I attended a talk on entrepreneurship today, it was really a nice talk. He started the talk with the following questions:
1. What was the original business plan of Intel?
2. What was the key innovation of Microsoft?
3. What was the original idea of Google?
4. Why did netscape lose to Microsoft for browsers?
5. Why did Amazon start with books?
The answers to all of them were way out of my guesses... if you get some time think before looking at the answers below...
Answers:
1. It was digital watches.
2. Software can be shrink wrapped and sold on shelves.
3. People who search don't need to know how the results are presented, so build everything on your own on cheap machines.
4. Netscape started on a clean codebase and microsoft used netscape's original codebase.
5. This one is harder. Because the books are sold today but paid back to the publisher only after the shelf "renting" period is over (6 months). So you sell a book for 11$ and make 1$ profit, but you actually pay back 10$ to the publisher after 6 months. Use this 11$ to build the infrastructure etc.
another interesting question was, who benefits from innovations. Wright brothers built planes, german engineers built the jet engine, but it was mcdonald (the aviator) got all the money by building the fighter planes to the air force.
He has a good list of books available for reading, will probably go through them sometime... http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R1ZV2WH8AFJWPZ/
Aahh... and the important thing was that according to him the Cloud computing is going to take over the world pretty soon... that gives me hope for a job :) Let others be entrepreneurs, I will be happy with a job in their companies :)
Monday, February 16, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Trip to the big bang
Yes, that's what I did, according to my relatives in India. I went to CERN to help them out on their data management issues, late December last year. I told my parents that I am going there for a day, and it spread like wildfire all over my extended family. They know that I went to the place where big bang is going on. Some folks were concerned that it might have affected me in someway. This is all effect of the new media in India. They exaggerate, analyze, over analyze, then speculate some and a small thing becomes a complete monster when they are done with it. Since focusing on local news, as they do in USA, is not very fashionable, Indian TVs almost exclusively discuss such "big" things.
On my India trip, I found this channel called "IndiaTV". It is the most entertaining channel I found out of the 160 or so channels I was surfing through. This channel broadcasts the live pictures of shesh-naag on kailash, the shiv temple in patal. It also predicts that Pakistan will "vanish" in 2012 and US in 2017. I half expected them broadcasting Gandhi's relationship some aliens... Incidentally this is also the channel that showed the live call in from one of the terrorists in Taj. After looking at the journalistic quality of rest of the broadcasts, I don't know why there was such a hue and cry about that particular incident. I am pretty sure, they just put up a guy in the next room and talked to them...
Back to CERN, they have such an impressive machine built there. It is a 27km long tunnel 100m below surface, taking up as much electricity as entire Paris. They take 2 months to just cool down the machine so that the experiments can be conducted in there. The operational expenses of the machine is 7 million francs/sec. They produce data at 5PB/sec rate... mind boggling numbers... Unfortunately I could not see the machine, as few are allowed to see them. Even the database group leader there, who has worked for 5 years in CERN, has not seen the machine yet, working only 100m above it all the time.
It was interesting to visit CERN when I was reading through Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons". The plot revolves around CERN scientists and Christianity of course. After reading this book, I could understand why the Christians were so agitated with Da Vinci Code. He takes small facts about CERN and anti-matter, then builds such stories around it that if someone doesn't know about physics would think rest of the "scientific" facts are also true.
Read 3 other "better" books during this period, will write about them later may be.
On my India trip, I found this channel called "IndiaTV". It is the most entertaining channel I found out of the 160 or so channels I was surfing through. This channel broadcasts the live pictures of shesh-naag on kailash, the shiv temple in patal. It also predicts that Pakistan will "vanish" in 2012 and US in 2017. I half expected them broadcasting Gandhi's relationship some aliens... Incidentally this is also the channel that showed the live call in from one of the terrorists in Taj. After looking at the journalistic quality of rest of the broadcasts, I don't know why there was such a hue and cry about that particular incident. I am pretty sure, they just put up a guy in the next room and talked to them...
Back to CERN, they have such an impressive machine built there. It is a 27km long tunnel 100m below surface, taking up as much electricity as entire Paris. They take 2 months to just cool down the machine so that the experiments can be conducted in there. The operational expenses of the machine is 7 million francs/sec. They produce data at 5PB/sec rate... mind boggling numbers... Unfortunately I could not see the machine, as few are allowed to see them. Even the database group leader there, who has worked for 5 years in CERN, has not seen the machine yet, working only 100m above it all the time.
It was interesting to visit CERN when I was reading through Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons". The plot revolves around CERN scientists and Christianity of course. After reading this book, I could understand why the Christians were so agitated with Da Vinci Code. He takes small facts about CERN and anti-matter, then builds such stories around it that if someone doesn't know about physics would think rest of the "scientific" facts are also true.
Read 3 other "better" books during this period, will write about them later may be.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
If programming languages were religions
From http://www.aegisub.net/2008/12/if-programming-languages-were-religions.html
This list is much funnier than if programming languages were cars.
---------------------------------------
C would be Judaism - it's old and restrictive, but most of the world is familiar with its laws and respects them. The catch is, you can't convert into it - you're either into it from the start, or you will think that it's insanity. Also, when things go wrong, many people are willing to blame the problems of the world on it.
Java would be Fundamentalist Christianity - it's theoretically based on C, but it voids so many of the old laws that it doesn't feel like the original at all. Instead, it adds its own set of rigid rules, which its followers believe to be far superior to the original. Not only are they certain that it's the best language in the world, but they're willing to burn those who disagree at the stake.
PHP would be Cafeteria Christianity - Fights with Java for the web market. It draws a few concepts from C and Java, but only those that it really likes. Maybe it's not as coherent as other languages, but at least it leaves you with much more freedom and ostensibly keeps the core idea of the whole thing. Also, the whole concept of "goto hell" was abandoned.
C++ would be Islam - It takes C and not only keeps all its laws, but adds a very complex new set of laws on top of it. It's so versatile that it can be used to be the foundation of anything, from great atrocities to beautiful works of art. Its followers are convinced that it is the ultimate universal language, and may be angered by those who disagree. Also, if you insult it or its founder, you'll probably be threatened with death by more radical followers.
C# would be Mormonism - At first glance, it's the same as Java, but at a closer look you realize that it's controlled by a single corporation (which many Java followers believe to be evil), and that many theological concepts are quite different. You suspect that it'd probably be nice, if only all the followers of Java wouldn't discriminate so much against you for following it.
Lisp would be Zen Buddhism - There is no syntax, there is no centralization of dogma, there are no deities to worship. The entire universe is there at your reach - if only you are enlightened enough to grasp it. Some say that it's not a language at all; others say that it's the only language that makes sense.
Haskell would be Taoism - It is so different from other languages that many people don't understand how can anyone use it to produce anything useful. Its followers believe that it's the true path to wisdom, but that wisdom is beyond the grasp of most mortals.
Erlang would be Hinduism - It's another strange language that doesn't look like it could be used for anything, but unlike most other modern languages, it's built around the concept of multiple simultaneous deities.
Perl would be Voodoo - An incomprehensible series of arcane incantations that involve the blood of goats and permanently corrupt your soul. Often used when your boss requires you to do an urgent task at 21:00 on friday night.
Lua would be Wicca - A pantheistic language that can easily be adapted for different cultures and locations. Its code is very liberal, and allows for the use of techniques that might be described as magical by those used to more traditional languages. It has a strong connection to the moon.
Ruby would be Neo-Paganism - A mixture of different languages and ideas that was beaten together into something that might be identified as a language. Its adherents are growing fast, and although most people look at them suspiciously, they are mostly well-meaning people with no intention of harming anyone.
Python would be Humanism: It's simple, unrestrictive, and all you need to follow it is common sense. Many of the followers claim to feel relieved from all the burden imposed by other languages, and that they have rediscovered the joy of programming. There are some who say that it is a form of pseudo-code.
COBOL would be Ancient Paganism - There was once a time when it ruled over a vast region and was important, but nowadays it's almost dead, for the good of us all. Although many were scarred by the rituals demanded by its deities, there are some who insist on keeping it alive even today.
APL would be Scientology - There are many people who claim to follow it, but you've always suspected that it's a huge and elaborate prank that got out of control.
LOLCODE would be Pastafarianism - An esoteric, Internet-born belief that nobody really takes seriously, despite all the efforts to develop and spread it.
Visual Basic would be Satanism - Except that you don't REALLY need to sell your soul to be a Satanist...
Thanks to jfs and other people on #aegisub for the suggestions. Keep in mind, this list is a joke, and is not meant to offend anyone. Also, if you're a Muslim, please don't kill me. ;)
--------------------------
This list is much funnier than if programming languages were cars.
---------------------------------------
C would be Judaism - it's old and restrictive, but most of the world is familiar with its laws and respects them. The catch is, you can't convert into it - you're either into it from the start, or you will think that it's insanity. Also, when things go wrong, many people are willing to blame the problems of the world on it.
Java would be Fundamentalist Christianity - it's theoretically based on C, but it voids so many of the old laws that it doesn't feel like the original at all. Instead, it adds its own set of rigid rules, which its followers believe to be far superior to the original. Not only are they certain that it's the best language in the world, but they're willing to burn those who disagree at the stake.
PHP would be Cafeteria Christianity - Fights with Java for the web market. It draws a few concepts from C and Java, but only those that it really likes. Maybe it's not as coherent as other languages, but at least it leaves you with much more freedom and ostensibly keeps the core idea of the whole thing. Also, the whole concept of "goto hell" was abandoned.
C++ would be Islam - It takes C and not only keeps all its laws, but adds a very complex new set of laws on top of it. It's so versatile that it can be used to be the foundation of anything, from great atrocities to beautiful works of art. Its followers are convinced that it is the ultimate universal language, and may be angered by those who disagree. Also, if you insult it or its founder, you'll probably be threatened with death by more radical followers.
C# would be Mormonism - At first glance, it's the same as Java, but at a closer look you realize that it's controlled by a single corporation (which many Java followers believe to be evil), and that many theological concepts are quite different. You suspect that it'd probably be nice, if only all the followers of Java wouldn't discriminate so much against you for following it.
Lisp would be Zen Buddhism - There is no syntax, there is no centralization of dogma, there are no deities to worship. The entire universe is there at your reach - if only you are enlightened enough to grasp it. Some say that it's not a language at all; others say that it's the only language that makes sense.
Haskell would be Taoism - It is so different from other languages that many people don't understand how can anyone use it to produce anything useful. Its followers believe that it's the true path to wisdom, but that wisdom is beyond the grasp of most mortals.
Erlang would be Hinduism - It's another strange language that doesn't look like it could be used for anything, but unlike most other modern languages, it's built around the concept of multiple simultaneous deities.
Perl would be Voodoo - An incomprehensible series of arcane incantations that involve the blood of goats and permanently corrupt your soul. Often used when your boss requires you to do an urgent task at 21:00 on friday night.
Lua would be Wicca - A pantheistic language that can easily be adapted for different cultures and locations. Its code is very liberal, and allows for the use of techniques that might be described as magical by those used to more traditional languages. It has a strong connection to the moon.
Ruby would be Neo-Paganism - A mixture of different languages and ideas that was beaten together into something that might be identified as a language. Its adherents are growing fast, and although most people look at them suspiciously, they are mostly well-meaning people with no intention of harming anyone.
Python would be Humanism: It's simple, unrestrictive, and all you need to follow it is common sense. Many of the followers claim to feel relieved from all the burden imposed by other languages, and that they have rediscovered the joy of programming. There are some who say that it is a form of pseudo-code.
COBOL would be Ancient Paganism - There was once a time when it ruled over a vast region and was important, but nowadays it's almost dead, for the good of us all. Although many were scarred by the rituals demanded by its deities, there are some who insist on keeping it alive even today.
APL would be Scientology - There are many people who claim to follow it, but you've always suspected that it's a huge and elaborate prank that got out of control.
LOLCODE would be Pastafarianism - An esoteric, Internet-born belief that nobody really takes seriously, despite all the efforts to develop and spread it.
Visual Basic would be Satanism - Except that you don't REALLY need to sell your soul to be a Satanist...
Thanks to jfs and other people on #aegisub for the suggestions. Keep in mind, this list is a joke, and is not meant to offend anyone. Also, if you're a Muslim, please don't kill me. ;)
--------------------------
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Real-life Dilbert manager quotes
A magazine recently ran a 'Dilbert Quotes' contest. They were looking for people to submit quotes from their real-life Dilbert-type managers. These were voted the top ten quotes in corporate America :
'As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks.'
(This was the winning quote from Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA )
'What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter.'
(Lykes Lines Shipping)
'E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business.'
(Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)
'This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it.'
(Advertising/ Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)
'Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule.' (Plant Manager, Delco Corporation)
'No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them.' (R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufactur ing/ 3M Corp.)
'Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say.'
(Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)
My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, 'That would be better for me.'
(Shipping executive, FTD Florists)
'We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees.'
(Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)
'As of tomorrow, employees will only be able to access the building using individual security cards. Pictures will be taken next Wednesday, and employees will receive their cards in two weeks.'
(This was the winning quote from Fred Dales, Microsoft Corp. in Redmond WA )
'What I need is an exact list of specific unknown problems we might encounter.'
(Lykes Lines Shipping)
'E-mail is not to be used to pass on information or data. It should be used only for company business.'
(Accounting manager, Electric Boat Company)
'This project is so important we can't let things that are more important interfere with it.'
(Advertising/ Marketing manager, United Parcel Service)
'Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule.' (Plant Manager, Delco Corporation)
'No one will believe you solved this problem in one day! We've been working on it for months. Now go act busy for a few weeks and I'll let you know when it's time to tell them.' (R&D supervisor, Minnesota Mining and Manufactur ing/ 3M Corp.)
'Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say.'
(Marketing executive, Citrix Corporation)
My sister passed away and her funeral was scheduled for Monday. When I told my Boss, he said she died on purpose so that I would have to miss work on the busiest day of the year. He then asked if we could change her burial to Friday. He said, 'That would be better for me.'
(Shipping executive, FTD Florists)
'We know that communication is a problem, but the company is not going to discuss it with the employees.'
(Switching supervisor, AT&T Long Lines Division)
Monday, October 13, 2008
desparation for housing
I am so lucky to get the apartment earlier!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello,
We are a couple looking for a 3 bedrooms apartment in Plainpalais or Carouge areas only.
We both have excellent references (both B permit for 4 years and Management job in International companies in Geneva) and are ready to reward any person who could ensure we got a long-term lease depending on the rent amount (charge included) as follows:
Rent < 4000 CHF Reward = 1000 CHF
Rent < 3500 CHF Reward = 3000 CHF
Rent < 3000 CHF Reward = 5000 CHF
Conditions:
- Reward paid upon lease sign-off
- Long-term lease only (no sub-lease)
- Unfurnished apartment
- Maximum rent = 4200 CHF charge and park (if any) included
- Preferably top floors, with a balcony, quiet neighbors
- Parking place and availability to be discussed
- We both have a 1 bedroom apartment respectively in Plainpalais and Carouge if needed
If you are interested, please contact me by email only: louisgrouiller@yahoo.fr
Thank you!
Louis
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello,
We are a couple looking for a 3 bedrooms apartment in Plainpalais or Carouge areas only.
We both have excellent references (both B permit for 4 years and Management job in International companies in Geneva) and are ready to reward any person who could ensure we got a long-term lease depending on the rent amount (charge included) as follows:
Rent < 4000 CHF Reward = 1000 CHF
Rent < 3500 CHF Reward = 3000 CHF
Rent < 3000 CHF Reward = 5000 CHF
Conditions:
- Reward paid upon lease sign-off
- Long-term lease only (no sub-lease)
- Unfurnished apartment
- Maximum rent = 4200 CHF charge and park (if any) included
- Preferably top floors, with a balcony, quiet neighbors
- Parking place and availability to be discussed
- We both have a 1 bedroom apartment respectively in Plainpalais and Carouge if needed
If you are interested, please contact me by email only: louisgrouiller@yahoo.fr
Thank you!
Louis
Saturday, October 11, 2008
hundredpushups
I read the article about the hunderpushups.com on reddit.com and ofcourse the epic thread that it created. After some hesitations, I started doing it, since this is the only way to stay fit apartfrom cycling up the hill here. I started with 8 pushups and now after 4 weeks I am at 57. The program is very well done, I don't know how they manage it, but everytime I see how much I need to do the next day, I always think I can never do that. But when the time comes, I just about manage to make the pushups. It would be interesting to see how they come up with those numbers of pushups.
Apart from that, I started doing skipping recently. And it is so embarrassing that I could skip only for 2 minutes. I hope I go the pushups way and make it to 30 minutes skipping I have in mind. Regardless of these I somehow manage to lose weight here in Switzerland. I eat pizzas, cakes, chocolates etc. etc. but still when I measure weight month after month I usually weigh less. This is interesting how much just 45 minutes of cycling helps in a day. In US I used to do aerobics for 45 minutes, then weight training etc. etc. still never lost weight. Here it is completely automatic it seems, no wonder folks here are usually thin.
Apart from that, I started doing skipping recently. And it is so embarrassing that I could skip only for 2 minutes. I hope I go the pushups way and make it to 30 minutes skipping I have in mind. Regardless of these I somehow manage to lose weight here in Switzerland. I eat pizzas, cakes, chocolates etc. etc. but still when I measure weight month after month I usually weigh less. This is interesting how much just 45 minutes of cycling helps in a day. In US I used to do aerobics for 45 minutes, then weight training etc. etc. still never lost weight. Here it is completely automatic it seems, no wonder folks here are usually thin.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Bollywood movie quality
Watched three terrorism related movies in last month. First, "Aamir" -- this was a great movie with very realistic locale, and very rivetting performance from the lead actor. He is a new guy, didn't expect much from him, but the actor had good screen presence, and probably shiny ahuja has a new competition. The movie walked at really fast pace, taking you to different locations of Mumbai and you feel like running behind the actor all the time. Oh, and the music which always runs on the background is so refreshing. Looking forward to more music from this new director.
Then, watched "Mumbai Meri jaan". When Aamir was about a terrorist, this one was about the victims and how they react. Watch out for the performance from ever reliable KayKay and Irfan Khan.
Finally watched, "A Wednesday". This was from the point of view of a common man. Not one directly involved in the terrorism, or the terrorist. Stalwarts like Anupam Kher, and Naser gave really fine performances. You feel for every single character in the end, the tight lipped politician, the no-nonsense commissioner, the young exuberent police officers, the common man. I am sure the monologue Naser gave at the end will stay with me for a long time...
Seems like the multiplexes have allowed the indian film makers to be more innovative, and actually produce some works of art. Otherwise movies were too predictable, too formulaic, with the songs, and applause inducing lines/situations etc.
Special mention for "Black and White" -- though the movie tackled the same issue, the film makers didn't know whether to go for a commercial movie or more artistic movie. In the end it was neither, but good attempt there.
Also special mention for "A Peck in the Cheek" from Maniratnam on LTTE ... this one is old, but I saw it recently. Except for "Dil Se", I think I love Maniratnam's every single movie on such conflicts.
Then, watched "Mumbai Meri jaan". When Aamir was about a terrorist, this one was about the victims and how they react. Watch out for the performance from ever reliable KayKay and Irfan Khan.
Finally watched, "A Wednesday". This was from the point of view of a common man. Not one directly involved in the terrorism, or the terrorist. Stalwarts like Anupam Kher, and Naser gave really fine performances. You feel for every single character in the end, the tight lipped politician, the no-nonsense commissioner, the young exuberent police officers, the common man. I am sure the monologue Naser gave at the end will stay with me for a long time...
Seems like the multiplexes have allowed the indian film makers to be more innovative, and actually produce some works of art. Otherwise movies were too predictable, too formulaic, with the songs, and applause inducing lines/situations etc.
Special mention for "Black and White" -- though the movie tackled the same issue, the film makers didn't know whether to go for a commercial movie or more artistic movie. In the end it was neither, but good attempt there.
Also special mention for "A Peck in the Cheek" from Maniratnam on LTTE ... this one is old, but I saw it recently. Except for "Dil Se", I think I love Maniratnam's every single movie on such conflicts.
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