Perils of solo-sailing

I am not a sailor. Nor am I comfortable challenging myself against nature. And that's probably why I am so intrigued and awed by those who do so. Why do people risk their lives? What are they accomplishing? Especially, those who have meaningful jobs and loads of accomplishments in much more sane "real" world.

Take for example, Jim Gray. Turing award winner (considered the Nobel prize in Computer Science) gone missing earlier this year.

I recently watched Deep Water. A fascinating documentary/movie on the perils of solo-sailing and how the indifferent sea can impact the human mind in solitude. Though I will never fathom what draws people like Jim to such adventures, but I did get some insights through this movie. Highly recommended.

Trusted Advisor

I have still not figured out a way to kinda balance all the things that are in my plate and so blogging has not seeped its way into my laundry list of activities. So amidst traveling between Charlotte and Chicago and DC in between - classes, seminars, homeworks - not to mention happy hours and Diwali parties all seem to fight for its due place in my calendar. So, I am still iterating different possibilities to find the right mix - my version of the "golden mean". There are so many thoughts racing my mind and so many topics to write about in a way has been acting more as deterrent by jamming my head rather than providing food to pen. So one thing at a time.

Last weekend I had the good fortune of attending Prof Hitendra Wadwa's strategy consulting bootcamp which was a memorable experience. As I have been consulting for a while and encounter different people with varied views on what consulting is and consulting should be, it was quite refreshing to find what he had to say especially in the area of buying in the support of the client and key stake holders. The role of trust as being the paramount force in getting your advice heard and accepted by the client. In this regard, I learned about David Maister's book "The trusted advisor". I have gone through the first pass of the book and it is quite an interesting read the changing nature of consulting (for that matter any high-end professional service). How one moves from a mere service provider to a trusted advisor. The central idea being the role of trust and relationship with the client in building long term business proposition. In a way going back to "conversation", "relationship", and within that relationship enact a business transaction. The book really throws light into what distinguishes subject matter consultants from general management/strategy consultants.

The book is an enjoyable read. As with any soft skill - developing and mastering it is not easy and quantifiable. But what distinct ordinary consultants from extraordinary is the mastery in the art of relationship building, bonding, and intimacy with the client. David Maister's blog is here. I will explore more into this area. As David points out at every step - as with personal life , in professional life to offer advice and to see that the advice is realized, one has to earn the right to offer advice first. And just because the client is paying you does not automatically give that right to you. Like a personal relationship, connection at an emotional level is necessary.

Back to writing

For the last couple of months - several changes have been taking away my attention. And somehow I realized how in installments my entire day is getting consumed. Well, one aspect of my life that has become really interesting is my back-to-school venture. I joined U of Chicago GSB for my MBA and so far has been quite an interesting experience. In vein of Chicago GSB and me writing this blog again, I cant help myself from linking to neat article on I,Pencil, a very well-written essay on free markets. Check this here.

Buy vs Build vs Opensource in confusedofcalcutta.com

JP makes some interesting points (as always) in his post in confusedofcalcutta.com while discussing when to build vs. buy vs. Opensource software. He goes on to say the staff in an IT department should devote their time in accordance with the problem they are solving. And then, the part that set me thinking was -

“You see, the primary reason why “proprietary” companies get upset with things like opensource is because they’re fighting a losing battle. They want us to pay a premium for the solutions to our common problems, because that’s their business model.”

I couldn’t agree with him more. But I also think that we cannot entirely presuppose that it is because of a favorable already-in-place business model that’s causing them to be leery and in many ways upset with the thought of Opensource. A major part of the problem is defining the problem itself and having a better understanding of what we are trying to solve. In other words, does the internal IT department and the vendors understand whether it is a common problem, rare problem, or a unique problem in the first place? Is the solution going to be generic and can be applied to others in the industry? Is it applicable across industry? And so on. To answer these questions folks in the IT departments need not only internal awareness and understanding of their own problem but also need to know what’s going on outside their organization in other places. Sharing of information through industry networks and participation in such communities (including Opensource as JP mentioned) becomes very important to obtain and get educated in this information. It requires management commitment and incentives for the staff to participate in these forums. In my work life, over the last few years, I have found there is a gradual decrease of participants from utility companies (including IT department) in industry conferences, workgroups, and even in the standardization processes for a variety of reasons – most common of those are motivated by cost cutting and evaporation of an incentive program for staff to engage in these activities. Most of the participants these days represent vendors or consulting companies. It is interesting to see that this lack of information and external awareness is correlated to loss of power with vendors in seeking solutions or even buying systems and services. By the same token, a few leading utilities leverage tremendous buying power with vendors driving the vendors to innovate and incorporate features and even not paying any premium simply because they could justify that the problems are not unique as being claimed by the vendor. So while it is important to focus on the nature of our solutions, it is equally important to understand the problem. And the role of industry communities, knowledge groups, sharing of information, relationships, and conversations are vitally important at the problem side of the equation as well.

My down time

I have been taking a break from writing this blog. I will be back in the first week of August. Apart from my day job, I am enjoying summer in DC. Beach, aimless reading, and photography. And of course hanging out with all my friends. I will be back here soon.

Bengalis and Fish

Being a Bengali, I cannot culturally separate myself from fish and rice. Today, Salon has an interesting article that resonates with my chords. Here it is.

Today's news

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From Life gives you lemons.

BTW, I love Apple. I think iPhone is cool. But, when I had to buy a new cell phone last week, I bought the Nokia N75. Had too many open ifs and buts with the iPhone.

Google Street View

I just tried out the new Google Streetview feature. I was awed. Sometime back while giving directions to a group of friends I was struggling through explaning all the detours because of all the construction work that is going around. It became quite obvious that the plan view of street maps had its limitiations. After all we don't drive using the plan view. I was wondering - how nice if we had an elevation view in road maps - which showed buldings and landmarks - just the view we get while we drive. I thought about going around taking pictures from the nearest subway stop to my apartment which will be a good half a dozen pics for a 5 minute walk. I cannot imagine that Google has actually ventured to implement this. It is available for some cities now. But to step out in that direction is all about thinking huge and considering it is all in the art of the possible. Remarkable!

Voyerism and Blogosphere

Tom Friedman writes (subscription required) about how persistence of information makes our life open to rest of the world. Google my name and you will get a sense of what I have done. My real life is out there for people and yeah, if I screw up - it's written in stone forever. Well, what Friedman writes about is an ongoing discussion which some people have come to understand faster than the others. Others will come upto speed - eventually. For some, unfortunately, it will come rather painfully. The kicker is - that "learning from your own mistakes" this time may prove very costly - since getting a second chance once your reputation is tarnished and stored in the internet can be impossible to be undone. So - as some people do - get smart. Learn from other's mistakes and to kick up a notch learn to pre-emept possible problems and prevent such situations. It is critical that as individuals, as groups, as companies, as communities - we run ourselves - as we are being watched, taped, and tapped. While I was growing up, my mom used to say the "eyes of the invisble" (you may call it God) sees everything, knows everything. As time and age drove me to pursue questions of life, existence, and Woody Allen movies - I got sucked into philosophical explorations of voyerism. Well, movies opened this question for the first time. But now, with the pervasive availability of such information - the reality is omnipresent. My past is my present (as Friedman says). The power of the invisible is real. Deal with the voyerism - or perish. We can't hide ourselves anymore.

China's Universal Cellphone Charger and Regulation

I bought a new cellphone last week. After some shopping around, I finally decided on Nokia N75. After one week, I must admit I am liking it a lot. But the most annyoing aspect is that I have to carry one more charger with me. When I travel, I have my blackberry, a laptop, an iPod, and my cell phone. Each has its own charger and so often do I stumble and freak out - just to keep track of each one. How many times have I wondered how nice it would be if there were one universal charger. No more becoming paranoid whether I have forgetten it in my hotel rooms or forgotten to bring them along.

The Chinese government has definitely heard from people like me and have come up with this regulation. Universal cell phone charger. How cool is that? When will US follow suit? How come Chinese ministry can think of such regulation. One possible reason may be that Information minister has a background in engineering. It is quite impressivee to see how many top leaders in Chinese government have engineering degrees. Who knows! May be that's the key to getting a universal charger. User convenience precedes over user captivity.

Facebook?

There is quite a buzz around Facebook and I was not quite getting the long and short of it. Why? Well, this post from Marc Andreessen explains quite a bit.

Seth's Drivers

Seth Godin writes about different kinds of drivers in organizations. Read it here.

Energy and Happiness

Several years back, the King of Bhutan coined the term Gross National Happiness. Here's an interesting take on how energy consumption relates to happiness. Read it here.

Enforceable NERC standards

Finally, the NERC standards for reliability have become enforceable. This will translate to dollars being spent in conformance programs and will involve IT spending. While different stakeholders will surely have different opinions and views on how to deal with this requirement, there is no doubt that this is some work that needs to be done. It will be interesting how it unfolds. here's another article. Also, the FERC reliability site has important info.

For full disclosure - I consult utilities in the area of regulatory compliance.

Internet still not there...

Stephen Lewis has an interesting point that only a small stock of knowledge and information resides in the internet and that too it is not well stocked. A visit to my local public library proves this point. Taking his view a bit tangentially, many a writer or a journalist kids himself that wheeling through the internet will substitute the dusty wheels and heat of travelling through the Sahara to cover a story. Well, the good ones don't, and the good ones will not do so in near future. It will take a while for the internet to get there...

Failure as an option

Hugh has this nice post. Failure stinks but I can't deny that I have learned much more - whether it is about software, people, projects, or relationships from failures than from anything else. When others say such stuff - I sometimes feel it is an overused cliche'. But when I look into my life and see it closely - I agree it is true. Rock on Hugh...

HBSWK cites greater need for general managers in energy

HBS working knowledge highlights the importance of general managers in energy who are able to appreciate the different cross-connects between various disciplines. Those who can cut across entire value chain of generation to distribution. And across diverse generation methods, environmental challenges, and financial requirements. Read it here.

Sopranos ending...

[spoiler ahead]

I had to wait a good 4 hours until I confirmed it was not my TV or cable that crashed right at the end. By the time I got back something, acknowlegments were on. Anyway, such an ending was way out of my imagination. Seems like David Chase did something similar to what Michale Haneke did with Cache'. The idea being - it is not director's job to settle all plots and answer everything. It is upto the audience to keep thinking. Although, the ending baffled me for several hours, the more I think about it - the more I like it. No moral statements, no judgment calls, non-pedantic, and quite intense. Simply remarkable!

Info Aggregation

I am considering buying a property and have been using zillow (I don't think we can say zillowing as yet) quite a bit. A very good example of information aggregation where I can check a particular location, check real estate prices, whether they are up for sale, prospective real estate agents, and so on. Some of the places are quite old and I have been wondering how about electric utilities and also water supply companies allowing us to access what the typical utility bills are. If they are listening, listen to what Dr. Weinberger has to say "If you love your information set it free"

Fermat's last theorem

Here's a great documentary: