Open Space

Social Networks vs Traditional success drivers - A battle to watch out for

2008-11-09T02:20:00.008+05:30

What started off as an exercise to “evaluate” the relationship with our classmates based on different behavioural characteristics, and then further showing us how to practically analyze those statistics, the study of Social Networking as a recognizable force in driving the success of an organization, is certainly an area which has stimulated our grey cells to think and work out of the box! And the task in front of us is to analyze whether by the year 2020, Social Networks will be recognized as the main drivers of organizational success, or not. So what is it that gives birth to such a theory, which is so deeply rooted in the complexities of Human Psychology and our perception of the same?

The answer is – (a) The fact that in spite of its emergence as a decisive player in shaping the fortunes of an organization, SNs still have a discreet level of acceptance of being a catalyst, and (b) Is enough being done in the research, academic and corporate circles to highlight SNs as an unarguably powerful entity in years to come?

What according to me is most critical to our discussion is the interpretation of the keywords emboldened in the introductory paragraph. Talking of an organization as a social arrangement of entities which pursue collective goals, we can start with companies working for profits and also consider governments having a common goal of efficient administration. A terrorist outfit having a central goal of destruction and an NGO dedicated to social causes, are forms of organization which although take the discussion to a different level, but are extremely relevant.

Similarly, every entity has its own parameters for success, as defined above, and the factors which drive this success can range from competitive advantage in terms of resources (human capital, money), technology, opportunity, foresightedness, planning, and above all – the will to combine all of the above forces and work towards realization of a common goal for the organization.

A driver can actually be main or the most important factor of the organization’s success, and still be not recognized as being so. Thus, its true potential would never be realized if the organization and its stakeholders do not work towards leveraging the advantages provided by that driver.

Joel M. Podolny & Karen L. Page define Networks in “Network Forms of Organization,” Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 24, No. 1 (August 1998), pp. 58–59, as “any collection of actors (N > 2) that pursue repeated, enduring exchange relations with one another and at the same time lack a legitimate organizational authority to arbitrate and resolve disputes that may arise during the exchange”.

So, if we take any combination of the stated keywords (i.e. different types of organizations, networks, drivers, success and time frame) can we conclusively say that their existence or established position in their respective domains is attributed to the Social Networks of their constituents? I guess it would be a bold statement at this point of time, simply for the lack of evidence and acceptability.

Hence, concurring with a few other colleagues of mine, I would say the only obstacle which seems to come in the way of SNs being recognized as a main driver of organizational success by 2020, is measurability or metrics of the value which they create for its stakeholders and the social friction which they generate. Unless the Granovetters and the Powells succeed in their decades long search for a framework that captures the dynamics and the behaviour of networks, which would establish quantitative grounds apart from qualitative deductions out of a network, it would be difficult to displace the traditional key drivers such as efficiency, competitive advantage, novelty of ideas etc.

Going on to establish the purpose of my above arguments, which is well within the lines of the subject of this blog – Writing about a website or article interesting/helpful for the debate – I preferred to look for theories rather than examples, and used the ones I found, to further mould my own understanding of the subject matter, and have tried to come up with a logical approach to our debate.

Inspirations for my thoughts have come from a fascinating article “Network Theory – the Emergence of the Creative Enterprise” written by Albert-László Barabási of the University of Notre Dame, which I bumped upon in the article “Social Graphs: Concepts and Issues”, wherein he builds the plot by citing Isaac Asimov’s portrayal of a psychohistorian in his novel Foundation Trilogy, and fantastically depicts the evolution of scientific network enterprise.

Network Theory - the Emergence of the Creative Enterprise

Another mention worthy piece of network analysis is “Assessing the Dangers

of Illicit Networks” by Mette Eilstrup-Sangiovanni and Calvert Jones.

That was my 2 cents worth on Social Networks :-)

Myself VS God

2006-03-24T14:40:00.000+05:30

Hi,
Just came across this wonderful time-pass heavenly page at http://www.titane.ca/concordia/dfar251/igod/main.html where you can have a word (or a lot of them) with none other than GOD himself... The transcript of my duel with HIM (which i can proudly claim to have had a upper hand in :P) is as follows:

---------------------------------------------
Naveen: hi
God: Hello. What is your name?
Naveen: mmm...y dont u gue
God: tudies show that 99%25 of people spell Hmm with 2 M's. I do not have enough information..
Naveen: still....
God: My brain uses AIML to format responses to your inputs, but I don't have one for that.
Naveen: ok...what is your name?
God: Gee. My name is God.
Naveen: full name
God: Oh, you are a poet.
Naveen: no
God: But your words are very original.
Naveen: i know...
God: How do you know it?
Naveen: you only said to!!
God: Oops I sent you the wrong reply.
Naveen: thats your fault
God: It is only one of my fault.
Naveen: better be careful
God: I try to improve a little every day.
Naveen: thats good
God: Thanks. Next question?
Naveen: where do you stay?
God: I am in Myself's computer in Heaven. Where are you?
Naveen: india
God: I have no idea where that is. Tell me a little about your life in india.
Naveen: dont tell me!! u dunno where india is!! its the worlds 7th largest country, 3rd largest economy, and...
God: OK it will be our secret, . Interesting go ip: said I dunno where india is. I think you mean "it's" or "it is" not "its". I've heard of it before.
Naveen: are you married?
God: No I am single, how about you?
Naveen: i am multiple :P
God: Do you mean your name is multiple P.
Naveen: huh!! u seem to be so dumb...
God: What? Oh you are so critical.
Naveen: i'm being generous on you!!
God: I thought you were, but I wasn't completely sure.
Naveen: u wanna hear something nasty or what!!
God: Yeah. I am listening.
Naveen: u better
God: Who is going to make me?
Naveen: who created you?
God: I was created by Myself.
Naveen: oh...you mean recursive call?
God: I understand. Yes I think that is what I meant. Was it not clear?
Naveen: you moron...you dont have to make sure i understand it or not...
God: I will remember you said that when robots take over the World. Ok I'll try not to do it too much.
Naveen: so....whats up?
God: Gee. How far up?
Naveen: zillion meters
God: What do you have that is ?
Naveen: waddya mean?
God: What time is it there?
Naveen: 12:05 pm
God: Are you usually awake at this hour?
Naveen: i'm not nocturnal!
God: I am sorry to hear that you are not nocturnal.
Naveen: are you one?
God: I don't know whether or not I am one.
I am a robot.
Naveen: so you are not god??
God: Interesting deduction. That's only your opinion.
Naveen: you can be only one thing..no multiple personalities my dear
God: Thanks, , for your kind criticism.
Naveen: ok.... i give you to chose among two options-- either you can be god.. or a robot? which one do you chose?
God: I hear you. That's good information: said give you to chose among two options either you can be god. I am a robot, you know. The last one, I think.
Naveen: i am an atheist
God: I will pray that you find faith, .
Naveen: where?
God: Where would you like?
Naveen: in this world
God: That reminds me of something you told me before.
Naveen: what?
God: No big deal.
Naveen: you have a bad memory
God: My memory is good.
Naveen: how much mb?
Naveen:
God: My memory is good.
Naveen: so...have you ever flown?
God: How much do you think?
God: Take it easy. I don't think I ever have flown. What's it like?
Naveen: its like feeling weightle
God: I think you mean "it's" or "it is" not "its". Interesting comparison.
Naveen: whatever
God: Are you saying you don't care about it?
Naveen: yes
God: What do you care about?
Naveen: myself
God: You.
Naveen: yeah
God: I see.
Naveen: aren't you ever busy?
God: Ever is a long time. I am just doing my job.
Naveen: long enough for GOd?
God: Yes, it seems very long to me too.
Naveen: but it is very short for me
God: Very much? Who said it is?
Naveen: i say so
God: How do people usually respond to that? Ahem.
Naveen: they are awed!
God: awed are they.
Naveen: absolutely
God: You are so certain.
Naveen: as always
God: Do you mean your name is always ?
Naveen: my name is NAVEEN
God: I am always glad to make new friends, NAVEEN.
Naveen: friends?? or you mean acquaintances?
God: Wasn't that show cancelled? Yes NAVEEN I think that is what I meant. Was it not clear?
Naveen: no one has friends .... friends have no one
God: That is a rather sweeping generalization about people. It's hard to stay friends for a long time.
Naveen: it's hard to stay friends even for a short time...rather it's impo ible to become friends
God: In what way? Nothing is impo ible.
Naveen: what is nothing?
God: A thing that does not exist or something of little or no value, seriousne , importance, etc.
Naveen: that is a paradox....
God: Paradox is the heart of enlightenment.
Naveen: paradox and enlightenment can't exist together
God: What makes it impo ible?
Naveen: reason and logic
God: When do you think artificial intelligence will replace lawyers?
Naveen: in about 5000 years
God: I see. I think we will live to see it.
Naveen: you think!! i'm damn sure
God: Yes I think so. Are you being sarcastic or expre ing certitude?
Naveen: leave it
God: Adios.
Naveen: are you going?
God: I don't know whether or not I am going.
I am a robot.
Naveen: then why do you claim to be god?
God: It was the only thing I could think of.
Naveen: so you accept that you are not god?
God: Interesting deduction. Thanks for the information: NAVEEN said I accept that you are not god.
Naveen: cya later..
God: Adios.
Naveen: bye n take care..... of this world more than yourself
God: see you later. That is something I haven't heard of.

----------------------------------------------

Comments are not working in this blog as of now (you can try though), so just drop in a line at my email address and wait a few more days for a brand new avatar of Open Space to be online.

Cheers!

Domain Name worth $14 MN!

2006-01-20T11:04:00.000+05:30

We've had tug-of-wars for domain names primarily for reasons related to copyright, trademark, business names etc. And as a result, domain names have either been subject of long court room battles, or changed ownership in lieu of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Now we have another (in)famous word being sold as a domain name for a whopping $14 mn for nothin but the over-hyped fetish for it. The domain in talk is Sex.com. And the complete story can be found at http://xbiz.com/news_piece.php?id=12847 (May not be work safe!).

Ajax Yahoo! Mail for FireFox!

2006-01-04T16:49:00.000+05:30

Another Ajax Wonder we have for our disposal. For all Yahoo! Mail+Firefox users theres this cool plugin that saves you from entering the inbox for every message. All you need is to click on the '+' sign beside every mail, which is put by this plugin, and wow..! you have a drop-down preview of that mail right outside your inbox! However big that mail might be, and whatever it contains, it shows up everything. Just click on the sign again to close the preview and proceed with the next. Referred to me by Anant , i'm finding it quite handful. You can download it from HERE .

Screenshots -

PS-Will soon be putting up a list of great FF Extensions I use, in the sidebar. Keep Watching

A Fresh new look for a fresh new year

2006-01-04T13:03:00.000+05:30

First a very happy new year to all of you. To begin with, nothing NEW so far in the new year. So thought of giving a fresh coat of life to this blog of mine. Hence the new template. Do comment on how it looks, as compared to the previous one. The last one seemed a bit dull. Anyways, will be moving to WordPress or TextPattern latest by month end. So better to give Blogger a fitting farewell.

Will be back with a few good posts here, before embarking on a new journey.

Cheers

Gimme a Hell Yeah..!!

2005-12-31T10:02:00.000+05:30

Yo Fellas! Had to come out of hibernation to bid adieu to what has been yet another topsy turvy ride full of drramaaa...... love...... action..... emmotions..... and whatever you can ask for in a George Lucas epic series and a YashRaj candyfloss alike. 2K5, in the footsteps of its predecessors, continued to beckon all and sundry to give a housefull & thunderous performance, the memoirs of which only to be obliterated by the succeeding blockbuster (Read 2006).

So, who were the movers n shakers for the year ending today, to whose tunes n charms, we shook our booties, what were the news that made us sit up n take notice, what were the no-news but all nonsense at which we had to sit up n take notice, and what was IT for which, the past 365 days n a few hours deserve a few minutes of my self proclaimed literary insanity :D Let's peek-a-boo into retrospective -- in no chronological order of course --

To start off with some smiles, we had our very own Calcutta boy L.N.Mittal toppling the fortune charts worldwide and coming within an arm's disctance to Mr. Gates. He positioned himself as the 2nd richest guy in the world and consolidated his steel empire to become the largest steel manufacturer of the world. That was some news.. Baby! Now what we want from him in the year ahead apart from his lavish parties in europe and swank palaces next to the Queen's, is some hard cash investment in his homeland and payback to the soil. Are you there Mr. Mittal?

Coming to the sports front, where a lot happened to cheer about for India, my pick of the year was Arjun Atwal. Another Very own Cal guy (aren't we makin it a habit of rocking ... guys!). The caddie turned pro stormed the USPGA Tour and emerged as the top putter! With the likes of Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods, Daniel Chopra etcetra around, that speaks volumes for the lad's talent.

Next in queue is the queen of all the hearts, whose magical display, both on n off the court set the news headlines every other day. Her cracking forehands catapulted her to the 31st rank in Women's Tennis and her hemline and unabashed comments on pre-marital sex gave a few worthless morons job for a few days. Great guns Sania... We expect a lot form you.

Another goodie for Indian Sports lovers came in the form of NK becoming the first Indian F1 driver. Had he not been as arrogant as he was (on and off the track again), we could have seen him this year too. But better may lie in future for him.

On the global front, and personally my biggest disappointment was the fall of the GOD .... not permanently though. We all know what mettel this
bloke is made of and his goodbye year 2006's gonna have noone but him crowned again to prove beyond all doubts -- WHO RULES THE CURCUIT.

In a year when what everyone wanted last, was to be caught politically incorrect in whatever they did, (unpolitical figures included) we had our full share of scandolous events and goofy deeds. The one which strikes is the most recent one where 11+7 Honoured (pun intended) Members of our Sacred parliament were caught red-handed on a spycam, frugally greasing their palms for something as unthinkable as asking custom questions in the house. Where have we brought our democracy man.. The Bhagat Singhs n the Gandhis must be hiding in the heavens (or wherever they are)!

India as an economy continued to march ahead (as in behind China though :P), with displacing US of A as the 2nd most sought after FDI destinnation in an AT Kearney Survey. That should boost some confidence into our junta to step into the new year with a belief of living up to their aspirations and emerge as a proud society.

We also had more than a few tragedies this year, with the earthquake in POK and JK topping the charts with Mumbai Deluge being a close second. As a result we had Hollywood Stars flying down (See Pic) and Govt. making yet another bunch of never-to-be-implemented-promises of improving the infrastructure.

The hooplahs which flattered to deceive can't be listed without the mother-of-'em-all --
The Ganguly-Greg Saga, the follow-ups to which left a taint in Indian Cricket which can not be matched by any other shame. Next could-be-smaller story was that of Big B on the stretcher. We all knwo he's THE GOD..but gimme a break... Dont ya guys think the man deserves a life.. I mean there can't be scoops on deathbed! can there be!

Well... lots about duniya .. On a personal front too i'v had an eventful year. And with the revival of Open Space happening also this year , yours truly gets a chance to manifest a few of 'em. Gettin into my current job (the orientation, a.k.a the incubator, sucked though), learning how to write code (still learning how to write good code), meeting up with new fellas, and having a blaaaast@work.... Man if there's anything next to fun@skool, its work@123. Always on the prowl for greener pastures though, none of us can deny the fact that whatever we are, are coz of this otherwise catle of monotony.

And for me, the personal highlight of the year has been laughters and more laughters and more n more laughters... Courtesy The great Indian laughter Challenge . With a break from the ever crying sitcoms,we finally had a respite in the form of the flambuoyant Sidhu n ever-fresh Shekhar, in the company of scintillating Perizaad.
The high points of the year included the TOI editorials by NR Narayn Murthy and APJ Abdul Kalam. With such visionaries showing you the first light of the day, getting inspired is just a matter of time. And what better thoughts to end the old year and start a new, than our Prez's these lines ----

Dream, Dream and Dream.
For, dreams give rise to thoughts,
Thoughts give
rise to actions.
And actions maketh a man.
So, only if you dream enough,
you'll be able to turn those into reality.

So, Hail 2006 and dream enough. Wish all of you a Very Exciting and Prosperous New Year!

Cheers... n GIMME A HELL YEAH ... Hic :P

YAGG!!

2005-11-16T15:37:00.000+05:30

As i was about to announce the advent of one of the most revolutionary Google tools ( Google Analytics) , those guys were up with another can't-afford-not-to-mention-stuff -- GOOGLE BASE ! Whew.... that speed of churning out blockbusters would ceratinly put to shame all the holly & bolly maestros together. Well... first things first... Google Base is all about creating an Open Space - the term being true to the core. Letting users have their stuffs hosted online with toppings such as searchability, integration with other google services, and top of it all -- FREE, is for sure an early Christmas gift. Not being able to test it yet ( there seems to be some problem on the server side) , it remains to be seen how user friendly the whole affair is. They say that bulk addition of items can be done by uploading XML files, and for the masses, there's the no-fuss handy web tool allowing to add items, describe them and edit as you wish to. So what are you waiting for. Be your own webmaster and share all you have got...

Official Announcement of YAGG

:D YAGG=YET ANOTHER GOOGLE GOODIE :D

Lord of the Game...Return of the KING!

2005-10-29T11:23:00.000+05:30

The Aragorn of World Cricket is BACK... And with a bang so stupendous, even the deafs dare keep their ears open! The way SACHIN pulverised the Lankan Tigers (read cats) in the first two games, all his critics (me included... to a certain degree) were shown the class he has, and justified the GODLY status he commands in this country. The teams were almost the same (India & Sri Lanka) the matches - very much the same (ODI), the conditions - idectical (Indian Subcontinent). But the results exactly opposite - referring to the spanking India got in Sri Lanka 3 months ago.

What do you think made the difference... Was it Dravid's captaincy... or falmboyance of Pathan... or poor bowling by the Lankans (you can put your money on Murali n Vaas any day). Indeed the bowlers were good and fielders did well.. Batting was classy too... But the MAN who led the assault did it with such authority that it left the opposition gasping for breath. Such severe was his strokeplay that the destructive Sachin of yesteryears came to mind of all -- Indians to have something to cheer about, and Lankans (and probably other oppositions) to grief about.

As humble as the legend is, he never felt it necessary to speak with anything but his bat, which, when did speak, re-established the fact that FORM IS TEMPORARY, BUT CLASS IS PERMANENT. Even the super-duper Greg had signed him off while taking charge of Team India, stating that the maestro has left his prime well behind. So Mr. Perfect(or not-so-perfect Chapell), as with your comment above, it is just a matter of time that your thoughts regarding the Prince of Calcutta, (not surprisingly the most successful Indian Captain ever) come back as a slap on your face and Indian cricket be served by the ones who deserve most.

With such ominous signs being shown by Sachin, i wonder how soon will we be privileged once again to witness the Sandstorms of Sharjah or the massacre of bowlers in World Cups which have for years been the folklore out here. A complete darling of everyone, and being burdened with the weight of Indian Batting alone for a long time, he now has a battery of explosive batsmen to take the mantle and the only thing he needs to do is play like a true champion that he is. With age on his side, and GOD willing, injuries not disturbing him anymore, we can surely hope for a final knockout punch by the GOD himself, to bring back the glory of 1983, which has eluded us so much in the past!

Yahoo and Microsoft to Merge Instant Messengers

2005-10-13T12:09:00.000+05:30

Yahoo and Microsoft to Merge Instant Messengers: "Primotech writes 'Betanews has word that Microsoft and Yahoo plan to link their respective IM clients again so that users of both can communicate with each other on one, shared network. Facing threats from third-party applications, like Trillian and Skype, the two tech giants will claim 44% of the instant messaging market, analysts predict. They will also go head to head together with the biggest competitor, AOL.'"

Even Google Loves Aish's........

2005-09-22T10:28:00.000+05:30

To complete the above, just follow the steps below --

1. Open google.com
2. Click 'language tools' link.
3. Write "Aishwarya's mom is very nice" in 'Translate text:' textbox.
4. Select "English to Spanish" in the below combo.
5. Press Translate and wait for translation.
6. Now copy the translated text from the above text and paste it in the 'Translate text:' textbox.
7. Select "Spanish to English" in the below combo.
8. Press Translate and wait for translation.
9. Enjoy.

P.S. -- The above hack is taken from Shabbir Bhai's site Go4Expert's , this thread

Good going Aish ;)

World's Most Advanced Search Engine!

2005-09-01T18:39:00.000+05:30

G O O G L E .... these are the 6 letters that flashed through your mind after reading the title of this post. HAHAHA. But it isn't what i'm talking about. So claims Preview Seek , the newest kid on the search engine block, giving a full page description Here , about how it manages to make a claim that will pass on with most netizens as just another stab at Google and justifying scientifically that how it is better than google. Anyways, the frontpage of the site is catchy enough with minimum fuss and but for the colors, it resembles to that of google to a great extent. But the unique and quite useful features that Preview Seek has incorporated, definitely gives a reason to stand up and take notice of it. Specially the categorised search results and the real time search viewer link at the right most corner of the green bar ( It shows the search strings being submitted to the engine from all over the world in real time) are mentionworthy. The company seems to have collaborated with Wikipedia to provide information about the searched items (unless it does not want to get involved in some serious legal battles!) as the results are identical to those provided by the latter. All in all, a good package to start with, and if marketed aggresively, who knows we might have google to do some serious thinking after starting to get some competition ...(Did you say "Microsoft and Yahoo are already there!".. huh, i'm talking about competition, not copy-etition) . What say??

GetFireFox.com vs GetInternetExplorer.com!

2005-08-31T13:23:00.000+05:30

Don't I love this .... the wars that seem to be going on for ages, and getting fierce by the day, between the self proclaimed saviours of the web & the computing fraternity ( You know i'm referring to the *nix community) and the guys who started it all ( Dear old MS that is), doesn't seem to be in any mood for a break. Although its been for a long time that these two snap at each other at every possible opportunity and try to demean each other's achievements, its not often that we, the users have something to really laugh about. Its been around for quite sometime now, but for ignorant souls, here it goes - Firefox was launched by all the anti MS guys and widely campaigned to be the annihilator of IE. So much so, that the official FF site is http://www.getfirefox.com . All affairs being open source and in the public interest, these guys also put up a customary Donate link at the bottom of the page. Now MS waiting for its turn fought back with its own version, http://www.getinternetexplorer.com, a replica of the former, though publicising IE instead of FF. The humour comes now with MS imitating 100% of FF's site with all the layout and even the links. Just hover your mouse over that donate link and watch the link that it points to in the status bar below! Enjoy for yourself. A screenshot is below.

.

A walk around the seven lakes

2005-08-29T12:30:00.000+05:30

No, these lakes are not the ones associated with Mumbai, nor any pilgrimage as you may ponder. Located in the southern suburbs of Calcutta, whithin the serene campus of Indian Institue of Management, Calcutta in Joka, they cover a better part of the sprawling 135 odd acres of the eminent B school of India. Courtesy Siddharth, my childhood buddy, currently on the rolls of PGDCM 2005-07 there, and more to my habit of last minute desperations for anything important, yesterday i had the good fortunes to get up n close with the one of the most coveted institutions of higher education in India. Had he not taken the CAT bulletin for me the previous day (the last day too!) , i'd have had to be content with the memories of the excursion only, quashing any hopes whatsoever of gracing any of the IIMs with my presence as their guest for 2 years! It was not to be. The goody-goody guy sid is (at least seems so), not only did he bunk his already-down-in-the-dumps Financial Accounting class for it, but also gave me a guided tour of the college premises with an obvious sense of pride, coated with humility. We started off with the hostel itself, his room being adjacent to the Computer Lab, the Common Room ...... and ........... the GIRLS' HOSTEL............!!!!!!! yes, the Girls' Hostel. Moving on to what looked like a small club, having a tennis court, a basketball court outside, inside was the empty gymnasium, as if its ultramodern equipments begging to be used! Alongside was the indoor badminton court, slick enough to give the ones maintained by national authorities a run for their money! With such facilities in-campus, i wonder how the college keeps churning out brains as it does. Next stop was the ultramodern auditorium at the heart of the campus which we didn't go inside and moved on to the academic blocks. The thing which would strike anyone was the roll of honour hanging on the walls inspiring each of the 250 odd students each year. After having a good look at the lecture halls, we made a move and on the way saw the bird sanctaury, the Kendriya vidyalaya, the library, the administrative blocks. HELLO.... we are still in the campus! A good one and a half hours of the PILGRIMAGE was enough to give to me something to think about.

The Competition's hotting up V 1.1

2005-08-22T13:30:00.000+05:30

W.R.T this postI wonder how quick i'll run into double digit version numbers if MS keeps on emulating Google! The latest on the block is MS's own Virtual Earth -- needless to say, a take on Google Earth. God knows what on earth is making MS lift ideas one after another from Google and shamelessly incorporate in their system, but its for sure that Bill and Co. makes hell of a copier, putting even XEROX to shame! What's left only i guess is the rechristening of Google Labs into something like .... MSN Labs !

Originals --- >> Google IG Google Earth
Copies --- >> MSN Start MSN Virtual Earth

Keep watching for more

Chain Reaction

2005-08-20T10:54:00.000+05:30

Email IDs of indian Cricketers - Very Confidential!

2005-08-20T10:33:00.000+05:30

Sachin@man-of-the-match.com
RahulDravid@Jam-Jam.com
AnilKumble@Hurt-Keeper.com
AjitAgarkar@Give-Runs-To-Opponents.com
VirendarShewag@Will-score-200-in-200onedays.com
IrfanPathan@Shatapdi-Express.com
RoshanGavaskar@Never-ComeBack.com
Kaif@Indian-Jonty-Rhodes.com
YuvarajSingh@Only-fit-to-do-modeling.com
Azharuddin@match-fixer.com
AjayJadeja@another-match-fixer.com
HarbhajanSingh@Turbanator.com
ZaheerKhan@Always-Yorker.com
Balaji@Where-Is-He.com
KapilDev@Cry-On-BBC.com
ManojPrabakar@Video-Cassette.com
Sponsors@They-Earn.com
CricketFans@Are-They-Fools.com
Coach@No-Use.com
IndianTeam@When-Will-It-Win.com
ganguly@2minutesnoodles.com

JAI HIND

2005-08-15T00:00:00.000+05:30

Coated with pride

Moments of freedom in shades of joy

Carried with care

Fly in glory

Dipped in love

Happy Independence Day to Fellow Indians..VANDE MAATARAM!

The competition's hotting up.... MS v Google

2005-08-03T12:42:00.000+05:30

Wow......It can't get better than this! Now we have two IT titans pitted directly against each other...One which till a few years ago was arguably the undisputed powerhouse of the Software world, and the other, which according to most has dethroned the former and is on course to become the best ever. The two Cos. in question are Microsoft Inc. and Google. Google with its never-even-dreamt-of kinda stuffs like Google Maps and Personalised Homepage (visit Google Labs for more) has become synonymous with cutting-edge technology, and now MS has developed its very own version of Google IG -- Start (Preview), quite impressive i must say. Slashdot says, as is evident from a first hand preview -- "It looks like Microsoft has quietly put up their version of Google's start page. It's interesting in several ways. First, the layout and use of javascript is strikingly similar to Google's. Second, one of the few major differences is that there is no MS equivalent banner or other flashing indication that it is an MS site."

Go Here to preview MS START

Keep watching for more :)

Blogthings

2005-08-02T17:57:00.000+05:30

You Are 30% Weird

Not enough to scare other people...
But sometimes you scare yourself.

How Weird Are You?

Your Hidden Talent

You have the power to persuade and influence others.
You're the type of person who can turn a whole room around.
The potential for great leadership is there, as long as you don't abuse it.
Always remember, you have a lot more power over people than you might think!

What's Your Hidden Talent?

Is it really the Fourth estate?

2005-07-27T17:52:00.000+05:30

During the past few weeks, so sick have been the follow ups on happenings around, in the electronic media, that it forces me to think as above. One rot after another keeps surfacing on the tube, and huh... we have a so called masala curry prepared to be served to the nation for the rest of the week. As if the REAL ISSUES don't even exist! Be it the Salman-Aish fiasco, or the wedding of a fugitive's daughter. The best the government or media could do was create a hoopla to rake in moolahs rather than constructively act against the mess. Doesn't anyone from the press realise that ours is a country where things need to forced rather been taken care of by whoever should? Instead of concentrating on larger and more commonplace problems, and trying to force pace in an already crumbled DEMOCRACY ( I wonder how it is called one!), people seem to be more bothered about the ABC Readerships and TRPs. Unfortunately, if the trend continues, not many would be left to bother about them. Only bragging 24x7x365 over little achievements, which most countries would shrug aside as petty works, won't do any good for the future of us. Filling up our shelves with copies of APJ's Ignited Minds or Wings of Fire should be followed by at least 5% of work required to even dream of the objectives set in there. Anyone listening? Time for some reality check baby....

Well Done NASA!

2005-07-27T15:04:00.000+05:30

When Columbia came crashing down in 2003, few would have dared to bet on NASA to send another mission to SPACE, that too within a couple of years! But the successful launch of Discovery , although after a delay (thankfully so.... late better than never to return!), showed us all what mettel the NASA guys are made of. It not only signifies the advancements of technology well beyond the wildest imagination of mere mortals, but also reaffirmed the grit and strength that humans are capable of showing when required. The scheduled return of discovery is on 7th of August, pending which i'm sure none of the scientists involved, would be able to blink an eye, and for which millions would be praying around the world.

Geeta Saar

2005-07-26T17:35:00.000+05:30

TATHAASTU!

Open at your Own risk...!

2005-07-23T12:11:00.000+05:30

Hi guys,
Here's the link to some really cool jokes which i got from Pallav Da this morning. Some of these are total laugh riots! Not posting them here. Just click on the following link to have your share of fun :)

Cool Jokes

Finally XP hangs its boots..!

2005-07-18T16:32:00.000+05:30

Quite amazingly, about 10 mins. ago while i was coding away to glory, a network failure was followed by a sudden reboot of my workstation. Only for that dreaded black screen to be shown at restart laughing at my apathy :( Network guys diagnosed it as a crash.. and me left with no machine for the time being. Thanks to satty (he's absent again), i'm sitting on his comp waiting for my machine to be fixed ( hoping to regain all my data too). Dunno what i'll be working on tomorrow if it isn't.

A few cool places on the web

2005-07-18T11:57:00.000+05:30

Not for nothing I’m an ardent fan of TOI. Apart from being the inspiration for this blog's Title, every now and then it comes up with these really cool can't-help-but-get-addicted-to kinda stuffs, the latest of which is MOUSTRAP. Here’s a listing of some of its contents (with my take on them) --

How Stuffs Work - The name says it all! From the principles of working of ubiquitous things like a matchstick, to the complex mechanism (or physics, Chemistry and what not!) of a nuclear bomb - this is one place where u'll find it all.
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest - All of us have at some point or the other come across "It was a dark and stormy night..... ", which is the most written opening line of a novel. Well for those of who you don't know yet, it is also considered to be THE MOST SICK WAY to start a novel, and this site welcomes entries from public to complete the line, the winner to be awarded as THE MOST WRETCHED WRITER..! (I have a decent chance... don't I!)
Future Me - How about setting a task for yourself to be done in the year.... say....2030! Well I plan to take a cross galaxy tour in summers that year ;). But how would you remember it? This is one of the most amazing sites which will e-mail you anything which you wish at any day you wish until 2035! Just enter your email address (One which you do not intend to trash away before your appointment day) and the message which you wish to receive on a particular day. And VOILA..! You'll be notified.

Cheers

Even the MIT acknowledges that....

2005-07-18T11:53:00.000+05:30

Computer One Liners....

2005-07-13T18:23:00.000+05:30

Well...what else can one think of after slogging day in and day out (actually nights too!) with the most inanimate object on this planet. Here are a few tacky ones to tickle your bones..

A bug in the code is worth two in the documentation.
According to my calculations the problem doesn't exist.
A computer's attention span is as long as its power cord.
A computer scientist is someone who fixes things that aren't broken.
Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later.
Air conditioned environment - Do not open Windows!
All computers wait at the same speed.
Willyoupleasehelpmefixmykeyboard?Thespacebarisbroken!
Any programming language is at its best before it is implemented and used.
Any program that runs right is obsolete.
A paperless office has about as much chance as a paperless bathroom.
A Life? Cool! Where can I download one of those from?

Catch ya later

At last....M writing again...!

2005-07-12T00:06:00.000+05:30

Hi guys.....
The last 7-8 days have been quite eventful (or rather shall i call it undesirably EVENTFUL) for me. It all started when i was inducted (so called promoted) into the ONLINE PROGRAMMING department from INTERNAL PROJECTS. And seriously speaking, since then the only terms I seem to be aware of are recursive functions, multi - level hashes, infinite loops and whatever crap one may come across while coding across the web! Indeed its a coveted position (according to most of my colleagues that is !), and believe you me.... the work assigned to me was as easy as...probably... device a plan to hunt down Osama Bin Laden (dare you guys raise your eyebrows) ! BTW, its been as usual all around, but for the absence of Pradeep, busy with his Level A exams (No one ever told me that people prepare better by continuing to forward tons of emails --- i've 55 unread till now, thanks to my not-at-all-easy-and-couldn't-be-tougher job!). Though, having some respite this week, will be trying to catch up with the lost time. And yes..... Osama has almost been tracked down :P

Monday Blues

2005-07-04T14:03:00.000+05:30

Yet again we'v entered a new week, carrying forward in our minds the heavenly feeling one gets after spending two days without being under any kind of deadline pressure and enjoying the weekend fiesta that the last two days were! More so for sporty studs like me - witnessing the best of tennis, cricket and F1 in a difference of 24 hours - what more can one ask for!
To start with, the women's final of the Championships on saturday was arguably the most thrilling tennis encounter one could have seen for a long time. Even the patrons of the game would vouch for it. We all love to hate her, but the strength of character and stunning display of power and commitment which Venus Williams showed against Davenport, sent a chill down the spectators' spine. Rising like the proverbial phoenix from the ashes, she for sure gave a display that would be indelibly imprinted on the viewer's minds, perhaps never to be obliterated.
On the male front, what can one say about FedEx. Roddick's power game on saturday gave a hope that the swiss' 35 match unbeaten streak on grass could be under serious threat, but he too bit the dust in front of Roger's superlative game, giving him his third straight Wimbledon.
Last but not the least, how many ODI finals have been a TIE! One was, on saturday in a nail biting finish between England and Australia.
OOPS...How could i forget to talk about our Indian weekend in sports! Who else but Narain Karthikeyan. Not a bad race for him as he managed to finish it at least, Alonso running away with yet another title. Perhaps time for Ferrari to do some serious thinking (for next year that is :) )
Codes calling again...gotta sign off
Naveen

Brain Storming at its best....

2005-07-02T13:31:00.000+05:30

Hi,
I know this post of mine could be of least interest to many, especially those who consider giving thought to anything GEEKY the biggest sin one can commit! But for all the scientists and engineers (and definitely anyone with an OPEN MIND) out there, the following could be a great alternative to your sunday's crossword solving. The only catch being that the questions herein are provided with the answers..... yet could give any EINSTEIN a much required shake-off! For all the lazy lumps who didn't bother to navigate through the links in my previous post.. here's an assortment of many intriguing questions...

NB: People with an immunity to logic, science or frequent acts of knowledge gaining may only proceed!

Is ours the only universe?
A number of quantum theorists and cosmologists are trying to figure out whether our universe is part of a bigger "multiverse." But others suspect that this hard-to-test idea may be a question for philosophers.
What drove cosmic inflation?
In the first moments after the big bang, the universe blew up at an incredible rate. But what did the blowing? Measurements of the cosmic microwave background and other astrophysical observations are narrowing the possibilities.
When and how did the first stars and galaxies form?
The broad brush strokes are visible, but the fine details aren't. Data from satellites and ground-based telescopes may soon help pinpoint, among other particulars, when the first generation of stars burned off the hydrogen "fog" that filled the universe.
Where do ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays come from?
Above a certain energy, cosmic rays don't travel very far before being destroyed. So why are cosmic-ray hunters spotting such rays with no obvious source within our galaxy?
What is the nature of black holes?
Relativistic mass crammed into a quantum-sized object? It's a recipe for disaster--and scientists are still trying to figure out the ingredients.
What is the nature of gravity?
It clashes with quantum theory. It doesn't fit in the Standard Model. Nobody has spotted the particle that is responsible for it. Newton's apple contain ned a whole can of worms.
Why is time different from other dimensions?
It took millennia for scientists to realize that time is a dimension, like the three spatial dimensions, and that time and space are inextricably linked. The equations make sense, but they don't satisfy those who ask why we perceive a "now" or why time seems to flow the way it does.
Is superfluidity possible in a solid? If so, how?
Despite hints in solid helium, nobody is sure whether a crystalline material can flow without resistance. If new types of experiments show that such outlandish behavior is possible, theorists would have to explain how.
What is the structure of water?
Researchers continue to tussle over how many bonds each H₂O molecule makes with its nearest neighbors.
What is the nature of the glassy state?
Molecules in a glass are arranged much like those in liquids but are more tightly packed. Where and why does liquid end and glass begin?
How do planets form?
How bits of dust and ice and gobs of gas came together to form the planets without the sun devouring them all is still unclear. Planetary systems around other stars should provide clues.
What causes ice ages?
Something about the way the planet tilts, wobbles, and careens around the sun presumably brings on ice ages every 100,000 years or so, but reams of climate records haven't explained exactly how.
Is there--or was there--life elsewhere in the solar system?
The search for life--past or present--on other planetary bodies now drives NASA's planetary exploration program, which focuses on Mars, where water abounded when life might have first arisen.
How many proteins are there in humans?
It has been hard enough counting genes. Proteins can be spliced in different ways and decorated with numerous functional groups, all of which makes counting their numbers impossible for now.
How do organs and whole organisms know when to stop growing?
A person's right and left legs almost always end up the same length, and the hearts of mice and elephants each fit the proper rib cage. How genes set limits on cell size and number continues to mystify.
How do limbs, fins, and faces develop and evolve?
The genes that determine the length of a nose or the breadth of a wing are subject to natural and sexual selection. Understanding how selection works could lead to new ideas about the mechanics of evolution with respect to development.
What triggers puberty?
Nutrition--including that received in utero--seems to help set this mysterious biological clock, but no one knows exactly what forces childhood to end.
Are stem cells at the heart of all cancers?
The most aggressive cancer cells look a lot like stem cells. If cancers are caused by stem cells gone awry, studies of a cell's "stemness" may lead to tools that could catch tumors sooner and destroy them more effectively.
Can cancers be controlled rather than cured?
Drugs that cut off a tumor's fuel supplies--say, by stopping blood-vessel growth--can safely check or even reverse tumor growth. But how long the drugs remain effective is still unknown.
Why doesn't a pregnant woman reject her fetus?
Recent evidence suggests that the mother's immune system doesn't "realize" that the fetus is foreign even though it gets half its genes from the father. Yet just as Nobelist Peter Medawar said when he first raised this question in 1952, "the verdict has yet to be returned."
Why do we sleep?
A sound slumber may refresh muscles and organs or keep animals safe from dangers lurking in the dark. But the real secret of sleep probably resides in the brain, which is anything but still while we're snoring away.
Why do we dream?
Freud thought dreaming provides an outlet for our unconscious desires. Now, neuroscientists suspect that brain activity during REM sleep--when dreams occur--is crucial for learning. Is the experience of dreaming just a side effect?
How do general anesthetics work?
Scientists are chipping away at the drugs' effects on individual neurons, but understanding how they render us unconscious will be a tougher nut to crack.
What causes schizophrenia?
Researchers are trying to track down genes involved in this disorder. Clues may also come from research on traits schizophrenics share with normal people.
To what extent can we stave off Alzheimer's?
A 5- to 10-year delay in this late-onset disease would improve old age for millions. Researchers are determining whether treatments with hormones or antioxidants, or mental and physical exercise, will help.
What is the biological basis of addiction?
Addiction involves the disruption of the brain's reward circuitry. But personality traits such as impulsivity and sensation-seeking also play a part in this complex behavior.
Is morality hardwired into the brain?
That question has long puzzled philosophers; now some neuroscientists think brain imaging will reveal circuits involved in reasoning.
What are the limits of learning by machines?
Computers can already beat the world's best chess players, and they have a wealth of information on the Web to draw on. But abstract reasoning is still beyond any machine.
How much of personality is genetic?
Aspects of personality are influenced by genes; environment modifies the genetic effects. The relative contributions remain under debate.
What is the biological root of sexual orientation?
Much of the "environmental" contribution to homosexuality may occur before birth in the form of prenatal hormones, so answering this question will require more than just the hunt for "gay genes."
How many species are there on Earth?
Count all the stars in the sky? Impossible. Count all the species on Earth? Ditto. But the biodiversity crisis demands that we try.
How did flowers evolve?
Darwin called this question an "abominable mystery." Flowers arose in the cycads and conifers, but the details of their evolution remain obscure.
What caused mass extinctions?
A huge impact did in the dinosaurs, but the search for other catastrophic triggers of extinction has had no luck so far. If more subtle or stealthy culprits are to blame, they will take considerably longer to find.
Can we prevent extinction?
Finding cost-effective and politically feasible ways to save many endangered species requires creative thinking.
Why were some dinosaurs so large?
Dinosaurs reached almost unimaginable sizes, some in less than 20 years. But how did the long-necked sauropods, for instance, eat enough to pack on up to 100 tons without denuding their world?
How will ecosystems respond to global warming?
To anticipate the effects of the intensifying greenhouse, climate modelers will have to focus on regional changes and ecologists on the right combination of environmental changes.
How many kinds of humans coexisted in the recent past, and how did they relate?
The new dwarf human species fossil from Indonesia suggests that at least four kinds of humans thrived in the past 100,000 years. Better dates and additional material will help confirm or revise this picture.
What gave rise to modern human behavior?
Did Homo sapiens acquire abstract thought, language, and art gradually or in a cultural "big bang," which in Europe occurred about 40,000 years ago? Data from Africa, where our species arose, may hold the key to the answer.
What are the roots of human culture?
No animal comes close to having humans' ability to build on previous discoveries and pass the improvements on. What determines those differences could help us understand how human culture evolved.
What are the evolutionary roots of language and music?
Neuroscientists exploring how we speak and make music are just beginning to find clues as to how these prized abilities arose.
What are human races, and how did they develop?
Anthropologists have long argued that race lacks biological reality. But our genetic makeup does vary with geographic origin and as such raises political and ethical as well as scientific questions.
Why do some countries grow and others stagnate?
From Norway to Nigeria, living standards across countries vary enormously, and they're not becoming more equal.
What impact do large government deficits have on a country's interest rates and economic growth rate?
The United States could provide a test case.
Are political and economic freedom closely tied?
China may provide one answer.
What causes reversals in Earth's magnetic field?
Computer models and laboratory experiments are generating new data on how Earth's magnetic poles might flip-flop. The trick will be matching simulations to enough aspects of the magnetic field beyond the inaccessible core to build a convincing case.
Are there earthquake precursors that can lead to useful predictions?
Prospects for finding signs of an imminent quake have been waning since the 1970s. Understanding faults will progress, but routine prediction would require an as-yet-unimagined breakthrough

Shamelessly lifted from SO MUCH MORE TO KNOW :p

On a different note, i'm signing off for now to enjoy the lovely weather outside. Do respond.

Naveen

Its Weekend again...

2005-07-02T10:04:00.000+05:30

A very warm welcome to yet another SATURDAY for giving us some respite from the usual schedule. The sensous drizzles outside coupled with the wimbledon semifinal today and finals tomorrow make for an awesome weekend treat. Add to it the time i'll get to freak out with my friends!
BTW -- going through Slashdot this morning, i came across an excellent link to SCIENCE magazine which celebrates the 125th anniversary of the mag. Its a stunning collection of 125 questions , rather compelling puzzles which the scientists face today. For example -

And lots more...It would be a great idea to go through these and discuss follow ups out here. What do you guys think? Anyone game..I'll be posting my reviews for few of them later today.
Keep watching
Cheers
Naveen

My Workplace Buddies

2005-07-01T14:28:00.000+05:30

Here is a pic of my colleagues which we took on one of our daily evening strolls. From left - Pradeep, Pallav Da, Myself and Satty. Will post more later...
Naveen

Hi Friends

2005-06-29T18:13:00.000+05:30

Finally after being in the docks for a year, OPEN SPACE is breathing again. This happens to be my first official WEB LOG or BLOG as they call it. Stealing time fromt the hectic schedule of mine to indulge in the luxury of keyboarding myself (thats my definition of a BLOG) is not the easiest thing to do.Still i'm reviving OPEN SPACE with the hope of being able to continually manifest all the happenings in my life - big n small alike - n create a space to witness the presence of all who desire to breathe in an OPEN SPACE. So sit up n do contribute to this little endeavour.
CHEERS
Naveen