Competition for MacBook Air

I am not a big fan of Apple products, though I found MacBook Air very interesting, when saw it's preview. I think it is a new generation notebook which claims of being the thinnest notebook. But I also come to hear about the Thinkpad X300 from Lenovo. It is also an interesting notebook that we have as an option of MacBook Air.



Here I would like to compare some of it's features of Thinkpad X300 Air with MacBook.

• Thinkpad has dimension of 12.5 x 9.1 x 0.73 inches where as MacBookAir's dimension is 12.8 x 8.94 x 0.7 inches.
• Thinkpad has soft key keyboard which is better in terms of user comfort than MacBook(as experts say)
  
• Thinkpad comes with removable battery while MacBook have non removable battery. I know it doesn't make a big difference, but still it is a good feature that think pad have. You can choose battery that gives upto 10 hours backup in case of Thinkpad. But in case of MacBook, you have only one choice of battery, which gives backup of 5 hours.
  
• Thinkpad has Eithernet as well as Wi-Fi, but MacBook has Wi-Fi only.
  
• Thinkpad comes with 3 USB Port and a DVD Drive. While MacBook comes with only one USB Port and no DVD in it.
• Memory of Thinkpad can be upgraded upto 4 GB. While MacBook have maximum 2 GB memory with no option to upgrade.
  

Here it is also worth mentioning that Thinkpad X 300 is more professional oriented. That's why importance is given to performance, security and backup over looks. It also has some drawbacks like it comes with no Hard Disk, but a 64 MB SSD Drive, which is not ideal in terms of storage. But still I think, it will give tough competition to MacBook Air in the market.

HOW TO EARN RESPECT AS A MANAGER

HOW TO EARN RESPECT AS A MANAGER

• "New managers need to learn that they are expected to drive positive change, not maintain the status-quo."
• "If you think your job as a manager is just to keep things running smoothly then you will never be recognized as a true leader."
• "Great managers collect ideas from everywhere and have the business knowledge to know a good idea when they see it."
• "A big part of defining actionable goals is understanding all the great things you are not going to do"
• "Every effective manager I know got started by taking responsibility and action for their own education and success"

Five Tips to Create a Positive Learning Environment

Five Tips to Create a Positive Learning Environment *

Managers and supervisors should create an atmosphere that not only
provides constructive dialogue and recognition for a job well done but
also motives employees to continue to learn and improve. Therefore,
you should train supervisory personnel how to provide meaningful
feedback to employees, set achievable performance goals, and monitor
performance between formal evaluations.

To help your managerial employees with the process, you should provide
written guidelines explaining how to perform evaluations. These
guidelines should outline the steps to follow and instruct supervisors to:

1. Provide useful feedback to employees by focusing on specific
events or behaviors. For example, it is better to tell an employee that his
failure to help with a rush order contributed to a missed deadline and
created morale problems, as opposed to just saying he has a "bad
attitude."

2. Prepare a written appraisal that includes future performance
goals. Goals may be both short-term and long-term and can cover a
wide variety of objectives, depending on the employee's current job
responsibilities and future aspirations. Identified core competencies
should be used to determine future performance goals. Goals should be
specific and quantifiable where possible, such as the completion of a
specific project within a set period of time. To help employees meet their
goals, supervisors should be prepared to offer additional training or other
necessary support. New performance goals should be recorded,
reviewed regularly, and modified as appropriate.

3. When needed, create an action plan for improving performance.
Action plans can be helpful when an employee has performance
problems that need correction. The supervisor should identify and
discuss the problems with the employee as they occur and suggest a
course of action to improve performance. The plan should detail the
nature of the problem, the steps that both the employee and the
supervisor will take to help solve the problem, and the time within which
the plan is to be implemented. The employee should have input into the
plan and be encouraged to suggest changes. Once a plan has been
agreed upon, it should be reviewed regularly to make sure the employee
is on track and able to implement it successfully.

4. Give the written appraisal to the employee several days prior to
the review meeting and encourage him to make comments and suggest
changes to the goals and action plan. By allowing the employee to read
the evaluation and plan before the meeting, you can make the process
more efficient and help defuse possible initial negative reactions. In
addition, employee input is essential to creation of realistic performance
goals and individual buy-in.

5. Create a relaxed atmosphere for the appraisal meeting.
Appraisals should take place in a private, comfortable setting, and
adequate meeting time should be scheduled. The manager should begin
the session by briefly explaining and reviewing the appraisal process and
by encouraging employee questions and comments throughout the
meeting.

Yahoo announces BrowserPlus

http://browserplus.yahoo.com/


Well, it turns out that Yahoo was working in the past on BrowserPlus™ that allows developers to create rich web applications with desktop capabilities.

Its not a very long time since Adobe or Google announced there respective products Google Gear and Adobe Air

Yahoo plugin seems nice in the first look but I still doubt if people would want to install any 3rd party plugins on there machine. It would be a different story if these plugins are bundled with the browser installation then it will make sense to move in the direction of doing development on these.

Duke GEMBA'08 - India Panel Discussion

I was reading this presentation and just wanted to share it with you all.
It's really interesting. It is about growth of India although the figures listed in the presentation are not really current. It would be better if we had some current data but still a good head start.

| View | Upload your own

iPhone 3G Launch Date Confirmed

We all suspected it, but now it is confirmed: someone very, very close to the 3G iPhone launch has told me that Apple will announce their new model at the WWDC Keynote on June 9th. The second-generation iPhone will be available worldwide right after the launch, and not at year's end, as previously thought. The new model will also herald new sales policies in some countries.

In Spain, for example, the 3G iPhone will be available for sale at the June 18th grand opening of Telefonica's megastore—an Apple Store-like shop located in the company's historical building in Madrid's Gran Vía— with nationwide availability the next day or after a few hours. The other European countries with iPhone availability will have similar launch schedules.

According to another source involved in the launch, the 3G iPhone will no longer be available at a fixed price point—at least in some countries, and its launch will also bring new sales policies, although these have not been completely specified yet.

The move is a logical step, since the iPhone has clearly solidified its position as the cellphone to beat during the last 12 months, and companies in the cutthroat European cellphone market need to use it as an incentive to capture clients aggressively.

This most probably means the new 3G iPhone will be integrated in the usual marketing systems of carriers, with point-based trade-ups, discounts for carrier switchers and other service-based subvention packages.

http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2007/12/07/sources-confirm-3g-iphone-launch-in-june-08-dozens-stunned-by-news/

HOW SHOULD WE BE CREATIVE???

Learning to be creative

Some people wrongly assume there are certain “creative” types out there who will spontaneously generate brilliant, world-stopping ideas all day if you stick them in a room with some trendy designer furniture and a chai latte.

The idea that some people are creative and others are not is a myth. In fact creativity is an innate gift of being human. It’s a matter of setting yourself up to tap into it.

That said, creativity doesn’t just happen, instead it has to be consciously created. And while it might sound counter-intuitive, one way to encourage creativity is through purposeful rituals.

Rather than proscribing or limiting behaviour, rituals can be vehicles for expressing what matters most to you and to your business. Rituals help put values into action and keep you focused and walking your talk.

It’s easy to say you value creativity, but in the real world of stress and tight deadlines, how can creativity flourish if it isn’t part of a conscious, ritualised way of being?

If you want to walk the creativity talk, why not think about ways you can build creativity habits into your work day? For example, you could resolve to start every day with a piece of inspiration – an article, a chapter of a book, an image – whatever you like. Don’t let yourself begin work until you’ve spent some time learning and engaging your mind.

Alternatively, you could designate a certain time each day to stop, leave what you’re doing and clear your mind for ten minutes. Even when you’re in a rush, or especially when you’re in a rush, this can be a very valuable and refreshing exercise. Sometimes it pays to do the counter-intuitive thing.

If you’re clear on what supports you to be creative, you could develop a series of questions to ask yourself at certain times during the day.

• Am I conscious and connected?
• Have I sought any feedback today?
• Am I feeling confident and positive about my strengths and capabilities?
• Do I have any limiting belief systems kicking in? What’s that about?

Honest answers to questions like these, answers that are meaningful to you, can really support the flow of creative energy as they confront and challenge creative block.

There are hundreds of ways to make creativity a habit. Ultimately, it’s up to you. And that’s the point. Your very own rituals should help you maintain focus, stay true to your values, and produce work of which you are not only proud, but in which you also delight.

Rituals are a reflection of our approach to our work, and of what is important to us. They can help us form productive and positive habits. Rituals can help maintain credibility with our clients, and, perhaps most importantly, with ourselves.

ALWAYS BE OPEN TO LEARN :)

iPhone unavailable from apple online store

All gone !!!!


I think this is a sign for the newer version of 3G iphone coming in next month.

I still dont know JavaScript !!!!!!!

I got shock while coding when i noticed

0 (zero) AND "" (NULL) are equal

Just tested it

alert(0=="");

it was strange for me when it alerted TRUE

Then i think again......

" Do i know JavaScript? "

Infosys opens retail stores in India

Infosys foray into Rs.88,000 crore apparel retailing ? - Store opened in Bangalore campus.

Mark Zuckerberg in India

If someone can tell what is he doing in India then you can probably win 10K

http://techgoss.com/fullstory.aspx?storyid=c6025410478050808050808%205:46:32%20AMS14469fa

Converting a DateTime value to a Unix Timestamp (ms sql server)

While trying to decode the ExtJs library, I came across a obstacle that the time format of Ext Library was Timestamp (unix) while my data was stored in DateTime format. After long hunt for solving this problem, I came across a page: http://mysql.databases.aspfaq.com/how-do-i-convert-a-sql-server-datetime-value-to-a-unix-timestamp.html

This page provided me the solution for my problem. The solution that I used was put this query in my DataAdapter: "select *, excerpt = left(postDesc,100), timestamp = DATEDIFF(s, '19700101', lastPost) from topic"

Here DATEDIFF(s, '19700101', lastPost) converts datetime into timestamp. The writer suggested that this method can convert dates upto 2038-01-19 at 3:14:08 AM only. The write also suggested the alternative function to get dates after above said date. The function is as:

CREATE FUNCTION dbo.DTtoUnixTS
(
@dt DATETIME
)
RETURNS BIGINT
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @diff BIGINT
IF @dt >= '20380119'
BEGIN
SET @diff = CONVERT(BIGINT, DATEDIFF(S, '19700101', '20380119'))
+ CONVERT(BIGINT, DATEDIFF(S, '20380119', @dt))
END
ELSE
SET @diff = DATEDIFF(S, '19700101', @dt)
RETURN @diff
END


I think this is a great stuff

First Impression

"First impression is not last but long lasting impression"


Earlier, they use to say that “Your First Impression is the last impression” and now, they say that “your first impression is not the last impression but long-lasting impression. Hence, there is a scope to rectify your “first impression” and at times there is also a need to do so. There are times when we think that we have made a mistake…we should not have carried ourselves the way we did and then we look forward to one chance to correct our “first impression”.


What is “First Impression”

Though, your looks and appearance is a part of your impression but that is not the only thing, which matters. Your impression means your overall personality and it consists of:

1. The Way you carry yourself
2. Your Dress-up
3. The way you express yourself
4. Your Mannerism
5. Your Behavior
6. Your Communication
7. The way you treat the other person

For an impression to be called as FI, this must be your first meeting with that person. FI can be of two types – Planned and Unplanned. It is planned, when you are aware of it. For example,

1. Your job - interview,
2. Business meeting with client,
3. Dating,
4. You are invited as a guest

FI can be planned, when you are not prepared for it. For example, people looking at you when you are walking down the street; when you are traveling; when you are just passing through a place, you are at a place where people around you hardly matters to you etc. This first impression process occurs in every new situation. Within the first few seconds, people pass judgment on you – looking for common surface clues. Once the first impression is made, it is virtually irreversible.

The process works like this:

1. If you appear to be of comparable business or social level, you are considered suitable for further interaction.
2. If you appear to be of higher business or social status, you are admired and cultivated as a valuable contact.
3. If you appear to be of lower business or social standing, you are tolerated but kept at arm's length.

If you are in an interview situation, you can either appear to match the corporate culture or not, ultimately affecting the outcome.

For the purpose of this article, we will be concentrating on Planned FI because people making an impression about you, when you are walking down the street, hardly matters to anyone.

How to Change your First Impression????

Suppose you are at the receiving end, you met a person and he made certain opinion about you, it can be about your behavior or the way you carry yourself. Or he has read about you or has heard about you and based on that there was already some notion in his mind. You know that you are not what the other person is thinking or assuming about you. Will you make an attempt to correct that impression or assumption?

Well it depends from person to person , some people are hardly bothered what other people think about them , and some are highly social and for them impression and what people think and talk about them is very important. What actually important is that one should understand what that everyone have positive and negative. Just be confident of themselves and they will end up giving Good Impression.

Speed optimization in ASP .Net web applications

Following are some of the points, that need to be kept in mind while developing a web based application in ASP .Net:

• First and most popular way to speed up a web application is to use caching.
• Disable ViewState property of any control that does not need view state.
• Put all code of page_load under if(!isPostback) other than codes that specifically need to be loaded on every page load.
• Use javascript in a separate file and embed them rather than putting it into the same file. Also remove any unused javascripts from file.
• Do not throw an exception unless doing so is necessary.
• Disable session state, when not using it.
• Use StringBuilder for large string operations.
• In case of using web services use asynchronous call to web services. Also wait for end of the call before the page is fully loaded.
• Use Threading when downloading huge amount of data.

Apart from the above points, the most important part is the Data Access part of a web application, which reduces the performance of an application. Every time we go for some query of data or other data accesses from database, we reduce the speed of the application. So, following points should be taken care of while establishing a data connection:

• Use DataReader: If you're just consuming rather than caching data, and operate in a forward-only, read-only way, the data reader represents a better option.
• Use Caching of Data: However all data cannot be cached or in some cases when data changes every moment caching may not be efficient, still retrieving cached data is faster than retrieving it from database. Caching should be used very carefully because, the longer time you cache a value, the more stale it becomes.
• Use useful properties of SQLDataSource: Instead of writing a query that includes the "Where", or "Sort By" clauses use the caching, filtering and sorting properties of the SQLDataSourse provider.
• Use Stored Procedures: Stored Procedures should be used whenever it is possible, as SQL server builds and stores execution plans for procedures.
• Use Paging: In case of large data handling, one should use paging to make it efficient and fast. There are two types of paging available in ASP .Net: default paging and custom paging. Custom Paging is better among the two, as it requests less data from database than default paging.

Disclaimer: compiled from various sources.