BlogWorld & New Media Expo - Blogs Go Mainstream...

A couple of months back, I was at the Bangalore BarCamp, [a Bloggers collective version] which was nothing but a series of talks and discussions on an extensive list of topics, of course in a un-conference format. The blogging world is catching up fast, with the explosion of Internet facilities. And very soon the first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to the furtherance of the dynamics of blogging and new media, the BlogWorld & New Media Expo is coming.

This Blog Summit is a conference series that focuses on the applications of blogging in various spheres of life, social media and a wide array of topics. Apart from all these, the BlogWorld & New Media Expo would feature more than 50 seminars, panel discussions and keynotes from prominent gurus on the new age online technology and internet-savvy business.

Now anyone who already has the blog virus in his/her blood can join the party. Anyone who is currently blogging, podcasting, producing other forms of new media content, entering the new media industry, or just want to learn about the know-hows of the blogosphere, can be a part of this comprehensive blogging convention, the BlogWorld & New Media Expo.

Blogcritics and Desicritics are participants in this event. Eric Olsen, the Founder and Publisher of Blogcritics.org and who later mentored Aaman in the Desicritics initiative is one of the key speakers at this forum.

A peek into Eric Olsen's career graph in writing, editing, and media exposes his expertise in this arena for close to 20 years now. He has written volumes on a vast array of topics including politics, current events, world affairs, popular culture, music, music industry, digital technology, opinion and commentary, etc., for periodicals, books, TV, radio, and the Internet. As an editor and author, he supervised the compilation and publication of Networking In the Music Industry (Rockpress, 1993) and Encyclopedia of Record Producers (Billboard Books, 1999). In 2002, Olsen founded online magazine Blogcritics.org, the sinister cabal of superior bloggers.

I am a member of the Desicritics family and softly coupled to Blogcritics. It's definitely a moment of pride and appreciation for all the Blogcritic'ians and also Desicritic'ians to have Eric Olsen address such a groundbreaking conference on blogging.

Apart from the discussions on blogging, the conference would also touch other appendages, that regular bloggers use such as widgets, advertising networks, news readers, aggregators, etc to enhance the substance and the presentation of their sites. The event would also feature an open house discussion on the galore of products and services configured to make blogging easy and user-friendly. Apart from these some interesting discussion sessions on topics such as improving the look and aesthetic features of blogs, tips to increase readership, and how to make money from blogs, etc.

The inaugural event will take place on the 8th and 9th November'07 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with an exclusive 'Executive & Entrepreneur' conference beginning on the 7th November '07.

Venue : Las Vegas Convention Center
Address : Las Vegas Convention Center
3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas,
NV 89109, USA.

The event has some cool sponsors(check the webpage on the top), with, the Southwest Airlines being declared as the 'Official Airline of BlogWorld & New Media Expo'.

Some facts to show how fast the blog virus is spreading. So much so that many of the contenders both from the Democrats and Republicans brigade are using blogs as a medium for canvassing voters for the forth coming US elections. A glance at the official blog site of one of the strongest Democrats competitors, Hillary Clinton shows the impact this new media tool has made. Also a couple of weeks back, there was news about an anonymous blogger who assumed the persona of Steve Job, Apple's chief executive and made ad-lib posts at The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, to charade Mr. Jobs and his reputation as a swollen-headed and egotistic leader. On being unmasked, Mr. Daniel Lyons, a writer and editor for the technology related articles for Forbes and author of two works of fiction, the most recently one being, 'Dog Days' said.

Mr. Lyons said he invented the Fake Steve character last year, when a small group of chief executives turned bloggers attracted some media attention. He noticed that they rarely spoke candidly. "I thought, wouldn’t it be funny if a C.E.O. kept a blog that really told you what he thought? That was the gist of it."

Mr. Lyons says he recalled trying out the voices of several chief executives before settling on the colorful Apple co-founder. He twice tried to relinquish the blog, but started again after being deluged by fans e-mailing to ask why Fake Steve had disappeared.

Now how can I miss Heather alias Dooce, the queen of blogosphere and a household phrase in Technorati. Heather Armstrong created Dooce.com in February 2001, and a year later she was 'dooced', i.e. fired from her job as a web designer for writing about her co-workers and workplace. Dooce ranks very high on Technorati and is on the top 100 Most popular blogs list and has won Bloggies Award for Best Writing, Most Humorous Weblog, Best Tagline and Best American Weblog. Unlike other top blogs, Dooce is centered around Heather's articulate and humorous pennings on interesting observations in life, pregnancy, babies, depression, jobs, husband, and hilarious interactions with her daughter.

Now some cool facts on blogging.

• 9% of internet users say they have created blogs.
• Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs.
• Over 120 thousand blogs are created every day.
• 22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs.
• Blog readers average 23 hours online each week.

[Source: blogworldexpo.com]

Ok, if you see the last point, it's like someone spends to close to one day out of every seven days in the blog world, for reading, writing, commenting, etc all related to blogs.

Do I fit this profile? You guess!

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A Talk on New Models of Product Development...

TiE Chennai is conducting a talk by Mr. Gowri Shankar Subramanian, CEO of Aspire Systems, on the 31st of Oct'07 at Chennai. Check below for details.

The Indus Entrepreneurs or TiE is a not-for-profit global network of entrepreneurs and professionals founded in 1992 in Silicon Valley, California, USA by a group of businessmen and entrepreneurs of desi origin led by Dr. Suhas Patil. Though its name signifies the ethnic South Asian (desi) or Indus roots of the founders, TiE, as the founders claim, stands for Talent, Ideas and Enterprise. Since its inception to date, this group has expanded and today has more than forty chapters in nine countries. One of the first chapters in India is the Bangalore chapter founded in 1999. It has some prominent members, regular speakers, industry gurus, technology geeks who are part of this forum and to name a few are Jim Clark, Eric Schmidt, Carly Fiorina, Irwin Jacobs, Thomas Friedman and Vinod Khosla.

So what's being discussed at the Chennai's talk session?

NEW MODELS OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT - How leading Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and Outsourced Product Development Companies are changing the rules of Product Development.

Why should product companies build their own products? Shouldn't they be able to tap specialists who can build their products for them? Traditionally, product development has been viewed as one of the core competencies of ISVs. But, is it really?

This presentation will look at how leading ISVs are adopting new models of product development that frees valuable management time that is then directed towards the more vital activities of product management, differentiation, and marketing.

Definitely an interesting topic when the rules of business are changing at an alarming pace, so products catering to business and commerce need to have shorter design to roll-out time gap.

A short profile of the speaker, Gowri Shankar Subramanian.
Gowri Shankar Subramanian has been a key architect of Aspire Systems and has been the driving force and visionary behind the industry-transforming initiative of Outsourced Product Development (OPD). He is currently driving Aspire to change the way software product companies (ISVs) do product development.

Gowri has nearly 15 years of experience in the software industry, with expertise in the areas of software product engineering, software product marketing and support, and software development. This rich experience helps him push the boundaries of Aspire's business not by issuing edicts, but by getting people to buy into his vision.

Gowri has a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering from Pondicherry University and a Master's in Industrial Engineering from Texas A&M University. While at A&M, his research interests focused on optimizing production of printed circuit assemblies. His papers have been published in the International Journal of Production Research and Institute of Industrial Engineering Conference Proceedings.

Date:31st October 2007

Registration:6.30 Pm to 7.00 Pm

Venue: "St. Mary's"
Rain Tree, 20 St. Mary's Rd,
Raja Annamalaipuram,
Chennai-28, Tel.:044-42252525

Session:7.00 Pm to 8.30 Pm

Charter Members: Complimentary
Members: Rs 300
Non Members: Rs 600
Students: Rs 250
Cheque payments can be made at the Registration counter, kindly avoid cash.

The entry passes rates are decent even if one has to pay from his/her own pocket, the timing is perfect, in the evening after work hours (hope you manage to finish your work by that time), so be there and have fun is listening to some new gyan.

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Pics from Dussehra in Naama Bengaluru...

Last weekend was Vijay Dashmi, the day Goddess Durga was submerged into the waters after ten days of festivity, the effigies of Ravan were burnt, crackers and fireworks flared up the night sky, its the victory of the good over the evil and finally the nine day Navaratri celebration came to an end.

I tried to capture few moments of the festival and hope you like the pics. I am not going to write anything with the feeling that the pics would convey the message of great warmth and intensity.

















Till we meet again the coming year.









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Coolax and Chillax...

I think it was in the early 2006 series, that Ranchi Rambo, Mahendra Singh Dhoni led the Indian squad to victory against Pakistan in the third One-Dayer. More than the win, what was significant was that this dude, found an admirer in none other than President Pervez Musharraf. Yeh he liked not only his aggressive batting flair but also his unique hairstyle.

"A lot of placards in the crowd have suggested that you should get a haircut, but if you take my advice, you look good in this hairstyle," Musharraf told the Indian wicketkeeper-batsman during the presentation ceremony.

After that many hair product endorsements just came bucketing along his way. Brylcreem, was one of such products for which Dhoni endorsed. Incase you are not aware, this was not the first time that any cricketer was promoting for the product, several years ago, former test cricketers Farokh Engineer and Dennis Compton were brand ambassadors for this hair care product.

Just then a point reached, after the embarrassing debacle of the 'Men in Blue' in early rounds of the last World Cup, that the name calling game started. It so happened that, Dhoni's hairdo which was something different that much aligned with his flamboyant and free flow style of playing, now started giving this dashing cricketer an image that he would not have been most comfortable with.

Then came the 20-20 World Cup in 2007 and the young Indian team won this trophy under the captaincy of Dhoni. He again rose from the ashes and shone like a beacon. Now something new is on platter when the local chookra heads to his hometown, Ranchi with the complete disappearance of the famous locks. A new hairdo, 'point cut', the short trimmed hair managed without combing.

He got some flattering comments on his new make over.

"Bahut smart dikh raha hai, bal kata liya hai, jhakas look hai, (he is looking very smart after a new hair-cut. His looks are irresistible)," said the companion claiming that now he would change his hairstyle.

Now there are many theories centered around this choppy coiffure. One surmise goes by the word that the Team India ODI skipper is trying to imitate the latest trend as is followed by Bollywood stars. Is Dhoni trying to have his hair cut short like that of John Abraham ? The new look is the outcome of the handiwork of hair stylist Sapna Bhavnani and her precisioned fingers on the scissors.

Now the second theory stands a bit strong. Some link it to a solemn request from Bollywood sensation model-turned actor Deepika Pradukone as there are rumours about his affair with this beatific lass. Now this theory maain thoda sa daaam hai, kyon ?

Deepika Padukone, inspite of having a busy schedule, travelled from Bangalore to Mumbai to be a part of the cheering crowd for the recently concluded Twenty-20 match against Australia held at Brabourne stadium. There is some furphy in the media and the newspapers that, Deepika even invited the cricketer for the premier show of her film 'Om Shanti Om' to be released shortly.

But when Dhoni was questioned by the media, woh thoda shaaarma gaya and replied.

'Please do not change my girl friend's name at least for the time being' was the request made by India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the media.

I don’t know how much of this is true and how much is false, but I have a major doubt. Now the movie 'Om Shanti Om' is going to be released shortly, in which Deepika is sported with SRK with his new swaggering and swashbuckling hairdo in the Dard-e-Disco song. If she liked the flowing hair in the movie, tau abhi Dhoni se short sporty cut kyon ?


Some one answer me please.

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Ey Bhai Zara Dekh Ke Chalo...

The world of fashion and catwalks always has something hilarious to offer. We have seen that even razor blade models like Naomi Campbell also had her share of abashing mis-steps on the ramp. It's a part of the game. A couple of days back at the L.A. Fashion Week, model Sarah Welch also had once such moment while walking on the paseo for the the fashion line Shadang.

Sarah Welch, a former contestant on the reality show, 'The Bachelor' seemed to be in a hurry and the result is 'Thuuuuuuud', a sooper cool plunge into a vent. The lady didn't notice a goggling hole, which was created by a martial arts performer's aerobatics. Chee Chaaa Ho Ha Ho Ha.....

"As a runway model, you have to keep your head up, you know," Welch, told KABC-TV. "So I didn't look down for a hole, particularly."

Does that sound really convincing ? Take a simple instance, when we drive on Indian roads after a heavy down pour, we encounter numerous puddles and potholes. What is the general behavior expected from a responsible driver, in 7/10 cases s/he would apply the brakes, decelerate, and make sure that s/he crosses the mud sea safely. In the rest 3 cases, we face the same quandary as did Welch, isn't it ?.



Now if you see the video, there is some hooting from the crowd but not to the intensity or the decibel levels in Beedi Jalaile Jigar Se Piya from Omkara. The lady, Welch, knows that the mistake has already been done and so she needs to mend the scene and that's when a fellow male model helps her to get out of the waist-deep hole. She recovers fast and realizes the mood of the situation and leaves the stage with an optimistic signal, 'Hey All is fine' without any tempestuous expressions on her face.

This would have been a mortifying experience for Welch but she definitely has a vivid sense of humor as her reply says it.

"It is just a really funny mishap. And I hope they're enjoying watching it just as much as I am," she said.

Now if you followed the title of the post, yes yes I get it that how can I attribute the word 'Bhai' to a lady, but then this song has been humming in my ears for long and so the title. This song was sung by the legendary singer, Manna Dey who won his Filmfare Award in 1971 for this musical number, from Raj Kapoor's Mera Naam Joker.

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Rajni, Rajni, Rajni...

I guess, by now everyone would have heard about Rajni's blockbuster Sivaji:The Boss and the kind of hysteria it created among the fans. I even read in the newspapers that some die-hard enthusiasts actually flew from Chennai to New Delhi just because all the tickets were sold out. That's the power and the trademark of this man, Rajni, the second highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan and highest in India.

His films, which are famous for their tastelessly showy and flashy costumes, humorous locutions, jhakas on the fly rustic punch lines and best are his hallmark tricks, that would even put the Hollywood sci-fi flick directors to shame. And not to mention his stunts, that defy the laws of Physics out rightly. A few of those out of the world mind-boggling tricks, which are big money grossers, are here. But whatever be the case, this chap rules the emotions of the people and is given the stature of a demi-god. Put in a direct way, it is best to freeze your incredulity in the grotesque and ludicrously odd actions and simply surrender to the amusement of the scenes.

Hey its not that his stunts are goosy, trite characterizations, he applies the laws in a way that we would not have thought about. If you don't believe me, just check the snapshot below for an abstract application of the famous Pythagoras Theorem.


I have not seen many of his movies but what I hear is that in Rajni's movies, reason sleeps. So what? It's the same in many of the Hollywood and Bollywood movies too. That they never get the science right is almost beside the point, movies are a mode of entertainment and art and if this medium succeeds by tapping the power of transcend to explore the relationship between human beings and technology and provides amusement to the target audience, that's perfectly Ok. Methinks so.

Rajni is an accomplished craftsman and what most distinguishes him from his contemporaries is his imagination, his vision to fuse all the disparate elements of filmmaking into whole new worlds and most importantly his ability to understand his target audience and touch their hearts.

If you do not believe me, check this.


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My Blog Award and bloglife...

There was an email with a request that was pending for long. Ram, an engineer from IIT Kharagpur who runs a blog so-did–i had conferred me with 'Awesome Guy Blogger' under the Creative Blog category. I am thrilled and excited to learn that people follow my posts and I would make extra effort to improve my style of blogging and presenting my views in the most coherent way. Thanks Ram and sorry for the delay in posting.

Now these blogging awards are not like the red-carpet ostentatious Oscar awards but these are modest affirmations that there are people who connect to your blogs and enjoy reading the posts. As simple as that. These blogging awards are mirthful ways to recognize your fellow bloggers to show them how much one appreciates what they express in their posts. These awards in my view makes one connect to others, whose thought process frequency matches your's and you always feel at home on their blogs.

So as per Article 15 of Indian Constitution, which discourages any form of discrimination against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them. I am not categorizing any guy or gal bloggers.

I really appreciate the concept of blogging and this medium has introduced me to some smart, wonderful, affectionate and fantastic characters, who have offered me a plethora of learnings. I love the passion that drives these people who express their views on their blogs and connect to the outside world. Few of them and many have blogs I consider to be out of this world. They are on my blogsite's blog roll list but to name a few.

There is this lady Amrita Rajan, a roving writer based in NY whose ingenuity, verbal skill, and selection of topics has the power to evoke laughter, to add humor to a dry and dull day, to prick and challenge your mind with many questions and so on. Perfect mix of desi and non-desi themes.

Rashmi Bansal, a grad from IIMA needs no introduction in Indian blogosphere. I feel after Kiruba, one of the most popular bloggers in India, this editor of JAM magazine fits in the list. I need not say more, let Youth Curry and her thoroughly analysed and poked into posts in various Indian magazines speak for the rest.

Then there is this gentleman, Aaman whom I know for 2.5 years now. With a mission to facilitate dialogue and communication, in the real and virtual worlds with no boundaries, this technology industry consultant started an e-zine Desicritics, with his guiding spirit, Deepti.

Hey, how can I forget my friend GVK, a retired Times of India correspondent and who in his career has served in some of the leading publishing houses in India. This man may be old in age, [that's just a number, ditch that man] but very young in heart and oozes lots of energy and ideas. In short, my association with him can be equated to an old house, in a desolate land full of wide-ranging collection of books, with each book having something special to say.

Many of us would have come across this phrase, 'Walk The Talk'. Even there is an interview-based programme 'Walk the Talk' on NDTV’s 24x7 by Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta. This illustrious lady by the name Anou, may not have appeared in one of those shows but frankly speaking I feel she deserves a slot there. Anou runs a simple project named pWhy (i.e Project Why) with her endeavors and efforts centered around bringing, simple smile in the faces of the under privileged individuals of the society and to empower the female clan from the lower starta of the society. Why does she do this ? My answer would be because she has a passion to bring about change and she does it and has been doing this for 7 years now. On the contrary we have paper tigers like SRK, Priyanka Chopra, Abhishek B and lot others on the Lead India show who wish to bring about change in this nation just by appearing on AD campaigns.

Also don't miss, Anita's blog, a die-hard shutterbug and wanderlust. Also I enjoy reading Sujatha's assortment of posts covering lots of book reviews, travel tips, deep dives into desi-life and much more.

This is just a short list, there are many other bloggers whose posts I follow regularly, just that there names are not here. I have all their names in my fingertips and would blog on them soon.

Fine, all these but how can I forget Mayank, who recently created ripples in Indian Blogosphere. He is a thoda haat ke chap and lives on books, runs 4 blogs on the web and does photography of aam junta capturing moments that we normally miss. And and and uses the Delhi Blue line buses for his commute. His latest claim to fame is that Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali plans to make a film based on one of his pieces in Pakistan Paindabad.

So all in all, I equate my blog life to my normal life in which one gets to rub shoulders with a wide range of people. Offers lots to learn, unlearn, share, discuss, debate and argue, of course with reason. Also I am happy that, there are at least five people whom I provoked and aroused their curiosity to have their own blogs and websites. So that many treats pending...huh...

So what are you waiting for in case you don't have a blog site of your own. Start one so that I am invited for another treat.

Keep reading and remain connected.

Only If Life Was This...

Many times we hear this statement, "Gosh, he was a such a smart kid but......" but then why did s/he do this, something which is not a regular course as has been charted by the society. So why Christopher McCandless after graduating from Emory University with surpassingly good grades, donated his entire $24,000 savings to charity, to swap a lustrous future encompassing corporate board room meetings, material comfort, outstanding ability and simple charm for destruction by starvation in an abandoned bus in the desolate woods of Alaska? Was he mad, was he not satisfied with the activities that happened in the world he lived, and a host of many such questions, these are something that Jon Krakauer attempts to answer in his book, 'Into the Wild'.

Now if we think for a while, I guess each one of us face an inventory of such questions and queries and we cannot answer these questions with certainty and conformity. There is no cookbook solution to such mentations. Into the Wild' does pour substantial light in this direction. It says something like 'Life is a Learning Process', and of course to each his/her own. That's what I could make out from the video below. (Into The Wild O.S.T - Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun - Music Video).



It not only tattles about McCandless's 'Alaskan Journey' but also speaks volumes about the unobserved and unseen elements that drive people to drop out of society and test themselves in other ways. Ways that they feel passionately about. Along the way, each one of us encounter a series of characters that shape our life.

Brilliant stuff, and this video prompts me to try the movie for sure.

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The 2007 Nobel Prize for Literature ...

The 2007 Nobel Prize for literature has gone to the British author Doris. Lessing is the 11th woman to win literature's most prestigious prize in its 106-year history. She is best known for her 1962 postmodern feminist masterpiece, 'The Golden Notebook'.

What more could a literary genius ask as a birthday gift. Lessing now just short of 11 days to touch the milestone of her 88th birthday, is the oldest person to have been awarded the prize, a title previously held by Theodor Mommsen, who was 85 when he won the award in 1902. Also if you see the trend, Lessing's award makes this the second time in three years that the award has gone to a British author, the other being Harold Pinter's in 2005. Last year, it was awarded to the Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk.

Guess this grand old lady of literature, herself was a bit surprised when she learnt about the laurel that was conferred on her.

Ms. Lessing learned of the news from a group of reporters camped on her doorstep as she returned from a visit to the hospital with her son. "I was a bit surprised because I had forgotten about it actually," she said. "My name has been on the short list for such a long time."

As the persistent sound of her phone ringing came from inside the house, Ms. Lessing said that on second thought, she was not as surprised "because this has been going on for something like 40 years," referring to the number of times she has been mentioned as a likely honoree. "Either they were going to give it to me sometime before I popped off or not at all."

After a few moments, Ms. Lessing, who is stout, sharp and a bit hard of hearing, excused herself to go inside. "Now I’m going to go in to answer my telephone," she said. "I swear I’m going upstairs to find some suitable sentences, which I will be using from now on."

Source: New York Times

Lessing’s life has been a kaleidoscope. Born on 22 October 1919 to British parents in Kermanshah in Persia (now Bakhtaran in Iran). Her father, Alfred Cook Taylor, was a bank official and her mother, Emily Maude Taylor, had been a nurse. In the course of her journey from childhood till date she has moved from Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to Salisbury, and many places in between before settling in London. She has an interesting personality having dabbled with different firmaments. Someone who ended her formal schooling at the age of 14 and in the following years she worked as a young nanny, telephone operator, office worker, stenographer and journalist. Someone who had several short stories published.

Just see the orbits of life, she has touched and so its not surprising to learn the theme of relations between men and women which form the lifeline of the dozens of novels, short stories, and essays that she has scripted. Now on the verge of touching 88, she approximately belongs to same generation of maestro as filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, both died a couple of months back. These are a bunch of people who are a league apart and are institutions in their own way. Like the masters of camera and light who explored social, psychological, and sexual malaise in their motion pictures, this lady used her quill to explore those themes and subjects.

Happy Birthday Lessing and you deserved the Nobel Prize.

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Go Deep Into the Roots...

Be in real life, or in technical domain, or in literary field, for that matter, in any sphere in life, strong roots can withstand any kind of calamity, catastrophe. I got this email from a friend and I am not sure about veracity and the accuracy of this interesting chronicle. It doesn't really matter whether it is fictitious or it is real, but there is a lesson in the end. Please read on.....

This is a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive.

A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:

'This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert after dinner each night, but the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem.....

You see, every time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds "What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?" The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an Engineer to check it out anyway.

The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start.

The Engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start.

Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: He jotted down all sorts of data: time of day, type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc.

In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.

Now, the question for the Engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Eureka - Time was now the problem - not the vanilla ice cream!!!! The engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock".

It was happening every night; but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.

Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking.

That's why there is this popular saying: "When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves."

Keep reading and remain connected.

[The root pic, is from a tree at a friend's garden]

Filmcamp in Bangalore on 6th and 7th Oct'07....

Oyee, this weekend don't rush to PVR, Inox, or plant your ass on the cozy sofa or beanbag and watch movies on the idiot box. Instead, join and be a part of the much-awaited FilmCamp, which is happening right in the city of Bangalore on the 6th and 7th Oct'07 at JGI-CMS. Details to reach the place can be found here.

Now what is this Filmcamp?

FilmCamp is a platform to encourage and promote independent filmmakers. It’s a forum, a meeting place for people from different walks of filmmaking coming together to share and discover the fine fixingses in the treasury stock, i.e. in art of film-making. This event is the first of its kind and is happening at the PG Department of Communication, SBMJC Center for Management Studies, Bangalore. A place where independent Indie film makers get to showcase their works to a wider audience which includes film-makers, professionals and critics from the film industry. The best part would be to discuss, the +ves, the –ves, the lessons learnt, the encyclopedisms, the critical reviews, the point blank views, etc.


A peek into the film entries, here.

Few people on panel are Sanjay Jha, Anand Krishnamurthy, Vasanth, etc. Sanjay Jha debuted on the Bollywood screen with 'Praan Jaye Par Shaan Na Jaye' and was the Assistant Director in 'Mission Kashmir' at Vinod Chopra Films Pvt. Ltd. Anand Krishnamurthy is a Senior Lecturer, Direction and Sound at LV Prasad Film & TV Academy, Prasad Studios.

All the credit to conceptualize this idea and bring it to action goes to Thejesh GN, Hrish and their team members from BRTFF (Bangalore Roof Top Film Festival). Miles to go and the journey has just started. Have fun....

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International Bloggers Day for a Free Burma : 4th Oct'07...

This post is in support of humanity and human spirit. This post is in support of my fellow men from Burma. Burma, one small but beautiful country that has tolerated enough so far. How can one forget the imprisoned heroes like Aung San Suu Kyi, who in 1991 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her peaceful and non-violent struggle under a military dictatorship. But it seems, that the world seems to have forgotten about this nation when today it is tormented by a flood of reports of alleged brutal killings, disappearances and arrests.
The global bloggers community has joined arms with the monks and the people of Burma who risk their lives everyday for freedom and democracy.

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words "Free Burma!".

Show your sympathy for the Free Burma! action and sign our list of participants, whether or not you're a blogger, website owner or someone who wants to point the way to democracy and freedom in Burma!



You can do that here. Please sign up as each entry makes a difference.

Also, note that it remains extremely difficult for anyone to confirm details about who has been arrested, where they are held, why and under what circumstances. This uncertainty is partly as a consequence of restrictions on Internet and phone use. You can read more details on the struggle with some thought provoking writeups by fellow Desicritic'ians: Madhu Chandra, The Buddha Smiled and writer Jawahara Saidullah.

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