Moving my BLOG to Posterous

• Check balajil.com
• However, this blog will stay the same

Flip Robot Kit, Rs 500, free shipping

• What are you buying your kids/ nephew/ niece this summer?
• Make your first interactive robot
• FLIP robot kit,  Cost Rs 500, free shipping 

Visit  http://imakerobots.com/robatkit.html for more details

• Pass the word

Its a short life

• Life is short whether you like to believe/accept it or not
• Time flies .. Blink and you miss it
• Make sure you work on THE MOST IMPORTANT things
• If you have figured out how to do it, let me know
• Its sometimes hard to figure out what you want out of life .. But you can at least figure out what you shouldn’t be doing
• Don’t get into unwanted fight, esp with strangers. If you can say sorry and move on. Please do.
• Make sure you enjoy small, wonderful things in Life, everyday.
• Always remember, there are people  working more than twice as hard as you, making less than half money that you make, living less happier life than you, not so far from where you live. So, don’t complain!
• Have a bucket list of life. Most times, life is nothing more than achieving your bucket list.
• Unfortunate thing about life is we don’t realize how good things are until things become worse. Thats Life.
• Be nice to people, esp friends and family. If people haven’t been in touch with you, doesn’t mean they don’t care. Its only that they are busy. Just make that call, shoot that mail, post that message you have been wanting to do.

• No matter who you are, Life is FINITE and most times shorter than you assume it is.
• There is also a prophecy that today, Saturday, May 21, the world will end.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Judgment-Day-Will-May-21-be-the-end-of-the-world/articleshow/8456524.cms

• If you survive, visit my blog again

Say Saree to mom

• Blog post result of mother’s day effect

While at college after winning a random  paper presentation contest and more importantly winning some cash  (read as self made money),  a boy was wondering what to do with the cash. Cliche, it is to get something for parents. Putting ice to parents is part of the child’s policy .  While for dad, hand kerchief is good enough,  mom definitely needs something spectacular. Else it  can result in internal family politics.

The boy din’t have to think too hard, given his expertise in choice of gifts (as duly sworn by friends) . Saree is the answer! Bang came the mother of all confusions, what material of the zillions available, what colors from the infinite that exist. The boy has had related domain expertise in choosing saree from young age for mom and helping her to come out of the grand confusion of most women in choosing between the final two selected pieces.  Other experiences include shopping with friends who are girls, to help them come out of the same confusion to choose between “THE TWO”. Except that the choice of the loyal friends would be choosing  the one, not chosen by the boy. The boy was however happy that he influenced the decision making  :D

The easier thing to do is take mom for shopping, but that would spoil the surprise, which is more important part of the gift. So the boy decided to dig his memory to identify an appropriate, more recent conversation of mom related to the domain and picked up a saree from the heap of available saree stack in the closet (of course, secretively).  The boy felt peace, solving half of the NP complete problem. Choice of the “kind” of saree is done. The other half is the harder part of the problem. Color color, what color do you choose.

After running to one of the best malls in town along with the “sample saree”, the boy went to the appropriate section. He had come up with a algorithm to choose the color of the saree that is a function of potential liking and suitability to mom, non-availability of similar color, not different enough  shade from the one’s that already exist etc … Eventually not withstanding the confusions created by the algorithm, the boy  choose the saree with his gut.

Surprise surprise to the mom. Lucky it was a huge hit. Most neighbor and family knew about the gift and boy instantaneously became combination of “chamathu and Nalla paiyan”.  The boy was thinking, if i knew of such possible result … “why din’t i do this before?” . He then passed the experience to his other friends and they also became “chamathu and nalla pasanga”. The chamathu pasanga then went for a saraku party to celebrate :p (idhu konjam build up)

Not to mention, from that time on, any occasion,  sometimes no occasion/reason, the gift was “saree”.  After getting first salary, while working at banglore, the boy in fact took mom to mysore for a fun trip and got her a mysore silk saree < how thoughtful >

TAKE AWAYS

• It might be cliche, but do something for parents. Putting ice to parents is part of the child’s policy
• Mom needs more ice than dad. At least it should appear so.
• No matter how full the closet is, women/girls still love clothes.
• Infinite clothes will break down to choice between the TWO and will result in more confusion in choosing between the “TWO”.
• Any number of girls put together will still be confused to choose between the “TWO”
• Combination of  ”Chamathu and Nalla paiyan” might be easy to get, hard to keep.
• Now that mothers day is over, go fight with your mom <suttufied/lifted line>

MORE TAKE AWAYS

• If you wanna gift your mom, now you know what to do.
• It is not about the saree or the cost, it is about the feeling that you give your mom, you care for her and she means a lot to you.
• Extra points if it helps her to brag about it, in her “mommy network”
• Mom only person with whom u can be unreasonable and get away with, every time.
• Mom, if you are reading this, even though mother’s day is over still  Love you.

non STATUTORY WARNING

• Any resemblance of the boy to the author is purposefully coincidental

My Article in Enterprise Magazine Technology section

• Mall – E  : Virtual reality for online shopping
• Click on the image for the article page

In support of Anna Hazare and JanLokpal

• If you have suddenly come to the world .. here is Anna Hazare fighting for Jan Lokpal .. ABout him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Hazare
• I am sooper impressed with the lokpal system, especially look at what it had done in karnataka
• Wish its there on national scale and in every state.
• What got missed by the government for 42 yrs, glad its finally happening now
• The government accepting the joint panel is a stud victory for the people, Thanx to Anna Hazare, media, social media
• There have also been cynics of the movement and the lokpal bill. Glad government dint listen to them. When they get affected by corruption more seriously they will know.
• Its normally the common man who has been waiting for the Govt schemes to reach him, worst affected by corruption.
• There have been articles and opinions against janlokpal, its system and implementation. We should leave the opinion to themselves.
• Had a long debate in facebook post in support of bill.

ASES Stanford Summit 2011

• ASES Stanford summit is happening this week @ Stanford
• Here are the details  http://www.stanford.edu/group/asessummit/2011/
• I was @ Stanford summit in 2008 .. 3 years have gone by. OMG
• It was the time when the iPhone and App development started and funds were set up to invest in such companies.
• AS part of the summit, our team pitched for a game app .. we wanted $600,000 to make $10M in 3 years  (Am sure many companies have made better)
• Life is not the same since i attended.
• My post on the memories and lessons http://balajitechnology.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/ases-stanford-summit-2008-memories-and-lessons/

• Then i was a wannapreneur, Now here i am, running my own startup in Robotics .. On track

imakerobots.com student partner

• imakerobots.com are looking for student partner groups who can help us to promote robotics/embedded system and imakerobots.com in your college and outside your college.

Roles of th student partners

• - Co-ordinating in organizing Robotics workshop in college
• - Co-ordinate student activities related to robotics/ embedded systems in college
• - Promotion of imakerbots.com in college and facebook/twitter/blog
• - Marketing support for imakerobots.com with nearby colleges and schools

Student Benefits

• - Discounted / Free registration for the robotics workshop conducted in your college
• - Special Robotics workshop for the student partners for the high performance student partners
• - Special consultation for the mini projects/ final year project for the student partner groups
• - Certificates for the student partner, recognizing the work which will provide a distinct value addition in the resume

Student Partner group

• - 5 students
• - Encourage student group consisting of students from atleast two different departments
• (eg 3 students from CSE, 2 students from EEE or 2 from CSE, 2 from EEE, 1 from ECE)

How To

• Download poster from here (right click and download)
• Print and put poster on the college noticeboard
• Take a picture and post it on the facebook page http://www.facebook.com/geekyinc
• - Refer friend from another college for student partner group
• - Coordinate in conducting a robotics workshop your college.
• - Mail your contact details of the group with subject “imakerobots student partner” and “<your college name>” to contact@imakerobots.com
• Mention ( Name, Email, College, Branch, Batch (year of study), mobile number)
• You can also mention how you can help promote imakerobots.com

> imakerobots.com will decide on the student group for the college

Details regarding robotics workshop are available here (right click and download)

The workshop can be conducted in your college anytime during semester, during the symposiums and during the summer holidays.

Follow your Heart

• Inspiring Ad

Tele-Talk Tuesday

• Been wanting to take this forward for long .. Need to start somewhere!

What is this?

• Spend time over telephonic call to discuss/ mentor students weekly. I give suggestions and not advice. Will not follow up or beat you up if you din’t follow.
• Every Tuesday 10 pm to 11 pm starting 22 march 2011
• NO CONSULTATION COST

What topics?

• Robotics, Entrepreneurship,  career, stress counselling
• Choose a topic if you think i can help. my profile is here http://balajitechnology.wordpress.com/profile/
• I would like to keep bull shit off the topic. I have friends to discuss in detail about :p

Why am i doing this?

1) Saving myself

• I often get emails asking ” I want to work in Robotics. Please Help” .. “I want to StartUp, help” “I want to be successful, i don’t know what to do ..help” .. I find these toughest questions to answer …  ”If you need help, you can’t be vague!” … However, sometimes makes me feel little guilty for not responding ..  but its hard to reply to such mails and follow up and hence i am compelled to disobey myself!
• Some students know partially what they want and mail with abstract. This is a good thing.  I have some questions for them, besides the answers … this again becomes a thread, which is hard to follow up, given the pile of other mails. Taking a telephone call makes everything easy.
• I get calls when i cannot take it or cannot take time to listen and answer. Blame me!

2) I was novice, clueless and talking to people helped. It still helps Want to return the favor.

3) I shamelessly want some publicity for my startup http://imakerobots.com and http://geekyinc.com

4) I feel it is a nice thing to do and like to do it.

How?

• Send mail to contact[at]imakerobots.com Mention your details Name, About You (college, branch, year etc), contact number, Topic.
• Try to be less vague.  But i empathetically understand, people don’t know what they want until they find the thing they actually want.  Its OK to say .. “i want to do a project in robotics, wireless computer controlled Robot, dunno how to start and hence shooting mail. “
• I will save your number and intimate when to call between 10pm and 11 pm.  We should ideally keep the call 5 to 10  minutes.
• Will try to keep it regularly Every Tuesday 10 pm to 11 pm
• SPECIAL encouragement slots for non city and poor students
• Some students are poor enough not to have prepaid money in mobile to call or have to use friend’s mobile ( yes they do! I have called them back during conversations when the balance went zap) ..  Mention if you fall into the category and want me to call.  (I assume people have some basic ethics)

IMPORTANT

• Will try to cover all those who want to talk over multiple weeks.
• I may not take the calls of students who have not mailed before. Random calls are not encouraged.
• Will try to post in blog regarding some of the topics discussed.
• Hope the initiative is useful to students.
• I hope and assume i will not get into any trouble for taking the initiative.
• Any suggestions welcome