Anuj's blog

Links to Windows 7 Beta

2009-01-10T10:46:00.001-06:00

The official Windows 7 beta download link is still down, but Lifehacker has managed to track down the direct download links to the 32-bit and 64-bit version. [Microsoft]

How much did US actually lost

2008-07-22T21:25:00.003-05:00

A recent article suggest US may have lost 8 trillion USD or 56% of GDP in this crisis. That is a lot of money! It should have reflected in the economy, after all 56% of GDP is a lot of money. Let me now get this straight.
Assuming 8 trillion of this money has been lost but where did it go? It went because housing prices were not as high they were supposed to be. It means that the houses were sold at said price OR the refinance were done at the said price. Now this means that 8 trillion went in the pockets of people who sold their houses OR refinanced it. So what did these people do with this money. They bought bigger house, remodeled the home, bought goods and what not and put it back in the economy.
This could only imply that the economy got inflated artificially during this time due to the loans and new houses. The house prices have gone down but the stocks have gone down even deeper. So if all of this is supposed to stabilize, it should settle down to "pre boom" times, which is about 2000-2002 levels plus some average rate of increase.

Update on iphone

2008-07-12T16:23:00.001-05:00

After 5 hrs of wait at the Michigan Ave store and playing with of for almost one full day this is what I think

Good
- the predictive text system is better than anything I have seen before. It takes care of the issue that there are no keys and you make mistakes several times as you type.
- my favourite app is the aol/ CBS radio station. It's got the awesome "top 100 in pop music" station and even a desi music channel. Now all I need is radio mirchi
- the camera is good. Still think with 8 gig hd we could have a video app
- the basic Phone and iPod features we all love work flawless
- I can use the browser to read almost anything including my emails blogs and what not
- the YouTube function is awesome but you have to be careful with the battery life
- I should not forget the speakerphone. The built in speakerphones deliver Bose audio quality sound. Awesome for playing my radio channels
- the 3 g and wifi makes live YouTube videos possible. Now can I get my tv as well?

Bad
- I think that blackberry email is still superior so don't buy iPhone if you have to do a lot of typing - for typing I'd say blackberry curve is still no 1 and iPhone no 2
- the phone feels a bit heavy to hold though it is comparable to blackberry curve and nokia 95
- it only shows video from YouTube and QuickTime movie player. Wish it supported realtime or ms media players

Overall this thing is effectively a small computer and can easily compete with similar computers out there by Sony et al. Though simple features like text copy paste are missing. This is an ultimate fashion accessory which makes it a must to have.

Summary of features I'd love to have in future releases:
- Touchpad/ mouse type controls; can someone create bluetooth mouse for iPhone
- Copy paste feature for text
- More video games
- Option for bluetooth keyboard
- Support for real media player and MS Media player
- Better apps than Monkeyball .. say how about Microsoft office for iPhone
- More battery life... double would be good and wont mind triple

What features do you want?

Sent via my iPhone

Iphone line update

2008-07-11T13:50:00.001-05:00

Its been 2.5 hrs standing in the line and only half a block remains till I have this God phone in my hands. Weather has been awesome with no sun and wind blowing nicely so that helps. I am predicting another hour till I get in.

UPDATE: I have not seen anything like this even for box office hits like Titanic or Matrix - and believe me I was in the line to get tickets for first day of Titanic in Priya VV. So now I wonder just like movies, what is the collection for iPhone over the weekend... lets see if the Monday WSJ has something for us... based on the numbers I have seen, every Apple store sold 1000+ phones on Friday alone, so with approx 300+ stores, Apple must have sold close to 1 million phones, or 300-400 million in revenues.. not bad .. it could be the no. 1 opening EVER

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Iphone line update

2008-07-11T11:14:00.001-05:00

Decided to experience what it is to stand in the line for iphone. So now I am standing in line for Apple store at Michigan Av. Not actually, I am standing 3 blocks behind where the line starts. Earlier I talked to a guy standing next to the store and he told me that he has been standing for past 4 hours and there was a network outage for an hour. So for 2 hrs the line was not moving out of 4. Not bad. And this is before lunch hour so a lot of people in Chicago have half day on work on Fridays in summer. I expect a lot more people will join in around 12 noon. Will keep posted.

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Apple iphone 2

2008-07-11T10:58:00.001-05:00

Went to the apple store just to check how's my Apple stock is doing. Its about 11 am now 3 hrs since the store opening. The line is still 4 blocks long. The stock is going way up. I am happy I bought it before the first iphone launch. This line is longer than the previous iphone. Great!

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Breakfast in Delhi

2008-06-09T00:20:00.000-05:00

My breakfast table today.
- 2 egg white omelet
- fruit
- small piece of cheese
- Mango juice (not shake)
- lots of coffee (3 cups)

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

2008-05-13T20:46:00.000-05:00

Culture and Google Trends

2008-05-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

Out of curiosity I check Google Trends website. Google trends, is a cool tool that maps the trends in items/keywords searches on Google search engine. The search engine has one of the biggest shares in the market. So the kind of trends it can come up with are undoubtedly going to be amazing, and closer to reality. Its always interesting to see what people are searching right now. In short

8 stories about movie/ stars/ idols - Tells a lot about our culture... American culture
3 stories related to the president and election
2 stories about sports
2 stories about video game
and 5 are misc

So here is whats on that list:

1. marriage counseling colorado- No idea why people are looking for this
2. intrade- Apparantly its an interesting website which says you can buy share of Hillary Clinton and Obama. Sure can see the interest in this
3. hot asian luv- This could be some kind of music video
4. msi soccer- MSI is Maryland's largest soccer youth soccer league in Montgomery County Maryland and they just posted PREMIER/CHALLENGE TEAM TRYOUT NOTICES 2008-2009
5. hp officejet 5610- Now this one is cool. Woo.com just posted this printer for 69.99. Hurry up if you want to buy
6. charles manson- Apparantly there is a story that Lindsay Lohan has been axed from an upcoming film about Charles Manson - reportedly becasue no one else would sign up to star alongside her. Now thats is what people are looking for Lindsay Lohan. I wonder if someone has demographics on what where and who is looking for these keywords. This could be a useful information
7. sharon tate- Again, this person has something to do with the story of Charles Manson. Apparantly this was the role Lindsay was supposed to play
8. dawn ivy- Is a singer who probably released an album recently. Not bad songs.. listen here on Last.fm
9. the new guy- According to wikipedia, The New Guy is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Ed Decter. It tells the story of a high school loser, Dizzy Gillespie Harrison. Under the assumed identity "Gil Harris", he desperately changes his image and becomes one of the the cool kids.10.merriam- Its name of a dictionary, its name of a city and its a hotel chain... one of them is hot right now.
11. mothers day card- Mother's day is this weekend
12. national train day- 5/10 is National Trains Day.. does Hallmark have greetings for that?
13. becky newton- Is star of hit comedy show Ugly Betty and apparantly she got an award recently
14. crawford texas- George Bush's daughter got married on his ranch this friday, which is in Crawford
15. mclean youth soccer- is a Youth soccer organization in Fairfax County and they are doing tryouts this week
16. gta4 cheats- People start looking for cheat codes of the game as soon as Grand Theft Auto is released
17. what happens in vega...- Is a new movie released recently
18. jeff archuleta- Jeff Archuleta is the father of David Archuleta and has been banned from the set of American Idol. Jeff had interfered in the production of American Idol.
19.gears of war 2 trail...- is a new game on XBOX
20. seabiscuit- Its not about the movie but about the film star Elizabeth Banks ("Seabiscuit") who is going to be in a movie about George W Bush and acting as first lady Laura Bush

In search of Wii availability

2008-04-27T11:01:00.000-05:00

It took me a while to figure out the system but I got it finally. I gave in
to all the raving reviews and lack of availability. Talking to Best buy
floor person, he told me that there is a game release on Sunday and there
is a "probability" of games being available. Turns out they are. Best buy
in Chicago area have about more than a dozen in stock right now. What are
you waiting for. Go and get it. Its fun!

This man has made me famous

2008-04-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

Dr Sajay Gupta is a famous CNN personality. Everytime I travel, people ask me if I am related to him. In fact Gupta is a very common last name in India. One of the ex CEO of my company also has the same last name. Its a good thing for me. Now all I need is to get successful like them. :)

Job searching

2008-04-18T21:40:00.001-05:00

Looking for a job? Here are a few tips based on my experiences:
1. Network aggressively: Call alums from your college or work, people you know. You need not ask them specifically for job, but use this as an opportunity to learn about what else is going on in your area of interest. Use the person's time judiciously and do not forget to thank for the time.
2. Prepare your resume: but do not send it like spam mail. Most HR folks use resume to filter (read reject) candidates. Better strategy is to network with people who are in position to hire you and send them your resume a a follow up.
3. Up your skills and be prepared to hit your job running on day 1. Whether you have experience on the new job or not, pains from day 1 to learn about the new workplace and build relationships.

Why People Participate in Social Media - The Groundswell Effect

2008-04-06T22:39:00.000-05:00

Harvard Business had an article on Why people participate in Social Media? So they did a survey and here is what people came up with....

* Keeping up friendships. Facebook is about connecting with people you know, to find out what's going on with them.

* Making new friends. We’ve all heard stories of people hooking up on social networks. According to Forrester's consumer surveys, one in five online singles has viewed or participated in online dating in the past year.

* Succumbing to social pressure from existing friends. People in the groundswell want their friends there, too. Your friends, your daughter, or your golf buddies are emailing you right now, asking you to join them.

* Paying it forward. Having seen that a site is useful, you may be moved to contribute.

* The altruistic impulse. This is Flickr cofounder Caterina Fake's "culture of generosity." It's what made Wikipedia possible. People just want to help.

* The prurient impulse. People are sexy, entertaining, and stupid. All that is on display in an endless parade of exhibitionism.

* The creative impulse. If you're a photographer, a writer, or a videographer, the Web is the perfect place to show your work.

* The validation impulse. People who post information on Yahoo! Answers, for example, would like to be seen as knowledgeable experts.

* The affinity impulse. If your bowling league, your PTA, or your fellow Red Sox fans have connected online, you can join and connect with people who share your interests.

Awesome !! Now why do you participate?

Opening up a bank in India

2008-04-05T15:24:00.000-05:00

This is first in series of my entrepreneurial ideas where I have done research but did not move ahead for any reason.

I am doing research on how to open a bank in India. Reason comes from several factors:
1. Banks are one of the biggest source of generating wealth
2. In a country like India there is a huge growing middle and upper middle class which needs to deposit money. If US is any indicator, there will be huge number of small niche banks in India as well
3. I know a little bit about banking having worked half of my consulting career in one form or the other
4. Banking looks exciting to me as an alternate to consulting career. Banking can lead to several areas around private banking, brokering, insurance, lending, mutual funds and investment banking
5. Starting April 2009, there will be no fees for taking out money from other Bank's ATM. so why should I install my own ATMs once again??? There is no more advantage of installing more ATMs. This reduces the capital expenditure required for a bank.

- The first place to research this topic is to got Reserve Bank of India website www.rbi.org . This tons of information on rules and regulations etc. I am sure there are 100 books with 1000s of pages on rules and regulations. I dont need to do that as I figure I can hire someone who knows those rules. What matters to me is how do I setup a bank, how much cash I need, what are the government permissions I need to follow. There is some indicator on the website that I would need ~5 Crore INR which is about USD 1.25 million at current rates. Out of this 40% has to come from me and I would need at least 2 more investors as 40% is the max cap one person can bring in.

- Moving on, I found a few groups who started banks targeting on poorest people in society (street kids, and poor women). It seems easy but there is some government agency behind this. I need to do more research on opening a private sector bank.

ANY COMMENTS WOULD BE WELCOME.

Day 1 at Aspen

2008-03-28T22:50:00.000-05:00

Just landed and there was this rap show in Aspen

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Business plans

2008-02-10T11:39:00.000-06:00

I am planning to put my consulting skills to good use. If anyone wants help on creating business plan for their startup/ idea please contact me. I will help first 5 people for free. After that I will charge some fees (yet to be determined - along the lines of industry standards).

So reach out to anujgpta at yahoo with following information which will help us get started:

1. You name and your background/ experience
2. Contact information
3. Area of your business and location
4. Background of what has been done so far (sales, expenses, team members, investors, customers/ distribution channel)
5. Last not the least, any confidentiality issues

Here is a free startup kit for you to look at meantime:

1. Exchange server - Google Apps for your domain - it is free and provides 2 gb of email, integrated calendaring with your email, chat and simple voice chat, and an ability to create simple web pages. You can use Apple iPhone to connect with all these applications
2. Voice - the PC-only VOIP providers of today have come a long way since 2004, Gizmo, Skype are way to go
3. Security - not as important if your files are hosted offline and backed up remotely (try xdrive which is free for 5 gb or box.net (free for 1gb).
4. Connectivity - a simple wifi network in the office can get you simple file sharing without an IT professional's help. If you want to collaborate with remote workers, you can use a wiki like Jotspot or Socialtext or some of the shared storage services I mention above. As far as remote acccess, no VPN is needed as a simple GoToMyPc account ($19.95 per pc per month) or LogMeIn (free for base functionality) can get you the access that you need without the headaches and upfront cost of a VPN.
5. Productivity-Microsoft Office but the online apps are getting better and in fact for collaboration or sharing would consider Google Office apps like spreadsheets and writely

Turbotax rebate

2008-02-01T05:18:00.000-06:00

Get 30% off Turbotax courtsey Scottrade,
http://turbotax.intuit.com/microsite/home.jhtml?priorityCode=3468344284&cid=all_scottrade_aff_3468344284&_requestid=89449

Back to Le Meridian- Pakwan

2008-01-30T10:51:00.000-06:00

I am back to my fav restaurant which has good Indian food and great ghazal singer. Wish wifee was here as well.

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Dilli ki sardi

2008-01-25T21:03:00.000-06:00

Nothing can beat dilli ki sardi :) ahh

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Ghazals at Le Meridian Delhi

2008-01-25T21:01:00.000-06:00

Nothing like good north indian food and live ghazal!

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Trip to French Polynesia

2008-01-14T10:44:00.001-06:00

After looking at pictures of beautiful overwater bungalows in travel magazines I decided to goto Bora Bora for our 2007 Holidays. For once, I did the planning months in advance and booked the air tickets and hotels.
We spent 4 days in Tahiti, 4 days in Bora Bora and 6 days in Moorea. Fortunately the air tickets came from miles and ~50% of hotel got covered using my starwood points. Still the trip was very expensive although one of the best ones we have had for some time.

So, here are the things I learnt from the trip:

You need to leave your work at home before coming to vacation
Any island or beach vacation is almost the same if you take out the cultural aspect of the place you are going to
All tourist spots in the world have been commercialized and taken over by hotels and souvenir shops
US dollar has become a lot weaker in terms of purchasing power. For example my trip would have cost me 1/3rd less if I taken it ~2 years back just on the basis of exchange rate !!!!
To calculate what you will end up spending in a trip, make your estimate for the costs and double it to account for taxes in hotel, shopping, activities and currency exchange

The first class cabin flying in Lufthansa Frankfurt to Bangalore

2007-12-16T07:08:00.000-06:00

Its one of the best I've seen so far :)

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Is it back to 80s?

2007-10-30T21:17:00.000-05:00

Merrill Lynch has a fascinating analysis on the various striking similarities between this financial cycle (mostly in the US) and the one in the late 1980s. Have a look at the article -

The late 1980s was a cycle characterized by a synchronized global expansion, but in the context of a fatigued US economy and strength back then in Europe and Asia.
A cycle fuelled by tax cuts and highly accommodative monetary policies early on, “new paradigm” views on the equity market bull run, and a massive housing boom that morphed into a bubble and credit excesses that turned into a crunch.
As was the case this time around, the Fed moved in the latter stages of the cycle to hike rates aggressively and invert the yield curve. As is the case today, practically every reason was cited for why the yield curve didn’t matter any more (nice call).
Back then, the Asian stock market that caught everyone’s attention was Japan – today it is China.
We also experienced a wave of LBO-financed merger and acquisition activity that certainly also took hold through most of 2005 and 2006.
Of course, we also had a faltering dollar in the late 1980s and rising commodity and gold prices igniting concerns over the inflation landscape – concerns that we can now say were overdone.

I had this question for some time that what does the financial market crystal ball tells us? Based on so many years of up and down cycles now it is clear to me that:
Everything that goes up has to go down: The scale for Japanese economy going up was 5 times growth in 7-8 years. China has been up only for 3-5 years but it already crossed 5 times growth. Is it going to come down
Fed Rates are high enough to scare people. Many people do not even remember 10+% interest rates. Rates have gone up so they will come down.
Will Bull market take over? Answer is no. There is going to be value in stocks like Google, Apple and even the basic commodities where demand from developing world will keep increasing
What happened to my favorite stocks... FXI, LFC, ACH, who have grown several times. I remember the days when Soviet Union was about to crash. No one knew what was going on there and one day news started coming in and we know the fate of country now. I feel the same with these stocks. I have NO IDEA what is going inside some of these companies and what are the factors. So far they haven't had bad quarters. I am afraid, one bad quarter and these stocks are going to come down like a ball which returns to earth.
UPDATE: JULY 2008: All the above mentioned scenarios were right... the stocks are way down right now.

Leaders	Movers
Rank	Prev.	Subject (Days on Chart)	Move	Score	Rank	Subject	1-Day Move
1	-	Daylight Savings Time (1)	+976	1319	1	George Washington Horse	5454%
2	6	NFL (75)	+313	417	2	Guitar Hero 3 Cheats	2185%
3	5	WWE (413)	+35	197	3	Sunday Night Football	2060%
4	3	Britney Spears (387)	-226	179	4	Kellie Pickler	1877%
5	4	Hi-5 (91)	+0	145	5	Aleister Crowley	1563%
6	7	Limewire (6)	-6	131	6	Winchester House	1275%
7	-	Kellie Pickler (1)	+122	129	7	Elisabeth Hasselbeck	1256%
8	24	Club Penguin (60)	-20	114	8	Chernobyl	1217%
9	2	Halloween Costumes (39)	-80	113	9	Indoor Water Park	1088%
10	53	NASCAR (211)	+39	112	10	Edgar Cayce	1070%
11	14	RuneScape (413)	-15	111	11	Easy Halloween Desserts	977%
12	8	Halloween (5)	+0	111	12	What Time Is It	941%
13	9	Naruto (131)	-9	101	13	Bourne Supremacy	783%
14	-	Time Change (1)	+62	90	14	Official Us Time	761%
15	92	Pumpkin Carving Patterns (2)	+30	85	15	Picture Of The Last Supper	735%
16	18	Boston Red Sox (6)	+38	83	16	The Last Supper	720%
17	15	Jessica Alba (603)	-3	80	17	Not Another Teen Movie	712%
18	16	Kim Kardashian (15)	-1	74	18	Easter Island	705%
19	-	NCAA Football (1)	-13	67	19	Celebrity Gossip	596%
20	-	Pumpkin Carving (1)	+27	66	20	Scary Movie 2	583%

Here’s some tips to make exercise something you actually want to do from lifehack blog

Make it a Habit - Remove the thinking element. If you can make exercise a habit, then it becomes that much easier to go. Here’s some tips on making habits stick if you aren’t sure where to start.
Get a Partner - Get someone else to go to the gym with you. Pick someone who is committed to their health. Not only can you socialize with someone while you’re there, but you’ll have a backup in case your motivation alone isn’t enough to drag yourself out there.
Tune Your Challenge Level - Here are two bad ways to start exercising. Go out and run until your winded and dry-heaving into a ditch. Show up to the gym, walk around, don’t do anything strenuous and go back home. In one case you put the challenge level to high, the other wasn’t challenging at all. Your goal is to set a workout routine that is challenging, but not overwhelming. Challenge is key to enjoyment.
Set Goals - Not weight-loss or muscle gain goals, but fitness goals. Set goals to beat your past records in distance ran, push-ups or chin-ups you can do, weight you can lift or degree you can stretch. Fitness goals make the gym a game where you strive to beat your previous high-score.
Get Past Your Comfort Zone - So what if you aren’t the most svelte or muscular person in the gym? Self-consciousness can be a big obstacle to enjoying your workout. The key is to get used to it. When you continue to show up, you’ll pay less attention to the people around you and more to your workout.
Experiment - Don’t stick with the same routine. Mix it up and try different activities. There are many different exercise routines you can follow or activities to try. If you don’t like lifting weights or running, try sports, martial arts or dancing. Assuming that exercise needs to be pumping iron or jogging may limit you from finding something you would truly enjoy.
Music - This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but music can enhance a workout. I find running almost twice as enjoyable with music than without it.
Short Workouts - Don’t have time or enthusiasm to last an hour? Just go for twenty or thirty minutes. Shorter workouts can be better than longer ones if the intensity is higher and you become more focused as a result. After an hour or two of exercise your body starts to go into a state where more exercise can actually reduce physical improvements.
Daily Challenges - Make your workout into a game. Sticking with the same type of exercises can get boring, so mix it up by introducing an unusual workout challenge. My gym partner and I have played a game that involves sit-ups and a deck of cards or one workout day that involves different types of push-ups. If you aren’t sure where to get ideas, look through a magazine like Mens Fitness which usually features a variety of different workouts.
Reward Showing Up, Not Weight Loss - Some people have gotten the idea that they should reward themselves for losing weight or gaining muscle. I disagree. Instead, I think you should reward showing up to the gym and exercising regularly. There are many ways you can lose or gain weight in unhealthy fashions. Rewarding exercise is rewarding your commitment to health.
Make Exercise Your Stress Relief - I know many people that swear by using the gym to relieve stress. Some of them will head to the gym because of a frustrating day even if it isn’t on their schedule. Exercising can be cathartic and release negative feelings if you get used to using it that way. Then instead of avoiding the gym because of a stressful day, it will be your reason to go.
Record Improvements - Again I recommend recording fitness over body improvements. Recording weight loss or muscle gain is a good idea, but because of the way your metabolism functions it becomes increasingly harder to make weight changes as you go to the gym more regularly. But fitness improvements can, if you work on it, continue to rise. Keep a record of your strength, endurance and flexibility so you can get pride in your accomplishments.
Make Time - You can’t say you don’t have time to exercise. Exercise improves your energy levels and mood which makes you more productive than any time lost. Find your forty minutes somewhere in the day and make it a commitment. Get up a bit earlier and go in the morning. Or schedule it right after work before you settle down for the day. Once you make time and make it a habit, you’ll actually want to exercise instead of just feeling you should.

Anuj's blog

Links to Windows 7 Beta

How much did US actually lost

Update on iphone

Iphone line update

Iphone line update

Apple iphone 2

Breakfast in Delhi

Culture and Google Trends

In search of Wii availability

This man has made me famous

Job searching

Why People Participate in Social Media - The Groundswell Effect

Opening up a bank in India

Day 1 at Aspen

Business plans

Turbotax rebate

Back to Le Meridian- Pakwan

Dilli ki sardi

Ghazals at Le Meridian Delhi

Trip to French Polynesia

The first class cabin flying in Lufthansa Frankfurt to Bangalore

Is it back to 80s?

Top Searches and trends on the Internet

top overall searches

Do you Exercise?