The trend for stupid April Fool pranks continues into 2008
Having read some of the stupid April Fool jokes floating around since yesterday and day before, I cant help but wonder - am I the only one who finds them getting progressively lousy each passing year ?
With the proliferation of the blogosphere, its become incredibly easy to float a wild rumor and pass it on as your big, ingenuity laden April fool’s prank.
I dont know about others, but I’m laughing no more. Yawn …..
Domain names in Hindi will have to wait
For Internet to be really succcessful in India, its no surprise that it will need to embrace the local languages. While Hindi content is definitely emerging at a lot of places, especially blogs - domain names still need to be entered in English. A meeting of ICANN in India discussed this issue, but no decision has been reached.It looks like domain names in regional Indian languages will have to wait some longer.
For an example of a page in Hindi and which has the domain name in Hindi as well, see here.
Will be at BrewHaha in Bangalore today evening
I have been in Bangalore since the weekend and shall be at BrewHaHa (www.brewhaha.in) in Koramangla today evening between 6-8 pm. Feel free to drop by and have a chat over some coffee.
MetroMela removed from the poll for local startups
Call this an impulsive act - I really dont care.
After getting 7-8 self-promotional, spammy comments from MetroMela folks, my patience wore out. I’ve removed them from the poll for local search startups. I ignored and simply deleted the first 4-5 comments but after receiving an additional 2-3 today - it looked like they werent gonna stop.
Here’s a suggestion to MetroMela folks on how to do PR via blogs - Dont Spam !!! Not just me - everyone hates it.
Wish you a happy new year
Here’s wishing all of you a very happy new year.
2007 saw a lot of activity in the Indian startup, entrepreneurship, VC, mobile and broadband areas. Entrepreneurship is becoming sexy - thanks to events like Proto, Headstart and all the mainstream media coverage. Even though challenges remain, pieces of the ecosystem are slowly falling into place. Lets hope that we carry forward all the positive momentum from 2007 and hope for an even amazing 2008.
StartupDunia has seen its own share of ups and downs throughout 2007. While I’ve tried to post regularly, personal issues have required me to take a break from blogging a couple of times. Inspite of the bumpy ride, it has been an amazing year for the blog - readership and subscriber count are way up and I can hardly keep up with the inbox overload. More than all, I’ve made some amazing new contacts over the year. A big thanks to all of you for your support.
My goal for 2008 is threefold:
1) blog as regularly as possible 2) emphasize more on the quality of posts 3) keep providing the platform for startup and entrepreneurs
As always, your input and feedback is very valuable — so keep it coming.
Again - wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2008. Stay safe and stay healthy !!
Come join StartupDunia
Things are getting a bit out of hand for me to cope up single handedly. Hence, I’m thinking of bringing an additional writer on board at StartupDunia.
Here’s what I’d prefer:
* Ability to write somewhat frequently
* Preferably based in Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi, Pune or Chennai
* Passionate about startups, Internet, entrepreneurship, Web 2.0 etc. in India
This will be an unpaid position. The single biggest benefit is an instant exposure to a large, pre-existing audience.
If you’re interested, drop me an email at contact {AT} startupdunia {DOT} com . If you have your own blog, prior writing experience or can provide a writing sample, it’d be a huge plus.
Kite photography in India - simply amazing
A bit off-topic, but I couldnt help writing about this one (pardon me for going off-topic every once a while….I dont keep a separate personal blog). Check out this novel way of photography of India by Nicolas Chorier.
Why is his photography unique ?
Well, he attaches a camera below a kite (not your normal kite, mind you). The camera is remotely operated and he can get a panaroma as well as a focussed view. Apparently, this kite photography does give some excellent photos. Here’s a sample photo of Jama Masjid. For more photos, check out his website.
Does it matter where people went to college ?
Between the volume of people we judge and the rapid, unequivocal test that’s applied to our choices, Y Combinator has been an unprecedented opportunity for learning how to pick winners. One of the most surprising things we’ve learned is how little it matters where people went to college.
This is what Paul Graham says in his latest essay. How little it actually matters to the success of a startup where you went to college.
In addition to the power of the brand name, graduates of elite colleges have two critical qualities that plug right into the way large organizations work. They’re good at doing what they’re asked, since that’s what it takes to please the adults who judge you at seventeen. And having been to an elite college makes them more confident.
While the bias towards elite schools exists in the US too, it isnt as profound (and in-your-face) as in the Indian society. In the US, there are still several top-tier schools (including the Ivy leagues) that fall into the ‘elite’ category. On the contrary, elite schools in India comprise mainly of the IIT’s and the IIM’s. An IIT-IIM education is highly sought after, extremely lucrative and well respected in the Indian society.
But the objective of my post is not to start the age old ‘are IITs IIMs worth the hype’ debate.
The point I wanted to stress upon is the fact that more than the IIT - IIM education, you have to believe in yourself. Fikr not if you did not make the cut - dont let insecurity creep in. The moment you start doubting yourself, you’re headed for mediocrity.
The unfortunate thing is not just that people are judged by such a superficial test, but that so many judge themselves by it. A lot of people, probably the majority of people in the America, have some amount of insecurity about where, or whether, they went to college.
Give the essay a read and let me know your thoughts about it. These insights, coming from a person of Paul Graham’s stature, are pretty thought provoking.
Indians Are Privately Smart and Publicly Dumb
In his book - “Games Indians Play: Why we Are the Way We Are”, author V Raghunathan applies game theory concepts to present the Indian psyche - attitude. Using examples like the tendency of Indians to drive through red lights, the author argues that Indians focus on short term gains as opposed to long term benefits. The author is a former professor at IIMA, former president at ING Vysya Bank and currently serves as MD of GMR Industries.
Knowledge@Wharton has an interesting interview with V Raghunathan about his book. The interview has definitely piqued my interest in the book.
If you have read the book, drop in a line and let me know how you found the book.
BarCampMumbai2 scheduled for October 2nd week
BarCamp Mumbai 2 is scheduled to take place on October 13th at the Shailesh Mehta School of Mgt, IIT Bombay campus.
More details and signup for the event here.