EMBA Warrior

EMBA Blogs of Interest

2012-03-03T07:15:00.000-06:00

Following are blogs of interest for some one getting into EMBA journey. Some are active and others used to be active, but does have good content while they were in school.

MIT: eSloanie Blog
Wharton EMBA: From RVD, this bloggie has graduates but posts occasionally blogs on his post-graduation experience.
Wharton West: More Recent from Chaiman P.
There are official blogs from booth, Wharton and can be followed for real time articles on the application process, campus happenings and changes in curriculum.

Best Schools for an e-MBA in US

2012-02-27T10:06:00.003-06:00

After going through a lot of research and based on criteria like stronger cohort, better faculty and brand value I have narrowed down to following 4 schools in no imperative order.

1. Wharton.

2. Chicago Booth.

3. MIT

4. Stanford Sloan program.

Wharton has the most faculty facing hours but very US centric except for an GCP project you may take up. Chicago is a bit more international flavor by way of 25% of the class hours spent by all 3 of its campus students studying together. MIT is a new entrant in the e-MBA arena but making long strides, it is the best selective program(at about 25%) and with the highest C-suite demographics in its class.

Stanford Sloan program provides a 1 year full time option for those who can efford taking an year off rather than working thru a rigorous e-MBA program. Stanford has the inherent advantage of providing a 12 month course work and being hand-in-hand with on campus full-time student body and being part of all the activities that happen around the Graduate School of business(plus being next to the biggest entrepreneurial hub in the world)

On to E-MBA Path

2012-02-26T07:17:00.002-06:00

Started going in the path of e-MBA and recently finished applying to couple of schools and will be wrapping up with 2 more to complete the process. Then starts the waiting game and final decision. It is going to be transformative and I am waiting with great anticipation.

12 lessons from Google E-Commece boss

2010-02-18T19:58:00.003-06:00

1. Hire the best talent. Surround yourself with smarter people who have complementary skills and who challenge the status quo.
2. Think big. Develop BHAGs: big hairy audacious goals. Imagine the impossible and you will be surprised how much you can accomplish.
3. Aim to make a difference. Make the world a better place.
4. Say what you mean and do what you say. Execution and follow-through are critical. Thomas Edison said “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.” My father used to always remind me of this.
5. Competition makes you stronger. It also makes you serve your customers better.
6. Always put the customer first. And remember, you have to have a great product or service that is differentiated to win.
7. Take on the hardest challenges. Get out of your comfort zone. If you have not failed at something, you are probably not innovating.
8. Truth-seeking is half the battle in winning. You need to know where you stand in the war.
9. Move fast in a land-grab. Get network effects first. Remember, you need both popularity and profitability.
10. You can be an entrepreneur in a big company.
11. Pay it forward. Be a mentor.
12. If you make a mistake or fail, it’s OK. Fix it fast and move forward. But make sure to take the lessons away so you do not repeat them. Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Learning swimming -- Total immersion way

2010-01-08T14:38:00.004-06:00

This seems to be one way for me to learn swimming (one of so called resolutions that I could not fulfill last year, but will be accomplishing this year starting on January 9th)

Longevity Made Simple

2010-01-04T21:21:00.003-06:00

Just finished a quick breeze of the book.

It repeats the following with respect to one's lifestyle:
1. lower cholesterol.
2. Eat diet rich in Fish, Fruits and Vegetables.
3. Exercise.
4. Maintain a healthy weight.
5. Prevent Accidents(don't speed up and buckle up)
6. Drink Alcohol.
7. Take a multi-vitamin.

Foods that are good for anybody:
1. Nuts(walnuts, Almonds)
2. Avocados.
3. Bell Peppers.
4. Blueberries.
5. Citrus Fruits
6. Fat free/1 percent milk.
7. Olive Oil.
8. Garlic
9. Plant stenols and Sterols (no idea what this is)
10. Red wine
11. Salmon
12. Spinach
13. Sweet Potatoes.
14. Tea
15. Tomatoes
16. Vegetable Juice
17. Whole Grains

The Best Iphone apps(as of Dec 2009)

2009-12-28T09:47:00.003-06:00

This list gives a perspective on what is good and what I am missing.

25 must have free-ware

2009-12-27T17:46:00.002-06:00

I am happy that Eclipse is mentioned along with putty.

Top 10 tech firms ripe for IPO in 2010

2009-12-25T14:55:00.003-06:00

I do agree with Facebook, Zynga, Gilts group and Tesla, not sure of others. I am a big fan of Linked-in and workday.

Top 100 Best Technical Blogs

2008-10-14T12:24:00.001-05:00

The List is very comprehensive and very useful for a quick read around on what is happening in the tech-geek world.

Top 5 Attributes of an effective Programmer

2008-02-23T21:11:00.003-06:00

This talks about the 5 attributes:
Humility
Love of Learning
Detail Orientedness
Adaptability
Passion

It is a great article and a must read for budding programmers/systems developers.

UTest --> New testing phenomenon

2008-02-10T14:27:00.000-06:00

This site tries to bring software products and a community of testers together for a marketplace for testing. I think it is a great idea, sort of like salesforce.com but for testing arena.

If it clicks(by the way there are already 1000 or so testing experts already signed up to provide their expertise here) many small and medium scale firms do not need inhouse testing resources. But only concern would be the patent infrigement and constant possibility of being copied of the new features by competition.

If a product does not fall in my concerns list, this is a cool way of semi outsourcing your testing work.

How to become a CIO

2008-02-02T23:29:00.000-06:00

This article talks about different traits of a CIO(or to be observed in a would-be CIO).

One interesting comment in it:
A successful CIO doesn’t have to be a technology expert, and in fact most CIO’s aren’t technology experts. People who are highly motivated to become technology experts typically don’t have the other seven skills. Some CIO’s may have come from a technology background, but if they were technology experts in their past, they’ve now left that skill behind them.

Next Facebook President

2008-01-09T13:17:00.001-06:00

This article talks about the biggest prank on French media, very hilarious.

It gives a light on how viral information can create false perception & how quickly major media can latch on to stuff that is false.

Its a Mint

2007-12-25T18:57:00.000-06:00

I came across this site through wired magazine.

I feel the founders have a winner in the site, geared towards online finance management(aka budget management) for free. It is very quick to setup your account and sync the transactions to see the overall state of your spending and budgeting etc etc.

Sure to make quicken a run for its money.

Work below your means

2007-12-05T13:08:00.001-06:00

This post from Andy Hunt perfect sense for end of the year.

I am seriously thinking of going email free for a half day every week.

Good article on Display size and effectiveness

2007-08-14T11:14:00.000-05:00

Here is an article that discusses the disadvantages of having big size monitors(like 30inch etc) compared to using couple of 20' monitors.

Stupid or Just Ignorant or a mistake

2006-12-29T15:20:00.000-06:00

I am leaning towards the first choice.

Just came across this about a German guy trying to reach Sydney, Australia but ended up in Sydney,Montana,USA.

Scroll problems with IPOD

2006-12-17T09:04:00.000-06:00

I have been having this problem with my 4th gen IPOD. The scroll aspect of the pod will not work.

I tried reset, restart and all possible suggestions online. Finally came across one odd post that helped me solve the issue.

"Move the hold button to on. Press the middle button. Move the hold to off & switch on the ipod. The scroll will start working again".

I like IPOD in conjuntion with itunes for the ease of use. But, as a hard ware it is a painful peace of crap.

No Fluff Just Stuff ( J2EE Conference)

2006-10-29T21:41:00.000-06:00

Just attended it this weekend(Oct 27-29 2006). It was an awesome conference.

Kept me engaged through out the 3 days. Started me thinking about couple of revolutionary changes in the J2EE arena.

AOP has finally arrived according to the conference. Ruby on Rails, Groovy and Web2.0 APIs like Google Maps API are here to stay and will change the way we will develop and deliver the enterprise applications.

I would suggest every J2EE enthusiast to attend this conference and will defintely be worth your time and money.

Play it cool

2006-08-18T19:21:00.000-05:00

Here are some suggestions to take a moment when your schedule is fully packed.

1. Release unnecessary guilt associated with putting off tasks.
If a solution to a challenging problem immediately present itself, it may be more productive to put it aside rather than spend valuable time vacillating over what to do next.

2. Avoid heartache by taking a moment.
People need to refrain from responding to anyone when they are upset - no matter how urgent the task.

3. Allow others to provide answers for you.
Other people working with u or for you may be able to work on certain tasks or resolve without your input.

4. State why you are procastinating.
If there is problem to solve an issue, mention the reason for taking time off it.

5. Practise procrastinating.
Set aside time to imagine, this will help think out of the box.

Practical suggestions from 'Power of Intention'

2006-06-18T10:32:00.000-05:00

Make Meditation a regular practice in your life.
Become conscious of the foods you eat. Let go of artifical sweeteners like sodas, go for foods of high alkalinity like fruits, veggies, nuts, soy.
Retreat from low-energy substances. Alcohol, and virtually all artifical drugs, legal and otherwise lower the body's energy level.
Become conscious of the energy level of the music u listen to. Violent music is a no-no.
Reduce exposure to the very low energy of commercial and cable television.
Enhance ur energy field with photographs.
Become conscious of the energy levels of your acuquaintances, friends and extended family.
Monitor your activities and where they take place. Avoid low energy fields like alcohol parties instead prefer like nature walks, take a yoga class etc.
Extend acts of kindness, asking for nothing in return.
As frequently as possible, hold thoughts of forgiveness in your mind.

Healthy Choices

2006-06-11T16:17:00.000-05:00

This is a compilation from NewsWeek(courtesy Mr Gary Small, UCLA Center for Aging).

1. Sharpen your mind by doing exercises like crossword puzzles(and shutting off the TV)

2. Maintain a positive outlook.

3. Cultivate healthy and intimate relationships with friends and family.

4. Promote stree-free living through activities like Yoga or medication.

5. Master your environment by reducing clutter.

6. Get fit through cardio and strength training.

7. Eat a healthy diet that includes antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, proteins and whole grains.

India & Affirmative Action(Reservations)

2006-05-21T10:55:00.000-05:00

I have been living in US for about 13 years. A recent government decision in India brings back my memories about the affirmative action policies in India.

The central government in India wants to increase the quota for the so called backward castes. They are doing this even after there are statistics that point to no great done by pure reservation increase, in the Indian society.

As many are aware, most of India is deeply entrenched in caste system; with in the Hindu religion. When India got independense, the constitution set aside reservations as a priority. They did create affirmative action to upbring historically ill-treated and neglected castes.

The above worked to greater extent, but the return on the approach is decresing as the days go by. Reservations are designed based on caste(by birth) and there are restrictions based on your economic status to claim it. But, there is widespread abuse in the lines of rich claiming the reservations designed for poor in the underserved castes. There are no reservations for people born poor in the so called upper castes aka brahmin, kshatriya etc.

An increase in the reservations will not have any socio-economic impact. It will furthur decrease the morale of smart folks from other castes.

BTW this is one of the reasons i left India and may never think of moving back or raising children in India.

Business travel tips Continued

2006-05-04T07:23:00.000-05:00

1. After you fill the gas(before returning rental car), don't forget to take the receipt. Some cars take time to push the needle up & you don't want arguments when there is time crunch to catch a flight.

2. Try to catchup on lots of water. This is one thing you may not notice, but will effect the health factor a lot.

3. Do the hotel bookings way in advance, especially when there is price issue on the project(some projects mandate state or federal rate only).

Tip: Some upscale hotels like Omni or Marriott do have rooms with state/federal rates if you book in advance.