December 3, 2011

Future is a communist chocolate hellhole - Man from "Future" at Large Hadron Collider


A would-be saboteur arrested today at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland made the bizarre claim that he was from the future. Eloi Cole, a strangely dressed young man, said that he had travelled back in time to prevent the LHC from destroying the world.
The LHC successfully collided particles at record force earlier this week, a milestone Mr Cole was attempting to disrupt by stopping supplies of Mountain Dew to the experiment's vending machines. He also claimed responsibility for the infamous baguette sabotage in November last year.
Mr Cole was seized by Swiss police after CERN security guards spotted him rooting around in bins. He explained that he was looking for fuel for his 'time machine power unit', a device that resembled a kitchen blender.
Police said Mr Cole, who was wearing a bow tie and rather too much tweed for his age, would not reveal his country of origin. "Countries do not exist where I am from. The discovery of the Higgs boson led to limitless power, the elimination of poverty and Kit-Kats for everyone. It is a communist chocolate hellhole and I'm here to stop it ever happening."
This isn't the first time time-travel has been blamed for mishaps at the LHC. Last year, the Japanese physicist Masao Ninomiya and Danish string-theory pioneer Holger Bech Nielsen put forward the hypothesis that the Higgs boson was so "abhorrent" that it somehow caused a ripple in time that prevented its own discovery.
Professor Brian Cox, a CERN physicist and full-time rock'n'roll TV scientist, was sympathetic to Mr Cole. "Bless him, he sounds harmless enough. At least he didn't mention bloody black holes."
Mr Cole was taken to a secure mental health facility in Geneva but later disappeared from his cell. Police are baffled, but not that bothered.

Reblogged via CNet

November 26, 2011

The One thing even Rajnikanth cannot do . .

You have been tagged, you non-believer. How could even think there was something that Rajnikanth could not do.

Now Rajnikanth will come & hunt you down even in Hell, if he has to.

Anna Rascala!



November 25, 2011

Groupon - Too much of a good thing?

Groupon Wild Success almost made them bankrupt!

Sometimes, there can be too much of a good thing.
Cupcake
Baker frosts a chocolate cupcake April 19, 2011, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
A small bakery experimented with using Groupon to attract customers, and the decision -- which in some ways proved wildly successful -- almost shut down the business.

Rachel Brown of Need a Cake bakery in the United Kingdom put an ad on Groupon, a group-discount website, offering 75 percent off on cupcakes to those who bought a dozen, BBC reported. The $40 cupcakes suddenly cost $10.

Turns out, people like their cupcakes. And their deals.

The bakery, based in Woodley, received 8,500 requests for a dozen cupcakes, far above the normally 100 it produces a month. Brown suddenly had to make 102,000 cupcakes. Brown's company only employs eight people, and she had to bring in an outside agency to handle the orders. The temporary agency cost her $19,500, effectively wiping out her year's profits, MSNBC reported.

"Without doubt, it was my worst ever business decision," she told BBC. "We had thousands of orders pouring in that really we hadn't expected to have. A much larger company would have difficulty coping."
Brown told the Daily Telegraph that her staff was working around the clock, and one person came in at 3 a.m. because she couldn't sleep as a result of the cupcake stress. Brown said she does not plan on doing this again.

News courtesy : Globalpost.com

Self composed one liners, statuses

Just to keep track of that random stuff. Call me a narcissist if you wish :P

  • Your thoughts become your words & actions, rule over your thoughts & you shall rule the world.
  • My Customer is my Brand Ambassador.
  • I like my life simple, I like complications only in my watches.
  • The day a girl tags me in a "married to" post, I'll know I'm in deep shit.
  • If Sunny Leone & Sunny Deol got married & had a kid, their child's passport would say
    Father's Name - Sunny Deol
    Mother's Name - Sunny Deol
  • I am really bad with excel files. I should probably take a job in an investment bank so I can learn it in my 1st year.
  • Ted Mosby sure takes a hell lot of time to tell a story.
  • If you think I am rude to you, you cannot imagine how rude I am to myself.
  • The beauty of voice & sadly it is abused
  • Aptitude test for IITs! & this is not even from Faking News!
    Govt. seems to be playing dumb, dumb & bumber with IITs! :-/
  • Don't FACEBOOK your problems, FACE them.
  • Not self composed this one - A boy to very rude girl - If i ever have to commit suicide I ll jump from your Ego level to your IQ level. :)
  • Teacher: Where is the Capital of India?
    Student: In Swiss Bank
  • the 44th top selling book on amazon is What Every Man Thinks About Apart From Sex & guess what, the book is blank!
  • BTP completed, aisa lag raha hai jeevan safal ho gaya! lol
  • Its just so strangely awesome that just as you are about to become an emotionless working machine, someone walks into your life & reminds you what being human is all about.
  • God could not be everywhere, so he created Mothers
    Devil could not be everywhere, so he created Girlfriends!
  • All forces of nature work towards one end, happiness :)
  • Seek forgiveness and Forgive all!
  • Let noble thoughts come to us from all directions, will never forget it. ( BVB Vidyashram )
  • The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.
  • Its is never to late to seek forgiveness and forgive. It is always equally pleasant and harmonious to do so!
  • Mickey Mouse is so lucky, he shares my birthdate!
  •    

Song every Entrepreneur relates to

This is one song that every entrepreneur hums in whatever he does. Enjoy!

The spirit goes as

Your way is your way and my way is mine.
Mine is the foolish way, and your way is fine.
You follow your way and get what you're after.
I'll get nothing but sorrow and laughter.
You'll be wealthy, filthy with money.
You'll get limousines and not count the cost.
I'll have adventures tragic and funny.
And I'll get nowhere except maybe lost.
You take the highway, the strait-narrow highway.
You'll get to heaven in a slow sure climb.
I'll shun the highway for paths that are way
And I'll go to Hell but I'll have a fine time.





November 23, 2011

What turning on my girlfriend taught me about business.

My girlfriend had some issue, she'd very rarely get turned on. & obviously that was very irritating for me. This post is not about that. This post is about what that taught me about business.

I talked to her about it but she didn't know why that happened.So I did the one thing any one does when they want to know something, I googled "Why does my girlfriend not get turned on?" (I know that is crap, but this is like a few years back & well, who gives a shit)

Back to the point & well you won't believe the kind of results I found, from diseases & disorders to cheating & what not! All CRAP.

I thought over it a little & maybe, the next day, I did another google search, "How to turn on my girlfriend?" This one worked out a lot better, if you know what I mean. ;-)

Lesson - Stop cribbing about things, start finding out ways you can change it.

What did your girlfriend/boyfriend teach you?

November 22, 2011

My attempt at Loev Poem

Love Poem, not really my best trait. Trying a raw savage Loev Poem instead.

When I am with you
I am no longer me
When I talk to you
I am no longer me

When you hug me
I am in a different world
When you kiss me
I am in a heavenly world

You changed me
the moment you hugged me
from a mindless working robot
into a Loev-ing human.

November 21, 2011

The Power of Women - A liberated mind

Vasanth Kannabiran Photo:Nagara Gopal
Vasanth Kannabiran Photo:Nagara Gopal

Teacher and activist, Vasanth Kannabiran takes pride in her tireless crusade for women's rights. She says she could never have described herself as a writer, poet or scholar but for the feminist movement.

As she walks towards you slowly, in her crisp cotton saree, with bobbed silver hair and a warm smile, she exudes a radiance that is almost palpable — one that is but a reflection of countless struggles braved, of numerous wars won. Of a life spent well.

Passion, Focus & Real Victories

PASSION
FOCUS
REAL VICTORIES

3 very important qualities for any entrepreneur, innovator & actually any human being in general.

Passion - Sticking to what you believe in even when you are not instantaneously successful, giving your everything to that one idea or thought you believe in. More on passion at Passion, My Conservative Girlfriend

Focus - Working like a mad scientist (I am a fan of all those "mad" scientists, Newton, Edison, Galileo who'd work for days, maybe months in their labs without stopping, even blow up their labs but not give up until they achieved what they set out to achieve)

Real Victories - This is the most subtle point of the three. A lot of people, including me, make this very big mistake, almost unknowingly. We live the Oprah Moments & forget our goal in the process. What was it that you'd set out to achieve in the first place? These Oprah moments are not the real deal, it is achieving the primary goals that is important.

Natalie, a TEDxTeen speaker puts it beautifully in this 15 minute video below. Check it out!


November 17, 2011

11 year old TedX Speaker

You are never too yound (or old) to do anything. People don't believe me when I say that, so I guess you should believe this 11 year old kid who creates Iphone apps & was invited to give a speech at TedXManhattanBeach



Bookmark this & next time you feel, you do not have enough experience to do something, come back here, watch this video again, get to work & do it! :D

Need more inspiration - Check this out - 7 year old entrepreneur's message to parents

Real Reason why Google Plus exists

It has nothing to do with Social Media or competing with facebook. Not even closely.

What I think the real reason for existence of Google Plus is not social media but social searching. Think of it, where do you see the Google Plus button or icon most often, on the Google Search results page.


November 11, 2011

PETA Controversial India

PETA Controversials, Latest in the series! Earlier Controversials at http://sambhav.jewelove.in/2011/08/peta-controversial.html

This one is actually decent by the standards, what do you think?



November 4, 2011

Three Commandments of Life

Three very simple & basic rules that I learned when I was a kid & that have always helped me.

1. You want something done, Go & Do It! Stop waiting for people to go & do it, YOU go & do it. You will get a lot more work done this way.

2. You want something, Ask for it! More often than not, it will work. Even if it does not, it does not matter because it changes nothing. When you'd not asked for it you were not getting it anyway. Yes, that is the reason a lot of people find me aggressive in my dealings. My Dad, even more so.
entre
3. Do what you love & you'll love what you do. Life is short. Use it meaningfully while you can. More on Passion at http://sambhav.jewelove.in/2011/09/passion-my-conservative-girlfriend.html

What are the commandments that guide your life?

8 Tech Innovations that can change the world!

1. Why Digital Medical Records Could Save Your Life





On average, an individual has 19 different doctors over the course of a lifetime. When patients see new doctors, they often spend a chunk of the appointment explaining their ailments and medical history. They may even have bloodwork done, even if they had it done recently at a different doctor’s office.
If the medical records system was digitized and all the information was in one convenient place, visits to the doctor would be quicker and less redundant. That “convenient place” is the cloud.




2. How Powermat Is Leading the Charge for Wireless Electricity



 

What’s worse when you’re on the go — your smartphone running out of battery life with no power outlet anywhere to be found, or having to carry around a charger?
Frankly, both these situations are the pits. That’s why wireless power pioneer Powermat is doing all it can to solve the on-the-go charging problem and make wired charging a thing of the past.




3. How Super-Strong Glass Keeps Your Smartphone Screen From Breaking



 

So many consumer electronics have touchscreens these days, and we tend to take them for granted. Sure, they might break or crack, but they’ve gotten considerably more durable over the years. That’s thanks in large part to innovation by a team at Corning, manufacturers of Gorilla Glass.
That’s not to say that Gorilla Glass is shatterproof, but it’s definitely more resilient in the face of tumbles and general clumsiness than previous glass displays.




4. How Virgin Galactic Plans to Open Space Travel to the Masses



 

In the 50 years since the former Soviet Union sent the first man into orbit (Yuri Gagarin), a total of 517 people have flown in space.
With the U.S. Space Shuttle fleet now retired, private companies are finding a way to make space exploration accessible not just to the wealthiest few, but to all mankind. It’s up to these companies to turn space into a legitimate business.





5. Location & Privacy: Why Flickr’s New Feature May Change Photo Sharing



 

Does the era of the always-on location-aware device demand a new genre of privacy settings? More robust geo-privacy settings, perhaps?
That’s the motivation behind Flickr geofences, a newly added precautionary and practical feature that allows users to map out zones and set distinct location-sharing settings for those areas.

 


6. Connected Cars: The Fine Line Between Innovation & Distraction





The truth is, the auto companies are gun shy about adding too many social media hooks into their vehicles. The main reason is that they could distract drivers. Opposition by transportation secretary Ray LaHood doesn’t help, either.
For four years, though, Ford and Microsoft have offered a middle ground with their Ford Sync technology.





7. How Google Is Leading the Way to a Voice-Activated Future





Speech and voice recognition technology have been around for half a century, but it’s still far from mainstream. Where are the machines that write down what we say? Where are the appliances that simply work based on voice commands?
That’s changing, though, thanks in no small part to Google‘s efforts in developing voice recognition tech. Since 2008, Google has been steadily releasing products that turn voice into text — and commands into action.




8. How Starbucks Is Paving the Way for Mainstream Mobile Payments








While near-field communication and QR code marketing campaigns are all the rage, the 2D bar codes pushing mobile payments are a little less sexy. Starbucks Card Mobile is a three-part system that includes 2D bar codes, scanners and mobile phone applications for iPhone, BlackBerry and now Android.
This seemingly simple system — especially when stacked up against Google’s pending NFC mobile payments program — allows Starbucks customers to pay with their phones at roughly 9,000 locations in the U.S.

Reblogged via Mashable

November 3, 2011

Why You should be Claustrophobic?

Earlier I was going to write this post as "Why Entrepreneurs are Claustrophobic?" later I thought it is applicable to everyone, not just entrepreneurs, & not everyone is claustrophobic, though I think they should be.

Here it goes . .



"Claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces." (just in case you didn't know already)


People are often very restricted by narrow boundaries & dare not think beyond those finite confinements. I am afraid of these boundaries, not to break them but to be in them. I cannot be in those small rooms where creativity, ideas, innovation, thinking different are restricted. & I believe nobody should be allowed in such "rooms" with small spaces.


Whenever somebody tries to put me into that confined box where thinking is restricted I start shouting, writhing, screaming out loud. I am claustrophobic, I freak out in those confinements. Don't try to confine me in them. Don't try to confine anyone in them. The world is a open place to live in, everyone should be allowed the freedom of thought, freedom to creativity, freedom to open thought, freedom to be truly free, it is the freedom of not just human beings given by the Constitutions of various countries but a freedom given to every sentient being in the universe by Nature.


Let that freedom prevail. Start being claustrophobic, don't ever get confined. 

Think Big! Dream Big! Achieve Big!

What do you think? Are you Claustrophobic? Tell me your comments & reactions below

October 31, 2011

Redundancies in Life


Another picture depicting what I always tell my juniors, do not fall into the sheep-walk trap. Do what you think is right even if it is not the norm, because being right is more important than being accepted.

October 30, 2011

Luck, is it? No, Its Hardwork! - Research

Something that I always say, & has now been proved in this research article. Reblogging from NY Times. Written by Jim Collins & Morten T. Hansen



BETTER to be lucky than good, the adage goes.

And maybe that’s true — if you just want to be merely good, not much better than average. But what if you want to build or do something great? And what if you want to do so in today’s unstable and unpredictable world?
Recently, we completed a nine-year research study of some of the most extreme business successes of modern times. We examined entrepreneurs who built small enterprises into companies that outperformed their industries by a factor of 10 in highly turbulent environments. We call them 10Xers, for “10 times success.”

Inspiring Video - Never Give Up!


  • Determination
  • Belief
  • Persistence
  • Hope
  • Fighting Harder
  • Staying in the fight
  • Giving Everything you have
  • Endurance
  • NOT GIVING UP
Amazing video by Glory Catalysts about these virtues that every human being should have. If you are entrepreneur, these are your basic survival skills - Stay in the Battle. As I like to say, the war isn't over until I've won.


 

October 23, 2011

TRAI - I Am Fucking Pissed Off

Right now I'm so pissed off at TRAI for their STUPID SMS POLICY. Are they totally out of their fucking mind?
I mean what the hell were they even thinking?

I was sms chatting with a friends a few minutes back & we were having a very meaningful conversation & suddenly this fucking SMS limit sets in!

I mean What the Fuck dude! It is totally crazy. Do they even have a customer feedback section?

I don't know & I cannot find it, The.

I just sent an email to TRAI at ap@trai.gov.in & secretary@trai.gov.in, I think you should too.

If you are pissed off with the sms limit too, email them so that they can fucking change the shitty rule!


Crazy Indian SMS Policy : TRAI


Telecom regulatory Authority of India has come up with an amazing-ly stupid SMS spam control policy for the country, & I must tell you they could not have been stupider!

What was the problem?
Unsolicited Promotional SMS (read SPAM) were wreaking havoc throughout the country. Something had to be done (they realized it, & this was the only part they got correct)

What they did?
Very Very Weird.

October 22, 2011

Help me choose a laptop

12.5" Lenovo Thinkpad X220 - $836 or 13.3" Toshiba Portege R835 P70 - $729


Why the hell could Lenovo not put a USB 3.0 on that X220! The choice would have been made.


October 21, 2011

5 Tips for Filtering Sales Resumes for a Startup

Most entrepreneurs & founders will admit that hiring for startups tends to be among the top 3 most challenging tasks. The problem of hiring sales people is more acute in India given that “startup ready” and “risk ready” employees are far and few between. In the initial stages of most startups you tend to hire people with some experience or connections, because they need to get up and running quickly.
The most difficult part of the hiring process I have personally seen in India is the resume (CV) screening process.
Our process at Jivity is similar to most companies. We aggressively try to hire from our network, but that’s often insufficient. I personally believe that most (if not all) resumes are written by only one person in India. After that they are all “copy and paste” or “R&D” – rob and duplicate.
The most important part of the resume filtering process first is to understand the type of sales person you want to hire. Depending on the stage of your company, hire the right person for the role.
There are 3 types of sales people according to me: hustlers, relationship sellers, and process junkies.
Hustlers will get you deals, but not necessarily ones that fit your product or service 100%.
Relationship sales professionals have a good rolodex, but will need a “technical sales consultant” to explain the “details”.
Process junkies are best when you have figured out your sales process, but not great at coming up with new types of customers or new uses of your solution for adjacent markets.
Most companies need to hire hustlers early, then hire relationship sellers and finally at a more mature level, hire process folks.
Here are some of my quick tips for filtering sales resumes if you are hiring for technology startups:

October 18, 2011

In memory of fast internet at IIT K



IIT Kanpur was known for its speed of internet since before time started, it was faster than neutrinos, anti neutrinos & the brains of people who used it.

Alas, all things come to an end, so did the legacy of this wonderful mystical creature of IIT Kanpur.

Many (hopefully I'm not alone when I think this) think is a conspiracy to free IITians of their addiction of internet, which assumes that people will not use internet if it is dead slow. What they forget is, most of the people have worked on DSL internet (max. 256 kbps) at some point of time.

They created a creature of black magic clad in iron armor, known to the world as, Iron Port. It lashed & sapped the bandwidth until bandwidth & speed were no more.

RIP Fast Internet At IITK

Or is it the first step to The Great Jedi Purge?


UPDATE : For the IITK alumni who graduated recently & cannot connect the words slow internet & IITK, think of webmail taking about 45 seconds to load, you'll know what I mean.

October 16, 2011

Why finding your passion is important?

I found this image circulating on facebook. I find it very amusing as it portrays the very message I have been trying to convey to my juniors lately.

The Image :
The Message :
Find your passion & work hard towards it. Otherwise you will end up living someone else's life, your whole life.

October 14, 2011

Nostalgic - Mall Volunteer, all over again

Mall Volunteer, brings back memories.

Right now, 3 A.M. I am sitting with bacchas at the Mall (now known as Informals) stall, really missing my own 1st year team, Amit Nayak, Kandoi & everyone else. Vineet is getting his ass kicked on the mall stage, as usual (haha)


October 12, 2011

Troopp.com - Empower an NGO Today

Troopp.com is a startup by an alumni of IIT Kanpur, with a noble mission. Actually, it is my senior's (& a recent friend :) startup.

Before , talking about the startup, let me tell you why am I writing about it. The reason is not, because he's a senior, not even close. About a month back, we  had a conversation that started about TedX IIT Kanpur.We got to talking about our ventures & it was a conversation that inspired me. I don't what part of it, but what Rishabh is trying to doing at Troopp.com was really an inspiration. That inspiration made me write this blog post, which I am finally completing after a month. (Yes, this post has been pending for a month, that is the price you pay as an IITian :-P )

All images posted here are taken from troopp.com with Rishabh's prior permission. Please do not reproduce the images without consent from Troopp.

Troopp.com

  • What?  
Helping, rather empowering NGOs with the best talent available. What Troopp does is it pools human resources & talented individuals (Trooppers) & connects with NGOs. Troopers can take up tasks or projects for these NGOs & help them out with their work.
  • Why Troopp?

Contact lenses Do Not Melt due to barbeque heat

Contact lenses do not melt due to barbeque heat. They would, if you put your face on the grill, but then I think contact lenses would be the least of your worries.


Jugnu, satellite made by Indian students launched!

Jugnu, Indian Nano Satellite created by the students of IIT Kanpur (my friends, batchmates, seniors, juniors) under the guidance of our Professors here at IIT Kanpur, is in orbit! :D

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C18) put Jugnu along with 3 other satellites into orbit yesterday. The other satellites were : Megha-Tropiques, an Indo-French satellite to study the weather and climate in the tropical region of the world; SRMSat built by the students of SRM university, near Chennai; Vesselsat from Luxembourg.

Back to Jugnu, as the Jugnu website puts it, the development of the Jugnu started in the year 2008 with a team of 3 students. With time, the team has grown to the size of more than 50 students ranging from 1st year
undergraduates to final year postgraduates and 14 professors from different disciplines, & finally the satellite is in orbit now!

Why am I so excited & blogging about it?

October 11, 2011

Engagement beoynd facebook fans

There are more users engaged than the total no. of fans on the page, that says something! (Achievement) :D



Ivy Leagure & Consultancy/Finance

Just read this article at Yale Daily News. It talks about why 25% of Yale graduates opt for a job in the field of consultancy or banking/finance.
I find the article highly relevant in context of IITs too! (Having seen so many of my friends prepare for Mc Kinsey & Deloitte!)

Check it out at http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/sep/30/even-artichokes-have-doubts/#c54183

October 10, 2011

Facebook's most talked about brands!

With the new facebook metric finally people are understand what me & other social media marketers have been trying to tell for years (2 years in my case lol), engagement is more important than the number of likes. Below is a list of the top ten facebook brands sorted by engagement :
1. Starbucks: 508,526
2. Coca-Cola: 220,867
3. Victoria’s Secret: 145,125
4. Skittles: 137,558
5. Oreo: 114,454
6. Red Bull: 112,051
7. Playstation: 104,837
8. Converse: 52,866
9. Pringles: 50,488
10. Converse All Star: 40,858
Now, for the traditional metric folks, below is a list of brands sorted by no. of likes.
1. Coca-Cola: 34,511,504
2. Starbucks: 25,446,846
3. Oreo: 23,092,391
4. Red Bull: 22,427,254
5. Converse All Star: 20,780,055
6. Converse: 20,141,021
7. Skittles: 19,348,317
8. Playstation: 17,420,065
9. Pringles: 13,602,128
10. Victoria’s Secret: 15,343,727

iPhone 4S : Special Feature for India?

IPhone 4S Siri Demo.
If you have seen the IPhone 4S Siri demo, click here to skip the video & read the post, but if you haven't seen the demo yet, you should see it before reading the post.

 

Special Feature for India : What is the one feature you think should be added to Siri to make it a sure shot success in India?


Sony VAIO VPCSC1AFM/S v/s Toshiba Portege R835-P70

Time for Laptop Reviews

Sony VAIO VPCSC1AFM/S v/s Toshiba Portege R835-P70
Sony Vaio VPCSC1AFM/S machine has great specs, weighs just 3.9lbs (1.769kg), has a 2nd gen. core i5 processor, Blue ray drive, Bluetooth, backlit keyboard & what not for 999$ or 949$ (day before it was 999$, today it is 949$). It is a Best Buy Blue Label laptop. Full specifications at Sony Vaio VPCSC1AFM/S
Toshiba Portege R835-P70 has good specs (not as great as the Sony Vaio, but still very good specs) & amazing customer reviews! Full specification of Toshiba Portege R835-P70 at Toshiba Portege R835 P70

I don't own either of the laptops but I think, like most of the people reading this post, you are planning to buy an ultraportable, lightweight, super powered laptop. If you are, you might find this post useful, otherwise, skip to another post (to your left)

P.S. : You might also want to checkout the Apple MacBook Air 13 inch, that might be a useful product too!

The differences





Sony VAIO Sony VAIO VPCSC1AFM/SToshiba Portege R835-P70
Blue Ray player & DVD+-RWOnly DVD+-RW
500 (5400 RPM)640 GB SATA hard disk
4GB Solid State Drive = 50% faster boot up & application loadingNO SSD, only SATA drive
512 MB dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphicsNo dedicated graphics card
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDRNo bluetooth
Weighs 3.9 lbsWeighs 3.7lbs
Price : 999.99$Price : 729.99$
Average User ReviewsAmazing User Reviews
No sleep & chargeSleep & charge USB port for ipod & other devices
Good Expert Review (CNET, PCMAG.com)Recommended in Expert Reviews (CNET, PCMAG.com)
Backlit keyboardSimple keyboard
All Aluminium designRegular Plastic Design with some parts in metal

I don't know if you got that, but the most important part is the User reviews! The specs of the Sony Vaio VPCSC1AFM/S are way better than the Toshiba Portege R835-P70 but when it comes to user reviews, Toshiba Portege R835-P70 is way ahead.

Which one would you prefer or suggest? Tell me your comments below

October 9, 2011

Pre-crime detection in US! Minority Report?

I recently read this post on CNet about Pre-Crime Criminal Intent Testing experiment going on in the US. Reminds me of Minority Report. Freaky!
The only difference between this experiment & the movie is, in the movie it was Psychics who were helping detect crimes before they happened. In the experient, they are using algorithms. (Using Psychics sounds way cooler!)

US Homeland Security is building a "prototype screening facility" that it hopes will use factors such as ethnicity, gender, breathing, and heart rate to "detect cues indicative of mal-intent." They call this project, FAST, Future Attribute Screening Technology.


October 8, 2011

Steve Jobs : Tribute from all over the World


News of Jobs death and quotes from famous admirers flash in Times Square Wednesday night.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET)

October 7, 2011

Jobs: A Vision of American Entrepreneurship

In the memory of Steve Jobs

If you do not bother to read this memoir, you can directly go to, What about Steve Jobs inspired you the most? Post your inspiration in the comments & reactions


The memoir by Dr. Tim Bresnahan of Stanford University.

Jobs: A Vision of American Entrepreneurship

Steve Jobs has died. We should remember his accomplishments and the vision of American entrepreneurship he embodied.
The PC business was founded by a ragtag band of outsiders. Steve, a lotus-eating less-than-successful Atari employee, was as much an outsider as any entrepreneur ever. But he and the more techie Steve (Wozniak) brought us a usable computer, the Apple II, you didn’t need to solder together, moving the industry from hobbyist kits towards a real business. What a powerful commercialization idea that was, and what a great collaborator he was, not only with the very different Woz but with all the different people writing applications. Most of the kids in the industries made technologies they themselves would like to use. Steve Jobs made a computer real customers could use and went to work to sell it, yes, to SELL IT to us.

Steve Jobs, master commercializer, thought the PC was going to be mostly important for customers as consumers at home. But Apple didn’t try to control applications developers, leaving things open to developers. It wasn’t so much that Steve was committed to open systems, but it was real entrepreneurship and they had no resources, so they had to rely on others. The most important applications developers invented the spreadsheet and the word processor, setting the PC on a grrowth path to be used mostly at work. Rather than viewing this change as a disappointment, Steve pushed his company toward making machines that white-collar workers could use to run those applications.
He didn’t quail when the switch to a work PC gave IBM the opportunity to enter and compete with him. His balls and bravado were right out there when he put “welcome IBM” in huge type in the Wall street Journal. And but for a tiny problem of computers overheating and microchips popping out of the Apple III, IBM would have had no chance, and we’d have an Apple PC standard today. Entrepreneurs in those days had no resources, had to do it all, design, build, sell, recruit applications developers. One better quality control decision in manufacturing ….

In the IBM PC era, Steve drove innovation forward with the Macintosh. This, like the Apple II, was squarely aimed at expanding the use of PCs to everyone, the “computer for the rest of us.” Everyone now knows that this was innovating too fast, and that cheaper, duller IBM machines running Microsoft’s dull clone of an earlier operating system would become the standard. But do you know how Steve changed when he realized that “the rest of us” were not going to buy the Mac? He learned that the most important early customers for Macs were corporate marketing departments (those graphics!) and worked hard to create, as he told me not long after, “the best computer company for those corporate marketers we can.” Real entrepreneurs don’t wallow in vision, they sell product.
There’s so much loose talk about “entrepreneurial vision.” Steve Jobs was the real deal. When his vision for the Mac didn’t work out, he responded to what the market wanted. Earlier, when his vision for the Apple II didn’t work out, he responded to what the market wanted. It is one in a billion humans who can both drive forward a vision — like his vision for the Mac — and then flexibily adapt to what customers want. The floor is littered with visionaries and marketers, it is the rare individual indeed, Steve Jobs, who can do both who is the one in a billion.

After losing the standards war to IBM — and worse, after the super-cool Steve Jobs lost the race for PC industry leadership to the super-geek Bill Gates, came the dark night of the soul. You’ll read a lot about “being fired from Apple,” but as Steve later said, that was a blessing in disguise. The real blow was losing the standards war.

Fitzgerald said there are no second acts in American lives. Steve Jobs had the most American of lives, and created his own second act, at first more or less by accident. Having lost the standard-setting war to Bill Gates — what a bitter thing, the overheated chips popping out, innovation not being the answer, then the super nerd beating his own super cool self — he made a huge fortune more or less by accident in, of all places, the movie business. And that funded the best second act of all time.

At last, in our century, it was technically possible to design and sell a cool device to “the rest of us.” It was anything but easy, for, while there were some consumer-oriented innovators running on the Web, like Google, the direct distribution of PCs to consumers was blocked. A direct attack on Fortress Microsoft would not work. But Microsoft was not the only dinosaur to slay. What a briliant indirect route to take back the PC Steve designed! He started, innocently enough from the perspective of the computer powers that be, with a portable music player. He’d noted how lame Hollywood’s reaction to the Internet era was, and took the opportunity. Then he morphed it into a smart cell phone, also an enterainment device and something of a computer. He’d noted how lame telephone companies’ reaction to technical change was, and took the opportunity. And now, last, he’s built — and SOLD — a tablet which is both an entertainment device and a real computer, launching an assault on fortress Microsoft. Once again, the insiders did not take advantage of technical change, and Steve Jobs seized the opportunity.

Steve died before that final assault could be carried out — hell, he dragged himself back to work from his deathbed to launch that final assault — but he can rest with the knowledge that in his second act he came from the outside and made a huge change to three industries. Platform innovations are extremely difficult and extremely rare. No one, not Watson, not Gates, not Zuckerberg (though there remains hope for that pup) has made as many brilliant platform plays as Steve Jobs.


What about Steve Jobs inspired you the most? Post your inspiration in the comments & reactions

Best Appl Ad Ever - Macintosh Launch 1984

I personally think this is one of the best Apple Mac ads ever. What do you think?



October 4, 2011

30 reasons to be Vegetarian - PETA

Amazing video by PETA. Video courtesy : www.goveg.com

Posting on blog, because I want to have this video for a very long time.



Are you a vegetarian? answer in the comments below

India at Harvard Business School : Titan

Three Innovation Lessons From India's Titan Watches


"We were too busy being strategic to do something obvious," said Mr. Harish Bhat, the COO of the Time Products division of Titan Industries Limited.
That was just one of many choice lines I heard when listening to Bhat talk about Titan's efforts to create new growth businesses, including two new and successful watch lines: RAGA, for women, and Fastrack, for younger consumers.

Titan is about a $1.5 billion unit of The Tata Group, a massive Indian conglomerate. The world's fifth largest watchmaker, it owns 60% of the Indian market, and has been growing robustly. As Bhat went through his presentation, I wrote down the following lessons:


Indian way to One Night Stands

Indians have an amazing idea to a one night stand, its a pretty long one night stand, in most Indian cases, lifelong!

How?

2 people who have no fucking idea about each other, they don't even know how to spell each others' name, get married, have sex, enjoy a honeymoon, then they try to figure out each other for the rest of their lives

Who said Indians are not adventurous when it comes to sex?



Photo Courtesy : CartoonStock

October 3, 2011

No way an Indian could do this!

Some guy in Pennsylvania sent over 200,000 sms in a month & no Indian can beat this record, no matter what.

TRAI has made sure of it. - 100 sms/person/day limit imposed in India.

October 1, 2011

29year old deaf woman hears her Voice for the first time - Beautiful Video

Sloan Churman was born deaf. For 29 years, she has relied on reading lips and, to a very limited extent, hearing aids.

Two months ago, she received Envoy Medical’s Esteem Implant, which utilizes ear drum vibrations to bring hearing back to its users. The reaction, captured by her husband on video, is nothing short of extraordinary. Her pure joy is contagious.

Here’s what she said on her YouTube page:
“I had an implant put in 8 weeks ago called The Esteem Implant by Envoy Medical. I was born deaf and have worn hearing aids from the age of 2, but hearing aids only help so much. I have gotten by this long in life by reading lips. This was taken as they were activating the implant.”
When I saw this video, it set me thinking about the beauty of voice & sadly how we abuse it.

I'd love to know your reactions in the comments below.




Video & news shared via Mashable

Innovation - Energy Saver Eletric Board

A long time back, there was this Save Electricity message going around.
It went something like this,
"Remember how you feel when someone turns you on & leaves . .
Exactly,

Save Electricity!"
Some smart ass created this amazing (read innovative) way to spread this message & (read painfully) remind people of it. Check it out

September 30, 2011

Amazing Optics Trick!

Just came across this awesome Optics trick at 9gag.com! Check it out!


Can you guess the logic or reason behind it? & if you freaked out, post in the comments below


September 29, 2011

Why Blogger Dynamic Views are Awesome!

September 27, 2011 Blogger announced the launch of Dynamic Views on September 27, 2011 & it really looks good! (Check out a preview at http://blog.jewelove.in/view/flipcard)

Blogger has become so much cooler! The 7 new dynamic ways to present your blog to your readers. Animation by Blogger Buzz

IITians contribute half-a trillion USD to the Economy



Specially for those who think that IITians don't giveback to the country or that we IITians just go to abroad & make money there. Please read this & you'll know, 7 out of 10 IITians live & work in India! (in simple terms, that is 70%)


The Article :

Every one rupee invested in an IIT has had an economic impact of Rs 15 and each IIT graduate created 100 new jobs, says a study commissioned by PanIIT, an umbrella organisation of IIT alumni from the 7 IITs. (Correction : There used to be time when there were just 7 IITs, nowadays, I am sure there is an IIT somewhere in your neighbourhood)

September 28, 2011

Funniest Facebook Spam going around!

Facebook will begin stealing your
underwear at midnight tonight if
you don' t copy and paste this message
in the next 36. 5 seconds, forward it to
everyone in your mailing list , print a
hard copy for your grandmother and
call your third grade teacher.
If you're lucky, you'll get a free unicorn in the mail tomorrow.
Copy-paste this or face the consequences.
xD

September 27, 2011

My Signed Check to Facebook Goes to Waste

Amidst all the speculations that facebook is going to charge from today, I had signed a check for facebook, but they never charged.
Sad, a signed check gone to waste bin.

Departments to participate in fundraising from alumni - Late but finally here

I had no idea that alumni could not do this earlier, but contributing to departments is finally here! The article is as follows
The Board of Governors of IIT Kanpur has approved the creation of "Department Excellence Fund" in each department of the Institute.
Now any alumnus giving a gift to the Institute would have more options to specify for the use of his/her funds. Till now, an alumnus could specify the use of funds only if the gift was substantial, like setting up of a scholarship, or a chair, etc., or could contribute to the batch fund, or to a very small number of open campaigns at any point in time (like Prof. Sampath Chair). Most of the contributions went to the common pool of undesignated funds, which were used for excellence related projects across the Institute. Many alumni felt that an option to contribute to a specific department should be there, though one could still make an undesignated contribution to the Institute common pool.
This is also an attempt to involve departments in alumni relations. Departments typically have a closer and more personal contacts with alumni (through BTP/thesis supervisor, and other faculty members as well), and encouraging departments to use those contacts to build a strong relationship with alumni is certainly a need of the hour.
Whether this move will really bring alumni and institute closer, it will depend on both stake holders. If departments don't start reaching out to alumni to do fund-raising, alumni aren't going to designate their gifts for the departments. And if alumni continue to send their contributions to the common pool, departments won't feel encouraged to reach out to alumni. Some of us who have interacted with alumni in the past know how useful such interactions can be, not just for fund-raising but a large variety of support that these alumni can provide to us. And the Institute certainly understands that it needs to give this idea a strong push. And hence it has also promised to the departments that initial funds gifted by alumni to the Department Excellence Fund will be matched by the Institute (the time limit and money limit has not been specified, but still it is a good idea).

I strongly encourage all alumni to designate their gifts to the Institute for Department Excellence Fund of any department that they want to support.
Courtesy : Inside the Campus: Departments to participate in fundraising from alumni

September 26, 2011

Facebook drops plan to charge amidst user protests

Paolo Alto September 26, 2011

Facebook has announced that it has cancelled its plan to charge users for using facebook. Facebook now requests all users to calm down & enjoy & to stop posting the spam message around.

September 24, 2011

IIT Kanpur to restrict AIR SUPPLY to students!



Live Screenshot of the Facebook Timeline!

for all who haven't yet activated the timeline, here's a live screenshot of the facebook timeline which will go live on September 30, 2011!

(Click on the image for full size)

Live preview of the facebook timeline of Sambhav Karnawat
Live preview of the facebook timeline of Sambhav Karnawat
Stay connected with me on facebook at Sambhav Karnawat on facebook.
 

September 22, 2011

Important Metrics of Social Media

Just completed a new project at BuzzWorthy, here are some stats from the project, reproduced with permission.

Though I cannot disclose what I did in the project, I want to shed some light on important metrics of social media. (In this case, the medium was a facebook page, but it could be anything)


September 21, 2011

Shocking : Rs. 32 set as the BPL limit!

Photo courtesy : Internet
Reblogging an article by the Economic Times, the Planning Commission of India has been updated to Rs. 32/day for Urban areas & Rs. 26/day for Rural areas.

I have just 3 words to say, WTF! If that is how they plan to make India a superpower by 2020, may God help us.

How to get the old newsfeed back on facebook!

UPDATE : How to get the old newsfeed back on facebook!

If you hate the new newsfeed too, just go to your account settings

New changes to Facebook

You can see another flurry of changes coming on facebook before the f8 conference. Some that I came across in the last 5 minutes listed below :

September 16, 2011

Rahul Dravid, The Wall of India, retires from cricket. An Ode

Rahul Dravid waves his bat one last time in an ODI match & receives a standing ovation
Rahul Dravid, the Wall of India who has stood the test of time for more than 15 years, saved India's grace more times than I can count & won matches for India  when all hope was lost, is playing his last One Day International cricket match right now against England at Cardiff.

As he got out, clean bowled at 69, each & every player of England team came to bid him adieu & the crowd rose to a ground-shattering applaud, for today a legend retires, a batsman like whom none have been & none shall be.

We all know how great a player Rahul Dravid is, probably the most respected Indian Cricket Player of this era alongwith Sachin Tendulkar


Here's what Cricinfo has to say about Rahul Dravid
"Rahul Dravid is probably one of the last classical Test match batsmen. His progress into the national side may have been steady and methodical rather than meteoric, but once there, Dravid established himself at the vanguard of a new, defiant generation that were no longer easybeats away from home. Armed with an orthodox technique drilled into him by Keki Tarapore, he became the cement that held the foundations firm while the flair players expressed themselves. Yet, for a man quickly stereotyped as one-paced and one-dimensional, he too could stroke the ball around when the mood struck him"
He requires no stats to prove himself, yet on this day, look at the magnificent figures this legend made in his 15 years of play (courtesy : Cricinfo)

Batting and fielding averages

Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 157 273 32 12775 270 53.00 30090 42.45 35 60 1602 19 207 0
ODIs 343 317 40 10820 153 39.06 15205 71.16 12 82 946 42 196 14
T20Is 1 1 0 31 31 31.00 21 147.61 0 0 0 3 0 0
First-class 291 484 67 23281 270 55.82

67 114

350 1
List A 448 415 55 15202 153 42.22

21 111

233 17
Twenty20 69 62 6 1605 75* 28.66 1369 117.23 0 7 178 25 14 0


Every cricket fan in India & all over the world knows that an era has come to an end today. Our wishes are with Rahul for whatever endeavours in his future.

Wish you Good Luck Rahul!

UPDATE : Check out this photo that tells you everything you need to know about Rahul Dravid


Rahul Dravid, the Wall stands Tall
Update July 2, 2014 : I just found these WoW quotes on Rahul Dravid : http://www.storypick.com/10-iconic-quotes-rahul-dravid-show-true-gentleman/

September 15, 2011

Awesome Innovation - Isanglitrongliwanag - The Liter of Lights

Awesome Innovation to lighten up people's lives



I am always amazed at how a simple idea can change people's lives, for instance this one, where a regular bottle has helped light up several 100 homes! Beautiful.

I must say they are the real "Knights of Light" if there ever have been any!

Visit their website at Liter of Lights

Tell me what you think about this idea in the comments below!

Facebook's New Features!

Facebook released a lot of new features today! Here's a sum-up of the most important ones :
  • Subscribe option for facebook profiles - This step takes the usual facebook profiles a step closer to facebook pages (in particular Public Figure pages). Now if you want to receive my updates but do not want me to see your updates or I do not accept your friend request, you can still receive my public updates by subscribing to my profile! Just go to my profile & click on the subscribe button, you'll start seeing my updates in your news feed! This is especially helpful for people who have hit the facebook friend limit of 5000 friends, like my friend Dan Gordon or the belle dancer Meher Malik.
Facebook Subscribe button for profiles
  • Share facebook statuses - Long awaited, but here at last! Now you can share facebook updates, so no - via @ anymore! Just click the share button below a status & it'll be shared with your friends! :D
These are 2 of the most important new features I came across. But there are still many more awaited! The most important & the most awaited is :
  • Advanced Notifications for facebook Pages! : If you run a page & engage a community on facebook, you know what I mean! Right now pages & their admins do not receive a notification if an old status or photo on their page gets a comment or something which results in less engagement than there can be!
Hope facebook launches this feature soon!

UPDATE : Today, September 16, 2011 the facebook navigation bar has become omnipresent, like vodafone's pup, wherever you go, it follows.

UPDATE : October 3, 2011 Facebook has announced the launch of a yet another feature, this one only for business pages on facebook, "People Talking About" (that might not be the final name for the metric) which will measure user-initiated activity on a Page, including posting to a Page’s Wall, “liking,” commenting, sharing a Page post or content on the Page, answering a Question posed to fans, mentioning a Page, “liking” or sharing a deal or checking in at your Place.

UDATE : October 5, 2011 (USA) Facebook is removing reviews & discussions tab from October 31, 2011 from all business pages.

What do you think, how does this fit in your scheme of things? Tell me in the comments below