For IITM junta…
I am referring to the following picture.
Category: Thoughts
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Words of wisdom from Asterix and the Normans
True courage
What’s in a name?
Getting your priorities right
Everyone takes advantage of my weakness
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The best Google joke ever – “Don’t be evil”
First the Google Reader shutdown earlier this year showing that Google is not averse to shutting down services that have a significant user base. Then came the shared personal endorsement that was opt out by default and would have made Facebook proud. And now we have Google experimenting with banner ads. They sure had us fooled.
With the search results already looking like below on the iPad, nothing much left to say other than the world probably ended in 2012, and we are living in an alternate version of reality.
If you are a heavy user of their services, good luck trying to get out. Money makes not only people, but also organizations do funny things.
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Apple doing to software what Microsoft did to hardware?
Now that Apple has announced that OS X updates will be free going forward, and many of its first party apps like iWork are going to be free with new devices, Microsoft seems to have its task cut out. Many people seem to think that this move by Apple will really hurt Microsoft. In some ways Apple is trying to commoditize software the way Microsoft commoditized hardware over the last 2 decades. However, there are a few key points that not many have mentioned:
- Microsoft has given away major OS updates for free. E.g. Windows XP SP2. In a way, the Apple move was preempted by the free Windows 8.1 update.
- Microsoft is a past master of bundling free software with its OS. Remember Internet Explorer vs Netscape? Or more recently, Office being given away with Windows RT.
- Apple hardware remains luxury items, and free OS upgrades are not going to make budget conscious people switch from Windows to Apple devices. That said, the real threat comes when people realize that a tablet meets their requirements and is probably cheaper than a PC (desktop\laptop) when it is time to get a new device.
- The real threat to Microsoft comes from Android, as OEMs are gradually warming up to Android as an alternative for Windows for laptops. Since the market is undergoing a major shift in the kind of personal devices being used (desktops to laptops to mobiles & tablets), there is a big scope for a free OS. Android has been successful on mobiles while Linux failed on PCs due to this very reason.
- OS development has an associated cost even if you do not pay a third party for it. Apple is just subsidizing the software costs through hardware margins. Even if OEMs decide to opt for Android or Chrome OS, they will need an in house team to customize the OS. Of course, OEMs probably already have an in house team developing software for Windows given the typical bloatware that comes pre-installed on PCs.
The bottom line is that Microsoft has to continue to woo its OEM partners who bring in the OS revenue, while at the same time transform its revenue source to hardware. The Nokia acquisition becomes even more important now.
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The New Microsoft?
Just replace Google with Microsoft and turn back the clock by 15-20 years in the below article and you will notice striking similarities in their strategies to capture the market:
Google’s iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary | Ars Technica.
The decisions make perfect business sense and is possibly the easiest way for Google to maintain control over Android while taking care of the fragmentation issues that have plagued the platform over the last few years. As an end user this has both positive and negative implications. The good part is that we do not have to depend as much on OEMs and carriers for Android updates and features. The bad news is mainly for the open source fanatics who thought that Android was “open”.
Of course, if you are an Android device maker, particularly one that is floundering in the face of the Samsung onslaught, then you are in a tough spot. Case in point is HTC that has been making pretty distinct devices that get good reviews, but doesn’t have any profits to show. Good acquisition target for Amazon it seems.
Then, there is also Google’s strategy to suffocate the Windows Phone platform by ignoring it and depriving it of first party Google Apps. Another strategy that makes very good business sense, but not really in the spirit of “Don’t be Evil”.
In a broader sense, the “Don’t be Evil” Google is long gone, having been replaced by a business savvy one which is a natural transition for maturing companies to survive in the marketplace. I just hope that Google Services don’t do to the internet what Microsoft did with Internet Explorer and Office…
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What is the most important thing you have learned about leadership?
from a NASA Astronaut
Answer by Garrett Reisman:
I've been meaning to post about leadership for a while now, thanks for asking the question and giving me this opportunity.
Here are some lessons that I have learned along the way from a variety of role models.
1) Have a grand vision – Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO, CTO
As a leader, you can inspire and motivate your team to tremendous effect by communicating a vision in a clear, straight-forward way. But don't think small – raise the bar really really high. Elon wants us to make the human species multi-planetary. That's different than a CEO whose vision is to increase the company's market share by 10% within 5 years.2) Be Competent – Ken Ham, Commander Space Shuttle Atlantis, STS-132
Being very good at what you do will inspire others to follow you and trust your judgement. Ken is the best pilot I have ever flown with, and I've flown with a lot of good ones. We did stuff in airplanes that I have only seen before or since in video games. When he was at the controls of Atlantis, you had the feeling that everything was going to be ok. Kind of like when Captain Kirk walks onto the bridge of the Enterprise.3) Take Care of Your People – Nancy Currie, NASA Astronaut
This is an important principle that is ingrained into most military officers but is sadly often lacking in civilian managers. Mentorship is important but moreover, doing whatever you can to advance the careers of your subordinates should be one of your prime duties. Nancy was my branch chief in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch when I was a rookie astronaut. When a prime flight assignment became available for a skilled robotics expert, she went to the chief of the Astronaut Office and relentlessly championed me for the spot – despite the fact that she herself was a much better candidate. Neither one of us got the job, but I never forgot her loyalty to me.4) Give Your People as Much Autonomy as Possible – Chris Brennen, Caltech Professor
Resist the temptation to micro-manage. If you telegraph the answer you expect to your team, then you are not going to get an innovative solution to a problem – or even a correct one. When I would be struggling in the lab and talking to my Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Chris Brennen, he would work with me at his white-board just long enough to make sure I was heading in a pretty good direction. Then he would take the maker out of my hand and say, "you'll figure it out, now let me show you where we should go canyoneering this weekend" and he would start drawing topo maps of the San Gabriel mountains on the board.5) Say What You Mean – Carl Fisher, former Senior VP of Northrup Grumman
Be a "straight-shooter". Don't be passive-aggressive and resist the temptation to tell people what they want to hear, only to proceed in a different direction. This is harder to do than it seems. As Carl advised me, "To be a good program manager, don't worry too much about making friends. If you need a friend, buy a dog."6) Set the Bar High – Gerry Vandervoort, Parsippany High School Physics Teacher
You should have very high expectations of your team members. Don't berate them for their failures, but challenge them with goals that seem above their abilities. Elon Musk is exceedingly good at this too, but I choose to use Mr. Vandervoort as an example. His physics class was tough, and he didn't suffer fools. You had to want to be there – but as a result I was instilled with a love of science that never waned.7) Lead by Example – Roman Romanenko, Russian Cosmonaut
What you do is so much more important than what you say. As a leader, you should be the hardest worker, the most well-prepared and the one willing to do all the things no one else wants to do. When we did our winter survival training in Moscow, our commander Roman was always the first to go out to chop more firewood, the last to eat, and the one who carried the heaviest load through the forest.8) Allow Your Subordinates to Tell you That you are Wrong – Garrett Reisman
Often leaders who do their job too well end up surrounded by a bunch of "yes-men/women". This can have disastrous consequences. When I was the leader on a desert survival course our task was to navigate to a water source by map and compass. I studied the map and proclaimed that a certain mountain peak in the distance was the one indicated on the map. Then I told my team – it is the job of each and every one of you to prove to me that this mountain is not the one on the map. We found the water and lived to tell the tale… -
On the Canon 70D Image Quality and other stuff
The other stuff is pretty interesting, plus the praise for the Nokia Lumia 1020…
Being the first is overrated. What matters is being the best. Google wasn’t the first search engine, but it’s the best. Facebook wasn’t the first social networking website, but it’s the best. Nikon was the first to deliver autofocus in video mode. But Canon now has the best implementation as seen on the recently released EOS 70D, thanks to the new on-sensor dual pixel autofocus technology. Take that Nikon and Sony.
We had to wait a little for it, but with this kind of technology I’m all for Canon Inc. taking their time to come up with a good solution rather than a crappy first implementation. This is also why we haven’t yet seen a flip out LCD screen on the higher end models, and why there’s no electronic viewfinder in our DSLRs yet. Trust me on this, once we get our electronic viewfinders out, combined with fast on-sensor…
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How has your age affected what is important to you?
Answer by Stan Hayward:
I am 83. Several years past my 'Sell by Date'.
I try to keep fit, and make more effort (though with less success) than when younger.
I don't make new friends, and every year I lose one or two, and forget to contact one or two others.
I spend much time trying to sort out things that need to be sorted by the time the end comes.
I put greater value on smaller things. That is, I try to enjoy everything I do; eating, walking, talking, and playing with the cat. It is a sort of reversion to childhood where you live for the moment.
I am a great believer in the philosophy of 'Plan as though you will live forever, but act as though you will die tomorrow'.
I no longer dwell on minor irritations, peoples faults, or things I have no control over.
I live a natural life of eating when hungry, sleeping when tired, and generally doing what I feel like doing most at the moment.
I don't dwell on dying, and rarely think of it except as an item in general planning.
Though some people of my age have been isolated by technology such as being computer illiterate and not comprehending the young of today, that has not affected me at all as I worked for years in the Computer animation field, which has always been at the forefront of technology.
So, how has my age affected what is important to me? It affects me in the same way as it affects everyone, and will affect you eventually.
It makes me put a value on who I know that I love, and what I have that gives me pleasure or helps my survival.
It enables me to see life in its simplicity, and gives me hope that the world in general will one day have enlightenment to live in peace.
A baby has three cries: I am hungry, I am lonely, I have pain. They are the only cries one needs to survive. Recognising those cries enables one to help others in need, and helping others makes it all worthwhile.
It is called Experience.
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What are the most difficult things people have to learn in their twenties?
"There has never been a generation of twenty somethings who haven't identified many of the ways earlier generations have "got it wrong." I have a question for you. You are 26 years old. Except for identifying problems, what have you, personally, done to help any one of the problems you have identified? You are 26 years old. You have had plenty of time to have started some improvements, somewhere. So many people want someone to start the process of revolutionary change but are not willing to put themselves out there and generate some of those changes, themselves. So, I challenge you to move forward. You have identified problems, now make a plan and execute it."
Answer by Kathy Hurst Davis:
I recently had a conversation with a young woman who was 26 years old. She was very intelligent and very opinionated about many of the things that were wrong with this country.
Yes, she had it all figured out, from the problems with our two party system, down to the evils of WalMart who had run small business out of existance. She kept saying, "We need a revolution. We need to make some positive change."
I told her, "You are not going to like what I am going to say." She said, "I hope it isn't the same thing my dad told me. He said that nothing was going to change." I told her, "No. That isn't it." Here is what I told her.
There has never been a generation of twentysomethings who haven't identified many of the ways earlier generations have "got it wrong." I have a question for you. You are 26 years old. Except for identifying problems, what have you, personally, done to help any one of the problems you have identified? You are 26 years old. You have had plenty of time to have started some improvements, somewhere. So many people want someone to start the process of revolutionary change but are not willing to put themselves out there and generate some of those changes, themselves. So, I challenge you to move forward. You have identified problems, now make a plan and execute it.
She was a bit speechless.
People in their twenties need to learn that they have much to offer and they should not wait for someone else to begin. Don't present a problem without presenting some solutions.
