The real competitor for Apple ipad
Amazing way to blur the digital divide and probably this is the real competitor for Apple ipad
The boy who harnessed the wind by William Kamkwamba
If any of us has a notion that we are cruising against great adversities, William’s story will shift our thinking. Listen to the TED talk
A new way to think about creativity – Elizabeth Gilbert
Drive by Dan Pink
“Compliance will get you through the day, but only engagement will get you through the night”.
The centre piece of Dan’s book is built around this idea – extrinsic motivators are not good enough when navigating through unchartered waters. Intrinsic motivators are indispensable in todays world, with ever changing boundaries where unless you are the one who is redefining the limitations or closely following the leader, you have little chance of survival.
Dan has pointed at the gap between what science knows and what businesses do (businesses continue to concentrate on extrinsic motivators – carrot or the stick, the intangible is beyond the reach for most of them). Probably that is why Apple, Ideo have remained way apart and now Ford is also entering the same league.
Every manager have asked this question – How do I motivate my people, probably a better question to ask is what motivates people in this changed world, where the quest is not just for money, but for a meaninful existence too.
A great read
I am the Captain of my soul
Great men live a life beyond normal human beings by choice not by nature. Carefully crafted strategies were part of the campaign led by any great people leader, whether it be Gandhi, who through Salt Satyagraha, challenged the moral ascendancy West held over East or Nelson Mandela, who inspired South African Rugby Team to win the world cup in 1995, there by creating an emotional platform to bring together people divided by apartheid for decades. Great Movie – Invictus – Thanks Clint East Wood
Passion Personified to teach, touch and move
Look at these women to feel what is passion personified
Each master to his own technique
This is a dialogue from an old Jackie Chan movie. Can’t remember the name of the movie.
As a child I was given the impression by the elders that they knew much more about the world and they could point me to the right direction. A warrior at heart, I seldom stopped questioning the limits of their patience, like most teenagers. And like many men who refuse to grow up, I still carry that teenager with me and now when half my life is over and parenting a five year old I don’t try to portray the image of an omniscient. What intrigues me is the notion or audacity that my parents or family had when they were bringing me up to paint a wrong picture of their abilities or knowledge – much like those wall street bankers. I guess that this is a notion that most Indian families harbour, that the elders know better and approach their offsprings with the mindset that they need to be taught about the ways of the world, not celebrating the immense capabilities with which they are born with and the potentials they will bloom into without any interference. At some stage in my life there was a cross over and my parents completely abandoned this notion – what would have been the subprime meltdown in our lives – I have to still fathom it out.
When answering my five year old’s questions like what is a heart attack, how did that first woman come on earth, what is protector, why is Vishnu (the hindu diety) called a protector and Shiva (another diety) called a destroyer, I don’t hold back, but try to explain even the cycle of creation, protection and destruction to maintain the balance of the world. And every time we hold such conversation I try to embed the message that I know very little, there is a vast world out there where you could find more information both first hand and from people who have experienced it before, there are multiple modes of enrichment available, which you can choose to your liking , youtube, images, neopets, facebook and so on.
In whatsoever state you are, having a strategy of your own counts and understanding how that strategy fits into the bigger jigsaw. Many a time it may not work out as you planned, many a time you may come across a much bigger game which was played in your favour and in the designing of which you had zero input. All you can do is play your game with fierce will and involvement and embrace the unknown with hunger and passion, for there are not going to be many knowns in your life.
Exuberance by Kay Redfield Jamison
As the name suggests, this is a book about Exuberance, the effervescent spirit of well-being, a passion that pushes the boundaries of human limitations and this is also a book that brings the trying times of our previous generation before our eyes and how the leaders of those era found energy and high spirit within themselves to motivate and guide a generation through hardships and unclear horizons of hope. If we ever think, we have a challenging task at hand, history (World War 2 era) should provide us some light on what human beliefs can accomplish.
This books belongs to the genre of psychiatry, but it is written for the common man with stories of Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt, Michael Faraday and a long list of others. A rare blend of erudition with popular story telling. Very much in the league of “FLOW” the psychology of optimal experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
Tom Tom Middle East – iphone
Tom Tom GPS Navigator was the latest on Appstore purchases. For a road trip to Muscat, Oman and some sightseeing into the interiors of Oman it really proved handy. With the inbuilt GPS on iphone 3G there is no need for a telephone connection. iphone works just like a GPS device and at a price of AED320 compared to any other GPS device which costs at least AED 800 or above it was really worth while. The whole trip was smooth and could make last minute diversions without any hassle. On the way to Muscat, took the diversion to Rustaq to see the hot springs and joined the main route through Barqa after seeing the Ostrich farm. Next day, covered the Nizwa Fort and visited Al Hoota caves (Al Hoota was not on the GPS map as it is a new road) on the way to Al Hamra. The following day did Yeti and Qantab beaches and Mattrah Corniche via the Bustan road. I used to live in Muscat till 2004, however after all these years, without Tom Tom I would have taken many wrong turns. Thanks to Tom Tom for the memorable experience.
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