An interesting article on "why do we sleep?"
Monday, March 24, 2008

Here is the link for an interesting article on "Why do we sleep?"


Good for you. Good for me!

Posted byPraveen J at 7:34 PM 0 comments  

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Essential Mobile services - online call diversion can be one!
Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The future is mobile. The future is flexibility. Companies want employees on the move and stay ever closer to the customer. Consumers want services that are useful and innovative. Companies are realizing this trend and trying to do their best
in providing what the customer wants and let them have a say. There is a huge scramble for innovative mobile services and giving their customers the power to develop their own. Web 2.0, OMA (Open Mobile Alliance) and the new OHA(Open Handset Alliance)promoted by Google are all steps in this direction. The only company that is still bucking this trend and yet being successful,at least for the time being, is the cupertino based i-novative and secretive 'Apple'.

Despite the huge surge in mobile services in the developed and developing world, operator revenues are sliding down. Though people realize the need for being mobile and the utility of the services that are on offer, the most critical factor "cost" of these services is detrimental. Mobile operators and service providers are doing their best with a double edged sword. On one side the share-holders demanding ever increasing profits and on the other hand, consumers demanding ever decreasing prices. Services cost to be developed and costs time to be deployed and expecting comparable revenues sounds logical. In addition, services are increasingly technically complex, which in turn increases the cost of development and deployment. So, does this mean to indicate that the less complex but high utility services are being already exhausted. Not necessarily!

There are still services that are missing in day to day life that often could be very useful and yet missing. One such service that is missing is "on-line call diversion". Mobile phones are the main conduits to keep people connected. With Nokia we have a
great deal of mobility that many people can solely be contacted with Mobiles. But, every now and then I read or send emails within the company telling others that I cannot be reached today because I forgot to bring along the instrument with me. This causes substantial inconvenience and most times many important calls being missed. But, there is most times a possibility that you have access to some other phone where you can be reached, at least temporarily, and the real problem being just communicating the contact number to the right person who wishes to contact you. Here call diversion helps. But, call diversion has traditionally been done by having access to the instrument. It leaves a person in limbo when he or she does not have access to the instrument. Can a way out of it exist? Yes, it can. A possibility to do the call diversion, guess what, Online!!!!

Internet is pervasive, at least with the techies. Google helps to write most of the world's software code and emails are a substantial traffic in the world's data network. So, any person can have access to the Internet, at least for a short time. So, there is a clear need for a service like an "online call diversion" that offers a possibility to get online and do a simple login, like we do with the public emails, and make a diversion to a temporary number.This service should be relatively easy to develop and deploy and can make a life whole lot easier for forgetful professionals. This can be just as basic as having the diversion possibility on the equipment, especially in this Inter-net connected world. As I know, there are no operators who offer this service at the moment. If they already do, as a consumer and techie, I'm not aware of it. So, they better check out with their marketing department!

Am sure there are more such underdog services that are still missing! Don't look deep, but just look shallow. Most times they are right in front of you and you yourself could be just feeling the need for it. The real skill lies in identifying them.

Posted byPraveen J at 9:58 AM 0 comments  

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India needs a correction
Sunday, November 04, 2007

It's a known story that India is growing at a faster rate and very well on the track to create billion dollar individuals. But, is this growth sustainable on a long run. As the PM warned, what happens when the success is not shared with the fellow citizens of India. I'm no economics expert, but I strongly believe India needs a correction and that too an immediate one. Resources are stretched and country seems to be running on steroids without the fundamental things being met. Infrastructure is worn out, yet cars in thousands on the road everyday. Infrastructure building needs labor, but it is in a huge shortage in India. Perhaps we need to consider importing them from Dubai and the rest of Gulf to whom we previously exported. Real estate prices are ridiculous and we are building islands inside India with the poor living just by the side. This trend clearly needs a correction, if the country is hoping to to jump to the next level of development without any social upheaval. A strong correction now in the economy is the only way out. Perhaps, the rising tensions in our immediate neighborhood and the slow down in the US economy can just be start of it.

Posted byPraveen J at 3:50 PM 0 comments  

Think local, act local
Monday, October 15, 2007

A sunny day and not to mention a weekend means celebration here in Munich. The city of Munich located 50 km north of the northern edge of Alps and the capital of the state of Bavaria, is also otherwise called the "city of singles". The most important place to visit, especially on a very sunny day is undoubtedly the "Englischer Garten". The park stretching itself to the length and breadth of the city has loads to offer. Old couples walking, young couples romancing , aspirants playing football and nude people just greeting the sun, all this and much more. One can't afford to miss the whole invigorating atmosphere on a sunny weekend.

I mentioned everything and myself, an Indian. Can cricket be far behind? Part of the Englischer garten landscape was some cricket too, played by some regulars and some irregulars (which includes me) as Germans wondered and hissed with comments like

"ist das Baseball?" (Is it baseball) ---
"nee, das heisst Cricket" (no, its called cricket), responds another....

We guys enjoyed our cricket with the usual informal accusations and behind the back strokes and some wonderful shots and beautiful bowling, later only to be amused by the wealth of on-lookers. Cricket played by more than 10 nations of the world and a hugely polarizing game in the sub-continent, just makes no-meaning in an another continent, except a passing curiousity. This made me to immediately recall the business philosophy "Think local, act local", if it should interest the local market.

Posted byPraveen J at 2:21 PM 0 comments  

Global warming and India
Sunday, July 22, 2007

Global warming is a topic that attracts my instant attention and the oft repeated fact that India would be one of the worst affected countries due to this global climate change sends shivers down my spines. A billion Indian living under poor and inhumane conditions, going through the suffering, as if they aren't already, mainly spurred by the industrialized nations and increasingly contributed by India and China, again aided by industrialized nations is a pity. An article in NY times says the following about India's fast melting glaciers, which are the main source of water for a billion people.

India’s public response so far has been to blame the industrialized world for rising emissions and resist any mandatory caps of its own. India’s per capita share of emissions is one-twentieth that of industrialized countries, the government points out, going on to argue that any restrictions on emissions would stunt its economic growth.

And yet, as critics say, India’s rapid economic advance, combined with a population of more than a billion people, will soon make it a far bigger contributor to greenhouse gases. More to the point, India stands to bear some of the most devastating consequences of human-induced climate change.

Here is the complete article-->Glaciers in Retreat

Posted byPraveen J at 7:55 AM 0 comments  

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An account on Helsinki/Finland
Friday, September 22, 2006

Very recently, I had the opportunity to visit Helsinki, thanks to Nokia. Best way to understand a country is by talking to the people on the streets and this belief was overwhelmingly justified in this small country of 6 mn inhabitants. It's a country that is waking up to the globalization that is ushered in by NOKIA. This little scandinavian country has always been a nice relaxed place. The elderly people who had always made their money with the fishes and passed time with the adventorous sea sports have to suddenly wake up to the new arrival of foreigners mainly for Nokia.

Nokia has experimented with many businesses before settling on Mobile phones and networks. They manufactured rubber boots, winter tyres, Televisions and Computer monitors before realizing the potential in mobiles. Its a relatively new company in telecommunications when compared to it's peers and many inhabitants still have the vivid memory of Nokia rubber boots and many still own one. Nokia Winter tyres are still manufactured in Finland, although with the same brand name but now owned by a different company. Around late 80's or early 90's Nokia started to get into mobiles and now the world leaders in many markets including India. The beauty of this history is, this all started in a very small real village!!! So, this goes on to prove that there is no reason that a successful technological company has to come from the bases of Silicon valley!

Today, the new economy leader Nokia although still has its biggest base in Finland, is bringing in lots of foreigners for business reasons. And this is a new phenomenon for the relaxed going elderly people. The new arrival of others do makes them feel uneasy but the younger sophisticated lot who are in their, as one elder expressed, "americanization" phase watching "Desperate Housewives" are very much at ease with the different cultured like me. There are around 40 schools in Helsinki and I learnt that they get real good quality education. Some young people I got to meet possess extensive knowledge about India at the age of 15 including the holy Ganges and the plethora of languages and religions that co-exist in our country. When a 15 yr old can know so much of a country on the other side of the world, Globalization is at its helm!

The city as such sports pretty much a Russian look and lots of Russians mainly from St.Petersberg had descended on Helsinki for various reasons. Other mainly visiting foreign nationals are Swedish and Germans. English is widely spoken and shoulnd't be a big problem to strike a conversation with the normal junta and last but not least, religion doesn't count much in reality and the younger lot are happy with it.

Posted byPraveen J at 9:43 PM 3 comments  

choose our choice!
Friday, September 08, 2006

A single situation looks completely different depending on the way of approach.The good news is, the way of approach can be controlled by the thinking process. Hence, its within our control to choose our choice.

Posted byPraveen J at 4:58 PM 2 comments  

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