I found this quote in a design book( on good PowerPoint presentations)I am currently reading which alters a famous quote by Abraham Lincoln.
"Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man's character give him power".
The altered one:
"Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man's character give him powerpoint" !!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Book Recommendation: Outliers
" The three qualities that work has to have if it is to be satisfying and meaningful are: autonomy, complexity and a connection between effort and reward."- Malcolm Gladwell In Outliers.
Picked up this book by Gladwell(his latest) called Outliers. It is such an insightful read. In case you haven't read any of Gladwell, you must do, they provide insight and dimensions to ordinarily accepted phenomenon.
In Outliers he questions the really famous and successful people(like Gates) and probes into what makes them so successful. The answers extremely hard work( 10,000 hours), getting the right opportunities( luck) and the right cultural legacy.
The best of Gladwell: He weaves stories to make his point. Strong stories that stick. Makes his books so riveting and drives the point home.
A point he makes about why Asians are ordinarily better at math(with a few tweaks): "We sometimes think of mathematics as an innate ability. You either have it or you don't. But mathematics is not so much ability as attitude. You master mathematics if you are willing to try. Success is the function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for 22 minutes to make sense of something that most people give up after 30 seconds".
From my experience, that 's pretty much true for everything.
Loved the book.
Picked up this book by Gladwell(his latest) called Outliers. It is such an insightful read. In case you haven't read any of Gladwell, you must do, they provide insight and dimensions to ordinarily accepted phenomenon.
In Outliers he questions the really famous and successful people(like Gates) and probes into what makes them so successful. The answers extremely hard work( 10,000 hours), getting the right opportunities( luck) and the right cultural legacy.
The best of Gladwell: He weaves stories to make his point. Strong stories that stick. Makes his books so riveting and drives the point home.
A point he makes about why Asians are ordinarily better at math(with a few tweaks): "We sometimes think of mathematics as an innate ability. You either have it or you don't. But mathematics is not so much ability as attitude. You master mathematics if you are willing to try. Success is the function of persistence and doggedness and the willingness to work hard for 22 minutes to make sense of something that most people give up after 30 seconds".
From my experience, that 's pretty much true for everything.
Loved the book.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Book review: Unaccustomed earth
Just finished Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri on Divyani's recommendation.
Its been a while I have read fiction that I liked.
If you haven't read this book, it is awesome.
And I was no Jhumpa Lahiri fan, especially after reading the Namesake( don't read it its terrible). I was also tired of people writing about immigration and the issues people deal with , but that is besides the point.
I haven't read the whole book only half of it: the story of Hema and Kaushik. Its amazing.
Read it as soon as you can.
A note on Lahiri's writing style: It's simple. Love the underlying humour in places. And loooove her excellent observation and the nuances of which she incorporates in her writing. Appreciate it even more since I have stayed in the US as well now.
Go read Hema and Kaushik. I won't spoil the story for you even a bit here.
Its been a while I have read fiction that I liked.
If you haven't read this book, it is awesome.
And I was no Jhumpa Lahiri fan, especially after reading the Namesake( don't read it its terrible). I was also tired of people writing about immigration and the issues people deal with , but that is besides the point.
I haven't read the whole book only half of it: the story of Hema and Kaushik. Its amazing.
Read it as soon as you can.
A note on Lahiri's writing style: It's simple. Love the underlying humour in places. And loooove her excellent observation and the nuances of which she incorporates in her writing. Appreciate it even more since I have stayed in the US as well now.
Go read Hema and Kaushik. I won't spoil the story for you even a bit here.
Encarta gone?
I read recently that Microsoft shut down its encyclopedia Encarta.
Brought back a few childhood memories when Encarta was the sole source of doing class projects. For picture, information... our very own know-all.
God wish someone had predicted what Google and Wikipedia combined would do.
Then you look around and see it happening in other things as well: newspapers for instance.
So if you are in Encarta's position what do you do?
Provide your information free? Go for a premium subscription with most of it free?
Its tough to compete when you know your opponent gives it for free. And almost impossible to displace it.
How does one compete with Wikipedia?
But maybe someone can attack Wikipedia's weakest link:( which is why it can do so much for free):The credibility and source of information since anyone can edit it. Thus Wikipedia can never be quoted as a reference anywhere legitimately.
For an instance even if I find some piece of useful information for my articles on Wikipedia I am never allowed to quote them. So I spend so much more time searching for places which I can provide as authentic references.
How about a site which provides us information and also legitimate sources for references to quote in articles, projects, papers. Limiting who can contribute and making it a knowledge powerhouse.
I hope someone does this in the future.
Brought back a few childhood memories when Encarta was the sole source of doing class projects. For picture, information... our very own know-all.
God wish someone had predicted what Google and Wikipedia combined would do.
Then you look around and see it happening in other things as well: newspapers for instance.
So if you are in Encarta's position what do you do?
Provide your information free? Go for a premium subscription with most of it free?
Its tough to compete when you know your opponent gives it for free. And almost impossible to displace it.
How does one compete with Wikipedia?
But maybe someone can attack Wikipedia's weakest link:( which is why it can do so much for free):The credibility and source of information since anyone can edit it. Thus Wikipedia can never be quoted as a reference anywhere legitimately.
For an instance even if I find some piece of useful information for my articles on Wikipedia I am never allowed to quote them. So I spend so much more time searching for places which I can provide as authentic references.
How about a site which provides us information and also legitimate sources for references to quote in articles, projects, papers. Limiting who can contribute and making it a knowledge powerhouse.
I hope someone does this in the future.
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