Some Random Thoughts

The Real Punjab- No Propaganda, No Fairy Tales. Only The Ground Reality

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:49:00 +0000

"When I was growing up, Punjab was the richest state in India. Now it is ranked tenth, and heading towards imminent bankruptcy.

Punjabis, who used to be envied for their fierce can-do spirit, have now turned into clowns- the idealists romanticize people like Bhindranwale,

the pragmatic have been absorbed into a Sukhbir Badal led business-politician-police mafia syndicate,

the youth suffer from chronic alcohol-drug addiction,

the dumb masses remain gullible about empty Punjabi chauvinism,

the rest have simply given up and emigrated away!"
-a fellow Punjabi on Facebook

I agree wholeheartedly. This is what is happening.

I've worked in IELTS and visa industry and, willingly or unwillingly, have played my part in the mass immigration. Anyways, I've had many opportunities to interact with the youth, from both villages and cities and during such discussions often probed as to why would they want to leave their Punjab and struggle in a foreign land.

The answer mostly is of the form that current (around 2012) Punjab is a yard which does not deserve their youth. I think they are right. Come on, who among us would not want to go abroad? How many of us, openly or secretly, make efforts to migrate to UK, Canada, Australia etc?

And those who choose to stay in Punjab, are squeezing it with no sense of belonging or ownership.

Votes For Sale In Punjab: Insane Freebies To Some, At The Expense Of Working Class (Elections 2012)

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:07:00 +0000

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." (Edmund Burke)

SAD-BJP and Congress have announced unbelievable freebies like one kg of wheat at one rupee (0.02 US $) for certain sections of society. These sections have been handicapped by decades of perks and privileges, due to their enormous numbers and unity in voting.

Just because you decide to sell something at 1/20th the price doesn't mean that its production cost has magically reduced.

These artificially created losses will have to be compensated, and by whom? By the people who pay their utility bills, the people who too are enormous in number but lack the unity and form to "expect" fair governance and treatment.

Thankfully, in Punjab, this time there is a party which does not promise candies to kids. Dear Reader, this is our Punjab, and our vote. This time, good men have to do something.

There Is Some Hope (Punjab, India)

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:34:00 +0000

"Removing of a politician's photo from ambulances raises some hope in me that all is not lost. #Punjab", @gopal1035 on Twitter here

Making A Sale Vs Cultivating Trust

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:36:00 +0000

"Stars in these [sales and client management] fields do not approach a customer or client with the determination to make a sale; rather they see themselves as consultants of sorts, whose task is first to listen and understand the client's needs- and only then match the what they have to those needs.

Should they not have what's best, they'll say so-or even take a client's side in making a justified complaint about their own company.

They would rather cultivate a relationship where their advice is trusted than torpedo their relationship just to make a sale.

(This holds wherever someone's success depends on repeat customers or keeping a company's ongoing clients happy)", p87, Social Intelligence (Daniel Goleman)

Punjab Is Changing, And We Will Have To Accept That

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:28:00 +0000

Punjab is being populated by people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. This is something we all know, they come here and do labor, which the Punjabi youth is already shy of. It's a fact- you see more Biharis working as help in offices, parking lots, restaurants than Punjabis, thus making them indispensible.

But, Punjabis themselves want to populate countries like UK, Canada, Australia etc. Both of these movements may be for any reason, but they are happening. And with this, changes are bound to happen.

In the absence of Punjabi men, who will do their role?

My friends from villages, some of whom I got to know during my internship as an IELTS/TOEFL trainer, tell me that there are complete villages devoid of any young man. The parents, ladies of the families are waiting here, while the husband/fiance/son is in abroad. Due to legal issues, Punjabis often have to stay abroad for months and years.

Women, left behind, have their own needs- not money, but others.

So, the change which might have been limited to just an increase in population, will now begin to show itself in the genes of Punjab. Over the course of generations, the people of Punjab might not look like they now.

No matter how we look at it, or try to blame somebody or something- in the current scenario, it is inevitable. Guess now we know first-hand the meaning of melting pot.

Relax, IELTS Is A Test Of English Only

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:46:00 +0000

And Not your GK, IQ Or Anything Else.

No matter your level in English language, you must be clear what IELTS is not. IELTS is not a test of your general knowledge, IQ or even your personality.

So, speak freely, admit your ignorance about topics without hesitation, and have fun! You are going there just to interact in English.

In the same spirit, the topic you are asked to speak upon (cue-card), the questions you are asked etc, are familiar ones, and do not require any specialised knowledge.

Glossary:

ignorance: lack of knowledge, information, or education
hesitate: to be slow to act, speak, or decide; to pause in uncertainty; waver
specialised: applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique

Credits: thefreedictionary.com

IELTS Writing Task II- Activism, Protests And Pressurising The Government

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:45:00 +0000

Some politicians or activists pressurise the government by adopting means like fast, protests etc. Also 24×7 media, Internet, SMS are helping their cause. Do you think that this method of cornering the government and forcing it to accept your terms, even if they seem reasonable, is acceptable?

Your Thoughts And Ideas Are More Important Than English

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:42:00 +0000

Beginners in English may make the mistake of compromising their thoughts for the English language. I would like to tell you that English is just a language, like any other and is thus a means to an end.

In normal usage, simple words are preferred because the aim is to get your message across to the maximum people with minimum effort.

But in IELTS, you should try to use difficult but appropriate words.

Why so?
Because in IELTS, out of four grading criteria one is Lexical Resource and this means the number and variety of different words you know and can use effectively.
Glossary

means to an end: something done to achieve something else
compromise: to reduce the quality, value, or degree of something.
appropriate: suitable or fitting for a particular purpose, person, occasion, etc.

Start Thinking In English

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:41:00 +0000

At the end of my first week as an IELTS trainer, I realised that the problem of most students was not in the ideas on what to speak, but how to speak.

You could begin your journey of mastery in IELTS and possibly mastery in English by beginning to think in English.

e.g. when you wake up in the morning and it is raining heavily, you will think to yourself, in English, “Oh! It’s raining heavily today” and not in any other language.

I would like that you eventually reach a level that when something happens instantly the knee-jerk words that you think/utter are in English.

Office Space Available For Rent At Nabha, Patiala, Punjab (India)

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:35:00 +0000

A newly constructed tower, suitable for multinationals and banks, having three floors is available for rent. The location is Cinema Road, Nabha in Patiala Disctrict (Punjab, India).

Details:

Ground floor - 1150 sq ft
First floor -
Second floor - 1200 sq ft
One washroom on each floor

Photos:

Contact:
Mr. Manohar Jindal
Mobile : +91 9814042331
Landline : +91 1765 329331
Email: gopal1035@gmail.com

Where To Put My 400 Dollars? iPod Touch, Android Mobile Or Nokia Mobile

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:32:00 +0000

In the near future I'm planning to spend around 400 dollars for a top of the line entertainment device. Mobile phone is optional.

The options include iPhone, iPod Touch, tablets, Android phones and Nokia touchscreen phones, .

iPhone is a tempting device, but I don't need a mobile and moreover typing on a touchscreen is something I haven't opened up to yet.

Also, here in India, officially the iPhone is released a generation back. No point in buying outdated technology.

"Dear Apple, please throw all unsold iPhone 4s in the recycle truck and launch iPhone 5 in India too"

iPod Touch is like an iPhone without the phone and some hardware downgrades. Like low-quality camera, no flash- It's fine for me. Keeping entertainment device and mobile separate might actually be a good thing.

Apple's app store is the winning factor.

Apple app store is like a walled garden and requires an yearly fee of 100$ from developers, all apps have to be individually passed by Apple, etc. For a developer these might be issues, but as a consumer, I like it.

Less risk of incomplete apps, or "hello-world" apps, or malicious apps.

Also, I think it is the most popular platform and bright developers spend more of their time on Apple's iOS as compared to Android, Symbian or Samsung's Bada.

The popular apps do get ported to other platforms e.g. Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Flight Control, but some apps are only available in Apple's App Store.

Top-end Android mobiles are also options. Mobiles like Samsung Galaxy, Google Nexus, HTCs are all too popular. I give in to the hardware of these devices, but what about the apps? I'd not feel comfortable in an app market where anyone can publish anything.

e.g. Once I had to format my Nokia N79 and lose all data and installed apps because of some poorly written app. But then, software for Windows computers is also unregulated. Maybe Android market is still maturing.

Top-end Nokia touchscreen phones- I have to give it to Nokia, their app store Ovi Store is improving by the day. And there is no competition to the Nokia Maps' free voice navigation.

Also, top apps from Apple app store do get ported here frequently, but I'd rather go with the primary source.

Tablets like iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab etc. I want something pocket-able and for a larger device would go with a proper netbook.

Update (May 7, 2011): iPhone has fallen out of favor in my eyes as a smartphone. Value for money is low for it. I can get top-end mobiles (Android, Nokia) at much lesser than an iPhone.

As for my 400$, I'd buy an iPod Touch 5 and keep entertainment and business separate.

Update (Jan 13, 2012): Nokia N8 is my current fancy, though have been hearing rumors of its successor being launched in summer or 2012. Either way it's a win- N8 should get cheaper while leaving the option to pay a little extra for a newer product.

Darshan of Peer Nigahe (Una, Himachal Pradesh, India) With Family

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sun, 01 May 2011 05:39:00 +0000

Book Highlights- Social Intelligence, The Revolutionary New Science Of Human Relationships, Daniel Goleman

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 05:20:00 +0000

Significance For Businesses

We "catch" strong emotions much as... p13
The give-and-take of feeling accompanies every human encounter we have, no matter the business at hand may be p16
Though the impervious may sail through even the most toxic encounter p18
When people are n rapport, they can be more creative together p29
Nonverbal > verbal p30
In a meeting room... p48
Persuasion- empathy necessary p52
Choosing your assistant p65
The best mechanic in a factory, may fail as a foreman for lack of social intelligence p83
They would rather cultivate a relationship where their advice is trusted rather than torpedo their reliability just to make a sale p88
A powerful leader is expected to display anger when a group's goals has been frustrated p94
Social intelligence is no substitute for other required [technical] skills p94
Good organizational citizenship p96
Healthy narcissists vs unhealthy narcissists, regarding business leadership p119
...healthy dissent dies out p121
Health of workers and role of supervisors p227
Dangers of reacting passively to insult p227

General

Synchrony works best when it is spontaneous p40
Pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it, and this you have power to revoke at any moment p76
Gain control on emotions p77
Social phobia p78
We cannot stop sending signals p85
Relationships with customers are important p88
Components of social intelligence p84
Emphatic accuracy represents, some argue the essential expertise in social intelligence p88
A failure in synchrony sabotages social competence, throwing interactions off-kilter p91
...gaps in self-control; "control and mask" p93, 94
...use the least-force necessary, though they may make a strong show of force to back it up (least-force theory) p95
Suggestions for successful marriage p89, 109, 110, 153, 159, 165, 175, 197
Situations when turning a blind eye may benefit a relationship p96
Potential ways to estimate a woman's nurturing tendencies p96, 159, 167
The low road is eminently trainable p99
"He's got terrific technical skills, but zero social skills" p106
Despite his social inabilities, Borcherds has found success p133
Although mindblind, such hypermale brains can be gifted when it comes to understanding systems, such as the stock market, software and quantum physics p139
Asperger's or autism...they can excel in many fields, if they find a congenial setting to apply their talents p140
...such neural capacities matter immensely p143
It's not just which genes we are born with, but their expression that matters p150
How genes operate p150, 151
The human brain is designed to change itself in response to accumulated experience p152
Every child experiences the very same family in sharply idiosyncratic ways p155
Don't shield timid children, toddlers p160, p161
Parents don't realize that though biology constrains certain outcomes, it does not determine what can happen p161
Some, seemingly giving up hope of outside help... p167

More info at Wikipedia, buy at Amazon or Flipkart (affliate links) .

Book Highlights- Don't Make Me Think 2/e, Steve Krug

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 07:12:00 +0000

But Web users are generally in such a hurry that they routinely miss subtle cues p75
As usual, the interface problem is just a reflection of a deeper- and harder to solve- dilemma p84
It's a great way to develop a sense of what works and what doesn't- Krug's Trunk Test p85, 86
Debates vs Testing p129
Keeping testing simple- so that you do enough of it p131
If you can afford to hire a professional to do your testing, by all means do it! But don't do it if it means you'll do less testing p137
I should never have to think about formatting data p164
How many opportunities do we have to dramatically improve people's lives just by doing out job a little better (regarding Accessibility) p171
Most of the time on the Web, people dont want to be engaged, they just want to get something done (regarding sizzzle or "pizazz" in a website) p184

More info at Wikipedia, buy at Amazon or Flipkart (affiliate links).

Addition Of Two Colored Lines To Quickly Indicate The Color Of Pen Refill

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:33:00 +0000

Item: Gel pen refill
Advantage: Knowing the color of refill at a glance
How: Adding two colored lines on the body of refill

(click for larger image)

My Kid Brother And I

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 06:21:00 +0000

Image by gopal1035

Vivek drew this on the wall, and when I asked him said he's taking me for a walk :)

It Takes Risk To Make Iconic Products. And A Focus On Not Merely Appeasing Customers

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:54:00 +0000

The following is an insightful comment by Antonie RJ Wright on An article By tomiahonen on the recent dip in Nokia's market share (Jan 2011)

"Nice post, and sure to get some (many) of the folks who've called you a "Nokia apologist" to pull back their ears to listen a bit.

A point you might have said, but might have been lost in the depth of words you used:-

It takes risk to make iconic products. You have to have belief that the product is going to be above expectations, even in a broken state. There's the vision and execution needed to pull it off.

And a focus on not merely appeasing customers, but believing that you know better than they what they'd want.

Nokia, for all of its battling on several fronts (to pull your analogy), might have stopped believing in the higher ranks that they can risk their icon and win.

Unlike a company like Palm who didn't have the means to fund their risk, Nokia folded theirs. That speaks of something that new blood, and probably a decline to the pack, can only rectify - if at all.

*I resent the comment about the N97's keyboard - though I know where others are coming from in not liking it. It really was a risk - and a good one that works nicely."

-Antoine RJ Wright, in reply to Undesirable at Any Price? What happened to Nokia, who invented the smartphone by tomiahonen

Profile Of A Professional Programmer- Something We All Could Aspire To

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 15:35:00 +0000

"Whilst no one posting here is in a position to tell you which to hire, I'd like to offer a little counterpoint to the proceedings...

One of our most recent new starters is the absolute image of professional experience.

In at 9, out at 5, one hour for lunch. No lates, no weekends.

Which probably sounds terrible to most of the people who have responded so far.

However, not only is his code better (clean, concise, patterned, understandable, maintainable, test, on time!) than most any other team member, he is also an excellent sounding board for the passionate devs when they think they are about to solve all of our woes is a single deployment, a fountain of knowledge, and a voice sanity saving us from ourselves.

He knows how to push back against pushy management. He can spot scope creep a mile down the road. He writes more unit tests than anyone else. He doesn't b*tch and moan when he gets lumped with a boring task, and he'll probably still be here in 5 years time.

(To add to my first answer)
How do you know the passionate bloke is passionate other than the fact he told you?

He might be doing his best keen face because he so desperately needs the job, people will say most anything to get a job at the moment

He might think he's passionate about coding, but will the sheen start to tarnish when he realises 99% of us don't write sexy code.

Experience is quantifiable and provable.

Experience know that day-to-day, most of us work on non-sexy systems and dirty legacy code.

And Experience shows that they can still drag themselves out of bed in the morning to deal with that.

I would like to reiterate I am not telling anyone who to hire. I do not think experience is better than passion or vice versa. I am not on a massive downer about people who are passionate about coding, but I find it a little worry to see the lack of balance being presented here.

All of the other top voted answers here make very good valid arguments (Matthew Kubicina, User 9094, Otávio Décio, Bernard Dy) and I have voted them as such even if I have reservations about some of their opinions.", runrunraygun

In answer to question, "Choosing between two programmers: experience vs. passion"

Originally published at programmers.stackexchange.com here, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike

Visual Basic 2008 Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 05:40:00 +0000

Use MessageBox.Show() instead of MsgBox().

Why?
Because MsgBox() is deprecated, carried on from Visual Basic 6, and its inclusion is more of a political decision.

Also, MsgBox() is not CLR-compatible, and there might be issues with it in future. (CLR : Common Language Runtime)
I personally prefer to change the names of controls soon after adding them, so that they are more in line with the application.

e.g. renaming Button1 to ButtonAdd, Label4 to LabelStatus etc.

This helps me avoid remembering which control is mapped to which purpose.

Also, it might be better to do it before beginning any coding in the code-behind window.
I personally avoid shorthand assignment operators, for the fear of typo, which may not raise any compiler-error but can wreak havoc with the logic.

Also, if happens, then will require debugging.

e.g.
i += 1
i = +1
Thus, the slightly longer and standard method, which I prefer
i = i + 1

I read somewhere that shorthand expressions provide compilers excellent opportunities for optimization. That's great, but, many programmers and writers suggest that we write for fellow humans first, and machines later.

The First Windows Forms Application Of My Career (Visual Basic.NET)

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 04:05:00 +0000

Visual Basic 2008

A Pet Dog (Poem)

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 05:39:00 +0000

A Pet Dog

Furious barks play the host
To welcome guest at the door
Frightened guest shrinks
The dog beckons his poor master

He armours his guest
And let him in
With assurance for no harm
And command his pet to behave

A stranger to the beast
A friend to the host
He muses at friend's assets
Hardly to be stolen

A small house amidst the town
No risk to the person of pelf
A status vulgar he enjoys
A hazard to playing kids

Humans he can't command
And none there to obey
But the beast at his call
Flatter the master tall

The guest leaves with a sigh
The beast follows the master
And fondles with it before and after
A winner, commander and master!

By (Author Unknown)
--
I read this poem in library when I was in school. Remember copying it down and now sharing with you.

MTV Roadies 8 (2010), Chandigarh Auditions. Went With Bro For His Auditions. Photos And Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 05:12:00 +0000

(click images for full size)

My bro Keshav turned 18 this year, and one of the first things he wanted to was participate in MTV Roadies. Glad MTV chose in-person group discussions and interviews over online forms.

We decided to be one of the first ones to be interviewed. For Season 8, they were coming to Chandigarh on Nov 19, 2010.

Reaching There
Bro and I left for Chandigarh at midnight from Jalandhar in bus. There we met another guy and became good friends as we made our way through the Roadies mania.

The bus left at midnight. After reaching Chandigarh, we three took an auto to the venue and though we had fears that a few guys would have made it before us. But were surprised to found a sizable crowd there. Wow.

After confirming the gates from which the entry was to be allowed, we stationed ourselves at the gate and sat down and prepared ourselves for about five hours of wait and crowd.

It's 4 AM, What Now?
Once settled, we began to chat and listen to music. Some guys sitting beside us began singing the Roadies song. Nice. Also, it was funny to watch some guys plead the bouncers standing inside to open the gates, now.

Sometime later, to put up the banner they asked us to vacate the ramp and boy how difficult it was. No one was willing to move an inch. The security guys lied that they'll be taking in guys once we form a queue about 50 metres from the gate- that cleared the way, for sure :)

But still the rowdiness, the mess remained. Also, some riders were doing stunts. Many were enjoying food etc in their cars.

It's Morning, Sir
It seemed like the entire youth of Punjab was there, and the gate was a ticket to you know, something like the ultimate salvation. The staff there tried their best to manage the scene. The police also came, and tried to manage the crowd so long as to begin entry.

I am happy that my bro and friend were able to get in early, and without getting physically hurt. Guys, the chance of stampedes was an ugly reality there. And people get killed in stampedes.

Dear Reader, kindly enjoy the pics I took there. One reason why I was able to shoot so much was that I didn't intend to give Roadies auditions. I'd rather give job interviews :)

Check Out This Muscular And Mean Black Ford Endeavor

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:40:00 +0000

(click for full image)

(on Twitter)

A Beautiful Thought That Can Put My Mind At Ease

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 05:36:00 +0000

On our last day our GTO told “If you are not recommended please understand that this is not your field”. (link)

Regarding my dream to serve in the Military as an Officer and after my three attempts at the prestigious SSB Interviews, when I discovered my love for computers.

Still, can get emotional at times when think about a career in Army, my first-hand experience with the lifestyle in Army Attachment NCC Camp, or when play lots of Company of Heroes.

Yeah, I know every guy is suited for some particular job, where he can excel easily, while may have to push in some other one, like trying to be a square peg in a round hole- that would be un-optimised, right?

100hitz.com- Good Enough To Do Away With The iPod (Review Of Internet Radio Station)

noreply@blogger.com (Gopal Aggarwal) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 09:29:00 +0000

While trying the Internet Radio (bundled with FM Radio app) on my Nokia mobile, I tried 100hitz.com Hip-Hop and I love the service.

It features hit songs and most of them are very enjoyable, together with details of the singer and album. And you can always buy the songs you find extraordinary from their playlist. And the number of ads is also minimum.

Dear Reader, if you are into hip-hop and enjoy TV channels like Vh1, you must try this Internet radio station. Works on computers as well as mobiles.

It streams at 32kbps and the sound quality is fine.

Tell you what, coupled with local FM stations for Hindi and Punjabi songs (India) and a cheap GPRS/EDGE plan on mobile, I might not need to buy an iPod, really :)

Links: 100hitz.com

@gopal1035