Mindblog

Just a few days until the end of this year and the decade. Realised that there's not been one post this year. Can't let the blog post streak end can we? It's been a busy year. Started off on a good note, ringing in the new year in Thailand with the wife. Got lodged in an unending project which somewhat sums up my year! Nothing to write home about for 2019, some personal projects did start off which were a good break. Got the Octy home, something I've really wanted - which was exciting, a gift which keeps on giving! Hit up Melbourne city again- just once this year, a trip to Nagpur, to Bhopal and to the hills a few times, all necessary to keep things moving on different fronts. Resolution for the next year is to shift gears- down, not up. Who am I kidding. Look forward to an exciting 2020 with more travel, more adventure and more wins! 

Revisiting this web-page, writing this, seems different. Let me keep this brief. There was a time when we didn't care about format, formation, punctuation, creation. Now everything revolves around presentation, perception, perfection. The latter requires time, dedication, motivation. Former was the original. Thought flowed from mind to pen/keys. The problem is time, a lack thereof.  End of the written letter was spelled.   

Building out something can be one of the best experiences one can have. As kids, we took great pains building structures using Lego bricks, modelling clay into art which put renaissance sculptors to shame, or making barracks and castles of scale in sand where we were nothing less than kings. These activities gave us a sense of achievement and entitlement. These were some of our first products. Some of you would have gone on to build sand walls around those castles, and moats to fend off intruders. You were the consolidators, empire builders. If you build out that castle and kicked it to the ground to then make another masterpiece, you were in the true sense a serial entrepreneur. Sat on the sidelines and got the other kids to build stuff for you? No comments. Fast forward to today. Looking to be a pioneer and build out something, or provide a specialised service? Ever wonder what it would be like if everything you ever imagined went on to fruition the moment you thought it out? Woul...

Working with a product company, one of the bigger dilemmas facing the Product team is what to build based on the backlog of product items. Listening to a Harvard lecture podcast online recently, I came across a concept which helped me clear this dilemma. It simply asks a question- what is the job that your product is hired to perform? Ideas for the product you are building can come through various routes. We're going to lose this customer if we don't incorporate this now, this is something the CEO really wants to see in the product, it's been sitting in the backlog forever etc. But a very good way to go about prioritizing what goes into the product is to find the answer to the question- what is the job that your product is hired to perform? Imagine the product to be an employee who is hired for a particular profile. Now there are certain roles and responsibilities or KPI's which will define whether this employee is fit for the post. The same logic will apply to the p...

Keeping ahead of the competition is a key business growth metric. With constant innovation in sales tactics and dynamic pricing, it is essential for small businesses to match up and better their sales figures quarter on quarter. Gone are the days where your employee will open up his email to check who has submitted a form on the website and draw out a lovely looking template to welcome and thank the lead introducing it to the dreaded "Sales Funnel". Automation can fill this backlog and give you and your employees more breathing space to focus on other key business growth metrics. Automation at the turn of the 19th century was necessary for mass production to meet the demands of markets globally. It was coupled with rapid strides in transport and communication channels. What we need today is a way to achieve business success using the same tricks conceived back then. Businesses need to focus on what they do best, create fantastic products or services for the customer. Key r...

Time flies, truly does. I don't think that this blog has seen this much of a gap between posts. Time to set things right? Updates updates- -Met my girl! Asked her out, got engaged, got married, the works! Life has been super awesome ever since. It does get a lot better post marriage, trust me! Seems like life has finally begun post the wedding. It's awesome to have a partner in crime, who you would want to go to jail with too! -Was in the States last year. Unique distinction was that I wasn't in our dear India for both its Republic and Independence days. Instead I was working on both said days resolving client concerns for my product sitting in Reston. Twice to California- Carlsbad, San Diego, LA. Missed flights and the jazz. NY is a super awesome place. -Ran into Ratan Tata at the NY Apple Store. Long story short, it was fantabulous! -Got promoted! Took time to sink in, still taking time. Also realized that titles are just titles, same workload, more responsibil...

For a successful enterprise, there has to be a need for the service/product which they are providing to the audience. There has to be this gap which is being fulfilled. If not, the entity being provided has to be captivating enough to entice the user into buying it. It has to create its own vacuum. Over the years as a company, we have evolved to be leaders in the franchising domain. We know the pain points our customers face and what how we can alleviate them. I would like to take an example of a company by the name of 3M. Why I like citing examples of this company is because of its unique philosophy. Founded in the early 1900's dealing primarily as a mining firm they diversified, and how! They own 100,000 patents to their name across industries and roughly a third of their revenue is through products they've created over the last 5 years. They believe in innovation and one of their company policies is to allow employees to spend a day a week in self run projects fo...

People who know me well enough know that I come up with theories on which I base proceedings. And well, most who know this are annoyed beyond comprehension by these blocks I've set for myself, which sometimes leaves them in the lurch! I understand that forming theories or creating these mental blocks can alienate people around me. My understanding of life is simple, there are patterns everywhere. Once someone is capable of identifying these patterns, the logical outcome of a situation is not very difficult to predict. When something new comes across, it fits in the brain as a new pattern docket, of which there are many! When patterns overlap, there is always a unique identifier which sets them apart, and then they Venn. So when a situation presents itself, dockets are scanned, patterns identified, outcome ascertained, and action taken. Now one of these theories is that of glass ceilings of thought. Lets see if I can articulate this: everyone has a specific IQ, everyone has...

This comes from an individual who does not give two hoots to politics, its implications/repercussions. Some may raise questions on my attitude saying one must have a say about happenings in the country, its outlook on local, international and financial affairs. But it is my understanding that we all are Ogden Nash's born spectators, sitting in the sidelines watching things happen. We all might be vocal in our opinions, but seldom have the time to get down and dirty in the bullpen. We are the country of a billion people, and of that number there is a good mix of go-getter self starter types, and there are those who want for themselves and only themselves. Things tend to balance out and equilibrium is maintained. My point here being, the country is running and so it shall, with or without my opinions. At least in politics, I don't mind not having a say. What I am coming at is the recent wave of this candidate we chose to represent us, Herr Modi. Over the past few weeks this ...

The summer has been relentless. We had a good few weeks of consistent 45C+ day temperatures, thankfully the majority of which were under conditioned air. The monsoon is late is the MET status for Delhi, but the clouds have started their on and off cover so we expect some respite soon. What else is scorching? The world of technology of course! Android L announced a few days ago, seems a thorough UI overhaul, optimizations and quirks. I still haven't found out an answer to the question, "to what end, is technology?" There are answers, but the correct answer is elusive. I guess the search for this is my mission for sometime. Random note: I like Linus Van Pelt, I tend to associate with his antics and look forward to the daily comic strip to see what he's gotten up to. I recently have taken charm to Bollywood remixes from the 90's, weird as it may seem. Watching YouTube videos of trains chugging by is another odd thing I seem to enjoy these days. I think its th...

Not a very original quote you might say, but hey! Being a part of a product based company always has me thinking about what we can do to make the end user more involved with the software we deliver. We are in that age where there is no margin for error when it comes to technology. User experience and a clean interface are at the forefront of an outward facing application, but more-so, companies across industry are going head-over-heels to innovate, simplify and make the lives of users that much more productive (well, unless you are playing Flappy birds!). Apple is one of the pioneers in this field, innovating award winning products which are aspired and raved about. Jony Ive, the SVP and head of the industrial design team at Apple believes in putting the user first and accepts only practicality to be the key to growth. His contribution at Apple cannot be overlooked, everything from the iMacs to the iPhones/iPods over the last few decades have this product philosophy engraved in the...

There is so much which goes on in the mind, for me it never makes much sense until that thought touched pen and then paper. The more I write, the more I remember. This blogger editor seems outdated. Anyway, the IFTTT concept needs to be used more at work, things are running a bit too manually for my liking. Have been brushing up on Visio lately, must use it more, easier to articulate concepts. That was random. So whats been up lately? Its Feb mid already! Times flying as it does, at least it is constant in what it does. We need Square here in India don't we, I sometimes wish we more more with pace to implement (though in all fairness we are). I can almost see the vegetable vendors swiping cards on their handsets with a Square-ish device. Where is social media going? What happens after FB? Whats new coming up here? I noticed Klout did some changes and was bought out by someone, that was interesting. I've become a slave to tech news. Google sold Moto, to keep Samsung f...

This blog might I add is like the common man, it takes all the atrocities thrown at it and yet carries on. I can't apologize enough for not blogging more, too lazy, too busy is not an excuse. One can never be too busy is what someone said to me recently, or I read somewhere can't remember. Yes, its age which is catching up as well, its been that long I've blogged! So, December already! This year has been something! 13 has always been my lucky number and I'll always hold anything relating to this number dear to me. 2013 has been no exception. The year I bought my first car (first of many I hope!), long awaited and drooled over DSLR, a new lappy, among other inconsequential tangible knick knacks! iPod touch crashed a few days back trying to update to a new version, almost as sad as losing a dear friend. Works' been good, hectic and chaotic, just the way I like it! Keeps me occupied and leaves not a moment to ponder. Completed an year at the current job place be...

Hey guys! No point talking about how I end up abandoning this blog and then returning back like a lost puppy! Happy New Year to you all, a tad late, but better late than never! A toast to more blogging and misadventures for the year to come! Cheers!

THE glories of our blood and state Are shadows, not substantial things; There is no armour against Fate; Death lays his icy hand on kings: Sceptre and Crown Must tumble down, And in the dust be equal made With the poor crooked scythe and spade. Some men with swords may reap the field, And plant fresh laurels where they kill: But their strong nerves at last must yield; They tame but one another still: Early or late They stoop to fate, And must give up their murmuring breath When they, pale captives, creep to death. The garlands wither on your brow, Then boast no more your mighty deeds! Upon Death's purple altar now See where the victor-victim bleeds. Your heads must come To the cold tomb: Only the actions of the just Smell sweet and blossom in their dust. By James Shirley

What is it that still remains? Ruins of reins but now inane. That once the stance that stood in shine, oh what remains of that troubled time? Stood there did she, that brutal score. That scorn, the rage made heavens mourn. That devilish smile was masked divine.. Not one, but many sought penance in thine.. "Where goes that maiden?", asked the king to me, "what be the source of her destiny?" "knew I if so what you ask me king, be blessed," said I with a golden grin.. You will last said she, is your present such. Shall I vanish in air this moment thus.. You shall grow said she, with leaps and bounds, For I have seen your future such...

The dictionary defines an Entrepreneur as one who undertakes innovations using business, technical and financial acumen to transform them into viable economic goods, or revitalizing and adding value to an organization. It has to be understood that each and every one has an entrepreneurial bent of mind embedded within us. Most of us do not realize that we unknowingly practice this in our day to day lives through finding an innovative solution at home thus saving time or money, or being 'Intrapreneurs' at work, constantly coming up with methods and processes which would be of benefit to the company and the client. I had the opportunity to attend TiECon-2012 (flagship event of the 'The Indus Entrepreneurs' group) held in the last week of September. The primary focus of the event was to bring together like minded individuals from a multitude of business, financial and technological backgrounds to network, share thoughts and ideologies, learn the art of pro-activeness, un...

We all often get asked what we do for a living. Many have pretty self explanatory answers: I'm a doctor, I see to it that the ailments the patient is suffering from are identified and a cure prescribed for them, or, I'm a Software Engineer, I develop applications for clients based in India or abroad through coding logic and creating a meaningful solution for them to optimize their processes etc. I often get asked the same question myself, more so because I've been out of touch with friends and family having been out of the county for sometime until recently. I tend to end up confusing people telling them what I do till the point that I get blank stares and half minded nods. I thought I'll give you guys a gist of what I do and what it means to do what I do! A Consultant is one who very much like a doctor, seeks to identify the ailment a business or a process within it faces through understanding the symptoms the patient (company) is showing, and by using standard consul...

Laugh we shall at naivety such, crushed is nothing but lust, in fuss.. The pain once had, subsides said she, but drown we shall in memories thus.. In crushing lashing pain said she! with rising ruining storms of dust! Will leave the poets in pall, in shame, no maker cure him can, the rut.. Then fate here plays the devilish game, thus seals the deal of blame in flames.. The walls so high, those nights how wry, no wonder made he, us fall, a must..