App-only eCommerce: A bad idea

Flipkart has gone ahead and officially stated, that over the year, it will shut down its desktop and (surely) mobile website and move to an app-only store. They seem to be following the sister concern Myntra's move to go app-only from May 1st, a week from now. If you ask me, they could not have got it more wrong.

Recent data might suggest (I don't have this data, but somebody must have used more than their gut feeling to announce such a move, right?) that there is a tremendous growth for acquisition and conversion on Apps; especially a huge potential in 'Tier II and beyond' bases in India. So true of a country where most people get their first taste of internet freedom via a mobile data plan. But, that is just a part of the picture.

Then, there is the theory that suggests internet will go the 'Push way' and 'supply' information you need like a 'utility' such as water and electricity. OK. Enough said. Then there is the other theory that uses the evolving platform/notification features of recent and upcoming Android and iO/S versions with streaming notifications to weakly support that App is the only way to go.

After its Billion Dollar Sale blunder, Flipkart is likely readying itself for another blunder with its app-only move. Agreed, that are many reasons to have an app for an e-commerce set-up and they are great for several good reasons. But does that mean you do not have a mobile website or desktop website altogether? That's preposterous.

I buy a lot, much to my wife's chagrin (generally, about spending), a lot... online. For many reasons, the purchases are split, chiefly, between Flipkart and Amazon, and to a smaller extent, Snapdeal, eBay, category stores and the likes. Then there are the specialized sites in international locations catering to a national population. I go there too. There is no count of how many times I have used and will use the apps of local cab companies to call a ride across town, Airline tickets, hotel bookings, restaurant reviews, product reviews, movie tickets and a few other things I am forgetting, all have been bought online. But, with the exception of Taxis, that too only in the last few months, I have not used apps exclusively for any type of purchase. For all but Taxis, apps is just the last step for me. I would be a typical if not a champion profile of the current generation of digital consumers. So, may be they should be reading this article and considering my perspective. Here it is:

• I like to research the products that I buy. Mobile App, how much ever passionately you built it, sucks for this purpose. Don't take it personally. It's the same for everyone. I don't even want to talk about how difficult it is to filter and sort products (why restrict the filter and sort options on Apps?). Worse, if I am simply 'exploring' a category for what's new out there. 
• I like the big feel of the pictures. No, pinch zoom is a compromise for me; for those times that I am in a queue at a checkout line or killing time at the airport.
• I go to apps, sure, for making that final step of buying and taking that app-only discount or another incentive you have put out there for me.
• I sign out of apps, after I do the purchase. Sometime, I uninstall a shopping app altogether, just to avoid your excitement of 'offers I should not miss'.
• Push is NOT they way for me. Of the several mailboxes I maintain, my work mailbox is the only one that's on Push or Sync mode. I like to pull down the screen to refresh my mailboxes. That's the way it should be. I choose when I want to see the email. If I expect something critical, I will go there more often. But that true for email and it's true for everything else.
• If you figure out my buying journey and 'attribution' entirely and accurately, you'll see that I will come to your desktop site as many times as I need to know more about the product, the comparisons, the reviews (until more reviews get posted) and shipping policies, wishlist, reading book excerpts etc. I do all this on the Desktop site. I grew up reading newspapers and still read a lot of books (checkout my order history, if you can). But, I don't do all the product related reading in a small screen, simply because I have better choice- the widescreen of the laptop (I am not forgetting that App on a Tab also provides a midway solution).

If you read between the lines, you will see themes of usability, user interface, user experience and traditional convenience of a large screen. Mobile apps might be hep and the key thing for your VC/PE pitches, but for me, all's good as long as you keep your desktop sites live and running. Shut down your desktop site and I will leave in a hurry, because you ignored one segment, the likes of me.


Flipkart, India's homegrown eCommerce bell weather might just go down in the history for the biggest blunder yet (even if they later recover from their big bet), should they decide to shutdown their desktop site. Don't do it.

A Lazy Dad's guide to teaching your child to ride a bicycle

or "How I taught my son to gain balance, on his own"

The earliest memories I have of riding a bicycle are of the 'Paramount' 16 inch bicycle with a long saddle and steel back support. I remember my dad running behind me teaching me to gain balance. Thanks to him, I learned about the confidence, mobility and independence that came with riding a bicycle, early in life. I would like to pass on the same to my son, I thought.

My son was five years old when we got him his first bicycle, a Maxit 14 inch. Little did I realize I had, in part, put a mental handicap of sorts on him by putting training wheels on the bike. A month passed, then two. He would never bring himself to take the weight off either the left or the right side training wheel. Wheels kept getting worn or broken.

A few days later, at Decathlon sports store, I saw,the "run and ride" or "push and balance" bicycles. These bicycles do not have a drive train on them. Built for 2-4 year olds, these are normal looking bikes without chain, sprockets and pedals. (What's a Balance Bicycle?) Children push the bicycle ahead by pushing back the ground with their feet, one foot a time alternately. Doing so teaches them to learn balance. It made sense. Without a parent or elder running behind them shouting instructions, the child will be free to pull up his instincts and likely learn balance faster. Unfortunately, I had already bought a bicycle and buying just for balance was impractical.

That evening, at home I read up about tricks to teach a child to gain riding balance. I couldn't find anything I was not already doing. Add to it, my work schedule made it tough to commit time everyday to the effort. For some very good reasons, my wife was not up to the task, even though she is a rider. I did not want to lose any more time either. That's when the 'lazy dad' in me kicked in to make everyone happy with a workable solution. It was time to get hands dirty, literally.

I removed the drive system completely. The bottom bracket, pedals, chain ring/sprocket and chain, the chain protector (it should be really called 'ankle joint protector'). I cleaned the bottom bracket of any residues and reset the wheel. Obviously, no training wheels either. My son did not like it one bit. He wanted all of those things right back on the bicycle. To him, it did not look like a bicycle. I spent the next evening teaching my son to get used to a bicycle without pedals. I needed to be around, I think, more because he now had a 'weird bicycle'. He needed to get used to lugging it around, first with me around him. After that I just let him be.

A week later, my son started demanding pedals back on his bicycle. He kept insisting it's time the pedals got back on. I was a little surprised. I knew this would teach him to balance, but a week (he probably used the bike only three or four times since) was too soon. That day again I went down to play with him and watch progress. I was pleasantly shocked to see my son had learnt to balance the bicycle. He had done it by himself and how quickly. The experiment, if you may, had worked!

Now, my son and I ride bicycles together.

PS: Pedals on not, please insist on always using a helmet while riding a bicycle. Theories and opinions aside, it's safe for children and adults alike.

What is it with the Swedish Crime fiction and TV shows...

...that they tend to be so gripping and completely worth the time spent?

This week I finished the second season of 'Bron/Broen' or The Bridge, the award winning Swedish/Danish TV crime fiction show; with Saga Norén and Martin Rohde in the lead, played by Sofia Helin and Kim Bodni. This was right after I finished the first season; because I had to see it! Odd as Saga maybe, real and in-touch-with-his-feelings that Martin maybe, and what a complementary pair they make, the characters just grow on you. If you have seen Bones, the US show, and remember Dr. Temperence 'Bones' Brennan, played skillfully by Emily Deschanel, you know a milder cousin of Saga! European shows make no bones of (no pun intended!) what they want to show or portray. The story line of Bron is simply gripping, the suspense creeps up on you, and in the end you get more than you expected. The cinematography seems largely 'grey' which adds to the drama and emphasizes the serious (sometimes Saga is really funny in her naiveté of emotions around people!) theme.

End of second season two, especially, brought out facets of Martin and Saga each that made you sit and think how do the writers and directors (several credited) pack so much into their work. The story line remains multidimensional throughout Helin and Bodni as well as a couple of others display immense talent. While the crime remains the main focus of the story, and you are in the detective mode all through, you cannot but wonder how the Saga and Norén's personalities will pan out given how their individual and separate lives are panning out as the series progresses. How many shows do that to you? (The Americans is an exceptional show in the same way).  Relationships are never easy, but the imminence of the inevitable lurks around in your mind even as you know things wouldn't workout how much ever you wish they would. I am sure I missed some dimensions even as I saw the original Swedish/Danish version with English subtitles. But what I felt watching Bron has made me start searching for more of the crime fiction shows from Scandinavia.

It all started last year, when I got in to a reading spree and managed to read about 50 books, mostly fiction, in the year. About a dozen or so were Swedish crime, starting with (of course!) Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, first of which is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I have not seen the movie yet, but I am not in a hurry. Some of the other writers I have managed to read so far include Karin Alvtegen (The Missing), Camilla Läckberg (The Preacher) and Henning Mankell (The Fifth Woman). I plan to read  Jo Nesbø's The Leapord, among others, soon. 

It had been a long time since I had read crime fiction. But, Swedish crime fiction pulled me back in to it. I must admit, I am a big fan of Jack Reacher by Lee Child. I have read all the books including novellas on Jack Reacher. That said, while I like Reacher for completely different reasons, little comes close the intense narrative of Swedish crime fiction, as far as crime fiction works go. I admit I am able to read the English translated version of these fine writings. So, while it would be great to have been able to read the books and watch the shows in native tongue, I am floored by what I have managed to gain from the translated or subtitled works.

A couple more useful links: 

My favourite page on Scandinavian Crime Writers

My Facebook page on Jack Reacher

Streaming Media from Windows 7 to Android

This article is a compilation of solutions for several issues (most of them) faced in setting up a streaming environment in your home wireless LAN.

Situation:  The idea was to primarily access media files on the PC from a phone and a tablet, all of them on the wi-fi network. But, I do not use a dedicated media center hardware or a suitably enabled external hard disk for this. My network has a wireless router, a Windows PC and a couple of Android devices. I wanted to create a streaming environment from my Windows desktop.

Basic Set-up: 

The following article is comprehensive and easy to follow. ES Explorer is probably one the best things that has happened to an Android phone. If you have already tried this and got stuck, skip to ‘Problem 1’.

Else, follow the steps shown in this article: APC Magazine article

By now, you should be streaming videos or music onto your tablet/phone. For me, the fun began at this stage. I faced all of the following issues and sorted them one by one. See where you are getting stuck and take it from there.

Problem 1: Basic permissions are not in place and/or sharing is off

This should help you check if any or all of the steps are in place:  

Windows 7 'How to' on Microsoft site

If you have done this and still unable to connect to the PC, you might wonder if you need a Windows domain.

Problem 2: You are unable to create a HomeGroup or Join a HomeGroup

If you are using Windows 7 Home Basic (or Starter) you cannot create a HomeGroup. Unless in your Wifi LAN you have a PC with a higher version of Windows Home, you will not be able to join a HomeGroup. But, you do not need one- you will have to rely on Public Folders.

Problem 3: You cannot locate Public Folders

The following helped sort this issue out: Microsoft Answers / Windows 7 Forum thread

Problem 4: On setting sharing permissions on Public Folders you see the error “You folder can’t be shared”

This can be quite frustrating since you will go over all the steps one by one and end up realising you might not have missed any of the above. One cannot be faulted for interpreting this error message as ‘something is missing in the way the folder is shared’. The message has to be simply understood as ‘There is no need to share this folder’. After all it is a public folder! So, if you are stuck here even after fixing sub folder level issues, it is likely not an issue at all. see if the following issue is causing the problem. The next step solved my problem.

Problem 5: Firewall!

Since it is the PC which is not accessible, check the firewall on your Windows PC. I use one of the sleekest (light on memory and network requirements) internet security packages – Kaspersky. By default, Kaspersky puts all the computers (read devices) on your wifi LAN under the Public Network category.  Maybe every firewall does. If you are using any other firewall/internet security, see if you can trace these steps on that.

1. Open the Kaspersky Client and click ‘Settings’ 
2. Look for Firewall under the ‘Protection Center’ menu
3. In the FireWall Setting screen look at the list in ‘Networks’. This is a list of various network access hardware devices and Windows network profiles
4. Scroll down to locate the primary device in use for wifi access on your PC. It will be the name of the Wireless Adaptor in use.
5. The Anroid devices connected to the Wifi Router will be listed here. Most probably, the devices would be seen carrying values ‘Public Network’. Change these values to ‘Local Network

By now, ES Explorer LAN view on your Andriod device should be able to see all the shared files on your Windows PC. Have fun!

In The Rush: My White Water Rafting Experience

"My name is Viru and I am going to teach you why the paddle will be your best friend and maybe even your life saver today" is how the orientation began for about 40 of us gathered on a late December morning for a white water rafting experience. I looked around as everyone adjusted to the chill in the breeze blowing over the shallow waters. Shortly, the water would rise. We listened with rapt attention as he continued for the next fifteen minutes on how to hold the paddle correctly for effortless rowing, the need for synchronisation in rowing, what to do when one falls off the raft, safe position to float in rapids etc.

Interestingly, I spotted a few people in their mid to late fifties while most of the crowd was in their mid twenties. Bivouacking at a nature camp with my family I had decided to take the morning away for white water rafting in the Bhori river near Kolad, Maharashtra.  Regulated by a hydel power dam, the river is a popular rafting point, especially in the monsoon and is a Level 3 rapid for most parts. Around the year, however, the rapids are created by waters from a hydel dam that irrigate the farmland and serve as the primary source of potable water in the region.

As we waited for the gates of the dam to be opened, we were asked to fill up the "risk undertaking and non-indemnity" (i.e. "I am responsible for any kind of injury to me") form. We were geared up in helmets, life jackets and paddles in hand. I also had a dry bag slung on my back with some money, change of clothes and car keys in it. I had earlier driven down with Mercury Himalayan Expeditions (MHE) team in their pick up truck. Before that, it was with much curiosity I had witnessed deceptively lean looking Gorkhas load with deftness two fully inflated rafts, at least 12 feet long, and secure them on top of the truck. With equal swiftness, they had loaded about 40 life jackets, and an equal number of helmets and paddles in what was a morning routine for them.

A feeling of nervous confidence in the air, which had hitherto lingered around the gathered crowd, turned to one of exhilaration when we heard a roar of water gushing down the hill. We bellowed as we saw the rocky bed of the ravine submerge under the jetting irrigate. Some of the taller trees stood proudly above water, their tops proudly showing off their height above the filled up ravine. Water would continue to rise a few feet per minute for several more minutes. That was a lot of water rolling down the valley and I felt very small in the scheme of things. Knowing that such destructive force was managed by the touch of a few buttons offered superfluous consolation.

We took our spots on the dinghy, more randomly than by instruction or choice. The blue and yellow inflatable raft had a seating capacity of ten. There were six of us on this raft loosely anchored to the rocks by a rope. A raft leader would join us momentarily. I could make out from the talk going on in the raft that I was a with a group of students, five men well known to each other. Later, I was told by one of them that they were all doctoral candidates. I was amused thinking that between the six of us 17 academic degrees could be counted.

Just then, a man with swim tights and complete rafting gear hopped onto the boat. "My name is Deepak and I will be your raft leader today. Let's get this boat loose.", he said and untied the rope that anchored the raft. As a raft slowly drifted into the pool of back water created by the flash flood in the river, Deepak recalled the instructions and told us we would now practice all that we had learned in the past hour. I looked around to other boats doing the same manoeuvres as we were practicing. Right in the middle one of the MHE safety crew was bobbing in and out of water with his snug fit sit-in kayak; his way of getting the feel of the water. Noticing that we were struggling to synchronise, I volunteered a suggestion that the guys at the head of the boat sync each others' movements while each of us synced up with the person immediately in front of them. There was a round of "yeahs" as the idea sunk in.

Sooner or later, this was bound to happen, and it did: people started splashing water on each other and there was brief water fighting all around. Following suggestions from the raft leaders, some people jumped into water just to get the feel of how cold it was. No doubt those who jumped first were good swimmers. It was a little early for the non swimmers to get used to the comfort and security of the life jackets. The life jacket is probably the most fantastic safety equipment. But, more on that later.

I could see the first raft slowly rowed toward the current. Supported by the steady rush of the water, the boat eased itself downstream. Guided by Deepak, we made our way past the overhanging shrubs and bushes in the direction of the current. Immediately our training was put to action. As we steered clear of the trees jutting out the in the middle of the rapids, we kept our arms rowing to the direction of Deepak's voice. "Left side forward, right side back" turned the raft left, out of the way of the boat ahead of us,"We will soon hit our first rapid; this one is called 'Good Morning'!"

(To be Continued... Watch this space)

Getting in and out of Kumbhalgarh Fort, Rajasthan

A trip to Southern Rajasthan is not complete without a visit to the magnificent Adinatha Jain Temple at Ranakpur and the unconquered (except very briefly) fort of Kumbalgarh. But driving in this area can be confusing for many reasons. This has compelled me to put these tested directions, suitable for car driving, here.

Firstly, this is a protected forest area and probably the reason it's not well surveyed by Google Maps (As of August 2012). So, even the names of villages mentioned here will not come up on the Google Maps.

A quick look up on directions from Ranakpur to Kumbhalgarh gives you a 9.5 km route. Do not believe this route; it will lead you nowhere on your car. Some blogs have pointed out that it is a trekking route. Hotels will give you each a different route depending on whom and where you ask.

Commonly suggested route:

If you are staying in Sadri or Ghanerao, come down to Sadri main junction (12 KM West of Ghanerao) and proceed on SH49/32 to Ranakpur (East of Sadri). Ranakpur temple comes up at 9 KM and cannot be missed. From Ranakpur, proceed to Saeraa/Sairaa and then proceed to Kumbhalgarh. The distance to the fort from the Jain Temple is 45 km on this route. This is the most commonly suggested route but the same can be done in half as much.

Tested route from Ranakpur: 

Driving from Ranakpur to Sairaa (general direction East/ North East), about 5-6 km down, you will see a road to the left (roughly north) pointing to Kambha. Take this turn and follow this road for about 17 KM. Look for milestones to Kelwara and if needed confirm that the road is leading to the Qila. This route takes you to Kumbhalgarh fort in about 22 KM (from Ranakpur).

Caution about the Kambha route: the road has an initial 4 KM stretch that is seriously steep. So, if you are not comfortable pushing your car to this limit, not comfortable driving steep gradients or if you are have
passengers who get sick on steep/winding roads, avoid it. But this is a beautiful stretch and gets you there in half the time.

Best route from Kumbhalgarh to Udaipur:

Many will suggest the route via Gogundha. However, the route suggested below offers a broad two-lane road in superb condition.

From the fort, come down to Kelwara and follow the same road for about 45 KM towards Iswal/ Iswaal Chouraha. Iswaal is right on NH8 toll-free expressway. From here, you can reach Udaipur in less than 20 minutes.

Ranakpur and Kumbhalgarh are not to be missed. Make sure you spend more time there, than driving to and fro.

Road rage, unprovoked, is clear & present in Mumbai

NOTE: For the protection of identity of my friend, all factors of identification have been obfuscated, but the incident is real and an FIR is lodged with one of the police stations in Mumbai.

Right on the heels of Gurgaon’s Seema Kataria case (Read Here), comes a case in in Aamchi Mumbai.  Shocking, more so because this has happened to someone I know well.

A friend of mine, a lady, let’s called her Jane, was driving alone in what could be considered an safe, quiet and innocuous neighborhood in Mumbai.

The particular stretch of road is narrow and just about allows two vehicles to carefully pass each other. A BEST bus halts at a designated stop and Jane stops her car waiting for the bus to pass. A biker, a man with another one on the pillion, in a hurry tries to overtake the bus but is faced with a stopped car of Jane. But unless the bus moves, neither Jane's car nor the bike can get beyond the point. That’s all there to the start of this scene. What happens next is unbelievable but has really transpired…

The biker starts abusing her for ‘blocking his way’. Jane double checks that her windows are rolled up and doors locked, and patiently waits for the bus to move hoping the enraged biker goes his way. The biker's barrage of verbal abuse goes on for about half a minute. But ruffled by Jane’s patient wait, this guy loses it all and pulls out his helmet (so far suspended to the bike's handlebar) and starts pounding it into the windshield of Jane’s car. Within a few seconds the windshield is cracked all over, but thankfully does not collapse down on her. The act of blatant unprovoked vandalism happens in the presence of at least 30 onlookers, several shopkeepers around and other drivers on bikes, cars and the BEST bus nearby. Jane keeps her cool, despite being paralyzed by fear, and thinks about the options she has. She decides that doing anything would enrage the biker, he having already done so much damage unprovoked and audaciously in the presence of the public. The BEST bus moves, biker finds his way out and rips away. Jane manages to note down the registration number of the bike.

Jane drives down to the the police station a few hundred meters away expecting that the information about the enraged biker would be followed up immediately. But, she is informed that they cannot do anything without an FIR and that FIR can be filed only in the main police station a few kilometers away. There is no further explanation provided to her. Soon after, Jane drives down to the Main Police Station and files her FIR, knowing very well that this would be only useful for insurance claim and nothing much else by way of justice.

But, the bigger question looming over this is whether the public can feel protected from audacious goons. Do such unaddressed cases of unprovoked vandalism only encourage such unscrupulous behavior? What’s happened here can happen to anyone anywhere and is a daily phenomenon. When it happens to us, we realise we have been living in our little cocoons made of cotton candy and we wake up to the reality of the grim state of affairs. Fearing uncontrolled dire consequences we remain silent about these issues.

After all not every case can be highlighted in the media and not everyone has access to the top level of police machinery, to ensure justice is meted out in time and in every case.

Review of 'The Bastard of Istanbul'

The Bastard of Istanbul is a gripping tale of love, lovelessness and family secrets painted on a canvass of Turkey’s vivid cultural melange. The characters depict a lot of passion both in their rebelliousness and conformity, portraying in them the conflicts of daily life living the modern life with the burden of the past.

I picked up this book as a predecessor to the much acclaimed The 40 Rules of Love, a book I loved for its intense mystic undertones. The exceptionally creative narrative made me an instant Elif Shafak fan. The narrative is quite different as compared to 40 Rules. But interleaving time-spans to narrate intricate tale seems to be a favourite common factor. Intense characterisation with highly sensitive handling of characters’ emotions stays with you. For example the balloon seller sailing away on the boat over Bosphorus remains vivid in its detail days after closing the book.

The Bastard beautifully brings out the nuances of the cultural and political modern history of Turkey. If you are interested in the vicissitudes of Turkish and Armenian lives through the modern history of Turkey, this is as good a book that provides an up close and personal view. Be prepared for an insider’s perspective on the culture based political conflicts as well as generational differences in interpretations. It raises interesting questions like What’s better –to remember your history or the forget it or not know it all? How much are you accountable for the actions of your societal ascendants? The book is an interesting journey in the gastronomic essence of Turkish culture. Are the chapter titles the ingredients of Ashure? If yes, that’s another neat dimension to the narration. And when the ingredient list is done, you know that Ashure is ready. But, still, I did not see that end coming.

Elif Shafak is my favourite contemporary literary fiction writer in just two books in a little over as many months; three more arrived a few days back.  Bastard of Istanbul is a must read if you like to explore the exotic.

-Gowrish

Introducing QuillTip : A Poetic Romance

Encouraged by good feedback, words of encouragement and useful critique, I have decided to record all my poems in a separate blog called ' Quill Tip'. Here is the link: http://quilltip.blogspot.com

I hope you will enjoy it and keep coming back. Your feedback will be useful to me.

Woman, thy beauty surpass : A Poem

This Women's Day, I dedicate this poem to all the women who have touched my life or continue to.

Woman, thy beauty surpass

Woman, thy beauty surpass the beauty,
Of nature, whose you are the creation best
Nurture is your nature, eve,

From since when I was a seed at first.

You've borne me within and sustained me
Peace I found as a child in your warm breast,
Holding me as I slept and I learned to dream
You instructed me on respect, values and trust.

A welcome gift of life, from the same womb,
You played with me, fought, and you competed,
Taking both of us higher, as you inspired at times
Growing up, my upbringing you completed

Grappling with rules of life as I learned and schooled, you,
Encouraged me, as you taught; and got taught beside
I discovered weaknesses, built strengths as we
Chatted, frolicked, studied and raced side-by-side.

As I labour to earn my bread, you make it fun,
You lead, help, manage, collaborate, critique
With your thoughts, ideas, efforts and lending hand,
You help achieve the common objectives we seek

Destiny brought us together to nurture

Each other, help us grow and nourish our souls
You teach me ways to love and take care of me
As life partner, you share my hopes, plans and life's goals

As friend, you are always there, beside me
To help me get through travails with unconditional support
You are my partner, my advisor, my companion,

My muse, and at times source of soulful rapport.

Woman, thy beauty surpass the beauty,
Of nature, whose you are the creation best

They say you borrowed man's rib to get your form

But you give back so much more; we attest.

-Gowrish

My Mumbai Marathon experience : Part 2

(Read Part 1 here: My experience: Part 1 )

My feet were throbbing with tiredness as well as the blisters. We went past the Hanging Gardens and turned turned right towards Babulnath Temple. Another 200 mts and I would be on Marine Drive; but the blisters on both feet were pinching me inside the shoes.

You realise the vastness of the drive and it's circularity. When you enter this road, suddenly, you are in the sun, thus far protected by tall buildings. By the time you cross Churney Road station, the sun is directly hitting you in the eye and then you are in the shade again. A little before the New Yorker and Ideal Cafe junction, a mist-tent was set up. This is a pretty neat thing, wherein, even as you run you can go through a tunnel of slow spray of a mist, bringing you instant relief albeit temporary.

3 more km to go! These are the longest miles of the half marathon. At this time, you are mustering every ounce of will to move on. The hamstrings are beginning to talk, the feet are crying for respite, the random sweat bead getting into the eye burns like acid and your head is throbbing. But the crowds takeover. Several cheering squads on all sides representing Radio Stations, The Navy, some charities etc, I pass by even as I look to my right ino the sky to spot a low flying helicopter, probably, carrying media crew.

Beyond the Inter-Continental Marine hotel, the density of spectators build up. And by the time you turn at Pizza By The Bay (erstwhile Jazz By The Bay) crowds takeover. By this time the Dream Runners are flooding the other side of the road, followed by charities and sponsors' volunteers. We hear the loud siren like that of a police van, but really a media bus leading some of the full marathoners. The winners must be already past the finish line, I calculate.

By this time, the milestone markers are cleverly designed to say the distance that is remaining to be covered, rather than the insofar markers which displayed the distance covered. This does play big on the mind, favourably so. You are trying to muster up the last few bars of energy left in you and give it the final push. I hear someone complain there are no water stations in the last two KMs. Fair enough, my mind was elsewhere but the point is valid.

Entering the last turn, the last 600 meters toward Azad Maidan, you eyes are set on the distant clock over the finish line. OK, I can see a digital dance happening on the display. It's definitely broken. I break into a sprint, just so that I can feel I ran with gusto across the finish line. I can feel myself making a big effort, but the output was not as big as expected. Clearly, the energy is waning.

I slow down as I cross the finish line and feel a slight tug in my left hamstring. About time I started slow stretches, I think. My second Half Marathon has just come to an end.

My Mumbai Marathon experience : Part 1

At Five in the morning of the Sunday, the air in Mumbai was chill. I expected it to feel less colder. I had taken a cold water, maybe 10 C, shower just a short while back.

I stepped into the cab dressed in a cotton crew neck, running tights, loose shorts and running shoes with the Blackberry tucked away in my armband.At that time of the day, it took me about 15 minutes to cover the distance it takes 90 minutes in peak hour traffic.

This would be my second time at the Mumbai Marathon, doing the half marathon. The second time, what helps you is remembering that you have done the 21.09 km before.

As I stepped into the runners' waiting area, the excitement was palpable. There is something about running groups giving tempo shouts, stretching, spot jogging that gets your adrenalin pumped up and puts your mind into the running mode. You want to start running right away, forgetting the pace you have planned. I bumped into Pramod Singh of PGPX (With a target time of 2 hours), who was here with his classmates and then also happened to meet a former colleague. The buzz of the crowd grew into a loud cackle by the time we closed in on 6, the first flag off. I was in the 615 flag off.

As we passed the starting point, I made sure I stepped on the RFID sensor mat. Among the dozens of beeps from the runners stepping over, my starting time too must have got registered. Once the starting point is behind you, the road ahead is pitch dark, as you go in the direction of the Sea Link. Onto the Sea Link, I paced into a brisk walk and looked over my left shoulder. An orange streak of light was pushing its way through hues of grey, black and deep blue sky behind the silhouette of the Mahim/Worli skyline. Sunrise was not far away.

"Mama, should I run for the president" lines by Pink Floyd were flowing into my ears as I crossed the mid point of the Sea Link. Downhill, I resisted the temptation to break into a sprint. At 4 km, it was not the part of the plan.

As we turned onto the INS Strata circle, I realised that the route had been slightly changed this year. They took us deeper into Mahim/Worli and brought us back to Sea Face.  By this time, I had started to alternate between a jog and brisk walk. I noticed that many who were doing the half marathon for probably the first time were doing the same mistakes I had committed last year. They had started running at the starting-gun and now they were starting to slow down, getting tired.

By the time we double backed onto Worli exit of the Sea Link, we had covered 9 KM.I felt a pinch in the arch of my my right foot. I realised what it was but could not understand why a blister should form with all controlled factors - shoes, socks etc. Anyway, it was to be only ignored. 12 more km to finish line.As if on cue, 'Shine on you crazy diamond' was beating into my ears egging me on.

As we approached Annie Besant Road, the Kenyan-Ethiopian contingent was seen running towards us on the other side of the road. Such a delight it is to watch them! Like a gust of wind, the 9 athlete group runs together in unison at an average 20 kmph. All of us cheered at the equine squadron, as the media van and bike escort that were following them zoomed past us. Louder cheers followed for the Indian male and female runners.

Crossing the Atria Mall on Annie Besant road, I realised I was falling behind the 4-5 people who had seemed to be sharing my pace. I started jogging a little faster. I was soon discouraged by another pinch under the ball of my left foot and a stronger pinch around my left pinkie toe. We were past the 14 km mark by now.

Two-thirds done, another 7 km to go. Just as we cross the Haji Ali signal, you are reminded of the treacherous climb up Peddar Road, past the Mahalaxmi Temple. I also looked at my hands. They were swollen. When you walk or run at a stretch fluid accumulates in the feet and hands. My feet were feeling tighter in my shoes.

The last 4 miles are the slowest. The Peddar Road incline is the first speed breaker at the 15th km. I decided, I would adjust pace and climb with long strides to miminise the frequency of contact on the ground. I soon realised this would not work for too long. Time for some water. A little girl was offering glasses of water in two hands. I grabbed both of them. I also noticed that as against Worli Sea Face neighborhood volunteers, the Peddar road crowd had placed dustbins to drop used glasses and other trash.The cheers were louder on this stretch as well.

By this time, I guess the crowd realises, the runner has the first thoughts of whether she will be able to complete the half marathon start creeping into your mind. The words and claps of the spectators go a long way in reminding 'you have done well, keep going'. An old Parsi lady who stood on the road divider, looked at me and said something like 'Darling, you look like you ...' Between Akon and the general cheering her words were lost on me. But the man in orange T Shirt, ahead of me and a couple of others heard and I could see they smiled. The Orange T Shirt turned around and looked at my forehead. The lady had probably commented on the salt grains that had formed on my head and cheeks.

As I looked up at the most expensive and the most ugly private residential building in Mumbai. I was thinking "Maybe there is that point where people have so much money that they run out of ideas how to use it well. Or maybe it is just that they have so much more of it, it just doesn't matter to them."

(Continued in Part 2, here: My experience: Part 2)

How do you explain this whacky coincidence?

"It's just unbelievable; carefully listen to what I will tell you now ", I told my friend as I took my seat behind the wheel. My car had just been hit from behind, but the statistical odds of what had happened had given me a bigger jolt. While the rear bumper was spotless, I was mentally wrung.

I had stopped my car at a traffic light. Then I had felt a push, more than a nudge, less than a crash, from behind. Mentally cursing the driver behind me for the potential paperwork arising out of potential damage caused from this dash, I got out of the car and proceeded to inspect the damage. Turned out it was nothing. But I still had to give a piece of my mind to the guy who had eased his car into mine. He had already been apologizing as I had been checking for damage. Then out of habit my eyes ran over the registration number plate of the car.

What the? As I read the number the second time, I could not believe it. Wasn't this the same number for which I had placed a gate pass request this morning? I had had a couple of official visitors and my workplace needs prior requests for all incoming vehicles. Then the description of the car given to me by Ms. P played back to me mentally; White Ford sedan. We use the descriptions to help the pass-carriers to quickly spot the cars at the gate. This was a White Ford. Out of requirement, I also needed to place the pass request for the driver. So, I knew his name. But what is happening here. This guy and I are in a completely different part of town, late in the evening, and he has to accidentally dash my car! I know this driver and the car simply because I remembered the details from the morning. Ok, I just proved to myself that I have good short term memory and was able to instantly make the connections. But, what are the odds that a person somehow connected to me, but unknown to me, dashes my car out of the blue later that day in a remote part of town? Doesn't Mumbai nest 20 million people or am I missing something?

Stumped as I was by the flood of recognition that was hitting me combined with the realisation that this was among the whackiest coincidences I have faced in my life, I thought I should share the surprise with the other driver too. I was smiling mentally, but frowning on the outside when I said to the driver in colloquial Hindi "Aren't you Ashraf? And haven't you been driving Mr.B all day? Were you following me? Couldn't you have found another car to hit?" He instantly apologised once again (totally unnecessary, I should tell you), but suddenly became silent. I could see the realisation of what I had told him drawing on his face.The look on the face of Ashraf was a sight to watch; not something money can buy.

Letting Ashraf deal with the absurdity of the coincidence, I walked back to my car and proceeded to tell the unbelievable story to my friend.

Can someone explain this to me? While I see no larger scheme behind what happened, I am unable to comprehend the odds of this happening.

PS: Ashraf is not the real name of the driver; for protecting identity I have changed the name
PS: I am a little kicked about the first PS; I have always wanted to write one like it.

It's irresponsible to be pessimistic. Happy New Year!

While anytime of the day or the year is a good time to reflect upon one's accomplishments and failures, gains and losses, joys and sadnesses, weakness and strengths the end of the year is an apt time as the general spirit in the air aided by sort of unbridled optimism, permits, if not encourages, such introspection. An advantage in taking some time out at the end of the year is that you are sitting at home avoiding traffic going toward not so far locales where annual revelry would be in full swing if not already kicked in. You could do this in a hotel or a resort farther away. But these places are usually priced higher inviting only those 'who are keen to shell out the marked up' fares. So, the introspective exercise might turn out to be an expensive affair.

Anyway, as I sit down and write at this odd hour, unable to sleep for some reason ...

I recall how my year began with doing something new this year. I completed the Mumbai Half Marathon. I did that at my own sweet pace, although, the timing was good enough to qualify me for the 2012 round without worry.

The next month or so was spent in a hospital tending to a close one, not knowing that they will not be coming home and the loss would be there to bear through the rest of my life. While this shook me up, I discovered my capacity to deal with fundamental realities of life. I learned that life's moments need to be seized with gusto, lest it is too late. Say your thanks now, to those who deserve it; forgive those who have been unkind to you, for it is not your karma whether they deserve it or not, but you deserve the peace that comes with the forgiving.

I also discovered the value of values; the value of human relationships. When I needed it, help came from unexpected quarters. It did not, also, come from some expected quarters. What a funny world we live in! We are generally blind to our surroundings. On a different plane, we also underestimate ourselves about how people perceive us. Whatever you think you know, there are surprises in store for you.

I traveled to more new places; a first, traveled below the Equator. I experienced the shorter version of the famed African Safari, briefly lived among a couple of oldest cultures, ate their food, traveled in their local transportation and got a glimpse of the emerging Dark Continent.

I spoke with authority at a couple gatherings and symposiums for bankers and other technology buyers. In my quest for being a better manager and to lead better, I learned more about what works and what does not. A strong balance between efficiency and commitment is necessary to be productive as a team. Striking that balance is the key to success. Something I started last year at work, showed results this year, boosting my confidence. A few others fizzled out, only teaching me that some things are beyond my control and I need to let go.

There is something for everyone on Twitter. I become active and discovered new channels to keep myself curious about some aspects of life. So far, I have not been disappointed, except that I am probably getting hooked on to it.

The economy has taken a dive, globally. There is general dissatisfaction about Indian state of affairs.

But at the turn of the year here's what we need to remind ourselves "We live in times where anything is possible. We live in a world of infinite possibilities. It's irresponsible to be pessimistic".  A friend said " I have a feeling 2012 is going to be a good year. Something good is going to happen." Agreed, mon ami!

Welcome 2012! Bring in the goodies and the toughness to deal with the baddies.

Review of The Dirty Picture

"Can it get any worse when even your enemies have stopped abusing you?" , "Movies are about three things entertainment, entertainment, entertainment. And I provide that entertainment." are just a couple of lines among a few other than resound even after you have walked out of the cinema hall. Barring the few good dialogues, Silk's award acceptance speech and a couple of emotional scenes portraying Emraan Hashmi and Vidya Balan, most of the script runs like a potboiler replete with double entendres. OK, a 'Dirty Picture' is supposed to be like this, but couldn't it have been more?

Sure the directors and producers might deny it, because it's practical sense to do so, but it is no secret that the movie is based on the life of Silk (Read more about her here) an actor, specifically a siren, from the 70s and 80s who took the southern woods i.e. Sandal..., Tolly..., Molly... etc  by storm. The thematic fusion of Bollywood and southern  styles seem appropriate to the basic context of the story - soundtrack, garish costumes, make up, dialogue delivery of movies within the movie, song & dance routine, the lyrics that seem translated from a southern film; exception is the Sufiana Ishq song which serves better as a standalone music video. But the storyline itself fails to impress simply because it does not delve any deeper than just a narration of men in the life of a rebellious actor who got typecasted because she couldn't care less than to just strut her stuff to realise her dream. There are probably several dimensions to the mind and heart of an actor like Silk which could have been dealt with.

The movie, as it boils down, is just about Vidya Balan. She 'lives' seduction and oomph in the core thread of the movie and carries it out elegantly. After seeing her performance, it is difficult to imagine any other current actor who could have taken up the role.There is definitely a lot of boldness in there and in not just the skin-show. Who else could have done justice to this role , I am really thinking now, hmmm...

There was a lot of potential in the way the story could have been written, rather then just skimming over a series of  men and a chain of events. Maybe they realised it and towards the last 20 minutes when they spent some time on the emotional bonding that develops between Silk and her erstwhile nemesis? Knowing it was Vidya Balan donning the role, they could have stretched a bit and introduced a level to the story rather than leaving it at the pulp fiction level.

Watch this movie if you are a Vidya Balan fan. In my case, I wasn't one, i.e. until now. (Disclosure: until now, I have seen only one of her other movies Lage Raho MunnaBhai, but that was not about her.). Also watch it if you are intrigued by the concept behind the movie, a biography of a siren whose mere presence turned a flop into a money spinner for some movies.

The darkness of Sunshine

Exploring something new with this poem. Any critique of this vers libre is welcome.

The darkness of Sunshine

Once there was a white rose,

They called her Sunshine,

Reflected the day's glow around,

Said she was a creation fine

She sang, danced, laughed

In the wind; Little did they see,

Inside Sunshine there was darkness,

Which beneath her glow she hid

One day a bee found Sunshine,

She opened up to the bee

He sang, danced and played with her,

Wished he'd set her darkness free

But Sunshine was daunted,

Held on to her darkness tight
Fragile, she felt without it,

Thought darkness gave her might

She drew herself deeper into darkness,

And pushed away the bee

But such was the darkness,

Potent, that it stayed on with the bee

-Gowrish

Remembering Steve Jobs

Through growing up and work life different perspectives of Steve Jobs kept developing - a great visionary, inventor, entrepreneur, people manager and a contemporary marketer who revolutionized market understanding, product design and innovation. By way of remembering him, here is a collection of my favourite quotes by Steve Jobs on some key subjects.

Life, leading it purposefully and entrepreneurship:

"You cannot connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect ehem looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

"Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me."

Market understanding and customer needs:

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

"...A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them."

Leadership and people management:

“When I hire somebody really senior, competence is the ante. They have to be really smart. But the real issue for me is, Are they going to fall in love with Apple? Because if they fall in love with Apple, everything else will take care of itself.They’ll want to do what’s best for Apple, not what’s best for them, what’s best for Steve, or anybody else.”

Design:

"That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains."

“In most people’s vocabularies, design means veneer. It’s interior decorating. It’s the fabric of the curtains of the sofa. But to me, nothing could be further from the meaning of design. Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation that ends up expressing itself in successive outer layers of the product or service.”

Managing innovation:

"Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it."

Personal excellence:

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.”

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle."

Death:

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. 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.”

Rest in peace Steve Jobs.

The hunter, the hunted and the observer: Part 2

(Continued from Part 1: Read here.)

As we were returning from the Hippo pools we decided that we would give it another 30 minutes and then leave the park. I realised I was kind of dozing off in the odd combination of bright sunlight and cool wind, because I was shaken by the excited voice of my guide, "Look there is the gecko you missed the last time". Some gecko, it was a Monitor Lizard full six feet in length, head to tail, with Matrix-green slimy skin. I quickly managed to get a couple of snaps, before it disappeared under the little bridge. I must have gone back to dozing because then I was startled by, "There he is, at last! I am amazed how fast you can go to sleep." We were looking at the back of a Lion about 80 feet away. On the other side we could see a couple of Safari vans silently parked in anticipation of the Simba to do something spectacular.

Calvin had an idea that we should go around the lion and come face to face with him. So, we started the engines and followed a circuitous route down the hill turning left and coming halfway up the hill on a track parallel to our current one. The route was longer than I had imagined because out of the blue we were beside a pond with a hippo in dark pink and grey hide munching away the tall green grass. He looked up at us when we stopped and made a waving gesture with his head. I kept shooting away on my digicam. In a few seconds another Safari van that pulled up beside us. Hippos are shy, I thought, as I saw the giant pink and grey beast turn around swiftly and in a running-rolling motion ease itself into the pond. We backed our car and resumed the little trip up the hill back to the Simba.

Within a few minutes, we were back in sight of the Safari vans parked by the Lion's spot. Somehow thinking that we had to tread slowly lest we disturb the Lion, we parked the car and turned off the engine. Looking out for the Lion walk his way downhill, we realised he was not alone. I saw the Lioness first, crouched in the grass looking intently ahead into the distance. We were just about 40 feet away from the Lioness. Then the Lion emerged behind her in a majestic gait down the hill.

I kept switching between video and still modes on my camera and remembered that this was the stuff that National Geographic shows are made of, isn't it? I could feel the tension in the air, as we realised that the majestic couple was indeed checking out the dazzle of zebras about 300 feet away. "Animals can sense danger, you know. The zebras are not behaving normally as they do," Calvin kept talking. I thought, nothing was normal about this scene, as far as I was concerned. I could hear every little tweet that any bird was making. If I tried harder, I could probably hear the sounds of the zebras. I am certain this natural drama plays out thousands of times around the world every day. But when have I  been a witness to it in real life? I was really lucky that this was happening in the little time window that I was in the park.

Hunting is a patient game. We had played it all morning to sight the Simba couple. Now, we were watching these two lay out the ground for their hunt. It was already about 15 minutes since we landed at the scene and the Lion and the Lioness had hardly moved 10 feet. At this rate, the hunt would take some time to end in a kill. Calvin reminded me that we would not have time to go to the Giraffe Park since we had spent more than planned time here. He knew about my meeting and my flight and he knew the sluggish traffic on Nairobi roads. He had been my driver for the last three days. So, I had to agree with him and reluctantly decided to end the observation of the lions.

On my way out, I was so excited, I made a long distance call to let my wife know what I had just left behind. She could not believe it. She  immediately decided that I could watch a full hunt when we went to Masai Mara together. So, there it was, a plan to Masai Mara was made. I am definitely looking forward to a longer Safari that would come about in the next 18 months. The Mara's been on our list long enough. We better figure out how to check it off the list.

Until then I have to be like the Simbas, patiently waiting, carefully observing, remaining out of sight yet keeping the goal in sight and swooping down on the target in a quick action.

The hunter, the hunted and the observer. Part - 1

I saw the Lioness first, as she looked far into the distance crouched 40 feet away in the dry Kenyan Savannah patch. Almost invisible, she had been elusive through the best attempts of my safari driver and me for the last two and a half hours. The Lion emerged about 15 feet behind her, in his majestic gait and crouched about eight feet behind her. Within a few seconds, he stood up and walked up to the Lioness as she continued to survey the dazzle of zebras. Calvin, my Safari driver and guide, let out a knowing smile and said in his Kenyan accented English "She is just trying to spot the fattest one". I said," You mean the slowest one." He replied,"Same thing. Man these zebras are all fat." I looked at my mid-riff and decided that I should not continue talking and instead work on my camera.

While I would have loved to start earlier, we had started off at 7 AM. No time for breakfast, I picked up a couple of small pies and a couple of doughnuts from a supermarket. I bought extra batteries just in case my rechargeable ones gave away. We reached Nairobi National Park at 7:30 AM and picked up our Safari passes. There were three other cars waiting to check in at one of the seven gates that open into the park. As soon as I started wondering whether the tarmac was laid for all of the 100 odd kms of criss cross Safari tracks, the tarmac ended and gave way to hard red and black earth.

The first native of the park we met was an Ostrich. After that they just kept coming - Impalas, the Wild Beasts (Oke, as they are called in Masai), Gazelles, Zebras and dozens of types of birds that I do not know the names of, but they came in all colours. After about half hour we changed tracks as Calvin spotted a Giraffe at a distance. Somehow, everytime we kept getting closer the giraffe changed directions. I never got close enough for my camera. About the camera - I own some of the best equipment for a prosumer of photography. But, this biz trip was put together on short notice and I could not get my Nikkor Lenses (one of them a 450mm effective on the D70 that I own), cleaned. I am the only one I know whose lenses have fungi on the inner element. And since it is rainy season, I was told they would not risk opening it until seasons changed and the dry winter began. So, there I was with a 100 dollar SLR-like Fujifilm S5800  digicam, which had time and again proved itself for street, landscape and macro photography. But, I knew it was a crime or even a sin to not carry to a Kenyan safari the best of the equipment I had. I was counting on the bright sunlight to make up for any limitations that my  digicam had. Anyway, c'est la vie.

Everytime we passed another private or hired Safari vehicle, the drivers exchanged notes about what each other had spotted. Even in the open wilderness of the grassland with sparse Acacia groves and very rare clumps of palm trees, it was difficult to predict where a specific type of land animal would be. It was about two hours into the Safari and we were getting eager to see a pride of three lions that we kept hearing about. We even chatted up a ranger with a gun and wearing camouflage fatigues. I did not have the whole day. I had a flight to catch in six and a half hours and a meeting (I know), to attend in three hours. So, we again changed routes.

Shortly, we spotted a tower of Giraffes and since we were driving into the sun, they appeared as tall silhouettes in a light blue background. For a second, it felt like being in  Jurassic Park. I had never seen a dozen giraffes together, let alone this close in the wild. We were on our way to what they called the Hippo Pools, where sometimes the lions hung around. While we saw neither the hippos nor the lions, we had a close encounter with congress of baboons (I wonder if the connection between monkeys and the government is a deliberate one). An enterprising guard had set up a small refreshment bar of soft drinks in a shelter near the Hippo Pools. To draw crowds to his little store, he had displayed sun-dried and somehow cleaned up skeletal remains of several animals done to end by the predators. The most interesting and difficult to guess was that of an Ostrich.  ( Continued in Part 2: Read here.)

Social network experience and its impact

Since being introduced into Google+, I have tried to understand the why of what's fundamentally different about it. Google couldn't have created it as just another social portal, as they already have Orkut, which today is a been-there-done-that for most users in my Facebook network.

Android users have  several real-time integration benefits with Google+, but for now, let me focus on just the convergance aspect of a social portal. If Facebook is about a Wall, why does Google have Circles? That's where the fundamental difference lies, more than just the terminology. What does this mean to our interactions with the two different tools?

In real life, down to ground level away from the cyberspace, do we consider all friends 'similarly'? We mentally slot people we meet as just acquaintances, friends, like-family, family and many other nuances of relationships tedious to compile here. But what happens when you log onto Facebook? There is one Wall and it is up there for everyone to write as they please and for everyone else to read, even if it is not just 'apt' to share it with everyone.  With a Wall on a Network, you are essentially bringing all to the same plane, whether you like it or not. We have accepted this as this is all we got.

Admit it, there are level of friends and you'd like to share not everything with all of them, at the same time, even if eventually you would.  Then, there is the local 'circle' (school, college, dorm, special interest) specific language that you'd like to use with the right set of people. But hovering at the back of your mind is the point that maybe others that who do not understand what's being said might not 'get it'. What happens then? Think of what happens when a group within a party starts talking about a specialised topic or event that is of no relevance to others. The group rares out. Sure, a Wall is asynchronous or not 'live' since not everyone is not interacting at the same time. But the behavior is nevertheless impacted since everyone consumes the same content, eventually. There might be self-selection in what one consumes. But the fact that the information or impressions were put out there has some impact on the user who put it there and those who read it.

For example, there are some friends you will let 'take you for granted'. This, on Facebook might mean you will let them say anything i.e. metaphorically speaking, piss on your Wall. The implication of this is wider than just that it is for there for all to see. In two recent examples my friends 'violated' discretion by writing things that were not for public consumption. They might have done that under a misguided sense of humor. You cannot avoid such indiscretions, as much as you cannot blame them for their behaviour. One of them, in an offline conversation, even went on to call me hypocritical for having deleted his posts. I am still not sure what impression the online exchange might have left on others. The fact that this problem even occured is an implication.

Circles solves some of these issues. But is the Circles or Circles of Circles (Extended Circles) the ultimate answer? This is a great change toward the right direction, but not a panacea. When we create our own Circles, we still end up adding A and B who are each known to U, but not to each other. How fine tuned would you make your circles? How many Circles can you manage? I am sure there is a smaller Dunbar's Number for Circles you can manage. Will your network set-up imitate exactly what you have in your mind?

So, essentially, bogged down by lack of choices, what are the users doing? They might be either getting used to the idea of 'sharing it all with all', or using discretion in what they share, so that they at least deliver a 'common mimimum' content to the 'Wall' or 'Circles'. In a sense, therefore, even the best tools today still give us a compromised experience, even if they are, innovative, technically well executed and design-wise state-of-the-art. Another question to consider is, how is this group level behaviour changing us at the individual level as we continue to use the available social tools in current formats? There are more questions than answers.

My bigger problem right now is learning to juggle my time for Google+ and Facebook.