Hickson's Blog

Indian Ecommerce Bubble

2012-02-09T10:30:00.002+05:30

Throw a stone and you will hit a Ecommerce Startup.Its been raining Ecommerce sites for the last year and half.I have seen some 20 sites crop up in the same domain where I planned to enter.This could be a norm in a developed country but for a developing country like ours the mere number of Ecommerce Startups is staggering.When I spoke to a few developers came to know the reality behind many of these E-Commerce sites.The bigger E-Commerce sites are selling many products at a high marginal loss so that they can acquire a large customer base.This is similar to the DTH Industry where most players are yet to break even and are in a customer acquisition spree.

No Wonder you can buy many products cheap on an E-Commerce Site.Will it be cheaper in the longer run?No.The cost of running an E-Commerce site is lower than running a Regular Showroom but still the operating cost of an E-Commerce Site is higher.So you will not find a huge price difference to buy many products.

Many Predict that Its going to be a virtual bloodbath in the Ecommerce Market.Yes Many Ecommerce sites will shutdown this year if the current trend continues(Article).The Problem with smaller Ecommerce sites is that most of them have launched an Ecommerce site so that they will be acquired by a larger player.The Biggest problem of an Ecommerce site is Delivery Chain and Customer Support.While Customer Support can be Improved,the delivery system in India needs a major overhaul.But with Amazon entering into the fray one can only expect things to heat up in the Indian Ecommerce space and yes only the ones at the top of the chain will survive.There are already reports of Letsbuy getting acquired by Flipkart(Article)

Only Time will be the judge as to how many E-Commerce sites will survive.

Creativity

2012-01-07T08:49:00.003+05:30

Happened to Watch a Heartful Interview by Shekhar Kapur ( Video Here ) and it rekindled my memories about creativity.I was working on this particular Video Script which Grabs Videos from the Source and Converts it to the desired format.Was Struggling for a few weeks but one morning I managed to code the script in 10 minutes.I stumbled upon the very same script a few days ago and I had absolutely no idea how I managed to code it.Not that I have forgotten the codes but the techniques I used in it still remain a mystery to me.

The few moments of Brilliance or Creativity has always remained a Mystery to me.I have never been able to repeat those moments of creativity or found a way to repeat it often enough.(If You have watched the Interview,Shekhar says he tries to remain chaotic inorder to be free from the mind to be creative).May be I should try it too,but its not guaranteed to work as each individual is unique and the ways to free our mind to be creative varies.

Its always reassuring to know that the same questions you are asking have already been asked by people centuries ago and will continue to be asked by people in the future.Life has always been a constant learning process for me,I makes mistakes,Fall in deep holes,Get Up Fall into deeper holes,Try to get up and embark on my journey.

May be its that sense of insecurity is what kindles the Creative Process in me and I would be happy to have failed in trying rather than not tried at all.

Have a Happy 2012 Everyone.Have a Great Journey ahead.

Arun LOL

2011-11-25T08:42:00.001+05:30

Q.What do you call a person who laughs at his own jokes?

A.Arun LOL

If you are that unfortunate person to have listened to the commentary of Arun Lal I am sure you will be having bumps in the head like me.Yes Its Irresistable not to bang your head on the wall.

Arun Lal has a great voice that only cuckoo birds singing in the distant forests could mimic.I am told he is following the footsteps of his guru The Legend of boring Commentary Sri Sri Ranjith Fernado.

Here are some of our favourite comments by the legend himself Arun Lol

On V.V.S Laxman "He has got great hands"

“aur ye gend ek tippa khate hue boundary line ke bahar 6 run ke liye“(and there goes the ball taking one bounce over the boundary for a 6)

Sehwag plays a straight drive and Arun Lol says: 'Sehwag manufactures strokes which don't exist!'

I am sure there are many more words of wisdom which I might have missed here.You can share that in the comments Section.

Disclaimer:We are not against Arun Lal.We are glad that he finds himself funny and laughs at his own jokes.A Wise Man once told me If you cant laugh at yourself you dont have any right to laugh at others.

Learning to Say No

2011-11-05T19:34:00.001+05:30

A Few Years Ago I was forced to spend about a month alone as my friend had vacated the house.Never been alone in the true sense for those 20 odd years before.The very thought of being alone was scary to say the least.Those were the days in Pune when it had some 12 hour power cuts.After spending 3 hours in my laptop it used to die on me.An Extreme November weather meant I cant be a Mall rat or watch Endless Movies or even read a Book.Finally the reality dawned on me,I had to face my own self.

First Few Days were very difficult,filled with lots of self doubts and fear.Then I found a book laying around in the Kitchen.It was Eckhart Tolle's "Power of Now".I had read a few pages and thrown it in the Kitchen as I found it very repetitive and boring.Now I had no other option other than to read the solitary book.I started reading and shockingly could relate to a lot of Eckhart Tolle's experiences to my own.Then I happen to read one of his article on the web which stresses about "Learning to Say No" on the same day.

It is the most Important Piece of Advice I ever listened to.Saying a simple 'No' can be such a pain knowing that it has the capacity to hurt your dear ones.You dont want to come across as Rude and there are several other things running on your mind.We build up too many barriers in our mind to saying a 'No'.But beleive me Saying a 'No' can actually free you.

That doesnt mean you say 'No' to everyone and everything.Learn to say 'No' to things you are unable to do.

Life will be a much better and a far more peaceful place.

P.S:I hope this post is helpful to all those who have a Saying 'No' block.

Is Osho the most misunderstood Mystic?

2011-09-08T10:11:00.003+05:30

Over the past few years,I have been confronted with a wide array of emotions from people when the name of Osho is uttered.The irony is most of them have never read any of his book.All these while they might have heard ill things about him or may have read a wikipedia article about him.One thing is certain with Osho,You will either love him or hate him;there is no middle ground.His teaching has always been to provoke people and awaken them.His statements can be insightful,cutting edge,controversial,derogatory and is sure to bring up a lots of emotions for starters.

Its no secret that he has die hard fans and as well as people who hate his guts.I would say Osho is not for everyone.He is not for the weak or for the ones who resist change.But If you are the one who is ready for a transformation I would go as far as saying there is no better Master than him.The transformation could be months or years depending on you but once you are through the process you will not be attached to him.You will be a transformed being.

Another great thing during this transformation process is that you will be introduced to various different individuals of complete diversity by Osho ranging from Khalil Gibran to Nietzche.I am yet to see another Master who introduces teachings of many other contemporaries.

I have also been existentially fortunate to have met people who never read any spiritual books but have become aware.These People dont need any Master like Osho.They would eventually reach their goal in their own way.

I really dont mind people hating Osho,but the next time you abuse him make sure you have atleast read a couple of books by him.

I bet you will hate him more

Movie,Movies and More Movies

2011-06-29T07:20:00.005+05:30

Been Few Months since I watched a Movie and decided to go in for a Movie Marathon.My Thoughts on all those Movies I watched.

1.Pyaar Ka Punchnama

Nearly every Male on the Planet who understands Hindi had recommended it to me and It was a fun filled Guy Movie.Guys could easily relate to lot of things in the movie and it was way better than those silly reality shows.Many of them consider this as a cult movie.Eventhough I disagree with that it is a good movie.

2.Shaitan

As a Fan of Anurag Kashyap I could be biased on all his movies eventhough he did only produce Shaitan.Shaitan is a modern day remake of Anurag Kashyap's First Movie Paanch which never got released as kids in the censor board felt it was way too violent.There is a preview copy available on the web though.Shaitan is way better than Paanch.Its more of style over substance.I am a sucker for this genre as I consider movies like Snatch,Pulp Ficton and Go as classics.

3.L'appartement

This has to be one of the all time great French Movies ever made.French are known for making some really impressive thrillers and this one is easily the best.Lots of twists and turns and a non linear screenplay makes this movie a must watch.

4.Three Colors:Trilogy

Three Colors:Blue,White,Red Trilogy is one of the famous works of Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski.This is film making at its very best.Those familiar with the european genre of films will enjoy it.

Abracadabra Open IRCTC

2011-05-06T16:13:00.007+05:30

Time 8:01 AM
Day:Everyday

I know many of you who travel by train and book tickets online might have been seeing this very page for several years now.

Its time to dissect the IRCTC Server

IRCTC uses IIS Web Server. Windows Servers Suck Big Time but still that doesnt mean it cant handle the load if proper resources are provided. IRCTC doesn’t allow Keep-alive header as a result of which each request has to go through TCP handshake before serving the response. At 8:00, the requests are at its peak and reach the throttle limit the thus the server throws temporary 503 Service Unavailable error.(Courtesy:The World Wide Web)

So this is the Issue and IRCTC needs a bigger server or CDN or Cloud Computing. One of my Server handles few lakh Hits Everyday and its just a $400 Server.IRCTC earns in crores Everyday and Why cant it afford a better platform and a Server for Hosting remains a big Mystery to me.

I am very sure There is a Massive Scam beneath this IRCTC because they never address the core problem which is having a bigger Server which can handle the load.They have taken some Superficial Steps like Banning Agents till 9 A.M but looks like the site has become worse than ever.

At the Current Moment Though Only one Solution is Possible.

That is

Indian Education Scam

2011-03-14T17:22:00.007+05:30

Indian Education Scam is hardly ever discussed in the Public Domain.It begins with a careful and strategic Plan of formulating a New Course say for (eg) Classic Botany+Zoology becomes Biotechnology,NanoTechnology,PharmaTechnology..etc.Once a fancy term is coined the next step is to market this course.

These courses are then advertised indirectly through News Channels and Magazines faking them to be genuine News Reports and articles which give guidance for students and Parents.(Google the Term "Paid News" for further Info).

The Colleges hire a few Professors and call them Educational Consultants.These so called Educational Consultants are just pimps who prey Students and make sure they join these Courses in these colleges.These pimps get well paid by the college Administration.

The Next Scam happens mostly in universities.Once again another fancy term is coined like Msc.Genomical Toxicology DNA RNA Moronic Pathology.The Guys running these courses are from well reputed Universities with the tag "Ranked No 934 in Asia".Still You have doubts about the course and you plan to meet the Guy running the Course.Typically you encounter a Professor in his 50's and a proud owner of a Maruti 800 who hardly comes out of his room.

He coaxes you saying "Look this is the future,You can enter into Phd and Then a Post Doctorate".You look into his face and then convince yourself "No this guy cant be lying; looks like a genuine dude(Who else owns a Maruti 800)".You take the Entrance examination and get a call that you have been selected to join the Course as only 15 people have been selected.At this point you dont realise that only 15 had taken the Entrance exam and all of them including you have failed.

You join the Post Graduate course with great expectations and realise you have been made into a complete jackass by the professor who actually owns an Aston Martin but drives around in a Maruti 800.You still convince yourself into the hopeful dreamworld of PhD.

After finishing your Postgraduation you travel to all parts of India looking to do your PhD.Your thoughts of a seductive secretary welcoming you gets a huge bolt when you encounter some Pathetic Frustrated Guy who has been doing PhD for some twenty years.You still have the courage to ask him "Can I do my PhD".The Pathetic guy smiles at you sheepishly.

This becomes the Final Nail in the Coffin and you decide to finally follow your Dream of becoming the Pilot you always wanted to Become since you were 2 and 1/2 years old when you saw the pirated copy of the movie Top Gun in a VCR/VCP Player.

*End of Story*

Bottomline:Dont Join any Science Course unless you are very passionate about joining it and dont want to earn a lot.

Real People - Where Art Thou?

2011-02-07T11:00:00.007+05:30

Another Post after a Long Delay and I swear Twitter has been eating my Blog Space.If someone can Murder Twitter I will be more happy.Yes Twitter and Facebook are killing Blogs and Forums is an understatement.Hopefully Blogs can hit back.May be this Post will create a revolution like the one in Egypt we have right now.Most of us Prefer to Fight Online like we had 20 million who confirmed their participation in Facebook for Egypt Protests and one million attended.

I find more people on Twitter and Facebook than in real life.A friend of mine had his mobile switched off but was Tweeting with 20 second intervals and another friend of mine is pretty much inacccessible via normal communications(Yes I even tried sending a letter via Pigeon) but lives on Facebook Planet.Are Social Networking Sites killing normal conversations?My Answer is Yes.

With the advent of E-Shopping,Many people hardly get out.We will find lesser people shopping for Books in a Landmark.

So,

Real People Where Art Thou?

Can Twitter Replace Mainstream Media?

2010-12-18T16:14:00.006+05:30

The Growth of Twitter has been tremendous.Currently Twitter is valued at 3.7 Billion Dollars.A Year Ago Twitter was valued at one Billion Dollars.Going at the current pace Twitter can easily mask the mainstream media.Already Blogging has taken a hit(Atleast on my side)

I beleive we need a free and non judgemental media.Most of us beleived Indian Media was so until recently there was Barkhagate and then came IBNLies Gate(http://dalalmedia.posterous.com/36632972)
These Incidents are just tip of the iceberg.Most of us are already aware of paid news in the Indian Media.Journalism in India is not about ethics.Indian Media has become an arm of the Corporate Houses.

So Its about time Twitter starts masking the mainstream Media.English News Channels in India have only 0.4% viewership according to an article by Indian Express(Refer Here).On Twitter we dont have to be put away with Paid news.

A Wise Man Once Said "All Truths are easy to understand once they are discoverable;The Point is to discover them.
Hopefully Truth will prevail.

Rumi Poems

2010-10-27T18:55:00.005+05:30

Came Across some lovely Poems by Sufi Mystic Poet Rumi.
Here are a few of them

Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy,
absentminded. Someone sober
will worry about things going badly.
Let the lover be.

This we have now

is not imagination.

This is not

grief or joy.

Not a judging state,

or an elation,

or sadness.

Those come and go.

This is the presence that doesn't.

There is a life-force within your soul, seek that life.

There is a gem in the mountain of your body, seek that

mine.

O traveler, if you are in search of That
Don't look outside, look inside yourself and seek That.

This aloneness is worth more than a thousand lives.

This freedom is worth more than all the lands on earth.

To be one with the truth for just a moment,
Is worth more than the world and life itself.

Nothing Exists - Zen Story

2010-09-28T11:37:00.001+05:30

Yamaoka Tesshu, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shokoku.

Desiring to show his attainment, he said: "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."

Dokuon, who was smoking quietly, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe. This made the youth quite angry.

"If nothing exists," inquired Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"

Where are we Heading?

2010-08-22T18:51:00.004+05:30

Finally a post on my blog.My tight schedules meant that I have hardly devoted any time for my blog which I should have.Hopefullly I will have much more to blog.Now over to the topic.

Where are we Heading as a human race is a question that has been lingering on my mind for quite a while now.We have been mass hypnotisned into a delusional society that cant act on its own.The key fuels to this have been two things.Money and Power.

Money First.I remember being obsessed with money making a couple of years ago.The more money i made even more i wanted.This phase went on until oneday i realised I had turned into a greedy money making materialist.Yes We need money for survival and no one hates a bit of luxury but being stuck in a money making spree is dangerous.

Do you think Money is wealth?Hell No!!What happens when your bank gets broke or the land you own is acquired by the government.It may seem negative,but thats the truth.We have been conditioned to beleive money is everything.

For the Rupee to have value all that is necessary is that the people holding them believe they have value. The more value we believe Rupees have, the less we are willing to trade for goods and services. They(Governments) manipulate the faith of the people by adjusting interest rates, using fuzzy mathematics(which i never understood)to hide things like inflation, trade deficits, unemployment figures etc. In short we are beginning to awaken, more and more people are becoming aware to the fact that money is an illusion.

Power: Check this for the 48 laws of power.A book written by Robert Greene and Joost Elffers. It is self explanatory.It tells you how to exploit fellow human beings and how not to be a human being at all.

Having read this What do you feel.Where are we Heading?

Airtel Digital Tv HD - All Info

2010-07-04T19:25:00.003+05:30

Indian DTH viewers are ready to enter into new world of Television viewing , HD viewing with launch of Sun Direct’s Sun Direct HD, Reliance’s Reliance BIG TV HD DVR, Dish TV’s Dish TruHD and Tata Sky’s Tata Sky HD.
And now one more DTH operators are also joining them with launch of Airtel’s HD Service ” Airtel Digital TV HD” which has been launched. Airtel digital TV, the DTH arm of Bharti Airtel, has launched its High Definition service, with set top boxes (STBs) priced at Rs 2,840, further fuelling the price war in the sector.
“Airtel digital TV HD will be available at Rs 2,250 for our existing customers choosing to upgrade and Rs 2,840 for all new customers,” Bharti Airtel Director and CEO (DTH) Ajai Puri said. As of now, subscribers will get access to ESPN’s HD feed of the FIFA World Cup for Rs 99.

Check First view of Airtel Digital TV HD STB:

The Wind will Take Us

2010-04-21T09:06:00.003+05:30

In my small night, ah
the wind has a date with the leaves of the trees
in my small night there is agony of destruction
listen
do you hear the darkness blowing?
I look upon this bliss as a stranger
I am addicted to my despair.

listen do you hear the darkness blowing?
something is passing in the night
the moon is restless and red
and over this rooftop
where crumbling is a constant fear
clouds, like a procession of mourners
seem to be waiting for the moment of rain.
a moment
and then nothing
night shudders beyond this window
and the earth winds to a halt
beyond this window
something unknown is watching you and me.

O green from head to foot
place your hands like a burning memory
in my loving hands
give your lips to the caresses
of my loving lips
like the warm perception of being
the wind will take us
the wind will take us.

By: Forugh Farrokhzad

Orkut's Worst Pick Up Lines

2010-04-15T11:00:00.004+05:30

Not an Orkuteer or a Social Media Addict these days but happen to find this post on the web about the Worst pickup lines on orkut.Credits to the original poster.

Mr. X

Hello, mam

We have not met, but I m sure u are very beautyfull as your pic.

And aapak nature bhi bahut accha hoga.

Pata tab chalega Jab main aapse miloonga,

Miloonga tab jab dosti hogi …

So, make my friend.

(And this was a testimonial)

Mr. Y

hiiiiiiii
im frm idgah hills
can we guys b gud frndz

(Dude it’s a gal … you are a guy … come on focus)

Mr.Z

dude you look so sweet

can we make franz

(Now you are killing me !! dude –> guy ….. no gal … “Gee you why” guy)

(And the second line … don’t get me started on that …!)

One in Every 3

Hi, I wanna to make friendships with you.

(Yes!! finally you said it … i m sure all the ladies are dying to read those golden words)

PS: Dude I know you are the king of Orkut but I am sure you dont use these pick up lines.

Dedicated To Whoever it may concern

How to Recover deleted SMS

2010-03-27T09:09:00.008+05:30

Have you deleted SMS messages that you wish were better not deleted? You will be happy to know there are a number of different applications that can help you recover the messages you want, but not all of them are free and you need to purchase the application. However, if you own a Nokia phone you might lucky, as there are very good chances of SMS recovery from your cellphone without any specialized data recovery software.In this tutorial I will explain, the steps to be followed in order to recover deleted SMS from a SIM card or phone memory.

Steps Involved:

1. First of all download and install FExplorer, excellent file manager and also sends files via Bluetooth.

Download Fexplorer

2. Launch FExplorer and navigate to C: if you use Phone Memory to store your messages (default) and D: if you use Storage Card as your SMS storage location.

3. Now navigate to and open "system" folder.

4. Now open the "mail" folder.
5. This folder should contain many folders named similar to 0010001_s etc. with files named 00100000 etc. These files are the actual deleted messages. Use FExplorer's inbuilt text viewer to view these files. You will need to browse through every folder and open all files inside them until you get the required SMS.

PS:Happen to Recover sms'es that i send 2 years ago.Wish i had not recovered them :-)

Server Headaches?

2010-02-22T21:22:00.004+05:30

I have been with hostgator for years.Now that my bandwidth is running high and Iam looking for a decent dedicated server for my Web Hosting Company demands that i shift soon.I am having problems finding a suitable dedicated server.Looks like finding a shared hosting is easy.
Hopefully I will get things sorted out soon.

P.S:This Happens to be my 100th Post Too. :-)

Paypal Suspends Indian Payments

2010-02-08T19:38:00.005+05:30

Paypal has put us(Indian Webmasters) in a spot.It has effectively banned its operations in India for the past one week.Paypal Users are not able to withdraw money to their respective bank accounts.All the payments are getting reversed.
To Top it all Paypal has come up with just one piece of info in a blog post.
We would like to know what the real issue is.
I am sure paypal will not like to lose an online market worth 150-180 Billion Dollars(Source:ZdNet).With Lot of Speculations going around they will have to come up with an official explanation.
I honestly wish paypal monopoly is brought down after this ugly showdown.

Good 'Ol days

2010-01-25T21:03:00.003+05:30

Happen to Remember those days in the 90's Watching Mtv.Truly Miss them.These Days Mtv is more of a Reality channel with crap shows except Roadies.Found Some Classic Mtv Videos.
Check them out Guys.

Wishes and Apologies

2010-01-21T15:28:00.002+05:30

Wishing Everyone a Very Happy New Year.
Apologies for not updating the blog due to my professional commitments.
Hopefully I will update it regularly and the blog has turned 2 years old.
Take Care Folks.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T10:10:00.001+05:30

Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas!!

Blissful Prayers

2009-11-15T08:14:00.003+05:30

"WHEN you pray purify your intelligence and it becomes your wisdom. Purify yourself completely and you become one with whole. And to be on with the whole is the ultimate benediction, the blissfulness, the experience for which thousands of people have been searching down the ages on wrong paths. This world has to be loved, this world has to be respected, this world has to be your temple, your mosque your church. This world has to be your gratefulness, your gratitude. Enlightenment is not something of another world. Enlightenment happens now and here."-Osho

500 Days of Summer

2009-10-24T19:55:00.003+05:30

This is Easily one of the Best Movies I watched in Years.
Here is the Official Trailer.

P.S:In Fond Memory of Platonic Relationships.

Language Woes

2009-09-24T21:17:00.002+05:30

It was an evening during my undergraduate education.It was a hostel strike.Few of us were summoned to meet a staff at the office.He was a professor in his late forties with a receding hairline.Rather unusually one of my friend questioned him "Sir,What is the Problem?"He shouted "Hey!!Your Problem,Our Problem,All Problem".We all replied "No problem" and left.People tell me he was skilled in French but forgot his english lessons.Anyways I moved on from there and thought I would never encounter such person ever.

It was the first day of my Postgraduate class.I was very optimistic of being a very good marine biologist.It came to an abrupt end.Yes He entered,He introduced himself.His name was in classical Tamil.I have never heard such a name before even in tamil poems.He explained Marine Biology as "See All catch fish catch but you also catch a big catch".That day i recall was the beginning of the end of my dream of being an marine biologist.

P.S :-Happen to see a clip which took me back down my memory lanes and made this post possible.(I am not from this university)Anyways Here is the clip