random ramblings

After a long time of reading only non-fiction, read two fictions in a row – Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse and L.A. Confidential by James Ellroy. Steppenwolf had a very interesting beginning, somewhat Ayn Rand/John Galt style, but it all went crazy after that. It was a struggle finishing it. L.A. Confidential somehow didn’t meet expectations at end – film was better than the book I think. But I had hard time putting it down. I would love to read a book which is “unputdownable” – but less gore, more of life and experiences. With British Library closing in TVM, there are fewer options now. My library charges 10% per book, so experimentation is limited. The best library experience was in US – 10 public libraries connected, with a decent online catalog which allows taking a book from any one of the connected libraries and you go to your local library when it is ready. You may take up to 100 books at a time, for free (they depend on public donations to an extent). It was rare to not find a ...

Today morning saw an HR email about new year resolution. Here goes.. Use my computer for something other than Microsoft technologies (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint). It could help avoid embarrassment when some relative tells his daughter in 8th standard that “this uncle” who is working in IT can help with her homework in C++ Try to use more than 0.005% of my brain Try not to assume every fad theories coming from everywhere has some meaning Try not to feel guilty in saying no to something that is not worth it Try to find/do more satisfying “original” work, than “adding value” to something Take longer vacations and without “calls” in between Try to do more exercise than climbing stairs once every day Try to build honest, lasting relationships- Because “the only thing that really matters in life are your relationships to other people.” I know these may not work since today morning’s newspaper was saying only SMART resolutions survive beyond January.  Anyway on...

For the first time in 6-7 years, I bought a phone last weekend – Samsung Galaxy 3. All this time I was using Nokia phones because of it is ultimate reliability. I initially was looking for a dual SIM phone, but wanted that to be Android – there were not many options like that. Finally narrowed down the criteria to Android alone – to tinker with it if possible. I have been admiring iPhone ever since it came out, but did not want to go that expensive. Just saw the article ”2011 will be the year Android explodes” . People are making the arguments for and against in Google Vs Apple, some predicting the demise of Apple yet again in another defining war – but remains to be seen if Apple still continues to surprise. For one thing, I can see mobiles taking over PCs/laptops in terms of internet usage. Just take case of our own parents:- it is a struggle for them to get connected just to see some photos or email or chat – but not having to boot up a computer, the modem etc, if they could a...

Finished all of Malcolm Gladwell’s books with “What the dog saw and other adventures”. This one is collection of articles on various topics that came out in New Yorker magazine. Like most articles in the magazine, each story goes into painstaking details which can be a drag at times, but the details are sometimes fascinating. I still have the suspicion though – whether all of this is authentic science, what is truth and what is fiction. But he definitely knows how to write non-fiction in the most engaging way. I have terrible memory when it comes to books I read – so started keeping some notes on things I found interesting. the trick to finding ideas is to convince yourself that everyone and everything has a story to tell. the other trick to finding ideas is figuring out the difference between power and knowledge. you don’t start at the top if you want to find the story. you start in the middle, because it’s the people in the middle who do the actual work in the world. people at t...

I was reading this about Twitter CEO stepping down and assuming a different responsibility and how that is a sign of self-awareness. It is always possible to put an incredible morality spin on things which might be more banal and elevate the situation to some moral plateau which it may not deserve. But taking the whole article at face value, couple of observations – – Organizations grow and lose its childish innocence and mature. Being mature means adapting to a whole lot of situations which did not really matter when you were a child and building stories to support the public face. Something that began with simple idea as “like ice cream, not essential, but fun” in Twitter’s case could be now portrayed as the new information super highway with endless possibilities. Organizations keeps growing and morphing, but still staying true to original values could be admirable. – As with this story and the one about Facebook founder recently, there is hint of playing hardball at some poi...

Sometimes I think I read too much – how much of it can I remember, how much of it can be turned to something useful or practical, is all of it a waste of time? Ironically I read something in NYT that we are sum of all we read/hear/experience so a book that you read and totally forgot about must have done some change in the “wiring”, but is that wishful thinking? How do you decide that okay, this is interesting and something I need to do going forward and it becomes part of you as a person? 

What one could learn from Steve Jobs – passion for creation, attention to detail, making design “insanely great”, delighting the customer (while there is still criticism of not listening to the customer, rather “proposing to them” – but often it is true also that customer’s don’t know what they want), attention to detail, having the long view (vision), inspiring others (or selling the idea to employees, customers, investors), presenting (simplifying, perfecting the message, practice) and maintaining control (while being called control freak, being able to control is not easy). One specific aspect though. Many people say due to his perfectionist and controlling nature, he was a tough boss to work for. I have worked with a manager like that once. Regardless of the pressure, it could be the best learning experience also. Always looking to improve, pursuing excellence in every step, thinking of customer and uncompromising on execution – that could be tough order, but it is better than ...