Business Acumen

The six step guide to a developing a Business Acumen : by Ram Charan

Nanotechnology

The iPod Nano vaguely reminds me of an early version of Windows 95. I'm surprised by the lack of robustness of its software - an absolute dainty, it restarts at the slightest provocation; remove the cord by mistake while charging and there's a very high chance that the software would be muddled beyond repair. However, the player's interface is amazing - the click-wheel is the most intuitive design in hardware user interface I've ever come across. Sad they haven't paid as much attention to the software.

Valuing an MBA

Quite a few of people I know (themselves MBAs) feel that the MBA degree is a sheer joke, that people go through two years of arbit stuff to get a well paying job at an end. Talking about the value of an MBA has, in fact, become the favorite past time of a lot of people - heck, people like Mintzberg have made a career taking pot-shots at it.

Now bubblegeneration makes a comment on this issue:
"My personal take on the MBA: If you are passionate about business, economics, strategy and leadership (as I am), you can't go wrong with a top MBA. However, if you see the MBA just as an escape hatch that takes you from being a code monkey at tech shop and land you a spreadsheet monkey job at an I-bank or become a consultant droid, you would most likely miss out on what could potentially be the most rewarding and enriching educational experience of your life.

I *loved* each and every moment I spent at b-school. Just pick a school that in non-parochial and attracts smart people from around the world."

During my induction at XLRI, one of the Professors told us that what we would get out of our two years of stay there would be proportional to the effort we put in - we would have immense learning resources at our disposal, whether we choose to use it or not would be up to us. We could, if you want, while away the two years and get our 'dream' job at the end, but we would have learned nothing new. But that is because, we chose to do so. After all its GIGO.

Personally, I loved the time I spent in the MBA - learnt exciting stuff I never had access to before, got a new perspective on analyzing issues and problems, met a lot of interesting people and made awesome friends. In sum, I think I got more than my time and money's worth.

And to think people view consultants as droids... ha ha ha

Inexplicable Chennai

So why is it people in Chennai love using expletives? From the autowallas who let go a drift of 'dai &#@$#$' at any fellow crossing their path to the morning FM station where two comperes greet each other with friendly abuses, expletives seem to have become commonplace in tamil parlance. Not that I mind, but I'm just stupefied that words which would attract offense in any other language have become part of colloquial speech here.

To P or not to P, that is the question

"...Computing promises to be the most disruptive scientific paradigm since quantum mechanics. Unfortunately, it is the proverbial riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. The stakes are high, for our inability to “get” what computing is all about may well play iceberg to the Titanic of modern science."

"...The quantitative sciences of the 21st century (eg, genomics, neurobiology) will complete the dethronement of the formula by placing the algorithm at the core of their modus operandi. Algorithmic thinking is likely to cause the most disruptive paradigm shift in the sciences since quantum mechanics."

== Could Your iPod Be Holding the Greatest Mystery in Modern Science?

(via moneyscience)