1/29/2004
If Hillary Clinton was a stock....
If Hillary Clinton was a stock....
I wish there was a ticker symbol for this Clinton name with listing on NYSE. I would have bought this stock. "Internet chatter" leads me to believe... come july, the democratic convention we will see this name rise to prominence. Will she take the number 2 spot and run as a runnning mate with one of the nominees or will she just wait in the wings till 2008 and then throw herself into the race for the whitehouse? Time will tell.
One thing is for sure this name is going to become a hot topic for talk shows, magazines and blogs for months and years(?) to come. !
One thing is for sure this name is going to become a hot topic for talk shows, magazines and blogs for months and years(?) to come. !
1/25/2004
The fallout "war against terrorism"
The fallout "war against terrorism"
Its a wecome sign that diplomatic talks between India and Pakistan have resumed.There is news that govt. has begunl dialogue with the political groups in kashmir too. Very encouraging news.
Two questions:
This being the election year, is this just another gimmick?
OR
Is it that with the "war against terrorism" being waged in Iraq and Afghannistan, there is not much money flowing to the militants in Pakistan and the Kashmir Valley?
Any comments?
Two questions:
This being the election year, is this just another gimmick?
OR
Is it that with the "war against terrorism" being waged in Iraq and Afghannistan, there is not much money flowing to the militants in Pakistan and the Kashmir Valley?
Any comments?
1/20/2004
The coming of age of Hindi movies???
The coming of age of Hindi movies???
Watched some good hindi movies lately. "jahnkar beats", "munnabhai MBBS" and "Mr.&Mrs. Iyer". As one of my friends mentioned looks like suddenly the movie directors have graduated to a whole different level. they are moving away from cliched story lines, showing that panche in handling the movie etc.
i want to say this has a lot to do with the last DVD that you and me rented from the neighbourhood indian grocery store. what are the chances that, that rented DVD was a pirated copy 1 in 10? 5 years back the VHS piracy was so rampant that i doubt if i ever saw even 1% original VHS. i think with the advent of this new trend there is more chance that the revenues trickle down to the right people, companies, directors etc.
Besides the over seas audience has become an important market for any movie release. This explains the trend in movies like "american chai, green card fever "
I am very encouraged with the trend. i hope we see more movies like Mr&Mrs. Iyer. this leads me to wonder would we have a paid site for hindi music downloads ever?? like the itunes music store? wishful thinking .....!!!!
i want to say this has a lot to do with the last DVD that you and me rented from the neighbourhood indian grocery store. what are the chances that, that rented DVD was a pirated copy 1 in 10? 5 years back the VHS piracy was so rampant that i doubt if i ever saw even 1% original VHS. i think with the advent of this new trend there is more chance that the revenues trickle down to the right people, companies, directors etc.
Besides the over seas audience has become an important market for any movie release. This explains the trend in movies like "american chai, green card fever "
I am very encouraged with the trend. i hope we see more movies like Mr&Mrs. Iyer. this leads me to wonder would we have a paid site for hindi music downloads ever?? like the itunes music store? wishful thinking .....!!!!
1/11/2004
Neuromarketing: The New Horizon Neuromarketing
Neuromarketing: The New Horizon Neuromarketing
This story on NPR was perhaps the most intriguing story on science i have heard on radio in the past few months:
Companies are spending millions trying to get inside consumers' minds -- literally -- through the emerging field of neuromarketing. They're using MRI scanners to see how human brains respond to new products and advertising. NPR's Jon Hamilton reports.
1/08/2004
Japanese honesty: Just another eastern culture trait?
Japanese honesty: Just another eastern culture trait?
In this article in NY times writer Norimitsu Onishi describes how the Japanese are very honest and scrupulous about turning in found articles:
guess which article has the highest return rate: Cellphones.-75%
What has sustained this honest trait over hundreds of years? Just a quirk? or is it due to the strength of the 'eastern culture' ??? or is it something else?
"....lost-and-found centers exist all over Japan,......in 2002 people found and brought to the Tokyo center $23 million in cash, 72 percent of which was returned to the owners, ......."
guess which article has the highest return rate: Cellphones.-75%
What has sustained this honest trait over hundreds of years? Just a quirk? or is it due to the strength of the 'eastern culture' ??? or is it something else?
1/07/2004
Truth stranger than fiction
Truth stranger than fiction
Since the past 9 months A team of US investigators have been making a last ditch effort to unearth evidence for the much touted Weapons of Mass destruction program in Iraq. Today Washington Post carried an article
None of this comes as a surprise though. what surprises me the most is how this news item gets burried under all the other media driven stories.More than 480 soldiers have lost their lives and more than 9000 injured/sick had to be evacuated from Iraq according to this story on NPR The NPR story goes to describe how the reporter had a difficult time with the US military which would not give him an accurate report about injured soldiers. Another NPR story described how the military IS NOT keeping a record of number of civillian deaths. if about ten thousand of US military have been either killed or injured can we imagine the scale of lost iraqi lives?
What a shameful loss!!!
"Iraq's Arsenal Was Only on Paper Since Gulf War, Nonconventional Weapons Never Got Past the Planning Stage "by By Barton Gellman
He writes, " investigators have found no support for the two main fears expressed in London and Washington before the war: that Iraq had a hidden arsenal of old weapons and built advanced programs for new ones.......they have discovered no work on former germ-warfare agents such as anthrax bacteria, and no work on a new designer pathogen.... The investigators assess that Iraq did not, as charged in London and Washington, resume production of its most lethal nerve agent, VX, or learn to make it last longer in storage. And they have found the former nuclear weapons program, described as a "grave and gathering danger" by President Bush and a "mortal threat" by Vice President Cheney, in much the same shattered state left by U.N. inspectors in the 1990s."Washington Post article
None of this comes as a surprise though. what surprises me the most is how this news item gets burried under all the other media driven stories.More than 480 soldiers have lost their lives and more than 9000 injured/sick had to be evacuated from Iraq according to this story on NPR The NPR story goes to describe how the reporter had a difficult time with the US military which would not give him an accurate report about injured soldiers. Another NPR story described how the military IS NOT keeping a record of number of civillian deaths. if about ten thousand of US military have been either killed or injured can we imagine the scale of lost iraqi lives?
What a shameful loss!!!
1/06/2004
Ads: For the people, by the people....
Ads: For the people, by the people....
I guess groups of people protesting against the incumbent president is a phenomenon as old as democracy itself. In this age when movie making is becoming as simple as"shoot, edit,burn" here is an innovative approach.
MoveOn.org:
"For the last three years, President Bush's policies have ransacked the environment, put our national security at risk, damaged our economy, and redistributed wealth from the middle class to the very wealthiest Americans. Yet thanks to a complacent media, the President has managed to hide behind a carefully constructed "compassionate" image. As the 2004 election nears, it's crucial that voters understand what President Bush's policies really mean for our country. And to do that, we need creative new ads that clearly show what's at stake.
That’s why we decided to launch Bush in 30 Seconds, an ad contest that’s intended to bring new talent and new messages into the world of mainstream political advertising. We're looking for the ad that best explains what this President and his policies are really about -- in only 30 seconds. "
15 ads that made the final list
1/03/2004
India : always a contradiction
India : always a contradiction
Dec 16th 2003. in the Marketplace section of the Wall Street Journal there are two headlines with news concerning India.
The first one:
Second story
Scott Thrum writes, "Gaurav Maheshwari an was living the dream of a generation of Indian software engineers. The 30-year-old software programmer was earning more than $100,000 a year at a Silicon Valley start-up, living in a luxury San Jose, Calif., apartment complex with a swimming pool, and driving a Nissan Maxima with a souped-up sound system.
Then, Mr. Maheshwari learned that his employer, Lumenare Networks Inc., was moving all of its programming jobs to India to reduce costs. Uncertain of his U.S. prospects amid the tech slump, and with strong family ties tugging him home, Mr. Maheshwari volunteered to go.
Now, he manages 11 of Lumenare's 30 software engineers near Delhi, for the equivalent of $21,000 a year, about one-fifth his old salary. He lives with his wife, their newborn daughter and his parents in a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment in a gated complex. The $178-a-month unit building has a washing machine, covered parking and three balconies.
Mr. Maheshwari now drives a smaller Maruti Zen sedan with "just a simple cassette player." But he's also been struck by how much more modern India appears. When he left, ATM machines were a rarity. Now, they're on every corner, along with improved roads, fancier shopping centers and more diverse restaurants. Mr. Maheshwari figures his standard of living is comparable to what he had in Silicon Valley. In the long run, he figures he won't save as much or own as nice a house, but he's happy to be closer to family and friends."
It was interesting to read to different aspects of indian software industry on the same page on the same day. Will Infosys and Wipro be able to whip up success on the Western Turf like the Reliance and Nirma brand once did on the Indian Soil? Will the hundreds of Gaurav Maheshwaris returning back to india herald a era of "reverse brain drain" in india?
i sure hope so !!
The first one:
Indian Techs Step Up Rivalry With the West
It talks about companies like Infosys and Wipro are now hiring away 'Rainmakers' or veteran consultants from U.S., European Competitors To Help Bring In Bigger Contracts. These high profile consultants hired for salaries as high as $330,000 help the indian companies to win contracts valued at $100 million each. The north American and west european markets for computer services are valued at about $422 billion.Second story
Indian Immigrants Return Home Where Software Jobs Await Them
Scott Thrum writes, "Gaurav Maheshwari an was living the dream of a generation of Indian software engineers. The 30-year-old software programmer was earning more than $100,000 a year at a Silicon Valley start-up, living in a luxury San Jose, Calif., apartment complex with a swimming pool, and driving a Nissan Maxima with a souped-up sound system.
Then, Mr. Maheshwari learned that his employer, Lumenare Networks Inc., was moving all of its programming jobs to India to reduce costs. Uncertain of his U.S. prospects amid the tech slump, and with strong family ties tugging him home, Mr. Maheshwari volunteered to go.
Now, he manages 11 of Lumenare's 30 software engineers near Delhi, for the equivalent of $21,000 a year, about one-fifth his old salary. He lives with his wife, their newborn daughter and his parents in a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment in a gated complex. The $178-a-month unit building has a washing machine, covered parking and three balconies.
Mr. Maheshwari now drives a smaller Maruti Zen sedan with "just a simple cassette player." But he's also been struck by how much more modern India appears. When he left, ATM machines were a rarity. Now, they're on every corner, along with improved roads, fancier shopping centers and more diverse restaurants. Mr. Maheshwari figures his standard of living is comparable to what he had in Silicon Valley. In the long run, he figures he won't save as much or own as nice a house, but he's happy to be closer to family and friends."
It was interesting to read to different aspects of indian software industry on the same page on the same day. Will Infosys and Wipro be able to whip up success on the Western Turf like the Reliance and Nirma brand once did on the Indian Soil? Will the hundreds of Gaurav Maheshwaris returning back to india herald a era of "reverse brain drain" in india?
i sure hope so !!
1/02/2004
Knitting together
Knitting together
I watched "Bowling for Columbine" movie yesterday. Impressive. Had i seen this movie in the era of VHS tapes, the movie would have finished and next day i would have mentioned about it to 2 friends about how impressed i was and that would have been an end. But in 2004, things are different, thanks to the additional features section in the DVD I could listen to Michael Moore's talk about the movie, his comments about his oscar speech. This doubled my intrest in his work. Today i was looking up more info on his website. I strongly urge you to see the movie and then visit his website. Very Impressive.The movie is a strong critique on the state of american society, therefore disconcerting. But, the same american society has made it possible for people like him to take a stance and be FREE to express what they think is right.
Well on this website i found this link a political awareness campaign about how George W. Bush is misleading our country I found this link on Michael Moore's webpage. So here i am in matter of two days, flooded with all kinds of info about Michael Moore and his work and urging you to take a glimpse of his work.
World Wide Web : Its only now that i am beginging to understand that in these words the operative word is "WEB". In this "screwed" world i feel the buzz created by personal websites like that of michael moore, mailing lists, blogs etc is going to make it possible to weave a web of positivity in this world going crazy.
Well on this website i found this link a political awareness campaign about how George W. Bush is misleading our country I found this link on Michael Moore's webpage. So here i am in matter of two days, flooded with all kinds of info about Michael Moore and his work and urging you to take a glimpse of his work.
World Wide Web : Its only now that i am beginging to understand that in these words the operative word is "WEB". In this "screwed" world i feel the buzz created by personal websites like that of michael moore, mailing lists, blogs etc is going to make it possible to weave a web of positivity in this world going crazy.
Ready, Aim and Shoot !!!!
Ready, Aim and Shoot !!!!What will 2004 bring?
What will 2004 bring?
There are a lot of things that one can predict for the new year. i am just going to take a long shot and talk about two things :
Weblogs
iLife
weblogs:
Started in 1999 now at the end of 2003 they are functioning as desktop printing presses for an estimated 1.5 million people. Weblogs are just too varied, too idiosyncratic, to fit into an existing box. Industry analysts might call this disruptive technology because weblogs have changed personal publishing so profoundly that the old rules no longer apply. We are at the beginning of a new age of online publishing - and I predict that this generation of online pamphleteers is just the first wave.
iLife:
In the past few years Apple computers' have been making their computers a digital hub of our lifestyle. It has done a marvelous job of tightly integrating various media applications involving movies, tunes and picutres. I am a recent convert to Mac, but the fervor and enthusiasm for these computers has reached a level of of such fanaticism that friends tell me i need to join AA (Apple Annonymous) for detoxification! Risking further ridicule, I predict that this year Apple is going to gain success above and beyond iTunes Music Store and iPods. . According to the "internet chatter" that i have been listening to exciting new products are in the pipeline. On jan 6th we may have release of three new products : a small 2-4G iPods, a new TiVo Like device iBox and a renvewed updated iLife software package.
Viva Apple !!!!!
Weblogs
iLife
weblogs:
Started in 1999 now at the end of 2003 they are functioning as desktop printing presses for an estimated 1.5 million people. Weblogs are just too varied, too idiosyncratic, to fit into an existing box. Industry analysts might call this disruptive technology because weblogs have changed personal publishing so profoundly that the old rules no longer apply. We are at the beginning of a new age of online publishing - and I predict that this generation of online pamphleteers is just the first wave.
iLife:
In the past few years Apple computers' have been making their computers a digital hub of our lifestyle. It has done a marvelous job of tightly integrating various media applications involving movies, tunes and picutres. I am a recent convert to Mac, but the fervor and enthusiasm for these computers has reached a level of of such fanaticism that friends tell me i need to join AA (Apple Annonymous) for detoxification! Risking further ridicule, I predict that this year Apple is going to gain success above and beyond iTunes Music Store and iPods. . According to the "internet chatter" that i have been listening to exciting new products are in the pipeline. On jan 6th we may have release of three new products : a small 2-4G iPods, a new TiVo Like device iBox and a renvewed updated iLife software package.
Viva Apple !!!!!
