the reckoning...

Don't you find it annoying when you search for something and you don't find it. And I am not talking about anything deep like the meaning of life. Just something very trivial or very old, something you know you had, something you were once very proud of! Now its nowhere to be found. I do! Just recently I have been looking for a two page writeup I did around 6 years ago. It was pretty important for me at that time and as soon as it fulfilled its purpose, I think I stopped caring about it. Again I am not implying any hidden life lessons here, I am just referring to the lost document I once had!

Now I usually prize all my stupid written works. I keep everything that I write! This makes me think that I don't "really" keep everything I write. I would keep my written memoirs, introspection, my resume and all. Basically what I feel has some value to me or summarizes my values to others!! This lost document also started like any other, on a blank text document. It was also created electronically, reviewed in print and intangible media, edited back electronically and finally sent in print and softcopies. It went through the complete "life cycle of a document". This led to another self realization - I was dawned upon the power of information only after 2005! Else I would have kept a copy of this. This ties in parallel-y with my realization of "identity" as I made my final switch (and unification) to a single email address in 2006. I am sure I can find that document in my old email accounts. But alas! that is long gone, and so is the small 128 MB pen drive I use to carry in 2005 which would have served as a home to that document!

Its funny how at every stride of life, man (or humans) keep learning. From eating habits to studies to friendships, I have learned its importance at about the right time. The learning never ends! Likewise I learned the importance to unified identity and written works in 2005-2006 and as a follow up only in 2010 made a complete switch to the cloud!! I wish I wasn't disillusioned and uninformed back in 2005!!!!!

more later


*****Ankur

an idea...

Recently I had an interesting conversation with one of my old time friends.Being in the overly blown, yet always-in-demand, IT industry we see the young generation in the IT wants to become rich very fast!! Everyone here realizes the tremendous potential IT has and am sure at some point of time (even multiple occasions) have sit in long talks describing the wonderful opportunities it can provide. Even the people who are not working in this sector are very familiar with the names of Zuckerberg, Page et al. Wonderful success stories! More than often I come across people who are talking about “all I need is a killer idea and I’ll develop an app”. Not far from today I can see a world where the word “idea” will be translated literally to a “use case”. People around me want to innovate, they want to sell, they want to “come up with a solution”, they want to develop etc etc... The terms like idea, innovation, simplified user experience, yada yada yada is all that is around. Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur.

I have a couple of ideas too. Unfortunately these cannot be implemented to an app. These ideas cannot integrate with facebook or twitter. I wish there was even a remote way of somehow using the “check-ins” to associate with my ideas. If you are a fellow entrepreneur, I am of no value to you. You do not see an app (for multiple devices) anywhere associated with me. You dont see me as an entrepreneur. This is because of my (seemingly) old school thinking. My ideas are just words and concepts. Well so was facebook initially, not bad!! My ideas also need a lot of development before they are implemented. In this world where software startups are emerging like crazy, everyone has an idea. The success rate of these startups with ideas is low. Around 1-2 % become big ones!! More than 60% just go down unnoticed. The rest fight the dreaded “Survival Mode”. Just imagine the pressure!!!! So with so much unrest and uncertainity (and not to mention the missing integrations with the “winning” ones) maybe the entrepreneur will reject my ideas (or similar ideas of my types).

So what are my ideas? Nothing, just a bunch of stories and memoirs I have gathered, either in shorthand on my pad or somewhere at the back of my mind. I might be very soon called old-school for having such a 90s view of the term idea. But the truth is that it is a better one than most ones outside. My ideas can use the existing social platforms to grow and reach people. My ideas might require less investment. It could be worked upon on weekends too. I agree I do not have great ones but there are scores of writers out there who have . The percentage success of new writers is much higher than startups. Yes the money might not be as much for the successful ones. But the pressure, time and effort is also less. At times its more enjoyable. Easy to do!! And with so many ideas culminating into platforms for writers (of any form), I would say the outrach is more.:) Not everything is about the big bucks. There are so many subtleties that are so soothing. Written works tend to find an audiance somehow! Take a couple of hours off from innovating-and-thinking-about-killer-apps and just pen down about what you see in front of you...maybe the story about how you get that coffee mug you see!! who know this might be a great begining!!

On a lighter note, if everyone out there is developing stuff...who will be there to use it!!! :D


...more later
*****Ankur