Apple-Samsung bite-off

You could see the Apple logo as the bite Samsung has taken in the smartphone market share. Apple's stocks are tumbling and Samsung is gaining on the smartphone/phablet turf. Tables appear to be turning. At this point you may wonder what's ahead for Apple-Samsung. Here's my take on this.

Every company has a DNA of its own. The company stays 'that way' irrespective of changing times. Apple is an innovator. Samsung is a supplier. Knowing Apple, it will innovate in a way that whatever Samsung has 'created' will totally become irrelevant! If you look back at Apple's history, it has ruined competition by constantly disrupting itself. Apple may do so on the OS or the hardware that Google-Samsung may not be able to adapt as smoothly or 'cool'ly.

A follower who gets ahead for a while will always look over its shoulder to see if its tor'mentor' is catching up. Apple has its most formidable opponent today of all time. It can rise like the champion it is. and it will because innovating from the core is in its DNA already.

Apple-Samsung bite-off

You could see the Apple logo as the bite Samsung has taken in the smartphone market share. Apple's stocks are tumbling and Samsung is gaining on the smartphone/phablet turf. Tables appear to be turning. At this point you may wonder what's ahead for Apple-Samsung. Here's my take on this.

Every company has a DNA of its own. The company stays 'that way' irrespective of changing times. Apple is an innovator. Samsung is a supplier. Knowing Apple, it will innovate in a way that whatever Samsung has 'created' will totally become irrelevant! If you look back at Apple's history, it has ruined competition by constantly disrupting itself. Apple may do so on the OS or the hardware that Google-Samsung may not be able to adapt as smoothly or 'cool'ly.

A follower who gets ahead for a while will always look over its shoulder to see if its tor'mentor' is catching up. Apple has its most formidable opponent today of all time. It can rise like the champion it is. and it will because innovating from the core is in its DNA already.

Brainstorming- the God of all things

A few years back I did a course on 3d animation and film editing from a local institution. Here, we learned about high-end software, special effects and tips, and about computers that are needed to help execute ‘cutting-edge’ effects. Today, all those things are outdated. What stays with me though are the discussions we had with the faculty which still holds in this fickle, tech infested world.

The main thing we talked about was the creative process. Eccentric ways that make the mind conjure ideas, what others add to it, and how all this gets translated to paper and then machines. We talked about inspiration- what travelling does as an input, great food, interesting people, wacky things children say, funny pets’ behavior and the world in general around us. We discussed a major component about the creative process- brainstorming. This is also the first stage of any venture.

There’s pre-production, production and finally post-production – three main stages of film-making, but we’ll take this forward to making any marketing material. My mentors argued that the pre-production stage is where all the efforts should be concentrated on. That’s where the entire team gets clarity on the final product. What we create in collaboration is much greater than the sum of our parts. If we all align on a single idea, our individual efforts will take the product way beyond our own expectations.

Today, these thoughts have become idealistic. Our timelines have become so demanding that even the thought of brainstorming has become a luxury. What is sadder is that the products we create in this hurry remains unappealing and average. I’ll be glad if you have a culture in your workplace where you are able to have brainstorming sessions for the products you intend to create. The more inclusive your approach is, further everyone goes.

Brainstorming- the God of all things

A few years back I did a course on 3d animation and film editing from a local institution. Here, we learned about high-end software, special effects and tips, and about computers that are needed to help execute ‘cutting-edge’ effects. Today, all those things are outdated. What stays with me though are the discussions we had with the faculty which still holds in this fickle, tech infested world.

The main thing we talked about was the creative process. Eccentric ways that make the mind conjure ideas, what others add to it, and how all this gets translated to paper and then machines. We talked about inspiration- what travelling does as an input, great food, interesting people, wacky things children say, funny pets’ behavior and the world in general around us. We discussed a major component about the creative process- brainstorming. This is also the first stage of any venture.

There’s pre-production, production and finally post-production – three main stages of film-making, but we’ll take this forward to making any marketing material. My mentors argued that the pre-production stage is where all the efforts should be concentrated on. That’s where the entire team gets clarity on the final product. What we create in collaboration is much greater than the sum of our parts. If we all align on a single idea, our individual efforts will take the product way beyond our own expectations.

Today, these thoughts have become idealistic. Our timelines have become so demanding that even the thought of brainstorming has become a luxury. What is sadder is that the products we create in this hurry remains unappealing and average. I’ll be glad if you have a culture in your workplace where you are able to have brainstorming sessions for the products you intend to create. The more inclusive your approach is, further everyone goes.

Applying ideas beyond apps

Enough tech thoughts and what new app can change lives. Apps don't help the environment in any way and its the environment that changes lives. Here are some random thoughts on improving things around-

1. Filthy railway tracks- don't know if it has bothered you, but the sight of filthy railway tracks at stations made so by people using latrines in trains has made me wonder why no one thought about simple ideas around it. Here's an idea. We can't make people stop using the loo right? You got to go, you got to go. So the track can have a groove running right through the center that drains the waste. Of course the groove and the toilet pipe have to align.

2. The sleeve that hides the pen- ever lost expensive pens and cursed why people can't buy their own? Well, hide the pen in your pocket and have it firmly held in as well. An extra fold inside the pocket holds the pen, and still makes it easy to pull out from outside.

3. Plastic bags too many. The best thing about plastic is its strength. So the plastic can be used as the handle only that runs all the way under the bag in a 'U'. Rest is paper or biodegradable.

4. Bicycle with shade and fan- that's a random one. Shade from the sun in hot asian areas and a mounted fan that runs on peddling can encourage cycling and give relief at the same time. So the fan gears are much smaller than the bicycle gears so it spins more than the rotation of the pedals

5. Very Short Distance wireless earphones- Badly needed for the masses. These don't need to be very expensive like Bluetooth earphones. Take a look at this mess on top of bus stands in Barcelona-

Guess what that cluster of blue is. These are used earphones tossed by tourists from Tour buses after they are done with the audio guides on board!

6. Formal-running hybrid shoes- Ever been in situations when you had to do some running or intense walking, but had to wear formal black shoes for the day? This is when you wished your formal shoes had the soles that could manage the running or walking outdoors a lot.

7. Instant printer-ink remover- Saving paper, we all talk of. In reality, we keep taking prints then realize we could not use for sundry reasons like typos, alignment issues, incorrect font size etc. What if there was a machine that could instantly remove of ink on paper so you could reuse the other side at least? It could be a function of the printer itself!

8. Ever blogged or tweeted something you regretted later? What if you could see it from a perspective outside of yourself? So lets say you tweeted something stupid, the question it asks you, is- is this a spontaneous thought? Have you thought this through? Even if you say yes, it shows you what you have tweeted in an incubated mode. If you still approve, only then does the tweet go live. The javascript on the twitter page could time the duration in which the tweet was made. So if you were taking too long to tweet, using profanity, it could alert you with a prompt or two.

9. Back-packs with inbuilt massagers- It's been a hard day's night, and you wished your back could use a push or pinch on some pressure points. The inside lining of the laptop bag could be lined with soft-conical points that you could push against, while you wear the bag pack, when travelling in the tube, providing some comfort. These pressure points could be set as per acupressure experts.

10. Traffic at busy intersections could be used to run dynamos that generate heat for homeless people. Uh.. I  don't know how that works. It just came from this cold wave in Delhi that's hovering around 0 degrees, a first for Delhi.

Don't be hesitant to talk about ideas that sound daft or far-fetched. That's the quality of an idea- that it wasn't done or heard of before.

Random one here- photography done for a Delhi-based band called Mob Marley Inc. The photo credit is in the name of the jpg on this page-

http://www.hardrockindiablog.com/2012/05/band-night-mob-marley-tribute-to-bob.html


Here's the original-

Have a nice day!

Applying ideas beyond apps

Enough tech thoughts and what new app can change lives. Apps don't help the environment in any way and its the environment that changes lives. Here are some random thoughts on improving things around-

1. Filthy railway tracks- don't know if it has bothered you, but the sight of filthy railway tracks at stations made so by people using latrines in trains has made me wonder why no one thought about simple ideas around it. Here's an idea. We can't make people stop using the loo right? You got to go, you got to go. So the track can have a groove running right through the center that drains the waste. Of course the groove and the toilet pipe have to align.

2. The sleeve that hides the pen- ever lost expensive pens and cursed why people can't buy their own? Well, hide the pen in your pocket and have it firmly held in as well. An extra fold inside the pocket holds the pen, and still makes it easy to pull out from outside.

3. Plastic bags too many. The best thing about plastic is its strength. So the plastic can be used as the handle only that runs all the way under the bag in a 'U'. Rest is paper or biodegradable.

4. Bicycle with shade and fan- that's a random one. Shade from the sun in hot asian areas and a mounted fan that runs on peddling can encourage cycling and give relief at the same time. So the fan gears are much smaller than the bicycle gears so it spins more than the rotation of the pedals

5. Very Short Distance wireless earphones- Badly needed for the masses. These don't need to be very expensive like Bluetooth earphones. Take a look at this mess on top of bus stands in Barcelona-

Guess what that cluster of blue is. These are used earphones tossed by tourists from Tour buses after they are done with the audio guides on board!

6. Formal-running hybrid shoes- Ever been in situations when you had to do some running or intense walking, but had to wear formal black shoes for the day? This is when you wished your formal shoes had the soles that could manage the running or walking outdoors a lot.

7. Instant printer-ink remover- Saving paper, we all talk of. In reality, we keep taking prints then realize we could not use for sundry reasons like typos, alignment issues, incorrect font size etc. What if there was a machine that could instantly remove of ink on paper so you could reuse the other side at least? It could be a function of the printer itself!

8. Ever blogged or tweeted something you regretted later? What if you could see it from a perspective outside of yourself? So lets say you tweeted something stupid, the question it asks you, is- is this a spontaneous thought? Have you thought this through? Even if you say yes, it shows you what you have tweeted in an incubated mode. If you still approve, only then does the tweet go live. The javascript on the twitter page could time the duration in which the tweet was made. So if you were taking too long to tweet, using profanity, it could alert you with a prompt or two.

9. Back-packs with inbuilt massagers- It's been a hard day's night, and you wished your back could use a push or pinch on some pressure points. The inside lining of the laptop bag could be lined with soft-conical points that you could push against, while you wear the bag pack, when travelling in the tube, providing some comfort. These pressure points could be set as per acupressure experts.

10. Traffic at busy intersections could be used to run dynamos that generate heat for homeless people. Uh.. I  don't know how that works. It just came from this cold wave in Delhi that's hovering around 0 degrees, a first for Delhi.

Don't be hesitant to talk about ideas that sound daft or far-fetched. That's the quality of an idea- that it wasn't done or heard of before.

Random one here- photography done for a Delhi-based band called Mob Marley Inc. The photo credit is in the name of the jpg on this page-

http://www.hardrockindiablog.com/2012/05/band-night-mob-marley-tribute-to-bob.html


Here's the original-

Have a nice day!

Vocabulary EXtempore, Insufferable Nonplus Gaffe (VEXING) Sentences

Our catharsis is the cathexis of an avoidable tragedy; hypermnesia by a people and media that intersperses reminders, so random donnybrooks and vacuous, impolitic specimens do not disport or debilitate the effort to promulagate reform from rulers who are tutelary to regression and as algid as the weather. 

Vocabulary EXtempore, Insufferable Nonplus Gaffe (VEXING) Sentences

Our catharsis is the cathexis of an avoidable tragedy; hypermnesia by a people and media that intersperses reminders, so random donnybrooks and vacuous, impolitic specimens do not disport or debilitate the effort to promulagate reform from rulers who are tutelary to regression and as algid as the weather.