Miles to go..

A special birthday

2012-01-25T23:18:00.001-08:00

Today is a special birthday. My son has grown old enough to sing "Happy Birthday Acha" :-)

Adios Christopher Hitchens

2011-12-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

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

2011-10-06T05:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

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.

2011-07-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-14T11:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-05T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

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

2011-02-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Tom Friedman.

Felt so good today when I read/watched this news

2011-01-05T16:21:00.000-08:00

Watch this first :

and then this :

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

Adios 2010, Welcome 2011

2011-01-04T07:17:00.000-08:00

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.

News from the IIBA - Greenville Chapter

2010-11-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

I have been elected to the post of Director - Education of the Greenville chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA). My primary responsibilities include arranging trainings, speaker sessions, study groups and mentoring business analysts interested in the Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) certification.

Currently Reading : A Peace to End All Peace

2010-08-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading David Fromkin's "A Peace to End All Peace", which deals with the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the modern middle east. The Middle East has long been a hotbed of conflicts. All of these - including the hostilities between Arabs and Israelis, and the violent challenges posed by Iraq’s competing sects—are rooted in the region’s political inheritance: the arrangements, unities, and divisions imposed by the Allies after the First World War.

Focusing on the formative years of 1914 to 1922, David Fromkin reveals how and why the Allies drew lines on an empty map that remade the geography and politics of the Middle East.

Seminar at the IIBA Greenville Chapter

2010-08-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

I recently gave a talk on Project Scope and Product Requirements Management to a gathering of Business Analysts at the Greenville chapter of the International Institute of Business Analysis. Here is my presentation :

Project scope and requirements management

Historicon 2010

2010-07-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

I reached Pennsylvania on Friday ( 9th July 2010 ) evening and after taking a quick shower at the hotel, I rushed to the Valley Forge Convention Center located in King of Prussia. As it did in 2007, the Historicon drew hundreds of enthusiasts and visitors from different corners of the US and from several walks of life.

My first game called "The Savage Wastes of Germania!" was hosted by Game Master "Howard Whitehouse" using the ancient wargaming rule set : "Clash of Iron". "Clash of Iron" is a simple, straight forward rule set designed by the Game Master himself, who is an employee of the Wargames Factory. I was formation leader Cornelius Junius, who took charge of one of the cavalry units of the Roman Army that had crossed the Rhine to suppress the Germanic tribes that were giving Rome relentless migraine.

A wilderness of forests, bogs, streams, and hills, the terrain was one that offered a cavalry commander very few options. I stayed behind, letting the infantry units march ahead and deal with the sea of barbarians that the Germans had amassed. They seemed inexhaustible, with waves of men armed with motley weapons rushing into the Romans again and again. I stayed to the left of the infantry and lagged behind, promising to charge the flank of the attacking German hordes. I did charge and rout two waves of attackers before taking a Javelin on my chest.

The Romans pulled off a marginal victory in the end.

On Saturday I attended Capt.Dale Dye's talks on Hollywood, Military History and the making of Band of Brothers and The Pacific. I asked Capt.Dye a question. Let me recollect and quote the question and answer here :

Sarath : I think it was in the 9th episode of Band of Brothers that you show a Nazi concentration camp. How did you pull that off ? It was shot very well.

Capt. Dye : To film the concentration camp, we needed several extremely emaciated people and it was hard to find so many of them. So, I did something that makes me feel like a butt hole to this day. I went to a hospice for terminal cancer patients and told them that if they would like to make a contribution towards preserving history, I would like to hire them. In the end, we had about 85 volunteers, two of them were brought in ambulances. That's how we filmed it. Most of them could be dead now. It is something that haunts me to this day.

On the same day,I fought a battle set during the days of the American Revolutionary war and a 1953 dog fight over the skies of Korea. More about these two games in the next post.

On Sunday, I attended two seminars : Col.David Glantz's "Soviet Operations in Hungary (Jan- Mar 1945)", which described the Soviet planning and conduct of operations to capture Budapest in January and February 1945. It was an excellent effort by Col. Glantz and included translations of Russian and German war diaries that depicted the movement and shifting positions of the two armies on a day to day basis. The next seminar was "The Bear is back - Russia's new cold war" by Col.(Retd.)Jerry Morelock in which the Colonel presented his thoughts of how the Putin- Medvedev regime is redefining the Russian national philosophy with "Super Power dreams".

HISTORICON - 2010

2010-07-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

Here are a few random shots from Historicon 2010. I'll write more about the event over the coming weekend.

Happy Birthday Arjun

2010-06-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

My son, Arjun turned two today. I still remember the moment like it were just yesterday - thanks to the American form of couvade in which I could stay with my wife during the delivery and see my son being born.

Here is a wish that my wife and I received for Arjun from a very dear friend :

“IF..” by Rudyard Kipling

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

The Post - American World by Fareed Zakaria

2010-06-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

The book, "The Post-American World" arrived at my doorstep a couple of days ago. Written by Fareed Zakaria, the editor of Newsweek International, the book is NOT a grim tale of America's future, although the title makes one think so. It is rather about the political and economic ascendance of the BRIC nations and others. Mr.Zakaria rightly calls it "The rise of the rest". I picked up the book just to read the preface and found myself glued to it. I plan to finish reading it tonight, before I return to what I was reading before this book arrived.

Currently reading "Too Big To Fail" by Andrew Sorkin

2010-05-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

I've just started reading Andrew Sorkin's "Too Big To Fail" The book is said to be a true-life financial and political thriller that details the backroom deal making and secret alliances made in the rush to save the world economy from collapsing - from the machinations inside Lehmann Brother's offices to secret meetings in Washington and Moscow. I have never read any of Mr.Sorkin's writings before and want to see whether this book really lives upto its reputation of being a gripping financial narrative.

Dear Gandhiji......Wasn't that a little too much ?

2010-05-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading Jaswant Singh's JINNAH India - Partition - Independence. In Chapter 5 : A Short Decade - A Long End Game, Mr Singh quotes Gandhiji from his open letter to the British, published in the "Amrita Bazar Patrika" dated 4th July 1940 under the title "Method of non-violence - Mahatma Gandhi's appeal to every Briton". It read, in parts to say :

"I appeal for cessation of hostilities....because war is bad in essence. You want to kill Nazism. Your soldiers are doing the same work of destruction as the Germans. The only difference is that perhaps yours are not as thorough as the Germans....I venture to present you with a nobler and braver way, worthy of the bravest soldiers. I want you to fight Nazism without arms or...with non-violent arms. I would like you to lay down the arms you have as being useless for saving you or humanity....Invite Herr Hitler and Signor Mussolini to take what they want of the countries you call your possessions. Let them take possession of your beautiful island with your many beautiful buildings. You will give all these but not your souls nor your minds..."

This outrageous idea struck me like a bolt of lightning !! Befuddled, I scratched my head and read the paragraph again, rubbed my eyes to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. No! I wasn't.

I hope he was not serious and that the politician in the Mahatma was trying to taunt the British by conveying the message that to conquer a nation one needs to conquer more than its geography. Anyway, after the initial shock I burst into a paroxysm of laughter as I tried to imagine the Mahatma, with a straight face, hand over this letter to the Viceroy.

I wonder what the Englishman did after he read the letter !

I'll be back shortly to post my opinion of the book.

Tip of day for parents with toddlers - How to remove permanent marker stains.

2010-03-31T07:01:00.001-07:00

I have a budding artist at home whose creative instincts flare up whenever he sees clean and white surfaces. All he needs then is a pen or a pencil or a crayon. Unfortunately, he found a permanent marker yesterday and this is what happened:

I googled and learned that the best way to remove permanent marker stains is to use alcohol or an alochol based hand sanitizer. So, I made the painter undo his painting !!

Great minds

2010-03-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

2009-12-31T21:58:00.000-08:00

I watched Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" and "Apocalypto" some time ago and thought that they depicted violence like never before. Today, I watched Sylvester Stallone's Rambo and found that it managed to clear the bar that the Mel Gibson movie had set. Enough said !

Currently reading : "How Markets Fail" by John Cassidy

2009-12-19T14:56:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading the book "How Markets Fail" by John Cassidy. This book was suggested by Fareed Zakaria on his show "Fareed Zakaria GPS", which airs on CNN every sunday at 1 PM and 5 PM EST. I am a regular viewer of this show and it is one of my favorites. "How Markets Fail" deals with the current financial crisis and describes the many ways an unregulated free market can produce disastrous unintended consequences.

Book Review : The God Delusion by Prof. Richard Dawkins

2009-12-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

I have just finished reading "The God Delusion" by Professor Richard Dawkins. It is an extensively researched and well written book packed with cogent arguments in support of atheism. The book excoriates religion and presents several thoughts and ideas that could send shock waves down the minds of believers. Mr. Dawkins makes no bones about his extreme dislike for religions and their gods and goes on the offensive right from the beginning. The second chapter of the book begins with the use of several caustic adjectives for the God of the old testament, whom Mr. Dawkins calls the most unpleasant character in all fiction. He then moves on to tackle several arguments and "proofs" raised by theists including Thomas Aquinas'proofs, Pascal's wager, Baynesian arguments ..etc. He presents counter arguments, proofs and logic to split those arguments asunder. He then moves on to address the roots of religion and morality and explains the reasons behind his avowed hostility towards religions.
I have mentioned previously in one of my other posts that I am not an atheist, but I do try hard to keep an open mind. On several occassions while reading or listening to distasteful opinions, I have had to make conscious efforts to talk myself into listening to the other side of the story. This excellent book has neither talked me into atheism nor has it drifted me away from my beliefs. I have always failed to understand hard core believers and non believers. I am humbled by the infinitude of space and time that envelops me. To take one or the other extreme positions you have to know it all. Are our puny little brains and senses ready for it ? Our species has indeed made huge leaps and we know far more about the Universe today that we did a century ago. But do we know everything yet ?

Michio Kaku in his book "Parallel Worlds" explains how physicists classify civilizations into four types - Type I, II, III and IV based on thier energy output. Type I civilization is one that has harnessed planetary forms of energy. They have the power to control or modify the weather, change the course of hurricanes or build cities on oceans. Such civilizations are truly masters of their planet. Type II civilization is one that has harnessed the power of an entire star and have the power to control solar (stellar) flares and light others stars. Type III is one that would have colonized large portions of its home galaxy. It would have exhausted the energy of a single solar system and possess the power to utilize energy from billions of stars. Type IV civilizations could use extragalactic energy sources like dark energy. The author considers our human civilization to be a "Type 0.7". We are centuries away from becoming masters of our planet and millions of years away from being masters of this universe, let alone multiverse. We are nothing more than a grain of sand in this Sahara of space and time, ergo premature to rush to conclusions about the existence or non-existence of a supreme being that is above all. My simple answer when faced with questions about divinity is that I do not know. I certainly do have my own set of beliefs, many of which fall apart when I scrutinize them, only to be back on their feet when I shift my focus. They are ideas and thoughts that are at the core of what makes me the individual that I am. I neither shove my beliefs down anybody's throat nor do I let anyone one force feed me their beliefs. But yeah, a thought provoking and engaging discussion is something I always relish.

Mr. Dawkins correctly points out that religion fills four main roles in human lives : Explanation, Exhortation, Consolation and Inspiration. In my opinion, the third role "Consolation" is the most important of it all. Pain and suffering have always provided religion the space it needed. There are many who are alive today only because of the hope that their religion provided, there are many who survive only because their religion tells them that their God loves them and will forgive their transgressions, there are many who emerge from their abysses of misery only because they believe that a supreme being is watching over them and cares for them. It is a fact that although religions have have shed much blood to turn all oceans red, they have wiped tears, fed empty stomachs, palliated suffering and been a crutch to billions across the globe. Unlike most people, Mr. Dawkins is concerned about the "truth" and correctly states that "wanting something to be true" is not the same as "it being true". But the truth is also that many people need a pacifier in life, many need a God or religion to keep going, many are not concerned about the truth and live on their truths. Someday, we humans could come up with a solution that fills all the four roles with something other than religion. Science could provide it, but we haven't reached there yet. Till then, hold on to your beliefs and let others do the same. As far as possible confine it within the walls of your homes and places or worship. Live your life the way you want and let others live theirs. Be curious, read and expand your horizons.If my reader is a strong believer and is curious about Mr.Dawkins' ideas, I would suggest him/her to read the last chapter "A much needed gap" and if that turns out to be too much to handle, read the last section titled "The Mother of all burkas" which briefly talks about how mysterious our universe is and provides good food for thought.

Hawkers on the Road to Perdition - Part II

2009-12-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the alarmist nature of Glenn Beck's program on Fox News and the advertisements that dot it.

The following article appeared on Yahoo news yesterday :

Glenn Beck's gold-gate problem

Tue Dec 8, 3:47 pm ET
Yet another controversy appears to be brewing around Fox News host Glenn Beck. Some are accusing him of a blatant conflict of interest concerning his frequent on-air promotion of an investment sold by one of his main advertisers: Gold.
For some time Beck critics have cried foul over his relationship with Goldline International, a precious metals vendor that features the TV and radio host's endorsement prominently on their website. Critics charge that Beck is guilty of misleading his audience by often advising them to purchase gold in advance of the potential collapse of the value of the dollar on the world currency market, without disclosing that he is in fact a "paid spokesman" for Goldline. Beck's on-air promotion of gold, which includes advising viewers to construct "fruit cellars" and to rely on a "three G system" of "God, Gold, and Guns" in the event of America's collapse, dates back to his time as a host for CNN Headline News.

Glenn Beck also regularly talks up gold on his nationally syndicated radio show, where he often endorses Goldline during live commercial segments. Additionally, Beck has had the company's CEO on as a guest. Advertisements for Goldline are also featured prominently on Beck's own website, where he recently promoted gold in an audio clip warning of an apocalyptic future:

When the system eventually collapses, and the government comes with guns and confiscates, you know, everything in your home and all your possessions, and then you fight off the raving mad cannibalistic crowds that Ted Turner talked about, don't come crying to me. I told you: get gold.

Back in October, the liberal media company Air America made this video mocking the conflict of interest:

Beck's promotion of gold presents a potential problem for Fox News, which strictly prohibits on-air personalities from making paid product endorsements. When contacted by Daily Finance for a comment on the matter, Fox News senior vice-president for development Joel Cheatwood said the network "makes an exception for its commentators who are also radio hosts," adding that they knew upfront that hiring Beck came with the understanding that he was also a radio host and that they "had to be accepting of certain elements of that." Nevertheless, a Fox spokeswoman said that the company is addressing the matter with Beck's agent, George Hiltzik.

However, Beck, who responded to the conflict of interest allegations on his show last Thursday by saying "So I shouldn't make money?", isn't devoid of defenders on the matter. Business Insider called the controversy "nonsense," adding "there's nothing wrong with a commentator advising viewers, listeners, or readers to take positions that he is taking himself. In fact, you might wonder about the motivations of someone giving financial advice he wouldn't take himself."

In Beck's defense, some have also noted that the price of gold has spiked since he started at Fox News. Nevertheless, you can probably bet that any and all future Jon Stewart impressions of Beck will include numerous references to the virtues of gold.

Food for Life

2009-12-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

Today, I had the opportunity to join volunteers from local colleges and community centers to serve meals and talk to several homeless people in Greenville county. The food is delivered by Food for Life and the expenses are borne by the church. It is held every Tuesday at the Triune Mercy Center.

Kiva

2009-12-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

They say "Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, Teach him how to fish and he eats for the rest of his life." You can also modify the last sentence to say "Lend him some money to buy a fishing rod and some bait and he eats for the rest of his life." Ofcourse,Here you assume that the person knows how to fish and you also have reason to believe that he would repay you. What am I talking about, eh ? - Microfinance !

I first heard about Micro finance way back in 2006 when Mohammed Yunus, the founder of Bangladesh's Grameen Bank was awarded the Nobel Peace prize for his efforts to bring about socio-economic development among the poorest households in Bangladesh. "Micro credit" is one of those ideas that make sense to one's heart and mind. It gives you a sense of happiness and satisfaction in being able to give somebody an opportunity to improve their lot and by holding the borrower responsible for repayment, it makes them duty-bound to spend the money wisely.

I have always believed that opportunities and motivation can do far more good than free lunches. It builds self-esteem, self-confidence and helps people move from hopelessness to having hope to giving hope (the last one being my metric to judge true success).

I am a member of Kiva, which is a person-to-person micro lending institution, that lets you to lend money to entrepreneurs around the globe. They could range from Asian farmers wanting to try a new crop, South American fish mongers wanting to buy more fish, African self-employed women wanting to do more to educate their children and many more. Take a look for yourself on the Kiva website to read about who they are and how they work.

Also, click here to read more about Micro finance institutions in India.

A bite of Apple

2009-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

I took advantage of the Thanksgiving deals and bought an iPhone 3GS. I don't think I have ever been so mesmerized by a gadget in my whole life. Ever since it arrived at my doorstep the day before yesterday, I have been glued to it. Tweaking it, Scouring iTunes store for Apps, checking out the different features and at times simply staring at it and wondering at the beauty and simplicity of its design. This is truly a revolutionary product.

Certain features that would have made me happier are :
1. The ability to multi task - Wish I could open a few safari browsers at the same time while working on an App or two.
2. Longer battery life - My Nokia would survive a trip to Mars and back.
3. Better Voice Dialling - one that understands Indian names pronounced the Indian way ! :-) Yeah, wishful thinking !!

Hawkers on the Road to Perdition

2009-11-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

I hardly watch the Fox News Channel, but today while browsing channels I ran into Glenn Beck when he was predicting all gloom and doom. Sitting partially hidden behind a huge pile of papers - the new Govt Health care bill, he spoke about how about this new administration was determined to fundamentally change America by building a bigger government, piling up the national debt, promoting socialism and redistribution of wealth, and destroying the dollar. What stood out and caught my attention were the commercials that punctuated the show. All the talk of death, decline and destruction were followed by repeated commercials of companies like Rosland Capital and Goldline telling people how the huge government spending and Wall street bail outs were eroding the dollar and urging them to invest in Gold. Behind them in the parade were companies like Life lock telling people how insecure their identities were and how identity thieves could ruin their lives. Close on their heels were the Home Security companies encouraging viewers to buy their services and save themselves from home invasions.

I do not recollect the commercials that appeared on TV during a program on CNBC last week when Warren Buffet and Bill Gates addressed the students of Columbia Business School. Mr.Buffet, after talking about his $34 Billion investment in Burlington Northern, declared that "You cannot bet against America and hope to win." I am a certain that the optimistic vibes of that program would have been leveraged by commercials of companies like GE (Renewable energy), Vestas (Wind Power)..etc

Isn't it interesting to see how a program's disposition is reflected in the nature of the commercials that it interleaves ?

2009-10-09T07:04:00.000-07:00

President Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize!!!!

My first reaction was "W H A T ? !!!!!" :-O.

I do admire president Obama for the amazing and challenging life that he has had: born in a middle class family with no political connections, growing up without his father around him, achieving academic excellence and rising to become the first African American president of the USA. His words motivate millions of people around the globe and he talks about fundamentally changing the world.

But is it for motivating people that he won the Nobel ? NO. It said that the prize was for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." So, does someone get a Nobel for "trying hard" or for "producing results" ?

Mahatma Gandhi never got the Nobel Peace prize, ( All he did was to teach a nation about truth, non-violence, Satyagraha and then take on the mighty British Empire to free India).

Do they give Nobel prizes to scientists for "trying hard" or for "contributing to the knowledge base in their respective fields" ?

I respect the president, but show me the results - "the results" !!!

2009-10-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

Evolution Versus Intelligent Design.

In this interesting conversation, Richard Dawkins, the celebrated Oxford University Professor and evolutionary biologist takes on Wendy Wright, a noted creationist. You will see that Wendy's concern is not with "accepting" evolution as a fact, but with its repercussions on the society. She fears (and rightly so) that a society based on Darwinian principles will not be based on love, care and mutual respect. But would you let such a fear blind you from the truth? or would you find God's design in evolution and use it to build the society that you dream of ? I am certain that the Catholic church would some day embrace Darwin (remember Galileo ??) and would come to the conclusion that it was God who put evolution to work. :-).

I am not an atheist and have my personal beliefs about God and religion. But I firmly believe that we should ask questions, search for answers and above all show the courage to walk down the path that science throws light on. Some day when we humans (if we haven't destroyed ourselves already) master inter-galactic and inter- dimensional travel, colonize galaxies billions of light years away, overcome death and become immortal, people would laugh at the days when life began on a tiny little planet called "The Earth" which revolved around a small star called "The Sun" and where the "early men" argued over evolution and intelligent design.

2009-07-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

Evening Walks

Arjun is becoming more conscious and curious about the world around him. His vocabulary of baby words is also improving.

2009-06-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

Arjun turns ONE !!

Time Flies and a year just swished past us !! My son Arjun has turned ONE. We had a wonderful party this weekend.

2009-05-26T06:57:00.000-07:00

Back to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

May 2009, Re-visit

September 2005, My first visit to Gatlinburg.

The spell of the mountains still overcome me. We drove from Gatlinburg to the Ocanauluftee Indian Village through the mountains, stopping several times to capture the breathtaking views of the clouds nesting among the mountains. Four years ago, I wrote "Gatlinburg, Tennessee is a wonderful place. I remember Ruskin Bond saying that mountains have a magical effect on humans. Standing on one of the rocks in this mountain stream and listening earnestly to its sounds, i felt my spirits lifted, a cloud of calm settled on my otherwise turbulent mind. True, mountains have an inimitable charm, an overpowering presence that can blow away all perturbations of the mind and humble any inflated ego."... Still feel the same !

More details in another post.

2009-05-16T17:12:00.000-07:00

Kudos to my Country.

Today, the Congress party swept to a resounding victory in India's national elections, defying expectations as it brushed aside the hindu nationalists, the communists and a legion of small regional parties. I would like to set aside my opinion on what this could mean to the future of India and express my appreciation of how effectively and successfully we have been able to conduct this phased election and choose a government that would now steer the fate of a nation of over a billion people. Those who are aware of the political geography of the subcontinent would be aware of the fact that this nation of a billion people, the largest democracy in the world, has in its neighborhood countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, China, Burma, North Korea and also the Arab world. Preserving and sustaining a vibrant democracy in such a negative environment is an admirable achievement.

Long live democracy, Long live freedom !

The Congress candidate, Shashi Tharoor trumped his nearest rival by close to 100,000 votes in my home constituency. Here are a couple of brilliant speeches by Mr. Tharoor,

CPD Distinguished Speaker Series: Shashi Tharoor - INDIA

Shashi Tharoor: Restoring America's Image in the World

2009-05-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

Currently reading,

Excursions in Number Theory

2009-05-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Dan Brown needs a tonne of wax!

I read the book "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown, the famed author of "Da Vinci Code". Unlike DVC, DF appears to be poorly researched and leaves the reader flabbergasted by some of the events depicted in the novel. Does Mr. Brown really expect his readers to believe that someone can write a worm that overheats a giant super computer, which then runs on end till all the sillicon it carries explodes, leading to the destruction of the building that houses it ? ....then when all the hackers of the world are at the doorstep of NSA, to lay their hands on US Intelligence secrets, Susan Fletcher- the beautiful and talented NSA cryptologist and her lover saves the country (and what the pass key finally turned out to be had me roll on the floor and laugh)!! That is Bollywood masala. Mr. Brown has the potential to be a great script writer in one of India's *ollywoods.

The story is certainly not without wax ! ;-)

2009-05-10T15:14:00.000-07:00

Currently reading,

Digital Fortress

Data Modelling Essentials

2009-05-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

Mathematically Analyzing a War !!

This video from Ted Talks presents a wonderful idea. It shows how a team filtered the noise and commotion out of an event as turbulent as a protracted war, derived a mathematical equation from their observations, analyzed it and attempted to arrive at conclusions which could then be used to predict outcomes or help manipulate the variables involved, to generate desired outcomes.
It reminds me of Steven Levit's book "Freakonomics" where the author investigates several topics both intractable and trivial by analyzing huge chunks of data to identify patterns.

There is probably no noise in the world we live in. The right minds equipped with the right tools could probably identify patterns or clues to an underlying grand design in almost everything that we see or hear but consider unworthy of our attention.

2009-05-04T17:10:00.000-07:00

Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)

I passed the PMP examination a couple of weeks ago. My strategy was pretty straight forward,

1. Read the PMBOK and the PMP Exam Prep guide by Rita Mulcahy and

2. Took a few mock tests.

If you have good Project Management experience and follow a strategy similar to mine, you ought to be able to sail through the exam without any trouble. Try these mock exams for free - This, , This, and This.

2009-05-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Both Sides of any story

Phil Collins sang,

"White man turns the corner, finds himself within a different world
Ghetto kid grabs his shoulder, throws him up against the wall
He says would you respect me if I didnt have this gun
cos without it, I dont get it, and thats why I carry one
We always need to hear both sides of the story"

Here are two videos that deal with the flip side of two very famous events - The Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi .
Here is the Transcript for you to follow this Gujarati play.

and the American Civil War.

2009-04-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome idea - Pond Scum helping to run automobiles !

I wonder if anyone is investing time/effort/money into investigating the uses of Salvinia Molesta (a.k.a African Payal). If there is a way to use this water monster in manufacturing Fuel/Medicines/Comestibles, it would save several water bodies in my home state.

2009-04-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

THIS was all over the news yesterday.

"MOMBASA, Kenya - In a daring high-seas rescue, U.S. Navy SEAL snipers killed three Somali pirates and freed the American sea captain who had offered himself as a hostage to save his crew."

One of the them was infact shot through a window ! And all this happened in the middle of the night in a rocky sea !!

Hats off !!!

THAT is what comes to mind.

But, THIS one singes the mind.

2008-11-26T12:17:00.000-08:00

A Visit to the Saratoga Battle Field

This post is long overdue, but better late than never. I and Philip visited the Saratoga Battle field shortly before I moved from New York to South Carolina a few months ago. Not unlike this post, the visit too was long overdue. Saratoga witnessed one of the decisive battles of the American Revolution. Here are a few snaps,

A Cannon atop Bemis Heights

Freeman's Farm

Charging downhill

After walking for a couple of hours ....

I now live in Greenville, South Carolina about 30 mins drive from the Cowpens Battle field. I plan to go there in summer.
Someone once asked me what the fun is in visiting a battle field. Let me answer it this way - It is not about fun, but rather about what that trip makes you do before you go there - like reading about the battle, its context, its aftermath and about letting the mind roam freely while one walks around the park which then travels back in time, tries to get a sense of how that gory day would have been and what could have happened had the result been opposite ..etc etc. It is also about the lung full of fresh air that you get to inhale in those wild empty plains. It certainly has something to do with my fascination for green, vast, open plains - the sight of which I believe has an emollient power.

2008-11-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Cisco Telepresence

Today, I had my first Telepresence meeting at work and it was an amazing experience. It is truly as shown in the picture above(courtesy Human Productivity Lab) where folks join from different parts of the globe, but all appear to be together in the same meeting room, sitting next to each other or right across the table. The attendees get to see and talk to each other in real time and high definition. Cisco has really hit the ball out of the park !

2008-11-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hello World !! :-)

It has been a long time since I blogged. My son is now 4 months old and keeps us busy 24*7. Time flies when he is around. He has turned over and is now trying to crawl. He has become very curious about the world around him, turns his head towards light and sounds, coos, smiles and laughs. He also talks to us in an arcane language which only has sounds like "Aaa", "Eee", "Ooo", "Urr", "Aee" !! He can go on and on as long as we reciprocate. I have now started to get a hang of his language and we engage in conversations ;-). He demands attention and needs somebody to play with all the time and by evening when we are weary and drag ourselves home from office, we crave for some kind of energy booster to keep up with him.

Being a parent is an amazing experience ! And by the way...to all those "parents-in-the-making", I strongly suggest Dr. Harvey Karp's book "The Happiest Baby on the Block". He talks about the missing fourth trimester and also the 5 S's to calm babies. We have tried it and it really works !!

2008-07-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

It is a boy !!
My son was born on 23rd June. We've named him Arjun.
I was away from work the whole of last week...so many things to catch up with and several documents to read. Shall post an update soon.

2008-05-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

The Road Ahead..

More than 10 years ago I joined College of Engineering, Trivandrum with the simple dream of getting a decent job as soon as I graduated. At that point in time, becoming capable of fetching my family three square meals a day was more important than anything else. Engineering looked promising in terms of getting a job (a campus placement), and Electronics or Computer Science at CET was what most students (not all) with good entrance exam scores (ranks) opted, So did I. I hadn't heard of any student who had opted for Mechanical, Civil or Architecture inspite of getting a rank that would have qualified him/her for Electronics or Comp Sci (Ofcouse there are exceptions and I later came to know a few). I didn't have any worries about choosing a subject - all I wanted was a job at the end of four years to head off the financial disaster that stared my family in the face. That was more than a decade ago and since then life has come a long way. I am happy that I could achieve my dream inspite of running into a tempest following the 2001 economic recession and 9/11 fallout.

Presently, I am preparing for GMAT and dreaming of joining a Top Tier B-school. But unlike what I did 10 years back, I spend time thinking and discussing about what an MBA could help me achieve, where,what and how I should study, What my focii should be, What I should target to achieve in the next 10 years, What kind of companies I should aim to work for after my MBA, Where I should take my career..etc.

Today I had a very enlightning and fruitful discussion with Himanshu Joshi (First Year student at IIM-A ) who is currently in New York city for an intership with the famed BCG (The Boston Consulting Group). Thanks to my friend Saurabh Jindal, another first year IIM - A student, for the introduction. I wanted to know in detail about the life in a consulting company. I was curious about the kind of problems consultants work on, the variety of challenges they tackle, their growth, remuneration, career options and above all what they learn in B-Schools that opens the doors of great companies like BCG or McKinsey.

I have posted the salient points of our discussion here. Thank You Himanshu for your time and effort.

2008-05-20T03:48:00.000-07:00

Way to go Shiyas

This post is to congratulate my old classmate Shiyas (College of Engineering Trivandrum, 2001 Batch) for making it to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). Shiyas has cleared the Civil Services Examination - 2007.

Shiyas,
Hats off to your dedication and hard work ! I wish you all the best. First it was the IES and now the IAS. You seem to have a special knack for clearing rigorous entrance examinations. :-)

2008-05-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

Point of Rumination

This amazing series is by far better than any book I have ever read on Evolution. I haven't yet waded through all the facts and theories that are laid out in the course of this eight hour, four part series. But the first two parts that I have seen so far have given enough food for thought. The question, as my colleague Pablo Lopez points out is not "Whether you believe in Evolution", it is rather "Whether you really understand the Theory of Evolution".

Currently reading :
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.

2008-05-11T17:33:00.000-07:00

Train of thoughts
I went to the Niskayuna Park for a jog today. It is amazing what a lung full of fresh air can do to one's spirits. It was mostly deserted except for an occassional biker or a skater. The park has a narrow bike trail which stretches for several miles and has the Mohawk river by its side. The chirping of birds and the rustle of leaves were pretty much the only sounds. There were birds of several plumage patterns and an occassional rabbit or a deer. I have always loved to let my mind wander and at times I stop the train of my thoughts and wonder how far I have strayed and attempt to retrace my thoughts. It is amazing how the web of thoughts work and is amusing to realise how interconnected the thoughts are and how one's mind can leap from one set of thoughts to another seemingly disparate set.

How is a "rabbit" related to "Sanskrit" ? Staring down at a little brown rabbit that ran across my path, I started to wonder how fast thay move and how long they live. I wondered what they eat and how they survive the six to seven months of sub zero temperatures. I wondered how the fish in the nearby Mohawk survive the winter when the whole river freezes, it then reminded me that my classmate (Mandarin class) Patrick was going fishing for four days next week. I recollected the stories he told me about how he and a couple of other guys caught and cooked an alligator down in Mississippi or somewhere. I, then started to think of the other stories he told me about how as a kid, he lost his little library to fire. Pat had been to India for four months where his daughter learned to speak hindi. I thought about the different places foreigners visit in India and remembered seeing a book at the Schenectady Public library on Kumbhamela. That reminded me that another classmate of mine - Tashin who is from Tibet, spent a few years of his life as a monk in Varanasi. He runs a Tibetan Gift shop in Albany these days after renouncing his monastic ways. Then I thought to myself that I had met a lot of people in my life who have had interesting stories to tell - Stories from their lives which they may or may not have time to share with others, then I wondered how much or how little I knew about my friends and family ! I questioned myself as to how many stories I knew from my father's life, my mother's, my sister's, my brother's, my wife's lives, from the lives of my dearest friends. I decided that I would share a lot of my stories with my kid (if you don't know already, I am going to be a dad this july :-) )....and then I remembered some of the stories my mother had cooked up to make me study Sanskrit when I was six or seven years old - Stories that really made me study the language for three years (Grades one to three)- Stories of how Gods in heaven spoke only in Sanskrit and how I could talk to them if I remained a good boy :-)). May be, I'll pass these along to my kid and I am sure he/she would grow up some day and laugh at these stories and may want to pass it to the next generation. I hope they add a few twists of their own to make it more interesting and relevant...and who knows, the story might grow in length, might change forms, might look totally different from the original. I may not be around to hear how the story would appear a hundred years from now..but let the stories pass on, as they have always. Along with the story would pass a piece of my thoughts and my mind. Isn't that the way Kunta Kinte's story passed through several generations and finally reached Alex Hailey ? And that finally brought me to one of the greatest stories ever told. I watched this documentary just yesterday on YouTube. Obviously, it was the controversy surrounding it that made me curious.

2008-05-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Toddling...

I have been a student of the"Chinese for Adults" course at the Albany Chinese School for the last five months. Here is my contribution to what was collected for the School Magazine from our class ;-)
It simply says,

My name is Sarath.
I am from India.
I would like to learn chinese.
I can speak, read and write in three other languages including English, Hindi and my mother tongue Malayalam.

Here is a picture of our class,

The classes are held every sunday from 1 PM to 3PM and the current semester ends on May 11th. The next semester classes begin in September. If you are in the capital region and are looking forward to learning Mandarin, there is no better choice. The instructor Xuewen Wang (aka Sherry Wang) is a gifted teacher with endless patience. Although I am still light years away from being fluent in Mandarin, I think this course has helped me reach a stage from where I can start learning the language on my own. Let me know if anyone has tried "Rosetta Stone" ..I have so far received one positive first hand review from one of my classmates.

Now coming back to the obvious question of why I chose Chinese. Well, there are several reasons,
1. I have always wanted to learn a foreign language.
2. I can still learn one of the European languages after I return to India (hopefully in a few years, unless I fall victim to the N+1 syndrome).Unlike Mandarin, it is not very difficult to locate French or German instructors in India.
3. With my dreams of relocating to the Eastern Hemisphere after graduating from B-School, I am sure a little Mandarin would come in handy.
4. I want to truly understand this phenomenon called "China" - this great trasformation that we have witnessed and are witnessing.
5. Visit Tibet someday (certainly not this year :-)) )
6. Learning (if voluntary) is a healthy break from the drudgeries of the "Land of Cubicles".
7. Resist Cerebral Atrophy :-).

Well, this is a long haul and I certainly have no illusions of it being a smooth ride.I hope that in the next few years I reach a stage where I can read chinese websites and news papers.

2008-04-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

I watched Ron Maxwell's movie "Gettysburg", which depicts in good detail the first and second days of the battle of Gettysburg. The defence of "Little Round Top" and Jeff Daniel's portrayal of Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were impressive. I liked the movie pretty much although I haven't seen many American Civil War movies to compare this with. Suggestions welcome.. :-)

If all goes well, I plan to visit Saratoga and Gettysburg this Summer.

2008-04-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that a seeemingly endless list of names of strangers could tell a poignant tale ?
This long list is a snapshot of "Booming" India's Agrarian crisis. What it doesn't talk about is the plight of the families of these deceased men. Each person on this list may have had at least 3 or 4 lives dependent on him - lives that may have withered off by now !

Sainath's book titled "Everybody loves a good drought", is a collection of stories from India's poorest and unheard-of districts.I read it about a year ago. It paints the true picture of my land - The land of contradictions, The land of abundance and paucity !!

More here.

2008-03-31T10:14:00.000-07:00

Currently

Reading..

Watching..

2008-01-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

Books for January

In the Market: The Illustrated History of the Financial Markets

The Rational Unified Process Made Easy: A Practitioner's Guide to the RUP (The Addison-Wesley Object Technology Series)

2008-01-01T14:22:00.000-08:00

WELCOME 2008

2007-12-31T09:05:00.000-08:00

As 2007 retreats....

2007-12-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

As the winter lumbers along...
This year, the snow arrived on the first of December and it has been fairly cold all through the month. Here are a few snaps that I took today,

2007-12-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

Search engine trends and stock performance

This is the kind of stuff that I usually write in my other blog.

Can Google Zeitgeist help you predict the stock market trends ? I heard about this today on Fast Money !

Given above are the following charts,
1) Google Trend chart for XBOX and Playstation searches
2) Stock Price chart for Microsoft (Left)
3) Stock Price chart for Sony Corp(Right)

The question here is whether the spikes on the trend chart have immediately preceded (at least often) spikes on the stock price chart. If yes, Is it possible to closely follow such trends in every market and make the right stock picks ?
I need to take a look at several more jagged peaks before I make up my mind on this. Anyway, the idea that search trends can be tracked to predict stock swings had never crossed my mind before. Well, long way to go :-).

2007-11-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Of Nukes and Mutually Assured Destruction
Yesterday, I was watching an interview with General (Retd) Shanker Roy Choudhary who was India's Army chief from 1994 to 1997. The General spoke about India's nuclear policy which was one of second strike as opposed to Pakistan's first strike and with an India focus. Well, that may sound like an effective strategy for deterrence. The General's comments were well balanced and he made no malapropos statements. But words, no matter how civilized or ominous they sound cannot substitute for proper planning.
I pass in front of the Schenectady Masonic Temple every day on my way to office. The building houses a fall out shelter, one of the several hundreds in this country. Built during the days of the cold war, such shelters would act as asylums for ordinary folks to escape from nukes and the ensuing radiation. National Geographic channel once ran a documentary on how adults and kids were taught to duck and cover in offices and schools during the cold war days when the threat of a nuclear war loomed large. The military spent millions of dollars building nuclear bunkers and also made plans to save the leadership in case of any such eventualities.
Now coming back to my earlier point - If India truly wishes to abandon the ability to strike first, it should prepare to survive the enemy's first strike. If they attack the metros and other large cities, the casualties could easily run into several millions and then comes the deaths due to radiation. Attacking major cities and vital installations has the potential to break the country's communication backbone. So the General's answers made me think..

1) Why have I never heard of any shelters being built in the major cities in India ?

2) Why is the population not taught survival strategies (At least in the major cities) ?

3 ) What if the attack is massive and it destroys our nuclear assets there by hampering our ability to launch a retaliatory attack from India ?

4) Shouldn't India have bought/built nuclear submarines capable of launching ICBMs (wonder where we are on the much vaunted "Surya") and have them scattered across the globe ? All I have heard about is a protracted tug of war for leasing the "Akula" from Russia. During the cold war, the Russians and the Americans built nuclear submarines which guaranteed them the ability to strike back.

5) Shouldn't we think of building some kind of missile defence system ? President Bush's invitation was readily shot down by our mandarins .

Well, I hope that the Indian leadership who ought to be far more intelligent, knowledgable and smarter than me, has answers to all these questions.

And above all, I hope and pray that a nuclear war always confines itself to literature and imagination. May it never happen in real life. Peace to All ! :-)

2007-11-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) Examination
I have cleared the CBAP examination conducted by the International Institute of Business Analysis. I have received some mails asking me about the examination / certification after my comment on the IIBA community in orkut. So it may be worthwhile posting what I know, if it helps at least one person out there.

The CBAP examination is a test of your knowledge of common Business Analysis processes and practices. This is no rocket science and IMHO all you need to crack the exam is a week of dedicated effort ( ~ 30 hours of study ) - well, that is for a person of average retention like me. If you are smarter, the lesser hours you need to invest.

The CBAP questions are from 6 main topics,

1. Enterprise Analysis,
2. Requirements Planning and Management,
3. Requirements Elicitation,
4. Requirements Analysis and Documentation,
5. Requirements Communication,
6. Solution Assessment and Validation

A quick glance at the BABOK (Business Analysis Body of Knowledge ), would convince anyone who has spent a couple of years doing Requirements Analysis that these chapters contain processes that they follow in their day to day work. The CBAP certification is aimed at intermediate and senior Business Analysts ( you need 7500 hours of BA experience + a few other things..check the IIBA website for details. )

A couple of mails were about how I prepared for the exam. Well, this is what I did,

1. I read the BABOK cover to cover twice (300 pages of processes and practises. I had to read it twice for the ideas to percolate deep enough). As I said earlier, If you are smarter than me, you may have to read it only once.

2. CBAP exam questions/question papers are not available online and hence I bought the CBAP exam guide from B2T Training. Here is the link. It contains about 450 multiple choice questions that you can attempt after you read the BABOK.

3. A few questions ( I recall about 4 or 5) are from outside the BABOK. They may be from the PMBOK ( the one used for the PMP certification) or any of the reference books mentioned in the BABOK. I didn't spend any time reading these books - most of these just need common sense to answer. Example :
In which level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs does Problem Solving belong ?
a) Self-actualization b)Esteem c)Belonging d) Safety

I had no idea about the 5 levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs when I first saw this question ( It is also not mentioned in the BABOK ). But there is a no reason to think that it would belong to Esteem, Belonging or Safety. Problem Solving and Creativity should be associated with Self- Actualization.

To cut a long story short - Read the BABOK cover to cover, take some practise tests and you should sail through. Good Luck !

2007-11-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

This is interesting. It tells you how to charge your iPod ( or for that matter any small USB powered electronic gadget ) using,
1. An Onion
2. A Cup of Gatorade
3. A screw driver.

Boy, Renewable energy sources are certainly catching on in this country ;-).

2007-10-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

Most of the trees have turned bald, I am a week late and the rains have played spoil sport.

2007-10-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

FALL PICTURES :

2007-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

Changed gear ..

I started writing this blog around two years ago. Septemeber 2005 saw a couple of posts and then onwards I have been regularly irregular. On a few occassions there have been a flurry of posts which was indicative of interesting happenings in my life that included travels and/or reading wonderful books. The ebb and the flow, the activities and the inactivities, the buzz and the torpor have all been there, as always in the last three decades of my life. But the last two years have helped me balance certain personal equations, fill certain voids, wipe some tears and bring about a few smiles.
I have changed the title of my blog as I wanted it to be relevant to this phase of my life ( God willing, I shall change it again few years down the line). So what is this phase ? Well, if the previous phase could have very well been called "Losing early wickets", I would call this phase "Scoring run a ball" or "Consolidating" or "Building a partnership".
Doesn't make sense ? Forget it. It makes perfect sense to those whom it should.

2007-08-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

Trench War !

On saturday the 28th of July 2007, I led a WWI German unit towards well fortified Allied positions under heavy fire :-) . The rule set we used was Trench Wars and the Game master was Steve Robinson.

There is no major strategy that you can follow while attacking such a well entrenched enemy as shown above - just get your men across the killing field as soon as possible and use your tanks well. Tanks have to pass a "break down test" every round which requires a roll of 5 or higher using a D20. My tank made no more than 3 moves and before it could recover, it was destroyed by artillery fire. A similar game was played the day before and the Germans were completely wiped out before a single soul could reach the trenches. Our fate wasn't that bad. We took around 80 % casualties getting to the trenches ( A blood bath was predicted by Steve, given the fact that the attackers had no air support or cover. ) A great amount of luck is involved when you rush towards the enemy under relentless machine gun fire and artillery bombardment. There were 10 German units in all and only two tanks found their burial ground across the trenches, the remaining 8 were busted well before they could reach anywhere close. With the tanks destroyed, the attackers had to rush towards the enemy to avoid being sitting ducks. Artillery fire aimed at the defenders needed to land inside the trench to kill the enemy (Dice are rolled to check for Scatter and hitting soldiers inside the trench wasn't as easy as killing them in the open.)

I did the best I could - Kept my troops dispersed while advancing, moved my tank as fast as possible with my Infantry under its cover (but there was no escape from the enemy artillery), with the tank gone I moved my men to the trenches as fast as possible (Retreat was not an option) . I could get my flame throwers up to the trenches, but were destroyed before they could use their weapon. Braving the enemy barrage, a couple of my soldiers entered the trenches only to die at the hands of the enemy trench fighters.

How would I play it next time?? ... Hmmmm.....Not sure how I can do it without air support. But if air support were available, I would try softening the enemy with aerial bombardment while my troops dash across the killing field.

2007-08-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

Miniature Painting !

I thought my wife would feel bored like hell while I was playing at Historicon, but it turned out otherwise. She had accompanied me as a non playing family member and spent her time taking photos and learning minature painting. She joined the painting sessions and came out with these figures shown below. She has also offered to paint any figure that I ever purchase :-)

2007-08-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Battle of Longewala, 5 Dec 1971 (Played at the Historicon, 27th July 2007)

I played on the Indian side at Game Master Dan McDonagh's table, where we re-created the Battle of Longewala, which saw the clash between the Indian and Pakistani forces at the border post of Longewala in Rajasthan, India. The formidable Pakistani force comprised of 65 tanks (T-59s and Shermans), Field guns and mounted Infantry against entrenched Indians who had nothing but mortars and recoiless rifles. Later in the game, the heavily out-numbered Indians also received support from their centurion tanks and mech infantry.

The major difference between the real battle and this game was the Pakistani Airforce. In the real battle the Pakistani tanks were laid to waste by the Indian Airforce. In our game both sides had air support. There were plenty of dog fights and loss of aircrafts. I wasn't too lucky with my fighters which required a roll of 1 using a D10 to score a hit.

"Ground War" is a simple rule set (I believe it was designed by Dan himself), easy to understand and with very few complications. What I did not particularly like was the treatment of ambushes - they were all put on the table right from the beginning and hence the enemy clearly knew which route to avoid. The justification for this treatment was the presence of surveillance aircrafts which could give advance warning to the attackers- I somehow couldn't accept that. Hence, with the enemy clearly avoiding the ambushes and tank traps right from the offset, the Indians were forced to fall back and fight for their lives till their centurion tanks and armoured carriers arrived.

The battle ended in a draw with both sides failing to accomplish their objectives in the given time. The Pakistanis failed to cut a wide (2 ft on the table) secure path through the Indian side and the Indians failed to drive the Pakistanis back.

All said and done, it gives me goose bumps to think of the Indian Soldiers who fought that decisive battle. Heavily out-numbered and without enough resources to thwart a tank attack of such proportions, they managed to hold on till the fighters arrived at dawn. The result which in my opinion may have had a lot to do with Pakistani stupidity and incompetence, takes nothing away from those jawans who stood their ground. Hats off to Major Chandpuri !!

On a lighter note, I should have prepared for the battle by watching J.P. Dutta's film - Border. It may have given me a lot of ideas like engaging my enemy commander in a verbal duel before the battle or asking my soldiers to walk towards the Pakistani tanks with anti-tank mines in their hands and thereby forcing them to retreat. Bollywood ! S I G H !!!

Tomorrow, I shall post a write up on the WWI game that I played the next day.

2007-08-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Back from Historicon !! I played two games - the 1971 "Battle of Longewala" using the "Groundwar" rules and a WWI German offense on entrenched Allies. Shall post a write up along with snaps in a day or two.

Here are a few snaps.

2007-07-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Historicon 2007 !!
Packed and all set. Heading for Historicon in a few hours :-)

2007-06-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

:-O : With the Prince of darkness ??

;-) : Yeah, Right !!

2007-06-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Beside the George Washington memorial.

2007-06-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

Aye Captain !! I am at the wheel, seated is Mahesh and the guy in black is Chindu.

This was a dream come true - Lake George, NY, where I got a chance to drive a speed boat. The experience of the cold wind brushing you wildly and the leaps from one wave crest to another is incomparable. This is far more exciting than hitting 100 mph on an open highway !!

2007-06-25T18:16:00.000-07:00

Fermat's Last Theorem
This is amazing.
Andrew Wiles proceeded to solve Fermat's last theorem (For n>2, the equation a^n + b^n = c^n has no solutions for non zero a,b and c) by proving Taniyama - Shimura Conjecture. Does it not sound incredible that a man who lived about 400 years ago could come up with a different solution, which even the greatest mathematicians of our time have not been able to reproduce ? It speaks volumes of that man's incomparable genius.

2007-06-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

A small gain at one end, a massive loss at the other !!. The foreground shows the destroyed Panzers and the British tanks responsible for it, while in the back ground the common wealth forces are being slaughtered and their machines obliterated !!

2007-06-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Germans make an all out offensive on the entrenched defenders. This was the bloodiest part of the whole battle. The Common wealth forces suffered huge casualties and were wiped off the field. Needless to say, the Germans too paid a heavy price.

2007-06-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

The Panzers under fire !! Even after destroying a couple of Panzers through a successful ambush and suppressing yet another, the British tanks failed to carry the momentum forward. The Germans wiped the Common wealth forces off the field at the other end of the battlefield. The success that you see above was fleeting.

2007-06-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Ambushed !! The Panzers run into well concealed British Cruisers as they make their way around a dilapidated building.

2007-06-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

A burning Panzer, after it took a hit on its flank.

2007-06-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

Germans vehicles getting toasted by the well entrenched Common Weath forces, as they try to push uphill. Capturing this hill was one of the key German objectives.

2007-06-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

The "Road To Kozani" - April 13, 1941 ( Wars in Greece )

On April 13th, 1941 the German 9th Panzer division - 33rd Panzer regiment entered Ptolmais. As the Germans began to push out of Ptolmais, they had to move through a hostile territory consisting of Swamps, Anti Tank ditches and rough terrain. While under the constant barrage of Artillery and anti tank fire, the German forces moved slowly through the swamp and were able to flank the Common wealth forces. The Panzers were then engaged by the tanks of the 3rd Royal Tank Regiment and elements of the 19th Australian Infantry brigade.

The Germans were finally successful in inflicting heavy losses on the Common Wealth force and also driving them off the field. The battle was bloody and the Germans lost several lives, tanks and support vehicles.

2007-06-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Game-a-thon @ SWA - 23rd June 2007

I had the chance to watch an amazing WWII game using "Battlefront" rules today. There was a big crowd at the table and hence I couldn't play, nor was I familiar with this rule set. So I spent my time watching the game and trying to learn the rules. Anyway, Steve and Pete have offered me a place on one of the teams in an upcoming game and also at Historicon , where they are planning to conduct a few games.

In the afternoon session, I played Junta and managed to finish second with a decent swiss bank balance. It is a game that takes you through the political and military life in a typical banana republic, where Coups, Intrigues and Assassinations and part of everyday life.

2007-06-17T06:36:00.000-07:00

We played Cities and Knights of Catan at the SWA yesterday. Got back home after midnight to get some quick sleep before rushing to office on Sunday morning, as my project was going Live. SWA is conducting Game-a-thon next Saturday. This is the line up of Games,

Morning Session ( 11am - 4pm )
FCS Dungeons & Dragons - "Ambush at Gelding Glade" (Chris Ford)
Dawn RPG - "Under Lock and Key" (Dennis Perlstein)
Battlefront Minis - "Clash of Armor" (Steve Keyer)
Army of Ireland - 1866 Battle of Ridgeway (Dave Cuatt)
1830-Railroads and Robber Barons - Railroading...Tresham Style (Eric Paperman)

Evening Session ( 5pm - 10pm+ )
Seventh Sea RPG - "Elizabethan England" (Charles Moorehouse)
Galactic Destiny - Intergalactic Intrigue (Mike Haggett)
Junta - Political Hijinks (Peter Landry) Settlers of Catan - Cities and Knights Expansion (Daryl Kimmel)

For more details, go here.

2007-06-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

Obsolescence-o-phobia !!

I have read somewhere that English gains about six and loses about four words a year. So if anybody is into the art/profession of coining new words, please create one for the "fear of the light speed obsolescence of gizmos". I suffer from it. For well over a year I have been vacillating about buying a camcorder and everytime I hear someone say that their gadget now costs half of what they had originally spent on it and that better and far more capable devices are available now, my heart sinks.

Anyway, a couple of gadgets have finally made their way into my life recently. After being blown away by the GPS I had on a car that I rented to travel to Washington DC, I decided to buy one. I am sure I would have lost my way and wandered around in the night if I had relied on my printouts from Mapquest alone. So I finally bought the "Garmin Street Pilot i3". To put it simply -"Its a great invention". StreetPilot i3 offers me everything I need for my peregrinations - A robust navigation system with good signal strength, Automatic routing, Voice guidance with turn-by-turn directions , address lookup and 2D/ 3D maps. It has 32K-colour display and mounts perfectly on my wind shield. This particular model has been discontinued but I got a a very good deal and hence went for it, inspite of gravitating towards the c330 model.

The next one to walk the ramp and catch my attention was the ubiquitous Ipod. I had no plans of buying one till I saw an offer on Amazon where the 4GB nano was being offered for $149 (the original market price being $199). I have loaded a couple of audio books and some music that I got from the Schenectady Public Library yesterday.

The third one is a real life saver. With my laptop having crashed twice already in the last one year, I needed to take periodic backups of my data. I hated storing them on multiple DVDs and therefore went for a portable hard drive. Now, this baby is unbelievebly small for its capacity. It fits into the palm of my hand, weights roughly 100 grams but stores a whopping 120 GB. I am certain that the days of Tera and Peta byte storage are not far away. The Blue Ray disk has not yet reached many hands and it has already been overtaken by holographic storage.

Wonder how many more new technologies would become obsolete even before they hit the market !

2007-02-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

Quite a Sight !!!

I have read about mythological beings capable of walking on water. May be this is the closest i can get to see one. That guy in the picture is standing on top of what is a river during the warmer days of the year. I watched him dismount from his car, walk on the frozen river for quite a distance, drill a hole in the ice and fish nonchalantly.

2007-02-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Winter View - February 2007. The whole darn river is frozen !!

Lock 7 on the Mohawk River

Summer View- June 2006

2007-02-17T18:36:00.000-08:00

Finally the sun showed its face to beam down on us and we ventured out, driving through mountains of snow everywhere.

2007-02-14T13:04:00.000-08:00

Winter View (February 2007)

Summer View (July 2006)

2007-02-11T15:58:00.000-08:00

I have just finished reading "The Walmart Way" by Don Soderquist, a former Walmart Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. It is a fairly good book that borders on being an advertorial and talks about the emergence and growth of Walmart and its culture. There are a few questions at the end of each chapter that looks at Walmart and its principles from different angles. Mr.Soderquist very passionately explains the story of a man who had a simple dream of owning a store and ended up creating the world's largest retail empire. It paints a very impressive picture of Walmart, something that may not amuse many people especially those who are trying to survive in a Walmart World. And then there are those who believe that there is a high price to this low cost.
The book does not spend pages discussing the most familiar allegations against Walmart which include Employee health benefits, pay or the closure of thousands of small businesses.
Anyway, this book presents several good lessons and i shall focus on those rather than what it doesn't. The book is divided into twelve chapters and each focusses on a particular facet. To summarise, the book talks about Sam Walton's Vision and how he pursued it, The Walmart culture, its focus on customer delight and how employees make a difference, Its passion for excellence and the drive to check bureaucracy,Its reliance on technology and the reinvention of Supply chain, Its efforts to forge excellent supplier relationships, to be a trend setter in Corporate social responsibility and finally about the future of Walmart.
Although you might become a little tired of hearing Walmart being praised up to the heavens and Sam being regarded a Demi God, i am sure it provides some food for thought.

2007-02-04T14:46:00.000-08:00

2007-02-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

2007-02-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

Made quick trip to the Maple Ski ridge in Schenectady today.

2007-02-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Freakonomics is an excellent book. It is veritably called "Freakonomics" as it uses tools that economists generally use to investigate problems that do not seem to be in the purview of Economics. The author investigates several topics both intractable and trivial by analysing huge chunks of data to identify patterns. "People may lie but data do not." is Mr Levitt's argument and he proves it conclusively. Some of the topics he has covered in this book are,

1)What makes a perfect parent?
2)What defied the popular belief and contributed to the decline of crime in the 90s?
3)Match fixing among Sumo wrestlers in Japan?
4)Cheating by teachers
5)How sincere can real estate agents be?
6)What brought the Ku Klux Klan down?
7)Why do crack dealers live with their mothers?

Undoubtedly, Mr.Levitt is a maverick and he makes seemingly meaningless piles of numbers tell tales that turn conventional wisdom on its head. What i felt most striking was his reasoning that the decline of crime in the 90s was not due to better policing strategies or a buoyant economy (they may have made a small difference) but the legalization of abortion two decades earlier. It removed a sizeable population of "would be criminals" and crime nose dived.
To summarize, i find this book excellent and insightful and it shows a world seen not just through the eyes of an Economist but that of a criminologist, a sociologist and above all someone who is free from the shackles of convention.

2007-01-15T16:46:00.000-08:00

As a wimpy winter lumbers on, we received a mild ice storm today and i stayed indoors reading "The Iraq Study Group Report". The report begins ominously stating that "The situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorationg. There is no path that can guarantee success, but the prospects can be improved." Hmmmm...I don't want to take any sides when it comes to the recent debate on increasing the troop levels. I see valid reasons for doing so and i also admire the sacrifices many families have made for this nation. I can also understand why many Americans want their government to cut and run. So I shall keep my judgements to myself and hope that everyone finds peace and respect.

I also watched the movie "Kingdom of Heaven". I think Ridley Scott did a better job with "Gladiator".

2007-01-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year !

2006 ended on a weekend that saw me hibernate on my couch under a blanket where i finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) . A warm blanket over my body, A fantasy novel in my hand, Cold wind and snow outside.Bye Bye 2006. You were good in many ways and excellent in many more. The drudgery as i am aware was a conscious choice, never foisted. Thank You for all the smiles :-)