Thought Bubbles

Secrets of Success - in 8 words & 3 minutes

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 07:45:00 +0000

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:20:00 +0000

Here are the 15 min that changed my life

Passion

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 17:59:00 +0000

Passion transforms ordinary into legendary

- Murali

Perspectives Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 17:53:00 +0000

In my opinion, "Invention" is a redundant word

The truth/fact is always out there

So, there is no "Invention", there is only Discovery

Discovery comes from a fresh interpretation of the truth

Truth/fact never changes or vanishes

Yet it is not enough to know that it is some where out there !

Perspectives are important to make progress

They make pursuit of life, understanding of the world very interesting & useful

Perspectives Matter !

- thought bubbled in a random train of thought
by Muralidhar Patnam :)

Love Story

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:45:00 +0000

Well, Almost a month since i wrote a post

I was lazy. (I wish i could say i was too busy)
So, here is a post to break the gap

I recently read the book "Love Story" by Erich Segal

I read it because some one suggested that it would improve my vocabulary

No doubt. I learned more than 150 new words in this 132 page book

Learning >1 new word per page is cool !

Besides all the theory on vocabulary benefit,

It is an enjoyable book. Immediately after i finished the book, I went on to watch the movie "Love Story" released in 1970 to kind of re-live the story. It is one of those rare cases where both the book and the movie are on par !

The book doesn't stretch any description. Crisp !

The movie doesn't miss much detail & impact

I feel i should have read the book much earlier.
Pick it up if you haven't read it already

Only Rs 99/- on Flipkart
Worth every buck !

5 Rules - Better Presentations

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:08:00 +0000

OWNERSHIP

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:14:00 +0000

If you don't feel comfortable owning something for 10 years, then don't own it for 10 minutes

WARREN BUFFET

Enjoying Education

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:18:00 +0000

I believe that education is all about being excited about something

Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message

STEVE IRWIN

Outstanding Presentations Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:34:00 +0000

There is a free webinar workshop on outstanding presentations happening! Totally 8 sessions. I attended the first session yesterday and it is quite good. If you are interested, you can go to
http://www.outstandingpresentationsworkshop.com/ and register yourself for the remaining 7 sessions

You can also access the recording of yesterday's session once you register.
Why wait? All the best for your presentations !

There is only one problem. The sessions will happen at 1:30 AM every wednesday :)
Shouldn't be a problem if you are a nocturnal creature like me. Cheers !

Made In China

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:59:00 +0000

One of the best self introduction speeches i have heard !

Truth

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:40:00 +0000

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything"
Mark Twain

Imagining Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:05:00 +0000

Amazing video on leadership conceptualized by Nitin Nohria, Dean, Harvard Business School

Azim Premji in Elevator

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:23:00 +0000

It was 9:30 PM and time to go home! I was casually humming a tune and waiting for the lazy office lift to come down to 3rd floor. On a typical day, i would see one or two exhausted and half asleep GE employees once the doors opened. But, i was surprised once the elevator doors opened today

I saw a confident old man in grey suit. His white hair was dancing to the air blowing from above
He looked at me through his big spectacles. I took a second to recognize him. I couldn't believe my eyes. Azim Premji was standing before me, one step away

I walked into the lift, trying to put up a professional smile and stood behind him. I was looking at him top to bottom just when i realized his security guard was staring at me with suspicion. For a moment, i thought to move next to him, introduce myself and give him a shake hand. But the lift hit ground floor pretty fast. I couldn't get my elevator pitch (elevator introduction rather!) ready by then

Azim premji started to leave and looked back for some reason. I smiled back. The lift doors closed and i closed my eyes. The next moment the lift was making some noise. I opened my eyes and was in the basement parking area

Exciting ending to a regular day at office

Optimizing Resource Usage

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:13:00 +0000

Read the following Buddha & his disciple's story on resource usage !

Buddha, one day, was in deep thought about worldly activities and the ways of instilling goodness in human beings.

One of his disciples approached him and said humbly "Oh my teacher ! While you are so much concerned about the world and others, why don't you look in to the welfare and needs of your own disciples also."
Buddha: "OK.. Tell me how I can help you"
Disciple: "Master! My attire is worn out and is beyond the decency to wear the same. Can I get a new one, please?"

Buddha found the robe indeed was in a bad condition and needed replacement. He asked the store keeper to give the disciple a new robe to wear on. The disciple thanked Buddha and retired to his room

A while later, Buddha went to his disciple's place and asked him "Is your new attire comfortable? Do you need anything more?"
Disciple: "Thank you my Master. The attire is indeed very comfortable. I need nothing more"
Buddha: "Having got the new one, what did you do with your old attire?"
Disciple: "I am using it as my bed spread"
Buddha: "Then.. hope you have disposed off your old bed spread"
Disciple: " No.. no.. master. I am using my old bedspread as my window curtain"
Buddha: " What about your old Curtain?"
Disciple: "Being used to handle hot utensils in the kitchen"
Buddha: "Oh.. I see.. Can you tell me what did they do with the old cloth they used in Kitchen"
Disciple: "They are being used to wash the floor."
Buddha:" Then, the old rug being used to wash the floor...?"
Disciple: "Master, since they were torn off so much, we could not find any better use, but to use as a twig in the oil lamp, which is right now lit in your study room...."
Buddha smiled in contentment and left for his room

If not to this degree of utilization, can we at least make the best use of all our resources at home and in office?
We need to handle wisely all the resources earth has bestowed us with — both natural and material, so that they can be saved for the generations to come!

Acknowledgement

Ananthu

Navadarshanam

Indescribable

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:55:00 +0000

My heart skips a beat when i think about you

It is not enough to say "I love you"

It's so much more

It's so much better

It's a feeling indescribable

Oh my dear, Look into my eyes,

Can you feel it?

Desktop Lyrics

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:16:00 +0000

I just love this app - Desktop Lyrics
It enhances the experience of music on itunes to the next level
It neatly displays the lyrics of itunes current song on the desktop
Suddenly, i have taken an interest in listening to more english songs
The best part is that the applicaton is free !

Vinayaka Chavithi

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:51:00 +0000

Vinayaka Chavithi Subhakankshalu (Happy Ganesh Chaturdhi to all)

Since childhood, every year on this day, dad and mom decorated an inverted table, with lot of fruits and leaves. My father would read the mantras himself, (better than any regular priest) and narrate the stories of Lord Ganesha. I used to sit there praying for 1st rank in the class (It was the ultimate objective of life then). This continued all through the school years. The prayers lasted for a good 2 hours. After my father passed away, for the past 7 years, the prayers were spearheaded by mom and were short. I go through that nostalgia for father's prayers every year

Our Ganesha, This year !

This year's prayer procedures were a different. After my mom pulled out the age old mantra book and story book from the cup board, my sister who celebrated her last year's festival in UK had an idea

Do you want to know what the biggest change was?

The recorded priest from Raaga sang out the mantras and stories out loud

The recording was very much customized for the occassion, where the priest stopped at regular intervals to guide what to do next

I wonder if it is time for virtual priests in some of our regular celebrations

Darkness/Light-Hate/Love

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 13:09:00 +0000

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
  only light can do that
  Hate cannot drive out hate;
  only love can do that"
- Martin Luther King Jr.

If only everyone understood this concept and saw the diversity in India as an asset and not a reason for conflict, this country would be so different (in a good way!)
You know what? It is just a matter of having the right attitude

iPod Touch

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:40:00 +0000

Apple released new generation of iPods on September 1st
I personally love what the new iPod touch has to offer. All the exciting features of an iphone (except the phone) and approximately at half the size and the price

I can't wait to get my hands onto one of them. It's time to visit an apple dealer store !

If only i had the budget to buy one, i wouldn't wait a second to bring it home

Productivity Apps

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:11:00 +0000

With the every increasing demands for productivity, the use of task management applications is on the rise. I personally don't like the task management features that Microsoft Outlook offers. So, i fall into the category of people who look out for third party applications for task management/productivity

In this post, i will talk about a few apps that can serve your need

Things
The best productivity application available as on today is called Things
It is available only for Mac users

But, the application is extremely expensive. 50$ for a task management application?
You gotta be a business executive or MBA student to find value for that investment

TeuxDeux
TeuxDeux is a free online task management tool

It is very simple and easy to use. But, i doesn't have the sophistication that Things offers

TeuxDeux is ideal for people who want to keep their to-do lists simple, don't require sophistication and carry their lists with them ! They have an app for the iphone also

Producteev

Producteev is free like TeuxDeux and offers great sophistication and flexibility like Things

I have been using this from the past one week and i love it. Just create your free account and you will be amazed by the features it offers

Steve Jobs on Branding

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 04:30:00 +0000

Hear Steve Jobs from one of those early years in Apple.
He talks about the idea behind launch of the branding campaign "Think Different"

Suggestion - Put your headphones on. The audio quality isn't great

This guy is one of my role models and never fails to inspire me !

TiE Session on K-12 Segment - Quotes !

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:32:00 +0000

I recently attended a TiE Session "Unravelling the K-12 Segment - Opportunities and Challenges"
It was a very interesting sessions and broke some myths i had around the education sector
I will be drafting a detailed post soon, with a summary of the entire session

For now, i have listed an thought provoking & entertaining quotes from each of the three panelists

"Lets not start test preparation in the womb. It will not get them into IITs and IIMs"
- Ashish Rajpal, Founder, idiscoveri

"The middle class parent in India is paranoid and has stopped thinking"

"If you pick up a real problem and find atleast 30% solution to it, you will be more successful than people who are chasing a part of the billion dollar market. You will go beyond your wildest dreams of a successful entrepreneur"
Sridharan Rajagopalan, Founder, Eklavya Institute

"We entrepreneurs have a disease - an incredible and crazy optimism. Add to that a layer of hype. The hype begins when the industry potential appears in economic times as a billion dollar market"

"I am still such a sambar eating desi, dollar (USD) doesn't make any sense to me"
Satyanarayanan, Chairman, Career Launcher India

Look forward to a detailed post on the session !

Objectivism

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:35:00 +0000

When was the last time you witnessed some one who had great clarity of thoughts?
Watch a gut wrenching video interview of Ayn Rand that was shot in the 1950s

Feeling Inferior?

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 17:33:00 +0000

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"

Eleanor Roosevelt

Compare book prices in India

noreply@blogger.com (Murali) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:25:00 +0000

There is a search engine to search books and compare their prices from different online book stores
It is called the India Book Store

This might be of interest to people who would like to get the best price for their books and want to spend time in decision making

For me, I would directly go to flipkart and order books
They offer good discounts and their service is awesome !
I am undoubtedly a flipkart fan
They blew me away right at the first order !