Nutty predictions

Hi All
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers". That was an IBM prediction in 1943 - which is today counted among the 10 worst predictions ever. Now IBM is at it again - predicting that is and I guess it has bettered its crystal ball since 1943 ...
CIO India reports some of the IBM predictions in its third annual Five by Five list. One of the predictions that got my attention was:
"You will talk to the Web . . . and the Web will talk back." Someday soon you will surf the Internet using just your voice, a development that will make the Web more widely accessible worldwide, particularly for those who cannot read or write.
Interesting not that IBM believes the Web will talk but that it also believes that five years from now, there will still be people - particularly in India - who will not be able to read or write.
Now, I wish this is one prediction we as Indians could prove wrong.
Best Regards
Gotya

Creator of the Kohinoor?

Hi All

I had a fun time last two weeks as I joined a conducted tour of Europe. Travelled through 7 countries in the last 14 days. One of the tourist attractions was the Coster Diamond Factory in Amsterdam.

Its a nice place with lot of informative and sales stuff on diamonds and related jewellery. They seem to be good at their work and one of their claims-to-fame is that many years back Moses Elias Coster was invited by the Queen of England to polish/ re-cut the Kohinoor Diamond - expectedly to add to its fire and beauty. What surprised me is that this seems to be enough for this factory to claim to be "Creators of the Kohinoor" ... you can clearly see this label in the picture alongside which was taken in their factory. They have displayed a replica of the Kohinoor in their shop which is photographed. Zoom in and read the first line below.

Ofcourse here (as in most other western museums which display stolen artifacts) there is no mention that the Kohinoor is part of the looted bounty from Indian heritage. But I will let that point rest as much has been said about this already ...

I found at-least one other reference which went on to say that while the re-cuting work done by Coster on the Kohinoor did not add much to the stone's brilliance, it certainly diminished from its historic value. So I wonder whether Coster would accept this graciously and re-phrase that "Creator" to "Destroyer" or at-least "Damager" ...

Best Regards

36. Notes on Information Systems Architecture

Hi All,
I have been learning a little bit about Information System Architectures and the start point just has to be the Zachman Framework. Perhaps the Zachman Framework is to Architectures what the Deming Quality Cycle appears to be all Management consulting. Of course some of my friends call it the “Hamster Wheel of Pain” but that’s another story …

An interesting extract from the article (that I reproduce here – more as a “note-to-self”) follows. He ( Dr. John Zachman - Biographical Sketch) first discusses the various perspectives or fundamental architectural representations such as Owner’s view, Designer’s view, Builder’s view etc. and then goes on to say:
“A significant observation regarding these architectural representations is that each has a different nature from the others. They are not merely a set of representations, each of which displays a level of detail greater than the previous one. Level of detail is an independent variable varying within any one architectural representation…”

The original article appeared in IBM System Journal Vol. 26, No.3 of 1987 and is a must-read.
Best Regards

35. Web Version 2

So, what does Web 2.0 mean to you?
Some of us know it only as a jargon that seems to be catching up to Internet users. Some of us may think it as yet another "IT" thing floating around. Some honest ones will admit to not having heard much.
But rejoice ... if you are reading this you are already part of Web 2.0 :-) So also when you login to Orkut or LinkedIN, search for that elusive bit of detail in Wikipedia or use the smart mobile application which shows the apartments for sale in your favourite city on Google Maps - complete with the driving directions to it. (Okay that last "Mashup" is yet to be created or atleast popularised). Or you might just want to twitter about what you have been up to recently ...
I will not go much into what Web 2.0 is or how to define it and stuff. Tim O'Reilly has already done a fantastic job of it years ago. But two main streams of thoughts come to mind:

• What sound business ideas exist to make money out of this? Or atleast to avoid the repeat of the dot com bubble burst? Interestingly I was reading a McKinsey Global Survey (June 2008) result on "Building the Web 2.0 Enterprise" and a key point made by the report is that "Satisfied respondents say that, in large measures, business units rather than IT departments are driving the selection of Web 2.0 Technologies" - where IT units take the lead, it is leading to more number of dis-satisfied users or even rejections of the technologies. (So its not an IT-thing after all).
• What new risks will present themselves to Internet users or IT users from Web 2.0 usage? Ofcourse the most obvious answer is related to compromise of personal information, privacy, "identity theft" etc. but whether Web 2.0 can be blamed for these risks is food for thought. Admittedly Web 2.0 makes it easier - perhaps even enticing - for people to offer their personal information for public consumption, but what does it say for the awareness level or discretion of users in the first place? We are sure to see some thoughts on this in coming days.

More than ever, the all-important question is "what do you think about it" ?

Have a good time

Best regards

Gotya

34. Wonderful Leela of Shri Sai

Few months back, I was reading one of the chapters in Shri Sai Satcharitra - the wonderful life and teachings of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi. At one point, there is a story of how a devotee starts reading the Guru Charitra - which describes the wonderful incarnations of Shri Dattatreya and the beautiful relationships between Guru and Disciples.
A desire awakened that I should also read the Gurucharitra and benefit from the nectar of the sweet words therein. At the same time a small thought came into my mind that I should read it only when some instruction comes from Shri Sai. I thought that if someone were to give me a copy of this holy book - without my asking for it - I will surely start reading it. At the same time, I also thought that it is a bad sign of ego on my part that I want my Sadguru Shri Sai to come and make it available to me - as a pre-condition to reading it. I silently prayed that it should not be considered so and somehow Baba should acknowledge my desire and strengthen my faith.
I half-expected that when I visit my home in Mumbai my mother - who usually reads and keeps such holy books - would give me a copy of the Gurucharitra, which would be my signal to start reading it. I also worried that my mother would give me a Marathi copy and I would have to read it. (Although my mother tongue is Marathi, my near and dear ones know how much I find difficult even to read some simple text in Marathi - so I was worried how I would read it). As it turned out, my mother did not give me any such book and as per my desire I did not want to ask for it. So I was sorely disappointed.
But Shri Sai Baba is all knowing and his ways are also such that he gives his devotees exactly what they need and in his own ways.
A few days back as Ashada month started, He first ensures that I had a Vitthal Darshan and a view of the Warkaris heading towards Pandharpur. Then He awakened a desire to search online for some pictures of Shri Sai Baba. In this quest, I also discovered the online version of Shri Sai Satcharitra which I posted in my previous blog post.
In the above mentioned search I also came across the online copy of the GuruCharitra in English. Exactly as I wanted ! Further the timing of this was just perfect. I came across this on the day of Ashada Ekadashi - a few days before Guru-Pournima. I was so thrilled by this occurrence that last few days I was just reading it and only managed to finish the first reading today - on Guru Pournima.

I know it sounds such a coincidence and luck maybe. But I believe there was some divine coincidence and Shri Sai Baba has not only understood the small desire that arose in my heart - He has also ensured that the reading is completed in the days before Guru Pournima.

I was just so thrilled with this set of events that I had to blog about it and hope that this experience also provides some joy to other Sai Bhaktas who chance upon this post.
!!! Shri Satchitananda Sadguru Sainath Maharaj Ki Jai !!!

33. Link to Online SaiCharitra

Since I posted last year about Guru Pournima, I noticed a stream of visitors on this blog who were referred through searching Google for the words "Guru Pournima" or were searching the web for images of Sadguru, Shri Sai Baba. Knowingly or unknowingly if this blog entry has been of use to Sai-bhaktas around the world, I can only consider it my good fortune.


Following are some more links which may be of use to Sai-bhaktas who come up to my blog:

• The Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan Trust in Shirdi which is doing a very good job of facilitating devotees to reach their everything - Sadguru Shri Saibaba.
• The Sai Satcharitra - the English version of the holy book for all Sai devotees. This is not just a book but it is the lifeline holding which we shall float across the sea of all joys and sorrows, all excitements and disappointments and finally be reunited with the One.
• Apparently also there is a Shirdi Sai Temple in New York in the one and only US of A. This site has taken a lot of efforts and pains to set up the Sai Sat Charitra on the online version. Besides they have a nice download center and other useful resources for Sai Bhaktas.

I have tried to include here some resources which may be of use to the Sai Bhaktas who have been visiting this blog. If there is anything specific I can add, please feel free to request through a comment here and with the will of Shri Sai, I will try to do so to the best of my ability.

Best Regards

Gautam

32. Tungaska Event

Hi All
Did you know that an explosion about 1000 times as strong as the Hiroshima bomb rocked the earth just 100 years ago - on June 30 1908 - years before the World Wars? And the culprit was not any superpower country but good old Mother Nature?
The Tungaska event is described as the strongest significant meteorite airburst (the comet / meteorite / whatever it was ... just about kissed the earth that day) exploded with an energy equivalent of 10 to 15 Megaton of TNT (believe me, you dont want to be anywhere near when that happens). The saving grace was that it occured over a remote part of Siberia with minimal population in those days. It is said that if the explosion occured just 4 minutes later, it would have occured over St. Petersburg - completely destroying the Russian capital. Even in those days, the signs of the explosion were picked up as far as Great Britain.
Read more here ...

Have a safe time ...
Best Regards

31. Oil and Gas Industry Information Links

Hi All

Came across a very good question on LinkedIN today related to study resources for beginners to the Oil and Gas industry. Thanks to Mr. Jesse Pickard who initated this question and to 15 people who have given some excellent resources for study.

I am bookmarking this question - hope you are too ...

Best Regards
Gautam

In memory of the immortal Queen

Hi All
I havent posted anything here since the start of this year and my apologies to all of you for the delay. Today is the 150th anniversary of the martyrdom of one of the greatest patriots - Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Which Indian has not been moved as a child by the story of this Queen riding to her death with her child tied behind her back?

There are some moments, words, events which never fail to touch the innermost chords of one's heart. Try listening to Lata Mangeshkar as she sings "Ae mere watan ke logo ..." or a rendition of "Vande Mataram" from the film Anand Math (hope I am right about the name of the film - its been a very long time since I saw it) and write to me if they dont move you to tears ... (the challenge doesnt hold if you are not Indian or dont know Hindi ofcourse). If there is a poem that has the same effect, it has to be Subhadra Kumari Chauhan's "Khoob Ladhi Mardani" ... Which school-child's imagination has not been stirred by those lines - which Indian girl has not wanted to stand on stage with the sword raised and proclaim "Main apni Jhansi nahi doongi !" (" I will not give my Jhansi").

Well before I get all mushy about this, here are a few links you might like:

• The Wiki site on Rani Laxmibai
• A biography at Freeindia dot org
• A blog article about her early life
• An inspiring portrait of the valiant Queen.

Those of you who are in Pune today (17 June 2008) may want to attend this program (at 6 pm at the Abasaheb Garware College auditorium) organised by the Maharashtra Education Society (MES), in collaboration with the Swantantryasamarache Shatakottar Suvarna Mahotsav Samiti, an association formed to celebrate the golden jubilee of 1857 freedom fighters.

Best wishes all and have a good time, till we meet again ...

Best regards

Gautam