Adios Christopher Hitchens

It is a sad day today.

"Christopher Hitchens—the incomparable critic, masterful rhetorician, fiery wit, and fearless bon vivant—died today at the age of 62. Hitchens was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in the spring of 2010, just after the publication of his memoir, Hitch-22, and began chemotherapy soon after. " - www.dailyhitchens.com

A debater without equals, a writer with extraordinary range of interests, an intellectual power house has faded into the mists of time. Good bye, Hitchens. Your message and your exhortations will live on.

RIP Steve Jobs

A giant tree fell today, shaking the whole forest and all the beings in it. I glanced at the news ticker on my laptop today, during the first session of "Managing Operations" class, and saw the flashing news "Steve Jobs is dead" !

My first response was to retract in shock and pain, like a foot on a thorn or a finger on a hot stove...then felt benumbed...I turned to Lalith, my classmate to my right, and showed him the news......"Yeah, I saw that too", he said with resignation. I pulled out my mobile and sent a text to my wife: "Steve Jobs died"... and my mind raced to his famous speech at Stanford, way back in 2005....I thought about the various product launches......about how a recent IIBA webinar about making great presentations was all about Steve Jobs....about how a young man with a dream built the most valuable company in the world in his parent's garage three decades ago....

Steve Jobs is no more.... He walked the planet for 56 years and left an indelible mark on billions of minds. It needs to be seen whether there is anyone capable of filling those giant shoes.

Rest in Peace, Steve. You have exited the stage, but your three stories will never be forgotten by those alive or by those yet to come..

A nightmarish "Microeconomics' exam

Copying my Facebook status text from yesterday:

Came back home after a nightmarish "Microeconomics' exam. NEVER EVER faced an exam like this in my life where practical applications of fundamental concepts have been tested like today. After telling what stakes a wine maker and his laborers had in a negotiation, plotting indifference curves of students choosing between eating omlettes and fish in our school canteen, and after reasoning why and how much the residents of two towns separated by an impassable mountain would pay to watch movies, I even had to explain to the Professor how I felt about the exam that I have just written in terms of my "utility" and "marginal rates of returns" of studying the subject. Yeah, the last one was a question that carried 10 marks. Phew !!

Happy Fourth of July.

Probably the most beautiful words I have ever read : "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA.

Wishing all my American friends a happy fourth of July.

Arjun turns Three

My son, Arjun turned 3 last week and we had a great party with friends and family in New Jersey. The travel up north was worth all the fun we had. Three years have swished past and I still remember laying my eyes on my son for the first time as if it were just yesterday !!

Currently reading: The Travancore State Manual, by Nagam Aiyah

The Travancore State Manual is considered one of the most original works related to the history of the erstwhile "Travancore State". My home town, Trivandrum, was part of the state of Travancore and I have a natural urge to read more about its history. Written by the former Dewan of Travancore, V.Nagam Aiyah in 1906, the manual is an elaborate compilation of the the state's geology, flora, fauna, archaeology, and history. Finding the first three sections a little boring, I have leaped to the chapter on archaeology. The Dewan displays great erudition and excellent command over the English language. If it were upto me, I would make the Travancore State Manual and Prof. A. Sreedhara Menon's "A Survey of Kerala History" required reading for all high school students in Kerala.

Dan Brown's "Lost Symbol" : another let down

I read Dan Brown's "Lost Symbol" a couple of months ago while recuperating after my tonsillectomy. I have to confess that the pain my my throat was exacerbated by the huge letdown that Mr. Brown's novel turned out to be. The climax looked so silly that I almost kicked myself for getting carried away by the huge buildup that looked promising. A sprinkling of Noetic Science, a smidgen of mysticism, and a dollop of ancient religions - all baked inside a framework of cults and secret societies made the novel look nauseatingly similar to other Dan Brown novels. A few years ago, I really enjoyed reading the "Da Vinci Code", but all other novels by Mr. Brown - "The Digital Fortress", "Angels and Demons", and "The Lost Symbol" have made me sick. Good bye Dan, I hope I never make the mistake of picking up another one of your novels.

Currently reading: The Communist Manifesto

I have wanted to read "The Communist Manifesto" and "Das Capital" for a long time now for no other reason than to hear straight from the horse's mouth. Having grown up in Kerala, I am certainly thankful to the democratically elected communist governments for bringing about radical social changes by obliterating the deeply entrenched feudal setup and diminishing the sway of caste-ism. At the same time, I can never forget how the militant trade unions are responsible for Kerala's lack of industrial development and the dearth of opportunities that still drive thousands of educated and skilled young men and women to other states in search of jobs.

PS: I finished reading the manifesto in English and now I am reading its translation in Malayalam here. I find it a good exercise in literature to attempt to translate a couple of paragraphs to and fro between English and Malayalam. Since both are readily available for reference, I am able to see how feeble by language skills are.

The Personal MBA

I just finished reading The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman. It is an excellent book that gives a high-level overview of a wide body of business literature. Mr. Kaufman walks the user through over 200 different concepts, illustrated with anecdotes, personal stories and other relevant examples. The book covers a wide range of topics including business productivity, efficiency, communication, decision making, innovation and creativity, project management, entrepreneurship, corporate strategy, marketing and sales, and finance..etc It also delves into topics related to the human mind, leadership, and personal development. If you have even a passing interest in business and the all that happens backstage, I highly recommend this book.

The Social Animal by David Brooks

I just finished reading "The Social Animal" by David Brooks. A fairly well written book (with occassional dry patches in between, where the writer doles out one research finding after another) that tries to integrate psychology with sociology, politics, and culture by using the context of a fictional novel.

Currently reading

Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Tom Friedman.

Felt so good today when I read/watched this news

Watch this first :

and then this :

This is indeed the land of oppportunities !! :-)

Adios 2010, Welcome 2011

Happy New Year !!

I am not sure whether the number of blog posts is indicative of the level of activity in any given year. If it were so, 2010 seems to be the most mundane in my five years of blogging. But, the year was fair to me in many ways and generous in many more. The few scattered blots do not deface the overall beautiful picture for which I am thankful. Sounds enigmatic ? It was a pithy comment that crossed my mind after an introspection.

2011 looks promising and I hope to sail beyond the horizon in certain spheres of activity. Books to read, things to do, goals to achieve, places to go, and people to meet !! Let's see how much ground I can cover in 365 days.