Opinion Uncensored

Premise: Google feeling increasingly threatened by Facebook which has just been claiming to have 500 million users Why is , if at all Google afraid  ? Facebook has already moved in to the areas of 1.  Advertisements  – Directly hitting Google where it shall hurt most. Google still has over 90% of his revenue in the form of ads. 2.  Docs  – Though not a core business for Google but still infuriating, especially with open Microsoft backing to FB. 3.  Facebook Credits  – Hitting the Google checkout and PayPal. 4.  Social Networking - Google is already loosing the grip orkut had in the few markets to Facebook. Areas it is trying to establish itself 1. Marketplace  – Directly hitting out at e-bay and amazon 2.  Facebook Answers  – Directly hitting yahoo answers and google answers. It is here where there is bigger danger for Google lies. If people start getting answers to their problems fr...

Premise: Google feeling increasingly threatened by Facebook which has just been claiming to have 500 million users Why is , if at all Google afraid  ? Facebook has already moved in to the areas of 1. Advertisements - Directly hitting Google where it shall hurt most. Google still has over 90% of his revenue in the form of ads. 2. Docs - Though not a core business for Google but still infuriating, especially with open  Microsoft  backing to FB. 3. Facebook Credits - Hitting the Google checkout and  PayPal . 4. Social Networking - Google is already loosing the grip orkut had in the few markets to Facebook. Areas it is trying to establish itself 1. Marketplace - Directly hitting out at e-bay and amazon 2. Facebook Answers - Directly hitting yahoo answers and google answers. It is here where there is bigger danger for Google lies. If people start getting answers to their problems from their networks then first casualty will be Google's search business. Moreover being actively ...

Now the story moves to the second day since on day one it was already half past nine when I reached by hotel. I just strolled around the nearby market , had a pizza and slept. I woke up at something like 11 on the next day since I was in a holiday mood. After that I drank 2 litres of milk and ventured to Patong beach. It was one of the less crowded beach but looked ot have a lot of potential for tourists. I can say so because there were a large number of beach chairs vacant. I went through the list of water sports on the block and realized I had done all of them in my previous beach trips in Bali, Batam or Penang ....I was kind of  slightly disappointed...but then suddenly I saw an advertisement for bungee jumping..whoaa thats new.... I after some bickering with the tuktuk ( thats what they call the local auto taxis) I reached the place. The bungee jumping was a scary but once in a lifetime event.    I asked the instructor for some insight into interesting places to visit. During the j...

Phuket trip was my first trip alone I mean without a friend group. I had booked a budget hotel and went without any plan for the trip . I had done no research about places to visit which I usually dont do even for the other places I visit. For the other places my friends have already a well documented wish list of places to visit . But this time it was different . I want it to totally random. The excitement began from the airport. I had convinced my boss to let me go out of office few minutes early. I had my luggage in my back pack and cleared the immigration swiftly. I was conscious of not  making any mistake since I was all alone. I during the time I was waiting to board the flight noticed two young Indian looking guys talking in Hindi...ohkk s oI have some desis with me on the flight as well. During the flight i tried to strike a conversation with them since they were sitting right in front of my seat.I told them while we were getting of the plane that visas for Indians wil be free ...

Kambhaqt dard se itni mohabbat ho gayi hai rakeeb ki ab dawa se hi dar lagta hai, Raat ho chuki hai itni  lambi, phir bhi humein andhere se dar lagta hai

Wo muqamal jahan ka vaasta de kar apni tanhaiyyon ko chupa liya karte hain, Barsaat ke baad kuch boonden phool bhi chupa liya karte hain, Chor diya karte the wo do boond botal mein peene ke baad , Aaj hosh khone ke liye wo do pal ki mehfil ka intezaar kiya karte hain ...

Cooking is one of the most underrated activities. A manager can learn a lot from a cook who may be a simple house wife. I will like to share some instances of cooking skills and deep embedded management principles which can be learnt from them. I will share how some of the basic simple activities of kitchen contain in them the biggest and the most complex lessons of management.

Confused Sky 1 Originally uploaded by varunmittal87 The sky is confused whether it wants to rain or let the sun set ...

Life is like a formula one race. The team prepares for the pit stops so much in advance. A driver's success depends on so many factors other than his own capability.Even if we discount the factor of capabilities of competitors , it is the complete team which matters. So in order to be the winner a driver and his team both need to be best together. The driver can't control the team , he can only control his car. Similarly a person can't control all his circumstances. He can only control himself . At the end coming first in not important inmy opinion. What is important is that you adapt to your circumstances and keep driving :)

This is what I told me nephew when he asked me whether engineering is all fun or all slogging out or mixture I told him - Life is like a cricket match in which you are batting first. How much you score in your power plays and first inning determines how much effort you have to make later. Your performance in your youth and early adult hood is equal to your score in first inning . The later part of your life is the second innings .... So you decide how much sacrifices you can make when and how serious you want to take things when.... Of course all is not lost if you can not perform very well in first inning. You can still bounce back ....

PS: This is a post in taste of humor, please do not get offended by this. Three goals of a bachelor - Job, House , Girlfriend If he can have these Thats all he needs...There is a relativity factor involved in these which leads to satisfaction on getting any two of them - 1) If the guy gets a good Job and Girl Friend, then  he doesn't care where he stays. Wherever he stays he will be happy. 2) If he has a good girl friend and good house, then he doesn't mind even of the job is not very good. He will still be happy. 3) If he has a good job and house then he is happy like me :)

One is a superpower trying to fix  its tattered and faltering economy and other if the emergent superpower producing almost everything at fraction of cost anyone else can. They compete with each other, fight with each other on differnt issue but deep down the heart are aware that both need each other. The bottom line is that China knows the biggest consumption driver is still USA and they hold over 2 trillion in  US treasury bonds . Now China is stuck with those bonds since there is none it can sell them off since so one has enough cash to buy them. So at least in the near future the love hate relationship will continue. This is the Cold War 2.0 with different foundations of conflict....History indeed repeats itself !!!

Since the time of Nehru India was a highly regulated system. Indira strengthened the controls by her Inspector Raj and Licanse Raj. I was thinking and realized one of three most successful sectors in India are the most unregulated ones. Lets see the sectors which succeeded in India even in the absence of regulations in the post liberalization era- 1) Beauty Pageant India got Miss Universe and Miss World title by hordes and swarms since Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai won the first titles in post liberalization era. Before 1991 India had only 1 world Pageant winner in Rita Faria in 1960. Beauty Pageant in India were promoted by wife of one of the old industry scion Wadia ( Bombay dyeing, Brittania) . There was no government regulations and bureaucracy involved.  The sector flourished . We got global brand names and so many cine stars like Aishwarya Rai from these pageants. 2) Information Technology The IT industry was started only after the IT revolution started by Sam Pitroda in...

" The Odessa File" The book was written by Frederick Forsyth My style of book review is a little different than the ones i have read so far. The story, plot , etc you can find on wikipedia and other sources so I come straight to my part. What I liked The dialog exchange between the hero and villain at the end of story leading to unfolding of the mystery was the best part of the story. Author was successful in gaurding the suspense till the end to ensure the ROI of time invested in reading the book ;). The emotional scenes wherein the person around whose diary the story revolves has to send his own wife to gas chamber. It just sends shiver down the spines thinking what must have gone through the mind of person. The guilt, fear and desire to survive and tell the story creates an incredibly invigorating cauldron of thoughts which really forces reader to think. The explanation of mindset of SS people which has not been captured much in usual books and documentaries I have come ...

This is one movie which I see when I am down and feel like quiting. The energy which the Shahid gets from Kareena helps my mind come out of my blocking spots. A lot of time things do go bad and we feel frustrated. We feel the world has come crashing on us. The right thing to do is swift action to remove the elements which drag you down. One should burn and blush the things after learning the requisite lessons from the things which are draining one out of their energy. This learning can be applied on the personal as well as professional level. Sometimes thinking like a kid without any prejudices and like a clean slate helps you have a perspective which you have not noticed till then. When things get too complicated to handle throw off all conventions and get back to basics. Quotes Life mein jo kuch aap sahi mein chahte aapko wahi milta hai [ In your life you only get what you really want] Accha Accha sochoge to Accha Achha hi Hoga [If you think good and about good things , good thing...

In the aftermath of global economy crisis Indian economists and policymakers were showing off how their models and policies were successful and prevented India from going into the recession. India survived the first wave of economic downturn because for several other factors in addition to socialist economic policies. Without taking the credit away from policy makers it was the Indian habit of saving and investing in assets. Unlike a lot of Americans , most Indians generally don't live on credit all through lives. After the collapse of Soviet Union and the American model of capitalism whole world has realized that in order to be successful they need to follow a combination of both. A state supported and guided socially relevant capitalism. A system where free market forces promote innovation but government is active enough to prevent exploitation of people. There are different frontiers to witness the hangover bleeding India. Our honorable UPA government launching guaranteed ...

This is the movie with the record of being screened for the longest time at a cinema hall in India.  This is a movie I have been watching since my childhood and learning new things every time I see it.. I will here enlist the most touching two lessons in this post ... Lesson 1 Shahrukh Khan after completing his education wants to go on a Europe trip but doesn't have guts to ask his dad for it because he had failed in the exams.  This was not something to be motivated off but Anupam  Kher's response and logic behind it was the most interesting part. Anupam Kher says to Shahrukh Khan that he may go and enjoy his trip and join office later. He tell him that if he has lived his youth then he should go and live his father's share of youth because he never lived it. He worked all through his youth  to create the business empire. He couldn't enjoy  those days. But he wanted his son to enjoy those days. The power of forgiveness and saving enough for future was what made the fat...

Situation: Organizational change involving superseding of some key employees. Actors: Team leader, expected successor by general perception , unexpected but final successor Objective: Ensure Smooth Transition Learnings The decisions taken by the authorities must take into account fair and fearless opinion of all the stakeholders. It is not possible to please very one all the time. However those who are not pleased, their reasons of unhappiness and possible consequences and repercussions must be thought about beforehand. Leadership: A leader must not assume his team members to think like him/her. There are situations that for the good for the organization some decisions like promoting a person lower in rank to supersede a long serving senior have to be taken. In such a scenario the leader must explain the whole scenario to the member who is being superseded. The act of explaining this is not easy to undertake and neither it is easy for the affected person to digest. Some common issues...