Much is being said about AAP - and to be honest I would vote for AAP whenever possible. But my doubts remain about whether it will be able to remain corruption free. From what I understand - there are some people who have some source of income and work part time for AAP. But no party can survive on part timers alone. So, there must be many volunteers who work full time for AAP. How will those full timers make money? Or how are they making money now? If they have no means of earning money - how long will they be non corrupt?
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Probability of Rajasthan Royals making it to the playoffs in IPL - 2013
If you are following the IPL, you must be aware that there is a very tight race to finish for the 3 playoff berths on the offing. While CSK are pretty much there- RCB,RR,SRH and MI are slugging it out among themselves.
Now there are 8 matches remaining which involve one of the top 5 teams mentioned above. Assuming that all the matches have equal probability of being won by either team, here are each team's chances of making it to the last 4.
Here are the upcoming matches :
kkr+rcb
rr+csk
mi+srh
rcb+kxip
csk+dd
mi+rr
srh+rr
kxip+mi
rcb+csk
srh+kkr
So, at the moment it looks like - it's SRH which is going to lose out.
Here is the php script to generate the above numbers.
Now there are 8 matches remaining which involve one of the top 5 teams mentioned above. Assuming that all the matches have equal probability of being won by either team, here are each team's chances of making it to the last 4.
Here are the upcoming matches :
kkr+rcb
rr+csk
mi+srh
rcb+kxip
csk+dd
mi+rr
srh+rr
kxip+mi
rcb+csk
srh+kkr
| Team | Sure Shot | No way | Stuck at NRR |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSK | 96.2% | 0% | 3.8% |
| RR | 79.7% | 4.8% | 15.5% |
| MI | 79.7% | 4.8% | 15.5% |
| RCB | 43% | 22.7% | 34.4% |
| SRH | 42.2% | 26.8% | 31.1% |
So, at the moment it looks like - it's SRH which is going to lose out.
Here is the php script to generate the above numbers.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Afghan boy molests Indian girl in India
How dare he?
Then again, it's India. He will go scot free.
‘Obsessed’ Afghan national held for molesting Nagaland girl
Then again, it's India. He will go scot free.
‘Obsessed’ Afghan national held for molesting Nagaland girl
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Mozilla and Viagra Turn 15 !
March 31, 1998 is the date that Mozilla was officially launched and Viagra was authorized for sale on March 27, 1998. Have they made a difference ;-)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Arvind Kejriwal's Disruptive Innovation
Here is an excerpt from the famous book The Innovator’s Dilemma by Professor Clayton Christensen. I couldn't help but notice the similarities with the current upheaval happening in the Indian Political Scene. I am reproducing the original here - annotated with my comments (in bold italics).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why do well-managed companies(well established parties) fail? He concludes that they often fail because the very management practices(votebank politics) that have allowed them to become industry leaders(big parties) also make it extremely difficult for them to develop the disruptive technologies(new approaches) that ultimately steal away their markets(voters).
Well-managed companies(parties) are excellent at developing the sustaining technologies(at sustaining their votebanks/corporate liasons) that improve the performance of their products(that help them retain their vote banks/corporate funds) in the ways that matter to their customers(customers). This is because their management practices(politics) are biased toward:
1. Listening to customers(votebanks/corporate sponsorships)
2. Investing aggressively in technologies(formulating policies) that give those customers what they say they want
3. Seeking higher margins(As Nitin Gadkari had famously quipped - chaar kaam hum unke karte hain, chaar kaam wo hamaare karte hain)
4. Targeting larger markets rather than smaller ones(targeting big industrialists/ highly polarized voter bases)
Disruptive technologies(revolutionary politics), however, are distinctly different from sustaining technologies(politics). Disruptive technologies change the value proposition in a market. When they first appear, they almost always offer lower performance(win lower seats/attract few members) in terms of the attributes that mainstream customers(voters/fundraisers) care about. But disruptive technologies have other attributes that a few fringe (generally new) customers(voters/industrialists) value. They are typically cheaper, smaller, simpler, and frequently more convenient to use(cleaner/mostly free of corruption). Therefore, they open new markets(they make voters out of non-voters). Further, because with experience and sufficient investment, the developers of disruptive technologies will always improve their products’(parties') performance, they eventually
are able to take over the older markets(existing mindsets). This is because they are able to deliver sufficient performance on the old attributes(foreign policy/Kashmir), and they add some new ones(anti corruption).
Principles of Disruptive Technology
1. Companies(Parties) Depend on Customers(Castes based voters) and Investors(Reliance/Tata etc) for Resources.
In order to survive, companies must provide customers and investors with the products,services, and profits that they require. The highest performing companies, therefore, have well developed systems for killing ideas that their customers don’t want. As a result, these companies find it very difficult to invest adequate resources in disruptive technologies—lower margin opportunities that their customers don’t want—until their customers want them. And by then, it is too late.
2. Small Markets Don’t Solve the Growth Needs of Large Companies
(Small Markets = Small votebanks such as urban middle class voters - who don't even vote)
To maintain their share prices and create internal opportunities for their employees, successful
companies need to grow. It isn’t necessary that they increase their growth rates, but they must
maintain them. And as they get larger, they need increasing amounts of new revenue just to
maintain the same growth rate. Therefore, it becomes progressively more difficult for them to
enter the newer, smaller markets that are destined to become the large markets of the future. To
maintain their growth rates, they must focus on large markets.
3. Markets(votebanks) That Don’t Exist Can’t Be Analyzed
Sound market research and good planning followed by execution according to plan are the
hallmarks of good management. But companies whose investment processes demand
quantification of market size and financial returns before they can enter a market get paralyzed
when faced with disruptive technologies because they demand data on markets that don’t yet
exist.
4. Technology(Corruption) Supply May Not Equal Market Demand
Although disruptive technologies can initially be used only in small markets, they eventually
become competitive in mainstream markets. This is because the pace of technological progress
often exceeds the rate of improvement that mainstream customers want or can absorb. As a
result, the products that are currently in the mainstream eventually will overshoot the
performance that mainstream markets demand, while the disruptive technologies that
underperform relative to customer expectations in the mainstream market today may become
directly competitive tomorrow. Once two or more products are offering adequate performance,
customers will find other criteria for choosing. These criteria tend to move toward reliability,
convenience, and price
There is a similar article here :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/kejriwals-disruptive-innovation/article4218038.ece
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why do well-managed companies(well established parties) fail? He concludes that they often fail because the very management practices(votebank politics) that have allowed them to become industry leaders(big parties) also make it extremely difficult for them to develop the disruptive technologies(new approaches) that ultimately steal away their markets(voters).
Well-managed companies(parties) are excellent at developing the sustaining technologies(at sustaining their votebanks/corporate liasons) that improve the performance of their products(that help them retain their vote banks/corporate funds) in the ways that matter to their customers(customers). This is because their management practices(politics) are biased toward:
1. Listening to customers(votebanks/corporate sponsorships)
2. Investing aggressively in technologies(formulating policies) that give those customers what they say they want
3. Seeking higher margins(As Nitin Gadkari had famously quipped - chaar kaam hum unke karte hain, chaar kaam wo hamaare karte hain)
4. Targeting larger markets rather than smaller ones(targeting big industrialists/ highly polarized voter bases)
Disruptive technologies(revolutionary politics), however, are distinctly different from sustaining technologies(politics). Disruptive technologies change the value proposition in a market. When they first appear, they almost always offer lower performance(win lower seats/attract few members) in terms of the attributes that mainstream customers(voters/fundraisers) care about. But disruptive technologies have other attributes that a few fringe (generally new) customers(voters/industrialists) value. They are typically cheaper, smaller, simpler, and frequently more convenient to use(cleaner/mostly free of corruption). Therefore, they open new markets(they make voters out of non-voters). Further, because with experience and sufficient investment, the developers of disruptive technologies will always improve their products’(parties') performance, they eventually
are able to take over the older markets(existing mindsets). This is because they are able to deliver sufficient performance on the old attributes(foreign policy/Kashmir), and they add some new ones(anti corruption).
Principles of Disruptive Technology
1. Companies(Parties) Depend on Customers(Castes based voters) and Investors(Reliance/Tata etc) for Resources.
In order to survive, companies must provide customers and investors with the products,services, and profits that they require. The highest performing companies, therefore, have well developed systems for killing ideas that their customers don’t want. As a result, these companies find it very difficult to invest adequate resources in disruptive technologies—lower margin opportunities that their customers don’t want—until their customers want them. And by then, it is too late.
2. Small Markets Don’t Solve the Growth Needs of Large Companies
(Small Markets = Small votebanks such as urban middle class voters - who don't even vote)
To maintain their share prices and create internal opportunities for their employees, successful
companies need to grow. It isn’t necessary that they increase their growth rates, but they must
maintain them. And as they get larger, they need increasing amounts of new revenue just to
maintain the same growth rate. Therefore, it becomes progressively more difficult for them to
enter the newer, smaller markets that are destined to become the large markets of the future. To
maintain their growth rates, they must focus on large markets.
3. Markets(votebanks) That Don’t Exist Can’t Be Analyzed
Sound market research and good planning followed by execution according to plan are the
hallmarks of good management. But companies whose investment processes demand
quantification of market size and financial returns before they can enter a market get paralyzed
when faced with disruptive technologies because they demand data on markets that don’t yet
exist.
4. Technology(Corruption) Supply May Not Equal Market Demand
Although disruptive technologies can initially be used only in small markets, they eventually
become competitive in mainstream markets. This is because the pace of technological progress
often exceeds the rate of improvement that mainstream customers want or can absorb. As a
result, the products that are currently in the mainstream eventually will overshoot the
performance that mainstream markets demand, while the disruptive technologies that
underperform relative to customer expectations in the mainstream market today may become
directly competitive tomorrow. Once two or more products are offering adequate performance,
customers will find other criteria for choosing. These criteria tend to move toward reliability,
convenience, and price
There is a similar article here :
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/kejriwals-disruptive-innovation/article4218038.ece
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Google Reader Alternatives
Much has been said about the death of Google Reader and its alternatives.
As of today I have come across 2 genuine options.
1. Self Host Tiny Tiny RSS Reader.
2. Blogtrottr.com
Couldn't really figure out the rest yet.
Here is good list on alternatives.
As of today I have come across 2 genuine options.
1. Self Host Tiny Tiny RSS Reader.
2. Blogtrottr.com
Couldn't really figure out the rest yet.
Here is good list on alternatives.
Friday, December 07, 2012
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Groundswell - Review
Just about to finish this book by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff. There was and may be still is a lot of buzz about this book but frankly - this book is full of fluff. There is very little substance - if at all - in it. I would rather have a book full of anecdotes and some very innovative ones at that - not the usual run of the mill kind.
If I were to cut this book to size - it will be hardly 70 to 80 pages as opposed to more than 300 which it currently holds.
-1/10.
If I were to cut this book to size - it will be hardly 70 to 80 pages as opposed to more than 300 which it currently holds.
-1/10.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Arvind Kejriwal's Hangout
Watch this recording of Kejriwal's interaction with people on Google+ Hangout.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Copy/Paste
Happy Birthday Firaq Sahab ..........
बहुत पहले से उन क़दमों की आहट जान लेते हैं
तुझे ए ज़िन्दगी, हम दूर से पहचान लेते हैं।
बहुत पहले से उन क़दमों की आहट जान लेते हैं
तुझे ए ज़िन्दगी, हम दूर से पहचान लेते हैं।
तबियत अपनी घबराती है जब सुनसान रातों में
हम ऐसे में तेरी यादों की चादर तान लेते हैं
फ़िराक़ गोरखपुरी ( ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार, पद्म भूषण )
( जन्म: 28 अगस्त 1896 निधन: 1982 )
हम ऐसे में तेरी यादों की चादर तान लेते हैं
फ़िराक़ गोरखपुरी ( ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार, पद्म भूषण )
( जन्म: 28 अगस्त 1896 निधन: 1982 )
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Tehelka loves Congress(Or fears BJP?)
No one needs reminding on how Tehelka has conducted one sting operation after another on BJP. The Defense Expose and The Gujarat Sting Operation are the 2 examples that spring to mind immediately. And today when Assam is literally burning - Tehelka is mute. It's amazing. No shrill shrieks. No In Depth Analyses from the FREE, FAIR, FEARLESS Tehelka. Tehelka's coverage of Assam riots is conspicuous by its absence. Even the Mumbai violence that followed the Assam riots wasn't able to wake Tehelka up?
Let Assam burn. Let Bangladeshis run amok in Kokrajhar. Tehelka would rather busy itself blasting Chetan Bhagat,Baba Ramdev and casting doubts on Team Anna. Sure, that's way more important and easier than to be seen speaking in the same voice as BJP. It's better to keep BJP out of the power as it may open up cases of Income Tax violation against Mr. Tarun Tejpal. What's the point in being free,fair and fearless when their own survival is at stake.
Way to go Tehelka.... You Rock !
Let Assam burn. Let Bangladeshis run amok in Kokrajhar. Tehelka would rather busy itself blasting Chetan Bhagat,Baba Ramdev and casting doubts on Team Anna. Sure, that's way more important and easier than to be seen speaking in the same voice as BJP. It's better to keep BJP out of the power as it may open up cases of Income Tax violation against Mr. Tarun Tejpal. What's the point in being free,fair and fearless when their own survival is at stake.
Way to go Tehelka.... You Rock !
Monday, August 13, 2012
The new escapist fares
What do you think is the real reason behind the success of Gangs of Wasseypur,Paan Singh Tomar,Shanghai and the ilk. If you ask me these are the new means of escape for our beloved urban youth - the multiplex audience. Surrounded by the plastic smiles - mostly in their wall to wall carpeted offices, tired of English in their workplaces they(or us?) and recently migrated from their small towns to big cities, they want to escape to The Real India. A land where people ain't politically correct, where no one thinks twice before uttering MC,BC and the similar stuff.
In a way Anurag Kashyap,Tigmanshu Dhulia et al are doing what Sooraj Barjatya,Karan johar etc have been doing till now. Especially Sooraj Barjatya. His Hum Aapke hain Kaun was the movie that ruled millions of Indian hearts for a long long time. At a time when the great Indian joint family was disintegrating at a scorching pace, he sold the dream of a Ramayanesque family to the Indians who wouldn't mind shedding tears by the bucketful. Even his Vivah did quite well - especially in Bihar.
But times they are a changing. Had Haasil been released today - it would have done quite well. It was too early to make money. But the same director has been able to reach 10 times the audience with Paan Singh Tomar.
In the opening credits of Gangs of Wasseypur, Anurag Kashyap congratulates himself for being able to return to his roots - i.e. the rugged lands of UP,Bihar. But paradoxically - for him to be able to return to his roots and be applauded in the process - his audience had to migrate away from their own.
In a way Anurag Kashyap,Tigmanshu Dhulia et al are doing what Sooraj Barjatya,Karan johar etc have been doing till now. Especially Sooraj Barjatya. His Hum Aapke hain Kaun was the movie that ruled millions of Indian hearts for a long long time. At a time when the great Indian joint family was disintegrating at a scorching pace, he sold the dream of a Ramayanesque family to the Indians who wouldn't mind shedding tears by the bucketful. Even his Vivah did quite well - especially in Bihar.
But times they are a changing. Had Haasil been released today - it would have done quite well. It was too early to make money. But the same director has been able to reach 10 times the audience with Paan Singh Tomar.
In the opening credits of Gangs of Wasseypur, Anurag Kashyap congratulates himself for being able to return to his roots - i.e. the rugged lands of UP,Bihar. But paradoxically - for him to be able to return to his roots and be applauded in the process - his audience had to migrate away from their own.
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Reality of Wasseypur
Here are few articles exploring the real Wasseypur :
REAL GANGS OF WASSEYPUR: जेल से भी साबिर का मर्डर प्लान कर रहा फहीम
गैंग्स ऑफ वासेपुर में यह कौन रामधीर!
वासेपुर- सच या अफ़साना
कोयला तस्करी की माफियागिरी और बादशाहत धनबाद में
10 करोड़ का अपार्टमेंट बनवा रहा फहीम खान
REAL GANGS OF WASSEYPUR: जेल से भी साबिर का मर्डर प्लान कर रहा फहीम
गैंग्स ऑफ वासेपुर में यह कौन रामधीर!
वासेपुर- सच या अफ़साना
कोयला तस्करी की माफियागिरी और बादशाहत धनबाद में
10 करोड़ का अपार्टमेंट बनवा रहा फहीम खान
 |
| The real life Fahim khan who is portrayed by Nawazuddin siddiqui in the movie Gangs of Wasseypur |
Thursday, August 09, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Asha Bhat from Jammu Kashmir
In today's Satyamev Jayate,
Asha Bhat from J&K was invited. She is the first Kashmiri Pandit woman to win a Panchayat election in a Muslim majority village of J&K.
Here are few related links :
Pune salutes Kashmiri woman’s historic win
Asha Bhat from J&K was invited. She is the first Kashmiri Pandit woman to win a Panchayat election in a Muslim majority village of J&K.
Here are few related links :
Pune salutes Kashmiri woman’s historic win
Sunitha Krishnan from Prajwala
In today's Satyamev Jayate,
Sunitha krishnan from Prajwala was invited who helpstrafficked women and girls in finding shelter.
Here are few related links :
Prajwala India Home Page
Sunitha Krishnan on Wikipedia
Prajwala on Wikipedia
Sunitha krishnan from Prajwala was invited who helpstrafficked women and girls in finding shelter.
Here are few related links :
Prajwala India Home Page
Sunitha Krishnan on Wikipedia
Prajwala on Wikipedia
Sanjeev Kumar - Bahishkrit Hitkari Sangathan
In today's Satyamev Jayate,
Sanjeev Kumar from Bahishkrit Hitkari Sangathan was invited. He works for the most vulnerable groups of the society - including Doms and other Dalits.
Here are few related links :
Youtube - Bahishkrit Hitkari Sangathan
Sruti.org.in - History of Bahishkrit Hitkari Sangathan
Hunger strike for land rights in Bihar
Sanjeev Kumar from Bahishkrit Hitkari Sangathan was invited. He works for the most vulnerable groups of the society - including Doms and other Dalits.
Here are few related links :
Youtube - Bahishkrit Hitkari Sangathan
Sruti.org.in - History of Bahishkrit Hitkari Sangathan
Hunger strike for land rights in Bihar
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