Many folks, me included, have commented that videoconferencing is a technology that's been about to become an overnight success - for the last thirty years. It's puzzled many of us that it's been so slow to "come of age."
But we might just - finally - be at a point where the quality and cost are making videoconferencing more acceptable, and more widespread. There's an interesting story in today's San Francisco Chronicle about the fact that Marriott is about to cut a deal with Hewlett-Packard to install HP's Halo system in hotel locations around the world ("HP to deploy 'telepresence' gear at Marriotts"). Ryan Kim is the author.
This may be one of those events we look back on someday as a pivotal turning point in the history of videoconferencing. Is it a tipping point?
I've had the good fortune to participate in one Halo videoconference, and I can tell you it's not like anything else I've ever experienced. The Halo studios (all of them are identical) have three large HD screens facing a table where you sit. The screens produce life-size full color images. Just as importantly there is no delay, and the sound is just as good as if the other folks were sitting across the table from you.
I understand that HP has about 50 Halo studios around the world, and that those studios are in use 12-14 hours a day. I don't know if HP is tracking usage versus travel costs, but the HP folks I've talked to are convinced the Halo is saving the company millions of dollars - even at $300,000 per installation and $20,000 a month in operating costs.
Actually, there are plenty of good reasons for the long, lazy growth curve that has characterized videoconferencing up to now. It's traditionally been slow, less-than-broadcast quality, and high-priced at the same time. On top of that, you had to go somewhere special to use it, and there weren't that many other sites you could connect to. Sure, there's inexpensive desktop versions available, and some online VOIP and instant message services like Skype and Yahoo Instant Messenger offer it for free.
Of course, you do have to go to a Halo studio, but the experience is so good that it's worth it. I don't know how many Halo meetings are one-on-ones, but I suspect not too many. Halo is for group meetings; each studio seats about four to six people, and can be linked to as many as three other sites simultaneously.
But if the choice is between a simple phone (or VOIP) call and a 2x2 jerky, fuzzy image of the person you're speaking to, it's no wonder that the world hasn't embraced videoconferencing. And when you are communicating with people you know well, audio seems more than sufficient - at least most of the time.
I mean, Charlie Grantham and I both have webcams, and we talk by phone several times a day when we're not together (he's based in Arizona; I'm in northern California). We know what each other looks like, and we just haven't felt the need to turn on the web cams. Those 2x2 screens don't add a lot of the kinds of information (facial expression, body language, etc.) that "being there" includes.
I will say, however, that recently we participated in a long (4 hours) meeting using a web-based collaborative platform that included video. We were the only two remote participants; there were about ten people in a meeting room in Michigan. We actually had a video feed, and I have to admit that it actually did make a difference.
While we couldn't see everyone, and we certainly couldn't see their facial expressions, it did help to be able to see where people were sitting, and to see the facilitator writing on the white board or flip chart. Of course, we couldn't read what he was writing, but it helped to know that's what he was doing. In short, having that crude video image of the group helped keep my attention. If I had been purely on audio for four hours, I can guarantee I would have been checking my email, looking out the window, and doing a whole lot of daydreaming. Just being able to see through that very small "window" into that Michigan conference room actually made a huge difference in my sense of being part of the group.
Now, if and when Halo (and it's competitors, most notably Cisco Systems' Telepresence system) become a whole more ubiquitous and even less expensive, I think videoconferencing really will come of age. And given the combination of the rising cost of fuel, growing concerns about greenhouse gasses, and increasing pressure to use time productively, I do think we're finally going to see an explosion in the use of videoconferencing.
One final note: the end of the Chronicle article mentions that HP is about to launch a "Halo light" system called Halo Collaboration Center that will be designed for two to four people. It will retail for about $120,000. That's still a bit steep for a small business, or a home, but it does mean that before long there will be many more local Centers where you can rent time for a reasonable hourly rate. The economics of demand and supply virtually guarantee it.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Reset the Assumption Button - Please!
Buford, Maynard and Cooter are back from their little hiatus. This month they draw on their down-home wisdom and irreverent outlook on life to explainify the decline of the "American Empire." They take a look at five basic assumptions about societal functioning that together shed some light on the sometimes inexplicable events we see in our work and our lives every day. And of course, they also offer up a humble opinion about some changes in thinking about the future of work they - and we - would like to see. Enjoy!
Push the reset button - please!
The boyz be back. Too much time out in the woods gets ya to thinkin'. Maynard allows that things just seem to be toooo crazy these days. Ya jest know there was probably somebody named William of Bradforshire-on-Thames or some such back in Merry Ol' England around 1760 who had the same rev-o-lation that Buford has just now come to.
Good ol' Bill from Bradfordshire undoubtedly could see the British Navy being defeated, a little colony way over across the deep blue sea rebelling and kickin' some Red Coat butt from behind rocks and trees, and the German economy making the birthplace of the Industrial revolution irrelevant.
So back in the here and now, we've got ol' Buford cogitating on the parallels between those events and (hmmm, let's see) Afghanistan/Iraq, an assortment of banana republics, and - oh yes - China. Buford's kinda worried that the good ol' US of A is on a steep downhill slide into the hog slop pit. This ol' dog can't hunt anymore. We just ain't the big 600-pound gorilla on this planet we used to be. It feels like the US brand in the planetary marketplace is turning into a sub-prime collaterized debt obligation. Wake up America!
So, what we wanna know is, where did the train go off the track? Well, it turns out that ol' Cooter the data dog's been out sniffin' again. Now we freely admit we've been singin' this tune before, but not quite as bluntly as you're gettin' it here this time.
Remember our ol' buddies Bill Strauss and Neil (the Hook) Howe? Well, if the brain ain't quite working up to speed go check 'em out at http://www.fourthturning.com/.
Here's the bottom line: Big Things is happenin'. Tomorrow ain't going to be the same as today, let alone yesterday. Buford harkens back to his granddaddy Billy Ray tellin' him 'bout the crash of '29. And the real old stories from right after the war (the real one with Johnny Reb and the blue coats). Yep, seems like that kinda of Big Damn Change is here again. (We'll be back to the "What do you do?" in a few; give us a chance to spout a bit here, we're on a roll).
But first, back at the ranch, Buford, Maynard (as in sub-prime intellect), and Cooter have started in ponderin' and philos-o-phyzin'. Ya know, maybe some real basic stuff is just wrong. Maybe what we been thinkin' is the rules just ain't the rules anymore. Now that would make a passel of difference. Kind of like the boys down at the feed and grain playin' checkers but it's really a chess game.
Whoa boy, that's goin' to smart. Assumptions. Hmmn?? Ya know what happens when you "assume" somethin' without thinking about it? You make an **s out of "u" and me. Joke folks, gotta chuckle sometimes no matter what.
So Cooter runs across Cousin Dan out there in Preskit. He hears Dan runnin' off on how the big ego train of 'Merica is messed up. 9-11; Katrina; I-we gotta have the oil-Raq. It's all comin' together. Check out the Prescott College web site to see what we're talkin' about.
So, In Our Humble Opinion (you was wonderin' if we'd ever get to it, weren't you?), we need to push the re-set button on our assumption machine. Same-o, same-o, back to the island empire; the rules changed and they didn't see it coming.
There's five of 'em that really matter (Maynard counted 'em up). Here it is and why it ain't so.
The up-until-now view: what's good for business is good for everybody. Like ol' granddaddy used to say, '"You can just suck the juice outta the lemon for so long 'till it dries up." Gotta put something back, fool. Bull hooey! Gordon Gecko, get outta here. Can you say sub-prime? Who made the buckos on that little rip-off? Oh mi-god! You mean capitalism may just not work?. What we've been thinking for the last 200 years or so just doesn't cut it any more. Huh? Feudalism was a great system - once. (Just hang on to your shorts there, Harry; we will get to the "Okay, so what?").
You'll love this one. Giving people all the facts can change their behavior. Now that's real good. If that worked how come people still smoke cigarettes, drive Hummers, eat junk food, and take drugs? We could go on and on, but hopefully you get our drift. Our whole education system is built on that basic assumption. And we've talked enough over the years about how screwed up our edgy-cayshun system is. Is anyone listening? You could probably wind up the ol' time machine and go back to Athens or somewhere back when they thought logic ruled all human behavior. No way Jose!
Time is money. Might have been true in an industrial era, but that's not where we are any more. Let's see, they should have paid Michelangelo by the hour? Right, if there was an artists' union. Creativity and innovation know not the bounds of time (say that again, with feeling: "Creativity and innovation know not the bounds of time" - that's our most elegant sentence in this whole darn rant). This assumption sort of ties back to our first one. Putting your value into minutes and hours ass-u-mes certainty. Is that what will solve problems? Erik Fromm said it best: "The quest for certainty blocks the quest for meaning."
Sustainability is a zero sum game. Not true. Just go and ask General Electric. Investing in environmental issues, goin' Green, and all that may tarnish the bottom line this quarter, but it builds future markets and improves efficiency. Even the boyz know that spreading a little manure around the corn field makes things better. Frankly (don't call me Shirley) we are at another crossroads. What did Yogi say? "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!" We're bettin' on taking the fork towards bringin' business, earth, and humanity together. Cooter found a good read on this stuff: Google Capitalism at the Crossroads by Stuart Hart and check it out yourself.
Now the biggy! What if we are not in control? What if Buford and Maynard aren't at the top of the e-vo-lutionary chain? (Okay, okay, that may not be the best example.) It takes a lot of conceit to think that we poor humans are as good as it gets (and it's actually a frightening thought). Tell you what, one of these days (hopefully soon, real soon) somethin' is going drop out of the sky and show us that there are other sentient things out there; and that, dear hearts, will shift a whole bunch of thinkin'. It's a good bet the Mayans thought they were "it" until those funny lookin' Spaniards hit the shores. Then what? Where are they today? Ponder that.
This is some heavy thinkin'. In Our Humble Opinion (second one!) hittin' that ol' Ass-ump-tion Re-set Button will give you a different view of the world and perhaps help change how Maynard and Buford get through the day. Ol' Cooter is probably already there.
Going back to those outmoded ways of thinking one more time, we might even see a world where:
Businesses would put more back into their communities and environment than they took out. Damn, being responsible. What a concept. Anyone (like our ancient ancestors) living off the land could tell you that this approach is the only way to keep going for the long haul (for you fancy pants, that's called being sustainable). Let's respect that wisdom.
How to learn: whoa, try experience. It ain't all about facts and logic. We've been tryin' that and look where we are. Living life is way more than reading a book. Want to help people do the right thing? Give them the experience - show them the way - don't just tell them what to do. Learning in the gut takes living.
Its how you spend your time, not how much you spend. It's not how long you talk to someone, it's what you talk about. The trouble is we don't know how to measure that. As they say, there's just no accounting for it. Notice how those words (spend, measure, accounting) get in the way of realizing value? We are going to have to invent a new language before this way of thinking changes.
Substitute need for equity and effort? Okay, this one smells like a whole new way of organizing (getting our stuff together). It might even mean respecting government, accepting the majority's decisions, sharing resources, and doing things for the common good that we can't do individually. That's a pretty radical view. But it's happened before, hasn't it? Just ask King George. Today we call it "global sustainability."
One of us had a professor who once pontificated, "You must show humility in the face of the data." The other heard all too often, "The data are always friendly." Perhaps the trouble is that we don't have all the data yet. But a dollar to a doughnut, we're not the only ones. Take that ego and shove it. Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad. Or maybe it should be (in John F. Kennedy's words), "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."
We know those are fighting words, but that's Our Humble Opinion, and we're sticking to it.
Now we're not saying we have all the answers. But we do have some darn good - and important - questions. We think it was Einstein who suggested that you can't solve problems with the same kind of assumptions that caused the problems in the first place. And that, dear hearts, is just where we are today. It's time to hit the re-set button on the Assumption Machine.
Actually we think it's already re-set. The new rule book is out but most folks are still playing with the old one. The boyz will have more to say about this new world we're all living in today in the coming months. Buford, Maynard, and Cooter are waiting patiently for your thoughts.
Push the reset button - please!
The boyz be back. Too much time out in the woods gets ya to thinkin'. Maynard allows that things just seem to be toooo crazy these days. Ya jest know there was probably somebody named William of Bradforshire-on-Thames or some such back in Merry Ol' England around 1760 who had the same rev-o-lation that Buford has just now come to.
Good ol' Bill from Bradfordshire undoubtedly could see the British Navy being defeated, a little colony way over across the deep blue sea rebelling and kickin' some Red Coat butt from behind rocks and trees, and the German economy making the birthplace of the Industrial revolution irrelevant.
So back in the here and now, we've got ol' Buford cogitating on the parallels between those events and (hmmm, let's see) Afghanistan/Iraq, an assortment of banana republics, and - oh yes - China. Buford's kinda worried that the good ol' US of A is on a steep downhill slide into the hog slop pit. This ol' dog can't hunt anymore. We just ain't the big 600-pound gorilla on this planet we used to be. It feels like the US brand in the planetary marketplace is turning into a sub-prime collaterized debt obligation. Wake up America!
So, what we wanna know is, where did the train go off the track? Well, it turns out that ol' Cooter the data dog's been out sniffin' again. Now we freely admit we've been singin' this tune before, but not quite as bluntly as you're gettin' it here this time.
Remember our ol' buddies Bill Strauss and Neil (the Hook) Howe? Well, if the brain ain't quite working up to speed go check 'em out at http://www.fourthturning.com/.
Here's the bottom line: Big Things is happenin'. Tomorrow ain't going to be the same as today, let alone yesterday. Buford harkens back to his granddaddy Billy Ray tellin' him 'bout the crash of '29. And the real old stories from right after the war (the real one with Johnny Reb and the blue coats). Yep, seems like that kinda of Big Damn Change is here again. (We'll be back to the "What do you do?" in a few; give us a chance to spout a bit here, we're on a roll).
But first, back at the ranch, Buford, Maynard (as in sub-prime intellect), and Cooter have started in ponderin' and philos-o-phyzin'. Ya know, maybe some real basic stuff is just wrong. Maybe what we been thinkin' is the rules just ain't the rules anymore. Now that would make a passel of difference. Kind of like the boys down at the feed and grain playin' checkers but it's really a chess game.
Whoa boy, that's goin' to smart. Assumptions. Hmmn?? Ya know what happens when you "assume" somethin' without thinking about it? You make an **s out of "u" and me. Joke folks, gotta chuckle sometimes no matter what.
So Cooter runs across Cousin Dan out there in Preskit. He hears Dan runnin' off on how the big ego train of 'Merica is messed up. 9-11; Katrina; I-we gotta have the oil-Raq. It's all comin' together. Check out the Prescott College web site to see what we're talkin' about.
So, In Our Humble Opinion (you was wonderin' if we'd ever get to it, weren't you?), we need to push the re-set button on our assumption machine. Same-o, same-o, back to the island empire; the rules changed and they didn't see it coming.
There's five of 'em that really matter (Maynard counted 'em up). Here it is and why it ain't so.
The up-until-now view: what's good for business is good for everybody. Like ol' granddaddy used to say, '"You can just suck the juice outta the lemon for so long 'till it dries up." Gotta put something back, fool. Bull hooey! Gordon Gecko, get outta here. Can you say sub-prime? Who made the buckos on that little rip-off? Oh mi-god! You mean capitalism may just not work?. What we've been thinking for the last 200 years or so just doesn't cut it any more. Huh? Feudalism was a great system - once. (Just hang on to your shorts there, Harry; we will get to the "Okay, so what?").
You'll love this one. Giving people all the facts can change their behavior. Now that's real good. If that worked how come people still smoke cigarettes, drive Hummers, eat junk food, and take drugs? We could go on and on, but hopefully you get our drift. Our whole education system is built on that basic assumption. And we've talked enough over the years about how screwed up our edgy-cayshun system is. Is anyone listening? You could probably wind up the ol' time machine and go back to Athens or somewhere back when they thought logic ruled all human behavior. No way Jose!
Time is money. Might have been true in an industrial era, but that's not where we are any more. Let's see, they should have paid Michelangelo by the hour? Right, if there was an artists' union. Creativity and innovation know not the bounds of time (say that again, with feeling: "Creativity and innovation know not the bounds of time" - that's our most elegant sentence in this whole darn rant). This assumption sort of ties back to our first one. Putting your value into minutes and hours ass-u-mes certainty. Is that what will solve problems? Erik Fromm said it best: "The quest for certainty blocks the quest for meaning."
Sustainability is a zero sum game. Not true. Just go and ask General Electric. Investing in environmental issues, goin' Green, and all that may tarnish the bottom line this quarter, but it builds future markets and improves efficiency. Even the boyz know that spreading a little manure around the corn field makes things better. Frankly (don't call me Shirley) we are at another crossroads. What did Yogi say? "When you come to a fork in the road, take it!" We're bettin' on taking the fork towards bringin' business, earth, and humanity together. Cooter found a good read on this stuff: Google Capitalism at the Crossroads by Stuart Hart and check it out yourself.
Now the biggy! What if we are not in control? What if Buford and Maynard aren't at the top of the e-vo-lutionary chain? (Okay, okay, that may not be the best example.) It takes a lot of conceit to think that we poor humans are as good as it gets (and it's actually a frightening thought). Tell you what, one of these days (hopefully soon, real soon) somethin' is going drop out of the sky and show us that there are other sentient things out there; and that, dear hearts, will shift a whole bunch of thinkin'. It's a good bet the Mayans thought they were "it" until those funny lookin' Spaniards hit the shores. Then what? Where are they today? Ponder that.
This is some heavy thinkin'. In Our Humble Opinion (second one!) hittin' that ol' Ass-ump-tion Re-set Button will give you a different view of the world and perhaps help change how Maynard and Buford get through the day. Ol' Cooter is probably already there.
Going back to those outmoded ways of thinking one more time, we might even see a world where:
Businesses would put more back into their communities and environment than they took out. Damn, being responsible. What a concept. Anyone (like our ancient ancestors) living off the land could tell you that this approach is the only way to keep going for the long haul (for you fancy pants, that's called being sustainable). Let's respect that wisdom.
How to learn: whoa, try experience. It ain't all about facts and logic. We've been tryin' that and look where we are. Living life is way more than reading a book. Want to help people do the right thing? Give them the experience - show them the way - don't just tell them what to do. Learning in the gut takes living.
Its how you spend your time, not how much you spend. It's not how long you talk to someone, it's what you talk about. The trouble is we don't know how to measure that. As they say, there's just no accounting for it. Notice how those words (spend, measure, accounting) get in the way of realizing value? We are going to have to invent a new language before this way of thinking changes.
Substitute need for equity and effort? Okay, this one smells like a whole new way of organizing (getting our stuff together). It might even mean respecting government, accepting the majority's decisions, sharing resources, and doing things for the common good that we can't do individually. That's a pretty radical view. But it's happened before, hasn't it? Just ask King George. Today we call it "global sustainability."
One of us had a professor who once pontificated, "You must show humility in the face of the data." The other heard all too often, "The data are always friendly." Perhaps the trouble is that we don't have all the data yet. But a dollar to a doughnut, we're not the only ones. Take that ego and shove it. Those whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad. Or maybe it should be (in John F. Kennedy's words), "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."
We know those are fighting words, but that's Our Humble Opinion, and we're sticking to it.
Now we're not saying we have all the answers. But we do have some darn good - and important - questions. We think it was Einstein who suggested that you can't solve problems with the same kind of assumptions that caused the problems in the first place. And that, dear hearts, is just where we are today. It's time to hit the re-set button on the Assumption Machine.
Actually we think it's already re-set. The new rule book is out but most folks are still playing with the old one. The boyz will have more to say about this new world we're all living in today in the coming months. Buford, Maynard, and Cooter are waiting patiently for your thoughts.
What's More Important Than An Interview?
The other day I applied for an HR Generalist job with a very well known online portal. When I say very well known, I mean to the tune of having 17 million + unique visitors per month this year.
So, here's how things went:
An assistant to a non-HR big-wig called me for a phone screen. It was the best kind of phone screen: short but thorough. The assistant said she would "walk" my resume and her notes over to the hiring manager so I could be contacted by her to set up an interview.
Great! Sounds good.
Later that day, someone from the Recruiting Department (halfway across the country) called me to schedule an interview with the hiring manager. Ok, whatevs. Sounds fine to me.
The interview was scheduled for the next day. Good! I hate waiting a week or week and a half for an interview. Let's get it over with as soon as we can.
I arrive for the interview. The assistant that originally phone screened me came out to say hello and offer me water, coffee, tea, Jack Daniels. You know, the usual.
Then the hiring manager came out to greet me. We went to her office where the first thing she told me was, unfortunately, someone had rescheduled a meeting in the middle of our interview time slot, so our time would be cut short.
Wait. What?
She apologized, but didn't seem mortified. I attempted to be gracious about it. Inside my head I was thinking,
What is more important than an interview? Have I ever allowed anything short of a medical emergency infringe upon an interview with a candidate? No...I don't think I have. Well, maybe there was some sort of emergency and they are handling damage control at the meeting...
Thus, the interview began.
We chit-chatted about the company. I told her I had read x, y and z about the organization and blah blah blah. We walked through my resume, which went well besides the fact I was 98% sure she hadn't even read it before I walked through the door.
She then asked me what I felt my three best skills were. I listed them and gave one to two sentences of "supporting evidence" for each. Two of the skills I listed were essential functions of the position I was applying for, and the third was "gravy".
Well, not literally gravy. But you know what I mean.
She then went on to tell me x, y and z about the organization. I thought this was a little weird as I had just told her I had read about those exact things, and she didn't give me any new information or insight in her description. However, she did go on for a solid five minutes, at least.
Then, this is the best part, she said, "Well, do you have any questions?"
I think I jumped a little in my seat. She had asked me one question (well, besides the "let's walk through your resume, ok?" part). We were just getting started, yo!
So I said, "Yes. What is HR's main role in the organization?"
She then went on another five minute rant. I learned how many people work in HR and where they are located; who she reports to; who reports to her and that their turnover is usually comprised of employees that have been with the company one year or less.
What I did not learn was what HR's main role in the organization was.
Then, she squinted at her computer screen and said, "Oh, I have to go to that meeting now". She walked me to the lobby and shook my hand.
------
A few days later, I received a "thanks but no thanks" email from the Recruiter that set up the interview.
Just for kicks, I called the hiring manager and left her a message requesting feedback on my resume and interview so I can, you know, better tailor my search.
I have $5 that says I never hear from her again.
So, here's how things went:
An assistant to a non-HR big-wig called me for a phone screen. It was the best kind of phone screen: short but thorough. The assistant said she would "walk" my resume and her notes over to the hiring manager so I could be contacted by her to set up an interview.
Great! Sounds good.
Later that day, someone from the Recruiting Department (halfway across the country) called me to schedule an interview with the hiring manager. Ok, whatevs. Sounds fine to me.
The interview was scheduled for the next day. Good! I hate waiting a week or week and a half for an interview. Let's get it over with as soon as we can.
I arrive for the interview. The assistant that originally phone screened me came out to say hello and offer me water, coffee, tea, Jack Daniels. You know, the usual.
Then the hiring manager came out to greet me. We went to her office where the first thing she told me was, unfortunately, someone had rescheduled a meeting in the middle of our interview time slot, so our time would be cut short.
Wait. What?
She apologized, but didn't seem mortified. I attempted to be gracious about it. Inside my head I was thinking,
What is more important than an interview? Have I ever allowed anything short of a medical emergency infringe upon an interview with a candidate? No...I don't think I have. Well, maybe there was some sort of emergency and they are handling damage control at the meeting...
Thus, the interview began.
We chit-chatted about the company. I told her I had read x, y and z about the organization and blah blah blah. We walked through my resume, which went well besides the fact I was 98% sure she hadn't even read it before I walked through the door.
She then asked me what I felt my three best skills were. I listed them and gave one to two sentences of "supporting evidence" for each. Two of the skills I listed were essential functions of the position I was applying for, and the third was "gravy".
Well, not literally gravy. But you know what I mean.
She then went on to tell me x, y and z about the organization. I thought this was a little weird as I had just told her I had read about those exact things, and she didn't give me any new information or insight in her description. However, she did go on for a solid five minutes, at least.
Then, this is the best part, she said, "Well, do you have any questions?"
I think I jumped a little in my seat. She had asked me one question (well, besides the "let's walk through your resume, ok?" part). We were just getting started, yo!
So I said, "Yes. What is HR's main role in the organization?"
She then went on another five minute rant. I learned how many people work in HR and where they are located; who she reports to; who reports to her and that their turnover is usually comprised of employees that have been with the company one year or less.
What I did not learn was what HR's main role in the organization was.
Then, she squinted at her computer screen and said, "Oh, I have to go to that meeting now". She walked me to the lobby and shook my hand.
------
A few days later, I received a "thanks but no thanks" email from the Recruiter that set up the interview.
Just for kicks, I called the hiring manager and left her a message requesting feedback on my resume and interview so I can, you know, better tailor my search.
I have $5 that says I never hear from her again.
Protecting (or Retrieving) Your Laptop
One of the real downsides of this "Age of Mobility" is the risk of losing your laptop - or, more likely, having it stolen from a coffee shop or even an office. It's especially a problem as these devices get smaller and smaller, and we become more and more dependent on them
Well, today's San Francisco Chronicle included a short note about a new, free software package that you can install on your laptop to help you find it when it's gone missing ("One Way to Keep Track of your Lost Laptop").
I guess it works sort of like LoJack for cars - it reports the laptop's Internet Protocol address and other locational information. And if your laptop is a Mac the software (called Adeona, after the Greek goddess who protected travelers and children and ensured their safe return) will even take a picture of the person using it. Makes that little built-in webcam really useful!
Anyway, I just downloaded the software and installed it on my MacBook. It's a small package, doesn't take up much room on the hard disk and seems like a great idea. Of course, it's one of those things I hope I never have to use.
I believe there are also plans to develop similar kinds of security products for smaller mobile devices like cell phones and pda's too.
Seems like an essential component of the future of work to me.
Well, today's San Francisco Chronicle included a short note about a new, free software package that you can install on your laptop to help you find it when it's gone missing ("One Way to Keep Track of your Lost Laptop").
I guess it works sort of like LoJack for cars - it reports the laptop's Internet Protocol address and other locational information. And if your laptop is a Mac the software (called Adeona, after the Greek goddess who protected travelers and children and ensured their safe return) will even take a picture of the person using it. Makes that little built-in webcam really useful!
Anyway, I just downloaded the software and installed it on my MacBook. It's a small package, doesn't take up much room on the hard disk and seems like a great idea. Of course, it's one of those things I hope I never have to use.
I believe there are also plans to develop similar kinds of security products for smaller mobile devices like cell phones and pda's too.
Seems like an essential component of the future of work to me.
More dads want to stay home
When I write about work-family issues, I deliberately try to avoid assigning them only to women. That's because I know too many men among my peers who struggle with the same things: spending more time with their kids; arranging flexible work options; doing quality work while raising kids who don't set fire to the guidance couselor's car.
It's one reason why I coerced my colleague Lev Grossman into cowriting a magazine article with me last year about this new generation of dads. It's also the reason I'm not surprised by the results of this new survey from CareerBuilder.com that finds 37% of dads with jobs say they'd gladly stay home if the spouse could support the family on her own. Other findings:
• 37% of working dads said they are willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children.
• 42% would take a pay cut of 10% or more.
Office time cuts into family time:
• 22% of working dads said their jobs have had a negative impact on their relationships with their children, with time management playing a role in the disruption of precious family time;
• 46% of working dads said they have missed a significant event in their child's life in the last year due to work;
• 26% said they have missed more than three.
It's harder than ever to leave the office at the office:
• 25% of working dads stated that they work more than 50 hours a week;
• 24% said they bring work home at least once, if not more, a week.
How much time are dads spending with the tots?
• 47% of working dads said they spend fewer than three hours a day with their children during the work week;
• 22% said they spend less than two hours;
• 6% are only able to spend an hour.
Are you a working dad who wants to stay home, or are you married to one?
It's one reason why I coerced my colleague Lev Grossman into cowriting a magazine article with me last year about this new generation of dads. It's also the reason I'm not surprised by the results of this new survey from CareerBuilder.com that finds 37% of dads with jobs say they'd gladly stay home if the spouse could support the family on her own. Other findings:
• 37% of working dads said they are willing to take a pay cut to spend more time with their children.
• 42% would take a pay cut of 10% or more.
Office time cuts into family time:
• 22% of working dads said their jobs have had a negative impact on their relationships with their children, with time management playing a role in the disruption of precious family time;
• 46% of working dads said they have missed a significant event in their child's life in the last year due to work;
• 26% said they have missed more than three.
It's harder than ever to leave the office at the office:
• 25% of working dads stated that they work more than 50 hours a week;
• 24% said they bring work home at least once, if not more, a week.
How much time are dads spending with the tots?
• 47% of working dads said they spend fewer than three hours a day with their children during the work week;
• 22% said they spend less than two hours;
• 6% are only able to spend an hour.
Are you a working dad who wants to stay home, or are you married to one?
Away from shinning India
Is good economy all about Number crunching in the form of some indicators though their pertinence in the context of India’s complex, multi layered and grossly un (under) reported economy is questionable. On top of that, We have fancied to fashion our National Polices with some grand statements like Green Revolution, Garibi Hatoo or current talks of “ Inclusive Growth”. Where are the touchstones for these big promises and faltering performances of our Leaders, leave alone any specific time line for their execution. They say that good economics can be bad politics so we always have our Finance Minister playing the role of “Mr Right” with his all seemingly “Politically correct to populace” and “Equivocal to Industries” statements. Enigma runs deeper as every crisis crosses over its tipping point and becomes chicken egg problem-like the recent announcement of government coming up with more humane rehabilitation policy along with the liberalized regime for Industrial growth. Catastrophically, our Share Indexes run from bull to bear every trading session with the modulation of optimism quotients of the speeches of our PM and FM. Some experts say that we have been entwined with the global economy like never before with the ushering in of LPG. ( though another LPG is in severe short supply this winter with Government more focused on Nuclear energy for our requirements). “Inflation is a cause of concern for us.” This is the latest fad of our FM in every forum and RBI has become a worried lot of economy “Overheating”. We are yet to see any concrete corrective measures. May be because, this is such a issue where they are not able to see any kind of “Saffronisation” of economy by fascist element at this crucial juncture of elections in UP post Sachhar Committee - their bastion to proof their secular credentials. Last year, we have seen wheat buffer stocks plummeting as wheat was disappeared from the markets and this year Sugarcane will see its price crushing down heavily because of global over production. Where is our Agriculture Minister- Is he learning Demand- Supply Equations at Shastri Bhavan? He is busy in bidding for his candidature for ICC chairmanship, challenging at least the Western hegemony in control of Cricket administration, what if we shamelessly perform in playgrounds. May be, even the suicide spree of farmers of his own state is not enough for any serious reflections for their plights from their avowed Leader. Our Prime Minister is on Jaunt to promote his Government’s “ Look East Policy” and Foreign Minister was last seen crossing our Western border to invite the “Mr. President” across the line of fire. In between, India is bleeding in million small hemorrhages to its farmers, labors, small traders and unemployed youths. Just thing about it.
maturity and hope in a poor girl
This is all about the story of a young poor-girl whom we all met on a weekend in Yamunanagar during shopping.
There, we encountered an innocent poor girl named 'Renu' who was begging there with her young brother and pet dog. She came to us expecting some sort of monitory help; we treated her in a rude-manner and gave her two rupee coin. When she further asked for help, we asked her to shut up and go back but that girl threw back that coin and replied 'you shut up'. Then we gave her five-rupee coin. She accepted and took her younger brother and dog to feed them, we were totally amazed seeing her self-pride and humanity.
We found her interesting and made her sit with us, and then our behaviour was quite normal towards her. On enquiring her we came to know about her family and routine. She had lost her father in an accident and her mother earns her living by collecting garbage.
She then started entertaining us by making couples, we asked her to come join us for shopping but then she replied that she can't came as she doesn't have enough money for shopping and moreover nobody's going to allow her inside complexes because of her dirty clothes.
We felt pity on her and offered her fifty-rupee note but she didn't accept. She said that she's willing to study but no option for her in this district.
By seeing her intelligence and confidence level we were all impressed and think of helping her out in some other way, as it is the time to learn not to do a job of beggar for her.
It's not only the responsibility of government but of every citizen of this country to help this helpless child.
Even without schooling throughout her life she has got such an intelligence level and all the required calibre to study. If given a chance to get education she wouldn't waste it and will surely payback to the society.
Please take a step forward and help her out and contribute towards her development.
There, we encountered an innocent poor girl named 'Renu' who was begging there with her young brother and pet dog. She came to us expecting some sort of monitory help; we treated her in a rude-manner and gave her two rupee coin. When she further asked for help, we asked her to shut up and go back but that girl threw back that coin and replied 'you shut up'. Then we gave her five-rupee coin. She accepted and took her younger brother and dog to feed them, we were totally amazed seeing her self-pride and humanity.
We found her interesting and made her sit with us, and then our behaviour was quite normal towards her. On enquiring her we came to know about her family and routine. She had lost her father in an accident and her mother earns her living by collecting garbage.
She then started entertaining us by making couples, we asked her to come join us for shopping but then she replied that she can't came as she doesn't have enough money for shopping and moreover nobody's going to allow her inside complexes because of her dirty clothes.
We felt pity on her and offered her fifty-rupee note but she didn't accept. She said that she's willing to study but no option for her in this district.
By seeing her intelligence and confidence level we were all impressed and think of helping her out in some other way, as it is the time to learn not to do a job of beggar for her.
It's not only the responsibility of government but of every citizen of this country to help this helpless child.
Even without schooling throughout her life she has got such an intelligence level and all the required calibre to study. If given a chance to get education she wouldn't waste it and will surely payback to the society.
Please take a step forward and help her out and contribute towards her development.
Wanted: Indian Golf League
After 40 days of hold-your-breath last-ball ends and never-seen-before dancing cheerleaders, a colleague, having just finished a report on a local ATP Challenger, announced with finality: "Oh, I know, let's start an Indian Tennis League."
There are no TRP ratings in newspapers, but I have a feeling I wouldn't have been particularly inspired if somebody had told me our -- the non-cricket-sports-journalist fraternity's -- figures during the IPL.
But, existential crisis notwithstanding, the IPL was a model bound to succeed. After all, cricket is a sport that has had India in its grip for too many years now. There is too much going for it in the format. And for tantalising seasoning, some of the most eyeball-inducing celebrities are involved.
Anyhow, the month before last saw some big-name golfers in India, all hitting the ball a mile and mixing it up with delicate touches across the park. It was a big party for those of us involved, and many of us wrote cheerful analysis on how golf in India might have arrived.
We had an Indian winner at the Ernie Els-starring European Tour's Indian Masters in SSP Chowrasia, a beautiful story on success after battling deprivation. There was another Asian Tour biggie, then the little more superstar-rich Johnnie Walker Classic. A month of partying over, we went our own ways, the golfers theirs.
Fortunately, Indian golf's success story didn't end there. Just the next week, Arjun Atwal, our first explorer of the big bad off-shore greens, having struggled more for a little more than this past year, stuck out a sudden-death play-off over two bite-your-nails holes to win big: the Malaysian Open, a European Tour event. At the moment, though, he's slugging it out at the Nationwide Tour in the US. A second-place finish and four other top-25 positions later, he's steadily rising up the Order of Merit chart. He's placed 13th at the moment, a little less than halfway through the season; the top 25 get automatic entry into the PGA Tour, the biggest deal in the golfing world.
Jeev Milkha Singh, meanwhile, was involved in another play-off himself, though missing out on the title at Indonesia. He then had another second-place finish at the big-name Ballantine's Championship. 17th on the European Tour at the moment, it's a season where a lot of things are going right.
Jyoti Randhawa, suitably glamourous -- his wife is Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh, and his other passion is his bike -- turned around an indifferent season to end fifth at the PGA Championship just this past week.
The Asian Tour order of merit list has four names in the top-ten, three in top five. All in all, a pretty good endorsement for any sport.
There is no dearth of 'how cricket might be killing off other sports' theories that are regularly passed off as excuses by administrators, and the scoffing replies of "but you need to know how to market".
So what is the answer to making the 'lesser' sports perk up? Will a sexed-up version of a tennis league, a badminton league, a golf league work?
There are no TRP ratings in newspapers, but I have a feeling I wouldn't have been particularly inspired if somebody had told me our -- the non-cricket-sports-journalist fraternity's -- figures during the IPL.
But, existential crisis notwithstanding, the IPL was a model bound to succeed. After all, cricket is a sport that has had India in its grip for too many years now. There is too much going for it in the format. And for tantalising seasoning, some of the most eyeball-inducing celebrities are involved.
Anyhow, the month before last saw some big-name golfers in India, all hitting the ball a mile and mixing it up with delicate touches across the park. It was a big party for those of us involved, and many of us wrote cheerful analysis on how golf in India might have arrived.
We had an Indian winner at the Ernie Els-starring European Tour's Indian Masters in SSP Chowrasia, a beautiful story on success after battling deprivation. There was another Asian Tour biggie, then the little more superstar-rich Johnnie Walker Classic. A month of partying over, we went our own ways, the golfers theirs.
Fortunately, Indian golf's success story didn't end there. Just the next week, Arjun Atwal, our first explorer of the big bad off-shore greens, having struggled more for a little more than this past year, stuck out a sudden-death play-off over two bite-your-nails holes to win big: the Malaysian Open, a European Tour event. At the moment, though, he's slugging it out at the Nationwide Tour in the US. A second-place finish and four other top-25 positions later, he's steadily rising up the Order of Merit chart. He's placed 13th at the moment, a little less than halfway through the season; the top 25 get automatic entry into the PGA Tour, the biggest deal in the golfing world.
Jeev Milkha Singh, meanwhile, was involved in another play-off himself, though missing out on the title at Indonesia. He then had another second-place finish at the big-name Ballantine's Championship. 17th on the European Tour at the moment, it's a season where a lot of things are going right.
Jyoti Randhawa, suitably glamourous -- his wife is Bollywood actress Chitrangada Singh, and his other passion is his bike -- turned around an indifferent season to end fifth at the PGA Championship just this past week.
The Asian Tour order of merit list has four names in the top-ten, three in top five. All in all, a pretty good endorsement for any sport.
There is no dearth of 'how cricket might be killing off other sports' theories that are regularly passed off as excuses by administrators, and the scoffing replies of "but you need to know how to market".
So what is the answer to making the 'lesser' sports perk up? Will a sexed-up version of a tennis league, a badminton league, a golf league work?
Cyber Security
Mobile telephony and the Internet are considered as the most important discoveries of the 20th century. These have transformed the many aspects of modern life. At present, there are over 3 billion mobile connections and one billion internet connections world wide and the number of users are still growing on. With over 113 million websites globally, people from all walk of life are now eager to improve their quality of life further.
No doubt, the internet has come up to the expectations of improving the quality of life of the people but still full potential of Internet has not yet been realized. Main reason is the lack of trust of its users in the internet. It has been observed that almost two third of the internet users have refrained from certain activities on line on account of security concerns. Greatest fear among the users were the theft of personal information like identity theft, credit card fraud, computer viruses and spy ware etc. and therefore, entrusting of confidence among the users of internet is one of the key enablers for its future growth and uses.
The growth of internet has inherently opened new vistas of opportunities for the criminal who exploits the online vulnerabilities to commit cyber crimes and inflict serious damage to the critical infrastructures of the nations. Viruses, Identity theft, Denial of Service attacks, Spy ware and Phising etc. have become the dangers of cyberspace. These are the main hurdle for the future growth of internet and its use. It is said, that the span and other exploitations are accounting for the majority (90%) e-mail traffic over internet thereby, clogging internet channels for the genuine users.
Security is the key to the users trust in e-business, e-governance and other on-line applications. The cyber-security covers the range of threat of the internet users broadly in the three areas of concerns- namely threat to individual users by inflicting with virus and identity theft, secondly threat to business, government and other organizations through exploitation of the vulnerability in their data and thirdly threat to the critical public infrastructures like Telecommunication Network, Financial systems, emergency systems, Power Grid Systems etc.
The internet has become an inseparable part of our society and culture. It is difficult to imagine the life without it. Therefore, the telecommunication and information technology network which are the prime infrastructure for building the information society needs to be build up with proper robustness to ensure the reliability of services against the attack from the cyber criminals. Span has now taken the form of severe risks to the internet security – sometimes, it gives a lot of annoyance and sometimes it becomes a serious cyber security threat. It has been observed that nine out of ten emails are considered spam. Its Volume as well its proportion are also increasing with the growth of Internet. As per the observations made by United States Federal Trade Commission, genuine e-mails out of the average seventy numbers of e-mails, received by the employee everyday, are only around 9, rests are the spam. Spam in its various forms only drains the resources. The direct cost is in the form of incorporating spam filter software and hiring of engineers to deal with the problems. It reduces the productivity of the employees and thereby increases business costs. Most of the users uses at least 5 to 10 minutes a day dealing with the spam. Of course about 2% of the users uses more than half an hour a day dealing with the spam. The spammers are developing new techniques in response to any-spam software. They are always one step ahead. New variants like spim (Spam through instant messaging) and spit (spam associated with internet telephony) has also become now common in the network. Cyber security with evolving technology is becoming more and more complex. It has really become one of the important challenges to all concerned to tackle the threats to cyber security. Further, internets with its gradual shift to social networking is now moving from the Centre of network towards the edges- less centralized control with more user centric activity and a greater user generated content. Laws alone cannot make the telecom network more secure. Computer related crimes can better be prohibited when the makers of the computers, equipments and technologists build more secure and robust systems and the users, service providers etc. operates in more responsible manner. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of each user to become aware of threat as well as opportunities of Internet.
Government and the Internet Service Provider must help the users to educate them and also to provide them necessary information on how best to protect themselves by developing the culture of cyber securities.
Therefore, a coordinated multi-layered approach is needed to protect the telecommunications and information network. In order to inculcate trust in he ICT network, there is need to rely on multiple line of defenses like national and international strategies, public and private efforts besides bilateral and multilateral cooperation. National agencies and other stake holders are now shaping policies from different prospective namely addressing cyber security as a technical and operational network issues; economic issues, legislation and enforcement issues like cyber crime and the fourth the national security issues as the possible threat of critical information infrastructures protections (CIIP).
Threat to cyber security is constantly evolving with the evolution of newer and newer technologies and therefore, policy relating to cyber security have to be flexible and adoptive. Unless effective steps are taken by all the stake holders including service providers, government and the users, cyber crime eco systems would flourish to inflict maximum damage to the public which are now becoming more and more dependent on information technology in the upcoming digital world. The possible negative impacts of the vicious triangle of spyware, virus and spasm are to be understood and the remedial actions are to be taken for the protection of the information society. It will be difficult to fathom the consequences of cyber war which anti social element may try to inflict on the nations. With more and more dependence on computers and its network, perhaps, cyber war can bring about more harm to a nation than any other form of war. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that its citizens are protected by inculcating a culture of cyber security. The government has a vital role in coordination and implementation on national cyber security strategy to protect its critical information infrastructures. In depth understanding of various aspects of information & communication network/technology can only equip one to take necessary measures for effective cyber security and therefore, the involvement of experts of this field has become equally important for the design of national security strategy.
No doubt, the internet has come up to the expectations of improving the quality of life of the people but still full potential of Internet has not yet been realized. Main reason is the lack of trust of its users in the internet. It has been observed that almost two third of the internet users have refrained from certain activities on line on account of security concerns. Greatest fear among the users were the theft of personal information like identity theft, credit card fraud, computer viruses and spy ware etc. and therefore, entrusting of confidence among the users of internet is one of the key enablers for its future growth and uses.
The growth of internet has inherently opened new vistas of opportunities for the criminal who exploits the online vulnerabilities to commit cyber crimes and inflict serious damage to the critical infrastructures of the nations. Viruses, Identity theft, Denial of Service attacks, Spy ware and Phising etc. have become the dangers of cyberspace. These are the main hurdle for the future growth of internet and its use. It is said, that the span and other exploitations are accounting for the majority (90%) e-mail traffic over internet thereby, clogging internet channels for the genuine users.
Security is the key to the users trust in e-business, e-governance and other on-line applications. The cyber-security covers the range of threat of the internet users broadly in the three areas of concerns- namely threat to individual users by inflicting with virus and identity theft, secondly threat to business, government and other organizations through exploitation of the vulnerability in their data and thirdly threat to the critical public infrastructures like Telecommunication Network, Financial systems, emergency systems, Power Grid Systems etc.
The internet has become an inseparable part of our society and culture. It is difficult to imagine the life without it. Therefore, the telecommunication and information technology network which are the prime infrastructure for building the information society needs to be build up with proper robustness to ensure the reliability of services against the attack from the cyber criminals. Span has now taken the form of severe risks to the internet security – sometimes, it gives a lot of annoyance and sometimes it becomes a serious cyber security threat. It has been observed that nine out of ten emails are considered spam. Its Volume as well its proportion are also increasing with the growth of Internet. As per the observations made by United States Federal Trade Commission, genuine e-mails out of the average seventy numbers of e-mails, received by the employee everyday, are only around 9, rests are the spam. Spam in its various forms only drains the resources. The direct cost is in the form of incorporating spam filter software and hiring of engineers to deal with the problems. It reduces the productivity of the employees and thereby increases business costs. Most of the users uses at least 5 to 10 minutes a day dealing with the spam. Of course about 2% of the users uses more than half an hour a day dealing with the spam. The spammers are developing new techniques in response to any-spam software. They are always one step ahead. New variants like spim (Spam through instant messaging) and spit (spam associated with internet telephony) has also become now common in the network. Cyber security with evolving technology is becoming more and more complex. It has really become one of the important challenges to all concerned to tackle the threats to cyber security. Further, internets with its gradual shift to social networking is now moving from the Centre of network towards the edges- less centralized control with more user centric activity and a greater user generated content. Laws alone cannot make the telecom network more secure. Computer related crimes can better be prohibited when the makers of the computers, equipments and technologists build more secure and robust systems and the users, service providers etc. operates in more responsible manner. Therefore, it becomes the responsibility of each user to become aware of threat as well as opportunities of Internet.
Government and the Internet Service Provider must help the users to educate them and also to provide them necessary information on how best to protect themselves by developing the culture of cyber securities.
Therefore, a coordinated multi-layered approach is needed to protect the telecommunications and information network. In order to inculcate trust in he ICT network, there is need to rely on multiple line of defenses like national and international strategies, public and private efforts besides bilateral and multilateral cooperation. National agencies and other stake holders are now shaping policies from different prospective namely addressing cyber security as a technical and operational network issues; economic issues, legislation and enforcement issues like cyber crime and the fourth the national security issues as the possible threat of critical information infrastructures protections (CIIP).
Threat to cyber security is constantly evolving with the evolution of newer and newer technologies and therefore, policy relating to cyber security have to be flexible and adoptive. Unless effective steps are taken by all the stake holders including service providers, government and the users, cyber crime eco systems would flourish to inflict maximum damage to the public which are now becoming more and more dependent on information technology in the upcoming digital world. The possible negative impacts of the vicious triangle of spyware, virus and spasm are to be understood and the remedial actions are to be taken for the protection of the information society. It will be difficult to fathom the consequences of cyber war which anti social element may try to inflict on the nations. With more and more dependence on computers and its network, perhaps, cyber war can bring about more harm to a nation than any other form of war. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that its citizens are protected by inculcating a culture of cyber security. The government has a vital role in coordination and implementation on national cyber security strategy to protect its critical information infrastructures. In depth understanding of various aspects of information & communication network/technology can only equip one to take necessary measures for effective cyber security and therefore, the involvement of experts of this field has become equally important for the design of national security strategy.
Support Indian Hockey
It has been the big news that the Indian Hockey team has failed to qualify to the Olympic Games this time. It is said that this is the first time that the Indian Hockey team has failed to qualify to the Olympic Games. Predictably there have been fingers pointing in various directions as to who is responsible for the failures. There have been some people who have taken responsibility for the debacle and quit and there are some who have decided to stay on and so on.
The defeat has seen even more significance especially due to the fact that the players in the Indian Cricket arena have been earning huge sums of money and fame. I believe that the Indian Cricketers deserve the money and adulations that they have received and have been receiving. It may be worthwhile in trying to draw a comparison between the Indian Cricket team after their debacle in the World cup and the current state of Indian hockey team. Although there have been harsh reactions to the failures of the Indian hockey team, the Indian Cricket team had to suffer even the public wrath after their debacle in the world cup.
There was physical damage been done to the properties of some of the cricketers and there were security issues as well to some cricketers. Having gone through all these things, the Indian Cricket team did extremely well to come back into reckoning. I should say that it has been a combined effort of the players and the support staff (including the administrators). Indian Hockey team can learn from the Indian Cricket team to be more determined to get back to winning ways. It is agreed that the Olympic Games would have been an excellent platform to perform but there is no point brooding over the debacle but gather the wits and start concentrating on the game.
The players and the support staff (including administration) should take collective responsibility and strive for better results henceforth. It is during these times that the Indian Hockey team needs more support to enable them to get back to winning ways.
The defeat has seen even more significance especially due to the fact that the players in the Indian Cricket arena have been earning huge sums of money and fame. I believe that the Indian Cricketers deserve the money and adulations that they have received and have been receiving. It may be worthwhile in trying to draw a comparison between the Indian Cricket team after their debacle in the World cup and the current state of Indian hockey team. Although there have been harsh reactions to the failures of the Indian hockey team, the Indian Cricket team had to suffer even the public wrath after their debacle in the world cup.
There was physical damage been done to the properties of some of the cricketers and there were security issues as well to some cricketers. Having gone through all these things, the Indian Cricket team did extremely well to come back into reckoning. I should say that it has been a combined effort of the players and the support staff (including the administrators). Indian Hockey team can learn from the Indian Cricket team to be more determined to get back to winning ways. It is agreed that the Olympic Games would have been an excellent platform to perform but there is no point brooding over the debacle but gather the wits and start concentrating on the game.
The players and the support staff (including administration) should take collective responsibility and strive for better results henceforth. It is during these times that the Indian Hockey team needs more support to enable them to get back to winning ways.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Stress
Stress and depression can disturb the life as well as health of an individual. Being optimistic and taking help of others and planning can help ward off stress and depression. The storms and stresses of life will either drive us forward or back, depending on how we direct our course. It is easy to blame others when the real problems usually lie within us. Our own personal response means far more than all the influences that surround us. Many of our failures are due to childish reactions that we have carried over into adult life. This is a common cause of mental and physical illness. Most of our mental illnesses arise because the individual cannot cope with the stress and strain of life. It is the parent’s responsibility to help each child to grow up into full maturity and peace of mind. Main causes for stress are: Financial situation can cause stress at any time of the year. Overspending during the holidays on gifts, travel, food and entertainment can increase stress. Relationships can cause tension, conflict or stress at any time. Family misunderstandings and conflict can increase the stress. A conflict mainly arises with so increased needs and interests to accommodate. Loss of sleep often results in fatigue and quickly impairs a person’s normal judgment. The higher centers of the brain are the first to show the effects of overwork and anxiety. Such a person may become depressed, losing all interest in life and burdened with a sense of impending death. Stress may he caused by a variety of factors. External factors include loud noises, blinding light, extreme heat or cold, X-rays and other forms of radiation, drugs, chemicals, bacterial and various toxic substance, pain, and inadequate nutrition The factors from within the body include hate, envy, fear, or Jealousy. Stress symptoms Body, brain and nervous system react actively The body and the mind react to any stress factor. A large number of physical changes take place when a person is under stress. The brain and nervous system become intensely active; the pupils of the eye dilate; digestion slows down; muscles become tense; the heart starts pumping blood harder and faster; blood pressure increases; breathing becomes faster; hormones such as adrenaline are released into the system along with glucose from the liver; and sweating starts. All these changes like place in split second under the direction of the nervous system. If the stress factors are removed immediately, no harm accrues and all the changes are reversible. Poor sleep, frustration, increase in alcoholic intake etc Stress in its earlier and reversible stage leads to poor sleep, bad temper, continual grumbling, domestic conflict, repealed minor sickness, accident proneness, a feeling of frustration, and increase in alcoholic intake. Stress causes External stress factors like loud noises, drugs, etc Stress may he caused by a variety of factors both outside the body and within. External factors include loud noises, blinding light,extreme heat or cold, X-rays and other forms of radiation, drugs, chemicals, bacterial and various toxic substance, pain, and inadequate nutrition Internal stress factors like envy, jealousy, etc The factors from within the body include hate, envy, fear, or Jealousy. Home Remedies for Stress Stress treatment using Holy Basil (tulsi) The leaves of holy basil have been found beneficial in the treatment of stress. They are regarded as an anti-stress agent. Recent studies have shown that the leaves protect against stress significantly. It has been suggested that even healthy persons should chew twelve leaves of basil twice a day, morning and evening, for preventing stress Stress treatment using Sage The herb sage is considered valuable in stress. A tea prepared from the leaves of this plant should be given in the treatment of this condition. This tea is prepared by pouring a cup of boiling water over one teaspoon of dried sage leaves. The water should be covered and infused for several minutes. It should then be strained and sweetened, with honey, if desired. In the case of fresh leaves, a tablespoon of coarsely chopped sage leaves should be used and tea prepared in the same way Stress treatment using Nutrients Certain nutrients have proved beneficial in relieving stress. These are vitamins A and B; and minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium which reduce the feeling of irritability and anxiety. Vitamin A is found in green and yellow vegetables. Some of the valuable sources of vitamin B are cashew nuts, green leafy vegetables, yeast, sprouts, and bananas. An element of vitamin B complex, pantothenic acid, is especially important in preventing stress. It has a deep effect on adrenal glands and the immune system; an adequate amount of this vitamin, along with vitamin A, can help prevent many of the changes caused by stress. Potassium deficiencies are associated with breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia, and low blood sugar. Potassium is essential for healthy heart muscles. Nuts and whole grains are good sources of this mineral. Calcium is a natural sedative. Deficiencies can cause fatigue, nervousness and tension. Dairy products, eggs, almonds, and soya beans are rich sources of this mineral. Magnesium is known as nature's tranquilliser and is associated with the prevention of heart attacks. It is found in many fruits, vegetables, seeds, dates, and prunes Stress treatment using Other Foods There are many foods which help in meeting the demands of stress and should be taken regularly by the patients. These include yoghurt, blackstrap molasses, seeds, and sprouts. Yoghurt is rich in vitamins A, D, and the B complex group. It relieves migraine, insomnia, and cramps associated with menstruation. Blackstrap molasses, a by-product of the sugar-refining process, is rich in iron and B vitamins. It guards against anaemia and is good for heart disease. Seeds such as alfalfa, sunflower, pumpkins, and sprout are rich in calcium and quite effective as deterrents of listlessness and anxiety. If a loved one has recently died or you aren't near loved ones, realize that it's normal to feel sadness and grief. It's OK now and then to take time just to cry or express your feelings. You don't have to force yourself to be happy. If you feel alone, seek out family members and friends, or community, religious or social services. They can offer support and companionship. Getting involved and helping others can lift your spirits and broaden your social circle. Find new ways to celebrate together from afar, such as sharing pictures, e-mails or videotapes. Try to accept family members and friends as they are, even if they don't live up to your expectations. Set aside grievances until a more appropriate time for discussion. And be understanding if others get upset or distressed. Before you go shopping, decide how much money you can afford to spend on gifts and other items. Then be sure to stick to your budget. If you don't, you could feel anxious and tense for months afterward as you struggle to pay the bills. Prepare a plan for shopping, baking, visiting friends and other activities. That'll help prevent to create any confusion Take sufficient sleep for 8-10 hours. Spending just 15 minutes alone, without distractions, may refresh you enough to handle everything you need to do. Go away to a silent place, even if it's the bathroom, for a few moments of solitude. Take a walk at night. Listen to light music. This is very useful home remedy for stress. Drink a hot cup of milk mixed with honey and cinnamon or nutmeg. It will help calm you down. Avoid foods or drinks with alcohol, caffeine, chocolate or sugar. Eat regularly, and eat whole foods such as vegetables and grains, avoiding processed foods. Drink beverages with hops, such as non-alcoholic beer, for relaxation. Chew twelve leaves of basil twice a day, morning and evening, for preventing stress. This is also very useful home remedy for stress. Prepare a tea by pouring a cup of boiling water over one teaspoon of dried sage leaves. The water should be covered and infused for several minutes. It should then be strained and sweetened, with honey, if desired. Vitamins A and B; and minerals such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which reduce the feeling of irritability and anxiety, are also very helpful in reducing the stress. Foods, which are helpful in reducing the stress, include yoghurt, blackstrap molasses, seeds, and sprouts. Regular physical exercise plays an important role in the fight against stress. Keeping anger within you adds to feelings of stress; blowing up in a rage is almost as bad. Take a hot bath. It is a very good stress reliever. Diet for Stress Lifestyle change, optimum diet, regular exercise and rest In dealing with stress, the lifestyle of the patient needs a complete overhaul. He should be placed on an optimum diet, and be encouraged to take regular exercise and adequate rest. If this is done, many diseases caused by stress can be eliminated. Diet plays an important role in the prevention and healing of stress induced diseases. Food to be avoided during stress Certain foods associated with stress and anxiety should be scrupulously avoided. These foods are caffeine in coffee and many soft drinks, salt, sugar, cigarettes, and alcohol. Other stress treatment Do Regular physical exercise and eliminate unnecessary stress Regular physical exercise plays an important role in the fight against stress. It not only keeps the body physically and mentally fit, but also provides recreation and mental relaxation, Recreation and rest are also important. The patient should set a definite time for recreational activities, and should take a holiday at regular intervals. Above all, he should simplify his style of living to eliminate unnecessary stress
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
How does one overcome anger and hatred?
It’s all very well to talk about love and its healing power. Infact I and everybody else at intentblog do that all the time.And we really mean it-well i certainly do :-)
I reiterate it over and over again not only to myself but to everyone I am blessed to share my life with. I talk about love and forgiveness and miracles & magic & I sincerely believe in all of it too.
I get 100’s of letters and emails from perfect strangers telling me how my words and actions have brought about a happy change in their life and thinking. It scares me. Puts too much pressure on me especially on days when I want to feel weak and vulnerable and so badly need a shoulder to cry on. I just want to be a cry baby!
I want to yell, abuse, slap people, and tell a few others to go to hell where they belong.
I also want to be extremely self indulgent/obsessed, belligerant and rabidly aggressive.
ok ok- thats a bit strong for me but what the hell. Allow me.
So ok -We all know that love is the cure for all maladies. At most times in my life I exercise this philosophy with great efficiency and things around me move smoothly and my world turns into a happy place.
But there are other days when I am filled with so much anger and hatred and frustration and resentment it scares me. I wonder about the force which brings it on.
I recognize that it’s most often emotional triggers from people or events in my life – (i recognize them very clearly)
and my inability to will it away and eliminate it all together from my life.
It angers me-the gulit and despair i feel about all this hatred and rage that i feel-but still i cant make it go away
Some other times I’m not even sure of the triggers.
PMS times don’t count-on those days every woman is allowed her unpleasantries.
I discuss it with my friends and colleagues often-some of them recommend an hour long cry(minimum) but that does not cut it.
We all agree it will pass but how does one get through these moments?
Distance from upsetting stimuli does not take it away.
Analysing and coming to terms with our frustrations and shortcomings dosent help either
No amount of creative activity, painting , writing, reading, praying, partying,meditating, philosophysing, positive thinking, jogging on the beach or 100 kisses from my daughter seems to take it away.
The monster keeps wrenching at the heart and tearing it apart.
& i wonder
What makes one kind of emotion beneficial & the other detrimental? Who's to decide?
Emotion is emotion-what makes it good or bad? Is every emotion not equally valid?
Does everybody feel this way sometimes?
So what does one do at times like this?
Besides blogging of course…:-)
Ohmygawd! Does anybody have an answer?
I reiterate it over and over again not only to myself but to everyone I am blessed to share my life with. I talk about love and forgiveness and miracles & magic & I sincerely believe in all of it too.
I get 100’s of letters and emails from perfect strangers telling me how my words and actions have brought about a happy change in their life and thinking. It scares me. Puts too much pressure on me especially on days when I want to feel weak and vulnerable and so badly need a shoulder to cry on. I just want to be a cry baby!
I want to yell, abuse, slap people, and tell a few others to go to hell where they belong.
I also want to be extremely self indulgent/obsessed, belligerant and rabidly aggressive.
ok ok- thats a bit strong for me but what the hell. Allow me.
So ok -We all know that love is the cure for all maladies. At most times in my life I exercise this philosophy with great efficiency and things around me move smoothly and my world turns into a happy place.
But there are other days when I am filled with so much anger and hatred and frustration and resentment it scares me. I wonder about the force which brings it on.
I recognize that it’s most often emotional triggers from people or events in my life – (i recognize them very clearly)
and my inability to will it away and eliminate it all together from my life.
It angers me-the gulit and despair i feel about all this hatred and rage that i feel-but still i cant make it go away
Some other times I’m not even sure of the triggers.
PMS times don’t count-on those days every woman is allowed her unpleasantries.
I discuss it with my friends and colleagues often-some of them recommend an hour long cry(minimum) but that does not cut it.
We all agree it will pass but how does one get through these moments?
Distance from upsetting stimuli does not take it away.
Analysing and coming to terms with our frustrations and shortcomings dosent help either
No amount of creative activity, painting , writing, reading, praying, partying,meditating, philosophysing, positive thinking, jogging on the beach or 100 kisses from my daughter seems to take it away.
The monster keeps wrenching at the heart and tearing it apart.
& i wonder
What makes one kind of emotion beneficial & the other detrimental? Who's to decide?
Emotion is emotion-what makes it good or bad? Is every emotion not equally valid?
Does everybody feel this way sometimes?
So what does one do at times like this?
Besides blogging of course…:-)
Ohmygawd! Does anybody have an answer?
An airport and some mercenaries
I was on another delayed flight today, waiting inside the plane for over an hour and a half. I switched on the tiny TV screen, flipped past the laughter challenge show, past the food show, past the travel show, and was hooked on to an edge-of-the-seat hockey match between India and Pakistan.
An image stayed with me. A man soaked in sweat, in the Indian team’s light blue T-shirt, walked slowly holding his stick after Pakistan beat India 4-3.
But let me take you back an hour and a half.
I was at the departure lounge back at the airport, doing what I always do when waiting in public places: looking at people and trying to guess who they are, what lives they live, and inventing stories about them. Two metres away from me to my left, there was a man completely invisible in the rows of chairs, dressed in a full-sleeved black T-shirt and shorts, listening to songs from his mobile phone and sharing the headphone with his friend on his right.
It was the same man.
It was India’s hockey star, top national team player and former captain Dilip Tirkey.
The celebrated defender. The guy who I would watch in amazement on my tiny TV screen at 30,000 feet an hour and a half later, walking back in dejection and complete exhaustion after the defeat to Pakistan.
Dilip sat looking around, barely talking, a face lost among hundreds seated across the huge lounge. He fiddled with his rug sack, the colour of army fatigues. He ran his hand through his short hair. He caught me looking at him. I didn’t say anything.
He then stood up, in the centre of the departure lounge, completely and utterly unnoticed. People walked past him, several people came and sat next to him, picking up newspapers from seats around.
Many of them front-paged pictures of the new mercenaries – players of the IPL cricket league, every man worth some crore of rupees. And there were copies of the entertainment supplement of the Times of India, which had a story about how Kingfisher chief Vijay Mallya had convinced Beyonce Knowles to perform at the inauguration of the IPL, and Shah Rukh Khan had prevailed upon Amitabh Bachchan and his family.
Tirkey went back to his seat – next to the lean man with whom the player had shared the headphone wearing it in an ear each. The other man wore a black cap that said: “Condemned”. I am not sure if it was bitter sarcasm, or a Freudian slip.
I picked up the newspaper with the Beyonce story. It asked readers to turn the page. There, it told them the entire story was for April Fool’s Day.
And I suddenly realised the subject of the joke was sitting next to me, wearing his black T-shirt, a headphone in one ear.
The joke was on him.
The joke was on us, this country that loves to throw money on mercenaries.
An image stayed with me. A man soaked in sweat, in the Indian team’s light blue T-shirt, walked slowly holding his stick after Pakistan beat India 4-3.
But let me take you back an hour and a half.
I was at the departure lounge back at the airport, doing what I always do when waiting in public places: looking at people and trying to guess who they are, what lives they live, and inventing stories about them. Two metres away from me to my left, there was a man completely invisible in the rows of chairs, dressed in a full-sleeved black T-shirt and shorts, listening to songs from his mobile phone and sharing the headphone with his friend on his right.
It was the same man.
It was India’s hockey star, top national team player and former captain Dilip Tirkey.
The celebrated defender. The guy who I would watch in amazement on my tiny TV screen at 30,000 feet an hour and a half later, walking back in dejection and complete exhaustion after the defeat to Pakistan.
Dilip sat looking around, barely talking, a face lost among hundreds seated across the huge lounge. He fiddled with his rug sack, the colour of army fatigues. He ran his hand through his short hair. He caught me looking at him. I didn’t say anything.
He then stood up, in the centre of the departure lounge, completely and utterly unnoticed. People walked past him, several people came and sat next to him, picking up newspapers from seats around.
Many of them front-paged pictures of the new mercenaries – players of the IPL cricket league, every man worth some crore of rupees. And there were copies of the entertainment supplement of the Times of India, which had a story about how Kingfisher chief Vijay Mallya had convinced Beyonce Knowles to perform at the inauguration of the IPL, and Shah Rukh Khan had prevailed upon Amitabh Bachchan and his family.
Tirkey went back to his seat – next to the lean man with whom the player had shared the headphone wearing it in an ear each. The other man wore a black cap that said: “Condemned”. I am not sure if it was bitter sarcasm, or a Freudian slip.
I picked up the newspaper with the Beyonce story. It asked readers to turn the page. There, it told them the entire story was for April Fool’s Day.
And I suddenly realised the subject of the joke was sitting next to me, wearing his black T-shirt, a headphone in one ear.
The joke was on him.
The joke was on us, this country that loves to throw money on mercenaries.
The Corporate Servants
Contributed to IndiaVed by Bhaskar Tripathi, an Computer Scientist, Adventure Freak and World Traveler by Email
The Corporate Servants
Guys, Normally, I dispense from using offenseive slang in my vocal conversation. However when I get pissed off from my current 8-9 hour office cubicle life, enthusiasm spurts the influx of energy in my hot blooded muscles and my fingers are compelled to type the instructions recieved from "that thing" resting above my two shoulders.
This might force all you non-sportsmen,non-entreprenuers,non-rockstarts,non-artists (in crux non-achievers), to think what have you really done in your life...read-on these thoughts,you might get the courageto show that middle finger to everyone in the world when you disagree!!
“It was true that I didn’t have much ambition, but there ought to be a place for people without ambition, I mean a better place than the one usually reserved. How the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 6:30 a.m. by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so? You, hear those boring mission statements from your business leaders,nod your head in approval and come back to your seats and again start earning your living.
You are taught to think out-of-box,innovate,communicate,inspire,manage (blah-balh-blah) etc. As if this were not enough, you will also be constantly expected by your bootless corporate bosses to be good,gel up with tardy,old people and be coroborrating in every statement they utter.
Purpose and achievement of your life ?
These are my thoughts for our so called corporate leaders.No offence meant please ! , plain facts...
You are proud of being a mere corporate servant . As if you were a politician,sports superstar,business tychoon or a celebrity.
You still do not have those guts and courage to do something different in life.
You followed a 10-15 year cumbersome process to climb up the corporate ladder and managed to become a VP/country head,however it was a process not a business legacy.
Face this hard fact that you have burnt out your body and do not have any other physical skills left in your body to earn a living in a non-intellectual way.You cannot even become a yoga instructor.
You have always worked for others, never for yourself for more than 10-15 years, so you cannot innovate and run a business empire.If you cannot run a bussiness, even after learning it for that long,you are not the best.
I think enough of bashing the business leaders. :):)
Its a rule of the game that they have to be like this...and they have achieved quite a lot in their lifes.You should take inspiration from them to to think out-of-the-box,innovate,communicate,inspire,manage (blah-balh-blah) etc. LOL :)
The Corporate Servants
Guys, Normally, I dispense from using offenseive slang in my vocal conversation. However when I get pissed off from my current 8-9 hour office cubicle life, enthusiasm spurts the influx of energy in my hot blooded muscles and my fingers are compelled to type the instructions recieved from "that thing" resting above my two shoulders.
This might force all you non-sportsmen,non-entreprenuers,non-rockstarts,non-artists (in crux non-achievers), to think what have you really done in your life...read-on these thoughts,you might get the courageto show that middle finger to everyone in the world when you disagree!!
“It was true that I didn’t have much ambition, but there ought to be a place for people without ambition, I mean a better place than the one usually reserved. How the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 6:30 a.m. by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so? You, hear those boring mission statements from your business leaders,nod your head in approval and come back to your seats and again start earning your living.
You are taught to think out-of-box,innovate,communicate,inspire,manage (blah-balh-blah) etc. As if this were not enough, you will also be constantly expected by your bootless corporate bosses to be good,gel up with tardy,old people and be coroborrating in every statement they utter.
Purpose and achievement of your life ?
These are my thoughts for our so called corporate leaders.No offence meant please ! , plain facts...
You are proud of being a mere corporate servant . As if you were a politician,sports superstar,business tychoon or a celebrity.
You still do not have those guts and courage to do something different in life.
You followed a 10-15 year cumbersome process to climb up the corporate ladder and managed to become a VP/country head,however it was a process not a business legacy.
Face this hard fact that you have burnt out your body and do not have any other physical skills left in your body to earn a living in a non-intellectual way.You cannot even become a yoga instructor.
You have always worked for others, never for yourself for more than 10-15 years, so you cannot innovate and run a business empire.If you cannot run a bussiness, even after learning it for that long,you are not the best.
I think enough of bashing the business leaders. :):)
Its a rule of the game that they have to be like this...and they have achieved quite a lot in their lifes.You should take inspiration from them to to think out-of-the-box,innovate,communicate,inspire,manage (blah-balh-blah) etc. LOL :)
Why all Nice Girls go to the Bad Guys?
It is interesting to speculate on the reasons that make females so anxious to debase themselves. Though they would never admit it openly. But it is quite obvious from their actions. Apart from other things, it is quite obvious from their mating behavior. Human females, like most other mammals, have the responsibility to select the opposite sex. The selection mechanism is the same as the natural selection process, i.e. the survival of the fittest. The nature has designed this entire system so that the best genes are carried to the future species. This has been the selection mechanism for all the other animals, which has triggered the evolution of species and the variety of life forms on earth. This fundamental reason of natural selection has been the key factor in deciding the behavior of the female animals in all the species. The best genes in case of animals are of course of the strongest animals in terms of physical parameters. So the female animals select those male animals, which win over other males in the battle preceding sex. In other words the strongest and the most influential of the males have the first right to sex in animal kingdom. This of course means that many male animals are deprived of sex throughout their lives. But this ensures the best genes are being propagated. This wonderful mechanism of the nature has created the variety of life forms on earth. The selection mechanism of human females has also been the same since the beginning. That was required to be the same during the stone ages and even early days of ancient civilizations. The best genes were of those men who were the most dominating in the society and hence the females selected those. But since the evolution of technology and science, the growth of the human civilization has been largely dependent upon the intellectuals who have leashed fire, found wheel, steam, electricity, crossed oceans, built sky scrapers. The survival is no more dependent upon the brute physical strength or domination, but the intellectual soul. So the best genes are not of those, who are just strong enough to collect the food, but of those who can modify the genes so that the food becomes unnecessary. But it seems that the human females have not evolved enough to match the speed of social evolution to modify their selection mechanism to select the right genes. They are still lingering in their naked pasts. They still need to look up at the man’s eyes, as if they were pleading for food in exchange of sex. They still need to be dominated and tampered like their ancestors. Only difference is that now, there is no true purpose behind it. They have not yet recognized that the society has already offered them equality and they no more need to be dependent on a strong and dominating man. One of the interesting traits of the modern female is, she cries for independence to go for a man, who treats her no better than a slave. This thrills them for some obscure reasons. As if it gives them the assurance that, “yes this is the man who is strong enough to save me from the beasts, who can bring me food.” They will not feel attracted towards a man who treats them as equal, because he is not strong enough to dominate them. Why is it that they think so weak of themselves that they cannot defend themselves in a society that is almost secure? Why is it that they want to be dominated, tampered, and abused? Why can’t they take up an equal position with male, when it is being offered to them? When will they recognize that the strength in the human society has changed its focus? It is no more with the people who are merely strong enough to dominate a female or a few of their fellowmen. They can’t recognize the strength of the human soul that is driving the human society, human civilization further, when the rest are simply adding to the inertia of it. It is the strength of these intellectuals, which has controlled the nature, tamed the brute force of the fire. Which has measured the sky and the sea. It is these humans, which are strong enough to stand against the god. It is the wealth created by these men that they are feeding upon. These are the people who are strong enough to stand by their own ideals. This is the true representation of the strength in the present human society. The females should recognize this changed nature of measure of strength among males and perform their responsibility correctly before the growth of the civilization becomes stagnant due to the extinction of the strong men.
Just to be Born is Not Enough to be Alive
Someone said, "people visiting here ask, WHY DO WE LEAD SUCH A RICH LIFE?
Osho:-
- Life means abundance, richness, in every possible dimension. Just look at existence. Do you think it is poor? Look at the millions of flowers, their fragrance; look at the millions of stars. Man has not been able yet to count them, and I don't think he is ever going to be able to count them. With your bare, naked eye you only see, at the most, three thousand stars -- and that's nothing. And these stars are expanding. Just as a flower opens up and the petals start going away from the center, the universe is continuously flowering, blossoming, opening -- and with a tremendous speed. The stars are going farther away from the center. We don't know exactly where the center is; but one thing is certain, that the whole universe is running fast, moving, alive.
Those people who ......(ask that question) don't know what life is for. They have never lived. Yes, they have been born; but just to be born is not enough to be alive. They will vegetate and think they are living. And one day they will die, without ever having lived at all. These are the miracles that go on happening all around the world; people who have never lived, die -- such an impossibility! But it happens every day. And many have recognized it at the moment of death, and have said it is so, that "it is strange; for the first time I am realizing that I missed life."
If you live, for what? To love, to enjoy, to be ecstatic -- otherwise why live at all?
And what is 'richness'? -- just making life more and more enjoyable, more and more lovable, more and more comfortable, more and more luxurious.
The man who knows nothing of the great world of music is poor; he is missing one of the greatest luxuries of life. The man who does not know how to enjoy Picasso, van Gogh, does not know anything about the colors. If he cannot enjoy Leonardo da Vinci, how can he enjoy a sunrise, a sunset? Millions of people go on living, never recognizing a sunrise, never stopping for a moment to look at a sunset and all the colors that the sunset leaves behind in the sky. Millions of people never raise their eyes towards the sky and the splendor of it.
Living can only mean one thing: living life multidimensionally -- the music, the poetry, the painting, the sculpture... but it is all luxury. I am not a worshipper of poverty; I worship luxury. And existence is luxurious, abundantly luxurious. Where one flower will do, millions of flowers blossom. Have you ever felt that existence is miserly? What is the need of so many stars?
If these fools who ask you the question, if they meet the creator they believe in, they will ask, "What is the need of so many stars? Why this luxury? A few less won't do? What is the need of so many birds, animals, human beings?"
..........................................................
I teach you to live tremendously, ecstatically, in every possible way. On the physical level, on the mental level, on the spiritual level, live to the uttermost of your possibility. Squeeze from each single moment all the pleasures, all the happinesses possible, so that you don't repent later on that, "that moment passed and I missed." Do not think of the past, because in thinking about the past you will be missing the present moment, which is the only moment, which is all that exists. And don't think of the future: of another life, of the kingdom of God -- all sheer nonsense.
Tomorrow does not exist at all. It is always today -- always and always today.
It is always this moment. So squeeze it. Don't leave any juice in it. Once you learn to squeeze all the juice out of it, you will never think of the past. What is there left to think of? Then the past leaves no traces on you. It is only the unlived past which becomes your psychological burden.
Let me repeat: the unlived past... those moments which you could have lived, but you have not lived... those love affairs which could have flowered, but you missed... those songs which you could have sung, but you remained stuck to some stupid thing and missed the song.... It is the unlived past which becomes your psychological burden, and it goes on becoming heavier every day.
That's why the old man becomes so irritable. It is not his fault. He does not know why he is so irritable -- why every thing and each thing irritates him, why he is constantly angry, why he cannot allow anybody to be happy, why he cannot see children dancing, singing, jumping, rejoicing, why he wants everybody to be quiet -- what has happened to him.
It is a simple psychological phenomenon: his whole unlived life. When he sees a child start dancing his inner child hurts. His inner child was somehow prevented from dancing -- perhaps by his parents, his elders, perhaps by himself because it was respected, honored. He was brought before the neighbors and introduced: "Look at this child, how quiet, calm, silent; no disturbance, no mischief." His ego was fulfilled. Anyway, he missed. Now he cannot bear it, he cannot tolerate this child. In fact it is his unlived childhood that starts hurting. It has left a wound. And how many wounds are you carrying? Thousands of wounds are in line, because how much have you left unlived?
So the people who come here...(and ask the question), they come here almost dead, carrying their own dead bodies here. When they see you alive, they are shocked. They would have been immensely happy if they had seen ascetics sitting under juniper trees, naked, starving, praying to God, who does not exist. They would have been immensely happy, because then you were far more dead than they were; in comparison they have managed better than you. They would have respected you because you helped them to feel better. When they come to visit here, seeing you, they feel themselves empty, spent -- meaninglessly. It hurts. It hurts deeply, hence the question, "Why do you live so rich a life?"
But richness is your birthright.
You have not come with anything written on your forehead. You can go to the surgeon and let him look into your forehead. Nothing is written there, and nothing is written in the lines of your hand. You come in this world absolutely like a plain, unwritten, open book. You have to write your fate; there is nobody who is writing your fate. And who will write your fate? And how? And for what? You come in the world just an open potentiality, a multidimensional potentiality. You have to write your fate. You have to create your destiny. You have to become yourself.
You are not born with a readymade self. You are born only as a seed, and you can die also only as a seed. But you can become a flower, can become a tree. And out of one seed there can come millions of seeds. Do you see the abundance and richness of existence? One seed can make the whole earth green, the whole universe green -- what to say of the earth! Just one seed... how much potential is carried in a single small seed! But you can keep it in your safe, bank account, and live a life which is not life at all.
I am all for richness in every possible way. And remember that richness is possible only if you allow it in all the ways.
Do not be deceived by the old idea that you will be spiritually rich if you starve your body; if you physically torture your body you will be spiritually rich -- no. It is absolutely unscientific. I have seen people who have tortured their body their whole life, but I have not seen their soul being enriched by it. In fact their soul has died long ago.
Your body and soul are not enemies. They live in harmony.
You are a harmonious whole. Everything is integrated with everything else. You cannot make one part rich and another part poor. The whole becomes affected, becomes either poor or rich. You have to accept your wholeness.
So live, and live intensely. Burn the torch of your life from both the ends together. Only such a man can die blissfully, smiling.
A master was dying... it was just the last moment. His disciples had gathered. One disciple asked, "Master, you are leaving us. What is your last message?"
The master smiled, opened his eyes, and said, "Do you hear the squirrel running on the roof?" Then he closed his eyes, died. The disciples were at a loss... what kind of message is this? "Do you hear the squirrel running on the roof?" But that was his whole life's message: just the moment. At that moment he was enjoying the squirrel. Who bothers about death? And who bothers about the last message? He was in the moment, herenow. And that was his message: don't move anywhere else, just remain here and now. Even at the moment of death... the sound of the squirrel on the roof, and he enjoyed it.
Now, such a man must have lived immeasurably, immensely, incredibly. No regret, sheer gratitude... smiled -- what else do you want as a last message? A smile is enough. And to smile at the door of death is possible only if there are not unlived moments standing in a row behind you, pulling, asking you, "What about me?"... those incomplete moments.
But if there is nothing incomplete, every moment has been completed, there is nothing; it is just silence. And if every moment is completed, there is nothing in the future either, because it is only the incomplete moment which asks for tomorrow: if you have not been able to fulfill it yesterday, fulfill it tomorrow. But if there is no yesterday incomplete, then there is no projection for tomorrow. Then this moment is all.
- Osho, From Unconsciousness to Consciousness, 1984
Osho:-
- Life means abundance, richness, in every possible dimension. Just look at existence. Do you think it is poor? Look at the millions of flowers, their fragrance; look at the millions of stars. Man has not been able yet to count them, and I don't think he is ever going to be able to count them. With your bare, naked eye you only see, at the most, three thousand stars -- and that's nothing. And these stars are expanding. Just as a flower opens up and the petals start going away from the center, the universe is continuously flowering, blossoming, opening -- and with a tremendous speed. The stars are going farther away from the center. We don't know exactly where the center is; but one thing is certain, that the whole universe is running fast, moving, alive.
Those people who ......(ask that question) don't know what life is for. They have never lived. Yes, they have been born; but just to be born is not enough to be alive. They will vegetate and think they are living. And one day they will die, without ever having lived at all. These are the miracles that go on happening all around the world; people who have never lived, die -- such an impossibility! But it happens every day. And many have recognized it at the moment of death, and have said it is so, that "it is strange; for the first time I am realizing that I missed life."
If you live, for what? To love, to enjoy, to be ecstatic -- otherwise why live at all?
And what is 'richness'? -- just making life more and more enjoyable, more and more lovable, more and more comfortable, more and more luxurious.
The man who knows nothing of the great world of music is poor; he is missing one of the greatest luxuries of life. The man who does not know how to enjoy Picasso, van Gogh, does not know anything about the colors. If he cannot enjoy Leonardo da Vinci, how can he enjoy a sunrise, a sunset? Millions of people go on living, never recognizing a sunrise, never stopping for a moment to look at a sunset and all the colors that the sunset leaves behind in the sky. Millions of people never raise their eyes towards the sky and the splendor of it.
Living can only mean one thing: living life multidimensionally -- the music, the poetry, the painting, the sculpture... but it is all luxury. I am not a worshipper of poverty; I worship luxury. And existence is luxurious, abundantly luxurious. Where one flower will do, millions of flowers blossom. Have you ever felt that existence is miserly? What is the need of so many stars?
If these fools who ask you the question, if they meet the creator they believe in, they will ask, "What is the need of so many stars? Why this luxury? A few less won't do? What is the need of so many birds, animals, human beings?"
..........................................................
I teach you to live tremendously, ecstatically, in every possible way. On the physical level, on the mental level, on the spiritual level, live to the uttermost of your possibility. Squeeze from each single moment all the pleasures, all the happinesses possible, so that you don't repent later on that, "that moment passed and I missed." Do not think of the past, because in thinking about the past you will be missing the present moment, which is the only moment, which is all that exists. And don't think of the future: of another life, of the kingdom of God -- all sheer nonsense.
Tomorrow does not exist at all. It is always today -- always and always today.
It is always this moment. So squeeze it. Don't leave any juice in it. Once you learn to squeeze all the juice out of it, you will never think of the past. What is there left to think of? Then the past leaves no traces on you. It is only the unlived past which becomes your psychological burden.
Let me repeat: the unlived past... those moments which you could have lived, but you have not lived... those love affairs which could have flowered, but you missed... those songs which you could have sung, but you remained stuck to some stupid thing and missed the song.... It is the unlived past which becomes your psychological burden, and it goes on becoming heavier every day.
That's why the old man becomes so irritable. It is not his fault. He does not know why he is so irritable -- why every thing and each thing irritates him, why he is constantly angry, why he cannot allow anybody to be happy, why he cannot see children dancing, singing, jumping, rejoicing, why he wants everybody to be quiet -- what has happened to him.
It is a simple psychological phenomenon: his whole unlived life. When he sees a child start dancing his inner child hurts. His inner child was somehow prevented from dancing -- perhaps by his parents, his elders, perhaps by himself because it was respected, honored. He was brought before the neighbors and introduced: "Look at this child, how quiet, calm, silent; no disturbance, no mischief." His ego was fulfilled. Anyway, he missed. Now he cannot bear it, he cannot tolerate this child. In fact it is his unlived childhood that starts hurting. It has left a wound. And how many wounds are you carrying? Thousands of wounds are in line, because how much have you left unlived?
So the people who come here...(and ask the question), they come here almost dead, carrying their own dead bodies here. When they see you alive, they are shocked. They would have been immensely happy if they had seen ascetics sitting under juniper trees, naked, starving, praying to God, who does not exist. They would have been immensely happy, because then you were far more dead than they were; in comparison they have managed better than you. They would have respected you because you helped them to feel better. When they come to visit here, seeing you, they feel themselves empty, spent -- meaninglessly. It hurts. It hurts deeply, hence the question, "Why do you live so rich a life?"
But richness is your birthright.
You have not come with anything written on your forehead. You can go to the surgeon and let him look into your forehead. Nothing is written there, and nothing is written in the lines of your hand. You come in this world absolutely like a plain, unwritten, open book. You have to write your fate; there is nobody who is writing your fate. And who will write your fate? And how? And for what? You come in the world just an open potentiality, a multidimensional potentiality. You have to write your fate. You have to create your destiny. You have to become yourself.
You are not born with a readymade self. You are born only as a seed, and you can die also only as a seed. But you can become a flower, can become a tree. And out of one seed there can come millions of seeds. Do you see the abundance and richness of existence? One seed can make the whole earth green, the whole universe green -- what to say of the earth! Just one seed... how much potential is carried in a single small seed! But you can keep it in your safe, bank account, and live a life which is not life at all.
I am all for richness in every possible way. And remember that richness is possible only if you allow it in all the ways.
Do not be deceived by the old idea that you will be spiritually rich if you starve your body; if you physically torture your body you will be spiritually rich -- no. It is absolutely unscientific. I have seen people who have tortured their body their whole life, but I have not seen their soul being enriched by it. In fact their soul has died long ago.
Your body and soul are not enemies. They live in harmony.
You are a harmonious whole. Everything is integrated with everything else. You cannot make one part rich and another part poor. The whole becomes affected, becomes either poor or rich. You have to accept your wholeness.
So live, and live intensely. Burn the torch of your life from both the ends together. Only such a man can die blissfully, smiling.
A master was dying... it was just the last moment. His disciples had gathered. One disciple asked, "Master, you are leaving us. What is your last message?"
The master smiled, opened his eyes, and said, "Do you hear the squirrel running on the roof?" Then he closed his eyes, died. The disciples were at a loss... what kind of message is this? "Do you hear the squirrel running on the roof?" But that was his whole life's message: just the moment. At that moment he was enjoying the squirrel. Who bothers about death? And who bothers about the last message? He was in the moment, herenow. And that was his message: don't move anywhere else, just remain here and now. Even at the moment of death... the sound of the squirrel on the roof, and he enjoyed it.
Now, such a man must have lived immeasurably, immensely, incredibly. No regret, sheer gratitude... smiled -- what else do you want as a last message? A smile is enough. And to smile at the door of death is possible only if there are not unlived moments standing in a row behind you, pulling, asking you, "What about me?"... those incomplete moments.
But if there is nothing incomplete, every moment has been completed, there is nothing; it is just silence. And if every moment is completed, there is nothing in the future either, because it is only the incomplete moment which asks for tomorrow: if you have not been able to fulfill it yesterday, fulfill it tomorrow. But if there is no yesterday incomplete, then there is no projection for tomorrow. Then this moment is all.
- Osho, From Unconsciousness to Consciousness, 1984
Luck or Hard work?
You've probably heard your parents or teachers tell you throughout life to work hard and it will pay off. Give it your best shot and you will succeed. Put your heart and soul into what you want and you can have anything you set your mind to. Then there are those that swear by luck.
Destiny is everything according to these believers of fate. You can only have what you are destined to have.
I look around me and think about the many people in my life that are at different phases in their careers. There are those that have done well, some that have lost their path to success and others that have succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. I have seen 25 year olds becoming Directors and Program Managers, entrepreneurs all around in their mid 20's - mid 30's, young CEO/CTO/CFOs and yet some still searching for the "perfect job".
I have a cousin that just started a company last year thats already valued at 10's of millions of dollars. A friend of mine signed a deal last year making him a millionaire for at least the next 10 years. Another friend who is making recording deals and is a millionaire before hitting 25. One whose trust fund is maturing next month and another whose kids will probably never have to work.
So is it hard work that brought them where they are or is it luck? Sure most of these people have put a lot of effort and sleepless nights into getting to where they are today. These are smart individuals with immense drives and great ambitions that lead them to success and prosperity. The trust fund babies had it all handed to them on a silver platter but they will probably spend their lives working hard in trying to maintain it. But is it just plain hard work that is solely responsible for the incredible success these people have achieved?
There are so many people that I know that are total worker bees that work above and beyond the call of duty yet they are not nearly as successful. The employees that are first in and last out yet are still awaiting promotions after doing their job well for 12 years. People that have built companies from the ground up and given it their all only to see it crumble in front of them due to freak accidents or poor economy. Classic example is of those that invested in the real estate or stock market. There are those that made millions and others that followed that lost millions. A relative of mine doubled his business thanks to a storm that hit the city next to his destroying all business in that city hence allowing my cousin to step in and take more business. I mean isn't that just pure luck? The storm could've hit his city just as easily and then he'd be outta business but instead here he is richer faster than he had expected.
I have a cousin in India who says he's just waiting for his good fortune to come. He doesn't think he has to do anything because he knows its his fate to be rich in life, his palm reader said so. He is still living with his parents and unhappily unmarried. So clearly, just luck doesn't do it.
What is it that pushes you to that next level, beyond the norm?? Is it equal amounts of luck & hard work or the "right" combination of the two? If so, how do you get to the right combination???
Destiny is everything according to these believers of fate. You can only have what you are destined to have.
I look around me and think about the many people in my life that are at different phases in their careers. There are those that have done well, some that have lost their path to success and others that have succeeded beyond my wildest expectations. I have seen 25 year olds becoming Directors and Program Managers, entrepreneurs all around in their mid 20's - mid 30's, young CEO/CTO/CFOs and yet some still searching for the "perfect job".
I have a cousin that just started a company last year thats already valued at 10's of millions of dollars. A friend of mine signed a deal last year making him a millionaire for at least the next 10 years. Another friend who is making recording deals and is a millionaire before hitting 25. One whose trust fund is maturing next month and another whose kids will probably never have to work.
So is it hard work that brought them where they are or is it luck? Sure most of these people have put a lot of effort and sleepless nights into getting to where they are today. These are smart individuals with immense drives and great ambitions that lead them to success and prosperity. The trust fund babies had it all handed to them on a silver platter but they will probably spend their lives working hard in trying to maintain it. But is it just plain hard work that is solely responsible for the incredible success these people have achieved?
There are so many people that I know that are total worker bees that work above and beyond the call of duty yet they are not nearly as successful. The employees that are first in and last out yet are still awaiting promotions after doing their job well for 12 years. People that have built companies from the ground up and given it their all only to see it crumble in front of them due to freak accidents or poor economy. Classic example is of those that invested in the real estate or stock market. There are those that made millions and others that followed that lost millions. A relative of mine doubled his business thanks to a storm that hit the city next to his destroying all business in that city hence allowing my cousin to step in and take more business. I mean isn't that just pure luck? The storm could've hit his city just as easily and then he'd be outta business but instead here he is richer faster than he had expected.
I have a cousin in India who says he's just waiting for his good fortune to come. He doesn't think he has to do anything because he knows its his fate to be rich in life, his palm reader said so. He is still living with his parents and unhappily unmarried. So clearly, just luck doesn't do it.
What is it that pushes you to that next level, beyond the norm?? Is it equal amounts of luck & hard work or the "right" combination of the two? If so, how do you get to the right combination???
Confused mind
Some days ago, We had our fest in our college. One of the organizers approached me and asked me if I could prepare a playlist so as to fit a Fashion show as he was not happy with the one the choreographer had made. I said okie as he was one of my best friends, so why not do it. I heard the whole concept of their fashion show and also heard the songs selected for the show. The first song was good so I continued and heard the other songs but I was suprised more in the sense shocked at the selection of the songs the choreographer had selected, it was completely rock and jazz. I didnt know in what state of mind did he select such songs. I told my friend that these songs will not work for show as the feel will be completely different.
Imagine a traditional fashion show with rock playing background. Ya you guessed it right, these are the right ingredients for a disaster. I told my friend the same and he agreed to it and told me to start afresh. I went searching for songs everywhere, through my collection, on the net, enquired my friends etc etc. Finally I came up with a playlist full of Indian songs suiting exactly to the theme of the show and showed it to him. My friend was overjoyed hearing the songs. He told me that it was awesome and thanked me a lot. I felt happy at his reaction and appreciation for my hard work. But my joy was shortlived as he came back the next day and told me that the choreographer had rejected all the songs saying that the songs are not good. He also added that all other members in the team just loved my music and only the choreographer had problems with it. I told him that it was his wish whether he wants to choose the songs or not. He was in a dilemma as he wanted to choose my songs but could not bcoz of the choreographer. After some days, he told me that he has coaxed his choreographer and managed to add a few songs of my playlist.
Finally the day of the show arrived, I went to see that show, I was particularly curious as to how the choreographer had fit rock and jazz in a traditional show. The show started. The first two round went on smoothly as the lone song I had liked in his playlist and one of my songs were used in it. But when the third sequence started, as I had contemplated, it was very bad to see traditional with Rock background. I thanked god that the show ended very soon. After the customary praise and calculated adulation shared with the fashion team. I went back home that night and sat on my bed. Something was bothering me. I asked myself if a part of me was secretly happy that fashion show was a disaster. Was I happy that a competitor might have erred in his selection? And the truth is, I was happy, and that made me feel sick.
It doesn’t really matter how hard you introspect for that answer, the reality I guess is that it is in human nature to be jealous of someone for his or her success. Here I was, feeling pleasure from a classmate’s imminent pain that his show flopped.
Why is it so easy, so natural for people to feel a tinge of excitement when another person misses the mark with their work? Why does a section of people secretly wish that you fail so that you can be branded as a failure and they succeed. What’s the matter with us?
We are all very competitive in the world so as to establish a mark in the world, and that spirit is exhilarating and bold. But how much more evolved would we be if we collectively took the blame for a flopped idea or a flopped project.
Idealistic, I know. It’s too tempting to relish someone else’s failures, but if we could turn that jealousy into a more acceptable envy, I think we’d could achieve solidarity very easily.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Soldier
Sacrificing sons of a country
Deserving the respect of humanity
Enduring the hardships in life
In departing their families
In suppressing their feelings
In achieving their dreams
Builds a mind of confidence.
Departing souls from the sand
The death of innocent people
Can’t discourage a soldier
As there lay a prayer of thousands..
The shadow of death that beckons
As a snow from the mountains
With no cue,to quench its thirst
A sacrifice for the motherland
To purify with their bloodstains.
The risk in a soldiers life
The courage to face the death
The sacrifice to the world
Will not be recognized
Unless you be a soldier
A soldier for not your life
But for the life of thousands..
Deserving the respect of humanity
Enduring the hardships in life
In departing their families
In suppressing their feelings
In achieving their dreams
Builds a mind of confidence.
Departing souls from the sand
The death of innocent people
Can’t discourage a soldier
As there lay a prayer of thousands..
The shadow of death that beckons
As a snow from the mountains
With no cue,to quench its thirst
A sacrifice for the motherland
To purify with their bloodstains.
The risk in a soldiers life
The courage to face the death
The sacrifice to the world
Will not be recognized
Unless you be a soldier
A soldier for not your life
But for the life of thousands..
This one is for Lexical lyfe.....
Sometimes, the urge to write is so strong that this is the kind of output it eventually brings out...
The use of English has been confined to communicating when needed, reading and writing off late, it has hardly taken a dominating role in my common parlance but then too some of the words in English has assumed greater importance in life and these are the word which I like most and which dominates my thinking and personality in some way or the other.
So, here it goes.....
'We all need little bit of MADNESS in our lives.' Yours truly once said this.
MADNESS is the word which has always attracted me for its ability to generate positive vibes (you can always disagree). It has a dash of arrogance to it.
It is certainly the word I am trying to inculcate in my life.
‘I believe in KARMA.’ You will find this line somewhere here in this blog. A word adopted in English from Sanskrit which literally means all of your actions will have equal repercussions, affecting you.
I am still trying to understand and comprehend the theory of KARMA but one thing for sure I like the whole concept. This covers whole lot of traits such as values, principles and ethics which forms the basis of the KARMA.
INERTIA has been always strong in my case. Its kind of inbuilt mechanism in my mind which makes its presence felt in the thoughts and behavior to certain extent.
And another thing, to be very frank I like the way it sounds, certainly one of the most beautifully sounding word in my dictionary.
I like RANDOM things. I like things randomly which does not have set pattern and has ability to surprise at times. How about RANDOM life....?
In recent past it has been the case as far as the life goes and let me confess that I am loving it.
MELANGE: A varied mixture of various elements.
MELANGE of colours... MELANGE of emotions... and an abstract MELANGE... aah...
It’s very interesting to put this word in the various aspects of life. Something that says there are no extremes in life. Little bit of this and little bit of that, basically a MELANGE of interpretation.
Last but not the least, 'LIFE'. I guess this is the most overused word in my dictionary with gamut of meanings. So simple but yet so complicated.
LIFE = Feelings, Dreams, Reality, Insanity, Passion, Sadness, Serendipity, Nostalgia, Money, fame and all other shit that you can think of.
This word covers the world in itself; I believe this word can not be defined absolutely. There’s always room for ones own interpretation.
I don’t know why but I always feel that it should be spelt as LYFE and not LIFE but as always it always can’t be the way you want it to be.
Such is LYFE.....!!! I mean LIFE....
That’s it for now....
The use of English has been confined to communicating when needed, reading and writing off late, it has hardly taken a dominating role in my common parlance but then too some of the words in English has assumed greater importance in life and these are the word which I like most and which dominates my thinking and personality in some way or the other.
So, here it goes.....
'We all need little bit of MADNESS in our lives.' Yours truly once said this.
MADNESS is the word which has always attracted me for its ability to generate positive vibes (you can always disagree). It has a dash of arrogance to it.
It is certainly the word I am trying to inculcate in my life.
‘I believe in KARMA.’ You will find this line somewhere here in this blog. A word adopted in English from Sanskrit which literally means all of your actions will have equal repercussions, affecting you.
I am still trying to understand and comprehend the theory of KARMA but one thing for sure I like the whole concept. This covers whole lot of traits such as values, principles and ethics which forms the basis of the KARMA.
INERTIA has been always strong in my case. Its kind of inbuilt mechanism in my mind which makes its presence felt in the thoughts and behavior to certain extent.
And another thing, to be very frank I like the way it sounds, certainly one of the most beautifully sounding word in my dictionary.
I like RANDOM things. I like things randomly which does not have set pattern and has ability to surprise at times. How about RANDOM life....?
In recent past it has been the case as far as the life goes and let me confess that I am loving it.
MELANGE: A varied mixture of various elements.
MELANGE of colours... MELANGE of emotions... and an abstract MELANGE... aah...
It’s very interesting to put this word in the various aspects of life. Something that says there are no extremes in life. Little bit of this and little bit of that, basically a MELANGE of interpretation.
Last but not the least, 'LIFE'. I guess this is the most overused word in my dictionary with gamut of meanings. So simple but yet so complicated.
LIFE = Feelings, Dreams, Reality, Insanity, Passion, Sadness, Serendipity, Nostalgia, Money, fame and all other shit that you can think of.
This word covers the world in itself; I believe this word can not be defined absolutely. There’s always room for ones own interpretation.
I don’t know why but I always feel that it should be spelt as LYFE and not LIFE but as always it always can’t be the way you want it to be.
Such is LYFE.....!!! I mean LIFE....
That’s it for now....
GET RID OF ALMOST ALL VIRUSES
TO GET RID OF ALL VIRUSES , JUST FOLLOW THE STEPS.
1. WHEN YOU INSERT ANY PEN DRIVE OR CD, START PRESSING RIGHT SHIFT KEY (PLZ BE CAREFUL ONLY RIGHT SHIFT KEY NOT LEFT KEY).
2. THIS STOPS THE AUTOPLAY OPTION. MOST OF THE VIRUSES HAVE THEIR AUTORUN FILE WITH THEM.
3. NOW OPEN CMD AND SWITCH TO THE PEN DRIVE. TYPE "ATTRIB" AND PRESS ENTER.
4. THIS COMMAND DISPLAYS THE ATTRIBUTES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH FILE IN THE PEN DRIVE.
5. NOW SEARCH FOR FILES THAT HAVE ATTRIBUTES "SHR".IT MEANS THE FILE IS HIDDEN, READ ONLY & SYSTEM FILE.
6. MOST OF THE VIRUSES HAVE SHR ATTRIBUTE.
7. NOW TYPE ATTRIB -S -H -R FILENAME AND REMOVE ALL ATTRIBUTES OF FILES.(DO THIS FOR ALL FILES)
8. NOW OPEN AUTORUN.INF FILE FROM CMD.
9. SEARCH FOR THE NAME OF VIRUS IN THE AUTORUN FILE.
10. DELETE THE VIRUSES FROM THE PEN DRIVE BY USING DEL COMMAND.
11. YOUR PEN DRIVE IS FREE FROM ALL VIRUSES.
HAVE A VIRUS FREE COMPUTER !!!
EnjoY
1. WHEN YOU INSERT ANY PEN DRIVE OR CD, START PRESSING RIGHT SHIFT KEY (PLZ BE CAREFUL ONLY RIGHT SHIFT KEY NOT LEFT KEY).
2. THIS STOPS THE AUTOPLAY OPTION. MOST OF THE VIRUSES HAVE THEIR AUTORUN FILE WITH THEM.
3. NOW OPEN CMD AND SWITCH TO THE PEN DRIVE. TYPE "ATTRIB" AND PRESS ENTER.
4. THIS COMMAND DISPLAYS THE ATTRIBUTES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH FILE IN THE PEN DRIVE.
5. NOW SEARCH FOR FILES THAT HAVE ATTRIBUTES "SHR".IT MEANS THE FILE IS HIDDEN, READ ONLY & SYSTEM FILE.
6. MOST OF THE VIRUSES HAVE SHR ATTRIBUTE.
7. NOW TYPE ATTRIB -S -H -R FILENAME AND REMOVE ALL ATTRIBUTES OF FILES.(DO THIS FOR ALL FILES)
8. NOW OPEN AUTORUN.INF FILE FROM CMD.
9. SEARCH FOR THE NAME OF VIRUS IN THE AUTORUN FILE.
10. DELETE THE VIRUSES FROM THE PEN DRIVE BY USING DEL COMMAND.
11. YOUR PEN DRIVE IS FREE FROM ALL VIRUSES.
HAVE A VIRUS FREE COMPUTER !!!
EnjoY
Create Send To option for your favorite Folder!!!!
Many times it is really very annoying to do cut & paste or copy & paste for your regular folders.For this we need a easy solution as we can directly send our data(movies, songs,or your relevant one ) in our favorite folder as we do by the right click and sending anything directly to Desktop, mail Recipient, My Documents or Pen Drive.
Now the solution for your problem is given below.....
Step 1:Copy the Address of your desired folder from address bar for example if it is C:\FAV copy it(its location on ur hard drive)
Step 2:Goto C:\ drive,goto Tools-->Folder Option-->View-->Hidden Files and Folders-->Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)-->Unhide Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)
#It will give a warning,don't worry!!!
Step 3:Goto C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\SendTo
#In place of Administrator its your User name
Step 4:Right Click --> New--> Shortcut.Paste The name of your desired folder in "Type the location of the Item" Text Field for Example C:\Fav -->Next-->Finish
Step 5:Goto C:\ drive,goto Tools-->Folder Option-->View-->Hidden Files and Folders-->Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)-->Hide Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)
#Step 5 is optional
You may browse ur desired folder also.....
Now the solution for your problem is given below.....
Step 1:Copy the Address of your desired folder from address bar for example if it is C:\FAV copy it(its location on ur hard drive)
Step 2:Goto C:\ drive,goto Tools-->Folder Option-->View-->Hidden Files and Folders-->Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)-->Unhide Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)
#It will give a warning,don't worry!!!
Step 3:Goto C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\SendTo
#In place of Administrator its your User name
Step 4:Right Click --> New--> Shortcut.Paste The name of your desired folder in "Type the location of the Item" Text Field for Example C:\Fav -->Next-->Finish
Step 5:Goto C:\ drive,goto Tools-->Folder Option-->View-->Hidden Files and Folders-->Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)-->Hide Hide protected operating system files(Recommended)
#Step 5 is optional
You may browse ur desired folder also.....
The 50 Rs. Story.....
A small touching story mainly for professionals...
A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?" replied the man.
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
the man said angrily.
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an
hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make Rs.100 an hour."
SON: "Oh," the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow Rs.50?"
The father was furious, "If the only reason you asked that is so you
can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about
why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little
boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to
think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that Rs.50 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to
the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" He asked.
"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier" said the
man.
"It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you.. Here's the
Rs.50 you asked for."
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. "Oh, thank you daddy!" He
yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry
again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
"Why do you want more money if you already have some?" the father grumbled.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.
"Daddy, I have Rs.100 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?
Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."
The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
Do remember to share that Rs.100 worth of your time with someone you love.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days.
But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family.
The Autorickshaw Diaries
Inspired by the recently read book Motorcycle diaries by legendary personality CHE Guevara, I thought of writing this but thankfully this inspiration is confined to only title and not the content.
For long Mumbai has been identified with local trains and omnipresent BEST buses but autorickshaw has not been given its due may be because its area of operations has been restricted to half of Mumbai ie Mumbai suburbs
Travelling in auto rickshaw in Mumbai has been part of growing up in Mumbai for last as many years as I can remember, from the age when I was allowed to travel with 3 permitted adults as a kid to the age when I am considered among adults.
Likeness for autorickshaw is a subjective thing, if you are driving in your so called air-conditioned four wheel sedan, it will seem like unwanted creature crawling on the road and creating lot of troubles and you will inexorably end up uttering four, five or six letter words based on your linguistic influence and vocabulary preferences….. but if you are stuck somewhere and there is no other mode of travelling then it will come across as god send savior in the moment of crisis. Fortunately or unfortunately I have experienced both.
It’s an experience of a kind to travel in autorickshaw on Mumbai roads which are often used in same connotation as in moon’s surface. Talking about experience of travelling in autorickshaw… most of them have music system which will give you inferiority complex about your music system at home but unfortunately they typically play some unheard old hindi film songs or Altaf Raja kind of music (!!!) or Himesh Reshmiya with extra beats(!!!???##%%^&#) which sounds more like nuisance then music.
Broadly there are four categories of drivers in the roads of Mumbai which has some typical common traits among their respective categories. These are Motorcyclist, car drivers, bus drivers and autorickshaw drivers. All these categories are topic of separate discussion but talking about autorickshaw drivers, I think they are the most restless breed of drivers nurtured indigenously on the roads of Mumbai which can not be reproduced anywhere in the world. Even if they have scanty piece of automobile in their hand they drive it like some 100 horse powered engineering marvel. On the face of it, autorickshaw looks like some alien vehicle, cross breed between bajaj scooter and some delivery van.
Another interesting aspect of autorickshaw as per my observation comes from the people who use it for travelling. Owing to cosmopolitan (!!) nature of Amchi Mumbai, people from different walks of lyfe likes to call it in a many different ways such as AUTORICKSHAW, RICKSHAW, AUTO, RICK and some indigenous names like RIKSHO by typical gujju maniben or MENDHAK by car drivers because of the way it looks.
The most interesting part about autorickshaw for me is its fare. For last many years minimum fare is fixed at Rs 9 which is BATA style of pricing. Generally neither drivers have inclination to give the one rupee back nor do travelers have interest in taking the one rupee back but speaking about myself had I taken back all those one rupee coins over the years, by now I would have been in a position to buy my own autorickshaw.
For long Mumbai has been identified with local trains and omnipresent BEST buses but autorickshaw has not been given its due may be because its area of operations has been restricted to half of Mumbai ie Mumbai suburbs
Travelling in auto rickshaw in Mumbai has been part of growing up in Mumbai for last as many years as I can remember, from the age when I was allowed to travel with 3 permitted adults as a kid to the age when I am considered among adults.
Likeness for autorickshaw is a subjective thing, if you are driving in your so called air-conditioned four wheel sedan, it will seem like unwanted creature crawling on the road and creating lot of troubles and you will inexorably end up uttering four, five or six letter words based on your linguistic influence and vocabulary preferences….. but if you are stuck somewhere and there is no other mode of travelling then it will come across as god send savior in the moment of crisis. Fortunately or unfortunately I have experienced both.
It’s an experience of a kind to travel in autorickshaw on Mumbai roads which are often used in same connotation as in moon’s surface. Talking about experience of travelling in autorickshaw… most of them have music system which will give you inferiority complex about your music system at home but unfortunately they typically play some unheard old hindi film songs or Altaf Raja kind of music (!!!) or Himesh Reshmiya with extra beats(!!!???##%%^&#) which sounds more like nuisance then music.
Broadly there are four categories of drivers in the roads of Mumbai which has some typical common traits among their respective categories. These are Motorcyclist, car drivers, bus drivers and autorickshaw drivers. All these categories are topic of separate discussion but talking about autorickshaw drivers, I think they are the most restless breed of drivers nurtured indigenously on the roads of Mumbai which can not be reproduced anywhere in the world. Even if they have scanty piece of automobile in their hand they drive it like some 100 horse powered engineering marvel. On the face of it, autorickshaw looks like some alien vehicle, cross breed between bajaj scooter and some delivery van.
Another interesting aspect of autorickshaw as per my observation comes from the people who use it for travelling. Owing to cosmopolitan (!!) nature of Amchi Mumbai, people from different walks of lyfe likes to call it in a many different ways such as AUTORICKSHAW, RICKSHAW, AUTO, RICK and some indigenous names like RIKSHO by typical gujju maniben or MENDHAK by car drivers because of the way it looks.
The most interesting part about autorickshaw for me is its fare. For last many years minimum fare is fixed at Rs 9 which is BATA style of pricing. Generally neither drivers have inclination to give the one rupee back nor do travelers have interest in taking the one rupee back but speaking about myself had I taken back all those one rupee coins over the years, by now I would have been in a position to buy my own autorickshaw.
Virus trick using VB Script
Open notepad and type this:
i=msgbox ("Warning a virus has been detected on your PC. Press YES to format your hard disk now or press NO to format your hard disk after system reboot",20,"Warning").Then save it as Virus.VBS and go to the folder that contains it and open it if a window pops out saying a virus has been detected it's working. Press yes or no to close the window and put it in the startup folder of the victim's account.On startup the window should appear.
Note:
This does not harm your computer as it does not contain virus.The Yes and no button does not do anything except closing the window. And you can edit the virus in the sentence: Warning a virus has detected on your PC to any kind of virus eg.Trojan Horse like this i=msgbox ("Warning a Trojan horse has been detected on your PC. Press YES to format your hard disk now or press NO to format your hard disk after system reboot",20,"Warning").And in between make sure your victim does not panic and really reformat his harddisk.
i=msgbox ("Warning a virus has been detected on your PC. Press YES to format your hard disk now or press NO to format your hard disk after system reboot",20,"Warning").Then save it as Virus.VBS and go to the folder that contains it and open it if a window pops out saying a virus has been detected it's working. Press yes or no to close the window and put it in the startup folder of the victim's account.On startup the window should appear.
Note:
This does not harm your computer as it does not contain virus.The Yes and no button does not do anything except closing the window. And you can edit the virus in the sentence: Warning a virus has detected on your PC to any kind of virus eg.Trojan Horse like this i=msgbox ("Warning a Trojan horse has been detected on your PC. Press YES to format your hard disk now or press NO to format your hard disk after system reboot",20,"Warning").And in between make sure your victim does not panic and really reformat his harddisk.
How was the Universe born???
Birth of our universe, this is the question that comes to every ones mind what is the shape of universe, how big it is? does it has any end? so how was the universe formed? though there are many theories two theories big bang by albert einstein and inflation theory by Alan Guth are most widely accepted below is the video which explains the evolution of our universe under 4 minutes though everything starts from the bigbang a bubble the main question is how this bubble came into existence and how something came from nothing?
Self Appraisal....
A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone numbers).
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation:
Boy: "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
Woman: (at the other end of the phone line): "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
Boy: "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman: I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.
Boy: (with more perseverance) : "Lady, I'll even sweepyour curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you willhave the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach , Florida."
Woman: No, thank you.
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store Owner: "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
Boy: "No thanks"
Store Owner: But you were really pleading for one.
Boy: No Sir, I was just checking my performance at thejob I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to
This is what we call "Self Appraisal" .I had done such self appraisals several times,hope many have done it too.What do you say?
A simple test for you......
A test for you.If you answer atleast 5 out of them you are good.
1. What programming language is GOOGLE developed in?
2. What is the expansion of YAHOO?
3. What is the expansion of ADIDAS?
4. Expansion of Star as in Star TV Network?
5. What is expansion of "ICICI?"
6. What does "baker's dozen" signify?
7. The 1984-85 season. 2nd ODI between India and Pakistan at Sialkot - India 210/3 with
Vengsarkar 94*. Match abandoned. Why?
8. Who is the only man to have written the National Anthems for two different countries?
9. From what four word expression does the word `goodbye` derive?
10. How was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu better known?
11. Name the only other country to have got independence on Aug 15th other than India?
12. Why was James Bond Associated with the Number 007?
13. Who faced the first ball in the first ever One day match in cricket?
14. Which cricketer played for South Africa before it was banned from international
cricket and later represented Zimbabwe ?
15. The faces of which four Presidents are carved at Mt.Rushmore?
16. Which is the only country that is surrounded from all sides by only one country
(other than Vatican )?
17. Which is the only sport which is not allowed to play left handed?
Wanna check the answers????
HERE ARE THE ANSWERS ........
1. Google is written in Asynchronous java-script and XML, or its acronym Ajax ..
2. Yet Another Hierarchy of Officious Oracle
3. ADIDAS- All Day I Dream About Sports
4. Satellite Television Asian Region
5. Industrial credit and Investments Corporation of India
6. A baker's dozen consists of 13 items - 1 more than the items in a normal dozen
7. That match was abandoned after people heard the news of Indira Gandhi being killed.
8. Rabindranath Tagore who wrote national anthem for two different countries one is Indian
's National anthem and another one is for Bangladesh- (Amar Sonar* *Bangla)
9. Goodbye comes from the ex-pression: 'god be with you'.
10. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu is none other Mother Teresa.
11. South Korea ..
12. Because 007 is the ISD code for Russia (or the USSR , as it was known during the cold war)
13. Geoffrey Boycott
14. John Traicos
15. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln
16. Lesotho surrounded from all sides by South Africa ..
17. Polo.
1. What programming language is GOOGLE developed in?
2. What is the expansion of YAHOO?
3. What is the expansion of ADIDAS?
4. Expansion of Star as in Star TV Network?
5. What is expansion of "ICICI?"
6. What does "baker's dozen" signify?
7. The 1984-85 season. 2nd ODI between India and Pakistan at Sialkot - India 210/3 with
Vengsarkar 94*. Match abandoned. Why?
8. Who is the only man to have written the National Anthems for two different countries?
9. From what four word expression does the word `goodbye` derive?
10. How was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu better known?
11. Name the only other country to have got independence on Aug 15th other than India?
12. Why was James Bond Associated with the Number 007?
13. Who faced the first ball in the first ever One day match in cricket?
14. Which cricketer played for South Africa before it was banned from international
cricket and later represented Zimbabwe ?
15. The faces of which four Presidents are carved at Mt.Rushmore?
16. Which is the only country that is surrounded from all sides by only one country
(other than Vatican )?
17. Which is the only sport which is not allowed to play left handed?
Wanna check the answers????
HERE ARE THE ANSWERS ........
1. Google is written in Asynchronous java-script and XML, or its acronym Ajax ..
2. Yet Another Hierarchy of Officious Oracle
3. ADIDAS- All Day I Dream About Sports
4. Satellite Television Asian Region
5. Industrial credit and Investments Corporation of India
6. A baker's dozen consists of 13 items - 1 more than the items in a normal dozen
7. That match was abandoned after people heard the news of Indira Gandhi being killed.
8. Rabindranath Tagore who wrote national anthem for two different countries one is Indian
's National anthem and another one is for Bangladesh- (Amar Sonar* *Bangla)
9. Goodbye comes from the ex-pression: 'god be with you'.
10. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu is none other Mother Teresa.
11. South Korea ..
12. Because 007 is the ISD code for Russia (or the USSR , as it was known during the cold war)
13. Geoffrey Boycott
14. John Traicos
15. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln
16. Lesotho surrounded from all sides by South Africa ..
17. Polo.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
