kvrlogs

Imagine. A place without the Social Media noise. A place to go to read what the great minds are thinking. A place without Advertisements or Clickbaits. That place was Medium. It is no more. But isn't Medium a business? It is a business at the end of the day. There is no free lunch. Medium has to pay its staff. The investors need an exit. But shouldn't knowledge and thoughts be free? Human Kind has progressed with the free flow of knowledge. Whenever knowledge was dammed, chaos reigned. Human progress slows down. When knowledge is shared, we grow by leaps and bounds. Tesla made all its patents open source. So other electric car manufacturers can develop on it. Volvo invented the seat belt and opened up its patent. They saved millions of lives. In contrast.. Apple and Google and Samsung - the Mobile Phone giants are patenting the smallest of idea - and stiffling innovation in Mobile phones - so no new ideas can come to life - except the giants. Or like India...

Few of my Muslim colleagues and friends were starting the month long Ramzan Fast.In  Tools of the Titans  book I had read how the health nuts go on long fasts and the health benefit they get. I had to jump into the fray.  I started researching on the month long 12 hour fast without food or water. I knew I could manage without food but water - that was the big doubt I had. I am someone who always goes around with a water bottle in hand. Here is the story on what I discovered in the 30 day fast.    Keto State First some Biology. There are 2 mechanisms how energy is distributed in the body.  The first is the normal one. We eat food - and the Carbohydrates gets broken down to glucose and blood carries this to all parts of the body. When glucose content is low we feel depleted and low on energy. Body refuses to move, brain usage slows down - and it will start searching for the next food - and the whole cycle repeats.  However, when things are not normal - w...

Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl is a difficult book to read - if you are the types who get sucked into it. I typically read before sleep, and I could not go to sleep while reading this book. Victor Frankl is a Psychatrist by profession and he and is wife are picked by the Germans and sent to the camps. The first half is all about Victor's experience in the Nazi camps. How the prisoners are shepherded from one Camp to another in train - with no knowledge if they are being sent to the Gas Chambers or to another camp. I strongly recommend this book - will give a new outlook to your life. "He who has a why to live forcan bear almost any how " "Mental health is based on a certain degree of tension - between what one has already achieved and what one still has to accomplish " "What man needs is not a tensionless state but rather striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal " "Live as if you are living already for the second time and ...

I love Tim Ferris and his hacks. [  4 Hour Work Week  ]  In Tools of Titans he has put together a bunch of show notes from his podcast interviews. Very shoddy and all mixed up and very difficult to read because of the links he has provided all over the place [ How am I supposed to watch a YouTube video on Kindle? ]. This style might not be digestible for some. Other than this little downside on the messy format - each and every chapter has some good take away or the other. Each of the celebrities [ from Startup, Tech, Media... name anything ]  have a few habits which has made them successful and they have shared it in this book. This book is like a Gold mine. Lot of actionable items.  Ok - here are some of the key take aways I am making it part of my daily routine.  1. Cold Showers. After an intense workout, the athletes sweat it out in a  Steam Sauna, then they immediately plunge themselves into a bathtub filled with ice blocks. These are what an...

Yesterday I went for a demo. An elderly gentleman - Vice President of this Society asked me - why should I pay recurring and not one time. Just give me your software we will put it in this computer - showed me an old computer with a CRT monitor - and we are good. It has been a while I had answered this question - "a while" being - might be 2 or 3 years. I take it for granted nowadays that Online Software as a Service ( SaaS ) is the way to go. Here are the Online Services I use - on a monthly / yearly basis . Personal 1. Apple Music - Rs.190 per month - for an infinite supply of songs. 2. Amazon Prime Subscription - Rs.499 per year ( introductory I believe - will be Rs.999 later ) 3. www.the-ken.com - Rs. 2,750 per year - for well researched Indian startup news 5 times a week. 4. Art of living app - Rs.60 per month. For the Pranayama count mainly. 5. Apple 200GB Storage - Rs.140 per month 6. Magzter - Top Gear - Rs.670 per year, Readers Digest - Rs.370 7...

Of the various hats I have worn all these years - founder, Sales guy, Deployment Specialist, Level 1 and Level 2 Support, DevOps, Cheque depositor - I have come to realize I was a Product Manager all along - right from the get go. Putting a label on what you do is extremely important. It helps you define the job you do, appreciate it, read more on it and helps you improve on that particular skill. If you are the guy/girl in charge of making the Product among the Founding Team - you are the Product Manager. Say it out aloud - " I am the Product Manager" . The fate of your entire Startup lies in your decisions. All other designations - CEO, CTO, Director, Co-Founder all are important - for the outside world and your team-mates - but nothing is as critical as the “Product Manager” hat you are wearing now. Strap the Product Manager Hat tight. When I gave Sales demo - I was not trying to get a Cheque out of the customer. I was listening to their pain points, and my mind was fran...

Dear PETA Good job on creating a mass movement and uniting a fractured Tamil Kingdom ruled between a Dynasty and bunch of Film Stars. Thank you - no one could have accomplished what you just did. I am not going into the merits of Jallikattu or demerits - but given the clout you posses - here are my humble requirements - so you will get your priorities right. Poultry and Cattle Transfer I wait on my bike in a traffic signal with the hot sun and exhaust fumes everywhere, sweat drips  from the helmet harness on to the petrol tank and as I watch it evaporate - I hear a few bird sounds nearby.. turn to my left and see these white chicken all squeezed tightly - suffocating under the same sun and exhaust fumes - luckily their trip is only a few hours before they turn into a tandoori platter. However, PETA - this is plain wrong. The poor souls deserve a decent journey the last few hours of their life. Please get Supreme Court to pass an order to transport these poor...

My first blog post of every new year is on the books I crunched in the past 1 year. Here is the list for previous years - 2010 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2014 and 2015 . For 2016 I had a target of 52 ( 1 per week ). Science Fiction Adventure stories on present earth life is boring. Drama is boring. Romance on Earth is boring. Only Science Fiction keeps me interested - it has all and much more. 1. Dark Forest by Cixin Liu Remember Stephen Hawking? Recently he gave an interview in which he said something ominous - if Aliens contact us please do not respond - this book gives the why. This is the 2nd part of the trilogy written by Chinese Author. Compared to first part it was a bit dull, and the story meanders through various attempts Humans make to fight with the advanced Alien species - through our primitive technologies. Towards the end the story unravels beautifully. 2. The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood Margaret Atwood is a much acclaimed author who is good at painting Dystopian world...