Trust in your heart

Ain't got no reason for love. The soul's fabric is weaved out of this one. What else could be finer than this? Love pervades the entire universe. I don't know if we should call it as the ultimate particle. Love is the very reason why the world exists. But why does love exist – nobody knows for sure. All I know is that every single iota of a moment is made of love.

Love expands, love brings peace, love shows the way. Love has captured the essence of mankind's quest for something better. The shortest distance between 2 objects is love – in fact there is no distance. Distance melts away in the shyness of a violet that sways in the wind. Brief is life, but love is long, says Tennyson.

In order for love to be transferred, it needs action. You can give or receive. Every moment you are doing that. Right now when I'm typing this snippet, I'm receiving love from the universe and the end result is that I have shared some love amongst you – the readers. Love is that uppermost feeling when you are one with God.

There are no gradations of love. Either you feel it or you don't. It's that uppermost feeling of elation that can surpass a barrel full of marijuana. It's bliss. Forgotten and connecting at times. Love heals. Love tends to bring people together – into the one truth that we only need to know. Love exists in an always on status. Take as much as you want. Give as much as you can.

Trust in your heart, you'll never go wrong …

Cheers,

Guru30

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. True indeed. In life we encounter challenges. Some of them perk us up, some of them seems outright horrendous. The person who faces all of this in equanimity is worth his salt. Do not get fettered by tough situations. Anyone who does not lose his composure and treats this as God's test, will do well.

No matter what the outcome is – one should always strive to do his / her best. When we are in the mode of working, all the forces of nature gather by us. And viola, we get completed work. Work no matter what it is, needs to get done and that too properly. There are different ways of doing the same thing. The smart person chooses the most effective way of doing it.

Sometimes this is also what an Optimizer does. For e.g. The Oracle database optimizer is cost based, which means it works with the most cost effective option. This in Oracle's lingo means that the shortest path or the fastest path is the chosen way. Earlier, we used to have rule based optimizers, where you could give hints to the optimizer itself. But gone are those days, today Oracle does not take any outside help to arrive at an optimum execution plan.

Work should be carried out in a detached fashion. In the sense, not focussing on the outcome. Work should be done for work's sake. Simply melt into it. Get into the grind. When we come out, we will be better people. For having learnt the greatness of work. There is no other teacher except for our work experience. Learn from it. Make a mistake. Do not repeat it.

Form your set of values from what you go thru and not what you know, as in general knowledge.

Cheers,

Guru30

Live Life, King Size

Your time is going to come. There is just one thing that is asked of you. Have a little patience. It's coming your way. Never doubt miracles. They happen every minute. Never doubt divine justice. It's fair and works for everyone. Give up suspicion. Give up rancour and any such feeling that might agitate you, so much so that your daily work gets hampered.

Never give up on values. Believe in principle centred leadership. The policies and procedures that have been enacted at the top is a 'just' one. However hard the situation is, the divine law works in the same way. Thank him everyday for the opportunity that he has given you to keep smelling the roses. Not once, many times.

There are no contradictions in nature. They only exist within our minds. Do not judge people, because they come in various forms and shapes. See the intent and behind the intent if you see a powerful base, that man is speaking from a value set. And if it is conducive, respect him. Spur him on. Join hands with him.

Give a few. Take a few. This is a worldly way. But don't lose yourself in this exchange. Stay aloof, at the same time play the game. Lots of fun. Lots of feelings. Out of the multi-verse, access a few things that you will need and the remaining treasure trove is all for yourself to keep. Take good care of this. Because somebody else may have more jewels in his.

Live life, King Size.

Cheers,

Guru30

The Secret

God keeps sending us these miracles everyday. The other day when I was thirsty, standing in a bus, he sent a boy who came running to me with water flowing from the bottles that he held. He asked me if I wanted some. How did he know that I was thirsty? My wife looking for a lemon drink in a shopping mall. One guy comes and says that what she is looking for is in that aisle. And indeed it is there. How did this guy know what she is looking for?

Well these and many more. I'm very much convinced that we are in the cradle of somebody; call him by whatever name. It's good to know that we are with someone, in our deepest depression also. Who said there are no knights? There are angels also. Look at everything in its positive way. Do I know him? No. Have I felt him? Yes.

I was listening to this song called 'Bleeding Me'. And for a moment I thought that the singer is singing to the entire universe. It goes something like 'Whoa wow wow whoa wowowo whoa oh oh' The same sound that the syllable OM makes when galaxies fly apart at an average speed of 20,000 miles /sec. Are you kidding me? No I'm not.

This world is so beautiful, that I could write a poem for everything in it – animate or inanimate. When I look around, I see the walls of my room also meditating. It's his glory that we should sing always because such is his deep love for us. Don't get enough time to thank him? Do not worry. Make it up sometime. Just call him - and that's the secret.

Cheers,

Guru30

In his cradle

Till death do us part.

Why put death as a full stop? We (our consciousness) live even after death. Death is just the end of this physical body. From the earth it has come, and to the earth it will return back. We are not our bodies. We are waves of the oceans. Where do you think a wave that arises in the ocean go? Back to the ocean, right! In the same way we get absorbed back into God, from where we came.

We may chose to come back after some time or whenever, to take birth on Earth. Because this life on earth is a means of realizing God in entirety i.e. achieve nirvana. Wherever we may be with or without bodies, we are in safe hands always – God's bosom. He tucks us away gently into his merciful hands and sings us the lullaby that we used to hear when we were kids, you remember?

This very world that we live in is magical. Actually, scientific in the core and magical in the icing of it. Hell / Heaven and other worlds can all be found on this beautiful planet itself. Where are these worlds? When we feel happy, remember we are in heaven. When we feel bad, we are in hell. The gradations or intensity varies.

There may be other worlds. By that I mean other planetary systems where life may be there. Not maybe there, I suspect there is. But I have no direct experience of the same. To tell you the truth, this planet itself is enough. Because there are so many unexplored mysteries of the Earth alone which fascinates me, that I rarely think of other worlds.

One thing I know for sure the whole universe is a sacred place in the benevolent mercy of my Lord.

Regards,

Guru30

Change Thyself

It's very difficult to change people, mainly because of the baggage that they carry as habits. This included me also. I went to a restaurant and started eating a dish a particular way. Every time I would go about it the same way, till I stumbled upon another option. Then I realized how much a victim of my habits am I.

This is where software helps. For example say you are using a particular version of MS Office and somebody else on the other side of the planet is also using the same version. Well the common thread that runs is the same user interface. If you speak of a macro that both have used, they both understand it. (if language also is the same)

At the other end is personalization. We cut and chop and make personalized dashboards or other gizmos catering to our taste. This is our habit compatible. In fact, this is required but not always mandatory. As an example take Mozilla Firefox which has skins. The default skin is quite pleasing, but for the habit people, they keep changing skins till they discover that the default was pretty much it.

I'm not against personalization or for rigid standards. Both are required in a 50:50 way for a normal user. Aah, that's hard to define – who is a normal user ? I would say, a clear person as far as dianetics is concerned. The average Joe or the moderate Stan. A person who is willing to change his views as far as values are not under consideration.

Cheers,

Guru30

A happy and a safe world

Most of the people around us are good. They are just reflections of our own character. You do good, you get good people around you. I'm reminded of the truism 'Right Thoughts; Right Words; Right Action' which if we practice, leads to happiness in the long run. If you ask me, what is the greatest weapon that we have in life, my answer would be truth.

As far as the projects for a services company is concerned, it always starts with Requirements gathering (assuming that the contract is signed). We should practice the following in order to get the best out of this phase. Viz. Listening, Mirroring (repeating what was said at regular points of time), noting (taking notes) and revisiting (revising).

For Analysis & Design stage we should practice the following, viz. Mapping requirements to design, using design standards and fallback plan. For coding it would be viz. Using coding standards, doing unit testing, walkthru's and review's. For testing phase we would require test plans, writing exhaustive test cases (with tool or without) and creating a database of bugs.

As in a project there are different phases, life also comes with the same concept. The earliest stage is newborn (and just like a newborn baby needs more attention than say a toddler, the projects also in the beginning need to be given more attention to) and then we pass through teenagers, young adults, married people, procreation, giving back to the world and finally renunciation.

Although this has been said simply, the practice of the truism mentioned above is a challenge for all of us. And the day we are all on the same page regarding this, we will have a happier and safer world.

Cheers,

Guru30

Share the world

Share – a deadly emerging paradigm. The question that we must ask ourselves is, why do we want to share? The answer is simple. We all like to be appreciated and we also like to appreciate others. The other aspect of sharing is to spread stories. For e.g. You bought a new TV today, and it doesn't work and hence you blog about that. This can be out of frustration or with the feeling that nobody else should fall for the trap or sometimes both.

The other aspect of sharing revolves around 2 major factors viz. What to share and who to share it with. Sounds complicated; actually it's quite simple. Ask yourself this question; What are the things in your life which you would not want to share with anyone. Then increase the level of sharing. Denote for e.g.: I can share this personal idea with Mark; I cannot share office status with Betty and so on.

We have to be very careful before we hit the Share button. For e.g. If you mean to share something with a Group, better be sure that all people in the group should be amicable to your post. This is one danger area, as some people may get offended (due to whatever reasons) or some people may tag you everywhere. One is ignorance and the other is indulgence.

As we know that every concept has its ups and downs, we can surely say that the pros are more in the case of sharing. We have migrated from the days of reading the web to actively participating in it. What's the next step? I personally feel that while sharing your stuff, related stuff would get shared automatically by a Semantic Web. Another thing that comes to my mind is fusion. If somebody is researching on say accountancy, automatically a package suggestion like for Tally or Quicken would be useful for this person, and hence auto suggestions would be the wave of future sharing...

Thanks & Regards,

Guru30

You will always be beautiful in my eyes …

"You will always be beautiful in my eyes." Joshua Kadison in Painted Desert Serenade says these marvellous lines. This statement has an echo of eternity in it. And this is a directive from God. More than a directive, it's a direct inference of truth. Imagine a 'just married' couple saying these lines to each other. Isn't that romantic in the beginning especially?

In terms of computing, it's like the main function in 'C' language. It encompasses all functions that have been written within the program. The main function remains the same, despite changes in the functions (referring to body not arguments) and however the function may be written, the main function loves all the functions equally.

Another cliché now. "And I, I'm glad I didn't know. The way it all would end, The way it all would go." This is Garth Brooks in The Dance. This truism is about future. Once it happens, the poet realizes that it's not worth it, to have conceived, a myopic future and face the consequences. Our lives are better left in God's hands.

Again in project parlance we talk of alternatives for a problem. The solution that we may be using may not be right for the future. Remove emotional bias and work on facts. Choose a solution that has the highest merit and then leave the rest to God. Work to the best of your ability. We will never be able to predict the unknown future, hence no point worrying about it.

Cheers,

Guru30

The holy trinity

There is a great similarity between Life and Software Development Life Cycle. (SDLC) In Life there are many phases: New Born -> Infant -> Teenage -> Bachelor -> Married -> Above 50's. In a similar manner, in SDLC we have Requirements -> Analysis & Design -> Coding -> Testing -> Delivery -> Maintenance.

As we all know that the Hindu trinity of Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva represent different aspects of this lifecycle. For E.g. A new born or a requirement stage corresponds with Brahma's job of creating. All other phases are overseen by Vishnu and finally the project getting shelved or death is Shiva's portfolio.

Why do we have these divisions? One reason I can think of is delegation where the power to do things are delegated among different people. More importantly, it helps us to see the phases in a logical fashion. By this I mean breaking down a problem into smaller ones, and addressing them individually.

There can be overlaps in the above also. For e.g. creating code can be the forte of Brahma, but maintaining it is that of Vishnu. Clearcase and VSS (Versioning tools) fall under the hood of Vishnu. Remember, anything new to be created – assigned to Brahma and anything to be maintained assigned to Vishnu. Final liquidation – Shiva

Jai Guru Dev, Om

Guru30

Have a lovely day !

You know, I'm normally a night bird. But today I woke up early in the morning (maybe after a year or so) and I find it as refreshing, maybe better than sitting at night time. I can clearly hear the crows and sparrows chirping and morning sunlight slowly descending upon the earth. Never knew that mornings are so blessed.

If I was a poet, I would have written a haiku, just for this moment. Just outside my window is a tree which stands still, as there is no wind. There are 2 crows sitting on a branch maybe planning their day out. Oh! Now there is only 1. That too flew away. So here I'm sitting in my room all by myself writing this post.

I'm thinking of one of my best friends. He wakes up at 3:00 AM in the morning, after going to sleep at 9:30 PM. That is just 5 ½ hour of sleep. Really wonder how he manages to do this. If you are reading this blog post, three salutes to you man. Today I'm really going to make that plan which has been outstanding for some days now.

But I guess that all these plans are nothing but artefacts of possibilities. So you know what, I really am not hung up on plans. Because we need to leave a gap for God's plan that precedes over ours, since he knows our best better than we do. But a general plan we definitely need to follow. Not to compartmentalize it. Leave a lot of spaces, for God to fill it in.

So, for the ones, on my side of the earth, a very Good morning to you, and to my friends on the other side of the planet, Good night and Sweet dreams. And for those in between, Good afternoon and Good evening.

Have a lovely day.

Guru30

The greatest gift - Love

There is one language better than all languages of the world put together and that is the language of love. What God speaks to us every second. But we are simply not tuned in. Our mind keeps whizzing away and we think that, we are our mind. Actually we are a soul of God and like Water takes up the property of the what you mix it with, (like say red coloured dye or whisky) we are also drenched in God's love. And God is like water and takes up the form that we have.

In computer parlance, a user defined data types is similar. However you define it, it takes up your definition. For example, in Javascript, your variables do not have a type defined. You can use it as a string, a date or whatever you define it to be as. Data is what makes the program important, like Water is what makes the drink tasty, although by itself, water is tasteless.

There are different ways we can use the analogy given above. The simplest is to listen to God's transmission which is on 24 by 7, always. We sometimes do get a glimpse of it like an epiphany that happens from time to time. And this is the real moment. Seize it. Because we have to realize that we are submerged in God.

The other similarity would be between hardware and software. Here the hardware is like Water. It takes up the form of the software. The very way in which the software is written, drives the hardware. You see God happens in Silence. Hence he is everywhere. So why worry about that presentation for tomorrow. Work hard and leave the rest to God.

Cheers,

Guru30

Why Twitter and Facebook should not be banned in organizations

You see both Twitter and Facebook are publishing and collaboration tools. There are advantages and disadvantages of both. In office time normally of 8 hours, if we are not having any work assigned or need to shift our focus temporarily from the work being done, then the employees should be able to Tweet as well as Post.

Also there is the freedom factor. We are not confining them to a tight boundary. Besides tell me honestly who is 100% productive for the whole 8 hours. At the same time, if the tools distract you from your work, you should immediately switch them off. In fact, the best way to work is to switch them off, when concentrating on work that needs to be done.

Having said this, I would also like to add another angle to it. Using the powerful feature of collaboration, lots of information can be gathered from the appropriate networks. For example, if I'm a Java developer, I can subscribe to those tweets and posts from similar groups or forums or whatever you may call them.

But the very moment , we shun our work for, say chatting about politics / movies etc, that's a misdemeanour (if I may use that word) Work related chats are OK. Self development chats are OK, as long as you don't have anything in hand. This value system has to come from within. People have to become accountable and subsequently autonomous. In fact then they can become mentors to others also.

To all the role models,

Thanks.

Guru30

Do not complain. Explore yourself

You know I was sipping limejuice and I remembered the good old saying 'If life gives you a lemon, make a lemonade out of it.' There are still so many people complaining that life hasn't dealt them in the right way. I personally think that each one of us has to face challenges and circumstances that have been predestined. We need to cut thru the veil and arrive.

Now when do you say somebody has arrived? Well, for one thing, this person does not wish bad for anyone, sings like the ecstatic 'Rumi' (the poet) and is always at peace with himself and the world. I wouldn't dare to call him a Yogi, as I myself do not clearly have an understanding of this term. But one thing is for sure – this person believes more in his work than serendipity.

Let me try to make the connection to technology now. You see a harddisk does not stop working on its own. It only does so after thorough use or when it is free. It does not complain that it has been formatted for Linux or Windows. Neither does it holler when found to be in AT cabinet, instead of ATX. Here's the lesson we should all learn – complain only when exhausted. Rest – leave it. In fact, I would say that complaining is also not required. In such a situation patience is of utmost importance.

That is the difference between machines and people. The threshold of people is very low in comparison with machines. We are all strange creatures, in our own worlds, trying to seek something outside, when all we got to do is look inside each of us. Like Rumi said, 'Don't look for miracles outside, you yourself are the world's greatest miracle'.

To your continued success,

Guru30

Limits of an illusion

Time is a big illusion. There is no such thing. So is what we see or what we perceive through our senses. Because senses are limited, we have a limited understanding of the world viz. only that world which we are exposed to. There is a whole underlying reality which lies untouched beyond these fleeting experiences.

And that reality which is unmoving, limitless and incomprehensible is the truth or the Brahman as they call it in the Vedas. This is the same silence pervading the dance of the universe, beyond creation or annihilation. There is no darkness or light there, just peace and love, in abundance, a world beyond imagination.

Words are just metaphors for the truth. In the computer world also the binary part makes it work, but God exists in the place where the switch between a '1' and a '0' ('On' and 'Off') happens. How minute it is – indivisible beyond an atom, or a particle or a string. Hence he is everywhere – in places where the light does not reach, in the silence of the desert, in the depths of the oceans.

Remember the law, energy is neither created nor destroyed, but gets transferred from one form to another. This is an immutable law. How much energy does our universe or all that exists has is an absurd question. Because the answer is infinity and matter has limitations. Even a Deep Blue computer is limited by the number of FLOPS (Floating Point Operations) that it can perform. It gets better by the day, but will always be an approximation. Maybe we will settle for something near real in the future, because with the mind also, it has a creation and a finish time.

Hope that was not confusing.

Guru30

Google Instant

Google Instant is really changing the game of SEO. Now everyone would see a different view even if they are searching for the same term / words. So ads are also dynamic. I checked out the Google site to test 'instant' and it's very impressive. They are using AJAX (Asynchronous Javascript and XML) technology for the exchange between the machine that we work on and the Google Servers.

Google has taken a very risky approach, as this will upset the whole way Adwords work. I think that this is a step in the right direction. Because finally the customer is in charge. He/She needs to get the best user experience. The bottom line is end-users. Respect them, keep them delighted always. And listen to their comments carefully. Incorporate changes that are valid.

The future will be thought devices, which read the mind and relays it to the computer. Although this technology is nascent today, do not rule it out. Already we can control the desktop by voice; later we may be able to transfer our thoughts to Google Website and this in turn will give back a response to the brain. It will be a 2-way communication.

Let me stop soothsaying, and bring your attention to other Instant Search products. One is called Cloud Magic, which indexes all mails from Gmail (at present) and then allows anyone to instantly search Gmail on their desktop. (Wonder why Google did not come out with this idea). After this the company is focussing on Google Apps, Salesforce and Yahoo mail. MSN is not included because they do not support IMAP. (Internet Message Access Protocol) Going forward I see a lot of scope for Instant Search on all devices like mobile phones, Ipad's and other gizmos.

To a fast world,

Guru30

The complete man and the complete software

Flood your system with lots of dopamine, and you will feel a lot of well being. It's a catch-22. Unless you feel fine, dopamine will not circulate in your system, and unless you take dopamine supplements you won't feel happy. I know that all of us have stressful jobs, but unless we strike a harmony in the 4 spheres of completeness (Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual) and try to be full individuals with overall growth, we will be frustrated.

We need to balance all these aspects and become a complete human being. These needs are to be fulfilled in every second that we live. In computer parlance, a mix of all constructs will give us a better solution, than sticking to some common reusable patterns. Depending on the requirement, we have to leverage the software base that is already available.

Earlier we needed to have a login into most of the websites. Now we can login to a website using Facebook, Twitter, Buzz etc. (if it is supported) and work as usual. This I believe is a great feature available, as we do not have to remember usernames and passwords of sites that we visit. Of course if you use a password filling program like Roboform, this concern is also put to rest.

As the features increase, the more power a program gets. Using the same (say) loop structure can give us consistency or call that a standard. But using different features will make your program not feel boring. I'm just kidding. Standards have to be followed, else there will be chaos. For e.g: A WHILE loop is faster than a FOR loop. Use the constructs judiciously, at the same time keeping in mind simplicity. It's a trade-off mostly, but it's worth the while.

Cheers,

Guru30

The power of simplicity - making your presentations rock

Do you know why I write these posts (or articles as some may call it) in maximum 5 paragraphs? Because, finally it's all about simplicity. People don't like to read long articles. They want to get to the essence in the shortest and the sweetest way. If you really cannot put across your point in say 20-25 words, you need to practice the subject better.

Look at a product like Twitter. You are forced to enter your thought in 140 characters. Twitter is a sweet and short micro-blogging site. I think twitter really enhances the depth of your subject. Because if you are clear about what you are saying, you should be able to put it up in, as few words as possible. Communication begins with listening, understanding, planning and finally putting your point across.

The other thing I would recommend is visuals. Somebody once said an apt quote 'A picture is worth a thousand words.' If you ever wonder why it is so, the answer is quite simple. Our brain works on visuals. Comprehending an image is much easier and faster than a string of words. An animated visual is still further catchy, because again the mind loves to observe and narrate stories.

To make your presentations snazzy, follow the big rule – short is sweet, no extra texts, give visuals wherever possible. Have you seen the way Steve Jobs presents. Well, then you know what I'm talking about. But please note that a very good presentation will also not cut it, if your content is bad. Good content + Good aesthetics + Good delivery = Super Presentation.

So go ahead, and unleash and embrace the power of simplicity.

Best Regards,

Guru30

Did God create this universe ?

Did God create this universe? Stephen Hawking in his new book 'The Grand Design' says that he didn't! Well, I haven't read that book, but I'm sure that the spiritual universe was not created by God, because it used to exist always. Eternity does not have any creation date attached to it. As far as the material universe is concerned, I believe that he conceived it.

After all, can the creation of the universe be explained by mathematics – Never. At least, that's what Godel's theorem in plain language says – 'No algorithm will be able to explain creativity or for that matter spirituality', and it's true. Mathematics is based on logic and love cannot be explained by logic. It can never be quantified. A probabilistic model will just be appropriate. Not accurate.

Remember what Lord Krishna said in the 'Bhagvad Gita' – The whole universe is strung upon his pearl necklace and only 1% of his power sustains the whole. So we really cannot imagine the remaining 99%. I guess we are too small a speck of sand to extrapolate universal designs. We haven't yet gone to our nearest neighbour Mars (manned trip I mean) and here we are prophesying about a universe that we hardly understand.

I'm not against Science, in fact I love it. But when we make such grandiose statements, we should know that we know maybe a fraction of the universe for us to speculate about the universe accurately. I admire Stephen Hawking, as I have read all his previous books, but I think it's too early to ordain a judgement on God and the Universe. Awaiting to read that book.

To the unknown …

Guru30

Conserve Energy

Energy consumption is increasing. There are four main people who use energy. They are Commercial offices, Industries, Residential premises and Transportation. A lot of energy that we see in action is coming to us after thermal losses. It can be as high as 50%. Energy conservation is the need of the hour and also stipulated by Kyoto protocol.

This energy that we consume releases Carbon dioxide into the air. This is called as Green House emission. A typical family in using electricity releases as much as 6.2 tonnes of Carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. (Almost as much required to send 3 hot air balloons into air) Passive energy can be controlled by things like insulation, but the time of actively monitoring is due.

Active monitoring of energy can be done by thermostats, capacitors and detectors. These are available at very cheap rates. But still we avoid things like rewiring or other work, that which we perceive as causing a lot of headache. Actually redesigning a building for energy conservation may save as much as 50% of the total maintenance costs.

Technology is another energy guzzler and GHG (Green House Gas) emitter. With data centres sprawling all over the place, the requirement for more energy is a necessity. The question is can we meet these growing demands? I believe we can. Not just by generating more energy but conserving it actively.

Carbon credits should be traded at a premium I believe, as everyone falls in line to conserve energy for the generations to come.

Regards,

Guru30

The case for the Cloud

The next wave would be Cloud Computing, I think. And along with it, would be the associated technologies like Virtualization , Data Storage and Broadband, which in turn means more ISP's, the hardware for the net (including higher end processors, routers, switches and the works). VMWare, Xen (Citrix) and Microsoft Hypervisor are all good virtualization software.

The cloud will be divided into private and public clouds. Some will opt for a hybrid model depending on the application type. Those applications that are critical would still be behind a firewall or a private cloud, so to speak. Public clouds will be primarily consisting of those applications where data security is not that much of importance.

The data centres will mushroom. (I hear that Microsoft is buying 1 data centre at least a day) Micorsoft's Desktop Software strategy will collapse, as applications like Google Apps, which have a much better ROI take off. There are other Saas (Software As a Service) contenders like SalesForce.com , Sugar CRM and others. These applications have already been in the cloud.

The initial consideration for any CIO would be the capex to opex ratio. As I understand it the Capex for the cloud is very much contained. The Opex would be a recurring cost. New licensing models would evolve, and so will the SLA's (Service Level Agreements) We are going to witness fanatical support from vendors. Those who are able to cut it, will survive. Others don't have a choice but to improve.

Going forward, I'm willing to bet on this phenomenon. Hope that the recession blues go away soon, so we can go full steam ahead.

To your success …

Guru30

Towards a more secure world

The threat of malware is rising day by day. The bad guys are devising ingenious ways of tricking the good guys. Not just as in social engineering, but new viruses for example in device drivers, parasitic javascripts that attach to your web pages, annoying adware that pops up and the latest click harvesting on facebook and other social media sites.

Here are some tips to make your online experience more safer.

• Have an antivirus installed on your machines. Update it regularly. Typically today's antivirus contains other goodies like stopping adware and spyware.
  
• Activate your firewall . This will stop network snooping attacks.
  
• Do not click attachments or links from unverified sources.
  
• Before you click, think! It may be a social engineered link.
  
• Do not share your password, credit card or bank information with any program or website or people.
  
• Turn on incognito or private browsing if you don't want to leave any breadcrumbs (your trail)
  
• Click Harvesting on Facebook makes use of something called iFrames and hence before you click the Like button on some other sites be careful. If you are using a Firefox browser install 'NoScript' plugin.
  
• When you install plugins or addons or extensions, please do not install from unverified sources.
  
• Run your antivirus everyday or at least three times in a week.
  
• Take regular backups.
  
• Keep yourself updated on malware news by subscribing to security sites.
  
• And finally, Be alert !!!
  

Towards a more secure world …

Guru30

What about the losers ?

Agreed that new technologies are very interesting and disruptive in nature, but have we wondered where those who are still using older technologies will go? For example let's say that shale gas is going to be a substitute for crude oil, what about the billions of dollars invested by oil drilling companies, how will we account for that?

Another example can be electric cars which are going to displace the gasoline driven vehicles. What will we do with these old model vehicles? Should we simply junk them or reconvert them to something more appropriate and applicable. The question here is not just to protect investments, but it's about lives which will suffer because of the onslaught of the so called latest technology.

We need an inclusive plan wherein every stake holder of the industry will benefit. The old investors should be given some form of equity participation in the new vehicles of investments. The other thing we need to look for is reusability, rather than scrapping everything. A timeline needs to be mandated for successful conversion.

Although the problems are complex in nature, it's easier said than done and I know that. But I think, to establish a factory which is going to affect the livelihood of people is a little selfish, unless the factory owners have a plan to support these people for life. We are all accountable to Gaia or mother earth. Let's not plunder the loot.

There is enough that the earth produces for all 6.5 billion of us to live together happily. But this imbalance is creating the chaos. Hope that we can have more individuals and groups which can contribute to the overall vital signs of this planet, just to start with.

Perhaps very soon …

Best Wishes and Regards,

Guru30

Techno Nirvana

It will happen one day. Peace, abundance and happiness for the whole world. Technology today is driving the world in its quest for these things. The advent of the people rising to power has been promoted by the internet. Today more than 60% of the world is connected. The only problem, the developments blur the landscape.

There is so much happening in the world of technology. It's presumed that more than 1 exabyte (1 with 18 zeroes) is going to get created year after year. No wonder everyone is flocking towards data centres. The cloud is for real. Be it private or public. The other aspect of productivity from these machines is heightened by Virtualization.

Social networks today transport so much of data across the internet, I suspect that they will soon outpace email. Or maybe they already have. Email is the oldest way of exchanging communication which is still prevalent today, despite the dawn if instant messengers and other phenomenon like facebook and twitter.

The best facet of social computing is the sheer amount of people networked by it. News and other issues of interest mushroom in a viral fashion. It's not just computers anymore. Now all kinds of devices will also be connected to the internet. It's estimated that 2 trillion contraptions, including computers are connected to the internet. No wonder we will be soon running out of internet addresses. IPV6 will become a reality soon.

At the end of the day, the information warriors will triumph. Bits and bytes are driving the new economy, which is slated for a revolution.

Techno Nirvana for all …

Guru30

From here to eternity

Time flies. But does it really? Actually the concept of time is a little misunderstood by people. There is no such thing as time, because the past, the present and the future exists simultaneously. Time is an illusion. It’s ruled by Saturn.

Like we cannot give that which we do not have already, we cannot lay claims on the future. That is something that we do not possess. Whereas the past and the present is all ours to be treasured. To claim the future, we will need to please the lord of the rings viz. Saturn.

Time never comes back. It’s like an arrow which has left the bow. Or a word that has been spoken. Hence the phrase “Do not bother about the past” although we will be able to traverse to the past and arrive at a different future. All these permutations have already happened in the universe.

Time will vanish on the D-day. (death) Because it is Lord Shiva, the ruler of Saturn who comes to pick us up. Whether it is greying of the hair or getting a big paunch. as time passes by, you are still the same person. Forget your name or physical attributes, you are just a spark of the divine.

And he who seems to enjoy the dance is the same as the dancer. When the knower and the known become one, time disappears …

Best Wishes

Guru30

Being a trainer ain’t easy

The role of an Acharya

The need for a good teacher is felt by every organization. A teacher can also be a mentor. Training is about sweat and blood. It saps you of your mental state, as one is constantly engaged with the students thoughts. The mark of a good trainer is that he teaches students how to fish than giving them a fish every day.

The trainer holds the position of a mother or father, constantly enduring the questions that come up in the minds of his students. A good trainer is like Narada, the Dev-Hrishi who always used to think of Lord Vishnu. No wonder Valmiki (the author of Ramayana) was his disciple. You can really achieve wisdom when you train people.

A trainer will be surprised to see different angles to his basic teachings, as the students feed him with more ideas and possibilities. Being a trainer is a tough job. To handle many students at the same time is a challenge. Everybody vies for your attention and you have to give them all personal consideration.

The mode of delivery is changing now. Earlier we used to have classroom theory trainings and then practical's. In the modern world these two functions are now performed in the same class. The other area that will be bullish will be online training. As video conferencing becomes more viable and cheaper, the means of teaching is also remote in nature.

A trainer can never be substituted with a e-learning programme for example. The eye-to-eye contact between 2 or more people will never be overtaken by remote training. A trainer grows faster than a person who does not share information. Training is not a panacea, but nevertheless it's a requirement for everyone.

Om Guruvaye Namaha !!!

Guru30

Will you bet on the BloomBox

There is so much hype about the BloomBox from Bloom Energy who are slated to launch their product this Wednesday. Whether it will live up to it's expectations, only time will tell. But the idea is neat. Generating clean electricity from fuel cells seems to be a good bet but, whether it will take off in large numbers remains to be seen.

The BloomBox is essentially made of ceramic plates sandwiched by a sand like material. They claim to produce clean energy with this. The Bloom Energy Server is distinct in four primary ways: it uses lower cost materials, provides unmatched efficiency in converting fuel to electricity, has the ability to run on a wide range of renewable or traditional fuels, and is more easily deployed and maintained.

Unlike traditional renewable energy technologies, like solar and wind, which are intermittent,

Bloom's technology can provide renewable power 24/7. Each Bloom Energy Server provides 100 kilowatts (kW) of power in roughly the footprint of a parking space. Each system generates enough power to meet the needs of approximately 100 average U.S. homes or a small office building. For more power, customers simply deploy multiple Energy Servers side by side.

The list of investors include people like the CEO, S.R. Sridhar and the likes of Arnold Schwarzenneger and Colin Powell. Bloom has funding of 400 milllion USD and has been working on the concept for the last 8 years. If this takes off as a disruptive technology, it's going to sell like hot cakes and upset a lot of people.

May God Bless the World and the Bloom Box people. (Let's hope that it takes off)

Guru30

www.BloomEnergy.com

The death of distance

If you think that distance makes the heart grow fonder, you may be right. From the days that a postal mail used to reach somebody after 4 days, we are in the era of email which takes seconds to reach the other person. The bandwidth issue is going to get better, with real time on the near horizon. But will this help?

This is a question that I have been asking myself for a long time. Real Time according to me is a pipedream. However fast the response may be there will always be an iota of seconds between the request and the response. For all practical purposes, in light of our limitations, we may reach that stage when we feel that real time is happening. Although, the right word is perceive not feel.

The heart is on an 'always on' connection. This very moment I'm typing this, the communication between other worlds and myself is 'on', although, I'm not able to perceive it through my mind. The mind has a limitation, whereas the heart doesn't. The mind is always moving, whereas the heart is stationary. Beyond the level of strings, we do not have an underlying unified theory.

With our mind, there is a limitation, because it knows atoms. The heart knows stories. That according to me is the major difference between the mind and the heart. To take it further, the mind also knows bits. Again deep down, they are particles. The heart works in the inverse way. From bottom up and manages to reach the top effortlessly in real time.

The heart is not limited by distance. With the mind, the thoughts can transcend distance, but still there is a time lag. We may reach the proportions of maybe 'Googol' level interactions, but the death of distance in its truest sense is the communication through the heart.

With lots of love

Guru30

 

The new high

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No. It's not a drug. We are talking about people online, especially those who spend more than 10 hours time daily. This is a new form of addiction. The virtual world or the internet is a place where people tend to spend more time than in the natural world. What can you do? The damn thing is so full of exciting opportunities and ideas that you can't stay away from it.

There is a feeling of being a watcher on the net. But with the prevalence of Web 2.0, it became interaction or sharing to be more precise. There is a great need for people to be heard and to know that their viewpoints are being considered by someone somewhere. Plus there is a thrill of talking to strangers without getting hurt physically.

All this conundrum adds up to things like restlessness, insomnia and many other syndromes. Anything in moderation is good. When we spend excess hour online, we become addicted and this keeps on increasing. Finally, without the machine, you don't have an identity. There are many antisocial types who are a result of this phenomenon.

We have to strike the right balance, between time that is spent online and that which goes into natural things. As long as we don't overdo it, we are safe. A virtual handshake doesn't have the authenticity of a real one. A virtual friend somewhere cannot look you into the eye, even if a webcam is handy.

So don't be a dork. Read a book instead of a PDF. Go out with a friends and chat rather than IM. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Balance will keep you steady.

Regards,

Guru30

The free market Roller Coaster

Great fears are being felt by people who are expecting the US markets to tumble by September. The Indian markets today have witnessed a down trend taking SENSEX below 18,000 psychological level. If the FII's start booking profit, then we are going to see a further fall in stock prices, especially companies with more export exposure.

But the above mentioned ebb is just in the near term. A country like India will feel the effect, but it's not going to be predominant. The simple reason being that domestic consumption in India can substitute for exports. If you look at the Auto Industry, it has been posting almost 23% YOY growth in the last quarter. Encouraging signs.

Lastly an economy like India is bullish in the long term. With other geographies trying to tackle the recession, India zooms ahead of the pack. Even China is bearish, despite the fact that they are an export economy. We hear stories of China downsizing factories in Schenzen , Guangdou and other locations.

When will Europe and America recover? We really do not know. There are different schools of thought. The banking system is the fundamental backbone of any country. What do you do, when a duck starts swimming like a swan? The cat is out of the bag. Now all ducks will have to get used to the fact that they simply cannot become swans, the short cut way.

There is so much of bad debt in the whole world (due to lack of regulations) that, it does not seem likely, that the markets will bounce back in the near future. But for India, the growth story will continue.

Ring the bells. Christmas is on its way.

Guru30

Strategy and the works

Strategy is normally the conception of an idea. This is followed by planning and execution. People think that, without a proper strategy, the remaining phases are at peril. Not today. Strategy is now evolved as planning and execution and they are often done using Agile Technologies first. The approach seems to have shifted from top-down to bottom-up.

The best way is to build a product as fast as possible, but release it as BETA to the public. As and when the bug list increases in size, we have to tackle them one by one in a severity manner. The live product or the next version should normally get it right, but mind you, the market may or may not accept the product.

If a product is way ahead of time, like say Google Wave, then it's bound to fail. On the other hand, if a product is shoddy then also the market will not accept it. The biggest hurdle in this equation is the market's readiness. This can only be gauged by doing market research either by yourself or an agency. For e.g. if you are building a website, it's good to opt for some SEO. (Search Engine Optimizations)

Strategy as taught in business schools is a classical concept and cent percentage is not applicable. In the age of the internet, we move at lightning speeds, we detect changes every second and we comply to them. The best way to be safe is a contract on T & M basis. (Time and Material) But there are many who are venturing into uncharted waters of product development.

If done right you will reap the sown, and if you missed something, well, the same mistake should not be repeated again. Always remember that the culture of the company will drive it's strategy and not the other way round.

Cheers

Guru30

Feel the power of love

Does love need a reason to exist? No, because it comes right from the irrational exuberance of the heart. You give some and you take some. But in order to get, you have to give first. And love is the greatest gift that you can give anyone. In terms of gifts, in terms of money or let it be anything that you are capable of giving. Give you must, for you to be able to receive.

Love is not just between animate objects. When it occurs between inanimate objects, the term given is gravity. That is also a form of love. When people emanate love, other things and people get drawn towards it. That is why the planets move around the Sun, because Sun is the father who gives his sunlight (a form of love) in exchange for nothing.

When love demands something in return, be sure that it is not love. By its very nature love is unconditional. It imposes no demands. Love doesn't make a person feel anxious. In fact when love arises in your heart, it makes you lighter and gives a wholesome feeling. The only way we can reason out about this concept is wisdom. The heart knows what the brain cannot feel.

Love exists between software's also. When a program talks to another program without expecting anything in return, it's a form of love. Thus in the classical definition, a procedure with arguments or global memory (semaphores) is displaying affection for the called program, but a function is selfish as it expects a return value. An unconditional jump is the greatest form of love.

So spread the message of love throughout this world, and very soon you will see a changed planet.

Lovingly

Guru30

A tribute to Google

A tribute to the company that I adore

Its name is Google. Started with a humble beginning in a dorm in 1998, this company has come a long way. It's offerings are multipartite and revolutionary in nature. The homepage still looks crisp without any advertisements. 'Don't be evil' is the tagline of this company where small teams write code to change the world.

Standing above the shoulders of Ph. D's and other bright minds who make this happen, Google has delivered the goods. Imagine search without it. Imagine online advertising without Adwords and paving a new economy using Adsense, where people make money. There are many other search engines today, but as of now 69% of searches across the globe are done on Google.

Google is not just a company. It has become a phenomenon. Google'd is a verb that we use now. From time to time, this company has proved that mathematics is the highest science. Look at Google translate, enabling conversion of languages. Look at Chrome. They have built a wonderful browser. And finally Android is the largest selling OS on mobile phones as of now.

Google provides a great workplace where you can spend 25% of your time on personal projects, some of which have turned into successful products. The task of organizing the world information is not easy. But these are people who don't take no for an answer. Proves that computing can be taken to its next level by a bunch of smart working people.

Hat's off to all of you who strive to make a positive impact on this world.

Guru30

 

 

My Life Studio

We use tools almost for everything, right from our cell phones to the screwdriver set. To manoeuvre us through this life also we require some DIY tools. There are four tools that we must definitely have in this toolbox. They are 1. Love 2. Humility 3. Thankfulness 4. Perseverance. The other tools that we can also use are humour, compassion, listening and joy.

Like we use IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to make our life easier, we must also possess the aforementioned tools in our IDE. We call this as the My Life IDE. Or better yet , My Life Studio. Like Visual Studio or Zend studio. Normally these Studios are a one stop shop for doing all possible kinds of development.

In an IDE we have the features of compilation, debugging and execution. The same holds good for our My Life Studio also. We should have a provision of translation, error correction and action. Of these the execution is the most important but has to come before translation to the target platform, which means adhering to the intended audience 's tastes and fixing any lacunas before we execute the plan.

In the same way, some of these Studio's can also incorporate the features of My Life Studio. For e.g. humour using some AI (Artificial Intelligence) algorithms, thankfulness based on error fixing counts and finally humility by letting the IDE talk to others in the market. If there is one issue today that we face in the computing industry, it is integration. Different systems work in different ways. Interoperability will be the new mantra. For the machine IDE's as well as the My Life Studio.

Best Regards in English

Guru30

The man-woman enigma

I'm sitting on a teddy and writing this post. Why do kids like Teddy bears? Why do girls like Barbies and boys like Ben10? It's because of the way we are wired up. Men and Women are different. While men are good at backend work, women are good at aesthetics or the front end. A User Experience (UX) is better done by a woman. This is my opinion, and I may be wrong.

Men like more action while women go for emotions. Today although we are working together, the generalized predictions like the above holds good. Men are more logical while women are more intuitive. I believe that a HR function headed by a woman makes more sense, as they are more sensitive to personal issues.

Men are physically stronger than women. But a women's strength lies in her inner beauty. The light that shone in her eyes is more context like than a man's. Men I find are more arduous than women. One problem with the fairer sex esp. in countries like India is working late hours. Although women are gearing up to jobs like in Contact Centres.

Kids after the age of three start developing their own personalities. This is when the ego kicks in and identity consciousness sets in. A girl normally copies her mother and the son follows his father. In numerology also the Sun is number 1 which denotes the father and mother which is number 2 stands for the moon.

Why women are considered as subordinates to men is beyond my grasp. The role of a women is very critical in society. After all, a mother is a natural phenomenon and a father is a social phenomenon.

Regards,

Guru30

 

 

Beyond the Obvious

There are two kinds of people in this world – they who speak from the heart and those who do it from the brain. (I mean at a particular point of time) The former are genuine as they do not have any hidden agenda's. The latter as you know can be devious and calculating. This is only when it comes to people. Birds, fishes etc. do not work with the brain.

The brain as you know is a tool, to help us achieve productivity. It becomes a grave problem when used to manipulate people and other objects. The messages emanating from the heart always bring joy. And those from the brain, which are joy like, are actually pleasures which don't last for long. Sometimes the brain starts to interfere with the hearts messages. This can prove to be fatal.

Look beyond the obvious. Don't get carried away by what people say or what you hear. Trust but verify. In fact, trusting is the hearts domain, whereas verifying is a tool based action i.e. with the help of the brain. When you look at anything, no matter what, all have a story behind them. From the tree growing in your backyard to the house that you live in.

Besides, you look at fiction novels which create stories and sometimes fantasies too. Epiphanies come from the heart. They are reminders to our busy tryst with the brain. Use both the heart and the brain judiciously. One is a spiritual centre and the other is a mechanic's machinery. Love what you do – a heart's way and do what you love – a brains domain.

See below the hood. Of all those wonderful things that God has gifted us and keeps showering on us. Learn to relate all events with stories, 'cause nothing beats a bedtime fable told by my dear grandma, who is no longer in this world.

Yours truly

Guru30

Stay happy always

In the modern world, how do we get enlightened? Let's focus on what this term means. For some it may be synonymous with success. But how do you define success? For most of the materialistic crowd, it's the first million. And when the bounty increases, you become more successful. Here's my definition of success – If you have achieved happiness in this life, you have been successful.

You really don't have to be very materialistic. Remember, happiness is a positive emotion. It sticks to you whatever you do. Once achieved, you can focus towards noble goals. For e.g. By helping somebody. And happiness is a state of mind. Adding a dimension of spirituality always helps. In order to be a complete individual we need to balance between our physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.

Once we strike the right balance, we see that abundance fills our life. We become like a radio station transmitting a positive vibrant message. It's quite infectious in nature. But the moment you spread this happiness to others, your happiness grows automatically. For the yuppies, it's a win-win situation. What more do you want out of life? God has made us to be happy. We get entangled in the soap opera called the world, and start getting worried. Worry is one bad thing, that strays us from the original goal.

In computing also, a machine which is utilized fully, is a happy machine. Do machines feel happiness? Of course not. The people who use these machines become more productive and it automatically leads to happiness. In this sense, virtualization brings happiness. Social sharing brings happiness. Anti-virus programs help us achieve happiness. And most of all, watching those videos on Youtube can also be a cause of joy.

Stay happy. That is what God wants you to be.

Cheers,

Guru30

That special day

It's a festive season. Ramadan followed by Parsi New Year and now Onam and Raksha Bandhan is on way. What would life be without celebrating these special days? Each festival is unique in itself. There is a story behind each one of them. I'm not going to narrate the same, but in the bottom of my heart I celebrate all of them and wish my family and friends lots of joy.

Besides these days we also celebrate days like independence day, republic day (national days), fathers day, mothers day (family days) and of course the favourite birth day. Does a date mean so much that we cannot afford to miss it. There should be a way of celebrating the same on other days if we have missed the boat. Like belated birthdays.

In the computer world the most important day is the delivery day. This translates roughly to the date when promised work is delivered. These occur frequently. Depending on the methodology and type of project, we have different frequencies at which the delivery happens. Besides this, there is also the Go Live day and the RTM (Release to Manufacture) day.

Why do we have these days? Because without them life would be a monotonous drone. Imagine the impact of various days without plans. There will be nothing to look forward to. And after all we are a social bunch. We need to assemble together sometimes to have a bash. Share a gift. Some candies. Some decoration. Lots of wishes and friends and dear ones all around.

Party time. Enjoy …

Guru30

Towards a bright future …

You are the captain of my ship; you are the master of my soul. This is poetry that was true in the yester years when kings used to rule the kingdom. Good kings had such a good reputation that their junta used to follow them. Some even ready to lay down their lives. The military had a big say, unlike today when people have a voice above the soldiers.

To be a king is not easy. You have to balance your choices. The image that a king projects is of utmost importance, esp. in a monarchy. Democracy on the other hand works on crowdsourcing. This long tail is picking up with the advent of social networks. People want to see and be heard in a crowd. Everyone seems to crave for information.

Democracy will also be applicable in the technology of the future. Today the CPU is not the only central processing unit. There are many support chips like Graphic Controller GPU's which are as powerful as a CPU. CPU used to be the king but now with the arrival of multicores, there is now more than 1 CEO on the top.

Parallel processors capable of intelligence like predictive logic will be in vogue in the future. The decisions taken within a system will be more by voting and execution will be in a neural network fashion. Software will map readily to these kind of hardware, so much so that all operations will seem to be happening in a jiffy.

And after all what we are looking for is convenience to be replaced by the 'A-ha' factor. Wait for a couple of years and see where we will reach.

Towards a bright future …

Guru30

The divine play

We are all manifestations of the divine will. Everyone has a different mix of various characteristics. The basic elements viz. fire, earth, air and water are present inside each one of us in different proportions. There is a natural affinity for the four basic elements within our systems. The fifth element space also is present within our subsystem.

All these elements are spiritual in existence, but they take on different forms in varying proportions to form a human being. They have all achieved God realization, hence a complete avatar of any one of them is really not called for, except in dire circumstances. Like proliferation of evil to a great extent – incidentally this is what Krishna also says that he makes himself a body and comes back in each age.

There is a balance between the good and the bad. When this goes out of control, God manifests himself through his messengers or avatar's, call it as you may like. It's like a virus program that proliferates, escaping antivirus detections. As antivirus has to triumph finally, God comes back in human form. The good will never perish. The bad is a temporary glitch.

Remember the past can be traversed, but not the future. Both the good and bad forces are trying their best to get to the future. But the irony is that nobody will be able to get into the future, as there is none. The future gets created in the present. Like a USB disk which gets activated only when you plug it into the port. The plugging in is the present. But you will never be able to say if it's going to work or not. Mostly it will. But there is no absolute solution.

The future is probabilistic and the present is deterministic. What about the past? Well, it is like that USB disk which has been used. The trails can be maintained. And we can peep into the past. In fact we will even be able to travel into the past to change the present. But then again, the future is an enigma. Only one person knows it accurately. And that person is laughing at our desires to conquer this universe. Maybe one day, we will, but not as expected. We will chance upon it, with his blessings.

Happy Dreams …

Guru30

The art of a good presentation

Some people think that presentation is more important than content. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Agreed that presentation is required, but it is just the icing on the cake. Without good content, presentation won't cut it. Why do you think XML is more prevalent than HTML? Because XML is about data and HTML is about presentation.

Data is more important than the rendering or programs that manipulate the data. One golden rule in the computing world is GIGO. (Garbage In Garbage Out) Your computer is as good as the data that you input to it. Bad data will give you inaccurate results, finally skewing your decisions. A good presentation cannot hide the weakness in data.

Before you think of making a long drawn out presentation, keep in mind that the shorter it is, the sweeter. Give it a visual effect, restricting words to what is absolutely necessary. Look at how Steve Jobs presents, and you can learn a thing or two about good techniques. It's not just eye-candy people want. They want it to be substantiated by facts.

Facts live within windows. I mean in some boundaries. Analyse the data that you have in hand and think how well it can be rendered in a few words. But mind you, your data window will be the backbone of your presentation. Do you need Powerpoint always? No. Only if it is required. However working out a draft of your presentation on a piece of paper will do wonders.

Remove the clutter, only present what is essential.

Regards,

Guru30

Love and Greed

Love = Selflessness

Greed = Selfishness

Love Expands

Greed Contracts

Love unites

Greed Divides

There are many shades of love and greed, but the absolute form of both are opposite poles. When you say you love somebody it means that you are putting that persons needs first, well above your needs. You care more for that person than you care for yourself. Love is looking out. Greed is looking in. Love is qualitative. Greed is quantitative.

Love heals and renews the spirit. Greed is a scar on the spirit that we carry. Although the spirit is not cleavable, greed can make it lacklustre in appearance. Love is inner beauty. Greed is of the flesh. Love what you do and do what you love. Don't let greed come in the way. A noble thought translated into action is a form of love.

Be proud of the actions which emanate from love. Greed makes us look down. Love makes us look up. There is no end to love. Take sunlight for example or rains. They shower upon the just and the unjust. In a similar way, love does not judge. It is unconditional. Even if things don't turn out the way you want it to be, the very fact that you have loved will save you from the karmic repercussions

Love is passion when the intensity is more. But the passion should arise from the deep abyss of the heart. Love as many as you can. It takes you one step towards God. Love inspires you to action. And believe me, all actions arising from love will bear positive outcomes. It may not be evident in the beginning, but in due course of time, you will realize.

Be true to yourself. Spread the message of love to everybody on this beautiful planet.

Cheers

Guru30

On this special day – India’s Independence

Today is India's Independence day. I feel proud to be a part of this multi faceted, multi cultural and multi linguistic nation. It is home to more than a billion people. (almost 1/6^th of humanity) India is growing at a rapid pace with the software industry (of which I'm a part) clocking revenues of 64 Billion USD and a CAGR of almost 33%.

Did the recession affect our industry. Yes, to some extent as most of our exposure is to North America (around 60-65%) but we survived. Now it is 2010 and we have managed to turn the table around by hedging towards local and non-US markets. Although we are known as the software backhouse of the world, it's deterring to know that only 2% of the world's broadband connection is emanating from India.

The reason is quite complex. India has 2 distinct sides. A growing middleclass and rich population that is mostly dictating how the new emergent India should be. At the same time there is stark poverty of almost 40% who do not have access to things that we take for granted (like clean drinking water, schools and hospitals)

There is a lot that needs to be done. For example, removing caste-ism, eradicating corruption, technology availability for people who do not have access to the advances made all over the world. The education system also needs to be revamped. Besides this we have a mission to achieve good and accessible healthcare to all.

There is lot that can be said. But I would like to raise a toast to this country which has shaped my thoughts all these years. A song for you India:

If I have freedom in my heart

And in my soul I'm free

Angels alone that soar above

Enjoy such liberty.

Thank you India, for giving me the chance to speak up.

Jai Hind

Guru30

Don’t carry so much of baggage

As a sand dune moves in a desert storm, my thoughts rumble when things go out of control. But I have learnt to master the movement. When such thoughts strike me, I immediately run to God like a small child who is afraid to lose his best toy. And God the way he is, always lets me hide in the shadows and consoles me.

Then I realised this – there is nothing to lose or gain. Like energy can neither be created nor be destroyed. These are just passing moments. Like it's said in the Bible – 'And it came to pass'. All possessions and material gifts can't make us happy. The more the wealth, the more the worry. After all you have to manage it. This is a simple fact of life.

We can become a pauper from a king in the flash of a moment. And come to think about it – are we going to carry this all with us when we die? We have come empty handed here and will go back empty handed. The only thing that will stay with us will be the effects of our karma. As we sow, so shall we reap.

In this lifetime, we have to shed some light on the downtrodden. Now it doesn't matter if we do it through Twitter or a donation in kind. The fact is we have to help. At least one person if not the whole world. I had read a book sometime back about how we can be happy and the last law is to give it all away. We are like trustees – of wealth and good will. Let's put it to where and how it should be used. And maybe that will lighten our heart. A bit, perhaps.

Best Regards,

Guru30

Life I love you

What are you searching for, in those meandering ways? What you are trying to find is so close to you, yet you try to seek it far away. God is closer to us than the vein in our neck. The universe is within us. Just close your eyes and enjoy the beauty. All that is there in the worlds of earth and heaven are embedded in your heart.

Seek it. Feel it. Enjoy it. No more troublesome questions lurking in the synapses of your mind. Even if you haven't found it yet, don't fret, because that zaps your energy. You know the gift of life is like a 500 GB hard disk when all you require is 50 MB. So many things waiting to be discovered and absorbed by you and you alone.

Don't let this opportunity of a lifetime pass you by. Discover your true purpose. Let God enter all aspects of your life. Give him a free hand. Don't judge. Don't resist. Let things be the way they are. No point rebelling. All you have to do is yield. To the beauty of the things surrounding you, open the passageway to your heart.

Smell the roses as you walk by the garden. Look at people, smile and bring light into somebody's life surrounded by darkness. Move on. Embrace change. Enjoy the pace of life. Just for today think that nothing or no one is going to stop you to get to what you want. Work and play. Relax. Immerse yourself in prayer and thank him for the bounty he is blessed us all with.

To your wellbeing …

Guru30

To live is to die

To live is to die every moment. We are all created by our choice. With this choice we choose the future to be. To live means to live for the 'Now'. Embrace it with all you have, because that is the only truth. The past has gone and the future is a big '?'. Live wisely in the moment and the future will be bright. Make no mistakes; it's all about the present. The rest is conversation.

Somebody has said these wise words 'If you don't have what you like then you should like what you have.' Be content in the present whatever may be the situation. Look down below. There are lot of people who do not lead the blessed life that you do. But always look up to the clouds. Like they don't leave a mark when they travel, we should also wipe our past.

Let the present be immersed in joy and prayer. This will change your life from within. You will become a radiant person who will spread the message of love to the world. Whosever comes in contact with you will benefit from your aura. You may have learnt a lot of lessons. Now it's time for you to walk the talk. Tread softly, because you tread on people's dreams.

As the law of attraction holds good, you will attract the right situations and people into your life. A poem I read somewhere talks about a person who after crossing a bridge in a heavy storm, sees that bridge crumbling. He goes on to build another bridge. And people ask him why the need, because he has already reached the other shore. And he replies that it is for those who may want to come to the other side, that he is building the bridge.

Be considerate. Everybody has a story. Be sensitive. Empathize and learn to live a life of love.

God Bless,

Guru30

Get a grip

Has it ever happened to you that you were trying to say something and it just got off your mind? Has it ever happened to you that you were trying to say something but substituted it with something else? This happens quite frequently, with or without our knowledge. Words really cannot be a substitute to our experience.

And all experience is not necessarily spoken of or maybe remembered by the conscious mind. There are times when we try to string a sentence from words that we hardly knew to be our own. There are other times when words flow like a river, going on and on. Never stopping on the way and mounds of inspiration sometimes eggs us on.

In computer parlance, this is called caching – the latter phenomena of words flowing smoothly. Directly retrieving from the heart. Here the heart is the cache and the brain is the disk which is being cached. Although some of you may say that the heart knows everything that the brain doesn't. True. But this is just to illustrate a concept.

There is another concept of buffer overflow. This is the context of feelings overpowering words with something more meaningful. Although technically speaking, a buffer overflow is a type of error, used by malicious programs in a very deceptive way. It happens to some of us, when we are thinking of something and the emotions make us cry.

Let's get back to reality …

Guru30

Spirituality and Computing

What is the relation between spirituality and computing? Spirituality is a phenomenon where one or more than one individual is connected with the spirit or the soul. Computing at its core depth is about bits and bytes. A specific group of bits arranged in a certain way gives rise to a meaningful pattern in a humanistic way.

While the soul or the spirit is not binary in nature, its physical (body) and mental (mind) manifestations can be likened to the hardware and software aspects. The physical aspect is very important as hardware is required for whatever may be the functionality that it performs. As there are various hardware models, the body also can be different from person to person.

The mental aspect or the software is the most intriguing part of the equation. As there is no limit to the thoughts that arise in the mind, software also is an art form. Different parts of hardware do different things. The same is the case with the brain. The mind or the software can be made as complex as it can be.

Every passing second, the mind makes a choice (consciously or unconsciously) between two options. Even inside a computer the choice is always between a zero and one. Depending on the choice that either a person or a machine makes, some goals are achieved. These goals may be say, a small product functionality, or it can be a huge project. Any which ways, the simple ones and zeros decisions that we make will dictate the outcome.

One big difference between the software and the mind is that the mind is attached to feelings or emotions, which the software equivalent cannot be extrapolated. These things that make us human can never be substituted with a mathematical algorithm. And even if it is achieved , it will lack genuineness.

Finally without the hardware there will be no software or mind. And the hardware degrades with time, whereas software lends itself to modifications and improves with the passage of time.

As far as the spirit is concerned, it's pervading throughout the whole universe. And all other objects are embedded within it and they are loosely coupled. Maybe computing is also another form of manifestation of the spirit. At a different frequency, if you know what I mean.

Best regards,

Guru30

Identify the signal from the noise

Think with your heart and you will never go wrong. That sub-second response to a situation is God's calling to you. Learn to identify that among the myriad of information that keeps bombarding at us. Identify the signal from the noise. It's an 'always-on' connection that we have with higher intelligence. Let them guide us. Do not resist.

To go through life without listening to this channel is like a flower whose scent gets wasted in the desert. Listen to it closely. He is guiding us. The mind is just a tool. Do not think with the mind, as it likes complex things and the clutter. Try this out. Everyday sit in a corner without any disturbance for maybe half an hour. Just watch the mind paint the picture. Focus your attention onto the next thought. You will find that the mind gives up after some time.

This thoughtless state is what the sages refer to as 'This is That' . There is so much of tranquillity in this state that nothing seems to be a comparable experience. It really cannot be described. It has to be experienced. Words fail as they do stand for metaphors and not the actual truth. Whatever be the nature of the flux and change outside, deep within us we are all God-heads.

Shruti is what is heard and Smrithi is what is remembered. First listen to the Shruti – of the endless and the infinite. And then dissolve in the ethereal vibrations of the same. Remind yourself of these thoughts that a Shruti triggers. Better than thoughts, I should say the feeling. Visualize the Smrithi part and enjoy the beauty and intricacy of life just weaved for us.

If you learn to identify the noise from signal, this world would be heaven. And heaven is right here, within our grasp.

Cheers,

Guru30

To a better world …

Both Rama and Ravana were great warriors. But Rama stands for what is right. Hence he wins. In life also the truth triumphs in the end. Life is full of choices. The choices that we make, shapes the future of things to come. There are lies which are good. If a lie is said with the consideration of a positive effect on others, it's not a lie anymore. This is what Krishna says.

Spiritual works are not myths or folklore. They represent truth to its finest. They also provide us a guideline to walk on the paths of those who have succeeded before. In today's world, there are definitely some people who follow principles and they do not fall into oblivion. However truth and falsity have a lot of shades.

It takes a great amount of courage to walk on the steps of those who have thrived. Let me give you an example. A while back, I had taken classes for a batch from Iflex. (now its Oracle Financials) One of the girls broke down in the class. I could've said that it's not my problem. But I spoke to her and made her feel better. As a result she attended the classes without any problem from then on. I cherish this experience. At the same time, I have been at fault once when I did recognize that a person is on the verge of mental asphyxiation and I tried being tough on him as a manager.

You learn your lessons. Sometimes you make the right choice and sometimes you are wrong. Well, we have to correct the wrong ones, learn from them and move on. It's difficult to be a Rama or a Krishna, but then I guess we at least need to give it a shot. The aura that we have should be emanating positive waves that submerge the bad and bring out the glory of others. I don't see any point in saying we feel for the poverty problem but have done nothing for it.

The time is for action. Wake up now. Go to work.

Regards,

Guru30

A place of hope

Airports are a strange place. People come to separate and some come to unite. Departures are mostly sad and arrivals are happy. For some there is happiness in sorrow and for others sorrow in happiness. I really love to be at the airport. You can see all these faces with anticipation. A beginning of a new chapter or the end of another.

There is an analogy with software development. Some people who have just begun to code and those who are reaching the end of it. Similar to departure and arrival. Inside software also there are many functions. Some waiting to be called, some never called and some being called more than necessary. If feeling was mathematical, lot of systems would work otherwise.

Take a loop which is exiting without reaching the final condition. Has the loop been useful? Maybe. Depends on what is under context. If we have coded an exception without taking into account the probability of it being invoked, the code would just become sterile. All parts of the code should get executed as per the standard variance. Else we are wasting our time and the system's too.

What does this all have to do with happiness and sadness? Well for one thing, a code that works is a reason of joy and that which doesn't makes you sad. Or more aptly put, makes you mad. The best code there is, is written by machines themselves. I'm referring to self modifying code like that of a polymorphic virus.

A good statement of requirements and a solid design will pave the way for good code to be written. Otherwise it will all fall like a stack of cards. And no airport or no getaway would make you feel happy. A job undone is a cause of concern. It will erode you from inside. And an unhappy face can be spotted by anyone. Hence the dictum 'Do it to the best of your ability and then feel good from within.'

Cheers

Guru30

From here to eternity

Social media has enabled the people on the long tail also to come forward and air their opinions. One very good example is Twitter – people like to tweet about themselves. There are millions of tweets generated every minute and the numbers are going to increase. The other aspect is of interactive blogging, where people can comment on various topics.

Open source is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. People are flocking to it. In fact most of the mail servers are on Linux platforms. Windows Exchange and Outlook are quite good, but you have to pay for it. One day I think we will break the shackles of Windows and move to more affordable and reliable systems like Open Source.

Is Open source that reliable? Well for one thing Red Hat and Ubuntu Linux are systems which have matured a lot. Governments all across the world are embracing the Open Source movement. The number one argument in favour of OpenSource is it's cost in relation to proprietary software. In today's world, for a typical company, the amount that you pay for software is higher than that for hardware. Maybe a day will come when people are given free hardware. The catch – buy the software from us.

We are witnessing a revolution in the software field, on all fronts. Today we really do not require coding to do a program. You can use programs which generate machine code for you. It used to be called compilers and interpreters. Now is the age of IDE's (Integrated Development Environments) and they are getting more and more sophisticated.

The algorithms are statistical in nature and newer methodologies like SCRUM promise to cut short the delivery time. Software in the future would be restricted to system software and some ad-hoc customized requirements. The programmer is a dying breed. The future holds great promise for the likes of testers and designers, as the arrow of time takes us towards eternity.

Surprise yourself every second.

Cheers,

Guru30

This thing called darkness

It's strange. How darkness is misunderstood by people. Darkness is synonymous with ignorance. It also is the colour of sadness (depressed grey is nothing but a shade of black) As we are all aware black colour absorbs all the visual radiation and hence appears black. The moon also pulsates from a full moon to new moon. (Poornima and Amavasi)

Stay away from darkness, some people say. True - Because knowledge about the same is not available easily. But there is a rhyme and reason to this phenomenon also. The dark side of the moon is nothing but the face that we cannot see. There is no dark side to the Sun. Because the sun is full of knowledge. – No ignorance.

All stars emit knowledge, which in colloquial parlance is light. It's very easy to fall into a depression where the sadness is much attenuated. But think of all those people who have been depressed. I'm not just talking about people who take anti-depressants but all of us – we have all experienced a saddening moment in our life.

Even the Budhha (Gautama Siddhartha) felt sad when he saw misery around him. Death (Joe Black) does not take us to dark worlds. It carries us towards more light – a planet of lights where we get to learn better. Maybe on that planet there is no night. Whatever it may be, embrace death as your best friend.

Your angel is waiting to take you away.

To better worlds …

Guru30

Words don’t come easy

Words can be misleading. Don't get fazed. The best way to communicate is through eyes. Nothing beats a 'look in the eye' strategy. Somebody has said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Very true. The other thing to decode is body language. You don't need to read a book, you can make out a person easily by both these methods.

Words are not two way by nature. They are unidirectional. Whereas other forms of communication said above are bi-directional. We can sense whether something is going in the right direction or not. It's like the difference between a television and a computer. The former is one way traffic whereas the latter is interactive.

You ride back home in your car and you notice the signals. Well they send you a message, whereas words emanate from you and end somewhere also. For the receiver it is like getting a message just like the signal. However, everything depends on your interpretation. And what can be spoken should be spoken, rather than being said in say a mail.

Some of you may disagree with me, saying that speaking is really a very time consuming and slow activity. Well here's news for you. When you speak or have eye contact or read body language, that gives a sense of togetherness. And man is a social animal. A lot of things left unsaid can be a cause of misery. So here's the bottomline – Organize, Simplify and Socialize (Actually a products short form – OrSiSo)

Listen first and talk you side of the story. The world is waiting to hear it from you.

Cheers,

Guru30

To lead means to follow

To lead means to follow. For a leader to lead, he should have been a good follower in the past. A leader should have a passionate attitude not just towards some things, but towards all that he comes across. Can everybody lead? Yes, of course. Leadership is not an innate trait. It can be nurtured into every individual who is willing to practice.

At any point of time, there can be some leaders only. It's like a king walking thru the pavilion while audiences clap by. These same forgotten people may be tomorrow's kings. Never undermine anybody, because he may the future leader paving way for thousands of innovations yet to come. Or he may be a peacemaker for the whole planet. There is no limit to what a 'belly on fire' person is capable of.

Likewise a good teacher does not teach procedures and rituals. He coaches his students so that they may learn to lead one day in the near future. Followers are not just a bunch of beguiled people who wait for the ordainment from a leader. They are the very reason that makes a leader what he is. Captivating. Motivating et.al.

A leader sometime may have to wage a war. A righteous leader fights without consideration for emotional attachments. He knows that it is not about winning or losing. But the very dharma of his is driving him towards the war. Finally, a leader lives for his followers. He is strong, although you may see some faltering indications in moments of doom. After all, he is also human …

Cheers,

Guru30

A life worth living for

Is there such a thing as fate? I believe there is. Actually there are many fates, not one. Destiny is not carved on a piece of stone. We have been empowered to choose the destiny that we want. Take Palmistry for instance. Do you know that the lines on the hand keep changing in a few years, depending on the path that we walk on.

Hence there is no such thing as a deterministic future. When probabilities all add up, they form a future for us. One thing we have to note is that our karma plays a big role in determining this. Destiny is full of stuff that dreams are made of. For it to manifest, we will have to use our wisdom to choose from the quagmire of choices that we get bombarded with everyday.

There are epiphany's all the time in our life. These may lead to the path of the righteous. But as easy as it seems, there is no one way about it. It's a journey of trial and error. Like CMM's optimized level, where we learn from our mistakes. And those who repeat them are bound to get the realization later. Finally it's about God Realization.

We don't need to become ascetics in search of God. We have to include God in all aspects of our life – for example seeing him everywhere; knowing that inner voice of his when he communicates to us; hearing him in a song. A God who has preset the destinies would be a dictator God, and I'm pretty sure, that is not the case that we have here. He is the all knowing and merciful and always assists us however down one may feel.

From the urchins on the streets to the Buffet's of Wall Street , he is one and the same for all. He is love personified. He has given us the chance of realizing him in this very lifetime. So we really need not worry about such a thing called fate. Just go out and find him, in every single moment. And that is life fulfilled. A life worth living for.

Regards,

Guru30

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. People say that they work under pressure. Well, for those who enjoy pressure, they say a different word viz. pleasure. They work under pleasure not pressure. It's true that the ones with the mettle do not run away from work, but the more you pile on, the better they get.

Everyone has to report to somebody. Imagine the work of your higher ups or their higher ups. The day itself is filled with so many activities, that they have a tough time allocating attention to every event of the day. Mails, Reports, Interviews etc. which take up a majority amount of time. A good way to break the mould would be by planning.

All unplanned and planned activities should be clearly estimated for, at the beginning of the day. The more the planned activity, the better. Secondly we should focus on the quadrant that is important work. By this I mean value adding. Rather than attending to those unending 'douse the fire' situations we need to be focussing towards long term effects of activities.

Finally the most important aspect : focus. Do net get out of focus into emotional agendas or grapevine conversations. We should know what our circle of influence is and try to make changes within the same. Worrying about things that we can hardly control does not make any sense. In fact the word worry itself should be buried.

Let's not work under pressure; let's work under pleasure.

Cheers,

Guru30

The way of the warrior

The way of the warrior

The warrior is somebody who faces all situations in life with the same disposure. Be it good or bad, he has the guts to face the predicament. A warrior is somebody who sales through the river of life with honesty, integrity and dependability. Whether it is a scalable or a portable transition, he is not fazed by it.

His achievements are not his achievements, but the people around him who have helped him. He always shares his honours with others, but keeps the trouble to himself. Perhaps that kind of mettle is what makes a warrior so strong. He believes in 'Laugh and the world laughs with you, Cry and you cry alone.'

A warrior also believes in simplicity. He does not dabble into jargons to make things harder for others to grasp. His agenda is clear. He is somebody who wants to get the work done, in the most efficient and simplistic manner. He cares about his people. That is why, even when he leads, he gives the right of way to others.

Finally a warrior is made up of the same stuff that others are made of. He is just somebody who uses the tools to extract the best out of any situation. He shares this and does not feel any need to hide it. He is compassionate and truthful. He feels for others who are depraved of basic necessities and does his part of trying to take the sorrows away.

The warrior is somebody who fights, only if the fight is called for. Finally, he does not fight for what he believes is right, but for, what is right.

To all those heroes out there …

I would like to raise a toast to you.

Guru30

A gift for others

Water is like the numeral 1. Anything you mix it with, it happily takes the property of the thing in which you mix it. Not because it doesn't have a personality of its own. This is exactly what Stephen Covey says 'Seek first to understand than be understood'. It's tough to listen to other people's stories when ours itself seems spiralling downwards.

This is what leaders are made of. They are good listeners. I think women naturally have the ability of listening better than men. They are more intuitive, and don't create a scene. Men love to talk about work; women about relationships. So, although somebody may be a gladiator, he may be weak in relationships. A sound person is complete in all aspects.

Every man has a woman in him and vice versa. But the manifestation varies from person to person. Some men are feline like and some are wild cats. Some display a womanly disposition and others are extremists. But everyone has a sense of legacy. We always want to leave behind a mark set by us. This is a natural feeling among all, and I mean women too.

The question is not of breadth, but the depth. As the depth increases, the breadth will follow. In short we have to display some inclination towards what our love is. Towards where the heart is. And when this love blooms, it spreads across the scent of happiness all across the world. For this to happen, we need to work towards the same.

In the end, what matters is not how many people we touched or how we completed a major project. What really matters is 'Did we leave this place better than what it was before?' - A gift for the budding generations to come.

Cheers,

Guru30