I need more important things in life..

I have started to blog more these days. And I read more of others' blogs too. So is it because I have more time now in life to do that? Do I have a relatively relaxed time these days? No, not at all. It's very contrary to that. I am very cruched these days at work, from where I normally blog. In fact, I am staying here at work, so late at night, because I have to finish off a very important assignment by tomorrow.

So why am I sitting here and blogging? It is because my project is the most important thing right now on my mind. And hence, I am not doing it. I need something more important to be able to finish this off in time.

Don't understand all of this? Then you should read this thing on Structured Procrastination.

~ Ankur.

Achievement for the day..

I clocked under 5 minutes on today's Sudoku - my best timing yet :D

I admit, this one is really simple. But, whatever.

Yo!

~ Ankur.

Harold and Becky..

So I am doing some research on the US landline telephone industry, and I come across this. All my research summarized in this one hilarious blog entry.

To provide some background -

ILECS are the few large dominant telecom companies in the US with established networks. They rule. CLECs are small low-priced regional players with spots of network here and there, which even they have trouble to find. The Wannabes. Now, the '96 Telecom Act in the US asks ILECs to provide long-distance fiber to CLECs at slashed rates to bring competition in the market, and end the monopoly of these giants. Everyone hates each other - CLECs say ILECs do not cooperate, charge more, and blah. ILECs say it is forced competition, against free market, and other blah. And in this scenario, here goes - Harold and Becky's Excellent Telephone Adventure. An excerpt -

Over time, I speak to two Verizon vice presidents and get a phone call from the President of Verizon Maryland. They assure me that the fault lies with the evil CLEC, which misfiled the order, gave them the wrong address, wrong time zone, and possibly, used magic to shift their tech to another dimension. However, they promise that, assuming Cavalier does not join forces with Saddam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden (which, Verizon tells me, CLECs have been known to do), they will have a tech out on April 7.

A long, but equally rewarding read. If patience really pays, it's here.

And on a slightly different and thoughtful note, I think one can relate Project Managers to this -

I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I must first change myself. Fish are friends, not food.

Yeah, Bruce.

~ Ankur.

Afterlife Telegrams..

So a certain Mr. Paul Kinsella has this great idea - a sure winner for creativity, if not for VCs. And it goes by the name Afterlife Telegrams.

So what does he do? Quite obvious - he sends telegrams for you to the dead people. How? Well, he gets hold of a messenger - actually a terminally ill person (basically, a person who you're sure will die) - and the messenger memorizes your message, dies, goes to heaven, finds your guy, and delivers the message. Neat.

And Washington Post already has him interviewed, and provides a great introduction it too -

Every so often someone gets an idea so brilliant and original that it becomes an instant phenomenon, guaranteeing its creator immeasurable wealth and a place in the pantheon of entrepreneurial geniuses. And then there are ideas like Paul Kinsella's.

Well, people do have their reservations about the success of the idea, and Paul is yet to find his first client - he already has a messenger ready, though! Excerpts from the interview [via Washington Post]:

Q: There are about 18 times as many dead people from all of time as there are people living on Earth today, not counting dead Neanderthals and Australopithecans, who might well have souls, albeit really scruffy ones. So the population of the afterlife would be at least 18 times larger than that of Earth. What makes you think that your messenger could even find the right person?

Paul: That's a good point. If it's all random and chaotic, that's gonna stop him. But we would hope that they have worked out some sort of registry.

Q: What if the Hindus are right and we are reincarnated as cows? And you'd have all these cows with elaborate AfterlifeTelegrams.com messages they are contractually obligated to deliver to other cows, but they have no way to do it. Imagine the frustration. Isn't that cruel?

Paul: I admit reincarnation might screw things up.

Q: What guarantee can you give that the terminally ill person won't be a prankster and deliver a subversive message, causing great consternation among the dead? For example, let's say the paid-for message is, "Mom, I love you." But the delivered message is, "Dad says he slept with your sister."

Paul: We will seek messengers of high moral character.

Absolutely! This guy rocks.

~ Ankur.

Bloggingdom is here..

The Bloggers Have Arrived

Log on to your Orkut, now!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time..

After a long long time I managed to pick up a book and finish it off within a week. And it goes with the name The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

And this entry is not here because this has already happened. But that's immaterial, anyway.

So, as I was saying, the book is a great read. And innovatively imaginative. Noone has made me solve maths problems in a novel ever before! The narrative of Christopher Boone, the protagonist in the book, reminds one of Holden Caulfield of The Catcher in the Rye, as well as Vernon 'Gregory' Little.

Must read if you are even slightly free.

~ Ankur.