Shankar's Corner!

Demystifying Mobility

2011-02-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

Mobility is defined as the state of being mobile and connected to the functions provided by the internet.

"In the 1990s, When the home computers arrived the hard disk drives costs reduced, processing speeds increased, other hardware costs also reduced with each passing year (Moore's law). Additionally the interconnectivity increased their utility, the network effort of more people joining the internet made them more powerful. The usability and the features increased exponentially and they truly became multi-media systems. Thus PCs changed the way we did businesses; improved customer satisfaction, employee happiness and spawned new businesses around them and have become indispensable.
The next wave of change expected to happen now, is with the smart mobile devices and their influence on work productivity. With the incoming of 3G technology the wireless data transfer speeds increased, also the processing speeds and the functionalities of mobile devices have bettered; this is expected to create a similar or even a widespread revolution in way things/businesses operate.
With a wireless device like an Iphone, u can be location aware (maps), direction aware (compass), can sense touches, always be connected, can use the device to see (camera), can transmit videos/images and also be social media ready. This is a significant leap frogging from the black and white mobile devices that were ubiquitous in the 1990s. Like a multi media computer that was able to do image, video and rich data transmission which a third generation PC was not able to do, this Iphone/other smartphone is a significant improvement over the basic feature phones".
The analogy elucidates the trend that we are moving towards. The smart phones are expected to bring a different revolution from the one that internet had brought about with multimedia systems and high speed connectivity.
The mobility began with the arrival of pagers one should say, where the devices were used to communicate to employees at work. A sales person or an employee on field always was reachable for timely information. The cellular phones enabled a two way communication and provided additional functionalities. The Blackberry heralded the smart phone revolution, most of the business people were able to check emails and communicate even when not at work. These brought about great productivity improvement as bosses were able to be always in touch with work and take timely decisions, employees also got faster turn around time.

With the arrival of powerful smart phones and tablet devices, the enterprises are looking at the mobile devices as the next computing paradigm.
Enterprises are trying to target three different user bases : Customers, Partners and Employees.
A customer could access a service provided by the enterprise anywhere from his mobile device. Partner could place an order, track the order life cycle right on the palm of his hands. CXOs can keep tab of the KPIs on his IPad. These are few illustrations but the possibilities are unlimited.

This is an introduction article on mobility and the possibilities, would try to present the following and more in the subsequent articles:
a. Different parts of the value chain in mobility
b. New businesses that would spurn out of this opportunity
c. How to design a Mobile Application (and integrate with existing infrastructure)
d. How advertising and marketing is going to target this new channel
e. Social Media business and Mobility
f. New Technologies and Cloud
g. Applications
h. Monetizing mobility

Inspiration Quotient!

2010-08-16T10:11:00.001-07:00

When I want to feel comical about life, I read politics

When I want to feel normal about life, I talk to my Dad

When I want to feel super normal, I read Bharathi's works

When I want to get rid of boredom, I turn to the comments on Rediff

When I want to feel confident, I turn to my education

When I want to feel like a leader, I try to do my work myself

When I want to feel loved, I chat with my friends

When I want to feel that everything is normal with the world, I youtube Tendulkar

When I want to tackle rowdy Autos, I remember Rajini movies

When I want to feel useful, I blog!

Lucy Gray - A moving tragedy

2010-08-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

A poem that has left a lasting impression in me is the story of Lucy Gray, by William Wordsworth. Not sure, if it's among his most famous works but if you happen to read it, you will be moved by the emotions that it brings out. Wordsworth a nature poet, definitely subtly brings out the supernatural impact of nature and the power nature has over man.

"To cut a long story short, Lucy gray has no friends and lives with her family. One afternoon, she goes to fetch her mother from the town which is beside the mountain/forest with a lantern in her hand. An unexpected blizzard hits and there she goes missing. Time here stops, we would want to believe that Lucy Gray returns to her family and they live happily ever after. But the footsteps of her ends abruptly in middle of a bridge. The conclusion of the poem seems to indicate that she has less chances of surviving".

The suspense at the end strikes one hard, no one knows if she is really lost or is she going to be back. We all want to believe that she is going to be and live happily ever after. Poem though is tragic there is some hope left for us. Her parents as shown in the poem to blissfully believe that she is alive and will be back one day.

We all want to believe that this life will get us somewhere though, we could have hit a plateau; we all like her parents want to believe that those times of cheer, like Lucy Gray will be back.

Lucy Gray could be compared with the efforts/decisions we take in life to reach the goal. We plan it, we secure it by giving it a lantern and the vicissitudes hits us like a blizzard. Retaining the hope of seeing the fruits of our labor, is in our hands. Let us believe that our hopes are secured and there are things to cheer about.

Will she see the light of the day? Are the foot steps seen is of some other girl and not of Lucy Gray ? Read the poem and make your own conclusion!

Lucy Gray - William Wordsworth

"Oft I had heard of Lucy Gray,

And when I cross'd the Wild,
I chanc'd to see at break of day
The solitary Child.

No Mate, no comrade Lucy knew;
She dwelt on a wild Moor,
The sweetest Thing that ever grew
Beside a human door!

You yet may spy the Fawn at play,
The Hare upon the Green;
But the sweet face of Lucy Gray
Will never more be seen.

"To-night will be a stormy night,
You to the Town must go,
And take a lantern, Child, to light
Your Mother thro' the snow."

"That, Father! will I gladly do;
'Tis scarcely afternoon--
The Minster-clock has just struck two,
And yonder is the Moon."

At this the Father rais'd his hook
And snapp'd a faggot-band;
He plied his work, and Lucy took
The lantern in her hand.

Not blither is the mountain roe,
With many a wanton stroke
Her feet disperse, the powd'ry snow
That rises up like smoke.

The storm came on before its time,
She wander'd up and down,
And many a hill did Lucy climb
But never reach'd the Town.

The wretched Parents all that night
Went shouting far and wide;
But there was neither sound nor sight
To serve them for a guide.

At day-break on a hill they stood
That overlook'd the Moor;
And thence they saw the Bridge of Wood
A furlong from their door.

And now they homeward turn'd, and cry'd
"In Heaven we all shall meet!"
When in the snow the Mother spied
The print of Lucy's feet.

Then downward from the steep hill's edge
They track'd the footmarks small;
And through the broken hawthorn-hedge,
And by the long stone-wall;

And then an open field they cross'd,
The marks were still the same;
They track'd them on, nor ever lost,
And to the Bridge they came.

They follow'd from the snowy bank
The footmarks, one by one,
Into the middle of the plank,
And further there were none.

Yet some maintain that to this day
She is a living Child,
That you may see sweet Lucy Gray
Upon the lonesome Wild.

O'er rough and smooth she trips along,
And never looks behind;
And sings a solitary song
That whistles in the wind."

Very Very Special!

2010-08-12T11:22:00.000-07:00

Mahabharth's Karna would blame his curse for having failed at the crucial moment against his arch rival. But the man who bats for India at No.5, certainly looks at life differently from the eldest son of Kunti. At the crucial moment when everyone fails and when your opponents are breathing down your neck, like a phoenix he resurrects to deliver the knock out punch.

If one can compare Tendulkar's career with a FMCG company that is unaffected by recession, VVS is a cyclical one which moves through it's troughs and crests. The innings of 281 at Eden Gardens is a black swan for Indian cricket, after which things that were hitherto part of Indian cricket fan's blissful imagination came to life. Like a successful high risk high return proposition he more often than not beats the market's expectation.

He is uniquely Indian, like a nation that is facing its unique challenges, Laxman also has his limitations. Though his batting is smooth as silk, we cannot find many pleasant words to talk about his fielding and running. India fails at things that are assumed common place in other parts of the world but suddenly pulls out few rabbits out of the hat, successful IT companies, successful global acquisition by Indian firms are few illustrations.

Like many stalwarts who are bored with everyday mundane life wanting challenges to test the boundaries of their capabilities. This man is no different, though he fails at walk in the park situations, challenges bring the best in him and more so when it's from an Aussie. And has he not been their biggest nemesis per our recent cricketing memory, which certainly is VVS!

In Raven's feathers!

2010-08-12T10:11:00.001-07:00

O' Dark Lord, you are what in Raven's feather I see,

Your green is in every plant and tree ,

All Sounds play ur bamboo flute's song,

When fire burns my finger, I touch thou in Pleasure O'Nandalala!

==== Original bySubramaniya Bharathi in Tamil

Ahmedabad, How I miss you!

2010-08-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

If there is a place that I can call home outside home, it is ahmedabad. The city never ceases to amaze me, right from the chai waala everyone in the city knows what's happening at the stock market and seem to have invested there. The city a growing one, has the charm of a small city and facilities of a big metro but not it's crowd, traffic and pollution.

The city has given me an identity, a career, good friends and of course a new perspective to life. People have associated with it for the wrong reasons, my personal experience with the city has been far different from perceived reality, it's safest place in which I have ever lived. Where else in India, have i seen families eating out at midnight and women walking safely on the road at the death of the night?

Each one here wants to have his own business, the companies set up here are growing and of course the state is prospering. The high prosperity and increasing opportunities are definitely contributing to the low crime rate.' Only in sun do you realize value of a shade' and now I do! I did find the positive energy contagious.

"Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are" goes an old adage

For a modern Indian city, it can be put as "Show me your auto wallas, I would tell how good a city you are" . Don't be surprised, the auto wallas here run autos on meter and are helpful and cooperative.

Ahmedabad you have spoilt me and I miss you!

Where can i walk at 2 am on roads and claim I am safe. Where would I get autos that run on meter and not fleece me!

Swami Vivekananda said, "Let New India arise- let her arise- out of the peasants' cottage, grasping the plough; out of the huts of fisherman, the cobbler, and the sweeper. Let her spring from the grocer's shop, from the oven of the fritter-seller. Let her emanate from factory, from marts and markets. Let her emerge from groves and forests, from hills and mountains." , only here did I see traces of this new India

'CAT' Chronicles..

2008-06-06T04:50:00.000-07:00

Blogging has become a part of daily work these days, i have started reading lot of blogs and I guess this is a sign of addiction to the internet. As with all addiction its difficult to get over them. I am almost online for most of the time I am awake, I have not seen more of monitor even when I was a software engineer. As most software guys do I always focussed when the next break is going to be. Now i keep watching blog unmindful of the time or even the break. I guess that I was busy trying to write CAT and do my MBA that the work was more of a routine than an enjoyment.

When we look back at the events it seems that they all happen with a sequence, events one after the other unfold like the chips of a prestacked domino. With the lots of demand for H1B visas these days,the US government was forced to go for a lottery procedure for the selection of the visa. Most will wonder how this one ruling was bound to change my life, it had a big effect on my near future. What this rule effectively meant is that when ur H1B visa is filled it has to go thru a lottery which eventually decides whether you will be given a call for the Visa interview or not.

Then came the eventful day in May 2007, my company notified me that my Visa was not selected in the lottery. I was informally told that i will be sent to the USA once i get my Visa stamped, this had made my shelf my all plans for CAT. I was of the thought that I will goto USA incidentally make green money and try for my higher studies from there, I even had a valid GRE score. Now that this plan had collapsed, CAT was the only option at hand. People advised me to write GMAT and they warned me against having all my eggs in a single basket.

But I thought of trying my luck at CAT. This is one of the most hyped exams in the world I guess. Having given my CAT previous year, I was of the opinion if it was your day then cracking CAT would be possible. Decided to join a test series. The preparation started from june to the day of the test. I would say that I had to work every day for a minimum of hour to three hours. After a long days work it was difficult at first then it became a routine. Sometimes I attempted to read during the travel. I read newspapers and editorial during travel at first as it didnot make very obvious that I was preparing for CAT. Then gradually they were replaced by CAT books as the deadline for the Dday started nearing.
To be Continued.................

Blame it on the zodiac..

2008-05-31T03:03:00.000-07:00

A perfect libran uses his mind like a balance to judge his every action. He indulges in this closed loop process that has a feedback input from the error correction of previous decisions. This process continues till it faces the constraint of a deadline or just plainly the lack of energy. The mood has an effect on the polarity of the feedback . Makes me even extrapolate that probably fuzzy logic has is the contraption of a libran, how could he possibly manage with only binary states. Are the meta-stable states in Laser science's depiction of his mental state?
Appraisal is the first words in his dictionary and the last word is action, but the word pops out when the constraints have been breached.

One month's break. Thoughts on it...

2008-05-29T21:03:00.000-07:00

1. Sleep is the first thing that can come topmost on ones mind. Its a good thing to sleep a lot for one month. Combined with IPL, sleep can help u to fill 24 hours
2. Why not learn a new language. For all those Hindi ignorant ppl nice time to learn the national language.
3. Reduce some extra flabs. You gotto ask me abt this.Haha
4. If above doesn interest u then, Movie a day Keeps your boredom away.
5. Finally Hindu in the morning, Browsing in the day and Some walk in the evening pushes off these long stretched hours...
We are not that important, we all can relax cant we?... Any Suggestions?

The ides of MArch...

2006-05-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

In the ides of March:

There are certain happenings in our life that happen and it leaves an imprint so much
that we when reminded of it, feel a wave of happiness. Hey readers, dont runaway this
is not any sentimental stuff, but a light humor of sorts(if one).

Mid march, what else but exams where looming large and the sun was sriking heavily with its
meteorical eyes, the humidity for its sake was doing its job perfectly. Madras, march , exams what
a good combination should have been a perfect time to sleep. But not so , the boy had been presented
a cap by his father and he wanted to have a use, so he had ordered his battalion to be ready
for the mission(game of cricket @ 3). Seems a very normal day in the offing but is it, lets see.
The history had always wondered would it remain the same one, so is it to be rewritten or altered.
The pitch was the newly perfectly laid raid new road as the elections of 96 were just over.
The curator(the boy himself) was happy of it. They always played opposite to old vacant house, whatelse but
to escape from the scolding of the houseowners. As far as all had known the house was vacant for
the last 6 months. The members arrived braving the heat and their parents.

The stumps
drawn on the wall and toss been won
the jubilient boy allowed himself to bat. It was a like a platter for him to bat as the
worst bowler bowled the ball and the basman gave a wild swing at the first ball and it
landed where else but the house in front of him. He jumped the small wall that beleaguered the house
and resumed his search for the ball. As he lost the patience he ordered for reinforcemnet
to aid him in his search. As the friend was about to jump for the search, there was a some hustle
and some faint noise , which took itself a form of a canine. The whit pomeranian(dog), now started its
its loud bark was for sure after the boy. The fluids of his nose released, hanging the boy
started yelling " help" "help". Three rounds were complete and finally when the
canine was about to achieve its objective, the dog's owner rescued the boy(the dog).
Then he knew that the house had been occupied and they had ceaser the dog.The boy was none
other than me. Ceaser could ve easily rewritten the history book, by taking revenge for
the centuries of pent up anger. I felt like yelling at caeser " I am not brutus, et tu ceaser"

Desire

2006-05-21T04:02:00.000-07:00

"I motor the very yearn for excistence"
Started to quoth the blasphemous force,
"Waves and me are of a kind mirage
We always start again as we end".
"The mammoth hunger i leave behind
never agrees to cease or satiate".
"The raging fire which I am,
Always have an appetaite for more".
"I am desire the route cause for evils"
The reverie which ended, jolted my senses
The vision though advised me against,
I cant stop to desire thee.

Some Random Thoughts....

2006-05-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

HORIZON

The travel by the train was hard and I was looking out of the window when I suddenly saw patches of light smeared across the wide open sky. Then in a vacant mood I was looking closely @ the sky where I was able to observe that the light formed a pattern of it own which was difficult to understand & magnificent as I thought it might have a strange mysterious purpose of its own. The level of thought ascended to higher levels, feeling which I never felt again and was difficult to make the other people understand As a matter of fact I was not able to recollect what I felt and it got lost into caves of my mind. These thoughts are entities that make us wonder the mystery that the nature has bound within itself and which when unwound by the unique ability of the mystery machine that is mind. These things led to a lot of questions within me , I tried to balance the mind by trying to answer the questions which were posed by the machine. Hey I was unable to find the answer to those questions and mind slipped into a meta-stable state .Hey then I understood that once we strech the level of our mind, the stable portion of our mind gets disturbed and this is why the people always try to attain a stable state & fit themselves to the place rather , change the place according to them.

Where did the light originate??

The lights coming from an unknown source (sun ) but whats the pattern all about. It was the horizon that was responsible for all . Whats the end of the view our eyes can see . Whats the farthes poin one can comprehend. The answer to all the above questions remain to be the horizon. So if the person could reach the horizon of one’s imagination will he able to attain the happiness. Solitude is the horizon of happiness, Stability is the horizon of one’s mind. Happines is the horizon of one’s life Most of these questions remained very contradictory to one another. Then , an inner voice told me as you move the horizon keeps extending so horizon is the horizon of itself.

Whats the purpose of the light???

I wondered what purpose did the light emante for . I was unable to find a fiiting reply to the question . It was particualry very difficult to find out the meaning for things happening. We think the world is composed of the human race and is created for the purpose of sustaining the human race and is there in its place to be spoiled and toyed around by us . This is the horizon of the thinking . The patience is a key element which we lack . Learn from the nature that even the evening has the patience to last 8 minutes longer for the sun rays to recede and the morning also posses the patience of the same time to have the first rays adorn the soil . This is the horizon of patience.
And the light conspired with the nature in finding the horizon of my thoughts.

Absence

2006-05-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

Absence!

Never he treads his path alone,
Today, the closest companion was missing,
His pal, shadow was lost,
Groping in the dark he wondered where it was
"Is darkness the absence of light?"

He had endured it(pain) for a long time
It had made him autistic.
Finally, one day he laughed,
This had never happpened before,
The pain here was just the absence of laughter.

The place had remained the same,
until they met on a particular day,
All happened in an instant,
The machine his life was blaring in full vigor,
"How his life would be complete in absence of her?"

The Giant Millipede

2006-05-20T23:23:00.000-07:00

I found myself lost on the winding platform,
Where, I felt a sudden pang,
But the distant rumbling had to confirm ,
Followed by a blaring horn, the arrival of the timeless traveller.

Its mere presence sent a feeling of warmth,
That seeped right into my bones, but?
The countenance of the iron mammoth let
my heart ask 'Are you intimate to me or intimidating me?'

A flurry of questions probed my mind,
The tough one queried its gender,
An inner voice said "brute force is typical of men!',
Nevertheless the rocking iron maiden told me the opposite.

Hey! are you a kin the Ganges?
'The lifeline of our city;
Flowing forever from one end to the other',
Our banks enriched with the concrete jungles.

The hawkers and the beggars are a part of you,
They reveal us of the life's unkind face,
Now I remember my words of my father's wisdom,
"Son, things are there to be learnt beside books".

As I alight, now I am nostalgic,
Have you not conspired me in making friends,
You reassure me that all have goals to meet,
And they all do tread different paths.

Then a kid saw you, exclaimed "giant millipede'
'Hey, aren't you just a copy of the nature?',
We men have limited ability
To just imitate the big hand's small creation!