Blue Streak

IBM - An analyst's view

2007-04-08T21:55:00.000+05:30

[from FT]: Gambits of Big Blue-sky thinking

Competitor bashing is always fun! :))

2007-01-15T19:08:00.000+05:30

http://www.dailytech.com/Canadian+Customers+Sue+Dell+Over+Notebooks/article5701c.htm

http://www.efytimes.com/efytimes/fullnews.asp?edid=16770

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/12/inspiron_defect_lawsuit/

Will finish these later

2007-01-15T16:36:00.000+05:30

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Bhardwaj1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Russel

http://www.paulgraham.com/hs.html

Interview Tips

2006-12-17T10:57:00.000+05:30

[via S Anand]

Interview tips from Prof. Vijay Kumar.

Although I don't see my self taking any interviews in the medium term, it's good to remember those general skills that any company looks for in an employee.

And I guess once you start working, it's eaqually important to remember why your company chose you, and what it expects from you.

I've noticed that employer expectations are fairly similar across companies -- Indian/ MNC, and irrespective of which fucntion of the company you handle (meaning you could be in sales, or you could be in project management!).

Companies want certain general skills, apart from competency in specific functional areas.

From Anand's post --

During the interview (what does the interviewer want?):

Brains: logical thinking, primarily
Creativity
Hard-work, but one can take that for granted for a person from the IIMs
Willing to take direction, and yet is a self-starter
A person who can explore new ideas on their own
Good interpersonal relationships
A person who can make casual conversation
Can suavely deflect objectionable questions
Well dressed, good posture, etc.

And once you're on the job (although this was written for a consultant's role, I would think that most points apply in other roles as well):

Quality of assignments
Followup on assignment
Client feedback
Budget overruns (applicable more to PLs and managers)
Input into thought leadership and knowledge-base
Strengths and weaknesses
Future directions for improvement.

Relevant articles from Rediff -- Awesome!!

2006-12-16T18:52:00.000+05:30

Like most other things that I stumble across, wish I'd read these articles much earlier!

Have spent almost a year now away from home.

Although my post-graduation course also required me to be away from home for 2 years, it was spent with 240 batchmates in a residential course at a campus that's just got the most awesome facilitites. Those 2 years went by in a jiffy, and I never really got the time to miss home.

But work's different in many ways:

1. Colleauges/ peers are very few in number -- the sales role is only for a select few! :))
2. Colleagues are much older, and 'settled' in life -- most of my colleagues have a lot of work experience.
3. Kerala is NOT known for it's commerce! So naturally, none of my batchmates from b-school, engineering college, or even school work or live in Kochi, Kerala!

So here's the list of articles from Rediif on this topic:

Plagued by loneliness?

From the article (simple things that we always seem to froget!)

1. Strengthen your network

Make the effort to stay in touch. Write letters, call, send greeting cards to stay in touch with people you care about. If you have access to a computer, browse the Internet, send emails to friends and also try to meet them.
Find ways to make new friends. New friends can add spice to your life.
Attend events and social gatherings. Invite people to your home.
Make a date to share meals with a friend or neighbour who is also alone.
Share experiences and feelings with your friends. Be a good listener.
Get a pet. A pet can lessen loneliness. Additionally, it can also help lower your blood pressure, anxiety and depression.
Take a walk with a neighbour every day.
Join a health club.
Stay positive. More importantly, stay away from negative people.

2. Be a volunteer or mentor

3. Be a lifelong learner

Life seems more rewarding when you make learning a lifelong habit. You build new skills. You challenge your mental processes. You understand things and are able to adjust better. Most importantly, you keep growing and evolving. Of course, you also have more things to talk about with others, which makes you a more interesting friend. Here are some ideas:

Take a meditation, yoga or aerobics class.
Read books, newspapers and magazines.
Study a foreign language.
Learn to play a musical instrument.
Join a travel group.

As I was reading this article, I couldn't help but nod my head in acceptance every 2 lines.

11 rules for living alone.

How to enjoy the single life.

Others that might prove to be useful! :))

Survival guide: From heartbreak to happiness.

Heal your broken heart.

Brilliant, brave, and under 25!

2006-12-16T16:44:00.000+05:30

[via Rediff] A Rhodes Scholar speaks. Liked this article -- lots of take-aways!

77 ways to learn better

2006-12-16T16:39:00.000+05:30

[via S Anand] I always find good stuff at Anand's blog!

This is 77 ways to learn better!

Looking for meaning? Listen to what this author has to say: "If someone granted you one wish, what do you imagine you would want out of life that you haven't gotten yet? For many people, it would be self-improvement and knowledge."

Remembering Smita Patil

2006-12-16T16:31:00.000+05:30

I would definitely have been Smita Patel's fan .. (if I were watcing movies in the '70s and '80s!)
These takes on her made my day!

[via Rediff]
1. The best of Smita Patil
2. Raw stock, rare appeal: Smita Patil

My new favorite

2006-10-24T21:02:00.000+05:30

Like the TCL ad, this is my new favorite!!!

Prison Break

eWeek's IBM repository

2006-10-18T23:46:00.000+05:30

eWeek has a list of IBM moves.

Wish I'd read these some time back!!

2006-09-05T18:27:00.000+05:30

Not that I'm a father or anything, but I guess this could apply to a kid who's growing up too, and not just for parents.

From rediff.com:
10 tips to groom your son well. A must read! Quick look, if you don't have the time:

Imbibing confidence
Being independent
Accepting responsibility
Learning to respect women
Being expressive
Learning household chores
Cultivating friendships
Eating healthy
Exercising effectively
Be there for your son

And another: On girls.

IBM's revved-up software engine

2006-08-16T22:50:00.000+05:30

Software now contributes more profit than services, and it's emerging as Big Blue's most reliable generator of growth. (BusinessWeek)

Massive investments in India

2006-06-08T22:37:00.000+05:30

[NY Times] I.B.M. Will Triple Investment in India in Next 3 Years.

[NY Times] India Becoming a Crucial Cog in the Machine at I.B.M.

[BusinessWeek] Big Blue Shift -- IBM is reorganizing its global workforce to lower costs without skimping on service.

[BusinessWeek] IBM Wakes Up to India's Skills -- The computer company is ramping up operations with cutting-edge projects while using more low-cost, high-value local labor.

Everyone's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

2006-05-21T18:18:00.000+05:30

Song Title: Everyone's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
Artist: Baz Luhrman

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '99. Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists
whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my
own meandering experience...
I will dispense this advice now

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth;
oh, nevermind, you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now, how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked.
You are NOT as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real toubles in life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing

Don't be reckless with other peoples hearts.
Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you recieve.
Forget the insults.
If you suceed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters.
Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Do not feel guilty if you don't know what you wanna do with your life,...
the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most ineresting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't.
Maybe you'll divorce at 40.
Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary....
Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either - your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can...
don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it...
it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance...
even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines they will only make you feel UGLY.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they might be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings; They're your best link to your past, and the people most likely to stick with you in the future

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should
hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but, leave before it makes you soft.

Travel

Accept certain inalienable truths.
Prices will rise, Politicians will philander, you too will get old.
And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young,
prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you'll have a trust fund,
maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse;
but you never know when either one might
run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it.
Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than its worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

I am India

2006-05-21T17:55:00.000+05:30

[via Atanu Dey] Remember Bharatbala (Vademataram, AR Rahman)? He's made a "I am India" video. I'm kinda a fan of his way of film-making.

My role model

2006-04-06T21:07:00.000+05:30

Rahul Dravid, profiled by Ian Chappel. (from cricinfo.com)

The IT opportunity in Kerala

2006-03-29T23:17:00.000+05:30

Frontline article by a fromer CEO of Technopark. 'The coming boom.'

Interview with Toonz CEO, Mr. P. Jayakumar

2006-03-29T23:05:00.000+05:30

A background to Toonz.

IBM and Innovation

2006-03-15T00:04:00.000+05:30

Thinking the future, with IBM. (from BW)

IBM the leader in eSCM (eScouring Capability Model). (from CIOL)

Fortune on Yahoo! and IBM

2006-03-12T21:42:00.000+05:30

Don't stare so hard at Google you miss Yahoo! (from CNN Money)

IBM's new chip and a reorganized corporate structure aimed at making IBM exciting again. (from CNN Money)

Secret of Success

2006-03-12T21:03:00.000+05:30

[via Emergic] from Working Smart:

I'm not sure I could boil it down to one thing. Life isn’t usually that simple. But if I really, really had to boil it down to one thing, I would say this: responsiveness.

The truth is, you are building your reputation—your brand—one response at a time. People are shaping their view of you by how you respond to them. If you are slow, they assume you are incompetent and over your head. If you respond quickly, they assume you are competent and on top of your work. Their perception, whether you realize it or not, will determine how fast your career advances and how high you go. You can’t afford to be unresponsive. It is a career-killer.

My basic rule is this: respond immediately unless there is a good reason to wait. Obviously, this isn’t always possible, especially since I spend so much time in meetings. Nevertheless, I rarely let messages sit longer than a day. Twenty-four hours is the outside edge. If you can’t respond now, then at least acknowledge that you have received the message: “I received your message. I don’t have time to give it the attention it deserves right now, but you can expect to hear from me before the end of the day tomorrow.”

The great thing about being responsive is that it will quickly differentiate you from your peers. People love doing business with responsive people. Nothing will advance your career faster than this.

Making your work day sane

2006-03-12T20:03:00.000+05:30

Five rules. Practical and useful pointers. (Fortune, through CNN Money)

1) Give yourself a time-out. Devote an hour to uninterrupted thinking and planning every day. First thing in the morning is safest, but anytime that works for you is good. No calls, no e-mail, no chitchat, just quality time. "If there's an emergency, someone will come get you," says organization expert Julie Morgenstern. "Use this time to think strategically about your work."

2) Show your technology who's boss. Constant e-mails and phone calls bring a sense of urgency and importance that's tough to resist, not to mention the thrill of instant accomplishment. But keep your eye on the prize. "Anyone who has his e-mail client notify him anytime an e-mail comes in has already lost," says Shirky.

Most of today's devices and software actually can be set to be less intrusive. You just need to learn how: Switch off the ping that heralds the arrival of an e-mail, create folders into which incoming messages are automatically shunted. When busy, let outgoing message capabilities alert others to when they might reasonably expect to hear back from you.

3) Keep your meetings rare. Surveys show that most people find meetings a major time waster. Use them sparingly, keep to an agenda, start and end on time. And unless someone is expecting a baby (or using technology is part of the meeting) turn off all cellphones and BlackBerries. Intra-meeting texting is rude and counterproductive.

4) Say no. "Sorry" isn't the hardest word -- "no" is. But not saying it to desperate colleagues or harried bosses is the quickest way to overload your schedule and muck up more important goals. Focus first on meeting your stated objectives. Also, consider family and personal time when filling your calendar: Work-centric employees are more likely to report feeling overloaded than those who plan for their personal lives.

5) Delete. Surveys show we waste 20 percent of our day on nonproductive activities. Cut out or delegate anything on your to-do list that doesn't have long-term consequences for your work. Be ruthless. And while you're at it, don't let a stuffed e-mail in-box sap your will to live. When reviewing each e-mail, make an on-the-spot call to delete, file, or reply to each one -- even if the response is, "I'll get back to you on this later."

He says, she says

2006-03-05T21:38:00.000+05:30

I've always had the feeling that I never understood girls. (Now isn't that what all guys say?!) Blame it on the 14 years spent in a boys-only school, or on whatever else. Maybe a crash course from this blog would help a bit!

HiPODS

2006-02-25T21:39:00.000+05:30

From w3: (Lots of jargon, but such labs basically help large customers simulate an entire solution - consisting of applications and infrastructure software & hardware - before actually sinking in massive amounts of money in them. Just like the GSDC, clients definitely get impressed! Only the 7th such facility for IBM.)

"IBM India unveiled the High Performance On Demand Solutions Lab Â a dynamic infrastructure facility with world class servers to develop, test and validate high performance customer solutions. Housed in IBM India Software Lab, Bangalore, this first of its kind lab for IBM in India will bring in specific high-value skills to help clients in India and the surrounding region to enhance and optimize their IT resources to support the growth of their businesses."

Industry material on Communications - Digital Media (IBM NICA)

2006-02-25T20:45:00.000+05:30

What we did at The Hindu. (from w3.)
Digital Media SMB solutions. (from w3.)
NICA page. (from w3)
NICA on the web. (from ibm.com)