there is a great debate going on in U.S. a kind'of introspection as to where this country is heading under Bush Jr... and you hear terms like neocons.. conservatism.. theocons.. christian right.. over and over again on U.S. media.. 'am not sure what exactly these terms mean in context of american polity.. or the general sense of unease in political circles... i don't know if current administration policy on iraq or on torture or on religion in politics or on gun control or on global warming measures up to being conservative or liberal... but i 'm sure this is not the way to go forward... and i am also sure that i belong to that school of thought in which Bush Jr. is not the leading torch bearer.. be it conservative or liberal... i read this recent essay that speaks on being conservative and on global warming.. i kind'of liked it... so i 'm copying it here...
[...]
Conservatives do not seek to remake the world anew. We do not hope to impose upon it some abstract ideological “truth” or bring about some new age for humanity. We seek as conservatives merely to live up to our generational responsibility and to care for the inheritance we have in turn been given. This ecological vision is a Burkean one, which is why Toryism’s natural colour is as much green as blue.
Of all those likely to be alarmed by freakishly hot summers, potentially freezing futures and drastic events such as super-hurricanes, conservatives should surely be the most prominent. Conservatives tend to like things as they are and have been. They are discombobulated by change, which they always experience as, in some measure, loss.
And loss it is. When an old tree is uprooted by a storm, when an old church is razed or an old factory turned into loft apartment, we all sense that something has been lost — if not the actual thing then the attachments that people, past and present, have forged with it, the web of emotion and loyalty and fondness that makes a person’s and a neighbourhood’s life a coherent story.
Human beings live by narrative. We become sad when a familiar character disappears from a soap opera, or an acquaintance moves, or an institution becomes unrecognizable from what it once was. These little griefs are what build a conservative temperament. They interrupt our story, and our story is what makes sense of our lives. So we resist the interruption, and when we resist it we are conservatives.
Resisting massive climate change is resisting a huge disruption of what we have been and there are few endeavors more conservative than that. The sadness one feels at the destruction of, say, New Orleans, is a conservative emotion.
[...]
you can read the entire essay here
~Bang A Gong (Get It On)~
Is 'Conservation' A Dirty Word
is conservation a dirty word out here... why is that even after dire warnings about global warming & oil at $70+ a barrel.. only lip service is being paid to conservation... maybe everybody has some stakes in keeping the oil wells pumping and light bulbs burning... last week i paid a casual visit to a casino.. had lunch buffet.. where i think the whole concept was how many times and how much could you waste food... such unbridled excesses... 5% of global population consuming i guess anywhere between 30-40% of global output of anything... and everything.. and with the growth of chinese and indian middle class ( another 2 billion+ wannabees ).. consider what will happen if these also live the lifestyles of an average american.. consume like them.. drive cars like them... waste like them... i am pretty sure that my energy consumption here vis-a-vis when i was in india is maybe 10 times over... maybe more... so is my daily carbon footprint... ( in case you don't know carbon footprint ) where will all the resources and energy come when most of us in india/china will live lives that be 'carbon-copies' of life out here.. can we sustain such consumption patterns... The world is not only 'round' and 'flat' but also 'finite'... but George Bush won't speak the word 'conservation' as if preservation was something of a pariah... as if preservation was something way out of american psyche.. he talks for taxing Big Oil... for opening up Alaska for drilling... in the same breath as he talks about going green.. and virtues of less fuel guzzling cars... what a hypocrisy.. the world needs to act and act fast to conserve and preserve what we inherited.. but then somebody has to walk the talk...
Question Of The Day : George W. Bush always says that terrorists are out there to destroy the American Way Of Life... i 'am left scratching my head... what exactly is this 'American Way Of Life'... ?
~Fade To Black~
Question Of The Day : George W. Bush always says that terrorists are out there to destroy the American Way Of Life... i 'am left scratching my head... what exactly is this 'American Way Of Life'... ?
~Fade To Black~
What We've Learned
this week five years have passed since the twin towers came crashing down... five years have passed since america realized that terrorism is not something which afflicts other nations.. five years since "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists" jingoism.. five years of now quickly unravelling "Global War On Terror".. so the obvious question now is... are we anywhere safer than we were before 9/11... has the terrorists hideouts been eliminated.. and the swamps that breed these terrorists have been drained out... I think NO... neither is america any safer now, nor those muslim grievances that bred alienation have been removed.. in all cases the muslim youth out on street is more rabid anti-U.S. than ever before.. and yet Mr Bush. espouses a foreign policy thats difficult to understand and impossible to justify..
i am quoting some of the lines ( that i liked.. ) from the cover story in Time.com about the five years post 9/11 and the Great Mess we are in right now....
[....]
All wars, even the noblest, bring a reckoning of means and ends. The war on terrorism has long since lost its crisp moral lines. Who foresaw that the battle would require a national seminar about when it's O.K. for Americans to torture prisoners and whether near drowning counts? Or a debate over which clauses of the Constitution might be expendable? We may agree that terrorism is wicked, but we're still unsure about how to answer it."
Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide forever with their mistakes and regrets. Since the decision to commit soldiers to battle is the most fateful he makes, it is here that a President--his instincts, his judgment, his pride and his purposes--is most exposed. If he succeeds, the errors are footnotes; if he fails, the best intentions are just dust.
[....]
[....]
No, we don't know how the story ends. The idea that history is written by the victors has been wrongly credited to Winston Churchill, but he did say, "If you are going through hell, keep going." But you wonder whether years from now--5? 10? 50?--there will come a day when the victors actually know that they've won, that the battle is over and they can set about the writing. And whether even then, we will be sure that we have got the story right.
[....]
~Gypsy Eyes~
i am quoting some of the lines ( that i liked.. ) from the cover story in Time.com about the five years post 9/11 and the Great Mess we are in right now....
[....]
All wars, even the noblest, bring a reckoning of means and ends. The war on terrorism has long since lost its crisp moral lines. Who foresaw that the battle would require a national seminar about when it's O.K. for Americans to torture prisoners and whether near drowning counts? Or a debate over which clauses of the Constitution might be expendable? We may agree that terrorism is wicked, but we're still unsure about how to answer it."
Presidents make their hard decisions and then abide forever with their mistakes and regrets. Since the decision to commit soldiers to battle is the most fateful he makes, it is here that a President--his instincts, his judgment, his pride and his purposes--is most exposed. If he succeeds, the errors are footnotes; if he fails, the best intentions are just dust.
[....]
[....]
No, we don't know how the story ends. The idea that history is written by the victors has been wrongly credited to Winston Churchill, but he did say, "If you are going through hell, keep going." But you wonder whether years from now--5? 10? 50?--there will come a day when the victors actually know that they've won, that the battle is over and they can set about the writing. And whether even then, we will be sure that we have got the story right.
[....]
~Gypsy Eyes~
Miles To Go Before I Sleep
after reading so many lists at My50.com & 43things.com and host of other sites.. I have come up with my list of things that i wish (thinking of wishing... ) to do in my life-time.. please note that some things (i think all) may not be humanly or even Godly possible... but then if wishes were horses.. the list is no apparent order though.. even my life/priorities are no longer in order though..
#1 Learn Guitar
#2 Visit Kailash Mansarover
#3 Have A Comet/Asteroid Named After Me
#4 Write A Book & Get It Published
#5 Learn To Eat By Chopsticks
#6 Travel On Foot-steps Of Marco Polo Along Fabled Silk-route
#7 Have A House With Luxiourous Swimming Pool & Fully Stocked Bar
#8 Smoke A Original Havana Cigar
#9 Buy A Really Good Telescope
#10 Make A Rock Band & Cut An Album
#11 Meet Bob Dylan In-Person
#12 Be At Pink Floyd's Concert
#13 Have A Great English Movies DVD Library
#14 Visit Tibet & Israel Someday
#15 Set My Foot On Antartica/Greenland
#16 To Be Abandoned On A Barren Island
#20 To Become A Foreign Policy Expert
#21 Fight In Bloody Valleys Of Kashmir
#22 Do My Part For Making India Great
#23 Make A Killing In Stock Market One Day
#24 Own An Island & A Yatch
#25 Cook Good Food
#26 Re-forest A Barren Patch Of Land
#27 Own A Non-Fossil Fuel Vehicle
#28 See Aliens And E.T. And U.F.O.
#29 Set Up A Renewable Energy Company
#30 Learn How To Fly A Airplane
#31 Cover WWIII As A War Correspondent
#32 Be Somebody Like Warren Buffet
#33 Play The Role Of Forrest Gump
#34 Understand All Of Quantum Physics
#35 Kick George W. Bush A**
#36 Know What I Have Done Wrong In My Whole Life
#37 Dive Down To The Depths Of Ocean Trench
#38 Catch & Cook A Fish All By Myself
#39 Travelling Around The World In Hot-Air Ballon
#40 Find A Dinosaur Fossil
#41 Visit Siachen Glacier
#42 Have A Time Machine Contructed And Visit The Past & The Future
#43 Own A Tiger As A Pet
#44 Own The Passport Of Every Country
#45 Have A Robot (Something Like The One In Movie A.I.)
I would be great if in my life i could even manage to get into double digits with this list..
Question Of The Day : Why does two 'desis' never talk on the lift.. or in the store.. or on the metro.. or for that matter anywhere.. ?
~For Whom The Bells Toll~
#1 Learn Guitar
#2 Visit Kailash Mansarover
#3 Have A Comet/Asteroid Named After Me
#4 Write A Book & Get It Published
#5 Learn To Eat By Chopsticks
#6 Travel On Foot-steps Of Marco Polo Along Fabled Silk-route
#7 Have A House With Luxiourous Swimming Pool & Fully Stocked Bar
#8 Smoke A Original Havana Cigar
#9 Buy A Really Good Telescope
#10 Make A Rock Band & Cut An Album
#11 Meet Bob Dylan In-Person
#12 Be At Pink Floyd's Concert
#13 Have A Great English Movies DVD Library
#14 Visit Tibet & Israel Someday
#15 Set My Foot On Antartica/Greenland
#16 To Be Abandoned On A Barren Island
#20 To Become A Foreign Policy Expert
#21 Fight In Bloody Valleys Of Kashmir
#22 Do My Part For Making India Great
#23 Make A Killing In Stock Market One Day
#24 Own An Island & A Yatch
#25 Cook Good Food
#26 Re-forest A Barren Patch Of Land
#27 Own A Non-Fossil Fuel Vehicle
#28 See Aliens And E.T. And U.F.O.
#29 Set Up A Renewable Energy Company
#30 Learn How To Fly A Airplane
#31 Cover WWIII As A War Correspondent
#32 Be Somebody Like Warren Buffet
#33 Play The Role Of Forrest Gump
#34 Understand All Of Quantum Physics
#35 Kick George W. Bush A**
#36 Know What I Have Done Wrong In My Whole Life
#37 Dive Down To The Depths Of Ocean Trench
#38 Catch & Cook A Fish All By Myself
#39 Travelling Around The World In Hot-Air Ballon
#40 Find A Dinosaur Fossil
#41 Visit Siachen Glacier
#42 Have A Time Machine Contructed And Visit The Past & The Future
#43 Own A Tiger As A Pet
#44 Own The Passport Of Every Country
#45 Have A Robot (Something Like The One In Movie A.I.)
I would be great if in my life i could even manage to get into double digits with this list..
Question Of The Day : Why does two 'desis' never talk on the lift.. or in the store.. or on the metro.. or for that matter anywhere.. ?
~For Whom The Bells Toll~
View From My Office Window
This is the view from my office window.. doesn't it look great.. it doesn't feel like working once you are here..
we are here on the Cambridge side ( in case you don't know.. Cambridge is the home town of america's two best universities.. the Harvard and MIT ) on the other side of the river Charles is Boston ( one of america's oldest cities and famous for Boston Tea party ... if anybody remembers the class VIII History chapter on American Revolution... ) it looks awesome.. well just AWESOME...
~Take It Easy~
we are here on the Cambridge side ( in case you don't know.. Cambridge is the home town of america's two best universities.. the Harvard and MIT ) on the other side of the river Charles is Boston ( one of america's oldest cities and famous for Boston Tea party ... if anybody remembers the class VIII History chapter on American Revolution... ) it looks awesome.. well just AWESOME...
~Take It Easy~
View From My Apartment Window
its a beautiful morning out here in Boston and the view from my eleventh floor apartment is one obscured by the clouds... and you are already feeling a little cold (its just august summer here.. the tough winter blizzards are long way off.. ) in the light T-shirt and the pajamas.. i wonder why it rains always on weekends... maybe it rains anytime here... and in this effortless morning... you could see the distant higher ground... it looks same as from my home in doon.. except that the mountains are bit closer here.. and scores of people jogging around fully loaded with iPod and a water bottle.. ( people jog any time here...even during the mid-noon... ) and in immediate neighborhood you could hear the hustle-bustle of the high traffic of Route 93 i guess ( its some number.. ! ) and the occasional yet frequent siren of police cars.. the police station is nearby.. so they are usually nearby to buzz all the way.. and from the apartment window.. i could see lot number of american homes that have masted their star-spangled banner over the rooftops or on balconies.. an occasional "support our troops " banner... i must say americans love their country... they really do... and i think post-9/11.. post-Afghanistan and iraq.. post -hurricane katrina.. post-outsourcing ( and the subsequent loss of jobs to india/china ) the feeling the america is invincible has all been but lost.. its no longer the macho approach.. no longer take 'em all and smoke 'em all... its no more of an interventionist.. but more of inward-looking.. of not "why-not" but "why"... as we approach 9/11 and katrina anniversary... this feeling is all reflected in the media... maybe its the best approach for america but not for the lone superpower of the world.. after all iran is different from dafur... north korea is different from horn of africa... but seeing it from an eyes of an average american... the idea of troops heading somewhere in god-forsaken lands just shudders them.. it should.. nearly 3000 american troops have died fighting for a cause as alien as iraq.. not counting the countless iraqis and the insurmountable misery they are in right now... but the administration out here likes battle-cry.. it likes belligerent iran.. it wants a more ominous intelligence warnings.. it wants more red and orange level alerts... maybe it works for it.. it often does.. not only here but everywhere.. it works in india as well... maybe he (George W. Bush... who else.. uuh. ? ) would like the next "mission accomplished" jingoism even before the war starts... ( people might say why 'am i writing it on america when troops back home are fighting on every domestic frontier possible... its a good question.. and you may or may not agree with my answer.. we don't need to justify why we are fighting in kashmir.. it would be an insult to the fallen men.. we have a mission to fight for.. and god forbid.. if we ever fail in it.. for my blood boils when i see young bright men.. heading for that killing fields of valley.. for all these brave men have seen my doon.. they have spent there some best years (IMA) in there.. and i tell you they are among the best of the lot.. they really are.. ) you know politicians are same everywhere... back home the politician is out there to be brought cheap... while here they are out there selling cheap.. its just the way you look at it.. two sides of the same coin...
~Hey You~
~Hey You~
In The Land Of Americana
It has been two weeks since i have arrived in U.S... in this land of yankees... in the eastern heartland of america.. the land which the immigrants made... and in these two long weeks learning the ways of an average american... ( 'am not turning american any time soon... ) i have realized that the America is way way different than the rest of world ( or may be i haven't seen rest of world.. so its much much different from india anyways... ) am getting used to takeaway lunches.. on the dishwasher and onDemand TV... on huge convenience stores.. on dime & cents... on not paying for the newspaper.. on climbing on the stairs even though the escalator is moving... it will take time to settle down.. by that time its time to head home... :) but yes.. life is fast here.. very fast... and everything is disposable here... always ready to consume and always ready to throw... and its highly mechanized and digitized... and yes beer is cheaper than distilled water... and energy costs are dead cheap.. traffic sense is civilized... and people in general are helpful and responsive... but then this sense of self-assurance allows fatigue to creep in very fast... you get bored very easily... nothing holds your frame of mind for long... and in just two weeks.... doing home to office and back home.. it seems like i have been doing it for ages... maybe i should get used to living alone in lands distant.... following the great american dream....
~Should I Stay Or Should I Go~
~Should I Stay Or Should I Go~
Eye On The Space
i was reading Time.com's Eye On Science and found this interesting NASA mission that they have put up in the skies above us.... Its called GRACE aka. Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment.
The GRACE mission will have two identical spacecrafts flying about 220 kilometers apart in a polar orbit 500 kilometers above the Earth. it will map the Earth's gravity fields by making accurate measurements of the distance between the two satellites, using GPS and a microwave ranging system. The gravity variations that GRACE will study include: changes due to surface and deep currents in the ocean; runoff and ground water storage on land masses; exchanges between ice sheets or glaciers and the oceans; and variations of mass within the Earth... (This will be crucial when you will consider the mass difference that will happen due to the speeding up of melting of the polar ice caps.. such information will provide an undeniable evidence to the rejectionists that Global Warming is for real.... )
You can read full artice relating to GRACE MISSION and its objectives at the GRACE webpage
~These Boots Are Made For Walking~
The GRACE mission will have two identical spacecrafts flying about 220 kilometers apart in a polar orbit 500 kilometers above the Earth. it will map the Earth's gravity fields by making accurate measurements of the distance between the two satellites, using GPS and a microwave ranging system. The gravity variations that GRACE will study include: changes due to surface and deep currents in the ocean; runoff and ground water storage on land masses; exchanges between ice sheets or glaciers and the oceans; and variations of mass within the Earth... (This will be crucial when you will consider the mass difference that will happen due to the speeding up of melting of the polar ice caps.. such information will provide an undeniable evidence to the rejectionists that Global Warming is for real.... )
GRACE will obtain a gravity field map by looking at how the Earth's mass varies from place to place on the surface as the twin satellites pass over.Since the Earth has varied topographic features such as mountains, valleys, and underground caverns, the mass is not evenly distributed around the globe and different physical features can be distinguished. The lumps observed in the Earth's gravity field result from this uneven distribution of mass on the Earth's surface and GRACE will map these perturbations with unprecedented accuracy.Here's an example of how it works. The two GRACE satellites are traveling in space, both 500 kilometers above the earth. As the front satellite approaches an area of higher gravity, it will be pulled toward the area of higher gravity and speed up. This increases the distance betweenthe two satellites. As the satellites straddle the area of higher gravity, the front satellite will slow down and the trailing satellite will speed up. As the trailing satellite passes the area of higher gravity, it will slow down and the lead satellite will not be affected. As the satellites move around the Earth, the speeding up and slowing down of the satellites will allow scientists to measure the distance between the two satellites, and, therefore, map the earth's gravity field.
You can read full artice relating to GRACE MISSION and its objectives at the GRACE webpage
~These Boots Are Made For Walking~
The House Divided
The ceasefire have started between warring factions in this latest conflict in the Middle-East... but i doubt if the guns will be silent for long... all across the asian heartland this same scenario is being repeated on all frontiers... The asia of today looks pretty much the same as the europe at the beginning of the 20th century... with so many fault lines.. so many vested interest.. and so easy pressure-points.. and it has been only after two World Wars that the fight for peace in europe was settled for once and for all.. maybe the costs made war in europe an unfeasible option... but no one can deny the fact that the two wars settled all the disputes relating to territorial claims, ethnic and commercial and egoistic interests of not only german but the ottoman or hasburgs.. and after the second world war europe has seen a lull uptill the balkans civil war.. (not including the rivalry of cold war.. ) today asia is pretty much the same.. the conflict in middle east festers on with deadly portents.. the house of sauds is a risky proposition.. iraq is on brink on civil war.. iran and syria the new axis-of-evil.. afghanistan and pakistan back on the brink of chaos... the former CIS economies are the crucible of muslim fundamentalism and weak democracies ( plus the russian involvement.. ) The less said about the india and its immediate neighborhood, the better... meanwhile the world watches uneasily as the might of china rises both economically and militarily... while japan espouses are more aggressive foreign and defense policy... north korea is one loose cannon that can blow any day... taiwan..sparty islands... meanwhile external factors keep building up.. trade imbalances for one... the rising thirst for crude oil... america proposal on missile defense, on ringing-up china... rise of muslim fundamentalism... doesn't this fractured continent looks like one that will mend itself only after one big pyrrhic win...
~Teach Your Children Well~
~Teach Your Children Well~
The War From Where I Stand
after many year of peace ( relative peace i.e. notwithstanding the intifada... the occasional suicide bombing or attacks in sinai ) the Middle East is on the boil again.. the immediate provocation being the seizure of 3 israeli soldiers by hamas and Hezbollah.. but what followed these seizes was unwarranted.. it was as if isreal wanted to play the part that these militant group (and its backers ) had decided for it.. a highly disproportionate use of its overwhelming strike force advantage.. and even carpet-bombing areas south of beruit and Gaza Strip.. this doesn't make sense.. isreal has previously released palestine/lebanese prisoners in exchange for captured soldiers/civilians.. so what was different this time.. i think geo-political situation outside of isreal decided the course of action this time.. i believe having a conservative George Bush at capitol hill.. and with the pro-jewish lobby in full force it has emboldened the Zionists to act in this way.. and there appears to be some sort of tacit approval in Bush administration on the heavy-handed tactics of isreal.. and maybe there is some wanton thoughts in washington to use this war as a excuse to target syria and iran ( the fabled 'axis-of-evil' ) but iran is not some banana republic under the sun that can be subdued easily... its a full fledged islamic state that has been rabidly anti-US for the quarter of century now.. it has been espousing the case for nuclear weapons for some time now.. and nobody knows the extent of its advancement there.. ( but with north korea also in picture you can never be sure that iran doesn't have them.. ) besides anarchy in iraq and afghanistan have given it a kind'of strategic depth that this shiite state hadn't had in centuries.. and this $70 a barrel oil has made it flush with funds that will help it buy weapons,men and even support.. so any covert or overt action on iran will be hugely disastrous for the whole world.. and its aftermath will result in a crescent of resurgent shitte areas from kabul to beruit ,more mujhaids and anger on the street.. unstable saudi arabia.. , forget Oil , forget GWOT ( another fabled acronym for 'Global War On Terror...) well you cannot fully comprehend the dangers of where this could go... i guess Al-Queda will be the only one smiling...
~Rock Around The Clock~
~Rock Around The Clock~
2000 Light Years Away From Sanity
so the blogs are back in town... well almost.. the guess the blogs had no reason to be banned in the first place.. even the discriminating ones.. nobody.. i mean NOBODY can stop this advance of technology.. the moment the blogs were banned.. site proxies (one even from pakistan.. ) were widely quoted as alternate ways to access those banned sites.. so the whole purpose ( even if we believe there was genuine one.. was lost in this maze of technology..) neither this banning was morally and ethically correct.. how different are then we from China which is even censuring the Google Search ( i can't imagine how Google/Yahoo agreed to this *bullshit*.. ) and this banning was the unlikelist of the goverment response's in lieu Mumbai blasts.. I think the blogs and bloggers played positive role in all the cases in the aftermath of the horrific bomb blasts in Mumbai
In my post Running With The Devil i had written about the current dismal state of affairs..
i guess the country's establishment priorities lies in which movie to ban,in
mindless quota politics,on iran.. et.al.. whereas the real issues lie somewhere
else.. somewhat sinister..
The goverment's decision made no sense.. in banning free,independent and
highly personal media like blogs ( agreed that there may be some sites that need to be singled out.. but then does this goverment has the means to enforce such censure.. ) and in any case banning these won't in any way improve the security situation and decrease the threat perception that this country faces.. this thinking of the establishment is a mere fallacy.. why doesn't the goverment shows such proactive approach towards closing down SIMI.. busting terror sleeper cells.. on curbing the bangladesh border.. but no.. the goverment could just muster enough strength to ban hapeless blogs..
.. for a change this time the goverment realised its mistake... and lifted the ban..
~Gimme Your Money Please~
In my post Running With The Devil i had written about the current dismal state of affairs..
i guess the country's establishment priorities lies in which movie to ban,in
mindless quota politics,on iran.. et.al.. whereas the real issues lie somewhere
else.. somewhat sinister..
The goverment's decision made no sense.. in banning free,independent and
highly personal media like blogs ( agreed that there may be some sites that need to be singled out.. but then does this goverment has the means to enforce such censure.. ) and in any case banning these won't in any way improve the security situation and decrease the threat perception that this country faces.. this thinking of the establishment is a mere fallacy.. why doesn't the goverment shows such proactive approach towards closing down SIMI.. busting terror sleeper cells.. on curbing the bangladesh border.. but no.. the goverment could just muster enough strength to ban hapeless blogs..
.. for a change this time the goverment realised its mistake... and lifted the ban..
~Gimme Your Money Please~
"Post Mortem" :: Episode 3 (Revised)
i started writing the concluding part of my trilogy ( on my two years in IT ) on friday but couldn't finish it off.. so i saved it to finish it later.. i had written on my state of mind.. which is not very great these days.. ( i think i had already written on it before.. ) but by sunday when i sat down again to finish this post.. the revised salary letters were out.. and my mood had changed.. it was not that bad as when i started writing it.. so i had to re-write the whole post.. but why should i be complaining... the new salary slips are above what i expected ( i think 'expected' is not the right word.. maybe 'feared' sounds better.. ) and much more what most in my team got ( they say money is a great 'leveller'.. i could not agree more.. ) now all my grouses against this company.. against this industry.. against the work.. seems to have all vanished.. ( for now.. ) i love this company ;-) lets see how long this supposed self-satisfaction lasts.. but i 'm always bewildered as to what self-satisfaction is.. or if there is such a thing called 'satisfaction'.. and how to make this all-important trade-off between monetary satisfaction and job/work satisfaction in these impressionable times... chalo i will be short.. i need to uncork the bottle to celebrate the occasion.. :) :)
~Down By The River~
~Down By The River~
"Post Mortem" :: Episode 2
this is the second installment in my continued trilogy on IT and my completing two years in IT ( two years.. OMG, in a single concern.. but we will take about it later.. ) this part mostly deals with 'How To Survive IT'...
In these initial moulding years in IT i have realised thats it not very difficult to do great in IT.. you don't need to be bright or genius to succeed.. all you need is to play your cards well.. really well .. and Boy i assure , and you will places..
These are some of the tenets for working and succeding in IT..
Create Bigger Impact : Try to create a bigger impact or impression than the thing actually deserves or warrants.. this will help you sell yourself better and create tremendous brand recall.. besides you get the much maligned 'Visibility' ...
Keep Everybody In Loop : Keep everybody that's remotely associated with the project in the 'to' and 'cc' list on mails.. and you will make sure you will rise fast.. after all everybody loves to be given importance.. and hundreds of mails in his mailbox.. besides marking a copy also acts as a safety valve if things go wrong..
Work Smart : Always work smarter and not harder.. if working harder could have achieved anything then the rickshaw-walla would have been earning more then these stressed out souls in IT.. try to keep the expectation low.. and try out performing those expectations.. i always believe in 'under-expectation and over-performance'...
The Boss is Always Right :Argue.. Fight.. Debate with your boss.. but in the end make sure that his swolled nerves have been mollified.. remember that 'The Boss is Always Right'... ALWAYS...
Love Metrics.. Love Processess.. Love Documentation : Love and follow your processes even if they all just mean bullshit.. love your excelsheets.. those ppt slides.. those endless meetings.. those mail-mail games.. those reviews stuff.. and document everything that you learn or google.. these documentation helps a LOT !! really... i mean it.. also keep everything in writing..
Always appear enthusiastic.. proactive.. initiative driven.. : this is where i fail and fail miserably :( Another one.. this may sound dirty.. but then it's a dirty world out here.. engage in regular sound-bites.. i 'm not saying flattery but well something like flattery.. just tell people things that they want to hear.. and you become a very close confidant..
Have An Exit Route :Always have an exit plan ready.. you never know when your boss.. or your boss's boss or the endless bosses we have could give a nice kick on your already out-of-shape bottom..
Use 'Right' words at 'Right' time : when you need to protect your turf.. be assertive.. when you need help.. be polite.. be good friends with the whole team.. you never know when you need somebody.. when not sure.. sound unsure.. when confident.. sound confident...
Never Sound Idiotic : Tell it frankly if you don't know something instead of shooting your mouth off.. it takes great pains to make an impression on these firangi client and one bad day can set you back by ages...
enough of preaching.. had i myself followed what i preach i guess things would have been different.. *sigh*...
something again on the lighter side.. got a link of wikimapia which is like Google Earth except that dehradun and small towns are pretty much detailed out in it... so using wikimapia me and my roomie found out our appartment in Noida and tagged it as jahan boss log rahete hai... :) :) OMG.. not content with this we found out the nearest bar where we frequent and tagged it as jahan boss log peete hai... :) :)
~A Horse With A Name~
In these initial moulding years in IT i have realised thats it not very difficult to do great in IT.. you don't need to be bright or genius to succeed.. all you need is to play your cards well.. really well .. and Boy i assure , and you will places..
These are some of the tenets for working and succeding in IT..
Create Bigger Impact : Try to create a bigger impact or impression than the thing actually deserves or warrants.. this will help you sell yourself better and create tremendous brand recall.. besides you get the much maligned 'Visibility' ...
Keep Everybody In Loop : Keep everybody that's remotely associated with the project in the 'to' and 'cc' list on mails.. and you will make sure you will rise fast.. after all everybody loves to be given importance.. and hundreds of mails in his mailbox.. besides marking a copy also acts as a safety valve if things go wrong..
Work Smart : Always work smarter and not harder.. if working harder could have achieved anything then the rickshaw-walla would have been earning more then these stressed out souls in IT.. try to keep the expectation low.. and try out performing those expectations.. i always believe in 'under-expectation and over-performance'...
The Boss is Always Right :Argue.. Fight.. Debate with your boss.. but in the end make sure that his swolled nerves have been mollified.. remember that 'The Boss is Always Right'... ALWAYS...
Love Metrics.. Love Processess.. Love Documentation : Love and follow your processes even if they all just mean bullshit.. love your excelsheets.. those ppt slides.. those endless meetings.. those mail-mail games.. those reviews stuff.. and document everything that you learn or google.. these documentation helps a LOT !! really... i mean it.. also keep everything in writing..
Always appear enthusiastic.. proactive.. initiative driven.. : this is where i fail and fail miserably :( Another one.. this may sound dirty.. but then it's a dirty world out here.. engage in regular sound-bites.. i 'm not saying flattery but well something like flattery.. just tell people things that they want to hear.. and you become a very close confidant..
Have An Exit Route :Always have an exit plan ready.. you never know when your boss.. or your boss's boss or the endless bosses we have could give a nice kick on your already out-of-shape bottom..
Use 'Right' words at 'Right' time : when you need to protect your turf.. be assertive.. when you need help.. be polite.. be good friends with the whole team.. you never know when you need somebody.. when not sure.. sound unsure.. when confident.. sound confident...
Never Sound Idiotic : Tell it frankly if you don't know something instead of shooting your mouth off.. it takes great pains to make an impression on these firangi client and one bad day can set you back by ages...
enough of preaching.. had i myself followed what i preach i guess things would have been different.. *sigh*...
something again on the lighter side.. got a link of wikimapia which is like Google Earth except that dehradun and small towns are pretty much detailed out in it... so using wikimapia me and my roomie found out our appartment in Noida and tagged it as jahan boss log rahete hai... :) :) OMG.. not content with this we found out the nearest bar where we frequent and tagged it as jahan boss log peete hai... :) :)
~A Horse With A Name~
"Post Mortem" :: Episode 1
today i completed two full years in this company as an employee.. and this being my first company.. and my first experiences with the pulls and pressures of IT.. therefore my reasoning may be skewed and tending to decieve general reasoning.. ( i love this company ;-) ) to mark these two years i 'm writing an introspective trilogy on my experiences within this IT.. this part dedicated to IT and outsourcing in general...
in these initial learning years in IT i have realised that all this buzz around outsourcing is deceiving.. its nothing else except plain 'labour arbitrage'.. its just not about Indian IT expertise.. nor about huge workforce.. it's just that work is being done at the costs that is fraction to what it could have been done in US and the cost of telecom and the ease of technology has made multi-locational facilities feasible for even mid-sized corporates.. but i 'm sceptic as to how long can indian engineer hold on to this cost advantage vis-a-vis US engineer.. the cost of an Indian Engineer rises 15%-20% average Y-O-Y whereas salaries there (US) rises measly.. besides there is this perpetual grouse over efficency.. so does outsourcing really help... i have my doubts.. i believe that the reason why corporations took to outsourcing in such a big way is that post tech-bust no company is willing to deploy huge funds to just write new piece of worthless software or implement new technologies ( that may or may suceed ).. much of the spending is just being done to maintain legacy systems ( Maintenance ).. or automate processess ( ERP Packages ) or move processes on to the Web ( application development ).. and this is where indian IT makes a killing just by the virtue that work is being shipped to india where salary is paltry.. but i think outsourcing doesn't save much.. atleast in fields like application development ( not talking about things like VLSI where savings is huge and India expertise is par excellence ) the efficency of indian workforce is way way less then US based engineer.. then this time-difference ( between India and U.S ) becomes a great bottleneck.. i also find great differences in the working attitudes of a US versus Indian Engineer for things like ownership ,creativity, efficency, resposibility and commitment.. (not to say that we don't have these.. but still the difference is there.. ) and finally the value that is being added is still being added by engineers sitting in silicon valley or san jose... its there that fine products ( killer-apps.. like iPod, Google, Ebay ) are being created..
chalo.. i better finish it off.. i wanted to write more .. and write better.. but feeling sleepy.. i guess the booze is getting the better of me ;-)
~Love Me Two Times~
in these initial learning years in IT i have realised that all this buzz around outsourcing is deceiving.. its nothing else except plain 'labour arbitrage'.. its just not about Indian IT expertise.. nor about huge workforce.. it's just that work is being done at the costs that is fraction to what it could have been done in US and the cost of telecom and the ease of technology has made multi-locational facilities feasible for even mid-sized corporates.. but i 'm sceptic as to how long can indian engineer hold on to this cost advantage vis-a-vis US engineer.. the cost of an Indian Engineer rises 15%-20% average Y-O-Y whereas salaries there (US) rises measly.. besides there is this perpetual grouse over efficency.. so does outsourcing really help... i have my doubts.. i believe that the reason why corporations took to outsourcing in such a big way is that post tech-bust no company is willing to deploy huge funds to just write new piece of worthless software or implement new technologies ( that may or may suceed ).. much of the spending is just being done to maintain legacy systems ( Maintenance ).. or automate processess ( ERP Packages ) or move processes on to the Web ( application development ).. and this is where indian IT makes a killing just by the virtue that work is being shipped to india where salary is paltry.. but i think outsourcing doesn't save much.. atleast in fields like application development ( not talking about things like VLSI where savings is huge and India expertise is par excellence ) the efficency of indian workforce is way way less then US based engineer.. then this time-difference ( between India and U.S ) becomes a great bottleneck.. i also find great differences in the working attitudes of a US versus Indian Engineer for things like ownership ,creativity, efficency, resposibility and commitment.. (not to say that we don't have these.. but still the difference is there.. ) and finally the value that is being added is still being added by engineers sitting in silicon valley or san jose... its there that fine products ( killer-apps.. like iPod, Google, Ebay ) are being created..
chalo.. i better finish it off.. i wanted to write more .. and write better.. but feeling sleepy.. i guess the booze is getting the better of me ;-)
~Love Me Two Times~
Of Men And Sheep
last week to watch the much-hyped germany v/s argentina clash we went to this famous chinese bar that is pretty near to our office and is among the 'watering hole' thats usually frequented by the software-wallas.. we reached early.. so as not to miss the comfortable seats.. much early before the match.. and sitting there with our usual 'who-said-this-&-who-did-that' office bullshit.. and on the table infront of each of us was a rectanglar piece of paper giving which year belong to which animal of the 'Chinese Calendar' ( this being a chinese restaurant...) and the brief description of significance of each animal.. i guess it made an interesting read.. Btw, i dont believe in astrology and sun-signs predictions.. but somehow and surprisingly the Chinese Zodiac was not way off the mark.. atleast in my case..
This is what is said in case of 'The Sheep' ( i being born in the year of sheep.. other luminaries to be born with sheep sign are muhammad ali & billie jean king... )
"This is most feminine sign of Chinese Zodiac. A person of sheep year is called good samaritan of the cycle.He is righteous,sincere and easily taken in by sob stories. known for his gentle and compassionate ways. he can easily forgive and be understanding about other faults. dislikes strick schedules and can not take too much discipline of criticism. "
hmmm... 'dislike strict schedules' that takes the cake... all my life i have never allowed deadlines to get the better of me.. even in IT.. i hate these timelines stuff.. righteous... somewhat true.. but telling you frankly morality hardly pays.. this week being the last to submit yearly medical bills & i haven't yet ( and i know everybody submits counterfeit bills.. but then the heart has reason that reason don't know.. ) 'good samaritan' hmmm.... i think yes.. atleast monetarily.. i have large amount of money loaned out.. :) gentle.. yes... sincere.. lemme think..hmmmm i guess this can be argued upon.. forgivingly... yet to forgive anybody.. i think nobody asks forgiveness these days.. but i 'm sure that chinese have got this one wrong 'easily taken in by sob stories'.. i am waiting to be fooled by somebody ( bandi-log only.. ) by telling me sobbing stories :) :)
~Blinded By The Light~
This is what is said in case of 'The Sheep' ( i being born in the year of sheep.. other luminaries to be born with sheep sign are muhammad ali & billie jean king... )
"This is most feminine sign of Chinese Zodiac. A person of sheep year is called good samaritan of the cycle.He is righteous,sincere and easily taken in by sob stories. known for his gentle and compassionate ways. he can easily forgive and be understanding about other faults. dislikes strick schedules and can not take too much discipline of criticism. "
hmmm... 'dislike strict schedules' that takes the cake... all my life i have never allowed deadlines to get the better of me.. even in IT.. i hate these timelines stuff.. righteous... somewhat true.. but telling you frankly morality hardly pays.. this week being the last to submit yearly medical bills & i haven't yet ( and i know everybody submits counterfeit bills.. but then the heart has reason that reason don't know.. ) 'good samaritan' hmmm.... i think yes.. atleast monetarily.. i have large amount of money loaned out.. :) gentle.. yes... sincere.. lemme think..hmmmm i guess this can be argued upon.. forgivingly... yet to forgive anybody.. i think nobody asks forgiveness these days.. but i 'm sure that chinese have got this one wrong 'easily taken in by sob stories'.. i am waiting to be fooled by somebody ( bandi-log only.. ) by telling me sobbing stories :) :)
~Blinded By The Light~
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