Steve Jobs - What a Life! RIP...

Most of us are trained to look at things in a conventional mould!

When it comes to launching new products, initiatives, businesses the tried and tested approaches are to study the market, study consumer behaviours, understand what the consumers want and then create an offering that can satisfy these!

In comes Steve Jobs, who decides what consumers should be getting sitting in Cupertino! All the world laps up whatever is on offer from Jobs in a manner and way unheard of in the history of products. All of it without the conventional market research, surveys etc.

You are an inspiration to many all over the world and thank you for everything that you have created!

Rest in Peace - Mr. Jobs!

Why would Apple Sue Samsung

Recent report on the net that has caught attention is on the new of Samsung being sued by Apple.

One time partners (vendor-supplier) it seems like something gone wrong in the short term since Samsung was the one manufacturing the chips that went into the iphone and the ipad.

The rewarded me - By my junk mail folder! :)

I got a new office laptop few weeks back and have been setting things up over the last few days. The most important app for mid-level folks like us is the email application. Because of this “transition”(Doesn’t it sound BIG now!) I haven’t been able to keep a tab on the junk mail. I write this piece after I have “SHIFT Deleted” all my junk mails of over a month. Out of curiosity and a nice lazy break after lunch I ensured I at least glanced thru few interesting ones!

I realized in those five minutes that I spent on the junk mail folder that:-

• I have Become a Millionaire, because someone in Africa wants me to take up a lot of their wealth into my Account!
• A lady called Preethi (or whatever, what’s in the name after all) wants me to become a “Wealthy Trader”
• BMW has decided to give me GBP 850,000 (hope I got all the zeroes there!)
• Jasmine wants to help me “take my business online at ZERO cost”
• Further down I find that Neha also wants to help me “take my business online at ZERO cost” (spoilt for choice, isn’t it?)
• An ingenious seller wants me to “Get 500 Premium Business Cards for only $3.99!”
• Sujata wants me to join a workshop in Mumbai!
• …..
• ..

Then I see an unread mail from the most important person in my life, I leave my time of 5 minutes where all these people want me to do something - buy, sell, attend a training, workshop, it’s all there!

I get back to work and into my real life. Boss calling, Wife messaging – Did you…, did you…, did you….kind of tough isn’t it! Everyone wants you to do something. Let’s do it!

No offense meant, none intended!

BTW do you spend these 5 minutes on your junk mail folder, every once in a while….Have a great read!

Blackberry and a 6 year old boy @ Calangute Beach in Goa

On a recent trip to Goa, i was standing outside a small shop about 1/2 km before hitting the Calangute beach in Goa. While my better half was trying out some nail paint and other stuff, i was with the proprietors son Kenaz, a 6 year old boy. As is usual i got a call from the office and i seized the moment to attend it since i was standing away from the prying eyes of some one who had warned me to keep off the calls, while on vacation!
Kenaz spotted the Blackberry in my hand and was quick to speak up and asked to see it. He asked me if there are games in it. I said no games its an office phone. The next question was whether it's a touch screen, before i could answer, Kenaz had found out and nodded his head as if answering to himself. With in the next 10 minutes Kenaz had got on to the net, tried almost all the key features, gone in and downloaded some free app from the Blackberry site.
I was zapped and while i took away the Blackberry from his hands as i prepared to leave, he mentions to his mother that uncle has a Blackberry and while reluctantly letting the device go out of his hands also makes a point that he tried quite a few things.
My mind went back to people whom we encounter almost every other day who whine and crib about not having enough training and experience for them to be able to use technology and tools better, well here's a 6 year old who most likely never has seen a Blackberry, was able to explore all the major features - No Training and No experience!

History of the Internet in a nutshell

The first "network" was set up in the late 60's, almost 16-17 years before yours truly was born!
My first brush with the net was while i went along with a friend who was applying for his MS in the US in the mid nineties and decided to email a piece of information. It cost him about INR 100/- or even more for a single page! :)

Email in itself was a big thing and to be able to send messages back and forth in real time was an amazing feeling coming out of college! Me and my roomie Rajesh would send each other messages sitting just next to each other in the computer room in our first organization after college.

It was seen as an dramatic phenomenon when i opened the "times of India" on the computer in my office and showed it to my Manager. It was jaw dropping. Today it feels great to see my ex Manager and Mentor send me messages over email.

The Internet has come a long way and its history is captured here for the keeps, interesting read,
http://www.sixrevisions.com/resources/the-history-of-the-internet-in-a-nutshell/

From hand written memos to emails

I have been writing for some time now and it seems to come easily now and it looks like I can write just a little better than few of my peers.

Well I am talking emails!

Yes, in the corporate set up, you are now so used to typing emails and some of us are so adept at it, we can do few hundred in a day’s work!

One to one discussions culminate in a parting statement asking each other to email the stuff back. Big shots close the meetings asking for an “send me an update presentation” by email. Team meetings end with a minutes of the meeting created and circulated over email.

We are writing emails all the time. I come from the time when I was required to send a hand written memo to the next department and also keep a Carbon copy of the same on the log! J No, I am not that old, I am talking just about 12-14 years back time frame – mid nineties!

Let’s see what happens to all the emails we are writing today, with advancements in technology and newer more nimble tools coming in!