What's the Indian definition of privacy?
The fact is, Indians love to discuss personal lives, whether it's ours or someone else's. So at office canteens, you'll find men and women discussing diverse personal issues, ranging from their spouse's birthday party, to their domestic squabbles, their parents and in-laws, neighbors, children, children's friends, their school...blah blah.
But, my cousin is right. In the U.K., and in many other developed economies, colleagues rarely get down to discussing personal lives.
While I really wouldn't like to get into the merits and demerits of this culture, the lack of awareness on privacy-related issues does raise concerns over data security. This transcends itself at a systemic level. Since there are no privacy laws here (the Data Protection Bill 2006 definitely won't get approved anytime soon), even companies and clients go unscathed when they sell personal information to telemarketers and others. Service providers can easily pass the buck onto their employees. And employees know they won't get caught.
This callous attitude toward privacy can definitely prove costly. For instance, most credit card companies and banks here ask customers for their mailing address, mother's maiden name, birthday, and so on, to verify their identity before they give out critical information. How difficult is it to get that in India?
Today, you find so much personal information on social networking sites. Almost everyone gives out their birthdays, including the year of birth, status of their personal relationships (the whole cyberworld know when break-ups happen; a news feed is up on Facebook the very next hour), job details, address, phone numbers, interests, and so on.
Privacy has little meaning here in India. If there was a field for "funds in your bank" or your "net worth" in a form, I am sure there will be many who will gladly provide the information.
As Internet penetration increases and the medium touches more lives, Indians--much as some other communities--will have to take a closer look at issues pertaining to privacy. We will have to be more "privacy compliant"--both at an the individual level, as well as at a systemic level.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Hike is a Mike.....
Our Story Hero Anand,software engineer by profession, is a hardworking guy and a critical resource in the project.Manager and the leads know that he is a guy who performs very well and help others in solving there problem. On a fine Monday morning, while riding his bike to Office he was thinking about the hike letter and his promotion he was going to get for the day, because his friends told him that already the hike letters got released on weekends.so he was thinking in his mind,that he will get a good hike because he worked hard,got good appreciation from client and his lead told him that he will help him in getting his promotion and hike,so with confidence he was dreaming how to make utilize of the amount he is going to get as hike and he believed the amount will help his family to stay more comfortable.
Suddenly he got waked up from his dream, once he reached the office.He is not sure how fast he reached the office.He parked his bike and on the way to his cabin he met his friends and discussed about the hike letter and eagerly opened his mail to see his hike letter..
What a surprise? Everything went on air...No promotion and no much hike...He lost his confidence and thought his one year work got wasted.His plans all got collapsed...He is not able to share his feelings with anyone because he expected more and thought like someone have cheated him...
At that time, he realised , hike is a mike....When one speaks in front of a mike, it converts the sound wave into electrical energy and the sound got echoed in the speakers.But in today's software field,when you speak infront of the mike, the speakers got switched off and only the sound wave is converted into waste energy.But without agnizing that, one think our sound got reached the speakers and something will be rewarded, but we become the fool atlast.
He is not able to control himself and he left for the day after closing his shop soon.But he made up his mind and empathized the problem that he expected more....Once expectations are not fulfilled,we become the looser..But still he have a Hope that God will show him a good lead and manager who will identify his
hardwork ..ofcourse better company....and again he started working hard.....
From my Brain......
Suddenly he got waked up from his dream, once he reached the office.He is not sure how fast he reached the office.He parked his bike and on the way to his cabin he met his friends and discussed about the hike letter and eagerly opened his mail to see his hike letter..
What a surprise? Everything went on air...No promotion and no much hike...He lost his confidence and thought his one year work got wasted.His plans all got collapsed...He is not able to share his feelings with anyone because he expected more and thought like someone have cheated him...
At that time, he realised , hike is a mike....When one speaks in front of a mike, it converts the sound wave into electrical energy and the sound got echoed in the speakers.But in today's software field,when you speak infront of the mike, the speakers got switched off and only the sound wave is converted into waste energy.But without agnizing that, one think our sound got reached the speakers and something will be rewarded, but we become the fool atlast.
He is not able to control himself and he left for the day after closing his shop soon.But he made up his mind and empathized the problem that he expected more....Once expectations are not fulfilled,we become the looser..But still he have a Hope that God will show him a good lead and manager who will identify his
hardwork ..ofcourse better company....and again he started working hard.....
From my Brain......
Excellence
A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby.
Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage."
The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked."There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work.
"Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked.
The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I know it and God knows it!"
The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not. “Excellence” is a drive from inside, not outside. Excel at a task today - not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.
Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage."
The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked."There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work.
"Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked.
The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I know it and God knows it!"
The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not. “Excellence” is a drive from inside, not outside. Excel at a task today - not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Law of the Garbage Truck
How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood?
Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly one can get back their focus on what's important. David J. Pollay explains his story in this
way.
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it sitting in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident,whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean…he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"
And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason.
Never let the garbage truck run over you!!
Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? However, the mark of a successful person is how quickly one can get back their focus on what's important. David J. Pollay explains his story in this
way.
Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. I learned it sitting in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when, all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!
The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident,whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean…he was friendly. So, I said, "Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!"
And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you. When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. You just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. You'll be happy you did."
I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets? It was that day I said, "I'm not going to do it anymore."
Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. Love the people who treat you right. Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason.
Never let the garbage truck run over you!!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Dasavatharam story explained - Another view
FAQs on Dasavatharam
Some guys have claimed they haven't understood chaos theory which plays such an important part in the film. I've decided to explain it a bit so that people can appreciate the brilliance of the film.
What is Chaos? Basically a chaotic system is one wherein long term predictions are impossible. Like for example, if I push a car, I know that it is going to move and it will continue to do so if I go on pushing it on and on. However, in a chaotic system, this situation cannot be predicted over a long period of time. Weather, for example, is a chaotic system. No matter how good your instruments are, you simply cannot predict the weather with 100 per cent accuracy over a long term basis and forecast it.
What is the Butterfly Effect? It is the most important component of a chaotic system. Basically, small perturbations results in amplifications which completely destroys the original nature of the system and makes prediction impossible. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Africa, it could result in a cyclone in USA.(Mark the word COULD.) A highly dumbed down explanation of the butterfly effect is in the film Anniyan, where Vikram's sister dies because a liquor shop owner sells liquor on a dry day.
OK, how does Dasa incorporate it?
In essence, Dasa talks about eight characters who are inconsequential as such, but are integrated in a larger picture. Without Bush, the plane would have been called back. Without Shinghen, Govind would be dead. Without the tsunami, the world would have been destroyed. Even Krishnaveni (the old woman) plays a very important role. If she had not put the vial in the idol, maybe Govind would have recovered it then and there and a powerful weapon would have been unleashed. The very fact that it went into the idol meant that it was being accelerated to its destiny. Without Kaifulllah Khan, Govind would have never escaped... the list simply goes on.
OK, so does the film talk about theism or atheism? Neither. It talks about how humans drive the destiny of the world.
The idol that is drowned in the sea along with Rangarajan in 12th century by Chozha king results in a fault being developed at the bottom of the ocean and creates tremors more than 800 years later. These tremors result in the Tsunami. This again is a classic case of Butterfly Effect wherein a seemingly inconsequential event (the drowning of the idol) saves Tamil Nadu from being wiped off the face of the earth.
Now tell me, does THIS movie lack a story? This movie has the most beautiful story ever attempted in Indian cinema. Unfortunately, Indian viewers and critics are obsessed with the "boy meets girl" and "revenge" themes, so they fail to see the story in this master piece.
-- Chaos Theory
Some guys have claimed they haven't understood chaos theory which plays such an important part in the film. I've decided to explain it a bit so that people can appreciate the brilliance of the film.
What is Chaos? Basically a chaotic system is one wherein long term predictions are impossible. Like for example, if I push a car, I know that it is going to move and it will continue to do so if I go on pushing it on and on. However, in a chaotic system, this situation cannot be predicted over a long period of time. Weather, for example, is a chaotic system. No matter how good your instruments are, you simply cannot predict the weather with 100 per cent accuracy over a long term basis and forecast it.
What is the Butterfly Effect? It is the most important component of a chaotic system. Basically, small perturbations results in amplifications which completely destroys the original nature of the system and makes prediction impossible. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Africa, it could result in a cyclone in USA.(Mark the word COULD.) A highly dumbed down explanation of the butterfly effect is in the film Anniyan, where Vikram's sister dies because a liquor shop owner sells liquor on a dry day.
OK, how does Dasa incorporate it?
In essence, Dasa talks about eight characters who are inconsequential as such, but are integrated in a larger picture. Without Bush, the plane would have been called back. Without Shinghen, Govind would be dead. Without the tsunami, the world would have been destroyed. Even Krishnaveni (the old woman) plays a very important role. If she had not put the vial in the idol, maybe Govind would have recovered it then and there and a powerful weapon would have been unleashed. The very fact that it went into the idol meant that it was being accelerated to its destiny. Without Kaifulllah Khan, Govind would have never escaped... the list simply goes on.
OK, so does the film talk about theism or atheism? Neither. It talks about how humans drive the destiny of the world.
The idol that is drowned in the sea along with Rangarajan in 12th century by Chozha king results in a fault being developed at the bottom of the ocean and creates tremors more than 800 years later. These tremors result in the Tsunami. This again is a classic case of Butterfly Effect wherein a seemingly inconsequential event (the drowning of the idol) saves Tamil Nadu from being wiped off the face of the earth.
Now tell me, does THIS movie lack a story? This movie has the most beautiful story ever attempted in Indian cinema. Unfortunately, Indian viewers and critics are obsessed with the "boy meets girl" and "revenge" themes, so they fail to see the story in this master piece.
-- Chaos Theory
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