www.BPODigest.com i-Vortal

Eddy Matzger Roller Blading Workshop

These days I have been staying active by doing roller blading. To learn better skating I attended
Eddy Matzger workshop. I did very badly in the workshop, I would say that I am the last guy in the workshop. But towards the end I picked up some real good techniques. These are helping me now to skate fearlesslessy in uncertain terrains. I still need to do more practice and implement the techniques that I learned. I am sure I am going to be a better skater. Checkout the pictures of the workshop here:

Album 1 and Album 2

Not grunt effort, but itz all about technique baby!!!!

How Earthquakws Happen?

BBC News has a news item describing how earth quakes happen. You can find the animated information here:How earthquakes happen

For latest info on the recent earthquake and relief efforts visit: http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/

Hacking Google Maps

One of the great things about Google maps is it has its roots in XML. To translate for the non-web developers out there, it basically means Google maps are user hackable. Check how to do it @ Engadget - www.engadget.com

The No-Sari Zone: South Asian Women at Work

A real nice article about South Asian Working Women in USA:HBS Working Knowledge: HBS Conference Coverage: The No-Sari Zone: South Asian Women at Work

About Shahla Aly from Pakistan:

For three months, she said, she proceeded through a series of dead-end interviews. No one would hire her. She was starting to get depressed and couldn't figure out what she was doing wrong.

In the fourth month, an interviewer told her, gingerly, "I think you'd be a wonderful fit for this company...but I do have one quick question to ask you, and it's rather personal."

Not feeling she had much of a choice, Aly agreed. The question was, "Do you plan to dress the way you're dressed today every day to work?"

"I thought he was complimenting me, and I said, 'Yes! I have so many saris like this.' Need I tell you that he didn't say anything back, but his eyes told me everything."

"If you want to make a statement for change [by your clothing], you're not going to succeed in corporate America"

"You have to adapt: As Shahla just said, you have to figure out what you are willing to change and what you're not willing to change."

Tips for the CEO Candidate

HBS has a post on Tips for the CEO Candidate. The sections are divided into:

1. Balance what they seek with what you need
2. Take charge of your own professional development
3. Excel in your current job
4. Know when it's time to campaign elsewhere
5. Don't rely solely on recruiters

World Water Day Cartoon

A real good cartton on the eve of World Water Day (22nd March) by Vaartha

http://code.google.com/

Google releases Google Code.

What is code.google.com?
Code.google.com is our site for external developers interested in Google-related development. It’s where we’ll publish free source code and lists of our API services.

Now you can use google api's to spice up your projects. You can develop your own plugins and contribute to google.

Check out Google FAQ

They are going the EBay/Amazon way of opening up their services to the developers. Way to go Google!!!!

Saurabh Narayan Singh - Running for Assembly Election

Suhit pointed me to this news item on rediff:'Educated people should come into politics'

He is 29, studied at Doon School and Delhi University and did his MBA from Australia. He speaks English with an accent and looks like one of those bespectacled bookworms often seen in toppers lists in student magazines.

Meet Saurabh Narayan Singh, Congress candidate for the assembly election from Hazaribagh in tribal-dominated Jharkhand. He is fighting Bharatiya Janata Party veteran and state Agriculture Minister Dev Dayal Kuswaha.

In the interview conducted by Rediff he says:

Throughout my life I have come across people regretting that politics do not offer them choices. People are not happy with the current lot of politicians. So I have come to pump in some fresh air in the political system. There is a common feeling that educated people should come into politics. Otherwise politics will not improve. We need new people with bright new ideas. Young people should get motivated in politics.

WoW Factor - The path to MBA Schools in USA

Previous post: The path to MBA Schools in USA

If you are from India and seeking MBA admission in an elite university, it takes more than your transcripts and test scores to get an admission. Every year thousands of Indians apply to elite schools. Most of them are super duper intelligent candidates and they are too good at what ever they do. Out of these outstanding candidates, only a few manage to get an admission. These few are the students who have a ‘WoW Factor’ in their backgrounds. ‘WoW Factor’ can be anything exceptional in their background like brilliant accomplishments, outstanding profiles, incomparable attributes etc. This ‘WoW Factor’ literally makes the admissions committee go ‘WoW’ when they read through the candidates profile and essays.

A few examples of WoW Factors:

750+ GMAT Score
Math/Science Olympiad champions
National Sports Players
President Ward Receivers
Grew up in a jungle/village and defied all odds and succeeded
Heroes who championed the social issues
Officers/Volunteers of CRY, Gujarat Earth Quake, Tsunami Relief efforts etc.
Traveled across India on foot/bicycle/motorcycle
Accomplished musicians/writers/media personnel
College Student Leaders
Political Leaders
Corporate/Government Leaders
Special Operations task force members
Entrepreneurs
International Travelers
The list goes on and on………………

The above list might not be an exhaustive list or might have some factors which may not even be considered as a ‘WoW Factor’. But the basic idea is to make you understand that some sort of WoW factor is needed to get an admission into elite b-schools. For some individuals this WoW factor may be inbuilt while some others might have to work at it for numerous years. Either way, your WoW factor will have a significant impact in the decision making process.

Here is a discussion forum link from www.testmagic.com which has more info on the competitiveness of Indians: http://www.testmagic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14861

So, if you are dreaming about Elite Schools, then work on building your ‘WoW Factor’.

Net-IP Dinner Meeting

Last night I went to Net-IP dinner meeting after a long long time. It was organized by Tanya and I would say it is really successful. We had so much of fun exchanging jokes, food and some desi banter. I always love these dinner meetings, but I have been missing them due to my work schedules. I met a couple of new people. There was Shivani, who was speaking nice British accent; it was really so much fun listening to her. Some how I love British accent, it is much more clear and elegant. Moreover if a beautiful girl is speaking it, its elegance multiplies.

Liferay - Open Source J2EE Portal

Today I found this highly sophisticated J2EE portal Enterprise. Open Source. For Life.. After going through the features, I did not believe that I missed this portal all these years. I just felt as if I am completely stupid working with all kinds of other portals. This is every J2EE guys dream portal, it got everything a J2EE guy wants. It has support for numerous operating systems, applications servers and databases. Its architecture supports everything latest in J2EE world. It is just a mind blowing product. I think I am going to get hooked to this.

My Color - I am lovin it

I actually gave honest answers to the questions, and I was surprised that it gave me such a nice rating.

Mign Nguyen - He knows how to live

Today Minh sent this picture from Austalia, man I envy him. I bet anybody would envy his life style. Happily married with 3 adorable kids, lives just 20 mins from the sea in Australia, 2 hours away from a ski resort, what more does anybody want?

The path to MBA Schools in USA

I am writing this article to explain the path to MBA Schools in USA. There are numerous steps involved in the path. I am right now in the middle of this path. I have not reached the destination i.e admission into the MBA school I want to study in. However, I thought of writing about my experiences until now on this path.

I can broadly classify the path into the following steps:

1. WoW Factor
   
2. GMAT & TOEFL
   
3. Applying to MBA School
   
4. Selection Process
   
5. Admission
   

I am not completely sure about my first step, may be once I get an admission I might explain be able to reveal my wow factor. I have completed the second step and almost completing the third step. Hoping to go through the fourth and fifth steps.

In a series of articles I will try to explain my insight into these steps, so that you may benefit from it.

Screen Nemo - Make Training/Course/Whatever CBT Movies And Monitor Your Desktop

Do you want to make Computer Based Training Materials with out much hassle. Check out Screen Nemo. It can do more than CBT 's for you. As per the website:

Basic Description:

What is ScreenNemo? ScreenNemo is a desktop screen recording program that allows the user to capture continuous images on the screen as a movie. It can be used as a monitoring device, and it is useful for creating movies to demonstrate support solutions, software installs, presentations, and educational tutorials, and many more.

ScreenNemo Benefits:

• ScreenNemo lets you capture a continuous data stream.
  
• ScreenNemo is the prefect tool for software demonstrations or presentations of products/services to customers.
  
• Improve the Quality, and reduce the Costs of Education or training by recording tutorials, documentation, training aides as movies which can be played to trainees.
  
• Secure your confidential data by using ScreenNemo to monitor and audit all desktop activity in businesses.
  
• Safeguard your security by using ScreenNemo to capture Remote Control, X-Windows or SSH sessions or any local application and play it back.
  
• Parents can exercise Parental Control by secretly recording their childerns online activity.

BPODigest Down Due to Heavy Activity

BPODigest is down from yesterday. The activity has gone high and server was not able to handle the load any more. I am working on getting it up and running soon. RIght now waiting on Suhit to send the domain registration info. Hopefully, i will be done soon.

Small is beautiful for these not-so-big CEOs

The Economic Times writes about the not so big CEO's from India who made it big.

They are ordinary men and women who chose to shed caste boundaries, who braved poverty, hunger and deprivation to chart their own path.

And though the journey was arduous they made it big. They made a mark for themselves and inspired others to stand on their feet. Presenting the winners of Citi Group's Micro Entrepreneur Awards, 2004.

Kishore Waghmare, Pune , National Winner
K Menswear - Manufacturing & Retailing
10 Employees, 3 outlets.

Sanjida Ishak Mallik, Mumbai,Social Responsibility Winner
Workshop, employs only women, involved in manufacturing and exporting of hand-embroidered gift products

Amaravathy Latha, Chennai, National Winner
Tailoring - Employs three women and two men

Eeranna F Hombalimath, Hubli, Social Responsibility Winner
Swadeshi Foods - Nine outlets provides employment to a large number of poor, illiterate or less educated and jobless women.

Reena Mahanada, Sambalpur, Orissa, National Winner
Renting Entertainment hardware

Badri Singh, Patna, Social Responsibility Winner
Two wheeler repair - 12 employees

While reading this new item, I could help rememberin my aunt. She was uneducated lady from a small village. After marriage she moved to a medium sized town. For the last 15 years, she has developed a tailoring and embroidery Center, teaches women in tailoring and embroidary work and employs them. She also does garment retailing and micro financing. She certainly deserves an award like this.

Fascinating Story of Google

The rise of Google is a tale often told as a Silicon Valley classic. Two precocious Stanford grad-student nerds swept up in the fever of the Internet boom invent technology that profoundly changes the experience of the Web; they drop out and start a company (in a garage) that achieves iconic status; they stage a historic public offering, achieving vast wealth and fame.

But beneath these familiar surface details, the Google story is more nuanced and compelling. It’s a story about the clash between youth and experience, more a messy ensemble drama than a simple buddy flick—one whose main characters have persistently deviated from any script, resulting in unexpected twists and turns that haven’t come to light until now.

HPAIR - Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations

Harry Winder, a visitor to my site pointed to this site:HPAIR!

HPAIR is short for the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations.

HPAIR was created in 1991 by three students of Harvard University. These three undergraduates crafted a vision of an organization that would bring together university students from around the world to exchange ideas on important international issues and build educational links among the world's future leaders. The realization of that vision was the first HPAIR conference, held in Taipei.

A collaboration between the students and faculty of Harvard University, HPAIR offers a sustained academic program and a forum of exchange to facilitate discussion on the issues most important to the Asia-Pacific region.

Over the years, HPAIR has grown to be the largest annual student conference in Asia. Every year in August, some 450 carefully selected students from all over the world meet to grab this opportunity for discussion, debate, and reflection. HPAIR has thus become a forum for building global understanding where current and future leaders meet and exchange ideas.

HPAIR 2005 will be held on August 22-25 in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo. This year's theme will be Futuring Asia: Contemporary Challenges and Emerging realities.