akeb

Blog

  • SQB: Retirement

    “Retirement means having twice as much husband and half as much money”
    Anonymous

  • SQB : Decisions!

    “It is not important whether you are right or wrong. It is more important how much you lose when you are wrong and how much you gain when you are correct.”

  • Experience The Magic of Leapoard

    The count down for the arrival of Apple OS X Leopard is on. Users across the world are dying to experience the magic of Apple’s new techno-creative wonder.

    Leopard has exciting new features like Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces.

    Time Machine backs up your system files, applications, accounts, preferences, music, photos, movies, and documents. But what makes Time Machine different from other backup applications is that it not only keeps a spare copy of every file, it remembers how your system looked on a given day — so you can revisit your Mac as it appeared in the past.

    Mail has been enhanced and has new features like in-built RSS Reader, personalized templates etc.

    As the D-Day nears, the excitement is catching up. This is what I read today morning on Infoworld

    Apple’s announcement of the impending delivery of OS X Leopard (release 10.5 of Mac and Xserve operating systems) marks the public debut of an engineering achievement that dwarfs iPhone, iPod, Windows, and Linux.

    Leopard is a legitimately big deal. It’s underhyped compared to iPhone, and yet unlike iPhone, Leopard is a genuine triumph of customer-focused engineering. It’s a pleasure and a relief to see that Apple remembers how to deliver open, affordable, standards-based products.

  • SQB : Indian Sensex On New High

    “The buzz in financial circles a few month ago was that every man and his dog could raise money and invest in India. Now the thinking is that the man is no longer required.”

    Source : Newsweek -The New India Story

  • Good Ad : Tata Safari Lines

    Manik Ahuja forwarded this link of new Safari Ad – Lines.

    It is definitely worth a watch. Goes with the positioning of Tata Safari.

  • The Lecture Of A Lifetime

    Ratikaka shared this wonderful note with me. It is indeed inspiring and touching.

    Randy Pausch, a 46-year-old computer-science professor at Carnegie Mellon Universitywho is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,” Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

    The Wall Street Journal called it “the lecture of a lifetime” and those who have seen it have more than agreed. A beloved professor at Carnegie Mellon, Pausch got a standing ovation from the 400-member audience before he even opened his mouth.

    Pausch, a professor of computer science, human computer interaction and design, is a co-founder of Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center and the creator of the Alice interactive computing program, which is being used by students worldwide.

    You can watch the whole lecture which is over an hour when you get enough time: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&hl=en

    Watch the ABC News Clip

  • Airtel Update

    After a few more phone calls, the Airtel service has been restored. Though one day lost in between was not a nice feeling. Hiccups do arise. It may happen. But how and how quickly they have been resolved differentiates a great company from another company.

    Anyway, All is well that ends well.

    Airtel is selected as ‘The Company Of The Year’ by The Economic Times Awards for Excellence.

    Congrats!

  • Airtel : Expressing Myself

    Today’s Experience with Airtel

    I had gone to Airtel Gallery to convert my prepaid number to postpaid number on Monday. I was asked to bring certain documents. I went with the said documents on Wednesday and submitted the same to Ms Mrinalini at Airtel Customer Care Office at Ashram Road Income Tax Ahmedabad Office of Airtel.

    I had submitted the following documents:
    1. PAN Card Copy
    2. Lease Deed for Residence Proof
    3. Company Proof for Receiving Monthly Bills
    4. Photo
    5. Airtel Forms
    6. Rs 300 Deposit

    I was told that my number would be converted from prepaid to postpaid within 48 hours.

    Suddenly today my prepaid number stopped working in the morning. I was busy and hence called up Airtel customer care in evening at 6:30 pm. The following happened :

    1. I called 98980 98980 for 6 times and nobody answered the phone in English option. It was disconnected after being picked up.
    2. I called 98980 98980 and selected Gujarati Option. Voila – Human being greeted me at the end. They told me that my number is no longer prepaid and I need to call on postpaid number.
    3. I called 98980 12345. They told me that my number is still not postpaid and I need to call on 98980 98980. I told him about the whole story. They said sorry. They suggested excellent solution – visit Airtel office.

    So today I am experiencing no phone call day. But also surprised at this level of functioning and customer service. And I was wondering that Magnet alone needs to improve its efficiencies to next level.

    Airtel is now Top 10 Telecom Company and had a wonderful ad which I also liked. See the ad here.

    But it is a challenge to fulfill brand promise. Marketing guys have done excellent job but guys at ground kill the brand promise or enhance the customer satisfaction. Or is it unique to Airtel as it has outsourced operations of customer service?



  • Food Habits

    One Wise Man Wrote :

    1. Have Breakfast  Like A King

    2. Have Lunch Like A Ordinary Person

    3. Have Dinner Like A Beggar

    This makes philosophical as well as scientific sense. But we urban gladiators do the reverse. We have a quick breakfast, skip lunch or have junk food and then have a heavy dinner. Thus also rational principles of good health and balance diet logic go for a toss.

    We ignore our bodies – our temples. Sound mind in a healthy body is the key for success.

    Another wise person had mentioned – Health is Wealth.  Not A Cliche but Fact of Life!

    We lose health to earn wealth.  Then, we lose wealth to earn health.

  • Gujarati Literary Journalism in 1920s

    Gujarati Visamisadi – Twentieth Century is a wonderful collection of literary pieces of the period 1916-1920s. The magazine was published and edited by legendary journalist HajiMohammed Allahrakha Shivaji.

    The entire magazine has been now reproduced in the digital format and is online now – http://www.gujarativisamisadi.com/

    The website has excellent user interface, wonderful production quality and imaginative application of cool technology. All these are over and above the pearls of literary pieces of our forefathers’ age.

    A must visit!