I read this fantastic article on MSN today about about 6 products that are very highly priced. The article is an eye-opener and the author has picked up products from our everyday life and provided amazing facts and figures. The most striking point for me in the article is the comparison between the cost of printer ink Vs the cost of blood. After reading this article, I will be always think twice before hitting the Print button!
And I am not buying any more popcorn at the movies :)
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Spreadsheets for Risk Management - NO!
My company has been working on Risk Management products for over a year and I am part of that team. We have been interacting with our clients and it surprises me to see many companies still use Excel as their risk management software. That prompted me to pen down a white paper listing the dangers of using spreadsheets for Risk Management and why well designed automated systems are a much better option. You can read the white paper online of download it here.
I look forward to your comments and thoughts.
I look forward to your comments and thoughts.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The debate over proposed Ground Zero mosque
I have been following the proposed Ground Zero mosque debate that has been going for the last few months. It has been quite fascinating to hear the "fors" and the "againsts" over the issue. Almost everybody is into this debate and I thought to pen down my thoughts on this.
I am all for freedom of religion and believe that each individual has the right to practice any religion he chooses. Similarly, there should be no restrictions on where religious institutions should be built. On those lines, I support the proposed mosque site 2 blocks from the Ground Zero. I believe that the opponents only strengthen the promoters resolve of building the mosque since it seems to be a threat to their religion. Islam is a major religion followed by over a billion people around the world.It is only a small fraction of radicals that have brought all the negative press for the religion.
Coming back to the mosque site, if the site is legal and a religious structure construction is permitted by the local bodies, I do not have any problems with it. However, it would be prudent for the mosque promoters to move the mosque a little farther away from Ground Zero. Ground Zero is a permanent scar which brings back a lot of pain and suffering. It is a fact that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by radical Muslims and 9/11 is not a very distant event. 9/11 did change lives for a lot of people for the worse, including Muslims. To build a religious structure so close to it will very surely offend a few. The promoters should understand that by moving the religious center site, they will portray Islam as the greater religion. They will send out a clear signal that they respect the sentiments of people, even a handful of them. They will do more good for their religion as compared to what they are doing now by being adamant about building the mosque so close to the site of the tragedy. A religious site does not need to be in the best of locations to attract people. So, even if the proposed mosque is moved by 10 blocks, firstly, they would silence almost all of their opponents, secondly, they will showcase the tolerance of Islam and thirdly, they will be able to carry out their daily activities in peace.
America is a great country that has bestowed upon its citizens the freedom to practice any religion and follow any tradition. However, it is the responsibility of each individual to not misuse this freedom and be sympathetic to others.
I am all for freedom of religion and believe that each individual has the right to practice any religion he chooses. Similarly, there should be no restrictions on where religious institutions should be built. On those lines, I support the proposed mosque site 2 blocks from the Ground Zero. I believe that the opponents only strengthen the promoters resolve of building the mosque since it seems to be a threat to their religion. Islam is a major religion followed by over a billion people around the world.It is only a small fraction of radicals that have brought all the negative press for the religion.
Coming back to the mosque site, if the site is legal and a religious structure construction is permitted by the local bodies, I do not have any problems with it. However, it would be prudent for the mosque promoters to move the mosque a little farther away from Ground Zero. Ground Zero is a permanent scar which brings back a lot of pain and suffering. It is a fact that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by radical Muslims and 9/11 is not a very distant event. 9/11 did change lives for a lot of people for the worse, including Muslims. To build a religious structure so close to it will very surely offend a few. The promoters should understand that by moving the religious center site, they will portray Islam as the greater religion. They will send out a clear signal that they respect the sentiments of people, even a handful of them. They will do more good for their religion as compared to what they are doing now by being adamant about building the mosque so close to the site of the tragedy. A religious site does not need to be in the best of locations to attract people. So, even if the proposed mosque is moved by 10 blocks, firstly, they would silence almost all of their opponents, secondly, they will showcase the tolerance of Islam and thirdly, they will be able to carry out their daily activities in peace.
America is a great country that has bestowed upon its citizens the freedom to practice any religion and follow any tradition. However, it is the responsibility of each individual to not misuse this freedom and be sympathetic to others.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Why can't all govt depts be like NJ DMV??
I stay in NJ and had to get my vehicle inspected. I decided to try one of the State's inspection facilities. Initially I was a little uncertain about using the State's facility, usual hesitance towards govt services, but still decided to give it a try.
I was very impressed by their online services. The website was very informative and it clearly spelled out what documents are required and general information about the process. The best feature, hands down, was the way one could check the wait queue. In all their inspection facilities they have installed cameras which take a picture of the wait lines and update the website periodically. Check it out here. I found this very cool and extremely helpful.
Based on the status from the pictures, I planned my trip there. Once I was at the facility, I found it quite well marked and had no problems getting in the correct line. The staff was very cordial and polite and patiently answered a few questions I had. They then took the car and inspected it and within five minutes, I had the car back, with the car inspected and good to go for another 2 years.
The whole process was very simple and pretty well managed.
Kudos to the NJ DMV!
I was very impressed by their online services. The website was very informative and it clearly spelled out what documents are required and general information about the process. The best feature, hands down, was the way one could check the wait queue. In all their inspection facilities they have installed cameras which take a picture of the wait lines and update the website periodically. Check it out here. I found this very cool and extremely helpful.
Based on the status from the pictures, I planned my trip there. Once I was at the facility, I found it quite well marked and had no problems getting in the correct line. The staff was very cordial and polite and patiently answered a few questions I had. They then took the car and inspected it and within five minutes, I had the car back, with the car inspected and good to go for another 2 years.
The whole process was very simple and pretty well managed.
Kudos to the NJ DMV!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Google imitating Bing?
I was surprised today morning when I browsed to google.com and saw a background image.
The first thought that cams to my mind was "Is Google trying to imitate Bing?". Bing changes the background image of their page daily and puts up very pleasant background images. It also adds some hot spots on their images that tell you about the image and link to more informative pages using their search. I was not sure that Google would try to imitate Microsoft for such a minuscule thing. I tried searching on why Google is trying to do that, but could not find any useful information. Then I looked up on how users find Bing's background image idea. I found that a lot of people found it useful and loved to see images of vastly varied spectrum daily. Many had commented that they found it very useful and was kind of their daily dose of general knowledge.
The only difference I found on the google home page was that you could upload an image to set as a background. The link is easy to miss, its on the bottom left of the page. That idea is also not new, I was able to do the same and much more on iGoogle.com using themes.
I love the Google Doodles, they are informative and innovative and eagerly wait for the next one. But as far as this background image, I am kind of disappointed and miss the plain simple google home page.
The first thought that cams to my mind was "Is Google trying to imitate Bing?". Bing changes the background image of their page daily and puts up very pleasant background images. It also adds some hot spots on their images that tell you about the image and link to more informative pages using their search. I was not sure that Google would try to imitate Microsoft for such a minuscule thing. I tried searching on why Google is trying to do that, but could not find any useful information. Then I looked up on how users find Bing's background image idea. I found that a lot of people found it useful and loved to see images of vastly varied spectrum daily. Many had commented that they found it very useful and was kind of their daily dose of general knowledge.
The only difference I found on the google home page was that you could upload an image to set as a background. The link is easy to miss, its on the bottom left of the page. That idea is also not new, I was able to do the same and much more on iGoogle.com using themes.
I love the Google Doodles, they are informative and innovative and eagerly wait for the next one. But as far as this background image, I am kind of disappointed and miss the plain simple google home page.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The Problem with Yahoo Answers!
Yahoo Answers is a great platform for people to ask and find answers to their questions. It is also a great knowledge base and a continuously enriching one. Barring a few instances, the answer quality is very good and to the point. The answers are also very genuine because there is a huge community of users who rate and select top answers. It also helps users to anonymously connect to other users who can be subject matter experts and get guidance from them. There are no fancy widgets or apps, just a simple question/answer model and users get rewarded for contributing. Its a perfect example of user-driven content and information.
After using Yahoo Answers for a while, I have been noticing that it has started being (mis)used by the young children who are putting in their entire homework on Answers and are rewarding other users who give them complete solutions. Check out the Science and Mathematics category and you can easily find tons of questions posted by users asking for complete solutions with a promise of giving away points for total solutions. I think its totally acceptable if children use it to resolve problems where they are stuck or to get explanations on issues they seem to struggle with, but putting in no effort and posting questions should be totally stopped.
I understand its technically almost impossible to remove questions of these types automatically and putting human reviewers will take the entire shine off Yahoo Answers! After giving it a serious thought, I feel a possible solutions could be to generate a lot of awareness among users about this problem and allow for reporting such type of questions even after they have been resolved. And if the reporting threshold has been reached, the user who asked the question as well as the one who answered it should be warned and docked off some points. I know this will be very controversial and will generate a lot of string opinions, but i think in the long run, we owe it to the school going children.
After using Yahoo Answers for a while, I have been noticing that it has started being (mis)used by the young children who are putting in their entire homework on Answers and are rewarding other users who give them complete solutions. Check out the Science and Mathematics category and you can easily find tons of questions posted by users asking for complete solutions with a promise of giving away points for total solutions. I think its totally acceptable if children use it to resolve problems where they are stuck or to get explanations on issues they seem to struggle with, but putting in no effort and posting questions should be totally stopped.
I understand its technically almost impossible to remove questions of these types automatically and putting human reviewers will take the entire shine off Yahoo Answers! After giving it a serious thought, I feel a possible solutions could be to generate a lot of awareness among users about this problem and allow for reporting such type of questions even after they have been resolved. And if the reporting threshold has been reached, the user who asked the question as well as the one who answered it should be warned and docked off some points. I know this will be very controversial and will generate a lot of string opinions, but i think in the long run, we owe it to the school going children.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Framed by police
There is very little one can do when authorities turn against you and you are not even given a chance to explain.
I watched this video "Framed by police, youth decided to end his life" a few days back and it brought tears to my eyes. The video shows how few young men, going on with their routine lives are suddenly and unexpectedly hit by a bolt of suspicion that destroys their life as well as that of their families. They are falsely implicated of having links with terrorists and are arrested and tortured. Its shameful and disgraceful for the police that they indict people without strong evidence or proof. They should have investigated in some detail before creating a fake case against them. I totally understand that in today's time police are under great pressure to prevent and solve terror related crimes, but they need to also think that any wrong arrest basically destroys a life and devastates those of their loved ones. Investigative agencies need to be a bit more careful.
The only good thing about this whole episode is that atleast the judiciary is doing their job well even though they take their own time. Another aspect is how we, the common people tend to discard or distance ourselves from people who are under suspicion without trying to find out if the person is really guilty or not. We are quick to form opinions and stick to them even when they are wrong.
I hope the affected youth get their pride back and are able to find good jobs and have a better life for them and their families. God, please give them a lot of good luck!
I watched this video "Framed by police, youth decided to end his life" a few days back and it brought tears to my eyes. The video shows how few young men, going on with their routine lives are suddenly and unexpectedly hit by a bolt of suspicion that destroys their life as well as that of their families. They are falsely implicated of having links with terrorists and are arrested and tortured. Its shameful and disgraceful for the police that they indict people without strong evidence or proof. They should have investigated in some detail before creating a fake case against them. I totally understand that in today's time police are under great pressure to prevent and solve terror related crimes, but they need to also think that any wrong arrest basically destroys a life and devastates those of their loved ones. Investigative agencies need to be a bit more careful.
The only good thing about this whole episode is that atleast the judiciary is doing their job well even though they take their own time. Another aspect is how we, the common people tend to discard or distance ourselves from people who are under suspicion without trying to find out if the person is really guilty or not. We are quick to form opinions and stick to them even when they are wrong.
I hope the affected youth get their pride back and are able to find good jobs and have a better life for them and their families. God, please give them a lot of good luck!
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