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The Future Of Cars by KIDS

The ‘Toyota Dream Car Art Contest’ asks kids to draw their vision of the “dream car of the future” each year. Over 600,000 kids entered this year, and Toyota is releasing one design from each of 90 finalists a day, complete with a short animation whipped up for each design.

Some took creative approaches to solving actual problems. Several of the designs suggested cars that could scoop up and recycle trash off the street as they drove along; one version turned plastic scraps into low-cost bricks for housing, while another created new products in a section of the car. One kid reinvented the school bus, with individual cars that would be programmed to join together at a certain point to reduce traffic.

Very interesting and very smart ideas.

I showed this to my son and he said that he was thinking of a car that could drive in the sea or river and bring fresh water after recycling it. A solution for Project Ganga for Narendra Modi?

August 4, 2014
How Big Data Is Changing The Entertainment Industry!

Big Data is here – The latest buzzword of the Information Technology Industry !

The world is generating humungous amount of data every second. Rapid advances in technology is making analysis of such data a cake-walk. Big Data is influencing every aspect of our lives and will continue to grow bigger and better. Retailers will push us to buy extra chips and soft drinks from the nearest outlet as we will watch the T20 match with our friends and our favorite teams are playing. They will even recommend our favorite party songs CD and encourage us to donate a dollar to our often visited charity. Preventing diseases, share trading, marketing efforts and lot of other use cases are emerging.

Big Data is changing the sports and the entertainment industry as well. Sports and entertainment industry are driven by fans and their word of mouth. Engagement with audience is the key and Big Data is creating opportunities for driving this engagement and influencing audience sentiments.

IBM worked with a media company and ran its predictive models on the social buzz for the movie Ram Leela. According to the reports, IBM predicted a 73% success for the movie based on right selection of cities. Such rich analysis of social data was conducted for Barfi and Ek Tha Tiger. All these movies had a runaway success at the box office.
Hollywood uses Big Data big time ! The social media buzz can predict the box office success – more importantly based on the trending of the movie, strategies can be formulated to ensure favorable positioning of the movie. All science !

Netflix is the best case study of analyzing user behavior and hitting the jackpot ! Netflix original show The House Of Cards’ was commissioned solely on the basis of the big data results of the preferences of its customers.

Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express, one of the biggest box office grossers on 2013, used Big Data & Analytics solutions to drive social media and digital marketing campaigns. IT Services company Persistent Systems helped Chennai Express team with the right strategic inputs. Chennai Express related tweets generated over 1 billion cumulative impressions and the total number of tweets across all hashtags was over 750 thousand over the 90-day campaign period. Persistent Systems CEO Siddhesh Bhobe said “Shah Rukh Khan and the success of Chennai Express have proved that social media is the channel of the future and that it presents unique opportunities to marketers and brands, at an unbeatable ROI (return on investment)”

Lady Gaga and her team browse through our listening preferences and sequences and optimize the playlist for the maximum impact at live events. Singapore based Big Data Analytics firm Crayon has worked with leading Hindi Film industry producers to understand the kind of music to release to create the right buzz for the movie.

Sports is another area where big data is making big impact. FIFA 2014 champion Germany have been using SAP’s Match Insights software. It has made a big difference to the team. Data was crunched relating to player position ‘touch maps’, passing ability, ball retention and even metrics such as ‘aggressive play’. Even Kolkota Knight Riders, an IPL team, to determine the consistency of the players based on 25 data point per ball. It helped in auction as well as ongoing training.

Big Data can definitely be a boon to the entertainment and sports industry. It can improve the profitability of the movies – always a high risk business. The green-lighting of the story to the cast selection to the timing of release can be determined. It can help to pick the right players for the sporting leagues – allowing talent to win !

Entertainment Industry leaders need to collaborate with the leading big data startups and visionaries to create new uses and deliver new success stories !

July 30, 2014
Sleep Well – Think Well !

Get Some Sleep ! The advice we hear so often but never implement !

Workaholism may be a badge of honor but it can be dangerous if we are depriving ourselves of sleep as well.

I came across this video on the research on sleeping behavior. AsapSCIENCE has a new video that explains the effects of lack of sleep, from decreased brain function to increased risks of heart disease and obesity. In one study, researchers found that subjects who slept just six hours a night for 14 days had the cognitive wherewithal of someone with a .1% blood alcohol level. That’s legally drunk.

The good news: You can make up modest amounts of “sleep debt” over time.
The bad news: If you suffer from chronic sleep deprivation, over time you lose your ability to judge your own reduced cognitive abilities.

Finally the big one – Oversleeping is more dangerous as well. Workaholic in me smiles !

The best sleep : 7-8 hours !

Get some sleep. Some quick tips:

1. Avoid the anxiety to check work emails. Even though you surf for Facebook or Twitter or Linkedin, you end up replying to work emails. And some contents can start your train of thoughts.

2. Avoid bright lights or television.

3. Spend time talking to family.

4. Drink warm milk. Avoid heavy food or late night snacks.

5. Keep the mobile phone away ! (Ironic for me to write this !)

6. Sleep at the same time daily – It helps !

7. Read – It helps apart from giving you good knowledge and relaxation

Sleep Well. Think Well. Live Well !

July 30, 2014
Xiaomi Shakes Wearable Device Space With USD 13 Mi Band !

Bill Gates famously said that we always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten !

Xiaomi has shaken the wearable market with the introduction of its latest wearable device – Xiaomi Mi Band. It has been aggressively priced at USD 13 !

Xiaomi Mi Band attacks the personal health and fitness space. It focuses on tracking the user’s fitness and sleeping routine.

It boasts of a standby life of 30 days, is water resistant and comes in attractive colors !

This is truly taking wearable device to the mass markets ! It shows that, with further R&D and innovation, governments and public health organizations can redefine public health and universal care by leveraging such innovations.

July 23, 2014
The Healthy Left Hand

I meet lot of organizations and CXOs. We end discussing a lot of common areas – business landscape, opportunities, talent engagement and various challenges faced by organizations.

One of the interesting things which I often here are issues with a particular department or a team. Probe deeper and you find that it is usually an organizational issue that is reflected through a particular department. It is like the increased stress or the heat in the body manifests itself as an ulcer.

Can we have a one part of the body healthy and the rest of the body unhealthy? Either we are fully healthy or we are not. Does one really aspire to have a strong left hand but unhealthy tummy? The concept is of a holistic approach to health. A health body is an important goal – it means overall health ensures healthy hand, feet, eyes and even teeth – of course with a six pack !

Similarly there are never issues alone in the delivery teams. Check what the commitment sales has made. Check what the hiring cycle of the organization is. Check what the training and learning development plan of the organization is. Check the leadership of the team. Check the customer expectations.

Similarly there are never issues alone in the sales team. If they are missing the targets, why is it so? Is the sale response mechanism agile? Is the service offering complete? Is the offering differentiated well? How is the customer satisfaction index? Are internal bottlenecks impacting deliverables?

The same can be applied to operations, project management, human resources or any other department.

The aim of everyone is a healthy body and a healthy mind. The aim of every organization is a happy workplace with continuous business growth and higher customer satisfaction. Both can be achieved with holistic approach, honest assessment and regular workout!

July 19, 2014
SSS Special Guest – July : Dr Aniruddha Gupte

Sales Super Saturday Team is glad to announce that Dr. Aniruddha Gupte, CEO of Crimson Cobalt Group of companies has agreed to be a Keynote Speaker for the July edition.

Dr. Aniruddha who is currently based out of Pune is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and a Ph. D. from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, USA. He is a great inventor and has 6 technology patents to his credits and 4 more pending.

During his stints in the US and India, he has sold technology services and products to many Enterprises and Fortune 500 customers. Another aspect of his career also included managing the development and delivery of software applications.

Following are some of awards he had received in India during recent years:
– Winner – Economic Times Power of Ideas Competition by CIIE, IIM-Ahmedabad in November 2010
– Winner – DST-Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Program by DST (Govt. of India) & Lockheed Martin in April 2011
– Category Winner – Wipro-Wharton Global Innovation Challenge by Wipro & Wharton School of Management in May 2011

Aniruddha is also a mentor to the CEOs of many start-ups and mid-sized technology companies based out of Pune. He has been instrumental in building a great eco-system of startups there.

Date: July 18, 2014
Venue: InfoStretch House, Ahmedabad

We hope everybody is excited and we looking forward to hear from him.

Cheers !

July 18, 2014
Gujaratilexicon Unveils A New User Interface

Gujaratilexicon.Com Unveils A Cool New User Interface

Gujaratilexicon, the most comprehensive Gujarati language portal on the internet, unveiled a cool new user interface. The new avatar of GL is a complete redefinition with new logo, attractive design and enhanced features. The new design is a fusion of contemporary user experience trends with Gujaratilexicon’s strong content.

The salient features of the new site are:
1. Easy To Use User Interface: The new Gujarati Lexicon design is an efficient interface that offers priority to most used features of the module. The frequently performed tasks are to be made easier in the new UI with reduced steps or by enhanced priority on the module – in terms of pages navigated, clicks used and time required to perform the task. The easier flow of gathering information also reduces the unwanted time in gathering the information.
2. Enhanced Look And Feel: The UI redesign brings forward a fresh look and feel of the module. This includes new brand identity for Gujarati Lexicon as well as building new elements in design which are in coherence with this new identity.
3. New Logo: The new logo brings forward a modern touch with color and vibrancy. The logo is an experiment with typography that depicts building bridges between languages and cultures. The english alpahabets G and L are used to form Gujarati letter ‘અ’.
4. Specialized Dictionaries

The Project Gujaratilexicon started as an individual and humble effort to contribute to Gujarati language. Founder Shri Ratilal Chandaria’s love for mother tongue has today taken the shape of the most global and popular Gujarati Language initiative – Gujaratilexicon has thousands of users visiting it daily from 100 plus countries!

Dr. Ashok Karania, Mentor of Gujaratilexicon.com said, “The new design is a tribute to the Gujaratilexicon Founder Shri Ratilal Chandaria’s zeal for continuous improvement. He always believed in staying ahead of the technology curve and ensured that Gujarati language user always accessed the most modern and world-class technological innovations. The new site is optimized for all devices including latest tablets and smartphones. The Gujaratilexicon movement is spreading and attracting new users across the globe. People from all walks of life have adopted, loved and recommended Gujaratilexicon. GL Mobile Apps, Games and Bhagwadgomandal continue to made rapid strides in the Gujarati hearts. “

Ms Maitri Shah, Director said: “ Gujaratilexicon is committed to provide the Gujarati computer user with all the latest tools in Gujarati and reach all the Gujaratis in the world. The Phase 2 of the new design will connect all Gujarati lovers through a community portal. We are also working on new initiatives like Swahili Dictionary and new Mobile Apps. We have also revamped our customer support through better ticketing system and responsive support. Gujaratilexicon ensures that Gujarati Language is as Vibrant as our Vibrant Gujarat state.“

Gujaratilexicon’s vision is simple: Preserving, Nurturing & Promoting Gujarati Language & Lexical Resources Through The Use of World-Class & Contemporary Technological Tools.

July 18, 2014
InfoStretch Corporation Wins the Prestigious GESIA Award – The Fifth Time!

InfoStretch Corporation, a leading mobile enablement company, announced today that it won the prestigious GESIA (Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association) Award in the Best Innovative Product category for its exclusive product SYNCHRO.

InfoStretch Corporation, a leading mobile enablement company, announced that it has won the prestigious GESIA (Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association) Award in the Best Innovative Product category for its exclusive product SYNCHRO. InfoStretch Corporation has been recognized for the fifth time in a row for its superior technological prowess. GESIA recognized InfoStretch Corporation for its great achievements in mobile application development.

“InfoStretch is elated to receive the prestigious GESIA Award. Infoneers have always challenged the status quo and pursued excellence. Synchro, our home grown award-winning innovation, is further evidence of our expertise and experience to fulfill an important market need in the field of enterprise mobility.”, said Rutesh Shah, CEO and President of InfoStretch Corporation.

SYNCHRO is InfoStretch Corporation’s proprietary product that conducts synchronized testing on distributed devices under real conditions. The use of SYNCHRO enables the replication of real world conditions and perform testing on a variety of real devices that can be distributed across the different geographies. To learn more about SYNCHRO, follow these links to the product page and demo video.

InfoStretch Corporation’s Director of Enterprise Mobility Sales & Strategy, Ashok Karania, asserted, “We are so honored to have received this award for the 5th time. Gujarat and Ahmedabad are on the rise as strong hubs of technology and we are grateful to be part of the movement!” InfoStretch Corporation is proud to have a strong foothold in an up and coming area such as Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Innovation is the foundation of success, and InfoStretch Corporation looks forward to what the next year will bring.

About InfoStretch Corporation

InfoStretch is a leading mobile application enablement company with a focus on development, testing, sustenance and monitoring. Our mobile solutions are powered by home-grown technology products and frameworks. We have been providing expert mobile solutions and services since 2004 to various enterprises to help them mobilize, monetize and thrive. For more information, visit http://www.infostretch.com

About GESIA

GESIA, the Gujarat Electronics and Software Industries Association, is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the Gujarat IT-ITES industry with over 200+ member companies. GESIA is the only State Level Association for Electronics, Software, IT, ITES, BPO/KPO/LPO, Telecom/ISP, Networking and IT Education recognized by the government of Gujarat, India. For more information, visit http://www.gesia.org.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/07/prweb12016454.htm

July 17, 2014
The Netlfix Culture Document – A Must Read !

I came across the “Netflix Culture: Freedom & Responsibility” document on Sunday evening. It was a good revisit of the Netflix values and philosophy of excellence.

Sheryl Sandberg even called it “the most important document ever to come out of the Valley.”

It’s a living set of “behaviors and skills” that the Netflix management team updated continuously and fastidiously. And it drives toward a single point: a company is like a pro sports team, where good managers are good coaches, and the goal is to field stars in every position.

There are lot of good insights:
1. Like the expense policy – Act In Netflix’s Best Interest !
2. Highly Aligned, Loosely Coupled – Makes sense
3. Pay top performers the top salaries – no bell curves or standard increment
4. Honesty and top severance packages

A Must Read for sure !

[slideshare id=1798664&doc=culture9-090801103430-phpapp02]

Source: First Round

Also Read Harvard Document on Netflix – How Netflix Reinvented HR by Patty McCord

July 14, 2014
Happy Guru Purnima

Happy Guru Purnima

Thanks to the wonderful teachers and mentors for shaping my life.

Their faith in me was solid.
Their belief in me was legendary. I wondered and I pushed myself harder to never let down on that belief.
Their confidence in me was supreme.
They inspired me by their acts of selflessness and humility.
Their look of disapproval stopped me from being content with mediocrity.
They educated me on the pros and cons of the choices I made. But they always supported in the every choice I made.

Their love and concern was and is unconditional.

Their is only one explanation for the love and care I received from my mentors – I may have been lucky. But they are divine souls who spread their happiness in the environment and touch every soul that comes their way.

Words cannot express the gratitude I owe. I can only promise to carry forward the legacy and give back to my environment in the same way !

Thank you !

Happy Guru Purnima !

July 12, 2014