Friday, September 08, 2006

Jhanki and Watts going on?

I came across 2 websites today - one is www.jhanki.com a general website about news that is interesting to Indians and people orinally from India.The website is full of gen info on India and then I found an alternative energy blog - yes I too am working on coal to energy,Alternative energy and related infrastructure work - I am always on the lookout for stuff that realy cuts costs.The link is www.wattsgoing.com . More links later - when I do more for myself and yes I am going to go for TiE ISB Connect in ISB,Hyderabad got some work there too andI look forward to hearing and meeting entrepreneurs and doing more work.Till then - keep surfing and have fun.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Use Influence

Just try and use authoritarian ways of managing people at work and see what reaction you get.
Today, unlike the past, the "do-what-I-say-or-else" approach will not work.Try it - you could be surprised with the result.

That doesn't mean to say that you can't get people to do what you want. It's just that you have to use less force and more influencing.

"Remember the fable by Aesop in which the North wind and the sun had a contest to see who could get a traveler to take off his coat first. The wind blew with all his might but the traveler just held his coat tighter. The sun then shone with all his might until the traveler grew too warm and had to take it off.The sun used influence not force.

Blogs are making big bucks today and influencing in a very subtle manner - want examples see
GigaOm,AlwaysOn-Network,Drudge Report,HuffingtonPost,engadget,textually.org,TechCrunch etc. Blogs are growing and growing and growing only and have become real easy & cheap to maintain too.This blog itself is quite old and is getting some traffic too - even if it is one visitor in a lifetime - that visitor will take action after reading the stories and seeing websites mentioned here.

That is all for now.Till next time.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

A couple of landmarks (strictly personal)

I just want to submit here that I have posted more than 1000 articles that have been saved in the page http://del.icio.us/parvez1 and yes I have thumbsupped more than a 20,000 articles and pages I liked on http://parvez.stumbleupon.com and more than 5000 unique visitors have seen my pages on the above 2 websites and on the personal front I have been able to find a few great friends in India and abroad.I have been able to strike a few business deals too online.All you need to do is meet more people and talk about what you want after explaining the need to a client and without wasting time conclude a transaction.I have been able to empower a few rural entrepreneurs and given them a new source of income through the sale of an idea to the enablers of the deal and all of it was done through the internet and yes I am writing about it here to just inform it is possible and a real difference can be made and yes there is real money online.I am also glad some info on the above mentioned collections has been really used to make real some info has been used to make living a little easier through the medical and health related info there,a little info has made lives easier for NGOs and teachers in general and some business decisions have been made by firms that have resulted in business gains.Who says the Net does not work!,it not only works it rocks!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

A post on self esteem

self esteem

Self-esteem reflects whether a person loves, accepts, and believes in who they are. The simplest way to raise a person's self-esteem is to improve that person's way of thinking and add reason to the same. This is easy, thereasons have to be right and should appeal to the person and/or group self-esteem will grow by adopting these thinking patterns:

  1. Rediscover and reaffirm your personal strengths: Sometimes you have to take a new inventory on what you like about your looks, smile, body, sexiness, health, personality, and character strengths. For areas you don't feel real positive about, try to be more accepting of those unique features (example: nose or ears).Still if you want go ahead and change your appearance - people have become black and white too.Be yourself and natural - it works for most of us.
  2. Figure out the hidden strengths in your so-called weaknesses: There is always a positive in every negative if you look hard enough. For instance, you may think of yourself as stubborn, but the flipside is that you're also persistent and dependable.You might waste your time surfing the net - it is quite possible you could come up with the next big idea - you need to find your guru,friends,philosophers and guides online.
  3. Make a long list of your personal breakthroughs: Think of times when you did something that you thought that never could do but managed to pull off successfully. These breakthroughs can generate an authentic source of never-ending pride in you. (Example: speaking up at a meeting,winning a prize in school,sourcing an important component,writing a novel etc.)
  4. Negative comparisons: These are best avoided. Human beings can amplify or reduce their value by contrasting themselves either positively or negatively with others. The most common trait of persons who have developed low self-esteem are to diminish themselves by contrasting how they don't measure up to others.As long as you are doing positive things and earning the bread and growing personally and professionally ignore comparisons.
  5. Stop the critic inside of you: Some people have a nasty habit of putting themselves down often. They say damaging things to themselves like, "I'm always late. Why am I such a flake?" or "There I go again, stupid!" Get in the new habit of catching yourself saying critical things about yourself and learn to silence your inner critic.Be positive and accept that a person makes mistakes - a person who does not make mistakes is not really taking enough risks.It is better to do what you have always loved than be called a wimp or sissy forever.
  6. Blaming yourself for mistakes in the past: Some things are only minimally in your control, but people who develop low self-esteem take the full blame for the resulting negative outcomes. Instead, learn to honor your efforts and give proper credit for things that you have done well.Like in the previous post accet that all make mistakes - have you tried to correct your own mistakes (think about it) - the ones in your control.A corrected mistake is a sureshot way to end the blame game!
  7. Have more compassion for yourself: Realize the adversity of life can make you a stronger and more understanding person. The pain that you have suffered in the past can help you relate to a wider array of people. Your suffering makes you more human if you choose to channel it that way.How many other people have you helped besides yourself?
  8. Be your own cheerleader: The energy and enthusiasm of a cheerleader is necessary in order to make the radical emotional changes required to raise your self-esteem. Use this analogy to illustrate how you talk to yourself, handle adversity, and summon up the courage to pursue your interests. Being your own cheerleader isn't silly, it's smart and contagious.Of course you have to cheer yourself - be your own cheerleader - it is not difficult - stop being indifferent and care for yourself too for a change and do it one thing at a time - say a pat on the back for doing a good thing a day.
  9. Learn something new: Do you like being bored - you might other people do not - it is important to learn something new everytime and keep yourself occupied.
  10. Teach others : Find what they want first and then pass on what you know to the people it is important that you be interesting enough to the people you want something from or else if you do not care who does?Think about it!

The Bottom Line: High self-esteem is attractive and low self-esteem is not. You really want to attract, get, keep,become successful,be able to contribute and enjoy love and acceptance,then it is very important to maintain a high level of self-esteem to keep oneself interested and occupied - the alternative is be boring,stupid, cynical,uncared for,pitied upon,cranky,always whining and complaining - the former is any day better than the latter in my opinion.

There is not a single person on earth who has not made mistakes - have we learnt from our mistakes or not and if yes what are we doing to change for the better ?

Thanks for reading - I know for sure this post will bring greater change and make people more compassionate,less indifferent and more positive.



Friday, August 04, 2006

Conserve laptop battery life

To all who have laptops - please conserve power and get the max for your power literally.Yahoo advisor actually tells us what we can do and hey the stuff works.Well I am all for conservation of power and if the advantage is there to be had let us all make the best.Do follow the link below and use the tips well.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/raskin/703

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Blog Ban

At last I can post on my blog again! Being unable to blog was hurting emotionally and one has to be allowed to communicate - long live the net and blogs.I just hope and pray these things never happen again and the culprits are caught - both the people who did wrong things using the blogs and the people who acted stupidly by banning most if not all blogs.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Ziki.com : Parvez AHMED

My ziki website is http://ziki.com/people/parvez1 - so pay a visit friends.

Got a break from a Tech company

As of now I got a break from a great US tech company and have started my own company called M/s Technoclean Solutions and Services.Along with a great friend and partner and with the help of a few really good friends I have been able to start and am a representative for a few niche services and products.Yes both hi tech and low tech and at the same time the products and services Technoclean provides helps companies become more efficient,use existing resources better,use the web better and save energy,time and money.

I have been able to help 3 students in my place in Jayanagar 1st block in Bangalore and things are looking up for the company.Still lots of work has to be done and I am looking for clients so contact me in case your company is looking for eco-friendly solutions.



Tuesday, June 27, 2006

More than 5000 visitors

My StumbleUpon webpage has been viewed by more than 5000 people and by and large most have really benefited from the reviews I posted on SU.In fact I am happy to say that some lives have become easier in the bargain - more useful info has been shared and time has been saved for many a person - these are real gains.What also has been proved is that the consumer web is influencing the growth of the internet itself - has validated the fact that people want to be free and fair to each other and all like to read and learn from quality information.

I am going to take classes for fresh graduates and for people with limited experience in Bangalore I am interested in teaching fresh graduates (any stream) on:

1) how to use the internet for finding relevant information.
2) selected topics on starting a company.
3) opportunities - how to find the same and create the same.
4) finding a job online and basics of recruitment.
5) a brief overview of the IT,tech and non IT sectors
6) brief introduction to blogging,wiki,social software and
their applications.
7) a brief overview of CDM (clean development mechanism).
8) introduction to VC,Angel funding and other sources of capital.

Apart from this my colleague will give an overview of computer networking and security.

I look forward to teaching a maximum of 10 fresh graduates only initially. The teaching will be on a whiteboard or on a notebook - even individual requests will be considered.

Only those who are sincerely interested in learning email:
ahmedparvez (at) yahoo (dot) com

The teaching will be for 4-5 hours only and relevant additional information will be provided on demand.

Friday, June 16, 2006

MR-MarketResearch website

http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php - I found a nice website on Market Research.The latest update is I have finally started my own company and am doing biz with co's in Bangalore and am representing a few of the most exciting firms abroad.To be more specific I am looking into Biodiesel, e-waste, infrastructure,water and thermal related solutions for India. Growth prospects are really exciting and I have a partner too and yes I still look at Incense and perfume related news too.Have been busy working and attending functions on behalf of my company and am also promoting www.bdetec.com . The company is owned by a good friend.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Got busy

Got quite a lot of things to do from now - I am looking for a place and apparently I will find an address soon in Jayanagar,Bangalore.Terms and conditions are quite ok and the opportunity to grow is there-have been helped out by my good friend from www.cyclebrand.com and I am busy finding good projects to do using www.cos.com and am reading up more and more on motivation, technology, software,entrepreneurship and innovation and am always on the look out for cool stuff and things .

I signed for www.jot.com as an affiliate-I think JotSpot is an awesome company and will start to explode now as more and more people are using wiki and cutting costs and expanding their personal reach.So long for now and I hope I am still relevant.

Monday, April 24, 2006

Thoughts and Ideas empower

Been a really long time since I posted - I want to write stuff that is original,free from bias and yet it should contribute to the development of the society and the world.I try to create awareness about what can be achieved through thoughts and ideas - they need not necessarily be mine.The ideas I want to tell should be free and should be empwoering to an individual websurfer.

If a doctor sees this blog - take a look the medicine related stories,here if a telecom prof sees this blog - telecom related entries should be checked and all should be able to use and spread the information - it really works.Here I will urge surfers to see other websites in which I have posted comments and shared ideas and saved articles.

  1. http://parvez.stumbleupon.com
  2. http://del.icio.us/parvez1
  3. http://ziki.com/people/parvez1
Yes www.ziki.com is my latest fad right now - this I am sure will not overtake my blogging or stumbling or del.icio.us activities - however I will devote more time for this also - have seen a few interesting people on Ziki.

Keep checking this blog out - who knows it will actually help out at times.

Friday, April 07, 2006

ClimateBiz and RecycleBank

ClimateBiz is best described in their own words "An easy-to-understand overview of the world of business and climate change, including how to get started -- and what to do after that. Whether you are a beginner or an industry leader, this is a good place to start."

I really feel the abnormal changes I saw in the rains in India - first the Tsunami in South Asia (South India particularily) followed by the incessant rains in Mumbai and then more rainds in Bangalore - all I feel are a result of Climate change and GLobal Warming and yes the 3 Apr 2006 issue of the Managzine Time too has reported results from which say what exactly is happening why and has written about how India and China can make a difference to the Global Warming and the climate.

The links for today are :

  1. www.climatebiz.com
  2. www.recyclebank.com
I have always been passionate about recycling and converting whatever waste that can be used into useful products.RecycleBank provides communities with a cost effective and environmentally conscious solutions to the rising cost of waste collection.

Let us all protect the climate and encourage recycling wherever we are and live frugally-I am trying it and am happy to share my experiences and helpful sites I come across.What are you doing my visitors?

A note over here - in case these links above do not work in your browser then please just type the link in a new window of explorer or firefox or whatever browser you use.
The above websites worked and the same holds for my previous posted links too and perhaps a few among them may not work or may have become obsolete.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

just testing

I want to see if I am able to post now - I have not been able to post for sometime of late.

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Found a really cool tool

I want to write about www.gabbly.com a really cool tool that allows you to form opinions on websites and the products and/or services companies and organizations provide.I think it can be used for instant gratification for consumer experiences.It will also enable real time collaboration when like minded communities are formed and actual problems are discussed among smart individuals and so are their solutions.It will help make lives easier for many in sales - the website has to reach critical mass among users.
Sorry for not posting for so long - did not come across anything exciting like Gabbly.Go ahead and become chatterboxes and influencers - you have the power !

Monday, March 06, 2006

50 Web 2.0 companies

Services/software oriented towards businesses including advertising, hosting, etc

This post intends to make up for my lack of blogging for some time now and use the web better is my request to all people who come to this website.Use IT to make the world a better place for people you know and do not know too as every good deed done rewards in ways that one is not even able to imagine.
I know it is tried by me,tested and found true.I am not going to elaborate - rather you great folks discover it for yourself.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

A post on Plastics

People litter - plastics do not create the nuisance we see in developing countries.

A phrase that has been engraved in my heart from a theme out of a plastics exhibition many years ago is still raw. Plastics have become an inevitable part of our daily lives. Sustainable development of mankind rests on economic growth, social progress and protection of our environment and natural resources. There is little chance of protecting the environment without a greater sense of mutual responsibility.

For development and looking into the future, one should move away from the emotional view that governs and blinds environmental groups.

One should base decisions on facts, which are the unbiased and impartial science.
For example, plastic packaging is such a topic that people mistakenly believe that there is some other natural material better for the environment.People are wrong. Plastic bags are lighter and create up to 60-80 per cent less waste by volume than paper bags.
  1. Lighter bags mean less transportation costs, which means less use of natural resources and, lesser pollution due to less vehicles.
  2. Biodegradable plastic films exist - PLA is there and is eco friendly in nature and degrades into Carbon Dioxide and Water.It is costly and faces several export restrictions to developing countries.
Plastics allow highly efficient manufacturing processes (up to more than 99 per cent efficiency) that increase productivity by 20 to 30 per cent and reduce capital expenditures compared to other material and the advantage goes on.There is hardly any waste due to use of plastics by many industries in various sectors like FMCG,Construction,Automobiles,Space,Power,IT, etc.

Problems arise due to dumping of used materials by many developed countries,E-waste is the best example here and victims of e-waste dumping are China and India and SE Asian countries.See www.BAN.org and read all about the ewaste problems.More is going to come next as many consumer electronic items will become obsolete thanks to TV over IP!

It is important to think about all those steps in a product's life cycle-not just what happens when a product's useful life is over-to get a true picture of its environmental performance.

During their life cycle, plastic bags require about one-third less energy to make than paper bags/cloth bags (even human stitching consumes energy).

Paper bags use high amounts of wood, petroleum, and coal. A single paper bag uses the energy equivalent of 550 KJ of wood as feedstock. It also uses 500 KJ of petroleum and 350 KJ of coal for process energy. The total amount of energy used by a single paper bag is 1,680 KJ.

Fifty-three billion-kilowatt hours of electricity is saved annually by improvements in major appliance energy efficiency made possible by plastic applications. Without the benefits provided by plastics insulation, these appliances would use up to 30 per cent more energy.

Plastic bottles are
14 times lighter than glass, give a 48 per cent fuel saving in transport over glass and require less energy for production than glass.

Plastics have moulded the modern world and transformed the quality of life. There is no human activity where plastics do not play a key role, from clothing to shelter, from transportation to communication and from entertainment to healthcare. We truly live in a 'Plastics age'. Our daily lives would be very much poorer without these benign and environment friendly materials. Nature has produced 'plastic' like materials for centuries. Silk and cellulose are examples of natural polymers.

India ranks eighth in the world with per capita consumption of 4.1kg of plastic.The world average is around 20 kg.Growing population and consumption in India has put severe pressure on our natural resources and fragile ecosystems. The material needs of our population are growing and plastics offer a cost-effective, environment friendly solution. The long life and desirability of plastics, which have made them a material of choice for many applications is seemingly seen a disadvantage when it comes to disposal. However, when handled properly, plastics do little damage to the environment.

Plastics have the advantage that they can be easily reprocessed and recycled. We should use it to our advantage to convert it into various other end products like road construction, insulation panels and other products. Environmental groups will always be there and I respect their concerns as long as it is based on facts and not on emotional grounds. Preserving the environment is a matter of fact and not emotion. Facts not fiction help to save our environment.

Plastics in agriculture - Agriculture is a driver of growth for the plastics industry as there are many applications of plastics in agriculture :

  1. Pipes
  2. Drip irrigation
  3. Hay Bale wraps
  4. Low tunnels
  5. High Tunnels
  6. Row Covers
  7. Silage Bags
  8. Yes - Totally biodegradable PLA will be grown in India too one day.
One cannot imagine food storage without plastic today - simply put plastics have saved many a food item from going waste.

Plastics usher progress who will be able to imagine a world without computers and the internet today-only plastics,computers and electronics have made Internet,IT and Telecom what it is today!

There are any number of advantages of using plastics today - one cannot imagine toffees without plastic film or waking up and getting dressed without plastic - count for yourself how many plastic items one touches every day and then ask - what am I doing to help the industry solve problems?

Be the change you want to see in the world and help all make the world a better place and use plastics responsibly.I am a Plastics Engineer myself and in a way am sick of this plastics bashing I hear from time to time and most of it is false.


Monday, January 23, 2006

8 Blunders in the world

"Seven Blunders of the World"
1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle
—Mahatma Gandhi
The 8th Blunder-this is my addition
8.Speaking with an intention to influence and actually harm people.

I am proud that Mohandas Karamchand gandhi is from India !

Friday, January 13, 2006

Del.icio.us

I have started to use http://del.icio.us better.I have put up a page on the website and mor people are visitng the same too and are checking out what I read and getting valuable insights.I have been unable to post here as I have become occupied for some time now in starting my own venture and in posting to http://del.icio.us/parvez1 - to all who are interested in what I read do visit my page and make the best use of the information.

Will keep you readers informed about whatever I am doing so do keep visiting this blog whenever you are able to and want to.

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Shopify,Atiki and Newsvine

I am really impressed by the companies www.shopify.com, www.atiki.com and www.newsvine.com .

I am posting more on www.newsvine.com nowadays and the URL's name is
http://parvezthewebsurfer.newsvine.com - I think the service is awesome and the stories in Newsvine too are great.

Atiki gives great results and I use it a lot.That is all for now-one day I hope to write a book using www.lulu.com - by then this blog will have adequate material and any number of links.