Digg

I should have written about this some time back-most are familiar with this but a few who are not are always there.A really great source of tech news is www.digg.com - the best feature about the website.
"Digg is a technology news website that employs non-hierarchical editorial control"

www.MOUSE.org and media sites

I found this not for profit interesting-hope many people are making use of the information on this website.

http://www.mouse.org/

The Indian or Desi (translated as "local") Version of www.paidcontent.org is found at
www.contentsutra.com - when will the kind of jopbs advertised in Paid Content find their way into Content Sutra!.I would say faster than usual as "word of mouse" spreads and the seal is closed when people find it really useful.

Time Saving tips

These are tips which are time tested and will hold good as long as we need to communicate and do things more efficiently in an eco-friendly way.

1. Systematize - Stop reinventing the wheel and recreating the same things over and again. Create systems to handle repetitive tasks. For example, I have standard letters all created and saved in my computer along with standard documents such as directions to my office and various articles I share with others. Be sure to have adequate supplies you can readily access. Use one calendar to keep track of appointments. Work with a clean desk and have most frequently used items within arm’s reach. Schedule maintenance for your equipment and yourself.

2. Plan Adequate Sleep - You can have a great to do list for your next day but if you are tired, your productivity will be adversely impacted. Schedule a sufficient amount of sleep. The amount is different for each of us. Some need eight hours, some more, and some less. Your body knows the answer.

3. Attend a Speed Reading,typing and writing Class - The average person reads at about 200 words per minute and spends a couple of hours each day reading.The writing speed is lesser and typing speed is even lesser. What if you could increase all 3 speeds?
What takes 2 hours can now be done in 1 hour or you can continue to spend the same amount of time reading, but read twice as much.
Sign up for a speed-reading,typing and writing class.It helps.

4. Develop Your Communication Skills - A lot of your personal success in the future will be in direct relationship to your ability to competently and confidently communicate what you know both orally and in writing. Make it an ongoing commitment to continue to improve your speaking and writing skills. You’ll save time and have a more successful career.

5. Develop Your People Network - Personal productivity in large amounts has to do with the good cooperation of other people. Someone who does not enjoy the good cooperation of others can surely be productive but not as productive as one who enjoys that cooperation. On an on-going basis, develop your list of personal contacts, your networking list. Always offer to help everyone on your list whenever you can. (“To have a friend, first be a friend.”) Do it right and your network will be there for you when you need it.Social Networking websites like www.ryze.com , www.linkedin.com , www.orkut.com , www.stumbleupon.com , www.smallworld.net and membership of a few industry bodies like www.tie.org, www.inplasin.org (Indian Plastics Institute - in my case-I am a Plastics Engineer) all help to get more business and help to do good.I helped out people without expecting anything in return and it has paid back-what works for me will work for you too.Be positive in your approach and value friends and friendship.

Read the morning paper for knowing what is going on - some executives do not do it and companies suffer because of it.Local knowledge is critical and it helps if you know local problems and are able to give best of breed solutions for similar problems.

I am trying to save power in India by using a solution developed in the US-the only thing that helps today is focus on a real existing problem and then brainstorming and meeting the people who are known experts in that field and get solutions that work.To really make the other person believe one has to act sincerely in the other person's or company's interest.It has been done earlier and will continue to be done in business and personal life.

Another example is SPAM - a genuine problem for many executives- one solution to spam can be a password protected wiki page for employees.

Be creative in your thinking and solutions will follow & know how to make the best use of technology and communication-these are the key to growth.

Focus on building a business

These days all I care about is what my service or product does, why it is valuable to the end user, why it is uniquely different from the competition, what the barriers to entry are, and how I will reach my end customers and how I will ultimately make money.I too am trying to answer these questions and will find the answers sooner rather than later.
http://www.yourelevatorpitch.com
This is what I am reading so that I do more business and make more money and benefit everybody.

JetEye

www.JetEye.com has launched a beta version of a shared search platform that combines user generated search results from any engine for blogs, photos, links (whatever) and piles them neatly into self-organized packets called "Jetpaks." The personalized Jetpaks are wiki-ready and can be set up to be edited, commented on, or added to by other Jetpak owners (at the users discretion). Like blogs, you can link to other Jetpaks you like. These are all indexed, of course, and made available, through user submission, on the Jeteye search index.

The results are interesting to say the least and some really are useful topics which I never even thought about.My thumbs up for JetEye.

Ning and Zend

I like www.ning.com and www.zend.com for their innovative ideas which you can bild on.

The ability to triumph

The ability to triumph or succeed no matter from which field you come,what background you come from starts from just one person - ONLY YOU.Money will always help but who is going to give you money on a silver platter? and even if you manage to get that on a silver platter will you be able to hold on to it - a fool and money soon part company is something one must always remember.Find genuinely good people interested in your welfare and know that such people exist even today - you really have to struggle to find such people and you have to create your own opportunities whether it is starting your own company or applying for a job or getting someone to manage what you have and grow the same.

It is really very tough and creativity helps you a lot in finding people like these.Be creative have fun and do the right thing-it really helps.Find someone who can really inspire you and give yourself a break too by not being too harsh on yourself.Do something kind which nobody will come to know.For some great motivational quotes see www.woopidoo.com

Take care of your health too as being in good health always helps.At the end of the day it is you vs everybody else so be the change and live it-it just takes one person to change the world and make people sit up with their eyes glued and ears perked and soon you will get what you want.
I believe in it.Do you?

A testimonial and thoughts on scaling and innovation

Thank you very much for the info and emails, many of them i
have found very useful!

Sent by a user of the info given to him by me.These are real users and the fact is some people
are definitely benefiting and reading the information I give out.I just hope I have made
some lives easier and have highlighted whats the worse that can happen - the world will
not eat you or your,friends & family alive if you don't deliver owing to circumstances
beyond your control!.

I am following a story on scalability and blogs - my take on this is the internet is
going to grow and people will always keep creating and offering opportunities! what
are you doing to even be prepared?

I try to be rational and take only what can be measured in real term-ie stuff that
gives me financial benefit immediately or in a short period of time,I try to save
lives or make the same more comfortable,minimize the expense of resources for co's
and people and save time - many face a lack of the same and many do not pay the
attention that is needed to their business.

http://www.technorati.com/weblog/2005/09/45.html

Find a link to the story I am trying to learn from above.It is important from the point
of view of scaling and doing it right.A quick note about innovation I think is ok
over here.

If a process/product or a service or both is not one of your core processes, outsourcing innovation there should be a no-brainer. And if you happen to innovate yourself in those spaces - try selling the innovation. But don't let it go to waste as most companies do - or try to build on it yourself.Imagine the amount just being spent to maintain a patent nobody uses but may use 10 years later!Ask is it really worth it and if not then why not open up the patent and bring it to use faster-atleast someone will benefit and that will actually give rise to a new business from which at least a few will benefit.

Even if a process is core to your business, say product innovation for products that you bring to market, you should still try to involve outsiders - customers, partners, suppliers, competitors, etc. - into your innovation processes. Ask why not?And you should constantly be on the lookout for outside innovations that could be bought or innovations from within that may not fit some of your minimum business criteria - i.e., minimum market size - but that might have value for outsiders.Or you have a hobby and not a potential biz opportunity.I like the link below for innovation.Has a nice name too!

http://www.thinksmart.com/index.html

That is all for now.

Code Quality

Want to the check the quality of code your software engineers write well one company which has a product that allows you to do the same is www.enerjysoftware.com
Check it out and get the people who just talk and perform below par-I have seen any number of people like that - just loudmouths with no substance in them - the fact is many people do not just care - they expect their companies to cover up for their performance,recognize these type of people and your company is safe if you know how to deal with such people.

Rate your professors

www.ratemyprofessors.com
My prof will cry literally if I tell him how boring and dry his subject is!
Seriously my profesors expect me to do well - I expect them to bring out the best in me!How do you solve a problem like this? Will a Business Plan for such a rating website do rounds in IIM's and IIT's - the top institutes of India!Surely some IIM and IIT Grads will be looking at my SU Blog for ideas.
for more gyan (knowledge) on IITs and IIMs visit www.iitiim.com

This is the home of a few among the smartest people on earth and now that you - my blog readers know this it is time to make the best use of the info - use and gain,misuse and lose - it is that simple.Info holds the key to whatever you want to do - learn to use the same.A blind person cannot be equal to a person with a single eye - a person who knows to use info is definitely better than a person who does not know to use the info.However look for the capacity to pay attention to and an eye for detail among the candidates.Do not bother with people who do not show interest - it is not going to work ,the next better offer will make the person leave.Read the latest Business Week (Oct 10 2005) issue to learn more about how to keep the people who matter. The info makes a lot of sense.Oops I let out a secret about what magazines I read and what I think - well just put it to good use or lose out on the gyaan!

11 Questions and Answers

Here’s what I have so far…

1) What do I do well?

List out all areas in which you are the best.For eg I am somewhat good at searching the net and finding info.I use www.google.com/alerts to keep myself updated.I use www.eurekalert.org
to keep myself updated on technology advances.I use http://freshnews.org to get a good overview of tech happenings.I keep track of the latest patents www.freshpatents.com . I also use www.primidi.com to know what is the latest trend that will come in - in the near future.

2) What could I do better?

Make more meaning by actually being able to use the cutting edge stuff I have read.By realizing better cash returns from the knowledge I have.

3) Where do I participate?

I participate in forums,entrepreneurship meetings,group discussions with people from diverse backgrounds,investment related forums,KM forums,etc

4) Where could I participate more?

In more focused forums and personal meetings with important individuals.

5) What else could I do to delegate better?

Find a good partner and build a team with core competencies that complement mine.

6) Do I suffer from attention deficit trait?Am I really paying attention and understanding the implications?

Need to find out.ADT is being unable to pay attention due to preoccupations with minor things - like getting calls on the mobile that are not relevant.Being preoccupied with work at hand and not being able to plan a future course of action for the company.

7) Am I sucessfully being helped by members of team and company (or by the people I contact)?

Yes

8) How have I made their lives easier?

By helping them analyze information faster and better.

9) Where is my sense of humor,my ability to deal with unknown situations?

I still have it and am able to laugh and smile and ease tensions.

10) Am I or people I know suffering from ADD (Attention deficit disorder)-are all members in my team and company aware of it?

I do pay attention but have to work on it.I may one day take memory enhancement pills to remember if needed.

11) Am I keeping track of major changes in my own industry and otherindustries?How are these changes affecting team members and company?

I use www.changedetection.com and www.watchthatpage.com and being good at search and able to stay on top of trends.