The significance of the Google Nexus One.

January 6, 2010 //

I have been on the lookout ever since I made the mistake of selling my iPhone off. It was the 2g version which I miss a lot. So the next obvious decision was to get myself another alternative. Ever since the rumour of the Google phone was being floated about since December, I was more than intrigued. It was Google.

This is not the first Google phone

The G1 developer phone that they brought out was also custom designed by them but the hoopla was around HTC building it. Now HTC has again joined hands with Google to build Google’s new phone called the Nexus One.

The word Nexus is a latin word that means “Connection”. Pretty apt considering Google’s overall goal is to connect all information together by making it highly searchable.

The Nexus is also the main command center in the Protoss race of Starcraft which is why I think getting a phone called the Nexus would be totally rad.

The Nexus is also the first instanced dungeon that was available in World of Warcraft. But I digress.

Google gave a phone free to it’s employees.

One of the coolest things about working in Google is that they not only define the landscape but also lets its employees, the Googlers, test out new products. That’s what happened this Christmas for a lot of them, the US employees got a free nexus one to try out.

I have a couple of friends working in Google both in the US and out of it. Apparently the Google people of India cannot get the free phones that the US employees got, due to some tax/custom regulations. And not every country is friendly either to this. Thus, a lot of non US Google outfits did not get the phone. And the few friends I have have come back with “OH AWESOME SO GOOD” replies. A few others are yet to reply.

I’m not sure if this is better than chocolate. But in the smart phones business, the Nexus 1 is definitely looking vanilla now.

What does the Google Nexus phone offer?

At the surface, this is another smartphone like the others. Better people than I have covered this in comprehensive detail. Here are the reviews.

Significance of the Google phone?

My observation is that Google is now entering into the space that was alien to them. I used to chide my brother on Google and it’s path to World Domination.

But what essentially google is doing is being the Nexus of all knowledge we have today.

Think of them as gatekeepers to the technology of today. They have conquered Search. So all information already “flows” through them. They other 2 ends of the pipe are “Software” and “Hardware”. An oversimplification but let me explain.

Software here includes operating systems and applications everything today runs on. What did they do? Chrome OS, Google Chrome and perhaps the Chrome Tablet PC.

Hardware here did not include Google until today. Their entry- the Nexus 1. Why not the PC? Well because that’s been conquered and is a saturated market with Dell and others pretty much dominating. But what no one has “conquered” yet is the Mobile platform. With people going mobile, with people needing information as they travel and augmented reality being a concept not too far into the future.. the future is in the Mobile space.

Google wants to be in that space. With an effective launch into Hardware. The pipe flow is now complete. World Domination is not too far off. I’m getting a Nexus phone because I use gmail, I use google docs, I use google chrome and I’ll get stuck on to Android. But remember another company, not too long back, that tried to become a monopoly? They have become soft and are micro now.

Welcome to Karthick Gopal.com! To stay in touch with all the posts, subscribe to myRSS feed or follow me on Twitter for more interesting stuff.

Roll your sleeves up it’s time to work. Insights from pros on goal setting and accomplishing.

January 3, 2010 //

You know it’s 2010. It’s that time of the year to bring in some new resolutions, hold it by the ear, successfully resolve that you won’t mess up like the last one and then go back to that cake you were eating.

Put that cake down now $#%3er.

I’m done with this slacking, whether it was weight loss, meeting that person, taking that trip whatever it might have been it’s a new decade, I’m sure you are too.

New resolve.

But I have been reading Tim Ferris’ book again and also following Leo Babuata and I realised that setting those Big-HAG (big hairy audicious goals) are good for the spirit but not necessarily for accomplishment.

And really it’s best to not announce your goals as Derek Sivers puts it. Here’s my quick notes on productive goals that I would like to share.

Setting goals.

a) Set 6 goals for this year. That’s it no big thing, 6 worthy goals. Just to clarify. Getting laid is not the goal, finding love is.

b) Set a time frame to accomplish them in. The better you frame it out with steps the more likely you are going to get them. A goal for me is 5 kilos a month for 3 months = 15 kilos (to start with).

c) Arrange those goals in priority, something needed in december is not something you do in January.

d) Go start them , take small steps. Running a marathon starts with running 1 km at a time without coughing your lung out of your nose.

Chris Brogan prefers to use 3 words instead and break it into many actions.

Accomplishing those goals.

There are a few years to realise these goals.

a) Translate Being to Doing: This is important. An example is learning French this year (being) translates to Talking with a colleague in French for 10 mins daily (doing). So list out the big goal, but write down the short steps.

b) Write down the steps necessary to get the goals done: I repeat this, you should plan the path but be open to change alongside. Nothing goes according to plan, that’s ok. Just keep a general direction in mind and not nomad it up.

b) Set in a time limit to accomplish them in: If I told you that you had 24 hours to live and you had to write that will of yours or clean that cupboard, you’ll want to do it quickly and finish it off as ap. That’s the power of the impeding deadline.

There are loads of laws that go into effect , the most deadly being Work expands to fill itself in the time allocated.

So what goals are you setting yourself this year?

Happy New Year People. Here’s to you.

January 1, 2010 //

There is a thought that struck me really well this new year. Here’s to you.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary

- Steve Jobs, 2005.

Avatar. Man, Nature, Nightelves and Innovation. Why you MUST watch.

December 31, 2009 //

It takes a hell of a lot of nerve for a man to stand up at the Oscarcast and proclaim himself King of the World. James Cameron just got re-elected – Roger Egbert, Movie Critic.

There are times when you come out of the cinema hall wondering at what just happened in your life in the last 3 hours. Sometimes it’s a powerful riveting story, sometimes its a great laugh fest, and sometimes it’s just magic.

This movie, Avatar, is the last of the category. Magic. As entertainment it is brilliant. For riveting depth of script, it could have done better.

The quick review – I’ll keep spoilers to the minimum. Unless you watched it in 2d….

This is a movie about the US Army forces entering a new land to plunder the precious mineral resources needed back on earth to survive. But every planet doesn’t spread its legs freely. There is resistance. In the form of a race 10 feet tall with blue skin on the planet Pandora called Na’vi. The story then follows the battle of one conquering army and the others refusing to be whores, to their murderous plunder. Sound familiar? Exiled British conquering the Native Indians perhaps?

What this movie made me think was about the extent to which we have plundered nature. To make everything our own. To seek to control resources that don’t belong to us. Instead of a diplomatic solution we exhibit that which requires no brains, Brawns.

In Management, there is the stick and carrot tactic- employed with children too. You show a carrot lead the people away or you drive them out by using force with the stick. It does leave you with a sick feeling in the mouth to see how the latter is shown in the movie.

Man can co exist with nature. Man can live peacefully without showing his aggression. This doesn’t fly into the US corps philosophy who seek to bend the will. Seek, Crush and Destroy.

The Scientists of the bunch want to discover, learn and form an alliance. The soldiers (theres no “misunderestimated” me here) want to conquer the resources by brute force, as the Westerners have often proven adapt at doing. There are many battles subtly placed that keep ones attention.

And at the center of this is Jake Sully, paralysed below the waist, retired Marine of the U.S Army. His brother had taken part in a training where he was given a very expensive “Avatar”. This is akin to the matrix where you plug yourself “into the system” and you take on the smell, feel and emotions of a 10 foot blue Na’vi body. The “Avatar”. These are how the Night Elves would be like in Warcraft 3. There is a host of creatures that seek to still territorial ownership as well on the planet.

The story of Avatar is not entirely new. And to a large extent falls into the Hindi Movie formula of love, family, running around trees and good vs evil. This isn’t something you haven’t seen before.

What you haven’t seen before

What James Cameron excels himself at is innovation. This is what excites me. He has a fertile imagination. And has combined brilliant cinematics into a good storyline. The last time I felt the same rush of visual awe take over where during the Matrix Series. And the Lord of the Rings. I watched too much of Star Trek so Star Wars wasn’t appealing enough. I know.

This is why you MUST watch it in 3d. The flora and fauna, the trees, the chase scenes on the dragon-like birds and pandorian panthers. Here’s a shot.

This is 2d. Imagine that racing at you in 3D. Cameron in this movie has invented a new camera, said to revolutionise cinema going. Invented a new language, called Na’vi. Written a book on the biology of Pandora. So much so that the Pandorapedia, said to be released, is in itself a full compilation of authentic research translated. That is dedication to your movie. He wanted to make this in 1994. We weren’t ready then.

Unlike a lot of bullshit directors today who make up shit, James Cameron spent over 5 years researching this. An astrophysicist reviewed Avatar and gave it a thumbs up. Think about that someone who is deep in physics approves of the elements put together. And it is this reason James Cameron is a visionary.

I’ll do a detailed why James Cameron’s life inspires me post tomorrow, but I had to get this out of the way. This was a perfect way to spend New Years eve. Spend time being fascinated by riveting visuals and going back wondering what you’d give to be Jake’s Avatar. Flexibility, strength of spirit and more importantly, Neytiri.

Here’s wishing each and every one of you a Very happy new year.

May you get everything you seek, as long as it’s not unobtainable mineral on a planet in the year 2154, because I would then side with the Na’vi.

Posted via email from Kage’s Pages.

We are not swans. We’re sharks.

December 29, 2009 //

Now this is going to be a little difficult so stay with me.

How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you are carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff you have in your life. You start with the little things the shelves, the drawers, the knick knacks, then start adding larger stuff. Clothes, table top appliances, your TV. Backpack should be getting pretty heavy by now. You go bigger. Your couch, your car, your home. I want you to stuff it all into that backpack.

Now I want you to fill it with people. Start with casual acquaintances, friends of friends, folks around the office and then you move into the people you trust with your most intimate secrets. Brothers or sisters, your children, your parents and finally your husband, your wife, boyfriend, your girlfriend. Get them into your backpack. Feel the weight of your backpack. Make no mistake, your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments, secrets and compromises. The slower we move, the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans.

We are not swans. We’re sharks. Fantastic trailer watch below. Can’t wait for it to hit the theatres.

Posted via email from Kage’s Pages.

6 lessons from a guy who changed Media as we know it today.

December 29, 2009 //

Today I bring to you a life changing read. This is a story about a little guy with big dreams.

A guy who didn’t give up. These anecdotes are followed by key lessons this chap can teach us. I’ll give you a free book if you can guess who this guy is before you reach the end. Remember don’t cheat, fill in your name at the comments if you really did get who it was and I’ll enter your name in a draw for a free book.

The story.

Early back in the late 90s. This young youth -drop out of college because he didn’t want to get a job anywhere, decided to leave his hometown of Nebraska and move on to California. He had no education.No degree either. What he did have was tons and tons of self confident attitude.

Lesson no 1: Be confident.

He always believed himself to be entrepreneurial. Not like the idiots today branding a tag, this kid

wanted to do things, change things, make a dent in the universe (steve).

He started his career by working for HP where he learnt web development on his own and went on board for about 7 months as a consultant to work his way up. He had no idea about the trends, but picked it up quickly.

Lesson no 2: If it’s required to be learned. Learn.

While Stuff was picking up and they had a good thing going on. They brought in another guy to help them build this little tool that could help them exchange notes. It was a web log of data, notes and other interesting stuff. Quickly becoming the nervous system of the company, this product started showing signs of maturing and overtaking “Stuff”. He was excited to get it rolling and so were his partners, so they split their attention in developing this web log and simultaneously working on Stuff.

Lesson no 3: If an opportunity presents itself, grab it.

They started scaling themselves pretty well, put together some funding and decided that this was what they wanted to do. This weblog, by then acquiring it’s fancy name we know of today, called Blog was rapidly picking up among geeks. This was close to the bubble burst time and this lad decided it was good enough to launch publicly. This company decided that they would halt the Stuff product and work, instead, on this Blog thing. They generated no revenue. But they wrote their business plan the day before they sought funding.

Lesson no 4: You don’t need funding or a business plan till you have something to show in hand.

It was only him and dark times. It was a scary scary thing for a guy growing up to be feeling. But he decided to stay on. He was alone. He learnt Linux and java and decoded bugs as and when they came along. He shared his story to the readers and asked for help along the way, all the while never stopping to fix what was needed. The technology kept growing and he didn’t want to quit just yet.

Lesson no 5: Believe in yourself and know if you are on to a good thing.

Lesson no 5b: Do whatever it takes to stay afloat.

His girlfriend broke up with him. His rents piled up. He was living skin to teeth. He was sued by his team mates. He wasn’t going to quit just yet though. This blog thing, now named Blogger, was growing big. He had 50,000 users, his determination and most important, vision to take this forward. It was crude, but he was on it. He was being abused, tarnished and pointed fingers at. He went underground and worked full time on Blogger.

Lesson no 6: Trust in the most important person to you. You.

He put in ads in the start. And charged people money to remove the ads on their pages for $12 a year. Slowly money trickled in. He slowly started making money to pay his hosting bills. He had given up his office and was lent a desk for free in a company. He then wrote the blogger APi, which became very important later on by hiring a programmer and redesigning it around a bit. Then they released Blogger Pro, a vision he had, and got back staff on board to take this product full time.

Then Google called. The rest is history. The rest is also to be read in this fascinating story of the guy being interviewed in a book called Founders at Work. Recognise him? Maybe a picture would help.

Posted via email from Kage’s Pages.

6 Lessons from a guy who changed the World and Media.

December 29, 2009 //

Today I bring to you a life changing read. This is a story about a little guy with big dreams.

The story.

Lesson no 1: Be confident.

He always believed himself to be entrepreneurial. Not like the idiots today branding a tag, this kid wanted to do things, change things, make a dent in the universe (steve). He started his career by working for HP where he learnt web development on his own and went on board for about 7 months as a consultant to work his way up. He had no idea about the trends, but picked it up quickly.

Lesson no 2: If it’s required to be learned. Learn.

Shortly thereafter, he started raking in some money and met a consultant. She had an MBA and he decided that she could help each other put together a company that made a product for project management. Something like basecamp, but very early alpha. They worked on it on their own and this lad taught himself all the necessary coding required to build it. They named this product, “Stuff”. While Stuff was picking up and they had a good thing going on. They brought in another guy to help them build this little tool that could help them exchange notes. It was a web log of data, notes and other interesting stuff. Quickly becoming the nervous system of the company, this product started showing signs of maturing and overtaking “Stuff”. He was excited to get it rolling and so were his partners, so they split their attention in developing this web log and simultaneously working on Stuff.

Lesson no 3: If an opportunity presents itself, grab it.

Lesson no 4: You don’t need funding or a business plan till you

have something to show in hand.

While they rose, their lack of revenues and monthly churn out rate put them in great danger. This little team of 2 had grown to a family of 7 only to make ends meet a veritable task by itself. This guy went frankly to his team and told him there was no money. He told them, “You can work with me on your tomorrow or you can leave”. They decided to leave. Even the woman with the MBA who had poured 2 years into this. It was only him and dark times. It was a scary scary thing for a guy growing up to be feeling. But he decided to stay on. He was alone. He learnt Linux and java and decoded bugs as and when they came along. He shared his story to the readers and asked for help along the way, all the while never stopping to fix what was needed. The technology kept growing and he didn’t want to quit just yet.

Lesson no 5: Believe in yourself and know if you are on to a good thing.

Lesson no 5b: Do whatever it takes to stay afloat.

Lesson no 6: Trust in the most important person to you. You.

Thus began Kartivity.

December 28, 2009 //

I just got myself into photography. I took my dad's DSLR the Nikon D40x, quite shamelessly I might add, to teach myself a skill I see valuable down the line. I love looking at pictures. It doesn't matter who you are, as long as I know you and you have some memory shared, I'd love to see it. So it's in this effect that I started this blog specifically to showcase my explorations and discoveries into the world of Creativity.

To start off with I read some previews on dpreview.com about the camera i own called Nikon D40x. While searching for reviews, I came across this great site by Ken Rockwell on Photography.

How have I made all my best shots? By noticing something cool and taking a picture. The important part is noticing something cool. Taking the picture is easy. Photography is like golf. They are both fun, popular and require some equipment. Very few people can get others to pay them to do either one for the same reason. Each takes a lifetime of constant practice, getting better and better little by little. Most golfers play for decades and never hit a hole-in-one. Photography is more complex than golf. Why does anyone expect ever to make a perfect photograph?

Brilliance doesn't work on a schedule.

You see more if you're looking. The more you look, the more you see worth photographing. If you're not thinking and not looking you'll walk right past some of the most extraordinary opportunities. If you don't care about the subject then the results won't get beyond the basics. Care deeply and incredible things happen. Don't care and you are quickly forgotten.

A photograph is not about technique. A photograph is communicating something, be it an idea, concept, feeling, thought or whatever, to a total stranger. For a photograph to be effective you have to be clear with what you're communicating.

One cannot just keep doing the same thing. One needs constantly to innovate and discover new ways of doing what you've been doing. See and feel things from different angles and in different ways.

Not last nor least, you need to keep doing it with the same subject. The better you know your subject the better your results will be.

This great post detailed here.

Posted via email from KARTIVITY

The greatest advice ever given.

December 26, 2009 //

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Originally written by Mary Schmich and later converted to an audio by Baz Luhrmann (if someone has the mp3 please mail it to me!).

Posted via email from Kage’s Pages.

The greatest advice ever given.

December 26, 2009 //

Wear sunscreen.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Originally written by Mary Schmich and later converted to an audio by Baz Luhrmann (if someone has the mp3 please mail it to me!).

Posted via email from Kage’s Pages.

- Steve Jobs, 2005.

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