And Here Comes The Flying Car

No more road trips?

Seen flying cars in movies? Here comes one for real.

"Terrafugia Transition" is first flying car and it passed the first flight test on March 5th, 2009.

It can fly up to 450 miles at 115 miles per hour.

"... two-seat, four-wheeled, carbon-fiber-composite aircraft, which can fly up to 450 miles at 115 miles per hour and is distinguished by folding wings that ratchet out of the way when it’s on the ground. That makes the craft just 80 inches wide, narrow enough to tool down the highway—where it can go up to 65 mph and get 30 miles to the gallon."

The video of the first test:



I want 500 meters stretch infront of my apartment so that I can take off this "car". I am going to write a letter to GHMC for leveling the road.

Should I Vote?

Congress-JMM alliance splits in Jharkhand over seats.

Congress facing infighting in Haryana.

Rift in SP as Jaya Prada renominated from Rampur.

Jayalalitha lures PMK as Congress hits roadblock in Tamil Nadu.

BJP struggles ahead of elections with seat sharing issue in Orissa with BJD.

CPM part ways with Congress and ready for any role in Third Front.

NCP-Congress drama goes on and
Pawar wants Maharashtrian to become PM.
... and many more that you may read in the news.

A myriad of political parties coming under 3 major umbrellas to fight an election with close to 700 million voters and a spending estimated at Rs. 10,000 crores ($2 billion) and we are not sure if we will get a clear end result.

Each and every party is interested in seats and getting into power. In fact, I have not heard any party issues their manifesto except CPM (Read here)

I feel that a large majority of population is not sure whom to vote for just because they neither know the history of the candidate nor what they have done in his/her previous tenure.

Should we explore negative voting?

This way, we vote. A negative vote!

Why Not To Fire People?

Nokia, IBM, SAP, Dell lays off.

TCS comtemplating lay offs.

Till March 18th, 310,714 lay offs (Source).

Prime driving factor is the economic downturn and hence there is a huge pressure to bring finances under control.

Does it really help?

No, I don't think so. The reason "usually" cited when an employee is fired is non-performance within his skill set which got him/her the job in the first place. The reasons do not connect really well and these people probably should not have been hired at all.

While enterprises heave a sigh of relief by laying people off, I think they may be in for bigger trouble by inducing an increased sense of insecurity into the people who survive the lay offs. It does not stop there. The insecurity results in stress at work, depression and health issues. The perception of the employees about the company changes for the worse and these are the people trusted with carrying the company forward.

A survey on layoff survivors reveal some interesting statistics:

1. 87% of surviving workers say they are less likely to recommend their organization as a good place to work
2. 64% of surviving workers say the productivity of their colleagues has also declined.
3. 81% of surviving workers say the service that customers receive has declined.
4. 77% of surviving workers say they see more errors and mistakes being made.
5. 61% of surviving workers say they believe their company’s future prospects are worse.

So here is what I have to say. Laying people off is the least effective way and pay cuts is a the way to go. The teams will be in place and employees will respect the management. The concern may be that these employees become vulnerable to competitive hires, but in this economic slump, who is hiring? With that in mind, when companies have an option either to cut 5% cost or layoff 5% of the employees, why would they even choose the latter? When the market picks up, enterprises holding on to the employees, will be in a better shape than ones who are frantically looking to hire new people to manage the demand generated by their new projects.

Another option is to have employees take vacation with the basic salary till they get new projects. This way they retain the talent and reduce recruitment activities, thereby reducing costs. If these people are shown the door, they are going to send in toxicity into the market which may hurt the brand. Believe me, "word of mouth" is very powerful and with tools likes Facebook and Twitter, information passes virally which can be detrimental to the brand itself.

While it may look like the right choice at the moment, enterprises need to evaluate the third angle which results in inflicting negativity in the employee base who may not be laid off. Also, they need to have a long term vision of where they want to be when the market starts picking up.

Here is an article which questions why CEOs resort to layoffs when such moves no longer seem boost any profits.

Again, I feel, holding on to your employees with paycuts is the best choice.

Working From Home

Let me say ... I love it. 

Working from home is not a new concept but in India, probably it is not encouraged. I am not talking about people who are into free lancing. This about those people who work for large enterprises and works along with a team to deliver services.

Now, why I love it?

1. Freedom: It lets me operate the way I want to and the pressure is far less compared to being nailed down to a ergonomic (or not so ergonomic) chair and the manager or team lead breathing down your neck.

2. More productive: Given the freedom and environment that I am most comfortable with, I get more work done than when I am in office. In fact, I log into start work earlier than what I would do when I am in office. Moreover, when I am at home, I somehow feel more responsible towards what needs to be delivered and does not feel that I am stretching myself. 

3. No distraction: Working from home is a bliss if you need long hours of concentration. It is next to impossible to get that level of concentration if you are in office where people bump into you and end up in casual conversations that you sometimes cannot escape and ultimately lose time.

4. Other benefits:

• No commute
• No traffic jams ( and no heart attacks)
• Save fuel
• No pollution
• Not stuck with canteen food (especially when Chinese Combo has banana and curd rice)

These were personal benefits. But, for corporates, there are huge benefits by promoting this culture.

1. Save on the infrastructure - Reduce investment in power, desk space, desktops, phones and other company utilities. Instead divert fraction of this investment to setup better servers and connectivity infrastructure (VPN, Bandwidth, 3G etc.)

2. People care - Employees benefit out of less travel (health, time and monitory benefit). The concerns of work-life balance by employees get addressed as they get to be at home and they feel responsible for their own time.

3. Business Continuity - For any incidents like 9/11, this kind of operation model always helps with such attacks never affecting the services because you don't station all you employees at one place. One recent incident was the snow fall in the UK where most of the services were disrupted. But there was one case where Silicon.com ensured business continuity by having people work from home.

Working from home has its own set of challenges which corporates may dig out. I am going to try an give some answers here for those challenges.

1. Collaboration & interacting with a team - While this may be one of the prime concerns, instant messaging (IM), VoIP and collaboration tools like Google Docs are always there as a solution to this. For the conference facilities across geographies, there are virtual platforms like SecondLife that can be tapped to reduce travel.

2. Monitoring the staff - Yes, this is a problem. Working from home culture is not going to start working just like that. Unified Communications Technology can be used to create monitoring mechanisms. Clear roles and responsibilities need to be defined for the employees who form a team and thereby creating accountability.

For people interested, here is a post about tips for working from home.

There are some things I miss when I work from home. The human interaction, all the gossips and office politics :). But then, there is Facebook, Twitter and IM for that (i know, not for human interaction). These not just things for personal use. Its high time business starts using these and avail the benefits.

C'mon, this is age of the internet.

Having said that, I have some work to finish before I go to office tomorrow.

Technology Going Weird

I am having hard time imagining where technology will be in the future.

Kazuhiro Taniguchi of Osaka University in Japan has invented a gadget that controls iPod with facial gestures.

A wink, a smile or a raised eyebrow could soon change the music on your iPod or start up the washing machine, thanks to a new Japanese gadget. The device looks like a normal set of headphones but is fitted with a set of infrared sensors that measure tiny movements inside the ear that result from different facial expressions.

This is just the start. We seen touch based controls and now have started seeing gesture based electronic controls (here). But, this one takes it a step further and personalizes the experience with high configurability. Instead of sticking your tongue out to change the track, you can configure to do it by smiling. (I am impressed!). And ...

"If it judges that you aren't smiling enough, it may play a cheerful song."

All those things that we used to see in Bond movies are turning into reality. 

My thought - One day our hands and legs may become vestigial organs ... 

Why I Am On Twitter?

Its been almost 2 months that I have been on Twitter and I already have tweeted 659 times.

Why am I on Twitter when I am already on Facebook and LinkedIn?

1. Twitter is instantaneous information - Any information that you want is on your finger tips. It is faster than text messaging. Use twitter search and you get information that YOU NEED probably faster than Google. There are user scripts also available for this.

2. It lets me focus on my areas of interest - While Facebook and LinkedIn are great Social Networking sites, accessing the information that I need is not an easy job. People who are on Twitter are so passionate that the information shared is valuable and authentic.

3. Great way to be listening to influencing people in Social Media - Twitter lets me "follow" people like Ron Tolido, Evan Williams, Robert Scoble, Tim Oreilly, Guy Kawasaki etc and organizations like Google, Capgemini, Yahoo and Accenture and be updated with what they have to say on a minute by minute basis. I get to learn a lot from people around, not just the guys mentioned about, but also around 125 people that I "follow" on Twitter.

4. Dynamically filter out information that I want at runtime - There are talks about Twitter search being a Google killer. Here is why. Google has indexed contents and any search will pull that information to the surface based on the relevance of the keyword. Twitter, at the same time, relies on what is being talked about the keyword and pulls out a repository of information which was posted even just 10 seconds back. Twitter Search is the way to go.

5. Twitter as a content aggregator - For me, twitter is much more flexible when compared to bookmarking sites and RSS readers. It gives me the option to interact with people whom I have never met (and are not in my "friends" circle). I can make conversations on a particular content with people where as RSS readers let you just aggregate the information and read it.

6. Spread out and be heard - Its said that people meet people through people. I would never even listen to 125 people in less than 2 months and that too people I have not met. For Facebook, LinkedIn and Orkut, the circle stays within the people I know. I am never heard outside the circle and neither do I get to hear from outside my circle. Twitter gives me an audience who are interested in what I talk about and the kind of information I share.

7. Its only 140 characters - You do it quick and short.

8. Multiple desktop clients - Makes it so easy to access twitter. Tweetdeck, AlertThingy and Twhirl to name a few. It helps you with consolidated information instead of having to click all around the web page.

Here is a small video on why and how to use Twitter on a personal level (Courtesy: CommonCraft):



I could give lot more reasons, but I will stick to just one and the last one:

8. Its a party. IT IS FUN!

Is This Right?

Supreme Court declined legal protection (from TOI) to 19 year old Ajith D for creating a community on Orkut where offensive comments were put in by anonymous users.

SC says:

"We cannot quash criminal proceedings. You are a computer student and you know how many people access internet portals. Hence, if someone files a criminal action on the basis of the content, then you will have to face the case. You have to go before the court and explain your conduct."

There is huge uproar against the ruling citing that this is against Freedom of Expression. I was of the same opinion to an extent till Sanjukta took a dig at me and convinced that online media is no different from print media.

While completely understand that libel, slander and defamation is not the way to go about it, I am not sure if verdict comes out as a very positive thing for the common man let alone the bloggers. There are political party leaders out there making inflammatory speech, instigating feelings that can disrupt communal harmony and case filed against them does not go anywhere but under the huge stack of case files that would be dug out in another 10 years. They roam around scot-free after getting bail within minutes of case being filed (and in quite a few cases, even before case is filed).

I quote what Sanjukta wrote on her post:

"This nation has more important issues to handle than to curb a handful of Bloggers freedom"

The context of this statement was different, but I want to put it other way round.

Yes there are bigger issues to be handled ...

There are cases of heinous crimes still lying out there not being touched. High profile corruption cases are still being heard. Discussions are still on to see how and when the terrorist who went ballistic on the streets of Mumbai on 26/11, should be tried and prosecuted. Court cases running for 13 years and then the accused is sentenced for 3 years jail.

There is frustration ... Huge amounts of it ...

It comes out as if law is applicable only to common man who cannot get diplomatic or legal defense easily. Displeasure and frustration sky rocketing because the real issues are not being addressed at the grass root level instead of wasting time on Ajith's case. Anti social and anti secular elements are roaming free.

Am I surprised by the reaction from Indian Blogosphere? - NO !!!

Am I hurting "public sentiment" right now? 

I DO NOT KNOW !

Disclaimer: I strongly oppose creation of hate communities and usage of abusive language on any media. For the same reason, I do not support what Ajith did.

Slumdog Glory and Indian Cinema

Aaah ... finally, it's over. Slumdog Millionaire has won 8 Oscars out of the 10 nominations.

For me, the proud moment for Indians was Resul Pookutty, Gulzar and AR Rahman winning the Oscars. Rahman for Original Music Score and along with Gulzar for Original Song. Resul for Sound Mixing.

Now that the Oscar is over, I am waiting to see when the Indian media will stop the whole hype about Slumdog Millionaire. When will Rajeev Masand stop dissecting the movie to death?

GreatBong writes in his post:

... Surely a movie/documentary made by non-Indians with India as the subject winning equates to India conquering the Oscars. Just like if the “March of the Penguins” would have swept the Academy Awards, it would have been a glorious achievement of Antarctica and a proud day for all penguins. ...

The media is out to tap whatever is possible to increase their TRP, and we have Congress party claiming the credit and talking about "good governance".

The movie was a win for Danny Boyle and a few Indians who were part of the movie. It is definitely not a win for Indian Cinema yet. Indian Cinema has a long way to go. We were able to demonstrate to an extent that we are technically capable and there is a lot of work that can be done in India at a lower price. (Outsourcing here too???) But, the driving force behind most of the movies in India is financial benefit more than creativity. This has resulted in a very slow evolution of movies from a technical and content point of view when compared to Hollywood.

I remember watching "Jumanji", "Independence Day" and "Twister" way back in 1996-1997, but I doubt if the Indian movie industry has the muscle to make a movie of that scale and technical excellence even now.

Feel proud of what Rahman, Resul and Gulzar achieved. Be happy that Mumbai (and India) is in the spotlight. But, grow up and innovate. Break out of the traditional shell and move forward, else there is no way, at any point, that we will match the caliber of Hollywood. Not just Hollywood, but British, French, Japanese or German Cinema.

Young World

Meghna is one of the youngest bloggers in the world. She is just 13 and ranked 9th in the world among young bloggers. Huge achievement at this age!

She aspires to be a writer and I truly respect her parents for letting her hang on to Internet and pursue her interest. I do not think parents of majority of kids would ever let them spend so much time on internet.

Academics has become of such prime importance that kids are forced just learn whatever is there in the syllabus and get good score (without which they cannot get into IIT or Medical College). The education system forces kids to overwork themselves without letting them have fun and learn science and history in a way that interests them. 

She writes in one of her posts:

"Shakespearean English and the Dozing Off!

The boring lines that Shakespeare wrote
The same way our teacher goes
The students are pretty much busy too
Holding one dropping head there, or two

Here she goes, not caring at all
Whether we listen
Or the dozing heads fall

The rhythmic snoring
With Portia roaring
Or Juliet calling out to Romeo
Yet students all drooling


Ah here goes, the verses he wrote
Oh why? Mr. Shakespeare?
Why trouble us both?

I can’t bear it any longer
So this poem stands in the memory of those
Who slept in heavenly bliss
Waiting for the bell to ring."

Such creativity for a 13 year old is stunning ...


There are a lot of "software engineers"
- Who do not even have an internet connection at home.
- Who do not even read anything else on the internet except for regional newspapers.
- Who do not even access internal systems of the company.

These people who are here to make money have zero passion for Internet or gathering knowledge through similar sources. They still call themselves software engineers with no sense or understanding what "engineer" means.

With "Internet illiterate" people making abnormal amount of money, I see great future for Meghna. I really would love to see parents of coming generation focusing on "education" and not academics. I want to see parents guiding kids in having fun and making them smart and not book worms.

Without this, we will be left with a generation which has no intellect. Quality work force which can build a nation will remain a dream ...

No Software Engineers Please

Spotted on Sharjeel's blog ...



Thank God ! I got married at the right time ... Otherwise I would have to try farming or newspaper boy job ...

Punish Him Even If Dead

This is height of nonsense that I have seen/heard in long time and that too from a state which boasts of being 100% literate.

A non-bailable arrest warrant has been issued against EK Nayanar for the protest he conducted at a collectorate in 2001.

EK Nayanar was a prominent communist leader and three time Chief Minister of Kerala.

There are lot of issues in this country and we bank on the judiciary for most of it. Now, when judiciary issues orders of this kind, where do we go?

WTF???

iPhone Mania

Funny one ...
iPhone guys can't stop showing it off ...

Whats Wrong With People?

There is a big uproar against the Hug Karo and Pub Bharo Andolan stating that it is against Indian culture (see comments in the post) and follows Western Culture.

I do not understand the point of saying that going to Pubs is western culture. How come going to liquor joints/bars and toddy shops is completely fine and going to Pubs is not? How is it that Pubs form western culture and liquor joints do not?

A large part of Indian population consumes alcohol and quite a large part go back home and create a nuisance for their family and neighbours. No one has a problem with that.

As for the "Hug Karo", I think it is a very creative. Most people who are of the opinion that this is not a "dignified" way to protest have to check the Free Hugs Campaign. The campaign in itself was a controversy, but may be, the video here will give you some information ...



"Jadoo Ki Chappi" in Munnabhai took India by storm, but in real life, it is so difficult for people to digest. It was already done in Mumbai and was well received.

When it comes to ideas, ways and motivation to protest, majority of the population just have opinions and criticisms. For a person who coughs up the courage and takes a step towards a harmless way of protesting, encouragement is the last thing that you can expect in this society.

I hope everyone understands the difference between sitting among the audience and criticizing the batsman and actually going out and playing the game of cricket (facing a ball that is comes towards you at 100 miles/hr is real).

The Pink Condoms campaign is another one out to prove that the Pink Chaddi campaign is BS.

Why???

"Because the campaign tried to unnecessarily implicate an assertive Hindu and RSS (they showed pictures of RSS members in a derogatory way) for Managolore pub attack incident. RSS and Hindus didn’t approve of Mangalore incident, still they were demonized, which was result of a mentality which is full of hatred towards Hinduism."

Pink Underwear(for a better word) was about opposing what Sri Ram Sene did in Mangalore and is not against Hindus. These guys do not even know what they are reacting to.

It is all about reacting without knowing what the underlying issue is.

Muslim radicals out to kill Hindus ...
Hindu radicals out to wipe Muslims off ...
Hindu radicals hate Christians ...
Political parties enjoying mudslinging ...
Corrupt politicians and administration ...
Talk about Kamasutra as part of Indian heritage and just wanting to be invisible when someone talks about sex ...

Legislative assembly members creating a ruckus in the assembly ...
Self proclaimed radicals out to make a common man's life miserable ...
People do not care for each other ...

We boast of "Unity in diversity".
I am still wondering how this country is still in one piece ...

Twinkle Twinkle Indian Styles

Ran into this one after watching CNN-IBN. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in various Indian styles ... I think the Punjabi one wins hands down ...

Yes We Can

Obama mania continues ...



This hoarding was spotted yesterday ...

Chiranjeevi thinks he can pull it off in Hyderabad where there is a large population of IT employees just by blatantly copying what Obama tried in the US?

How would Chiru look without hair? ...

(Note: Prajarajyam is a party launched by megastar of Telugu film industry in Andhra Pradesh)

Dalai Lama Goes Social

Dalai Lama goes social ...

He was there on Facebook and MySpace and now he is on to Twitter as well.

Check out OHHDL for updates ...
The site is being administered by The Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (OHHDL).

What better way to keep in touch with youth and technologically advancing audience ...

Pink Chaddi Campaign

... This year let us send the Sri Ram Sena some love. Let us send them some PINK CHADDIS.

Look in your closet or buy them cheap. Dirt-cheap. Make sure they are PINK. Send them off to the Sena ...

One of the novel initiatives that I have ever seen ... ;)

What is it that forms Indian Culture? Is there a single place where I can go and see what the role of woman in Indian society is?

Luck By Chance

I watched this movie yesterday and I have to tell you I got lucky by chance. The movie turned out to be a good one. Now, there is nothing that really sets it apart from the other movies and picturisation is concerned. It has a decent story line, good camera work and good editing.

What is so special about Luck by Chance? What struck me most is the core message of the movie. The message from the movie, for me, was that there are a lot of things that happen around us. We call it circumstances/situations, but what we are left feeling after a certain incident is something that could alter our lives. We could be excited, upset, dissatisfied, disappointed etc. This influences your thought process and decision and as a result your future.

Now, what "Luck By Chance" deals with is, it does not matter what happens, we chose to feel what we feel. That way, we control our lives and not circumstances.

Farhan and Konkona did their roles with conviction and first directorial venture by Zoya can leave thinking public thinking and non-thinking ones completely entertained with a pure commercial movie.

I would recommend watching this one ...

Trouble Getting Married?

(Via email from Ramu)

Sri Ram Sena leader Mr. Mutalik says that they will not spare dating couples on Valentine’s Day.

All married couples, especially young ones, please carry your marriage certificate with you all the time. You would not know if you will be asked to marry again otherwise ...

Cows With Names Make More Milk

Spotted on Discovery News ...

"... new research suggests a gentle way to get more milk out of anxious mama-cow: Stroke her, ask about her day, and call her Elsa, Rose, or Lady Moo. Cows with names produce up to five percent more milk, according to a study published in January in the journal Anthrozoos ...

... Rather, a cow with a name is likely to be more relaxed than if she were treated as just another number ..."

Just wondering if chicken (or may be it's egg) would taste better if we call it by a name?

14 Year Old Inventor

To power his family's home, young William Kamkwamba built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap

Read more on TED

Next social entrepreneur in the making ...

Raju May Be A Fashion Icon?

Raju owned 321 shoes, 310 belts and 1000 suits.

Hmmm ... We can feed quite a lot people with that money ...

And villas in 63 countries?? ... Does he rent it out?

Pay What You Want

Something that was spotted on Digg . This the most amazing thing that can happen to a food buff (especially a person like me).

A London restaurant has decided to do away with bills for the next month, asking customer to pay only what they want for meals.

"Anything between a penny and 50 pounds ($70) will make me happy, it's entirely up to the customer to decide," ....

 

"Customers have already paid 20 percent more than the original price," he said, confident that he will more than cover his expenses for the month. "People want to be polite and would be embarrassed not to pay enough." 

 

Pretty interesting, but for drinks, you need to pay ... 

Wonder what will happen if a restaurant tries this out in India !

Last Evacuation Drill

XYZ Office -> A fire alarm rang at 6 PM when almost all employees were in office(approx 5000). As usual entire office was evacuated within 3 mins & every employee gathered outside the office.

10 mins passed ..................................
5 more mins passed .................................

Security Officer announces,

"Dear Employees - with melting heart I am making this announcement that for many of you it will be a last evacuation drill, as we are laying off almost 80% of the employees. While moving in, if your access card does not work, you are laid off & all their belongings will be couriered to them tomorrow. We followed this approach as we don't want to fill email box size with layoff mail in thousands & also to avoid any fight inside office".

Hope you have nice career ahead. Please move in & try your luck.

(Via email from Ramu)

Disclaimer: XYZ is a fictitious firm and any resemblance to any real life one is purely coincidential

Dollar After Economic Slump

I will not be surprised if it is a picture of Benjamin Franklin hanging by a rope ...

Right 2 Walk

Hyderabad traffic is frustrating. With all the pedestrians on the road with no footpath around, matter gets worse.

I have been writing about life in Hyderabad and the traffic menace.
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)



Right To Walk Foundation is an initiative to make Hyderabad pedestrian friendly. Kanthimathi Kannan started this foundation on 5th Dec 2007. She is fighting for a cause that people tend to ignore in the larger perspective of things.

I have joined the cause and I urge people to join this foundation and make Hyderabad a better place to live.

Shameful

We talk about terror attacks in Mumbai, bomb blasts in various other places in India, but are we turning a blind eye towards other hideous incidents?

On 24th January evening, girls were assaulted at Mangalore pub.

A fanatical right-wing group notorious for creating communal tensions and indulging in moral policing has struck again in Karnataka, this time assaulting women guests at a bar in Mangalore

What are we upto? Is this how we are going to fight terrorism when we cannot solve our internal issues? Is this how we are going to be a super power? Is this how we liberate women? If custodians of Indian culture are to go on a rampage like this then, what happens to safety of the people?

There are other incidents reported where 25 men abused and molested two women and another one where girls were groped and humiliated. Where are these "custodians of Indian culture"?

Have we lost our power to react? Are so into ourselves that we do not even care?

There is strong response to this incident by Sanjukta on Mutiny.

One response to her post was:

I bet those girls had plenty of men,we have people dying of starvation, who give a f*** about a bunch of beaten up sluts

Time and again, we never lose a chance to prove ourselves as descendants of tribals and then dream of becoming a super power ...

God save us ...

(I am frustrated, angry, irritated, annoyed and my blood is boiling hot)

Slumdog Again ...

I wrote about Slumdog hysteria in my earlier post. I had not seen the movie then. Yesterday, I got a chance to watch it.

Narration of the story is unique. It, along with the background score, kept the movie going. I went with huge expectations, but it turned out for me as just another movie with the treatment not even as good as what I have seen in few movies made in India by Indians. (Salam Bombay, Parzania, A Wednesday etc)

The backdrop set in Mumbai is something, I think, that made it a sellout in the US. Like what Mr. Bachchan said, the movie exposes the underbelly of India with prime focus on the flip side of India. Now, I would not, now, say that it was wrong portrayal (Communal violence, poverty, slums, prostitution, underworld ... who can challenge that these are not integral part of the way India is?). Camera was quite disappointing with most shots taken as close-up and I found it very difficult to keep my eyes on the screen. I am not sure if anyone else felt the same way.

A.R Rahman has done fabulous job and I really hope that he wins atleast in one of his nominations for Oscar. Without the music, the movie would not have it's charm. Same is the case with Gulzar and Rasool Pookutty. The movie is a one time watch and I am surprised by the overwhelming response for the movie from all corners.

I, as an Indian, hope that AR Rahman, Gulzar and Rasool win in their respective categories so that, we get a chance to project our creative and technical talent to the outside world and get noticed. Not by the way India is portrayed in the movie ...

The movie has to be taken as a reflection of how we are and what's going on and use it to work on fixing the issues ... We have enough to handle before we point finger at others ...

(Do you think, the way India is portrayed in SM, would change the perception of foreigners about India and Indians?)

One good thing is that India slum dogs are now getting respect and love never seen before.

Obama Inauguration Not So Green

News Junkie reports:

"As crowds cleared the city Tuesday, their trash covered the National Mall and Washington Monument grounds after President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

They left behind plastic bottles, newspapers, food wrappers, gloves and even American flags they had been waving. Trash bins overflowed with items people tossed."

This inauguration was supposed to be the greenest inauguration ever ... Now, this is something that needs to be criticized instead of his inaugural speech.

For a person who has environment and "green" high on agenda, there is enough mess created on the first day to clean up ...

Sign Language

Spotted recently ...



This person who wrote this must have been so confused ....


Courtesy: Telegraph

Vandalism To Monuments

I really really hope this works ...
No more BAIJU Loves MEENUKUTTY on monuments of culture !

In Love With A Jerk?

Spotted this one at Landmark bookstore in Bangalore. I have seen all sorts of self help books, but this one is among the best ...

Beer: The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems

Man stabbed at York Hotel ignores wound to finish his beer

A man who was stabbed at the York Hotel Saturday night opted to return to the bar to finish his beer rather than seek medical attention.

The quote is so true ...

Beer: The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems

I am not able to resign

No no I am not trying to. This is one hilarious incident that happened today at work. A guy reporting to me wanted to resign and I promptly agreed because I could not give anything convincing for he had a very lucrative offer from another organisation.

He calls me and says - "I am not able to see the resignation form". I figured that the Exit Management System was not giving him the option. I had no way out but tell him to raise a help desk ticket.

His mail to help desk would probably look like this:

To: Help Desk
Sub: Not able to resign
Hi,
I am not able to resign. Please fix this issue.

Great way for retention :-)

Google Search releases CO2

If you are wondering why Google Search would affect environment, here is something that might be a good read ...

For comparison, the average adult needs about 8000 kJ a day of energy from food, so a Google search uses just about the same amount of energy that your body burns in ten seconds.

This was in response to a study that revealed the environmental impact of Google searches

Am I going to reduce doing complex searches on Google? ... No way ... It's the coolest thing ever ... :)

Will wait for Google to optimize instead ...

Slumdog Hysteria

Slumdog millionaire has become super popular now with 4 awards at the Golden Globes. I have not seen the movie yet, and so will not write anything about that.

Regarding the nominations and awards, I think the award for best original music to A.R Rahman is something that did India proud. I would not say, from what I heard on television, that this was A.R Rahman's best score, but at an international level, probably this was one of the best by him. H Sridhar needs a special mention for this was one of his last albums.

Somehow, I fail to understand why the Indian media is going gaga over Slumdog. Why is that we take pride in something that we have not done? Just because it was made on India? Or is it because it had Anil Kapoor and a bunch of other Indian actors? A.R Rahman is one good reason, but I do not see the soundtrack available in Indian market (Update: It got released last week, after the awards). What are we feeling great about? Something that we have not even heard?

The movie is neither produced nor directed by Indians. It was setup in India and it does not even give out a rosy picture of Mumbai/India. It talks about an impoverished guy who has no desire for any riches attending the "Who wants to be a millionaire?" show. Would this movie have gotten this much popularity and quality if it had not been for Danny Boyle? I doubt it. Coming to think of it, I was wondering how this movie would have been if it had been directed by Karan Johar or RGV (hmmmm ...)?

It's well known that a movie showing non-prosperous side of a nation always sells. City of Gods (thanks Prasant for pointing this out), Blood Diamond, Motocycle Diaries, Salaam Bombay and the list goes on ... I do not recollect seeing one Hollywood movie which programs the movie around a prosperous India. Impoverished India sells. Remember the movie "Armageddon"?

What are the other things that we take credit for just because the person involved was an Indian? Sunita Williams and Manoj Shyamalan to name a couple.

Slumdog Millionaire may be a great movie and may go down in history as one of the best movies made on hope and compassion with India as backdrop.

Something to leave you to ponder about (I am not endorsing it) would be a sketch I spotted on Mutiny.in.



I will come back after I see the movie ...

Ignorance

Was watching Jay Walking on Jay Leno show today:

Jay: You are?
ABC: I am ABC

Jay: What do you do ABC?
ABC: I am a college student ...

Jay: OK. Have you heard of Somali Pirates?
ABC: Yeah ... I think so ...

Jay: Here is the question ... Somali Pirates is:
a. Rock Band
b. Actual Pirates
c. Football team
ABC: errr ... Football team ...
(Stumped !!!!!!!!! ... I lost it here)

Jay: Oh! How did they do this year?
ABC: They did well I guess. They are pretty famous right?

Such is the ignorance ...

People who do not know, please read about Somali Pirates.

An Evening Out

We went out to the Industrial Exhibition in the evening. In Hyderabad, this is an annual event.

The first impression was - "This is huge".

But as we wandered around the place, I realised, "There is NOTHING for men". I would have appreciated if there were some decent stalls for gadgets, tools, electronics or books. Handloom and handicraft stores were all over the place. Women felt like a kid in a candy shop when they moved towards the accessories (ear-rings, bangles etc..) section.

I also noticed a bunch for burkha clad women walking around in groups hand in hand. Puzzling thing that struck me was, if one of them stray out of the group, how would the others even find that person out?

I am forced to assume that they have a way of finding out by looking at the fingers or by smell of the other.

Continuous walk for two and half hours was no joke. Best things for me were:

1. Seeing my wife so happy to be in that place
2. Pop corn and cotton candy
3. The moon in golden color just after sunset ...

Wish I had my camera with me ...

Disgusting

S**t Senders.com

One word ... disgusting !

Raju - The New Johny

Ran in to this hilarious post ...

...
Raju Raju? Yes, papa.
Missing assets? No, papa.
Unnecessarily trying to acquire a real estate company to save your skin?
No, papa.
Okay, show me your balance sheet!
Ha ha ha.
...

Read the post by Sidin Vadukut (popular by the name Domain Maximus in the blog world) for more fun ...

A Thing From The Past

Would these qualify as ancient form of pole dance?

(15th century carvings - pics taken at Vittala temple in Hampi, Karnataka)

Macbook Wheel - Notebook With No Keyboard

Innovation getting better ...

- No keyboard
- Hummingbird battery that powers the laptop for full 19 mins before it needs to be re-charged

What's puzzling is how to type using the wheel to scroll to each alphabet. Looks cumbersome ....

Will wait for the next generation ...

Pls don't allow your wife to watch Ghajini

Received via email from JNK ...

Next Generation Farting !

This one happens to be the #1 App on iTunes Store ...



On a related note, I ran into this post on Geek and Poke:


Still interested? ... Go to iFartMobile.com

"We recognize that it’s just a novelty app, but don’t we need more laughter in times of economic crisis? We think so."

Hampi In (Few) Photos

This was our road trip from Hyderabad to Hampi in Karnataka, India. It is around 900 kms up and down.











 

 



Check my Flickr Album ...

Year 2008 in Words

I did this last year(Year 2007 in words). I am going try to do that again.

Terror
Barack Obama
Economy Meltdown
Mumbai
Delivery
Travel
Condemn
Kasab
Sarah Palin
AK 47
Taj & Oberoi
Singur
Achutanandan & Dog
20-20
Bomb Blast
Yahoo
Beijing
Tibet
Olympics
Chiru
Change

Some more, but those are ones that I do not want to put down here ...

State Of Mind

Miserable. Depressed. Helpless.

Introspecting ...

Is this what I am made for?

Is this whats supposed to happen to people?

One life ... One chance ...

Viewing life through lens

Almost 6 months back I discovered that I loved photography ...

This is how it all started. We had a trip to Kerala and I ran into this DVD which I never thought, would turn things around for me ...

It was National Geographic's The Photographers ...

It changed the way I look at places, people and life. I bought Canon DSLR - EOS 400D and 55-250mm IS lens

For the readers, please go through my Flickr album and leave your comments ...

Plea By An Indian Muslim

I was reading Tejaswi Rathore's post on IBN Live blog. It is very touching.

"I am angry... but I am scared to express my anger any more. I have given up. I kneel, I bow, I break, I loose, I beg... let me lead a normal life... a common life. I just want peace... at any cost. Now I don't care how. I want a safer tomorrow. Please."

But something that caught my eye was comment by naazakmal (an Indian Muslim - I do not know even the proper name) on the post:

"I am an Indian Muslim. And every time there is an attack of this kind, I want to shout out to my compatriots, please ,terrorism has no religion. Don't stigmatise us , for the heinous crimes done by a few insanely driven bigoted Muslims!

I love my India and I love Islam. It is not a faith which teaches violence,as the Quran says that the taking of even one innocent life, is like killing of all humanity.I am proud to be Indian, a land where all faiths and cultures have lived peacefully for centuries,but for selfish war mongers who have tried to wedge a rift between us ,time and again !

These acts are abhorrent and condemnable, done by misguided youth, who have fallen prey to an extremist mindset. This has given rise to a false perception by other faiths that Islam is a violent faith, so much so that, nowadays, many times,on the silver screen or the big screen, the bad guy, is the bearded , vile looking Muslim villain! My husband has a beard, for God's sake, and he won't even hurt a fly!

I appeal to all Indians, that we stay together at these trying times of communal barriers of hate, anarchy and violence. That Muslims speak out and condemn these dastardly acts. And finally, please,don't let the peace loving Muslims have to bear the brunt of it all, be it in the form of silent hostility or mistrust!"

We call ourselves secular, but honest expression of feelings by this person and 1000 others like him/her go unheard.

And then we have the leadership who understand that the source of the issue, primarily is because of our porous borders, but fail to take action.

God save India ...

What Does Shivraj Patil Have To Say?

It is so unfortunate. I woke up today feeling miserable and reading the newspaper just made it worse.

Mumbai attacked.

I am waiting for honorable Home Minister, Shivraj Patil to come out with his statement about the incident.

Here is a background ...

Jaipur: "Their aim (to create communal disturbances) has been thwarted. The people of Jaipur have not allowed their nefarious design to succeed,"

Bangalore: "... such incidents will not deter the government from pursuing its policy with anti-national elements in a resolute manner."

Ahmedabad: "... anti-national elements have been trying to create panic among the people in our country"

Delhi: "... the government has taken a series of measures recently to beef up security in Delhi. Whatever more is required to be done will be done expeditiously."

Tripura: I could not find it ... :(

Assam: "... these are cowardly acts perpetrated by the elements which do not want peace to prevail..."

Mr. Shivraj Patil,
There it goes again. It has happened again and it's even worse this time. What do you have to say? I can't wait to hear. Appeal to people to show solidarity and answer terrorists by getting back to normal life and forget about 1000's of lives that shattered.

Be in-sensitive? Not react?

Dear Ministers/International Leaders/Politicians,

I am waiting for you to condemn the incident, so that I can go back to sleep peacefully and feel less miserable.

******************************

Update:

"Before I could reach there, the terrorists who had attacked one of the hospitals, the Cama Hospital, had left and those who attacked the railway station had also left," Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said.

Patil, who condemned the attack as an act of cowardice, said the country would remain strong even as the terrorists attempt to weaken and create difficulty for the citizens.

The Home Minister had condoled the loss of lives, including top ranking police officers, in the attack and said their sacrifice would inspire the rest of the force to do their duty more resolutely.

Mr. Patil, It is so unfortunate that you could meet them in person and adivce them not to give Mumbaikars excruciating pain and why peace shall prevail in the country.

GROW UP ! Citizens have lost their patience. DO NOT PUSH IT OVER THE EDGE.

-------------------------------------------------
Update (Nov 30): Shivraj Patil offers resignation and resignation accepted. PC Chitambaram takes over.

How convenient? No need to repair damages caused. Step down, go home and relax and leave it to PC Chitambaram to handle.

Moment Of Truth

Of late, I am able to come home at a decent time (Not able to reach before 8.00 pm though). As a result I get to watch reality shows on TV. It has always been a discussion point, but the recent one on Star World is "The Moment Of Truth".

Do you think that you are smarter than your parents?
Have you ever made a sexy video?
Do you sabotage your rivals at work?
Do you fantasize about cheating on your spouse/partner?
Will you leave your husband for your ex-boyfriend?
Do you have any secret that could end your marriage?

These are questions that you are asked and you cannot afford to lie because there is a polygraph attached to you to find out if you are lying or not. The key is to be honest. Weigh your personal life with the $500,000 that flashes on the board and eventually you will get it if you tell the truth all the way upto the 20th question.

What has humankind come down to? Shows like these are demeaning and disgusting. I can understand why FOX Network floated this show. It reflects in their escalating TRP. But what I do not understand is why people would show up in these kinds of shows and ruin their lives?

For instance, in the recent show that got aired, a lady was asked (Husband is in the studio) if she holds any secret that would end her marriage. The answer was "Yes" and the polygraph said "true". Her husband's face turned red, blue and yellow. The next question comes - "Do you think you will be married to your husband for the rest of your lives?" (She answered "Yes" and she got it right and won $100,000) However, with everything in life at stake, why would people take this risk for a stupid show. Maybe the money.

This will piss off one set of audiences who look forward to meaningful and thought provoking entertainment whereas it will satisfy the other set of brain dead morons who like to take a peep at people's misfortunes and then laugh at it.

Harthal.com

While browsing Desi Pundit, I ran into a site called Harthal.com. Now that we are talking about harthals, we cannot move further on this without mentioning Kerala - God's own country which has gone to dogs off late.

Last year, off 174 weekdays, the state had seen 89 strikes which brought the state to a stand still (Check this)

It is highly advisable to go through harthal.com before you plan you trips to Kerala or you might just end up being stuck at a bus station or railway station.

Save Kerala Initiative gives an insight into the teething issues in "GOD's own country". Kerala does not have politicians, it has dinosaurs. In their struggle for power, the "left" and the "right" have forgotten what is right and what is wrong.
I still do not know why "literate" people elect these scum bags over and over again and then suck up to the morons sitting in the administration to get things done.

God save Kerala. And not to forget, check out harthal.com

Why are you not jumping the signal?

Last week I was out with a real estate broker to find a place to shift. The reasons for shifting are many. That is not the point here.
I reached Kothaguda chowk and stopped at the signal after seeing it red. (I stick to the rules of the road). This broker who was sitting on the back seat, goes - "Chale jao sir. Koi police nahin hai. Bindaas chale jao". I do not recollect what came to mind at that time, but then after crossing the signal,

Usmaan- "Kitne saalon se Hyderabad mein ho saab?" (How long have been in Hyderabad?)

Me - "It's been 5 years"

Usmaan - "Fir signal pe roka kyon?" (Then why did you stop at the signal?)

Me - "Red signal mein stop karna hai" (You have to stop at the red signal)

Usmaan - "Woh theek hai saab. Yahaan pe logon ko signal thodne mein mazaa aatha hai. Kaun signal follow kartha hai saab? Jahaan pe U-turn nahin lena hai, wahaan pe U-Turn lena hai. Jahaan pe one way hai, wahaan pe wrong side mein chalana hai. " (That's ok. People have fun jumping signals here(HYD). Who follows signals? You have to take U-turn where U-turn is not allowed. You have to drive the wrong way if it is labeled "one-way")

The scariest thing this 70% of people in Hyderabad feel the same way. I do not think there is slightest chance that the traffic sense will get any better. Roads are going to remain crowded and the condition of roads is going to remain as is.

Dreams

Rough night.

I hardly got sleep yesterday night. I could see dark clouds turning into fireballs and then falling on earth. It was engulfing everything on the way. My car got burnt.

Wonder what this means when you "interpret dreams". My wife says, it is all because of work and stress.

I am so looking forward to Sep 30.

Open Source == Communism?

Search for Chuck Norris

The result is ... :)



Probably the same would apply to Rajnikhant and Vin Diesel.

Parking sensibly

Not probably the right way to respond but, this is hilarious. "Beaches are fun"

Frog Princess

Thought this one was hilarious. Read On:

A boy was crossing a road one day when a frog called out to him andsaid, "If you kiss me, I'll turn into a beautiful princess". He bent over, picked up the frog and put it in his pocket. The frog spoke up again and said, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a beautiful princess, I will stay with you for one week." The boy took the frog out of his pocket, smiled at it and returned it to the pocket. The frog then cried out, "If you kiss me and turn me back into a princess, 'll stay with you and do ANYTHING you want." Again the boy took the frog out, smiled at it and put it back into his pocket.
Finally, the frog asked, "What is the matter? I've told you I'm a beautiful princess, that I'll stay with you for a week and do anything you want. Why won't you kiss me?"

The boy said, "Look, I'm a software engineer, I don't have time for a girlfriend, but a talking frog is cool."

Rejection Letter

Ran into the ultimate rejection letter:

Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee
412A Clarkson Hall, Whitson University
College Hill, MA 34109

Dear Professor Millington,

Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful consideration, I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me an assistant professor position in your department.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,
Chris L. Jensen

Love Story 2050

Biggest mistake ...

We ran out of the movie hall half way through the movie. It was a disaster right from the start, with Harman Beweja being asked to do everything literally possible to make him look like Hrithik Roshan. My wife tells me, "He can probably act in a TV serial as a mythology character, may be Ram or Lakshman or something. That's about it".

We went to KFC immediately after we ran out of the hall and we completely forgot that we had been to a movie 10 mins back.

Rajeev Masand says:

If there’s one thing the film succeeds in doing, it’s in uniting the audience in their relief as they step out of the cinema. Coming out of the film you feel like prisoners of war who’ve finally been let out of concentration camp.

Do not watch it even if it coming on television and you have nothing to do ...

Google is a great place to be?

Everything is pretty much run by the engineering - PMs and testers are conspicuously absent from the process. While they do exist in theory, there are too few of them to matter.

The Google Manager is a very interesting phenomenon. On one hand, they usually have a LOT of people from different businesses reporting to them, and are perennially very busy.

Post by Sergey Solyanik when he moved back to Microsoft.
Having worked at Microsoft before, I think there is an inherent bias in the way he has expressed his opinions, but I do not think we can brush aside all of his comments.

Sex Education

Another one from Geek & Poke:

The Vagina Dialogues

"I hated being a woman. The restrictions, the rules, the fears of my mother, it made me angry."
"I hated being a woman. Bleeding every month, feeling pukey and giddy-headed and sticky and smelly."

I hated being a woman. 10 years old and being told, “Boys can do whatever they like. But a girl’s reputation is like glass.” Twelve and my tuition teacher’s voice, “What a horrible laugh, so loud and monstrous! Look at Sonya, how prettily she covers her mouth when she laughs. And she doesn’t make a sound.” Thirteen and being admonished, “Sit with your legs together. Only a slut sits with her legs apart.” Yes, I really and truly hated being a woman.

Bold one ...

World's dirtiest cities

If you thought I would list Kolkatta, Chennai, Mumbai etc., you are wrong.

None of the cities in India are there in the list of World's worst 10 cities.

Arsenic-laced drinking water, lead-contaminated soils and choking air pollution are sadly just the start in some of the world's dirtiest places

There is still hope for us.

You must also see some crazy ideas for future cities here.
Pod Car, Energy Highway, Algae Park, Power Sidewalks etc.



By the way, the traffic signal was not working at crazy Kothaguda junction on my way back home and no power at home when I reached.

Outsourcing Course Work

Students from US and UK are outsourcing their university coursework to graduates in India.

Students contract their work to the lowest bidder, with prices ranging from £5 for simple undergraduate coursework, to £100 for postgraduate dissertations.

Birmingham City computing lecturer Thomas Lancaster said the practice is spreading as more websites spring up, particularly in India and Romania, and that it could be more prevalent as it is very difficult to detect.

What next?

Miss Teen USA South Carolina 2007

Now ! This one below is hilarious ...

Are Americans this Dumb?

I am left speechless ...
Unbelievable stuff and they have problems with outsourcing ...

Google Saree !

Another one in Google Merchandise ...

Social Network for Football

It's a plethora of social networks ...

Check Footbo.com

Now, that's because of Euro 2008, but soon we can see for IPL, ICL, NBA, NHL, NFL etc ...

How can a user manage his accounts across these unless you have a common account facility like that google provides.

Single Sign On !

Romance for lonely men

Robots who kisses on command ...

Weirdos ...

Indian scientists say - God exists

Interesting read !

As many as 64 per cent scientists said they would refuse to design biological weapons because of their moral and religious beliefs, while 54 per cent said they will not work on nuclear weapons for the same reasons.

>> More

Companies, Salaries and Reviews

This post at TechCrunch lead me to Glassdoor.

Here is something that you will find interesting:



and more ...

Update:
Some of the interesting comments I read about Google:

Pros -

Google is an extraordinary place to work: the perks are second to none, the quality of employees is exceptionally high, and the products are mostly cutting edge and interesting.

The total compensation package is generous, with opportunities for earning more through good, hard work. The caliber of colleagues is very high, sometimes daunting even.

You interact with great developers, original thinkers and interesting people all the time. Unlimited munchies are great, three free meals a day (or two in satellite offices) is great, medical benefits, partial subsidy of fitness membership, subsidy for ongoing education (though in reality you are unlikely to have time to use it) are all pluses.

Advice to Senior Management -

"Stop acting as those you're King Midas…just because you struck it rich with AdWords does not mean whatever you create will be tech gold. For a company that prides itself on innovation, I can't think of any product Google has released since AdWords that has been truly innovative…unless you are calling Google's mergers and acquisitions innovative (just because Google owns YouTube does not mean you can take credit for the innovation)..."

"Google engineers tend to be first rate but managed by unqualified, self-obsessed managers who were promoted into their positions just by being in the right place at the right time. This cannot possibly be optimal for Google's long term growth. Listen to all the voices trying to tell you this. Stop listening to the voices of managers telling you what a great job they are doing, because their main skill is self promotion. They don't care about the welfare of the company or their reports, only about themselves."

Interesting right? ... It is fun reading it and gives an insight into to few of the giants in technology.

Monstrous

Blogging is good for you

Ran into this article through Slashdot.

Research shows that it improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery. A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not.

Some hospitals have started hosting patient-authored blogs on their Web sites as clinicians begin to recognize the therapeutic value

Read more here.

I am just wondering why it is not helping me de-stress myself ...

The girl who silenced the world for 5 minutes

Got this from Hari's blog. Amazing eye-opener.

Back from vacation

Yes ... I went on vacation ... Finally !

I was hoping to start chasing the monsoon right from Thiruvananthapuram where it hits first. But luck has not favored me in long time. Though government of Kerala predicted monsoon to hit Kerala on 20th May (I do not know if they predict by consulting an astrologer or meteorology department), there was no sign of it. Over and above that it was the "Kerala" climate where I think humidity was 150% or something.

It was so sweaty there that you could collect my sweat in buckets.

The experience was not too bad either. It was much needed break from work and the first thing that I made sure, I do, was not to open my laptop to check office emails. I was getting irritated the moment I though about work. Pretty much relaxed at home. Had a lot of beef. Went for couple of movies.

Oh, by the way ! DO NOT go for Indiana Jones - 4.

When I thought that I was going to take a vacation, relax, and get re-charged and get back to work with renewed energy, by Friday, I started to get disturbed sleep and started feeling depressed about our travel back to Hyderabad . This, I am sure, happens to quite a lot of guys. Then you hate yourself for having to work. You want to become invisible. You want to fall sick and take another week off. Sigh ...

Back in office today and my delivery manager walks up to me and says "How was your vacation? Hope you had a good one. Welcome back. Now me and Karthik can take a vacation."

I wish I could meet H.G Wells and figure out how to become invisible.

Is it just a problem with IT industry and the expectations causing this or it is really the work that you do?