Tuesday, November 29, 2005

What Do SoftwareDevelopers Need to Know about Business?

Computer science people believe that "business stuff" is a cake walk for a computer science graduate.This is purely ignorance.That's why most of us neglect software engineering course in our curriculum.
There's a real need for the average software developer to understand and appreciate the economic context in which their company operates.Other wise we tend to operate in fog.We have to understand senior management's decisions which seems illogical to us.Based on my discussions with people in software industry I cannot assure that 100% of the software developers are happy with their work.So we cannot stay in our world of Java forever.We have to come out of this shell and have a global picture of ours in the company and the industry.

A few principles that can help put management decisions into a clearer context:-
(1)An investment is simply an investment:
Many professions require a certain amount of detachment from events.For ex:A professional has to be like a doctor explained by Dr. J.Asthana in MunnaBhai MBBS movie who treats a patient as a body with some abnormality thats it.Similarly investment.Some times the project we work will be changed drastically because of management decisions (will tell my own example when I meet you).At times we as developers are expected to do rework.So we should not get attached to the project or our code.This is business not a Phd thesis.
(2)Tomorrow’s dollar is worth (far) less than today’s:
Most business people think in terms of risk-adjusted present value. As a result, long-term initiatives with even moderately uncertain payoffs quickly lose their attractiveness. This is especially true when other investment opportunities exist
(3)Capital budgeting:
Its a criterion for project selection.It is based on calculating ROI(Return On Investment).

In order to understand the above concepts a software developer has to know marketing, financial, and legal aspects of the software industry.These are not the things which can be picked up easily on the job.One has to attend training sessions regarding pricing strategies, basic macroeconomic concepts, capital budgeting issues, and intellectual property.Once we get a clear picture of where we stand in the industry we can emerge as entrepreneurs with ideas that click in this industry like Google.We can be in a situation to provide employment for job seekers.

Source :- Editorial of IEEE software magazine written by Warren Harrison

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Making your learning an adventure in exploration

Learning without thought is labor lost -- Confucius

One has to think critically to make their learning a joy.
Critical thinking studies a subject or problem with open-mindedness.
Approach any problem with open mind:
(1)Define your destination, what you want to learn
(2)Think about what you already know about the subject
(3)What resources are available to you, and what is your timeline?
Gather information
(4)Ask questions (very important)
(5)Organize what you have collected into patterns to understand the connections
(6)Ask questions (again!)
(7)Think in terms of how you would demonstrate your learning
Once you have open mind set (7 steps mentioned above):
(1)Demonstrate Knowledge
(2)Comprehend/Understand
(3)Use your learning;apply it
(4)Analyze
(5)Synthesize
(6)Evaluate and Explain Why? (To ask questions well you must be able to face as many questions as possible)

For more information refer Critical Thinking

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Garam Masala

This sunday I relived my college days.Pondy,Aara and K babu came to our room.We saw TV till evening recollecting foolish deeds done when in IIIT.The center of attraction is Vishnu sorry Vaishu.It's the name given by his colleague (guess who?).We had biriyani in Hyderabad House.We watched Garam Masala in Hitech.
Then pondy and Karteek came to our house for the night.We talked IIIT trivia till 2AM.
Best of them include :-
(1)The way I got the name Jimmy,doggy
(2)KarteekBabu's GK who told that Capital of Russia is "Mexico"
(3)Sireesh's multiple EOF dilemma cracked by vishnu
(4)Again Sireesh's GK who told that a normal year has 366 days
(5)Amazing explanation of F1 Racing given by jaya,aara and booo to DP
and many many more ....(censored:)
Being software professionals we thought that we should give the jokes (PJ's) a certification .That is JMM(on the same lines as CMM).JMM stands for Jamdu(Durga Prasad Jammula) Maturity Model or Jokes Maturity Model.Why DP? If DP laughs it means the joke is a real PJ .Depending upon a joke's standard it's given JMM levels 1-5.
For ex:Let us take Sreejith's Pathetic Jokes(PJs).What happens if SHAKILA is passed through SHAKTI(Machine Translation system in IIIT)?We get ILA because SHAKTI means "SHAK ni TI" (read in Telugu).So it removes SHAK from SHAKILA and gives ILA.Such jokes are given JMM level 5 coz they are so technical.

I hope that we have atleast one such reunion per month and come up with more JMM level 5 jokes.

Friday, November 18, 2005

Heart Touching Stories

*********** STORY 1 ************

A girl and a boy were on a motorcycle, speeding through the night.
They loved each other a lot.....
Girl:"slow down a little.. I'm scared.."
Boy: "No, it's so fun.."
Girl: "please..it's so scary.."
Boy: "Then say that you love me.."
Girl: "Fine..I love you..can you slow down now?"
Boy: "Give me a big hug.."
The girl gave him a big hug.
Girl: "Now can you slow down?"
Boy: "Can you take off my helmet and put it on? It's uncomfortable
and it's bothering me while i ride."

The next day, there was a story in the newspaper. A motorcycle had
crashed into a building because its brakes were broken. There were two
people on the motorcycle, of which one died, and the other had survived...The guy
knew that the brakes were broken. He didn't want to let the girl know,
because he knew that the girl would have gotten scared. Instead, he was told
the last time that she loved him,got a hug from her, put his helmet on her
so that she can live, and die himself...

Once in a while, Right in the middle of an ordinary life, Love
gives us a fairy tale...

Message "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing
those you hold well
"

*************************** Story 2 ***************************

Nurse: "It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am,
when an elderly gentleman, in his 80's, presented to have sutures
(stitches) removed from
his thumb.

He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an
appointment at 9:00 am. I
(nurse) took his vital signs and had him take a seat,
knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him.

I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I
was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam
it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed
supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in
conversation. Asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning
somewhere else, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he
needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she
had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer Disease.

As we talked, and I finished dressing his wound, I
asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no
longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him. "And you are still
going every morning, even
though she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled as he
patted my hand and said. "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she
is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps
on my arm, and
thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love
is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.


Good friends are like stars...You don't always see
them, but you always know they're there


*************************** STORY 3 ************************

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive
young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the
steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the
location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the seat
he'd told her was empty. Then she's settled in, placed her
briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg.

It had been a year since Susan became blind. Due to a medical
misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly
thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity.
'How could this have happened to me?' she would plead, her heart
knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or
prayed, she knew the painful truth, her sight was never going to
return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic
spirit. All she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his
heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into
despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength she
needed to become independent again.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she
get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to
get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her to
work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the
city. At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to
protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the
slightest task. Soon, however Mark realized that this arrangement
wasn't working - it was hectic, and costly.

Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted
to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him
cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react?
Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking
the bus again. "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I
supposed to know where I'm going? I feel like you're abandoning
me."

Mark's heart broke but he knew what had to be done. He promised
Susan that each day he would ride the bus with her until she got
the hang of it.

And that is exactly what happened. For two solid weeks, Mark,
military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each
day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses to determine
where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped
her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save
her a seat. Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark
would take a cab back to his office.

Although this routine was even more costly and exhausting than the
previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan
would be able to ride the bus on her own. Finally, Susan decided
that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning
arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her
temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend.
Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his
patience, his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they
went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday....
Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt
better.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was
paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure
envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or
not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had
struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? "Why
do you envy me?"

The driver responded, "It must feel so good to be taken care of and
protected like you are." Susan had no idea what the driver was
talking about, "What do you mean?" The driver said, "You know,
every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a
military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you
when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely
and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he
blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are
one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For although she
couldn't see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was
blessed, so blessed, for he had given her a gift more powerful than
sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love
that can bring light where there had been darkness.

"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is
beautiful because you love her..."

So if you love someone be faithful to that person.


***************************STORY 4************************

From the very beginning, girl's family objected strongly on her
dating this guy, saying that it has got to do with family
background, & that the girl will have to suffer for the rest of her life if she
were to be with him.

Due to family's pressure, the couple quarrelled very often. Though
the girl loved the guy deeply, she always asked him: "How deep isyour
love for me?" As the guy is not good with his words, this often caused
the girl to be very upset. With that & the family's pressure, the girl
often vents her anger on him. As for him, he only endured it in
silence.

After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated & decided to
further his studies overseas. Before leaving, he proposed to the
girl:

"I'm not very good with words. But all I know is that I love you.
If you allow me, I will take care of you for the rest of my life. As
for your family, I'll try my best to talk them round. Will you marry
me?" The girl agreed, & with the guy's determination, the family finally
gave in & agreed to let them get married. So before he left, they
got engaged. The girl went out to the working society, whereas the guy
was overseas, continuing his studies. They sent their love through
emails & phone calls. Though it was hard, but both never thought of giving
up.

One day, while the girl was on her way to work, she was knocked
down by a car that lost control. when she woke up, she saw her parents
beside her bed. She realized that she was badly injured. Seeing her
mum crying, she wanted to comfort her. But she realized that all
that could come out of her mouth was just a sigh. she had lost her
voice....

The doctor says that the impact on her brain has caused her to lose
her voice. Listening to her parents' comfort, but with nothing
coming out from her, she broke down. During the stay in hospital, besides
silence cry,..it's still just silence cry that accompanied her.
Upon reaching home, everything seems to be the same. Except for the
ringing tone of the phone. Which pierced into her heart everytime it rang.
She does not wish to let the guy know & not wanting to be a burden to
him, she wrote a letter to him saying that she does not wish to wait any
longer.

With that, she sent the ring back to him. In return, the guy sent
millions & millions of reply, countless of phonecalls,.. all the
girl could do, besides crying, is still crying.... The parents decided
to move away, hoping that she could eventually forget everything & be
happy.

With a new environment, the girl learns sign language & started a
new life. Telling herself everyday that she must forget the guy. One
day, her friend came & told her that he's back. She asked her friend not
to let him know what happened to her. Since then, there wasn't anymore
news of him.

A year has passed & her friend came with an envelope, containing a
invitation card for the guy's wedding. The girl was shattered. When
she open the letter, she saw her name in it instead. When she was
about to ask her friend what's going on, she saw the guy standing
in front of her.

He used sign language to tell her "I've spent a year to learn sign
language. Just to let you know that I've not forgotten our promise.
Let me have the chance to be your voice. I Love You." With that, he
slipped the ring back into her finger. The girl finally smiled.

Treat every relationship as if it's the last one, then you'll know
how to Give. Treat every moment as is it's the last day, then you'll
know how to treasure.

Treasure what you have right now, or else you will
regret one day...


************************ STORY 5 **************************

After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive
the spark of love. A little while ago I had started to go out with
another woman. It was really my wife's idea.

"I know that you love her," she said one day, taking me by
surprise. "But I love YOU," I protested.

"I know, but you also love her."The other woman that my wife wanted
me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but
the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible
to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her
to go out for dinner and a movie. "What's wrong, are you well?" she
asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late
night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you," I
responded.

"Just the two of us."

She thought about it for a moment then said "I would like that very
much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit
nervous.

When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be
nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on.

She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn
to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face
that was as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they
were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't
wait to hear about our meeting". We went to a restaurant that,
although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. my mother took my arm
as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu to her. Her eyes could
only read large print. Half way through the entree, I lifted my
eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me.

A nostalgic smile was on her lips. "It was I who used t o have to
read the menu when you were small," she said.

"Then it's time for you to relax and let me return the favor," I
responded.

During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation, nothing
extraordinary - but catching up on recent events of each others lives. We talked so
much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said "I'll go out with you
again, but only if you let me invite you". I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very
nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack. It
happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for
her.

Some time later I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant
receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I was almost
sure that I couldn't be there but, nevertheless, I paid for two
plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night
meant to me. I love you."

At that moment I understood the importance of saying, in time: "I
LOVE YOU" and giving our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than God and your family and
friends.

Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put
off til "some other time".


Someone once said "I've learned that, regardless of your
relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone
from your life.

I think this is true with your in-laws, grandchildren, sisters,
brothers and your friends. Anyone that means something to you-you
should spend time with them and let them know how much they mean to you as often as you can.

*********** STORY 6 ************

On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the
supermarket to buy the remaining of the gift I didn't manage to buy
earlier.When I saw all the people there, I started to complain to myself,"It is
going to take forever here and I still have so many other places to go.
Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year. How I
wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it..."
Nonetheless, I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to
curse the prices, wondering if after all kids really play with such expensive
toys.While looking in the toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years
old, pressing a doll against his chest.He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked so sad. I
wondered who was this doll for. Then the little boy turned to the old
woman next to him, "Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?"
The old lady replied, "You know that you don't have enough money to buy
this doll, my dear." Then she asked him to stay here for 5 minutes while she went to look
around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.
Finally, I started to walk toward him and I asked him who did he want to
give this doll to."It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this
Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her."
I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will bring it to her,
after all, and not to worry.But he replied to me sadly. "No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her
where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it
to her when she goes there." His eyes were so sad while saying this. "My
sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mummy will also go to
see God very soon, so I thought that she could bring the doll with her to
give it to my sister." My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, "I
told daddy to tell mummy not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I come back
from the supermarket." Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing.He then
told me, "I also want mummy to take this photo with her so that she will
not forget me." I love my mummy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me
but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister."
Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly.
I quickly reached for my wallet and took a few notes and said to the
boy, "What if we checked again, just in case if you have enough money?"
"Ok," he said. "I hope that I have enough." I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started! to
count it. There was enough for the doll, and even some spare money. The little
boy said, "Thank you God for giving me enough money."
Then he looked at me and added, "I asked yesterday before I slept for
God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that mummy can give
it to my sister. He heard me." "I also wanted to have enough money to buy a
white rose for my mummy, but I didn't dare to ask God too much. But He
gave me enough to buy the doll and the white rose." "You know, my mummy loves
white rose." A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I left with my trolley.
I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I
couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.
Then I remembered a local newspaper article 2 days ago, which
mentioned of a drunk man in a truck who hit a car where there was one
young lady and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother
was left in a c! ritical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the
plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able
to get out of the coma. Was this the family of the little boy?
Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the
newspaper that the young lady had passed away.
I couldn't stop myself and went to buy a bunch of white roses and I went
to the mortuary where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to
see and make last wish before burial.
She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand
with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest.
I left the place crying, feeling that my life had been changed forever.
The love that this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to
that day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk man
had taken all this away from him.
So Take time to appreciate what you have now.

By reading these stories I feel that its all the matter of sparing time.

Dedicate time to work:
it's the price of success.


Dedicate time to think:
it's the fountain of power.


Dedicate time to enjoy:
it's the secret of youth.


Dedicate time to love and be loved:
it's the source of joy and satisfaction.


Dedicate time to laugh:
it mitigates the stress

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Oracle of Omaha's Career Advice

The students of Tuck school of Business at Dartmouth flew to Omaha, Nebraska for a two-hour Q&A session with legendary investor Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway.

One of the questions is:

Q: What is your career advice?
A: If you want to make a lot of money go to Wall Street. More importantly though, do what you would do for free, having passion for what you do is the most important thing. I love what I do; I'm not even that busy. I got a total of five phone calls all day yesterday and one of them was a wrong number. Ms. B from NFM had passion, that's why she was successful. A few months ago I was talking to another MBA student, a very talented man, about 30 years old from a great school with a great resume. I asked him what he wanted to do for his career, and he replied that he wanted to go into a particular field, but thought he should work for McKinsey for a few years first to add to his resume. To me that's like saving sex for your old age. It makes no sense.

And the central themes that spun through their discussion with Mr. Buffet are:
1. "Having passion for what you do is the most important thing."
2. "Stay within your circle of competence."
--Clearly much of Mr. Buffett's success has stemmed from his disciplined focus on investing in businesses that he understands and avoiding those that he doesn't. He counseled them to ask questions constantly and never assume that we have achieved "expert" status in anything.
3. "There's still time for you to choose your own path; tell the truth and be independent."
--One of Mr. Buffett's central messages was that success is dependent upon elective qualities, not something anyone is born with. He reminded them that each one of them get to choose whether or not we're dependable, honest, and compassionate.
4. "There's no free lunch."
--With most things in life, those who work harder and think more clearly are ultimately rewarded. If you're willing to roll the dice on a business or life decision, then you should be willing to accept a wider range of outcomes, including failure.
5. "The meaning of life is to do everything you can to make sure the people you care about love you back."

These golden words are really motivating for any one who is in the serious pursue of his dreams.

KYONKI -- Its Sallu Bhai

This is the review of Kyonki movie written by my friend Raju read it n enjoy the review cos you cannot enjoy the movie.
Note that this is written in Tenglish (Telugu+English)...

**Review Start **

Name: KYON KI
Caption: its fate
Key Word: 36

story: oka mental hospital, andhulo tanvi(kareena) doctor, tanvi father kalnal aa hospital ki chief. 1. Oka musali pichidi untundi with number 36. pichi nayami pothundi, tanvi entho premaga chusukuntundi aameni. kaani pichi nayami poyaka aa musali asalu tanvi ni pattinchukodu...kyon ki - its fate. 2. Oka pichadu Anand(salman khan), aa hospital lo cherathadu, number 36. tanvi modhatlo salman meedha konchem harsh ga untadi( because of musali pichidi). tharavatha bane chusukuntundi. alaane love kooda chesesthadi.....kyo ki - its fate 3. Anand ki pichi nayami pothundi, they both want to marry. kaani kalnal ki nachadu. anthe anand ki brain operation chesesthadu. so vaadiki no sparsha, nothing. bathiki unna shavam laga thayari pothadu...kyon ki - its fate. 4. inko pichi doctor sunil bayya, anand ante chala istam. so anand ni ala chudadam istam leka champestadu...kyon ki- its fate. 5. ee vishayam vinna tanvi, pichidi pothundi. ade hospital lo parient la join avuthundi, number 36.....kyon ki- its fate.
idhantha oka view lo, ika anand pichivaadu endhukipothadu?
maya(rimmi sen anukuntanu) ni love chesthadu. aa ammai nun(church, father...) kavalanukuntundi, so anand ante istam unna piki cheppadhu. some how, idiot lo raviteja laga chesi, maya ni oppisthadu. kaani maya chala kangaru paduthundi, veedu nijamgane chanipothademo ani. ippudu iddaru love lo unnaru. maya rendu saarlu anand ni fool chesthundi, horse riding raadhu ani okasaari nerpinchamani, car driving raadhu ani cheppi nerpinchamani aduguthundi. kaani andhulo maya expert. moodava saari thanaki swimming raadhu ani chepthundi. kaani anand, eesari fool kakudadhu ani alochinchi maya ni swimming pool vesesi vellipothadu. kaasepu tharavatha chuse sariki may ahcani pothundi. ( Chinnappudu nanna puli story type) ala anand pichi vaadu aipothadu. 75% cinema mental hospital lone.
idhi story.... idhi chudadam maa fate, chadavatam mee fate.dhaniki evaru badhyulu kaaru......... ok then untanu bye. have a nice time.........

AReview
by Raju

** Review End **