the role of blogs

Facebook has taken away about 50% of the reason for blogging for many amateur/occasional bloggers like me. The desire of letting out how you're feeling, letting friends know what you're up to and having a more interactive (vs. one way) conversation - facebook has beaten blogs. Hence, nothing from me since August! What are some of the other reaons people would still write blogs?

1) commenting with more depth/quality on external and internal events (books read, politics, economics, personal goals etc.)
2) sharing a writeup from someone else
3) others?

come to think of it, facebook has also eliminated myspace (haven't visited that site in months), orkut etc.! Need to log on to secondlife though - been a while.

The future of training

Had a very interesting discussion with a seasoned HR guy who's my master-trainer at this course I'm conducting. He talked about how, in a few years time, it'll be impossible to get employees to attend 3-4 day long corporate training programs - maximum one in a year or 2 years (making the courses compete with each other). We got talking on what are some creative ways, theoretical or in practice at other places today, that exist. I was quite delighted to learn about the Satyam leadership development program - 2 years long, international in nature and very unique (too long to describe here). We also talked about how we should conceptually build in training into day-to-day working with the trainers actually observing trainee groups (a multifunctional team for example) in meetings and then debriefing / helping them learn from that actual experience every few hours, over a few days. Adult learning is by practice and application and not by theory anyway.

What other ideas do you guys have to ensure folks remain sharp/trained/in tune and keep growing their skills?

If you exploit it, gimme royalty!

Wondering what the logic flaw is and if not, why entrepreneurs haven't created this yet. Benefit is that of converting 100% of old physical photographs into digital formats, via rapid, well classified (easy to find) and high quality scanning. There exist no physical products (Canon - listening?) that allow for high speed scanning (eg. put in 50 pictures into a tray and go have a drink). There exist no services for people to walk into a Kodak shop and come back a week later to find everything into one easy to manage CD. Now that computer penetration is much higher and since 90% of computer owners also probably have physical photographs that have not been scanned - is there a business idea here? Why am I not doing this? Simply that the idea doesn't drive me to burn the midnight oil & the money has never mattered anyway! So if you guys go crack this and earn a few million, send some across for atleast a nice car this way!

media as social change driver

Indian Idol. Watch it occasionally with family - what struck me this time around was the number of non mainstream profile contestants. We have a chinese boy whose family has settled in Patna, we have a boy who has both biological parents and parents who have adopted him and we have a police constable from the north east. I really doubt they've been selected to drive viewership in east india (though one can always think that these shows are manipulated). Rather, the bigger and more interesting thing for me was to see mainstream gujarati/marathi girls sitting in the bombay studio audience cheering for these non mainstream folks. Suddenly, the north-east has become mainstream and suddenly it's okay for kids to be adopted. Suddenly, the tiny chinese community in India gets visibility and HOW (saw a banner titled "change, marry me!" in the audience!). Now we need to get in gays, single parents, live in partners and inter-religious couples into Indian Idol...!

Human body continues to amaze

Average sleep of only 4-5 hours every night these days and that too broken by about an hour in between if we're lucky. Amazing though that after the initial days when we were just walking around like zombies, bumping into furniture, losing our cool, never calling up family (just too tired all the time to find the phone and the calling card!) and generally displaying all symptoms of insanity - now it's just one feeling of exhilaration if we get that extra hour of sleep one of the days or if we sleep in on a weekend with MIL taking care of baby.

P completed 40 days a few days ago so it was to the temple we went (he ofcourse slept right through the meditation) and to a mall & to the swimming pool in his pram for the first time (bright red - cool ferrari colour!). Met a chap from kerala originally who was born/bred in Holland with a Malaysian wife and 2 kids (live in our building) - seems like there is always someone to meet who has experienced a more interesting life than you! Despite the 27 countries I've travelled to so far (counted!).

Visited Countries

Visited Countries

black magic woman

Been 17 years that I was waiting for a band that would play this with me (any santana actually). Got a band aid on the finger after 10 rounds of trying to get it right but finally came to something that the audience won't puke at. New Trilok Gurtu sticks (rubber coated grip) really awesome and better than the usual wooden ones. Couldn't get the percussion right fully - need my co-drummer to play along during the end section (for those familiar with song).

Sept 8 is the show - for those who are keen (SG $40 per person - tickets with me). Still trying to reconcile to the hindi stuff - not too kicked about that at all. But it's a fun group and it's good to break away from the usual corporate shit at office.