Thoughts – Page 5

Batti Band – Mumbai Unplugged

Mumbai has seen flurry of citizen initiatives. Car Free Bandra managed to see participation of a large chunk of Bandra residents, coverage from press and 15 minutes of fame for people who thought about it.

The other one currently in vogue is Batti Bandh, Mumbai Unplug. The idea is simple. Global warming is affecting the way we live. We will all shut off all electric devices for one hour on December 15.

First time I read this, I had two thoughts.
1. Are electric devices causing global warming in the first place?
2. If unplugged electric devices are being used to spread a message, isn’t there a better way than a bandh?

For the record I am absolutely against any kind of Bandh. Be it YFE or any other youth forum against reservations, Doctors against mandatory year of rural service or even shutting down electric appliances to raise awareness about global warming.

A Bandh by its very definition is against the basis premise on which the world has eveolved. The premise of growth, development and a continuous state of flux. A Bandh tries to stop the movement from one stage to another. And this is very reason Bandhs are mostly inaffective and end up as damp squibs.

A Bandh thus might have a few positive effects but the list of negatives is endless. No one can be held responsible for patients who died because doctors were on a strike or for students who couldnt sit for their annual exams because there was a rally being organized on the roads. Some people say we need to lead by example. Do we want to set example by shutting down work? By dis-obedience?

Agreed civil disobedience played a key role in our struggle for freedom but it was a different. We were not preached to stop working and go on a Bandh. Instead we adviced to work. We decided to march till Dandi and make our own salt.

Coming back to Batti Bandh, I am wondering people supporting Batti Bandh actually know the REAL reason behind Global Warming, Kyoto Protocol or carbon credits?

To end, I think Global Warming is a real issue and its about time we did something about it. I am not questioning the intent of people behind (and supporting) Batti Bandh, I am instead raising finger at the way they are going about it.

In my opinion a better way could have been to create activities that made people come out of houses (and eventually turn off lights). Something productive would have came out of it and awareness would have been much better.

Gujarat Assembly Elections – 2007

Gujarat is currently witnessing the greatest drama that can be staged in a democracy – elections. Gujarat goes to elections in two phases – 87 seats on Dec 11 and 95 seats on Dec 16.

Ideally elections should be fought over governance, judiciary and development. Tough questions should be asked. Honest answers should be expected. From the time I can remember, I have never seen this happening.

Gujarat elections are about Mr. Narendra Modi and Ms. Sonia Gandhi. Questions and answers have been replaced by creative competitions of coming up with better attacks, allegations and mud-shots. Instead of talking about economic development, politicians are banking on religion and riots. Instead of challenging governance, politicians are talking about sting operations conducted by media houses with dubious credentials.

Few of the issues raised by these political parties have een “Hindutva“, “terrorism” and “revenge”. One of the parties is talking about “maut ke saudagar“. The other one is prophesying “Eent ka jawab paththar se“. Sounds like a perfect way to get attention. Aren’t elections only about getting attention?

I am very disappointed with the way elections are being fought (they should be contested not fought) in Gujarat. When I cast my vote for the first time about 7 years ago, I was ecstatic. I had voiced my opinion in choosing who I thought would run the show best. Not for the guy who could shower my religion with flowery language or promise to drive all the “terrorists” out.

Social Networks – The Future

I posted an answer on Social Networks on LinkedIn.

Hi,

Looks like no one can have enough of Social Networks.

In my opinion, the entire wave of networks would keep on flooding the Internet. Pertinent question would be which network would survive in the long term.

Lets not even go into reasons why these networks are created in the first place.

Things that would keep one social network ahead of another are

1. Network Effect: The network with most number of people would eventually win. People would have to join the network with most people and most people would join a network because the network has most people on it. Saw this in action with Orkut in India.

2. Repeat Visitors: Once a social network grows beyond its novelty factor, a lot of people simply stop coming back. Network should have something that attracts people back. LinkedIn: Professionals. Facebook: Applications.

If I need to talk to my friends and other random people about something, I can create a blog, I can comment on other blogs. I can send SMS, emails, call for real. The utility of a social network for daily chores is simply absent. Networks would have to offer more than just dating, friendship, music etc.

3. Offering: A network should give me something that is hard to find (or do) in real life. For example LinkedIn. This is something (access to people with IQ :D) that I cant get in real life. No popular network apart from LinkedIn offers this to me.

Apart from these three, if few networks have to emerge as winners, they need to take care of following

1. Regional networks: Even though Internet does not have any boundaries as such, currently we have different networks dominating different geographies. Friendster – Asia, mySpace – US, Orkut – India and Brazil.

Obviously the reason for this spatial distribution is real connections (you invite, join and interact with social networks where your real-life friends are and most of your real-life friends live close to you)

2. Interest Areas: End of the day you join a network and stay there because you are interested in something and you want to connect to people with similar interests and want their opinions.

Myspace could connect all musicians, Linkedin could connect all professionals etc. The social network that can do this first would end up as a winner in my opinion.

If I was to compare professional interests, FaceBook with its applications is a move in that direction but it still lacks seriousness for a QnA network and more importantly it does not have the kind of people LinkedIn has. Similarly if I was to compare music interests, Myspace and FaceBook are still not there.

In my opinion, social networks are like any other commodity. In the long run, we would have one or two major players with chunk of the market share. And the networks that can aggregate interest areas and geographic spread would emerge as winners in long term.

Regards,
SG

The Ripple Effect for Viral Marketing

Virals are like ripples. Someone needs to drop that pebble that starts the ripple. These pebbles have to be dropped at the right places. Where water is deep enough to create a large ripple. And where a ripple would not die down after some time.

Originally posted here.

I am trying to develop this theory. Suggestions are welcome.

Evolution of The Future

This link talks about Evolution. No, not the things that have already happened but things that might happen in future.

The new report shows that after they reach their peak around the year 3000 humans will begin to regress

These humans will be between 6ft and 7ft tall and they will live up to 120 years.

Men will have symmetrical facial features, deeper voices and bigger penises.

Women will all have glossy hair, smooth hairless skin, large eyes and pert breasts, according to Curry in a report for men’s satellite TV channel Bravo.

Racial differences will be a thing of the past as interbreeding produces a single coffee-coloured skin tone.

Personally I agree to what Oliver Curry has to say. I am actually seeing the trend in that direction. Most people want good looking brides and grooms. Most people look for socially desirable characteristics – good looking, slim, convent educated, homely in brides and MBA, good looking, working in MNC, 7 figure salary in grooms. What about the people who are not from convents and working with start-ups? They would have to get married to girls who are not slim and fair and homely and they would end up having comparatively inferior kids.

No wonder kids of most doctor couples end up becoming doctor as kids. I am not saying that doctors pass on intelligence in the genes but the kid would be more inclined towards medicine since he has some traits of parents (nature) and he would grow up in a house (nurture) full of medicines and medical books and medical equipment. Most of his parents friends would also be doctors and their kids would also be doctors and hence all the more surrounded by doctors.

Things look scary.

Any comments .. ?