Friday, January 06, 2006

Orkut Profile of a Software Engineer

About me: I think I am changing the world, but I am not. I think I am contributing to the Indian economy, but I guess I am not. I think I love my work, but I do not. I think I hate all people who made me earn my engineering degree, and I do. I think I am living, but… and most importantly, I am LOOKING for someone!! Ok...I won't be funny anymore. I am a cool guy with a zeal to enjoy life (If you know me--> "Just stop laughing!!")

Relationship status: what?

Birthday: The day my PL is about to fire me

Age: 10111

Here for: web browsing in company hours

Children: can’t be (hey, don't get me wrong here!!)

Ethnicity: Programmer

Languages I speak: Java, C/C++, 010101110101

Religion: I get holidays on all religious festivals, so I love all religions.

Political view: the guy sitting beside me is a pig!!

Humor: weekly

Sexual orientation: When will I have sex?

Fashion: Ask my company HR. Btw, I like jeans, t-shirt and a cross-bag.

Smoking: The second greatest pleasure on the earth

Drinking: The first is this.

Pets: Yeah, my PL looks like a dog.

Living: Cummon, this is a stupid one. How can this be asked to a software engineer? Believe me, I am living!!

Hometown: My company (Oh God! Please bring my appraiser to this page)

Webpage: http://naukri.com, http://jobsahead.com

Passions: searching for the cheapest pub around, cursing my company, looking for another company, remembering my good old college days, worrying about my future

Sports: quake, CS, computer chess

Activities: Are you crazy?

Books: “How to lose weight in 20 days?”, "How to live a happy life?", "101 ways to attract a girl", “Java Unleashed”, “C++ at your footsteps”, Others censored

Music: Metallica, Pink Floyd, Nirvana, ACDC, and anything depressing

Tv shows: can’t afford one

Cuisines: Bread, Omelette, Butter, Maggi, anything available within 200 metres of home

And, the above post has been written by ME and its not a pick up!!

Monday, January 02, 2006

An interesting thought

I have borrowed this thought from my friend Aseem. Here I present this interesting comparison along with my inputs :)

The comparison is between JIT production and our risk-averse nature. I will start with a brief introduction to what happens in JIT which will help you appreciate the comparison better.

JIT: One of the cornerstone thought of JIT is that “Reduce inventory and capacity for improvement”. It is like a ship sailing over an ocean. More the water level, lower the probability that you will hit a stone. Inventory and excess capacity increases your water level. Everything goes on smoothly and you never feel any problem. JIT principle is to reduce this water level so that you fail and the, you improve.

Same thing is applicable to me and many of my batch mates from IIT and IIM. With 4 Is or 2 Is in their degrees, they have increased the water level. “Playing safe” seems to be the sole motive. Do IIT, then US/IIM, and then do a job. “Play safe” always. We are living in a small cocoon which guards us from failures, pains and miseries. And once you are guarded, you can never improve. Whoever said,“One failure teaches you more than 100 successes” is the greatest thinkers of all time (If nobody has said this, I am saying this :)).

One needs to reduce that water level to hit the road blocks and then learn. Otherwise, your boat will always sail across a river, it will never be able to voyage in an open ocean.

Another semester gone by...

Another grueling three months, another semester at IIM Bangalore gone by….now I am half an MBA (last 2 semesters are discounted!!).

Any memories from the last semester? Many, some great, some not so great. As a ritual, let’s first talk about the courses and the instructors. If I can summarize my learning from this semester, I learnt two things in this semester:

  • Corporate Finance: It was the most interesting course: 50% due to the instructor, Prof. V Ravi Anshuman (an IITK alumnus). During my engineering, we were told that theories work under only “ideal” situations which can be created under laboratory conditions. In markets, theories are never applicable because even the “ideal” conditions are not defined. It depends so much on individual behaviors and perception that the complexities are wonderful. Behavioral Corporate Finance seems to be an interesting topic to me, a mixture of Psychology and Finance. Would love to read about it…
  • Toyota Production System (TPS): Japanese proved the 200 year old theory of Adam Smith of “economies of scale” wrong!! You don’t have to produce the maximum for minimum costs. Right from the childhood we are taught this and now, suddenly JIT proves it all wrong. “The Goal” was a great reading.

No more learning from this semester!! Wondering why? Kotler was mercilessly butchered by our marketing professor. Most of the stuff in QM was not new to me. I found MPPO interesting enough.

Now, other things apart from academics. Hard work put in the first month paid off with an internship in Lehman Brothers. Read more about my summers experience in one of my previous postings.

Time spent with my friends was a great fun. I thoroughly enjoyed their company. May the friendship last for ever!

So, how would I rate my second semester? A lot may depend on the final grades I get :). But, discounting that effect, it was better than the last semester in terms of enjoyment that I had.