Business History: ICQ launch and build up.

Last updated on: April 3, 2006 at 1:08 am By Desh Kapoor

I will bring the history of different stuff in IT - this from a site called PrintedOwl: The first version of ICQ (I Seek You) is introduced by Israel-based Mirabilis in November 1996. The instant messaging application is enthusiastically received by hundreds of thousands of users. The ICQ interpersonal chat program achieves one of the largest download rates for a start-up company in the history of the Internet. ICQ Inc. is established after America Online acquires Mirabilis in June 1998. Read more

There was a Wall He Didnt Know of!

Last updated on: April 2, 2006 at 5:37 pm By Desh Kapoor

I just got this story from a friend - in one of those forwarded emails. I think - if I remember correctly - very similar to a story by H.H. Munro (aka Saki). If any of you remember the story this is from Saki's collection - pls do leave it in the comments.. or send me an email at [email protected] - thanks. Here is a brief on Saki: Saki was born Hector Hugh Munro in Akyab, Burma (now Myanmar), the son of Charles Augustus Munro, an inspector-general in the Burma police. Munro's mother, the former Mary Frances Mercer, died in 1872 - she was killed by a runaway cow in an English country lane. Munro was brought up in England with his brother and sister by aunts who frequently used the birch and whip. He was educated at Pencarwick School in Exmouth and Bedford Grammar School. From 1887 he traveled with his family in France, Germany and Switzerland. In 1891 his father settled in Devon, where he worked as a teacher. In 1893 Munro joined the Burma police. Three years later he was back in England and started his career as a journalist, writing for the Westminster Gazette. Read more

Outsourcing the Legal Research

Last updated on: April 2, 2006 at 9:12 am By Desh Kapoor

OK, guys here we are talking of jobs that are creme-de-la-creme in the US!! Lawyers are well paid and part of their job is to do good research. So, is the future of US law grads to be in just doing litigation in courts? Thinking of it.. what stops an Indian law grad to even advise the US clients - if he has passed the CA bar exam? He surely can over the internet!! Important Story!High-end legal services are likely to lead the next wave of offshoring with about 35,000 lawyers' jobs likely to move from US to countries like India by 2010. Read more

Insights on RSS trends and Stats

Last updated on: April 2, 2006 at 7:50 am By Desh Kapoor

I was trying to look at some of the stats providers for RSS feeds and found this nice blog post on Pheedo on their insights that they have gathered by looking "under the hood" of some of the services they provide. This is indeed some good info to know if you are a blogger with RSS feeds:Tuesday is the most active day in RSS; Saturday least active.- Our initial observations of the data point to Tuesday being the most active day for viewership, feed retrieval and click-throughs. Read more

Make Decisions??

Last updated on: April 2, 2006 at 7:12 am By Desh Kapoor

Here is a nice joke for the weekend!! ========= The manager of a large corporation got a heart attack, and the doctor told him to go for several weeks to a farm to relax. The guy went to a farm, and after a couple of days he was very bored, so he asked the farmer to give him some job to do. The farmer told him to clean the shit of the cows. The farmer thought that to somebody coming from the city, working the whole life sitting in an office, it will take over a week to finish the job, but for his surprise the manager finished the job in less than one day. Read more

Closed Heart Surgery

Last updated on: April 2, 2006 at 5:17 am By Desh Kapoor

Medical science is advancing at a faster pace than at any other time in the known history.. and that is bringing new hope to people who didnt have any. With the world population growing older by the day it seems as if the field of medicine will need to come up with some really astonishing stuff to keep the world's aging mass healthy! Just read this article and specially the stuff on artificial valve inserted by pushing it up one leg artery.... Dr. Samuel Lichtenstein cut a 2-inch hole between an elderly man's ribs. Peering inside, he poked a pencil-sized wire up into the chest, piercing the bottom of the man's heart. Within minutes, Bud Boyer would have a new heart valve - without having his chest cracked open. Call it closed-heart surgery. Read more

Do you need Money in Pocket to start business?

Last updated on: April 2, 2006 at 5:09 am By Desh Kapoor

One of my Prof's had once said that: Money never goes to a person who has more money; It always goes to one who knows how to use it. For, that is exactly what the Financial Institutions do - the take money from those who dont know how to use and give to people who know how to use it! This article actually brings that out! It takes money to make money, right? The old adage may hold in the financial markets, but when it comes to starting a business, it rings hollow, says Erik Hurst, a 33-year-old associate professor of economics at quant haven University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business. In a recent paper, Hurst, along with colleague Annamaria Lusardi of Dartmouth, splashed cold water on the purported correlation between wealth and entrepreneurship. And the two have plenty of numbers to back up their claims. Read more

Creating Nice Graphs

Last updated on: April 2, 2006 at 5:00 am By Desh Kapoor

This is a nice and simple tutorial on how to create a visually appealing graph using Adobe Illustrator. If you would like to create something like this for your business presentations then do use the Adobe tool... I have seen folks use it to great effect. I havent done it as yet.. but very soon I will. If you have used this or other tools do share your thoughts.. Read more

Southern Indian Rituals

Last updated on: April 1, 2006 at 10:15 pm By Desh Kapoor

Another List of Rituals - I think this is from Southern India.... Vara Satkaarah - Reception of the bridegroom and his kinsmen at the entrance gate of the wedding hall where the officiating priest chants a few mantras and the bride's mother blesses the groom with rice and trefoil and applies tilak of vermilion and turmeric powder. Madhuparka Ceremony - Reception of the bridegroom at the altar and bestowing of presents by the bride's father. Kanya Dan - The bride's father gives away his daughter to the groom amidst the chanting of sacred mantras. Vivah-Homa - The sacred fire ceremony ascertaining that all auspicious undertakings are begun in an atmosphere of purity and spirituality. Read more

Chronological Wedding Customs

Last updated on: April 1, 2006 at 10:12 pm By Desh Kapoor

Rokana Most often the primary pre-wedding custom is called the Rokana which literally means 'to stop'. The bride's parents first go to the prospective grooms house. Often a very simple ceremony attended by the parents and close relatives. The Rokana is conducted upon consent of the marriage by the bride and groom's family. The bride's parents will often give their future son in-law a small sum of money. In turn, the groom's parents go to the bride-to-be's house to do the same. With them, they might bring Chhuharas (figs), mithai (indian sweets) and some money. Chunni Chadana and Shuggun Read more