On reaching the 1000 mark on the blog hits, I thank all my readers for it. Some of you have told me directly that you liked certain topics and very few of you do take it up to write a comment or tick one of the three checkboxes for me to get some feedback.
When I started writing this, I never thought of reaching this high hits in so little time. I will let you people on a secret: blogging, inspires me. It inspires me to explore more, wanting to know more to get some good stuff to my readers.
I really am very happy knowing that my blog inspired you in some way, made you think, appreciate something better, get some wisdom, learn more or just entertained you well.
At times, the blog has given me a sense of belonging and support when there were none better. I will continue to blog and try to make my audience "think again" about me, life in general and things you did not know much about.
I thank all of you again. :)
Monday, March 30, 2009
Discover something
"Just look behind the face of things and you will inevitably discover something".
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Another day
At 5.47am, here I am by the pool side, just finished writing the WAC(written analysis of a case) deadline of which was 8am.
The poker is still on,
and so are the songs,
the vigour is a little down,
yet the drinks are flowing,
and the cigarettes are still burning,
and on goes life as one passes on,
from one day into another so seamlessly,
and surprisingly the words are flowing so freely,
despite having an all night out,
and one peg of neat rum.
Now the songs are slowing down,
the bottles are going empty,
the people have started going back,
and as a beautiful night comes to an end,
and a beautiful day starts off !!!
There is laughter in the air,
there are janitors cleaning up in the garden,
cigarette butts in the ash trays,
leftover ice cubes melting away,
my can groupmate singing a college song for me at my table,
plastic cups on the tables,
broken glass bottles on the ground,
birds chirping on the trees,
sparrows searching for food under the tables,
slow old hindi songs in the air waves,
people sitting on the arm rests,
people talking of going to the nearest MacD,
people singing along even at this hour,
while being all concious.
Now it is 40 min past six,
the girls have left,
the guys have also left,
just one another guy with me,
he has now come to my table wondering what I am still doing on my laptop,
I told him what I was upto,
and he told "wow! you write poems too?"
I replied "my first one"
He says "sexy, many people think, but no one does it".
He sits on the other side of the table,
with a cigarette in his hand that is not yet lit,
thinking and hearing to the loud song in the background,
the birds are still chirping,
but the sound is less audible now,
he lights the cigarette,
takes a puff,
blows the smoke,
and I can smell the mild smell of cigarette as the smoke hits my face,
still typing unknown to him,
that he has become my subject for writing.
I have written a para and he still hasn't taken another puff,
he is deep thought,
his head is nodding,
he is surely enjoying the song,
the sound of glass bottles breaking as the janitors clean up the tables,
a 70's hindi song plays from the big speakers,
and a sparrow catches my eye,
but disappears under a table, still looking for food,
there is no wind in the air,
the tree leaves are still,
my friend is silent,
he is checking his mobile,
another para over and just two puffs till now,
ah, there comes the third,
and the fourth and he has dipped the cigarette into the melting ice on the table,
he has left the table,
he has told me to take the speaker to the dorm lobby,
the songs silences,
he has stopped the song,
he tells me again to take care of the speaker,
he is no where in sight now,
and here I am,
the last man sitting...
and i think I too should hit the place and get out of here!!!
Such is the nice and strange company you get here at all oddhours which will be missed after the B-school experience....
and so are the songs,
the vigour is a little down,
yet the drinks are flowing,
and the cigarettes are still burning,
and on goes life as one passes on,
from one day into another so seamlessly,
and surprisingly the words are flowing so freely,
despite having an all night out,
and one peg of neat rum.
Now the songs are slowing down,
the bottles are going empty,
the people have started going back,
and as a beautiful night comes to an end,
and a beautiful day starts off !!!
There is laughter in the air,
there are janitors cleaning up in the garden,
cigarette butts in the ash trays,
leftover ice cubes melting away,
my can groupmate singing a college song for me at my table,
plastic cups on the tables,
broken glass bottles on the ground,
birds chirping on the trees,
sparrows searching for food under the tables,
slow old hindi songs in the air waves,
people sitting on the arm rests,
people talking of going to the nearest MacD,
people singing along even at this hour,
while being all concious.
Now it is 40 min past six,
the girls have left,
the guys have also left,
just one another guy with me,
he has now come to my table wondering what I am still doing on my laptop,
I told him what I was upto,
and he told "wow! you write poems too?"
I replied "my first one"
He says "sexy, many people think, but no one does it".
He sits on the other side of the table,
with a cigarette in his hand that is not yet lit,
thinking and hearing to the loud song in the background,
the birds are still chirping,
but the sound is less audible now,
he lights the cigarette,
takes a puff,
blows the smoke,
and I can smell the mild smell of cigarette as the smoke hits my face,
still typing unknown to him,
that he has become my subject for writing.
I have written a para and he still hasn't taken another puff,
he is deep thought,
his head is nodding,
he is surely enjoying the song,
the sound of glass bottles breaking as the janitors clean up the tables,
a 70's hindi song plays from the big speakers,
and a sparrow catches my eye,
but disappears under a table, still looking for food,
there is no wind in the air,
the tree leaves are still,
my friend is silent,
he is checking his mobile,
another para over and just two puffs till now,
ah, there comes the third,
and the fourth and he has dipped the cigarette into the melting ice on the table,
he has left the table,
he has told me to take the speaker to the dorm lobby,
the songs silences,
he has stopped the song,
he tells me again to take care of the speaker,
he is no where in sight now,
and here I am,
the last man sitting...
and i think I too should hit the place and get out of here!!!
Such is the nice and strange company you get here at all oddhours which will be missed after the B-school experience....
Friday, March 27, 2009
Obsoleteness
"The question you should be asking yourself everyday morning when you get up is 'How do I make myself obsolete today?' "
- One of the real gurus I know- Prof.Eduarto Morato.
In other words, what do I do today to improve myself from what I was yesterday.
I am not as worried about getting old as much as I am worried about getting obsolete.
"OnLive"? or rather "Live On"
Well, this is not just another gaming console!
OnLive, a new service that replaces video game consoles like the XBox and PS3 with a small online device, was announced at today’s Game Developer Conference. OnLive will offer hi-res video games over your broadband connection, opening doors for video game downloads, multiday online rentals, and other exciting options.
A startup company called OnLive is trying to disrupt the gaming industry by delivering high-end games through the cloud to a computer or Internet-connected television.
The service, which is expected to launch in the winter, was unveiled Tuesday at the Game Developers Conference. The demonstration showed how it streams 3-D games from a data server to the consumer using proprietary compression techniques. A Macintosh or Windows user would first need to download a 1-MB browser plug-in, but it potentially enables users to play games with high-end visuals without the need for expensive graphics cards or strong processors. Games can be played with the keyboard and mouse, a standard USB controller, or OnLive’s proprietary wireless controller.
For gamers, the service potentially gives them access to top-shelf games without having to invest in new hardware or consoles. The service already has the backing of Atari, Eidos, Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS), Take-Two Interactive Software, THQ, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. These companies plan to launch titles on OnLive at the same time as the console and PC counterparts. The product and technology sound groundbreaking. http://www.businesspundit.com/will-onlive-kill-the-video-game-console/
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Human red arrows
In harmony: The BirdMan wingsuit display team perform in GermanyOnce within 3,000ft of the ground they open a parachute and float to earth.
It might look terrifying but Mark Harris, 35, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, who also films the jumps, says: 'It's actually not as dangerous as you might think. I've never had a major accident yet.'
It may look terrifying but Mark Harris, 35, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, who also films the jumps, says it is one of the most 'liberating' and 'peaceful' experiences possible.
Mark, 35, from Kettering, Northants, said: 'For years sky divers have been trying various formations during jumps so this provided a framework for the jumps.
'But we have studied Red Arrow formations and how they move through the air, which gave us a lot of inspiration.
'It's actually not as dangerous as you might think because, although you're flying through the air at more than 120mph, you're actually only falling at about 40mph.
'The suit is as close to the sensation of flying as you can get, and enables you to glide rather than just free fall.
'Once you are in formation it is one of the peaceful experiences imaginable and you can't help but have your breath taken away by some of the views.'
The extreme sport of wingsuit jumping started in 2002 but has grown in popularity and evolved into formation sky-diving.
The team - called Topgun' - has members from Denmark, Sweden, Britain and Holland and jumps all over Europe in formations including up to 16 divers.
Mark, who has taken part in more than 6,000 wingsuit jumps, added: 'Wingsuit jumpers are experienced sky divers who want to try something different.
'I've never had a major accident yet - there have been a few mid-air collision but we usually just laugh it off and get back in formation.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1163439/Pictured-The-Human-Red-Arrows-leap-planes-13-000ft-wearing-just-wing-suits.html
Double decker
The pop-up Cardok garage uses a silent hydraulic platform which can be hidden under a water feature, gravel, or even a second car.
Double decker: A lift strong enough for another car to be parked on top of it costs £48,000 plus VAT and installation.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Explore, dream, discover
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover" - Mark Twain
Push the limits
"Push The Limits" by Enigma
Basic instincts, social life
Paradoxes side by side
Don't submit to stupid rules
Be yourself and not a fool
Don't accept average habits
Open your heart and push the limits
Open your heart [echoes] And push the limits [echoes]
Basic instincts, social life
Paradoxes side by side
Don't submit to stupid rules
Be yourself and not a fool
Don't accept average habits
Open your heart and push the limits
Open your heart [echoes] And push the limits [echoes]
Buy? Sell?
How the Stock Market Really Works
This is how Buy or Sell decisions are made. I had seen this cartoon a loong time ago in some end pages of some magazine... very nice and very true so many times.... It is all about getting outside this panic that will make you money!
India's opportunity
According to this article:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News-by-Industry/India-cancels-1-bn-helicopter-tender/articleshow/4310388.cms
the cost of 22 military attack helicopters is $1billion. Or that is Rs.227 cr per helicopter at the current exchange rate of Rs50/USD. Phew! $45million per copter. Instead of spending this kind of money to buy quality arms, can't the government pull up one good great person who is given all the powers to run the company with the high reward if the target is met to start a govt. agency to do all the research and come up with something brilliant in the coming years. Also, looking at the serial "future weapons" on Discovery, I have always wondered why doesn't India just copy the ideas or make the special machines for the requirements as mentioned in the serial. India too has minefields at the border- a machine that blasts the mines and still goes ahead taking on more mines. India also wants a shore attack capability- a amphibious vehicle that can carry people and can convert itself into a tank once it reaches the shore. India too has hostage situations - a device that will penetrate the wall/steel enclosure and then blast inside or throw scrapnel inside the building killing/disabling everyone inside. These are all machines and weapons I have seen in the serial and I think if India can make these and export them, it will find a way of making money and also generate employment. After all, who is not interested in making a high end weapon intended to kill the enemies!
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News-by-Industry/India-cancels-1-bn-helicopter-tender/articleshow/4310388.cms
the cost of 22 military attack helicopters is $1billion. Or that is Rs.227 cr per helicopter at the current exchange rate of Rs50/USD. Phew! $45million per copter. Instead of spending this kind of money to buy quality arms, can't the government pull up one good great person who is given all the powers to run the company with the high reward if the target is met to start a govt. agency to do all the research and come up with something brilliant in the coming years. Also, looking at the serial "future weapons" on Discovery, I have always wondered why doesn't India just copy the ideas or make the special machines for the requirements as mentioned in the serial. India too has minefields at the border- a machine that blasts the mines and still goes ahead taking on more mines. India also wants a shore attack capability- a amphibious vehicle that can carry people and can convert itself into a tank once it reaches the shore. India too has hostage situations - a device that will penetrate the wall/steel enclosure and then blast inside or throw scrapnel inside the building killing/disabling everyone inside. These are all machines and weapons I have seen in the serial and I think if India can make these and export them, it will find a way of making money and also generate employment. After all, who is not interested in making a high end weapon intended to kill the enemies!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Wise Old Man
A story about reverse psychology: A retired man moves near a junior high school. He spends the first few weeks of retirement in peace and quiet. However, when a new school year begins, three young boys beat on every trash can they encounter every day on their way home from school. Finally, the man decides to take action and walks out to meet the boys. He says, "You kids are a lot of fun. I'll give you each a dollar if you'll promise to come around every day and do your thing." The kids continue to do a bang-up job on the trashcans. After a few days, the man tells the kids, "This recession's really putting a big dent in my income. From now on, I'll only be able to pay you 50 cents to beat on the cans." The noisemakers are displeased, but they accept his offer. A few days later, the retiree approaches them again. "Look," he says, "I haven't received my Social Security check yet, so I'm not going to be able to pay more than 25 cents. Will that be OK?" "A freakin' quarter?" the drum leader exclaims. "If you think we're going to waste our time beating these cans around for a quarter, you're nuts. We quit."
Monday, March 16, 2009
Divergent lives
Considering our group of 7 college friends (or slightly more). 3 of them are girls. As of today, this is where we stand after college. One girl got a land, another girl got a husband and third got a beautiful car, while all the other 4 of us guys are still struggling to get our MBA degree.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
The mail/call/message that never came
As this day comes to an end in another half hour, I am partly happy and also sad about the way things have turned out. :(
This is a very very odd year when two of my best friends have not wished me on my birthday. Coming to think of it, almost all of my very good friends haven't wished me this year. The people who I grew up with for the last decade have somehow forgotten me conveniently this year despite the week long reminders from orkut. Even my cousin who sends me a birthday card every year from as long as I can remember did not even ping me. I really did at least expect a call or a mail or a chat message if I was offline from the people I love and care so much about....
But alas, never did that happen. :(
Well, this is just a rude reminder that times have changed!!!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Economics of love
Girl Your Marginal Benefits... (Featuring Julia Zhang)
Now girl being with you has always been so tough (so tough)
With each passing minute your marginal cost goes up
But my love is inelastic and it all belongs to you (who me?)
I'm the only love producer and my good is for you to consume
Cause girl your marginal benefits far outweigh your marginal costs
Without our equilibrium baby well you know I'd be lost
Trapped inside this market I need you to buy my love
Girl without your complementing goods well I'm just not enough
Now you say that I'm producing below my ATC (so low)
But I'm optimizing quantity baby, why can't you see?
We could share this surplus each and every day If you would just buy my love I'd make my fixed costs go away
Baby I want to keep you for the long run (Oh yeah) (mmmm)
I think our supply and demand will become one
Cause girl your marginal benefits far outweigh your marginal costs
Without our equilibrium baby well you know I'd be lost Long run equilibrium is no place for me
I need the profits of our love to grow exponentially
http://www.purevolume.com/miketoomey
Flatulence tax
Proposals to tax the flatulence of cows and other livestock have been denounced by farming groups in the Irish Republic and Denmark.
A cow tax of €13 per animal has been mooted in Ireland, while Denmark is discussing a levy as high as €80 per cow to offset the potential penalties each country faces from European Union legislation aimed at combating global warming.
The proposed levies are opposed vigorously by farming groups. The Irish Farmers' Association said that the cattle industry would move to South America to avoid EU taxes.
Livestock contribute 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases believed to cause global warming, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. The Danish Tax Commission estimates that a cow will emit four tonnes of methane a year in burps and flatulence, compared with 2.7 tonnes of carbon dioxide for an average car.
Dental hygiene
When it comes to dental hygiene, these macaques could show humans a thing or two.
Astonishingly, monkeys teach their offspring how to floss - using human hair they discovered in their enclosure.
One baby seemed a particularly attentive learner and sat enthralled while its mother demonstrated the finer intricacies of cleaning its teeth.
Floss and go: A baby macaque monkey seems enthralled as its mother teaches it how to clean its teeth
Around 100 monkeys of a group of 250, who live in temple ruins at Lopburi, north of Bangkok,Thailand, have taken up flossing.
The habit was first spotted ten years ago and zoologists have slowly noticed more and more macaques, who eat crabs, learning the technique.
Quick learners: 100 of the 250 strong group have been seen flossing their teeth using human hair
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1161526/The-macaque-monkeys-teach-babies-floss.html
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Life's deepest question
Found this on my friend's gtalk status: "Life's deepest question - "Is she the one?" by Prof. Sameer Shukla.
My first customers
Our first customer of our 'Milk and Spice' stall: Mr. Ashish Ranjan
Me, Manny (2nd customer) and Ashish Ranjan(1st customer) with our hottest selling product, Hot Cinnamon Milk.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
MBA - A tip of the iceberg
The MBA just gets you to know the tip of the iceberg of information, knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
Consider the below 2 examples in finance:
1. We all have heard about debt covenants, but don't exactly know how they are structured... how long these detailed indentures are and how important these are in the court of law if there is a case of doing something against the conditions mentioned in the covenant.
2. I am pretty sure many of the MBA graduates dont even know what a treasury department in a company does.
We have a long way to go, Baby.... before we really learn something well....
Ghita
Ghita lyrics
The coat is inside out,
There is no sun above
Nothing is going good
Since I think of Ghita.
But Ghita's not in town I asked why he's not around
It seems to me he's gone
He's gone abroad Hard,
I think it's very hard Want,
I don't know what I want
I know that you like me too Ghita,
what is up with you?
Young, come on in or go
Young, tell me yes or no Ghita,
please dont´t anger me
Tell me how your life will be Ghita,
Tonight I'm waiting at the wicket
Me at the station I bought a ticket
Come to,
But don't come as you did before
As usually with empty hands...
Who else
Will wait and sing for you as I do
Entire evening just getting there
Ghita, Show me a girl who's found of you
That loves you more as much as I do...
Ghita, te-astept diseara la portita
Langa portita de la scoala
Vino da numa nu vini cum vii tu
De obicei cu mana goala
Cine te mai asteapta ca si mine
O seara intreaga numai pe tine.
Ghita, arata-mi tu o fata care Sa te iubeasca asa de tare!.
Cleopatra Stratan (born October 6, 2002 in Chişinău, Moldova), the daughter of Moldovan-Romanian singer, Pavel Stratan, is the youngest person ever to score commercial success as a singer, with her 2006 album La vârsta de trei ani ("At the age of 3"). She holds the record for being the youngest artist that performed live for two hours in front of a large audience, the highest paid young artist, the youngest artist to receive an MTV award and the youngest artist to score a #1 hit in a country ("Ghiţă" in Romanian Singles Chart).
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Cases and case writers
Some of the cases are getting on my nerves... especially the finance cases.
They give you so much insufficient data, then give exhibits of cash flows without even a mention of which year it is, when dealing in cases where even the aim of the case is not clear.
Statements like "the relevant market for the company is worth $7billion".... does it mean the whole market for the product is worth $7b or a fraction that the company will get? And that too for a start-up company... how can they go from zero to $7b in a year? It does make sense how. There is usually a production delay and growing to such large numbers takes years.
When even interpretations of the statements have to be assumed and there is no other statement ruling out the alternative possibilities, I dont think the case is anything but sh**y. And on such statements 5 year projections of the company's worth is to be found out? Bullshit!
I wonder how such confused profs. are even allowed to write/mentor cases.
But then again, great theories in finance have been made made looking at random motion of pollen grains in water.
Finance rocks! or not!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Hung over?
Don't worry, the cure is here. :) http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-strangest-hangover-cures
Bullet proof vests made of gels?
Introducing the gel-filled army helmet that will crush bullets as they penetrate it
On the face of it a layer of orange jelly may not sound the best way to protect a soldier's head from high velocity bullets and shrapnel.
But the British Army's standard-issue combat helmet is set to be upgraded with a liner made from gooey miracle gel, which responds to a sudden impact by locking instantly into a solid form - absorbing huge amounts of energy harmlessly.
A UK-based technology company was today celebrating a £100,000 contract from the Ministry of Defence to develop its D3O shock-absorbing gel to help save the lives of British troops fighting on the frontline in Afghanistan.
Richard Palmer, CEO of Blue Divine Ltd, with 'D3O' shock-absorbing material which will be used to line new British Army helmets
The MoD also unveiled its long-term technology plans today and showed off a series of gadgets which could be used on the battlefield of the future.
The gadgets include a 'Future Protected Vehicle', or tank, and futuristic-looking battleships, helicopters and planes.
A highly magnified examination of 'D30' the miracle substance that hardens on impact
The advanced nano-technology of the D3O shock-absorbing gel relies on the bizarre properties shown by 'intelligent molecules' under extreme pressure.
It is already in use in a range of sports and ski wear featuring flexible knee pads or soft hats which instantly stiffen into protective layers when a skier or snowboarder hits the ground hard.
Now the same technology is destined for use in war zones.
Scientists are pushing ahead with design and testing of infantry helmet liners, and the MoD hopes the gel could also soon be used in new types of body armour and other protective kit.
Ultimately the army's existing bulky helmets and heavy, restrictive body armour could be slimmed down thanks to the addition of pockets and layers of jelly.
The future of flying: This MoD design called Novel Air Concept 1 shows what fighter jets of the future may look like
Slick: This design is called Novel Air Concept 2 and shows a variety of flying machines and missiles
The Army's existing Mark 6A combat helmet has been in service for 20 years, and consists of a tough ballistic nylon layer with padded lining inside.
Now the aim is to produce a new liner made from the miracle gel, which will absorb much of the energy of an impact from a bullet - reducing the chances of it penetrating the outer layer and softening the shock to a soldier's skull and neck.
The gel's inventor Richard Palmer, chief executive of D3O Lab, said: 'It's rather like comparing RoboCop and Spider-Man.
Cutting-edge: This design titled Future Protected Vehicle is what a tank may one day look like
'RoboCop is the past - heavily protected but bulky and cumbersome - whereas Spider-Man is more nimble, covert and flexible.
'The gel works at a molecular level. When moved slowly the molecules will slip past each other, but in a high-energy impact they will snag and lock together, becoming solid, and in doing so they absorb energy.'
Future of sea-warfare? This image, titled Novel Air Concept 3, depicts a possible future battleship with helicopters landing on it
The D3O gel was one of a range of new innovations shown off by the MOD today under its new Defence Technology Plan, awarding almost £2million to hi-tech firms to develop better equipment for frontline troops.
Others include the Testudo, a small and rugged wheeled robot which can be carried by troops and then released towards enemy positions to spot enemy fighters and other threats, beaming back images.
Designers are also developing systems to help helicopter pilots land safely in the thick dust clouds thrown up by their rotor blades, and new tiny unmanned aerial drones which will operate in 'swarms', linked by intelligence computers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)