Changing Communities through Vector Algebra

This is a follow-up post of my previous post on Perspectives and Co-ordinate geometry. Each individual's perspectives form the different axes on which the individual perceives the world - and judges the world, so you have (happiness-sorrow axis, good-bad axis, moral-immoral axis, ethical-unethical axis, and so on). Each of these axes define who you are, your values, your beliefs, et al. If I were to map each of these axes against the society's axes, then we can plot an individual on the society space (its an n-dimensional space, mind you).

Now, get this. The origin of the society (the norms dictated by the society) represented by (0,0,..,0) would be at a certain distance from your own origin say (1,2,1,-4,...,3). The vector (going outwards from the origin) which connects your origin to the society's origin is your vector of existence. Every individual has his vector of existence. The people who are afraid of society and peer pressure have their origins closest to the society's origins. Carefree people tend to be away from that origin. The more deviant you are to the society, the further you would be from the origin.

What makes a society? You, me and everybody. Thus, the society is a summation of these vector misalignments. And that my friend defines the origin of the society. Over a period of time, the origin naturally shifts - it shifts because many people change their origins (values, beliefs, etc), thus ensuring that the society also goes through that same shift (although much more gradually). A fact that would have been a taboo for the society would be a norm today. Take mini-skirts for instance or gay rights. Society changes its norms, because the collective changes their norms. The origin has shifted!!

Co-ordinate Geometry and Perspective

This is going to be a philosophical post, don’t say that I did not warn you at the beginning. But, I have came across an a-ha! for myself at work. This just does not apply simply to Good v/s Evil, but it can be applied to life itself.

Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin, that means, if I were to have an axis (similar to say X-axis), then Evil will be on the left hand side of the Y-axis and Good will be on the right hand side. Thus, Good and Evil are opposites. Now, my friend, what do you do to eliminate Evil? Think. Don’t move ahead and read the answer, please think. Think Co-ordinate Geometry.

You delete the origin (0,0), you take out the Y-axis. You take out the definition point at which Good starts being Evil. You take out that Evil-defining-perspective (Y-axis). I am defining each axes as a perspective on life, and thus, a way of defining (aka constraining) your perspective. Take out the Y-axis and now you have only a degree of Goodness left.

Now, ask yourself – what happens when you take away the X-axis? That translates into a change in your perspective. A shift which fundamentally changes the way you look at things, look at the world. How much more of the co-ordinate geometry concepts can I apply on this? Does this make sense to you? Would appreciate some feedback on this.

Idiocracy

There have been sci-fi movies and there have been sci-fi movies; But none like this one. In any sci-fi movie, you expect the human civilization to be so ultra advanced and modern, that it is set to baffle the viewer of today. It’s always shone as a rosy picture that technology being at a zenith with everyone striving to do more. Well maybe I went overboard with the striving bit, but I am sure you get the picture, right?

Idiocracy is different in this regards, it paints the real picture and drives home a point, that if the world continues as it is currently, then this scenario might just come out to be true. Especially in the developed countries (I wonder why they call them developed countries?) – See the major nations for a change, all of them have skilled labor problems. People do not have an incentive to do more … to become what they could have aspired for. What countries like India now need to do is learn from this and ensure that our people do not make the same follies.

Don’t worry, if you do not wish to think over this so much, then just watch the movie and laugh it out. Worth a watch, better still if you can think.

Familiar Strangers

If you travel everyday in a Mumbai local, then you are bound to have certain trains (and their times) in your mind. For e.g – I take the 8.24 Churchgate Slow from Andheri in the morning, if I miss that, then there is the 8.45 Churchgate Slow and the 8.51 Churchgate Slow, etc.

Most of the people think in these terms, so its obvious that you keep on seeing the same people everyday in your trains. Its their train as well. The mousy faced fellow, the guy who keeps on playing on his Nokia N-series, the guy who carries the Milton dabba. You see them, you have placed them and even named them … but what you don’t do, is befriend them. Maybe over a period of time, the ice breaks and you become good friends, but that takes many a train journey. The strangest thing is – that when you see the same person anywhere out of this morning train context, you still recognize him … and you see that spark on recognition in their eyes as well. But, you don’t talk. Strange aint it?

Uncertainty

I had gone to a friend’s place today to see his new born baby. Babblo* has a cute little daughter – I hope she doesnt take her looks from her dad!

So we got talking as friends do when they meet after a long time. Our favorite “R” word did come up. and so did the job switch. I see so many people who do not love their jobs, that I wonder has anybody written a paper on this? (let’s figure that out later)

This guy works for one of the big 4 consultancies, has been working with that firm for the past 4 years now. A job that any Systems MBA would kill for … yes, present company included :-) But I know the hours are long and the gyaan is hot. It requires the sheer dedication that dissolves my resolve to get into a post like that. Again, this is not the point, moving on …

Babblo’s reason for wanting to switch is that he does not see himself becoming one of the head honchoes and top guys in the next 5-6 years. He see himself reach the middle echelons of the organization, but still sees miles to go before he sleeps. Hence, the idea of moving out and getting into a different vertical altogether. A new stint even a startup. Have you imagined a guy who eats, sleeps, breathes ITIL trying to get things done in a startup? A comic strip on these lines can rival Dilbert :-D. Moot point being that Babblo (of course its not the true name!!) is actually turned off by the certainty of the job.

I cant identify with this funda. I for one would love some certainty on knowing what I will be doing 5-6 years down the line. Its easy to bluff, but do I really KNOW what I will be doing … hmmmmm … web surely, technology definitely, startup – could be, big hulking monolithic organization – sure why not, just pay me well!! I don’t know which is better – the certainty or the uncertainty!

The Weaker Sex

• There is a 30% quota on all engineering seats in Mumbai, reserved for girls
• Women have a higher tax bracket of 1.8 L.p.a
• Free education for girls in all public schools
• Have you tried getting a facial? Or your limbs waxed? A bikini wax?
• Or delivering a child?
• Or handling cooking and other chores alongside your job?

I sometimes wonder why they don’t call men the weaker sex?

Peace of Mind

Just the other day I was talking to Amol aka Baba. Our discussions can  meander from technology to yoga to relationships, well to put in a nutshell, they makes you think (yes, its a philosophical post). So, the question that cropped up was – What is peace of mind mean to you?

Any takers? Well for me, peace of mind is the place where I don't have to make any extra efforts to reach my destination. Further thinking led to the point that you can be en route to that destination and still have peace of mind, which I think could be the case when you know that in due course you are going to get there.

Baba later pointed out, that a person can feel uncertainty, anger, frustration, et al and still have his/her peace of mind. If the person knows the difference between his core feelings – the ones which help him achieve his id and his ternary feelings – the ones which can be dispensed off with i.e.. the anger, frustration, et al. But that person would have to be completed detached – a sadhu of sorts. That would be some person … well for one, his family would not be happy with this guy’s eternal cool.

Kind of reminds me of that Socrates’ incident, when his wife threw a bucket of water at him because he would not get into a fight with her. After which Socrates coolly said, “It seldom rains after the thunder”. Now that is peace of mind :-), What say?

New leaf

An extension of the last post, but I figured – that it deserves a separate mention. So, here we go!!

On the day I touched Mumbai, one of the first things I did was back-up my machine and format it. Formatting is like a cleansing mechanism for me … like turning over a new leaf. A new OS, a new folder structure, my choice and my will to decide how I want to proceed forward. The data of the past legacy long forgotten and the freedom to take decisions as I want them.

Erasing all the baggage and getting rejuvenated for a new life. As I write this, it gives me a secret thrill … to be on the verge of a new year, in the middle of an economic crisis, without getting shackled to a conventional “job”. Have decided to benefit from the past years, and the advises given by friends … and here is my resolution for the new year (I know it’s early, but I intend on keeping this one).

To be more critical – because chalta hain does not cut it.

Think about it.

Bounce

In life there are many ups and downs Don't let' em weigh you down an ounce A smile on your face will take out the frowns Remember, all you have to do is bounce

I'll take boring

As a child ... and as a teen even ... well lets just say the pre-25 years :), I used to love the thrill of life. The excitement of it all ... resigning from the job to give the CAT, not knowing what I am going to do next, walking around in the city with friends ... carefree, without a care in the world. The one thing I looked down upon despised, was the normal, routine rote of a life that my folks and all the 40 something's were following. How boring!! How can one live a life knowing ahead their every move?

I then touched 25. Finished by Post Graduation. Got a job. Welcome to the real world Neo.

With my risk appetite going down every coming year, and with my blood pressure going up, it becomes a necessity to know these things. To follow the simplicity of a routine. No surprises. Give me my daal-roti and I will gladly leave the Chicken Makhanwalla's of the restaurants. Yeah ... I would love having a normal, boring life for once. We as human beings are constantly striving to achieve that normalcy ... and so few of us actually manage to achieve it. As Fido Dido would have you believe ... Normal is boring .. hey give me boring, and let me be :-)

Reality or Perspective?

In a world where the difference between real and virtual is diminishing day by day, I ask you ... do you have your own version of reality?

We as a human race tend to twist the reality around us to suit our needs, to feel comfortable and self satisfied ... to know that we are correct and proper. In fact saying this makes me feel as if I myself am doing that ... sitting on my high horse. But is it not true?

Then one would say, you should empathize with that person and see the world from his perspective ... true. If that is the case, then what is real? Or more importantly what is correct and what is wrong?

In the book Shantaram (read this one if you havent already!!), the character Kader Khan might be the closest one to that answer ... if everyone in the world does that act, and that act simplifies the universe, then it is not correct (since the very nature of the universe is to become more and more complex). Take the example of murder, if everyone started committing this act, then the human population will dwindle ... this simplifies the universe ... not good. Or adultery, if everyone starts sleeping around ... then marriage, relationships, etc, are inviolated ... this simplifies the universe ... not good either!!

If everyone starts blogging, this creates a complex blogosphere of opinions, information and thoughts ... complex!! I blog, do you?

Happiness

Was browsing and checking the incoming and outgoing links on my blog, when I came across this thought provoking post. Happiness by Veena where she tries to define this intangible emotion ... makes you think na? I tried my best to define it .. but then I realized that to define this, I will have to make a boundary around it and then bring a structure to it (think through this before you rush to comment).

Why then should I bother to put a boundary on something which cannot and should not have any limits?

I have decided to leave the intangibles to the marketing gurus and just define what Happiness means to me -

• being with my loved ones
• a new game on a uber-gaming machine
  
• ghar ka khana
• a beautiful piece of code
• pizza!!
• a hot steaming cup of coffee/tea early in the morning
• maggi at 4 am
  
• PS3 + 42" HDTV

Heck, the list will go on for some time. I guess overall, I am a happy person :-D

The joy of achieving

I have a classmate from school. The fellow was brilliant. Is infact ... brilliant. After school, we joined the same junior college, and he promptly started gunning for the IITs. He cracked IITJEE the first time around, he also managed to get a decent percentage with the Maharashtra board. God knows how he managed all that, I had a tough time to mug up all the studies. Engineering was a relief, and so was normal working life ... MBA was a blast for me. I lost contact with him as the years gone by. The last I had heard was a brief article in the news about him starting his own company which made RSS readers for the blind. I remember thinking like a business person, how is this going to make money!?!

Recently, out of the blue, I get a call from him. For old times sake, we decide to meet. The guy is happily chatting about his business plans and all that. I naturally assumed that he finally found a way to monetize his RSS readers. After 2 hours or so, I realized that this was something else he was talking. Apparently he had closed down his company and was now working full time as a network marketing professional. For the uninitiated, that means he will sell some company's products directly for a commission, and the people he sells them to can do the same, whereupon all the middle men in the transaction get a decent commission. Incredulously I agreed to attend one such sales pitch ... I will not name this person (you know who you are!!), and I certainly wont name the company.

I have been avoiding him ever since. How can you forego your education, your training, your ambitions, your dreams ... for money? Where is the joy of achieving in that ... did he not feel that when he got into IIT Bombay, Comp. Sci?? Did he not feel that when he started his own company? How do you let go of that addictive feel of achieving ... for the sake of money. What a waste.

Enthusiasm v/s Experience

What would you reward more in your firm? Often, in a start-up, you need that zeal, that spirit, that enthusiasm to get things going. To overcome the inertia of normal living, to overcome the difficulties that would falter any one ... to get the thing done. My sales team is full of young and enthusiastic fellows.

We recently hired a new director to head one of the SBU's of the firm. Jolly Jose has a mountain of experience behind him, is persistent and dedicated to the job, knows enough tricks and tips of the trade to get those things done. His experience offers him insights that we normally miss out on. My technology team started out young, but now is a mix of veterans and enthusiastic people, I favor the experienced guys myself, since I know that when the cookie crumbles, it is the battle hardened veterans who will keep their cool and carry the ship through past seen stormy waters.

So what do you think? Enthusiasm or Experience?

Knowledge Value Cycle

Note - Had to edit this, renaming the model from Chain to Cycle. See the comments. Thanks Amit.

I was reading a friend's blog about how he has decided to have a mission for his blog. Immediately in the comments, I put in that along with a mission, one should also have a vision to know where the mission is going. Now, while suggesting a good looking and smart sounding mission and vision, I came up with this term - Knowledge Value Chain (I wont edit the comment on Biggie's blog). I do not claim to have invented this, since a quick google showed me that the term is already used and abused many times over. So heres one more to the count.

Small explanation:
The cycle is divided into six stages, with the ultimate stage or goal of knowledge is to be the guru, the one, the yin on that subject. Look at our education system for example, that should tell us how this process goes ... initially we do only rote (remember those horrid 10th and 12th exams??) ... as we go into graduation, the awareness increases, we start listening and finally understand that theres more to knowledge than rote (try doing Hearn & Baker of graphics or Algorithms by Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest and Clifford Stein or any other thick book for that matter) ... next comes the phase where you actually start learning yourself (that would be during your post graduation or job where there is no one there to teach you or learn from) ... post which you become comfortable at internalizing a lot of information in a go ... once it is internalized, you say ... "hey, this stuff is awesome!!" ... you want to spread the word ... write blogs, talk with friends about it ... you become an evangelist. People start looking up at you ... they start saying ... "yeah! he knows stuff" ... you become a teacher.

Of course the process can be extended into a heightened form of knowledge cycle ... thats when the teacher learns from his students. Interaction.

Server and Vastu: Technology and Spirituality

Throughout my life, I have been a Mulder and sometimes a Scully (for those who have not seen X-Files, a believer and sometimes a skeptic), but mostly a believer. But whenever there would be a rite performed which seemed a bit on the inane side, I would question the entire objective behind the same.

Some days back, we procured a server for our hosting needs. After a decently elongated procurement cycle, we realized that we would also need a separate server room for the same. Thus, a server room was built and the server was appropriately installed in there. Then, most of the management suggested that we do a vastu study on this. Fair enough, a vastu feasibility study was conducted, and it was decided that the server be shifted to the corner of the room. The power supply could not be put in the corner, and the table had to be shuffled across in that small space. Finally, my server room was vastu compliant. A post-installation pooja was done for the server, the coconut was broken, arati done and sweets distributed.

Funny no? That we have reached such a decent level of technology, albeit we stick to our religious practises and beliefs, to ensure that the gods are appeased.

Who would the god of hosting and server space be? Suggestions welcome.

Server-goda-swahaa!!

The bigger they are ...

I have hit the mother lode here ... the jackpot. Till the last month, I was convinced that I was a very logic oriented fellow, and the big L word will never happen to the likes of me ... I had decided to use only my mind and only that for all the decisions of my life.

Until recently, when I fell head over heels for that someone special in my life :-)

More will follow. Till that time, you can page me on 9th heaven.

Faith

Me and Amit have been having this debate since the past 2 and a half years now. It's on the existence of god ... I take the side of the theists and Sharma takes the side of the atheists. In fact he has gotten so good at that that by now he is a moderator in one of such inane communities. I just believe in god. I cant prove god's existence, its a premise for me. And its blind acceptance to that fact.

This weekend, I had been to my family's guru's ashram. I was going there after an absence of 12 years (not that I missed not going there). Whilst on the way, I was questioning the many practices followed there ... no leather items, lower castes may not enter certain areas, lower castes have to wait for the brahmins to finish their meals, et al. My mother seemed to take this to heart, the next day when we were having a discussion with the high priest over there, she asked him this question about why no leather ... and the explanation he gave ... or rather the answer he gave set me thinking.

The disciple does not have to look at question or logic for answers, he needs to look at his faith for those answers. The moment we start looking at other sources than our own faith, we have lost our faith in that particular thing. Be it god, be it science, be it the paranormal. Mulder had faith in aliens, Scully had faith in science, I have faith in god ... what do you have faith in?

Lights out!

Well, heres a little about me on the professional front. I manage the entire technology of a small corporate merchandising firm. People ask me (that includes my mother as well), what the h3LL is an IIM grad doing managing technology in a fledging firm? Arent they bred for big corporates?

Answer is simple. Do what brings a smile to your face at the end of the day. Web Retailing it is. Now, managing something which always tends to move forward out of your hands is turning out to be pretty tricky.

If you can manage to foresee programmer's hiring, feature rollouts, unexpected leaves, budget constraints, server crashes, everything, and a lot more ... believe me you definitely are not prepared for light outages!! Hail the Government of Hyderabad :-). What should happen when the lights do go out? Well, somehow since the computers are not working, it becomes a technology issue.

The day the lights went out, an IIM grad became an electrician.