not play - here is the link to the file:
http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/22768/Frustrations for telemarketing

Subaru pulling out of WRC

well, this past few weeks have been heart breaking. First - honda pulling out of F1- which is heartbreaking in itself, but to top it off, the WRC is also taking a beating!

Suzuki announced that it is pulling out of the WRC - considering it started the season in 2008 with the new SX4 WRC. But the announcement of Subaru pulling out, causes a LOT more heartbreak!


Subaru in collaboration with ProDrive might be one of the longest surviving constructors in the WRC, with the others entering and exiting at vrious stages. The imperza WRX STi- a truly rally bred car is now no longer going to blaze the paths of the various stages.

Collin McRae and Peter Solberg -2 WRC champions....
three constructors titles in 1995, 1996 & 1997. Post 1997 Subaru has always seen a podium finish but never a top spot. The era of the hatches (The 206s & Citroens) started their rules.. with the Mitsubishi Evos also falling on the wayside.

I do hope the plan to stay out of the WRC is reversed soon...

Can the handheld replace a PC?

A constant debate that rages on is whether the hand held, be it a palm top, a PDA or even a mobile phone, replace the PC (reference here to the notebook or occasional desktop)?

Yes, it will take over a lot of functions, and to that matter, might really help the user organize their life better, but can a user just live with their mobile device? In my opinion - no. There is a great dependence on the computer, either in the form of the notebook or desktop. There is a greater inclination towards mobility and hence the notebook might score more points over the desktop, however, there will always be a requirement for a pivotal point in ones life, and that will be the computer.

Technologically, the handheld (again, my opinion) will be able to bring a certain amount of processing power to the the user, however, there is a limit in the capabilities of this processing power. a whole new platform needs to be created to achieve the same level of technological competence that has been achieved on the PC Platform over 20 years. To that effect, the same platform has achieved quite a lot in this short span of time.

The iPhone heralded in a new era, some agree, some dont, but I believe that this one platform has enabled a host of creativity unleashed, that was similar to the windows 95/98 application era. The users crave applications that can take care of their particular needs, be it an excercise regime creator or simply sudoku - but the bottom line is there is a market for demand and thus there will be supply.

With the ICE age of the mobile phone approaching and moreso even peaking (the Information, Communication and Entertainment) the dependence on the mobile device to carry out one's primary goal of information gathering will replace a user's dependence on the PC, however, for most other purposes and record keeping, the PC will still rule.

my new love

move over wifey... im in love.... :)

this is going to be my next vehicle- only question is - when!????
Introducing the new fiat Linea! sigh!

Mediocracy?

We had to get a new electrical line fixed in our office, because the previous one was a high tension line, and we were asked to pay some ridiculous amounts of money in order to sort out something which even the service provider couldnt figure out. So on request to our landlord, he got the issue sorted.

Sometime i have to thank my landlord, who looks after us like a guardian angel. He's always been there to get things sorted out, and has always extended a helping hand at situations which require some intervention.

However, thats a different story.

The electrician was to setup a new connection, he's got 2 flunkies to help him out. one guy has to close the junction boxes, sees some loose wire, instead of putting it back, pulls it out and puts the cover back. the bolt is not fitting in - hammer it in... and a complete disregard to all other forms of respect in the work place. you wonder if this is how it has filtered in.

A technician comes home to service anything, they will ask you for cloth to dust, or for an extension cord to plug in their appliances- cant it not be drilled in that if they are going to the customer's location, take what ever is required.

Everyone appears to need lessons in service management.

Frustration seeping in!

Well, last friday, I took a whole 40 minutes to traverse a combined distance of 1.2 Kms from my house to my office. This was the heights of frustration, and it really got me thinking asto what the hell is going on here?
the road on which I stay, has been a quite residential neighborhood. We used to burst crackers during diwali on the roads, now its reached such an absymal state that it takes anyone a good 3 minutes plus to just cross the road. Now to compound things further, the great authorities are setting up a median / road divider, which has already cut down the road by 1 more foot!

so wher does that leave us? residents of the avenues, roads and most places to walk are impossible... it appears as though its a sin here to want to live in a quite residential neighbourhood.

there are cities that forbid public transport from entering residential areas, however, here, the scnene is quite different. public transport, coupled with schools and improper facilities seems to push the entire infrastructure beyond comprehensible size.

I wonder if I will ever see the day things improve.

of meetings!

I called a marketing expert today, and asked him for a meeting. well, he said lets meet over lunch, so I was umm.. ok. lets do that.
anywyas, before I went, I noted down questions i needed answered, so that I can figure things out at my end. So we meet, and I ask him "question 1"
and he goes on... and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on.... .. and on....and just does not stop,.....
atleast if he was giving me information - i can be greateful, but he's not... he's asking me more questions and more questions... casting aspersions on what i am doing and the company i am doing some work for...
finally, i decded that this meeting is going no-where, look at my watch and say ... "Umm, i hope you are not getting late"
well, that i thinki did the trick... he realized that he was talking too much, and called it a day! phew!

why must people be so un-productive... why can they say - ok, you need to run a program like this- it will cost you so much, and so much for increments, if you want to do something like this- it will cost you so much and so much! thats iT its done!
but no... it goes on and on and on and on!

a complete waste of my 2 hours! Blah!

e-Shopping Network!

my wife plagued me to go shopping with her- as exciting as a visit to the dentist. grudgingly I agreed. Somehow the thought of not spending time with her outweighed my utter disdain for this women's olympic sport. Nonetheless - I found myself rubbing shoulders with them ever-so-famous mannequins and perfume samples. Now- in order to increase the wallet share- the shops have kept the womens clothes & lingerie together- that means bad news for us guys- who end up "hanging " around untill the dust settles from the rush to and from the changing rooms. the thought struck me- why can't stores have "waiting" rooms near the changing rooms- a small TV and a Playstation, or even some news papers and magazines- because no wifeaccompanyingshoppinghusband will go beyond an earshot of the changing room, since their "opinion" matter (yeah right! ) and if they do - then they face the wrath of the "shopping angry wife!". and if they have no comments, then it is as good as sending the wife alone!

so as a guy - I vote for a waiting room near the changing room, to save our brethren the agony of waiting till the better halfs work their way through a stockpile of trial outfits. :)

travails of happiness

i took train today. it was nice. i really enjoyed it. it has no correlation with the topic, but then there are times when you want to use certain words, and then you use them. Travails :) word for today.

today was one of those days when you realise, that small things in life make you happy. I went to drop off my car for service, which is quite far from home. so then I decided to take a autorikshaw back, but my friend and adviser (and also the worlds greatest car tuner for me) suggested i take the train. well, this was the first time i was taking the metropolis's extravagant Mass Rapid Transit System - which was Mass (it was a garguantian splurge of money), hardly rapid, but it was a system (well, a single drain pipe is also a system)- but this offered a very unique blend of sights, somehting which i have never seen in my life.

the first thing that struck me was the sheer size of these stations, huge- and DAMN lonely- i really wonder how on earth women go thru that place. I was spooked, and I am 6' 3", weigh close to 120Kgs, and have a few color belts in Tae Kwondo, Judo, and karate, so i say hats off to folks to like using it. There were no shady folks hanging around there, but the sheer size of the place- huge, no lights, and just outside there was so much traffic - it was the blatant imbalance of chaos between the outside and inside that throws one off.

the first few kilometers was over a highly developed and hyped peice of real-estate called the "IT Corridor" it was elevated, and it was those feelings that you get from seeing everything from above. beyond that, it was the most eclectic mix of poverty, modernity, nature and dirt all mixed into a heady concoction in order to make the 20 minute ride a very memorable one.

The journey took me through the city. I saw so much greenery. I saw many sights that I have never seen before. I guess this route gives you a different perspective on things. a view from the neighbours window. Thats what I call it. You always wonder- what does your neighbour see from their window - will it be different? what will it be? and thats what I saw today. The buildings were absymal - in a state of such shamble- but right next to these buildings were large pre-indipendece structures ,that blew ones breath away.

I think i iwll take this trip once more. Just to try and capture the sights again. Just for that reason. Once more.

Startup Central?

how friendly is society towards startups? well, its slowly dawning on me- not very. 

1. finances: if a startup needs a loan - its not available unless you have been in existance for 3 years with all audited financial information- which kinda defeats the purpose of a startup. 

2. market sentiments - well- everyone seems to be out to take you for a ride- esp if you are not doing some form of mild rocket science. thye are like- you are a startup - so what canyou possibly do. so the moral of the story is  - market whatever you do as rocket science.

3. realestate- realised that the folks in the building need to see fancy spancy crap to think that you are a worthwile company- which is annoying to say the least. Just today - i had the watchman for the office building saying that the parking is not available for us- which is very strange- because the owners have had parking slots for almost 3 years. 

guess its a matter of perspective- as to who can be walked over and who would turn around and bite you back.

being on your own

Today was a day of reckoning. we took some decisions as a company. and we are proud of them. Being on your own its nice- this feeling. At times its troubled thoughts on how one might put food on the table, but its also a sense of liberation which allows you to do anything you might want at any time and any point. explore limitless possibilities and all along be happy- simply because you are choosing to do so. 

we have grown!

we hired our second employee this week. this morning, we stumbled on a great idea- and have decided to take it forward. a bit of a digression from our current line of work - but hey- being the boss -you can dictate.

So, we need some folks - we sent out some email and now we posted an advert online. Our very first advert. 

So as things go ... incase anyone who reads this .. knows of any good folks.. do refer them to us.

decisions

when you work for an established orgnization, you assume that all bills will be covered. however, when you are on your own - you have to make sure you have enough money to make sure the bills are covered. so if you want to buy an AC for the office- hmm- thought needs to go in - to how much the bills are going to be and whether this is a necessity or an extravagance. that rule of thumb literally goes for everything that we need to purchase. getting money is the 2nd most critical thing, the first being - the balls to take off. you need money for eveyrthing- and every tom, dick and third bihari thinks that since you have a startup - you are flushed with cash. which is not the best thought since- they will jack up the prices. here- being a startup- you will be as cost conscious as possible- comparing vendors to even supply you toilet equipment, whereas most of the suppliers think- hmmm... new company... more money! :( sadly - the saga for the entrepreneur is never over. 

another golden rule-  time is money. when you decide not to work - you loose business. you can't afford to sit back with your feet in the air saying - im my own boss- i think i wont go to work today. nein - that does not work these days! :(

so a tip - think a million times before you jump in! :)

Our first office

Monday August 4th 2008

My first monday morning in office. reached at a fairly decent time (i guess 10am is decent by most standards! ) and worked on a few things, ironing out some issues, and mailed a few folks. Finally we set off to make our first purchase. it was funny, it was the first tim in my life that i bargained. and bargained hard. well, for most folks, the bargaining might have been peanuts, but for someone who doesnt bother - i was rather surprised with myself with the level of bargaining. :)

we came out of the shop with one printer and one wireless hub. our companies first office equipment. 

clap! clap! 

The Entrepreneur

Sunday 22nd June 2008- sitting in office at 4pm, wondering what the hell were we doing pushing ourselves so hard. It was Saturdays, sundays, all days 8am to 2am almost. I had always wanted to be on my own, so decided, if i can work so hard for someone, doing something for which the benifits I will never see, I must have it in me to do it for me? well, at that moment, I logged into the system, and clicked on the one button all of us stuck in the rat race always dream of clicking- "submit resignation". That being done, Startedworking with even more gusto, because i saw light at the end of the tunnel. something which i felt that wll allow me to explore the relems of life, and enjoy the joy of success. 

Thursday 31st July 2008- Was effectively my last day at the company. I went about finishing my formalities, had a small farewell party - a cake and a lovely gift voucher - most importantly, it was a gathering to say goodbye. The light at my tunnel was appearing brighter, many a times during the 1.5 months, I wondered if i had taken th right decision. If this was the case, then should i withdraw my resignation? so, here i was, at the cusp of the next big step of my life. I was finally going to be an entrepreneur. my dream and my ambition. 

Senseless websense!

I finally moved my team, which got me a different job profile, along with it, a complete drop from the ultimate position- a direct internet connection. that essentially allowed me to go anywhere and do anything and not worry about the fact that the site minder software wont be bothering me! :) But then, as they say- all good things shall pass! 

so, I changed, and lost those privileges as well. No admin access, no internet access, nothing. well, truly a second class citizen! :)

but the crux of the issue is - how useful is websense? people always find ways around systems. Like with the great ultrasurf. Websense's only nemesis - where the software seems to tunnel its way through the software to give the user unlimited access.

Them folks at work - have decided to restrict almost all sites that will allow a person to maintin their sanity. all sports sites are blocked, all entertainment sites are blocked, hell - even blogs are blocked. Little do they realise that with the heralding in of the web2.0 system - blogs are where the information is. All information - opinions are now  blogged. and if the access is not allowed- well, truly - it sucks! 

silence

its been a long time since i posted. and this is only because of the most obsolete and outdated system of total tyrannical rule that is being imposed on most companies today - websense! Its a software that serves no earthly purpose but to frustrate users on the inaccesability to the internet and several genuine sites that will help in improving one's general knowledge. For example- all "entertainment" sites are blocked- so now i dont know what little Ms. Spears is doing with her kids and if her mother is going to help them or not. Now, how can i live with myself if i dont know such information in life! Oh MY God!

This weekend was a very stressful one. I am in the process of moving house, and it appears as though mediocracy has made itself a norm in the consumer world today. First, the A/C person calls and makes me loose my cool, the slimebag who brings the A/c wants money, the guys who come and finally fix it at 10pm say that its not working, and now i have to go there on a weekday to make sure they bring the part to fx it! It sucks beyond words! :(

However, i did get to spend time with some friends, and made some new friends in the process, so as they say - you win some you loose some.

magic carpet ride

In life, someone always tells you what to do… in school - the teachers, in college the profs and finally when you break out of that your boss fills in those shoes- do this do that, dont do this, don't do that…

then you realize- you will be taken seriously, only if you get married.. and decide to get married.. NOW your wife tells you - do this, do that. buy this, don't buy that… and you fall back into the rut again! such is life.

My wife is constantly complaining on how i spend too much time on my car and I care about my car a lot. yes, on the surface someone might think that "my god, how can this guy love his car so much if there are scratches all over" but for the record- the dents and scratches are all caused by my parents and brother. In my 2 years + of driving my own cars, i have had the dubious distinction of not even scratching her even once. So, it comes back to what do I do to spend so much time on the car then? the Engine! pure engineering excellence… in a sense a philharmonic in motion.. i love the engine. with the twist of the key, the crank and the purr of motor sends a soothing smile… yes. Love at first crank!

My heart was set on a palio - i was looking for a car with a 100horses, and the palio proved just that. So when finally i said that I was going for a new car.. i scouted and got myself a good deal on a new palio. that was a year and three months ago.. my first new car…

What is it that makes this worth while? well.. lots of things.. the car, the presence and most of all.. its my baby! i care so much that my wife complains… but there are those rare moments… like this morning.. coming through the madhya kailsh traffic felt like a baseball bat had been swung a dozen times at your face..and missed all.. but you keep wondering - who's going to cut you next- him- no, her.. YIEKS! then you hit OMR… and you change through gears into overdrive (which in the palio is the 4th and 5th gears btw) and you cruise.. 60kmph… smooth… its like riding on air.

for those few moments, it makes sense spending time and money to change the filters, change oil and what ever can be done to keep the engine in pristine condition… just pure bliss… its you, the car and a magic carpet ride. a ride whre you forget everything .. just to enjoy the moment.. yes. that moment makes it worthwile!

Lifestage marketing

Lifestage marketing has been a buzz term in recent years as a method of targeting consumers and characterizing consumer behavior. More and more companies are realizing the importance of positioning products not as products, but as something that a consumer would require at a particular stage of their life. Typically, marketers categorize consumers of fast moving consumer goods and consumer durables by social class, income, age and gender. However, discovering lifestage triggers help to identify who among these is more likely to buy the product.

In lifestage marketing, consumers tend to go through four distinct phases: Transition Stage, Early Stage, Expansion Stage and Mature Stage. From a marketer's perspective, the key questions will be: “what are the target lifestage groups?” and “Within each stage, what are the purchase triggers?” When Maruti was pitching for the 800 model car, their campaign started off with spreading the message of “Reliable and trustworthy”. This was

In 1983, when the only competition was the old ambassador and the fiat, thereby the message seemed apt. The company soon realized that the M800 was the average middle income Indian's first car. The purchase decision was taken to move up from a two wheeler, to a four wheeler, and hence affordability played a big role. The main criterion for this was lifestage. The customer, a young family man, who needed to upgrade from a two wheeler to a car, with the many commitments of running a family, put off purchase because of the “cost” of the vehicle. M800's 2599 campaign that ran in early 2003 attempted to pitch the car as an “affordable” vehicle with great success.

In April 2000, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) published a report titled “Better informed consumers”. In this report, the FSA found that in 16 per cent of cases, the primary driver for the consideration of a financial services product was event/lifestage led and that it had an influence in almost a third of all cases. It was also found that consumers were unaware of what product would best meet their apparent need. This leaves a tremendous opportunity for financial service providers to help customers identify what they need at each lifestage and thus gain business.

The very essence of lifestage marketing is: “there are events or moments in people's lives that trigger particular needs or desires.” The key is to recognize these changing priorities as quickly as possible and target customers, whether existing or potential, with the relevant products. Lifestage marketing is a good way to attract attention to the product, as it relates specifically to what is happening in the customer's life. When done correctly and used in way that is consistent with the company's brand, this type of marketing should form a highly successful acquisition and retention tool. Lifestage and lifestyle are two very different things. Both allow a company to identify and target consumers. While lifestage is event based and looks at where customers are in their lives, for example divorce or about to have children, lifestyle concentrates on how they live them.

Both methods have their uses and can be effective complementary tools. Personalization

When consumers move between lifestages, they are entering unfamiliar territory. By increasing attention at these times, companies can help when it counts, thereby building strong, profitable relationships. The result is a much more personalized process which makes the consumer feel more valued and more loyal. Technology, product and organization cultural changes are necessary.

Datamonitor's report found that centralized systems are vital to understand how a customer's need changes across all products and how best to target them. Systems also require sensitive and experienced handling. Investment in technology is necessary to receive the long-term gains available from targeted marketing. The traditional product focus of financial service providers has typically fuelled a very rigid product offering to customers. This design is not considerate of customer needs and does not reflect that people's needs are constantly changing. As part of the process of becoming more customer centric, products need to evolve and become more flexible, with the ability to adapt as a customer moves from one lifestage to another. Internal cultural change is also required, to switch from a product focus towards a more customer-centric approach.

Change involves not only becoming customer centric within departments but also requires increased co-operation between them. This is vital if lifestages are to be used effectively.

In Conclusion

It is true that lifestages are becoming less predictable. However, their use can give an indication of what people are likely to want/do. The age bands where events typically

happen are becoming more elastic and cultural changes are leading to more lifestages.

People in general actively make decisions in a very short span of time. By being better equipped to predict these decision points, for example by picking up changes to

normal spending patterns, companies can increase their chance of successfully securing business. Many of these times will be when people enter new lifestages. Thus, careful

identification of these stages might prove useful. By providing support and giving valuable advice over these periods, long term, trusting relationships can be built.

- Madan Menon

PGPM Class of 2005

Reference:

1 http://www.exchange4media.com/Brandspeak/brandspeak.asp?brand_id=37

Rally certified

Now I am a certified rally driver.... its a really cool thing to say, but well, its true. I went for a two day workshop, worked my hiney through the grind, and drove a car, and realised.. its TOUGH! you always go where the car takes you. Good drivers take the care where you want to go.

I learnt a lot from the course, no names for those kind ofthings, most importantly, keep you cool... you are coming down a slope at about 60, hit some slush, and try turning... what happens???? the car goes straight... well, these are the times when you realise that you need to do things that make the car behvae in ways its not trained to behave.

All in all, it was fun. I met some great people.. and made a startling discovery... i cant drive all the way back to chennai from bangalore after a tiring day! :)

Incase you are wondering: it was a course conducted by Rally Art website at www.rallyartindia.com

Virtualization

I sat through a Virtualization session by some good folks from the Big Blue the other day. I must add, that it was quite fascinating.

I have read up a lot on virtualization, but never did quite get a hang of it. Did my first virtual run on the iBook with XP with the virtualPC. Pretty funky. So with that experience in mind, went ahead for this.

However, the good thing that came out, a) this myth of virtualization i had was shattered. and b) i became smarter.

I was nice enough to sit next to some good folks from my team, who were patient enough to explain all my little doubts.
The first session was torture, it was like in the first 15minutes of a 2 hour lecture that you start feeling sleepy, and you go ... wwwwoooooowwww... i am so screwed!
there were some chaps, who were determined to prove that cacti actually grow out of their butts, because they just went on and on and on... if only they were the enrgizer bunny - would have squashed the living daylights out of them. after I moved my place, I had company, and was less sleepy (yes, i also had 2 cups of industrial strength coffee which i think actually did the trick)

Anywyas- a lowdown on virtualization:
What is virtulization- its when several virtual environments run on a single hardware platform. Now, this helps because if you have just one system and OS running on on hardware platform, there is a LOT of underutlized hardware lying around.

§Virtualization is the process of presenting a logical grouping or (sub)set of computing resources so that they can be accessed in ways that give benefits over the original configuration. This is not restricted by the implementation, geographic location or the physical configuration of the underlying resources.

Now: in order to virtualize - you need a sort of mediator - which is the job for a program called the Hypervisor. The hypervisor essentially is the link between the hardwre layer and the OS layer. However, the best part is EACH OS believes it's got its own hardware.

Advanced versions of the hypervisor can actually break down the processor and provision an x% of the prc for one OS and y% for another. Which essentially works till you turn off one system, then 100% goes to the OS that is on.
This as brilliant applications in companies that have development and production servers in the same box. If they believe the load for the production box is going to peak, then they simply shut off the development box, and send the resources to the production box till the peak has passed.

You now have several virtualization tools like Xen, VMware etc all vying for what I would term the next big step in computing.

Basic common sense

Sometimes it is appalling on the apathy shown towards customers by large corporates. A very large computer vendor seems to have a problem with earthing.

Electrical circuits may be connected to ground (earth) for several reasons. In power circuits, a connection to ground is done for safety purposes to protect people from the effects of faulty insulation on electrically powered equipment. A connection to ground helps limit the voltage built up between power circuits and the earth, protecting circuit insulation from damage due to excessive voltage. Connections to ground may be used to limit the build-up of static electricity when handling flammable products or when repairing electronic devices. In some types of telegraph and power transmission circuits, the earth itself can be used as one conductor of the circuit, saving the cost of installing a separate run of wire as a return conductor. For measurement purposes, the Earth serves as a (reasonably) constant potential reference against which other potentials can be measured. An electrical ground system should have an appropriate current-carrying capability in order to serve as an adequate zero-voltage reference level.

The use of the term ground (or earth) is so common in electrical and electronics applications that circuits in vehicles such as ships, aircraft, and spacecraft may be spoken of having a "ground" connection without any real connection to the Earth. (from wikipedia)

So what is the solution. there are two. One, ensure that the customer does not touch the earth directly whilst operating the device, that includes wearing shoes etc, or secondly, go to the source. Ensure that there is correct earthing from the supply.

When they deny that this is a cause, and are still not doing anything, you wonder if its the right thing to do?

Read more here

Intel 'energy-efficient' claim debunked

An article in the techworld about intel's claim on green technology. Tried and tested.


By Chris Mellor, Techworld

After Intel CEO Paul Otellini bragged that Intel's Xeon chip was the most energy-efficient processor, Neal Nelson compared it to AMD's offering and found that Intel wasn't being exactly truthful.

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Recent tests by Neal Nelson & Associates, an independent computer performance consulting firm, have reported that in 36 of the 57 cases tested, an AMD Opteron-based server delivered better power efficiency than a comparably configured Intel Xeon-based server.

The tests were performed on servers configured with 2, 4, 6 and 8 gigabytes of main memory at various transaction processing load levels. The results show that for certain configurations and at certain load levels the Intel Xeon based server was 2.4 to 11.7 percent more power efficient while in other cases, the AMD Opteron based server was 9.2 to 23.1 percent more power efficient. In addition, when the systems were idle and waiting for transactions to process, the AMD server was 30.4 to 53.1 percent more power efficient.

Power consumption while the servers are idle is particularly significant since many servers spend most of their time waiting for work. A November 16, 2006-press release from IBM quotes a report by the Robert Frances Group, which states that on average servers in datacentres are idle 80 to 85 percent of the time.

The test results also showed that:-

* Larger memory configurations deliver both higher throughput and better power efficiency
* Intel's power efficiency advantages decrease as memory size increases,
* AMD's power efficiency advantages increase as memory size increases,
* For CPU-intensive workloads, the Xeon delivers 8.0 to 14.0 percent higher peak throughput,
* For primarily I/O intensive workloads the Opteron delivers 11.3 to 19.4 percent higher peak throughput.

Neal Nelson conducted these tests in response to a statement made by Intel CEO Paul Otellini in a July 18, 2007 analyst conference call. During that call Mr Otellini referred to Intel's "lead in power efficiency." Neal Nelson decided to use his company's benchmark toolset to determine if Intel actually had a lead in power efficiency.

In a somewhat dry comment, Neal Nelson said: "It appears that Mr Otellini's statement is inconsistent with the test results."

The tests were not financed or sponsored by any company or group.

Source: http://www.techworld.com/

Corporate Brand lifecycle

http://www.brandchannel.com/papers.asp

A pretty interesting white paper by a couple of friends - exploring the corporate branding landscape.

breaking out!

there are times when you sit in front, wondering where life is heading? this weekend was packed, i did a lot, read some, relaxed, met friends and had a few meetings that direclty impact my future. but, today when i got to office, i just sat, and wondered. why? there is a lot of negativity that surrounds you. you wonder if this is good, if its required and more essentially- how it should not affect you. you need to be able to stand back, and take perspective on issues.

maybe i am crabby because i have not had my morning cuppa. but then again, there must be an underlying cause that is pushing me to this realm.

Coffee shop goes avant-garde in a silent fashion

pretty interesting when an international chain - does something like this.

New Delhi: In a unique bid, a Costa Coffee outlet in South Delhi has employed ten people who can not hear or speak. A few months ago the café chain decided to employ them on an experimental basis. Today, this silent experiment has taken off on a high note.

President & CEO, Costa Coffee, Virag Joshi says, “They are a part of the society and there’s nothing wrong in them. What we can do, maybe they can do it better”.

After being trained for forty-five days, these youngsters were eased into the daily operations of the café. They now manage the show, much on their own and with a little help from their supervisors.

But are they scared of not being able to communicate with customers?

An employee at the outlet, Arti, explains through sign language, “No, not at all. We ask customers to point to items on the menu card or we ask them to write it down."

“They are very nice. They take care of guests,” says a customer of the coffee shop. Another says, “Of course they won’t get jobs easily. They are getting jobs here so that’s good for them”.

Sometimes its good to be in IT! :)

Little would this poor junior officer have thought that the good deed he was doing by sending a DVD with information to the auditors is going to have an impact on the government, the entire country and 25Million people! WOW!

I do feel very sorry for this poor soul. Imagine the pressure. The police, intelligence sources and every possible force in england is looking for 2 discs that contain the personal, bank and social security details of 25 million people. WOW! this is the biggest loss that has happened in England, and speaking from the point of security - its any hackers / identity thief's ideal goal. 2 CDs - 25Million details. WOW!

Thast the way - that working in IT can have significant impact on small actions. Even something as small as burning 2 CDs. I must wish everyone luck here!


Brown apologises for records loss

Mr Brown said the government was working to prevent fraud

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said he "profoundly regrets" the loss of 25 million child benefit records.

He told MPs he apologised for the "inconvenience" caused and said the government was working to prevent the data being used for fraud.

But Conservative leader David Cameron said the government had "failed in its first duty to protect the public".

The child benefit data on the missing discs includes names, ages, bank and address details.

'Mistakes'

During a heated prime minister's questions session, Mr Brown said: "I profoundly regret and apologise for the inconvenience and worries that have been caused to millions of families who receive child benefits.

"When mistakes happen in enforcing procedures, we have a duty to do everything we can to protect the public."

But Mr Cameron said: "They will be angry that the government has failed in its first duty to protect the public."

He added: "What people want from their prime minister on a day like this is to show some broad shoulders, be the big man and accept some responsibility."

Earlier, the Tories questioned whether Alistair Darling was "up to the job" of chancellor.

Mr Darling said he "deeply regretted" what had happened, but stressed there was no evidence of misuse of the data.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Darling said his confidence had been "shaken" by what he described as a "catastrophic" incident.

''There's no doubt in my mind there have been very, very serious breaches here.

"People are entitled to trust the government to look after information that is given to it - for child benefit or any other purposes - and that did not happen here," said the chancellor.

He said the information, which was on two CDs, should "should never, ever have left the building in which it was stored".

Mr Darling denied the problem was related to the merger of the Revenue and Customs departments and staff cuts, as claimed by staff members in e-mails to the BBC.

'Difficult'

He also hit back at claims his own position as chancellor was in doubt amid continuing difficulties with Northern Rock, which has seen its share price plunge a further 15%.

"I am not going to start running away from things when things get difficult," he told Today.

Referring to the data loss crisis, he said: "It is difficult, unwelcome in every respect, but I am determined to see it through".

Earlier, Mr Darling said banks were monitoring all 7.25 million bank accounts whose details were on the discs, which contained the personal details of all child benefit recipients in the UK.

People are being urged by both the chancellor and banks to keep a close eye on their accounts "for unusual activity".

Mr Darling said that anyone who lost money as a result of any misuse of the data would be covered for losses under the banking code.

On Tuesday the chancellor told MPs how the entire child benefit database was sent by a junior official from HMRC in Washington, Tyne and Wear, to the audit office in London through courier TNT on 18 October.

The chancellor said the official had broken the rules by downloading the data to disc and sending it by unrecorded delivery.

But he reassured those affected that police had no reason to believe the discs had found their way into the wrong hands, nor did they have any evidence of it being used for "fraudulent purposes or criminal activity."

Buck questions

Bosses at the Revenue were not told about what had happened until 8 November and Mr Darling and Prime Minister Gordon Brown learned about the situation on 10 November.

The chancellor said he had delayed an emergency statement to the Commons because banks and building societies had asked for time to prepare and make sure security procedures were in place.

The officials involved waited before informing their superiors in the hope that the discs would be found.

The Metropolitan Police is leading the search, and the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which oversees the HMRC, is investigating the security breach.

A TNT spokesman said that because the discs had not been sent as recorded it was not possible to verify if they had ever been posted. He added that the company would not be responsible for any losses incurred.

Liberal Democrat Acting Leader Vince Cable asked: "Where does the buck stop in this government?"

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7104945.stm

After school - keeps crime down?

A recent news article about the after-school program that teaches school kids football, and now gives them a change in their lifestyles - is quite touching, given the circumstances in todays news.

There are many after-school programs - that essentially work to keep the kids busy - and give them something to look forward to - either to learn music, or to study. Giving them a medium to express themselves- artistically or otherwise, does in turn reduce crime rates. Essentially since kids are off the streets.

Chennai: A group of young footballers from the slums of Chennai are gearing up to play football with the Manchester United team. The children from the slums of Vyasarpadi in Chennai- an area known for its extreme poverty and high crime rates - now have a chance to meet their football idols from the Manchester United team and train under them. The training schedule has been made possible due to the efforts of a local football enthusiast and the NGO CRY. A chance to meet their idols has the youngsters excited. When asked about his idol Dhileepan, one of the youngsters, says, "Ronaldo." Another youngster A Raj says Cristiano Ronaldo is his idol. The young players are practicing for the finals of the Manchester United League selections to be held from November 24-27. If selected, four of them will fly to Manchester to get trained by their heroes. And they owe this to Umapathi, an Income Tax department employee, who was also born in the slums. He is teaching the young protégés the power of dreams through football. After training them for free for the last 10 years he says he can see the difference. "The crime rate has gone down in Vyasarpadi. These kids now realise they have a chance to make it big. So they don't go loitering around and stealing. They play football instead," Umapathi, the football coach, says

And this is what a little hope can do to a human being. "We're all going to school now because in London they speak only English. So to be able to communicate, we need to know the language," one of the youngster Ramkumar, says. "We used to loiter around earlier chewing tobacco and playing with marbles. Now we come to train. We have hope now," Hridayaraj adds. And even all of them can't make it to Manchester the journey so far has surely been dream-like.