An old speech, but still very relevant and leaves you with lots to think about.
Click here to watch the video.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
How costly is Outsourcing?
Well the success of India's outsourcing industry has been widely written about and discussed threadbare in almost every forum. It is something we as indians have found reason to be proud of and hope to better ourselves in. From basic call centres to actuarial work, reading MRI scans, financial consulting and ofcourse software. The journey has been great so far. And now we have taken the next step. The step that we think is going to take our country to greater heights. Manufacturing.
I read in a recent publication, that 'Many production processes are shifted to other countries, mostly developing countries. This is based not only on economics but also the decreasing acceptance of environmental pollution in industrialized countries, because policy makers and people in developing countries like India are unaware of or indifferent to long-term benefits and costs. They cannot see beyond the tips of their noses.'
This is not something that can be brushed away or taken lightly. Pollution and quality of life are taken seriously world over, and rightly so. After all, like someone said - "Life is not the destination, but its the journey itself".
These countries have been where we are now and are out full swing correcting their mistakes. We just need to learn from their mistakes, instead of repeating them. Just do it right from the beginning.
But thats easier said than done. In India its always been "chalta hai", "swalpa adjust madi".. or simply "I keep my house clean!!!".
While the government can be blamed for everything, from ineffective policy implementation, lack of farsightedness or not providing sufficient facilities, we as Indians ought to learn some self discipline. The government can provide dustbins, but people need to see some use for it.
And of course there is no dearth of argument's. "But the government does not empty the bins on time." will be the prompt reply.
For a majority of us Indians, this is life. It is probably because we have seen/heard no better. And having been in such an environment all along we dont realise what a mess we are in. Just today my parents, back from a train journey in a 3rd AC compartment, casually mentioned how the entire compartment was littered with the covers/bags in which the railways bed sheets are delivered in. The sheets were used and the covers were thrown, well, no place in particular. And people just walked around treading on these covers, least bothered. I guess that in a nutshell is what happens everywhere. There is a general lack of concern.
Only when we as individuals understand and respect the simple need for a clean public environment, can we think of effectively setting up safe, clean manufacturing units without damaging the environment.
I am all for development and more manufacturing work coming to India. But this should be done keeping in mind the impact it could have in the long run.
There is hope, and plenty of it. It is the emergence of the well read, well traveled bourgeoisie Indian, whose voice is gradually being heard above all the political hue and cry. Lots of NGO's are mushrooming all over the country helping these voices. I am sure very soon these voices will reinforce each other to drown out everything else.
It is important that people are given the opportunity to see something done right. And am sure it wont be long before they realize what they have been doing wrong.
Like someone said - " We have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but have borrowed it from our grandchildren."
And we owe this to them. So guys, its your turn to do your bit.
I read in a recent publication, that 'Many production processes are shifted to other countries, mostly developing countries. This is based not only on economics but also the decreasing acceptance of environmental pollution in industrialized countries, because policy makers and people in developing countries like India are unaware of or indifferent to long-term benefits and costs. They cannot see beyond the tips of their noses.'
This is not something that can be brushed away or taken lightly. Pollution and quality of life are taken seriously world over, and rightly so. After all, like someone said - "Life is not the destination, but its the journey itself".
These countries have been where we are now and are out full swing correcting their mistakes. We just need to learn from their mistakes, instead of repeating them. Just do it right from the beginning.
But thats easier said than done. In India its always been "chalta hai", "swalpa adjust madi".. or simply "I keep my house clean!!!".
While the government can be blamed for everything, from ineffective policy implementation, lack of farsightedness or not providing sufficient facilities, we as Indians ought to learn some self discipline. The government can provide dustbins, but people need to see some use for it.
And of course there is no dearth of argument's. "But the government does not empty the bins on time." will be the prompt reply.
For a majority of us Indians, this is life. It is probably because we have seen/heard no better. And having been in such an environment all along we dont realise what a mess we are in. Just today my parents, back from a train journey in a 3rd AC compartment, casually mentioned how the entire compartment was littered with the covers/bags in which the railways bed sheets are delivered in. The sheets were used and the covers were thrown, well, no place in particular. And people just walked around treading on these covers, least bothered. I guess that in a nutshell is what happens everywhere. There is a general lack of concern.
Only when we as individuals understand and respect the simple need for a clean public environment, can we think of effectively setting up safe, clean manufacturing units without damaging the environment.
I am all for development and more manufacturing work coming to India. But this should be done keeping in mind the impact it could have in the long run.
There is hope, and plenty of it. It is the emergence of the well read, well traveled bourgeoisie Indian, whose voice is gradually being heard above all the political hue and cry. Lots of NGO's are mushrooming all over the country helping these voices. I am sure very soon these voices will reinforce each other to drown out everything else.
It is important that people are given the opportunity to see something done right. And am sure it wont be long before they realize what they have been doing wrong.
Like someone said - " We have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but have borrowed it from our grandchildren."
And we owe this to them. So guys, its your turn to do your bit.
We have not inherited the earth from our forefathers but have borrowed it from our grandchildren
Now thats something we ought to always keep in mind!!
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Mesothelioma
Wondering what the hell that title means? Well i just came across an article that says that this is the costliest word on the ad world.
This is what wikipedia has to say about Mesothelioma - "Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.[1] In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking [2]."
That proves one thing for sure.. "Health is wealth!!". Mesothelioma costs as much as 84$ per click.
This is what wikipedia has to say about Mesothelioma - "Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is almost always caused by previous exposure to asbestos.[1] In this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium, a protective lining that covers most of the body's internal organs. Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and chest cavity), but it may also occur in the peritoneum (the lining of the abdominal cavity) or the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart).
Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos particles, or have been exposed to asbestos dust and fibre in other ways, such as by washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos, or by home renovation using asbestos cement products. Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking [2]."
That proves one thing for sure.. "Health is wealth!!". Mesothelioma costs as much as 84$ per click.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
PPA Advertising
Google today announced its new 'pay per Action' advertising product today.
Advertisers will need to pay only for completed actions that they can define, like submitting a request, filling a form, buying a product etc. This will make the entire ad world a lot more complicated. It will not be sufficient for google to monitor clicks now. They will also need to know what the user does after clicking on the ad.
The advertiser will need to report these actions back to Google.
Now ofcourse the advertiser has an incentive to not report these actions as he will need to pay for the same. But Google can effectively counter this by ranking the ad based on profitability to Google and value of each click to the advertiser.
Now all this makes sense in say a country like the US, where purchasing something online has become the order of the day.
In a country like india for example. Online sales are still not very common. Even the most tech savvy indian would prefer to check the product out online and then go down to the store, examine the product and then purchase it.
Online advertising in India, has never been the most attractive of options. As an advertiser, all you could expect from an 'online ad' is only visibility and mindshare and not an actual purchase online.
This being the case PPA is an attractive option from the advertisers perspective, as in most cases an advertiser in india is not looking for anything more than visibility. No 'action' is expected online.
So if given a choice they would gladly jump for PPA ads to CPC ads any day.
So is google taking a big risk here? Or do they have the wares to ensure that advertisers dont get what they want without paying a dime for it.
Techcrunch has a well written article describing the impact this could have on the advertising world.
Advertisers will need to pay only for completed actions that they can define, like submitting a request, filling a form, buying a product etc. This will make the entire ad world a lot more complicated. It will not be sufficient for google to monitor clicks now. They will also need to know what the user does after clicking on the ad.
The advertiser will need to report these actions back to Google.
Now ofcourse the advertiser has an incentive to not report these actions as he will need to pay for the same. But Google can effectively counter this by ranking the ad based on profitability to Google and value of each click to the advertiser.
Now all this makes sense in say a country like the US, where purchasing something online has become the order of the day.
In a country like india for example. Online sales are still not very common. Even the most tech savvy indian would prefer to check the product out online and then go down to the store, examine the product and then purchase it.
Online advertising in India, has never been the most attractive of options. As an advertiser, all you could expect from an 'online ad' is only visibility and mindshare and not an actual purchase online.
This being the case PPA is an attractive option from the advertisers perspective, as in most cases an advertiser in india is not looking for anything more than visibility. No 'action' is expected online.
So if given a choice they would gladly jump for PPA ads to CPC ads any day.
So is google taking a big risk here? Or do they have the wares to ensure that advertisers dont get what they want without paying a dime for it.
Techcrunch has a well written article describing the impact this could have on the advertising world.
Thought for the day
Holding onto anger is like grasping hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha
Thursday, March 15, 2007
GizmoSMS
Michael Robertson, the man behind mp3.com and Linspire has added a new twist to his Gizmo free phone project. Gizmo has launched its new Gizmosms service.
While the SMS market is huge, 45 billion dollars worldwide approximately. This service is certainly not the first of its kind.
So whats exciting about this service, besides the man behind it all, when we have already seen so many sites providing an sms service.
a) With Gizmo, you do not need to know the carrier of the number you are smsing(or texting as it is known in some parts).
b) There doesnt seem to be any restriction on which carrier is supported. Or a large number of carriers are supported and this ofcourse is hidden from the user.
c) That makes the user interface clean. Requiring you to just know the number and the country where the sms needs to be sent to.
d) the site doesnt require you to register.
Michael does make tall claims of it being the best of its kind and the fastest. But I havent received my sms in the last 15 minutes. But all u text freaks, do check it out.
While the SMS market is huge, 45 billion dollars worldwide approximately. This service is certainly not the first of its kind.
So whats exciting about this service, besides the man behind it all, when we have already seen so many sites providing an sms service.
a) With Gizmo, you do not need to know the carrier of the number you are smsing(or texting as it is known in some parts).
b) There doesnt seem to be any restriction on which carrier is supported. Or a large number of carriers are supported and this ofcourse is hidden from the user.
c) That makes the user interface clean. Requiring you to just know the number and the country where the sms needs to be sent to.
d) the site doesnt require you to register.
Michael does make tall claims of it being the best of its kind and the fastest. But I havent received my sms in the last 15 minutes. But all u text freaks, do check it out.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Gmail is down!!!
Gmail seems to be down for a while now. Wonder what google's up to?
Its been almost 15 mins since i noticed...
Its been almost 15 mins since i noticed...
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Google Maps : Zoom away
Well i havent checked this out yet... im going to do it as soon as i get home.. :)
But if this is possible.. wow!! but google may have some answering to do...
Time to go see if your car is still where u left it...
http://blog.outer-court.com/archive/2007-03-07-n12.html
But if this is possible.. wow!! but google may have some answering to do...
Time to go see if your car is still where u left it...
http://blog.outer-court.com/archive/2007-03-07-n12.html
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
:Derailed on Ruby tracks
Well if you have been trying to figure your way around ruby on rails and have been wondering what the so called :action's and :controllers and :id's are.
and Why do you need them in the code for?
and What do they do? etc etc. You have come to the right place.
Firstly these are called Symbols. And many have tried to explain the concept of symbols and have failed quite miserably.
Alas!! Its not me thats going to solve the mystery here for you. But yes I am going to show you the path : http://glu.ttono.us/articles/2005/08/19/understanding-ruby-symbols
A neat little blog by Kevin Clark that finally clears the air a little.
Cheers
and Why do you need them in the code for?
and What do they do? etc etc. You have come to the right place.
Firstly these are called Symbols. And many have tried to explain the concept of symbols and have failed quite miserably.
Alas!! Its not me thats going to solve the mystery here for you. But yes I am going to show you the path : http://glu.ttono.us/articles/2005/08/19/understanding-ruby-symbols
A neat little blog by Kevin Clark that finally clears the air a little.
Cheers
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Spotplex
Spotplex has added a twist to the Digg story. Here users do not submit stories. Instead sites that want to participate include some java code in their sites. This code then monitors the traffic to blog posts on the site and decides which ones need to appear on the Spotplex page.
This makes Spotplex clean as it cannot be manipulated externally. However i think these guys will still need to build trust around their algorithm and it is this that will prove to be their ‘tipping point’.
Like Michael A correctly mentions in his article on Techcrunch, the algorithm must prove itself to be unbiased to the already popular blogs.
We’ll have to see if this NKOTB will turn out to be the Digg killer.
This makes Spotplex clean as it cannot be manipulated externally. However i think these guys will still need to build trust around their algorithm and it is this that will prove to be their ‘tipping point’.
Like Michael A correctly mentions in his article on Techcrunch, the algorithm must prove itself to be unbiased to the already popular blogs.
We’ll have to see if this NKOTB will turn out to be the Digg killer.
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