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Google influencing elections..:)

Interesting piece about Google possibly influencing elections

 

http://business.theatlantic.com/2009/06/could_google_ads_change_elections_maybe_they_already_are.php

FW: Something so familiar

I am sure this incident plays out in many houses.. J

This is so not funny

Every night I brush my teeth. Every night, I then pick up my bottle of Listerine and gargle. Then, I remove my lenses. Then, every other night, in the Srivastava household, the Dance of Shiva begins.
Immediately after that I fumble across to the drawer on my side of the bed, rummage though the entire contents and then mumble under my breath f>?k. Then, I walk over to the husband's side of the bed and midway bang my toe onto his side of the bed, bend over and rub my toe and mumble- fuck.
All this while the husband does not move an inch away from his laptop screen and pretends not to hear a thing.
Then, I neatly go through his very neat drawer and keep back the contents of his neat drawer, neatly and then say- Fuck! Then, I go back in the bathroom and bump against the bed again and hurt my foot again and shout FUCK. Then, I open the bathroom wardrobe and empty all its contents on the floor and hurt the finger while I close the wardrobe and scream F U C K in agony.
Then, every other night, yes every other night, I bend on my knees, bury my ego in a huge hole that I dig myself with my hurt finger and hurt toe and with folded trembling hands I go over to the husband sprawled on the bed and glued to the laptop.
Though, to any outsider witnessing the above scene, it might just seem like a normal, dignified wife, a wife in black loose track pants with pink stripes and a huge red T shirt with three moth holes near the shoulder blades, but yet a very dignified looking wife, walking over to the husband in a very dignified manner and asking the butt of the lazy husband, as he still remains sprawled on the bed and glued to his laptop monitor- ' Have you seen my spectacles?'

Election Symbol - Congress

This is an interesting article about how the “Hand” became the election symbol for the Indira Congress.

 

http://www.hindustantimes.in/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?sectionName=LifeStyleSectionPage&id=04ad8c40-79a7-4aeb-9d9b-8c01616a85b3&Headline=Congress+symbol+inspired+from+Kerala+temple%3f

 

Did you know that in 1952, the “Plough” was the election symbol for the Congress?

Begum Aizaz Rasul

Well, I am mentioning a few unsung heroes (my perception perhaps).

Begum Aizaz Rasul was another person I discovered thanks to Ramachandra Guha. She was quite a stellar figure during the parliamentary debates for creation of the indian constitution.

Should try to get a hold off her autobiography : From Purdah to Parliament: A Muslim Woman in Indian Politics

Alladi Krishnaswamy Iyer

Alladi Krishnaswami Iyer was another personality I came across in Ramachandra Guha’s book. It is amazing to see people who have worked hard and have made an impact even during the British Rule. I am always amazed to see people who fight their environment and background and rise far above it inspite all odds.

He was one of the architects of the Indian constitution. I felt he was one of the “operations” people who don’t seek attention to themselves but ensure work is done in record pace. People like this form the foundation and are often unsung heroes.

Given below is more information about him in an article written by his grandson.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mag/2003/09/28/stories/2003092800270400.htm

Philip Spratt

Chanced upon a reference to Philip Spratt in Ramachandra Guha’s : India after Gandhi.

Philip Spratt was apparently a communist sent to spread communism in India. He was imprisoned in the Meerut Conspiracy Case. He spent awhile in prison reading and thus became virulently anti-communist. He stayed on in India and got married to an Indian lady.

Interesting stuff. Not much information about him on the internet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Spratt

Longue Duree

The longue durée is a term used by the French Annales School of historical writing to designate their approach to the study of history, which gave priority to long-term historical structures over events. The approach incorporates social scientific methods into history and was pioneered by Marc Bloch and Lucien Febvre in the first half of the 20th century. The approach was carried on by Fernand Braudel in the second part of the century. Recent applications of the longue durée may be found in Robert Putnam's and Bent Flyvbjerg's studies of democracy in Italy and Denmark, respectively. Both studies find that a key to adequately understand modern democracy is the understanding of centuries old, pre-modern structures of governance and what impact these have on democracy today.

 

I found the work “Longue Duree” in the book “India after Gandhi”. The context – “ The larger princely states were a product of the longue duree of Indian History”

 

 

Funny.

I was watching Emily Levine's lecture on Trickster's theory of everything when she mentioned that she once told (insulted.. she calls it the trickster's artistic freedom, i believe) a Mime person (what is the word for that?) that she thought he was stupid when he mentioned he took 18 years to perfect mime when in fact.. it just takes around 2 years for a person to perfect talking.

:)

Interesting observation.

Tells us that at times, we take life too too seriously. I always felt that humour borders on serious topics and even if panned as just a joke.. it brings out observations and more importantly attitudes of people towards that particular subject. Another way to look at it is.. humor is actually serious. (Now.. am i taking life too seriously..:) ). Well all this is subjective as .. the humorist is usually also a person who can tolerate little humor directed towards him/her... :)

So.. humor in private or maybe in a trusted group is what suffices. As long as people live in their hallowed portals and are happy.. who the heck cares.. the problem comes when ideas from one portal tries to permeate other portals.

Interesting Terms

Pyrrhic Victory
Victory with devastating cost to the victor
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhic_victory

CAdmean Victory
Victory involving one's own ruin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmean_victory

Mexican Standoff
It is a strategic deadlock or impasse, in which no party can act in a way that ensures victory.

Zugzwang
The situation when one player is forced to make a move which could work to their disadvantage. They would prefer to pass if given an option
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zugzwang

Polish Parliamanet
It refers to the situtation where there is general chaos and disorder with no mechanism to conduct any business
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_parliament_(expression)

Truel
A duel but with three opponents
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truel

Why are liquid soaps not popular in India?

Well, I remember Anil Thomas once asking me to send him a list of questions that make you think, which could possibly lead to innovative ideas. Most of us are faced with ideas – unique ideas, but are sadly conditioned to go on with life and not pause and think these things through.

 

Well, I was taken aback when Mrudul Goyal suddenly popped up this question about why liquid soaps are not popular in India. Well, I turned to my obvious expert cum personal computer – Tushara and well… the answer is as given below:

 

Although their performance is superior, liquid soaps are far costlier, and hence there is limited market in India.. this goes for both body washes and detergents....the other factor is the nature of usage- liquid body washes are more suited to a shower/bath-tub usage and liquid detergents perform the best when using a washing machine..

Peregrination ; Meme

Learnt two new words today

 

Peregrination - To journey or travel from place to place, especially on foot (usually by pilgrims)

I picked up this word while reading a Vikram Chandra novel – Red Earth & Pouring Rain.

 

Meme - A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

Picked up this word while reading about Malcolm Gladwell, after Tushara directed me to the latest book – Outliers, The story of success

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

 

 

With Regards,

Ajay Krishnan

408-654-7283

 

Maturity of the mind is the capacity to endure uncertainty - John Finley

 

I-N-S-A-N-E Website!---Creativity at its max

Do check out the website given below. It is quite an ultimate in Adobe play

An awesome work by the people who designed this link.. Do take a look at it and try all the links from "A" to "S"..

Check this out http://www.a-to-s.co.uk/home.php

www.ted.com

Have you guys visited the site www.ted.com

It is an amazing site. TED - Technology, Entertainment & Design.

I am just exploring this site and find a lot of interesting talks on this site. Most of these talks are found on youtube as well. Each of them are around 20 - 25 mins long and worthwhile. Thanks to the broadband in the US, i am able to explore this more.

The Dan Arely video i sent was also from this site.

Dan Ariely: Why we think it's OK to cheat and steal (sometimes)

There was this thought which kept troubling me for a long time. I had cheated a bit during certain exams that i had written. Surprisingly, i had not felt morose. I had these ready explanations which seemed very logical. In one case, had i not cheated, i was on the verge of failing... at least that was what my paranoic mind seemed to think. Well.. again.. all of these are just explanations. This went against the grain of all that i had been taught as a kid and plan to teach my kid as well.

So.. i chanced upon this video and was fascinated by its contents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUdsTizSxSI&feature=channel

Topic: Dan Ariely: Why we think it's OK to cheat and steal (sometimes)

This is a talk by a Behaviorial Economist Dan Ariely. His conclusions are as follows:
1.      A lot of people cheat
2.      They cheat just a little bit (which he calls the fudge factor)
3.      When we remind people of morality, they cheat less (For e.g.: If people were made to sign an imaginary code of honor before a test, they cheated less)
4.      When we get distant from money itself, people cheated more. (Has a relation to the stock market scandals. You would understand this when you see the video)
5.      If there is cheating around us particularly part of our in-group, cheating goes up. (That leaves me wondering about Abhijit again)

Very interesting video.

Something about problems

I am copying this bit from another blog so that I can keep it for posterity.

 

Nice article. It is taken from the i-TFD blog run by Ganesh

 

Problem Solving to Problem Dissolving
(Excerpted from an article in Artistic Management newsletter)

How do you perceive "Problems" and "Problem Solving"?

For some people a problem is like a "hot potato" that needs to be dropped immediately. For some others, it is little more fragile and precious. For this group of people, solving a problem is like finding the right place and right way to drop it without breaking it. For another set, a problem is like a "piece of muck" on the road that you royally ignore and hurry past towards your desired destination. There is another set of people with warrior-like approach, who treat a problem like a wild animal that needs to be hunted. And, for some who are well-versed with the ways of the "motivational industry" define "problem" as an "opportunity", which sounds great but they  have a tough time trying to figure out whether it really means anything.

Whatever be the analogy used, for most people, a problem is an undesired state of turbulence, and problem-solving is the process of taking you out of this state into a more comfortable situation.

There is a fundamental approach with the whole concept of "problem-solving": it assumes a distinct beginning and end of the existence of a problem—when you "solve" a problem, you expect to reach a state which is more comfortable and happier.

Look back and remember the last time you did a real good job of solving a complex problem in your life. What happened next? Was everything really solved? Did you manage to "happily live ever after"? A problem always brings more problems. When you find that VC to fund your start-up, it spawns off a new set of challenges that are more difficult to face. When you find the customer, it opens up a whole new set of problems (delivery, support, keeping customer happy). No matter what problem you solve, if you really do a good job of solving it, it will definitely bring a newer and bigger set of problems.

Now, consider this.

If you look at problems as a hot potato, you will keep getting bigger and hotter potatoes every time you drop one. How many hot potatoes will you drop?
If you look at problems as a muck to be avoided, you will constantly get bigger and stinkier mucks every time you avoid one. How long will you keep avoiding?
If you look at problems as a hunting experience, you will constantly meet more ferocious beasts. How many beasts can you keep slaying?
If you look at problems as an "opportunity"—well nothing much needs to be said about it.

How about looking at problems in this way:

A problem is a situation that you need to get past in order to encounter bigger, better and more desirable problems.

This approach totally changes the way you look at it. There is no end. There is no avoidance. There is no expectation to be comfortable. There is no "happily live ever after". Your whole aim is to get past the present challenge so that you can experience a bigger, better and more desirable challenge.

There is no "problem-solving" here, but "problem-dissolving". You don't try to fix the present situation, but get past one to reach another one to get through.

All our obsessions to learn "problem-solving" arise from the fact that we perceive problems as a threat, and we need something that will immediately kill the threat before it kills us.

That is the reason for all the stress in the corporate world: We have a totally screwed-up approach towards Problems and Problem-Solving.

We need to move from "Problem Solving" to "Problem Dissolving".

(Thanks to Sheenam Ohrie for sharing this.)

____
This is not about how to solve problems but how to live life and work. The key is a shift of perspective, the most important aspect of thinking out-of-the-box and generating creative solutions.

One situation where I see this often in my line of work is when someone aspires to a higher role and perceives hurdles in the form of a boss or a policy or nature of assignment. Discussion reveals that the person's perspective is limited to "solving" the problem by working around the hurdle and reaching the goal of getting a different role. And then? What about the preparation for handling the increased responsibilities, meeting the expectations of a new boss, or the other pressures of the new assignment?

Unfortunately, recent research shows that the human mind is almost incapable of conceiving its future state--we are not good at predicting how we would feel in a projected scenario. Many of these studies are described entertainingly in two books I recently read, "Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert and "The Happiness Hypothesis" by Jonathan Haidt.

 

"Green" Cars

This is a bunch of articles on the next wave in cars & travel. We are talking about “Green” cars that depend on rechargeable batteries with a hybrid option. There was this interesting piece on E6 – a BYD car which has a lifetime of 300000 kms. Now that is amazing. Chinese Car makers seem to have made a lot of progress on this. Another company – a start-up- making waves in this field is “Better Place”

 

http://www.cleantech.com/news/3983/chinas-byd-sells-first-mass-produced-plug-cars

http://cleantech.com/news/2326/renault-nissan-agassi-to-bring-electric-cars-to-israel

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/chinas_new_hybrid_electric_cars.php

 

Work Internationally

i found the bit about the American lady working in Delhi very interesting. Further, there was this comment from an american who had settled in Thailand. Very interesting. I find it amazing that people are so entrepreneurial and take life altering decisions based on thoughts and possibilities and don't sit around in the comfort of familiarity. That is what perhaps makes great people and great societies.

http://features.csmonitor.com/economyrebuild/2009/03/26/for-laid-off-ibm-workers-a-job-in-india/

Financial blogs - indian

Given below are some interesting financial blogs.

 

http://www.jagoinvestor.com/

http://www.sudarshanonline.com/

 

Casino Capitalism

The word “Casino Capitalism” caught my attention. This is an interesting read in terms of why investing in the stock market for retail investors is like playing in a casino. It apparently is also penned as a book.

 

It additionally links to an interesting blog.

 

http://themoneybees.blogspot.com/2008/12/casino-capitalism-different-paradigm-to.html

 

Nerdy Joke

A desperate woman writes to the Technical support Guy,

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and I noticed a distinct slowdown in the overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewellery applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as
Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as  NEWS 5.0,   MONEY 3.0  and CRICKET 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.

Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,
Desperate Woman

DEAR DESPERATE Madam,

First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme. html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Silence 2.5 or Beer 6.1.
Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do,
DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0 program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly.

You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance.
We recommend:  Cooking 3.0 and  Hot Looks 7.7.

Good Luck Madam!

Tech Support

 

Another interesting site..

www.yourtrustedtradesmen.com
BTTradespace.

Should investigate this more..

This excerpt is from linkedin

Hi everyone my names Michael & i own and run www.yourtrustedtradesmen.com , I have only been going 6 months or so and have already have a page rank 3 from google. We also have had over 130,000 visits to our site in that period. I have signed some 550 tradespersons or service providers. I have acheived all this by lots of hard graft by blogging everywhere joining related forums, press releases ect ect, also i only charge £40 a year or 60.00 dollars US for a ad on my site which is fully designed and worded by myself. That's enough about me i wanted to talk about a networking site run by BT called BTTradespace. I came across it some 5 months ago there you can advertise your business website to over 330,000 members for FREE you can create your own online community, they have a forum you can blog ,post videos, pictures of your products ,podcasts sell and loads besides. Since joining myself i have seen a increase in visitor numbers to my site grow by over 40% i have also have signed over 60 members from there wanting to advertise on my site. So i would highly reccomend it to anyone here to give it a go as another outlet to get their name out there. The link is http://tradebusiness.at/YTT12

Interesting website. Have to explore

http://eventful.com

Small businesses can easily plan, create and manage outdoor advertising in just a few clicks

Signposter.com , a new online service helping businesses in the UK buy and manage outdoor advertising, marks its official launch at the Grow Your Own Business event in London. Signposter.com is the first online service that makes cost-effective outdoor advertising accessible to small businesses in just a few clicks...

Read the full media release here...

http://blogit.realwire.com/?ReleaseID=11684

Living the map

I read about an interesting adventure by a Daniel Seddiqui. This person is traveling across 50 states in America (one every week) and holding a job in each state. So.. 50 states, 50 weeks, 50 Jobs.

 

www.livingthemap.com

 

Apparently, the inspiration is to see the different kind of jobs available at one’s disposal. Most of them are entry level jobs. Its quite an adventure. Could check up more details in the site above.

 

The Best Job in the World

This contest attracted a lot of attention. 34000 people applied for the job with 60 second clippings of who they are and why are they apt for the job.

 

The job involves being a caretaker for a few islands on the barrier reef for 6 months with a $150000 (Australian $) salary and all paid accommodation & perks.

 

http://www.islandreefjob.com/

 

Check out the site above for more info.  What I am interested in is seeing the 50 videos that were short-listed. I am sure it will give me tips on a short & sweet introduction that one should have for people.

 

 

 

Quote

“Too many of us are like Wheel Barrows --- Useful only when pushed and easily upset. “ - anonymous

 

I liked this quote a lot.  A very different kind of quote. I feel it is not the regular “gyan” kind.