workFront

Have you lived your dream ?

Your Job: Have you lived your dream? - Team-BHP

Hmm interesting discussion here. On common refrain amongst the software types is the drudgery of the job. What can fix that ? Perhaps too many jumped into the "current hot thing" and of course, till not long ago - and even today for a large percentage - following your heart was not an option.

Hypothetical question : Won't we all rock if we basically do what we love to do ? I mean there will be little by way of 'just doing my job' ... of course its a naive statement and things are rarely static - but its still a thought worth considering when hiring/creating workplaces.

Entreprenuership

BumsOnTheSaddle

Some startups are not about scale, but pure passion. They are about something you believe in, and want to grow. They're about doing it, not planning it. There's something to be said for that which transcends biz plans and term sheets.

I wish Nikhil and Rohan success, for that also means more Bangaloreans pedalling to work, or for pleasure. Either way, it'll be a healthier city.

Take a Hike

AFP: Reverse outsourcing takes off as rising costs hit Indian IT firms

Hate to say it but "I told you so"..... is a correction around the corner ? It may not be a bad idea for the Indian IT industry and brand as a whole.

Alternatively its being predicted that as more biggies chip in to improve the supply side, salaries will get sanitized and the spiralling growth in costs will steady, if not reverse.

One way or the other, our Hondas and Hyundais - fine cars in their own right - are beginning to ask for Lexus, Merc and Porsche level premiums. That always comes at the cost of sustainable volumes. For a smaller segment, higher end, niche work and greater levels of productivity can justify increases, but the spiral in last year and a half has not necessarily been accompanied by these factors, but is purely a function of demand. Beyond a certain mark, the cost is high enough such that the pain of managing language issues and even a slightly lesser trained workforce (given the headstart India has now) is worth it.

How can these factors be effected ? And how can a larger pool of industry ready grads be enabled to improve the supply side of things ?

UI quickstart ?

woodstock: Project Woodstock - Preview

Should be useful for folks stitching up UI for their products. I'm hardly even a UI novice, so dunno what the alternatives are, or how good this is.

Project Management Skills ?

xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe

No futile commentary needed from me I guess :)

Zook Podcast on the Kiruba Show

Had spoken with Kiruba while at BarCamp.

Very impressed he did all of this with no "retakes", zero editing and managed a tightly controlled script in hs targetted 10 minutes.

Map the Mind

Have been using Mind42 for "thinking aloud" and collaborating on ideas. It captures thought processes, and aids iterative, in fact an "continuous design cycle". Very useful for ideating, tracking, and having a bird's eye view of whats up. I'm even using this for todos on the home front, and it works as well. The best part is how easy it is to collaborate on or share the evolving ideas/concepts with others contributors.

You can also export the map to a variety of formats - FreeMind, for instance

Really exciting product after a long time.

Now, Ask (thru) Zook and thou shall receive...

All the answers ? Thats a tall claim for anyone. Things change, priorities change, cities change, needs change, points of view change.

"whats that Indian place next to IndiJoe's called?"
"Where can I get dishwasher detergent?"
"What freq is the all western FM on?"
"Is there a good deal on 40" LCD TVs?"
"discotheques?"
"free concerts this weekend"

Life is so full of questions. "Data" can answer some, but people can answer most. Zook is data, people, and lots of curiosity. And somehow, all this together will work to get you an answer.

From tomorrow 4pm IST - go ahead - ask Zook. If there's no answer in the can, a pal will get back. And Zook's a pal too!

(also "Z ask zook need to repair Canon" to 3030)

[ shouldn't I post all this on the official Zook blog instead ? maybe.....]

Update:

With this, as with so many other things in life, there's been slippage :( May take a day or two to fix...

The Future (of the) Mobile Device

openmoko.com

"Free Phone" - I like the sense it communicates. Makes a lot of sense to separate the platform from the OS, as has been the case in computing devices otherwise. One change it'll surely bring is an opening up of functionality by the regular phone manufacturers.

Bangalore Uploads!

BeleniX | BeleniX

Popularizing Solaris! Well, everyone's got a right to stable desktops/servers :) Very impressed with the effort - especially since its born out of Bangalore.