EMail Limitations

We all live and swear by our email these days. We are attached to emails so much that we get fidgety if not on the grid even for a few hours. Yes, email is great and a great way to communicate across the world almost instantaneously at little or no cost. With unlimited storage and always on connectivity, it is easy to see why email is the most used technology internet functionality and kind of infectious.

But does it always aide in improved productivity? This interesting article thinks otherwise and makes a case for good old face to face meetings / teams in some cases.

“When you communicate with a group you only know through electronic channels, it’s like having functional Asperger’s Syndrome — you are very logical and rational, but emotionally brittle,” Professor Shirky said.

“I’m part of a far-flung distributed network that at one point was designing a piece of software for sharing medical data; we worked mostly by conference calls and e-mail, and it was going nowhere. So we finally said we’d all fly to Boston and get together for two days, just sit in a room and hash it out.”

What's your take? How does email help you and where does it fail you?

Two Very Different Movies

I happened to see two very different movies this weekend.

One is a remake and the other is refreshingly new to Indian Cinema.

One has been made four times (twice in Hindi and twice in Tamil), still the story telling was very shallow.

Other has successfully explored a totally new domain for Indian Cinema and has told it very nicely.

One relies entirely on Hero's star appeal, high glamor quotient and foreign locales.

Other relies entirely on story, a new kid and domestic locales.

One makes you yarn and go to sleep.

Other makes you laugh, cry and most importantly think.

One I want to forget..

Other, would see few more times..

If you still haven't guessed....

One is Billa 2007 a poor remake of Rajni's Billa which itself was a remake of Amitabh's Don. Director Vishnuvardhan got lot of ink time for this movie which seemed to have made aping Holly Wood. But, he seemed to have missed bus big time. He relies entirely on Ajith's star appeal and the high glamor quotient of Nayanthara & Namitha. The story telling is so bad that all ones remembers about the movie is the endless slow motion walks of Ajith, characters just starring at each other in photo op locations and endless car chase and guns. Mr. Vishnuvardhan could have done lot better than this and his audience deserved better.

Other is Tare Zamin Par by Aamir Khan. Mr. Khan has donned the mantle of the director for the first time and done exceedingly well. This movie is very different from the usual fare and relies entirely on the power of the story and story telling. There is no female lead actress, no fights and no sentiment. Just simple story about a dyslexic kid and his turn around. What the Schools and Government policies couldn't achieve, Mr. Khan has done through his movie. This movie has raised the awareness about dyslexia and the needs of the children afflicted. The actual hero of the movie is NOT Aamir khan but a 11 year old boy who makes you cry, laugh and shudder.

I saw a very unique thing today. Generally people would starting walking towards the exit when the movie ends and credits starts rolling. But after the end of Tare Zamin Par, majority of the folks just stood and watched the credits till the end. Hats off of Aamir Khan for making a such a wonderful movie. Though I know Hindi a little bit, I would have better understood the dialogs and its power had they been in Tamil. I wish Aamir Khan dubs the movie in Tamil and other languages.

Ratings
Tare Zamin Par - A+ (A must watch and is bound to impact you)
Billa 2007 - D- (Avoid, sleep instead)

Side Story
I saw both movies at Sathyam Cinemas. The New Zealand guy running the show at Sathyam has done a remarkable job of improving the movie going experience. From online booking, to refreshments to the courteous attendants to ambiance to plush seats. This guy has paid attention to everything and has changed them for better.

Now, only if he could replicate that outside the movie going experience would be lot better. The moment one steps outside the theaters, you are mobbed by the pushy auto drivers. Even if you escape them, chances are you will get stuck in unrelenting traffic grid lock.

But there is very little Sathyam Cinemas could do for that. They have changed a lot inside and it seems to be continually improving. Thanks Sathyam and the New Zealand guy for a pleasant movie going experience.

Running Marathons - Tips for Beginners

A thoughtful forward from my father-in-law

Immediate Impressions of an R2I

Immediate Impressions of an R2I who is now doing R2USA

Here is an article that one of my acquaintance wrote immediately after returning back to India. He wanted to publish this in The Hindu, but that never happened. However, he readily agreed to post it in my blog.

Here comes the article verbatim, without my color commentary...

You cannot Change the system or the people, things are going to be the same no matter what you do!!!

Couple of months prior to me deciding to return back to INDIA from US, I had a chat with my manager. My manager at the US firm had already been dealing with IT people from INDIA since our company had started outsourcing part of IT jobs to INDIA. During the course of the conversation, it just came out of my mouth that once I go back to INDIA, I will have to tune myself to the way business is being carried out over their. My manager told me, “Don’t change yourself or the way you do things, try to change and better the system, since you know the pros and cons of both the systems”.

I returned back to INDIA and took up a job here at Chennai, and in the last five months since I have been here, I can recollect at least 10 times when people have told me – “You cannot Change the system or the people, things are going to be the same no matter what you do!!!” I am refusing to give up because I feel that if one puts up an honest attempt to change the way things are being done, he/she might ultimately succeed. Couple of incidents comes to my mind. Two of my uncles met with car accidents in my home town Kochi, in both the cases the truck drivers were at fault. The truck drivers involved in both the accidents pretty much told my uncles that they do not have any insurance nor is he going to give any compensation for the damages caused. He literally challenged us to register a case and fight it out on the court, knowing well that with the kind of legal system we have in INDIA, it is much likely that the case will get dragged for the next five to seven years. Cops who came to scene shared the same opinion of the truck drivers. I know that these are not isolated incidents and lot of us might have already dealt with similar situations in the past. I believe that, if we make a change in the legal procedures and make it compulsory for all drivers to have at least liability insurance and strictly keep a tab on drivers not having them, issues like this can be avoided. Liability insurance would ease the pain of the end user and let insurance companies handle the situation. Another thing which comes to my mind is our attitude towards keeping the public premises clean. In the US, people are conscious about throwing litter at public places. They look for dust bins and at least make an attempt to keep public places keen. Here there are people spitting in public places, throwing litter all over the streets as if they don’t care about the surroundings. All it takes is one little step forward, to locate a waste bin near you. I believe these are things which one could do to help our country improve and to make our country a better place to live.

But, for all this to happen every one of us should make an honest attempt in whatever way to correct the system as and when we see some room for improvement. The purpose of this article is by not to criticize a system or to tell that one system is better than other. There are good and bad aspects in any system you take. It’s up to each one of us to make a conscious effort to better the system by taking the good qualities of other systems.

ps: This article written about 7 months back and this gentleman has now decided to returning back to US. He agreed to respond to my questions on that subject. So, if you have questions to him on why he is going back to US, please to put them in the comment section and email me by this Sunday.

Blogger Stress???

I am NOT Om Malik of GigaOM by any stretch of imagination, but can kind of understand and relate to this story. However, I don't think it is just related to blogging but can be generalized to any profession and how one internalizes / responds to the challenges.

A Short Clip on ECR Run # 5

A short video clip on ECR Run # 5. Thanks to Shahid for sharing it with the team..

ECR Run # 5 - A Report

We had a great ECR Run yesterday with largest ever participation. I did the run with a sole objective in mind, that is not to stop / walk at any point, OK to slow down but not to walk. I am glad to have achieved that. I ran without walking / stopping and that gave me the best time ever of 30K in 2:57. (Picture by Vidyuth)

Please visit Chennai Runners site for my report on ECR Run#5

ECR Run # 5 - Media Coverage

Decan Chronicle's Nandakumar covered our run yesterday. Pl. go here for the coverage.

ECR Run # 5

Chennai Runners will be doing their 5 ECR Run tomorrow and the first one for this year. What a great way to start. Here are some details on the run. If you are still interested.. you are welcome to join us tomorrow.. help us reach the goal of 50 runners..

Run Details

ECR Run Details
Date - Jan 06 , 08
Assemble by - 05:00 AM @ MGM Dizee World
Start Time - 05:15 AM (Sharp) - from MGM Resort Parking Lot

Car Pool - from Dimensions - We will have about 3 - 4 cars from this spot, so if you are looking to car pool, pl. assemble by 4:00 AM. We will leave by 4:15 AM (Sharp) to the starting point.

Alternately, you come directly to the starting point...
Assemble by: MGM Dizee World Resort parking lot (past the toll booth)
Time: by 5:00 AM
Run Start Time - 5:15 AM from MGM Resort parking lot

Parking: MGM Resorts parking lot

Starting point: MGM Resorts - Parking Lot

Starting Time: 5:15 AM (This will give time for runners to do some stretch and get ready)

Distance: Flexible, 10, 20 or 30 kms with turn around points @ 5, 10, 15 kms respectively.

Route: South on ECR for 15 kms and turn around (Exact turn around point to be notified on the day of run)

Finish Line: MGM Resorts (Starting point)

Entry Fee: INR 250. This is to defray the cost of water, snack, first aid and fuel cost and breakfast.

Registration: We have about 15 registrations now.. We have about 320 in our group and it would be nice to see at least 20% of them running.. Can we shoot for that?

Volunteers: We need volunteers to help with Water and generally provide first aid cover. I request some of our members who are NOT running to pitch in and help the runners. Join us tomorrow as a volunteer and feel the thrill....

Change Clothes: Carry change clothes with you as you will need it after the run. Also, if you want to take dip in the sea you might need change clothes.
Emergency Information: Pl. do not forget to carry emergency information with you all the time (Name, Age, Blood Group, Emergency Contact Information, Known Allergies)
Volunteers: If you would like to volunteer to help with the run, pl. contact Shahid / Vidyuth.
Mile Markers -

5K - Kelambakkam Junction
10K - Crocodile Bank
15K - Dolphin City. These mile markers are to be used for respective turn arounds for 10, 20 & 30 K runs.

Safety First: Please note that we do not have any safety net in terms of ambulance & insurance etc.. All of us running at our own volition and it is important to adhere to safety norms at all occasions.

1. CARRY emergency information with you all the time
   
2. ALWAYS run on 'right side of the Road' facing the traffic. In doubt, slow down, let the traffic pass.
3. BUDDY up with a runner amenable with your pace and stick with them through out the run
   
4. DO NOT run abreast. Run in a single file or max TWO at any given time.
5. YIELD to traffic - Chennai traffic is unrelenting and does not stop for runners or pedestrians... So, yield to traffic.
   
6. DO NOT run if you are not medically fit. You and your physician are the only folks who can counsel you on that. Consult your doctor and listen to your body before embarking on the run.
   
7. STOP running and seek medical help if you feel uncomfortable at anytime during the run.

Participants (List as of today. We are still 13 short of our goal.. can you help us get there)

1. Ram Viswanthan
2. Tiger Swamy
3. Narayanan Muthuswamy
4. Karthikeyan Vijayakumar (KK)
5. Harishankar
6. CP Suresh
7. RRC
8. Vigneshwaran Chandran
9. Shahid Kandrikar
10. Vidyuth Sreenivasan
11. Mohankumar
12. Bhargav
13. RV Ramani
14. Vijaykumar Muthian
15. Raghavan Raghavacharya
16. Senthil Kumar
17. Ajendra Samal
18. Sundar Ramachandran
19. Ravi Kumar
20. SriVatsan
21. Mahesh
22. Anjana
23. S Rajesh
24. Sivaram Kannan
25. Rajasekhar Kuppa
26. Abhijit Shome
27. Ramani Nephew 1
28. Ramani Nephew 2
29. Ram Kumar
30. Sivaraman Ramasubbu
31. Venkatesh
32. Ramesh (MRC Nagar)
33. Sandy
34. Sandy Cousin
35. Aparna Deeps
36. S Balaji
37. Supratik Ghosh

Run for any reason.. but do..

US Ready For a Black President?

Not sure.. but a predominantly white state thinks so. The mid western state of Iowa has chosen Barak Obama over Hillary Clinton (and John Edwards) as their choice for Democratic Nominee for the 2008 Presidential election.

In the end, this historic Iowa vote may not mean much in the overall scheme of things and Mrs. Clinton might still win the Democratic Primary. But this is indeed a giant step in a country where race relations evoke extreme reactions and a subtle race under current is always present in all spheres of the society.

Once thing is certain though, Anyone who wins the Democratic primary is bound become the next President of US. Not because Democrats are any better, but Mr. Bush has done enough harm to the Republican cause and has alienated the public so much that any Democratic candidate would find it easy. Mr. Bush has done what Democrats couldn't have done themselves. Mr. Bush's war on terror may have prevented another terrorist attack on the US soil, but hundreds of Americans (and thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis) have died in the name of war on terror which is spreading its tentacles to Pakistan as well.

This will be the first US presidential election that I am going to be watching remotely in a while. I used to enjoy the spectacle of '30 second sound bites', spin masters and unending drama unfold in TV the first few elections and later also on the web. This time around, youtube is playing a big role in the elections with interesting twists and turns. I am digressing here.. let's get back to Mr. Obama..

Even if Mr. Obama doesn't make it, it is still significant that Iowa has voted for a black democract. It shows the sign of things to come and how US is slowly coming to terms with the diversity.