Friday, February 25, 2005

About incorporating bad pointing device habits.

Since the time that I have started using Thinkpads my GUI usage has increased by a phenomenal amount. The reason is the trackpoint. The Thinkpad also has a scrolling functionality using the trackpoint and the middle button just below the keyboard and above the touchpad. I haven't used new laptops from other companies so don't know if they have this too. The point is that it is a very conveneint device which I have started using very naturally even though I like to using the keyboard for most of my interactions.

Now the bad thing about this is that when I switch to my desktop (which is pretty infrequent nowadays) I start hunting for the trackpoint instinctively and don't find it and then have to recall all my old habits. It is one thing that has kept me from migrating my work back to the desktop and even the big 21" screen hasn't been a strong enough lure!

Monday, February 14, 2005

The mysterious document.

Read the following interaction:

Comment from person X: "According to the document that I forwarded sometime back...blah blah blah"

(NOTE that it is "the document" about which I have no context whatsoever)

My response : "I am not sure I have received any document from you..blah blah blah"

Response from person X: "Can you please indicate what document I need to provide? I am sure I knew at one time, but now I do not know ;-)"

What does the above interaction tell you??
Answer: Person X is a manager :)

Prerana take this as a Management-101 and start some professional development on this front :)

Saturday, February 12, 2005

Violence in Bangalore-2

I just talked with some colleagues and they tell me that a lot of people were stuck in the office last night till about 1:00 AM. Almost all the cars parked outside the office incurred damage. People also saw members of the mob trying to steal stuff from inside the cars after smashing the windshields which isn't so much of a surprise though..

Violence in Bangalore..

In a city where people are people take up to violence for reasons as petty as their favourite cinemas not playing, a case involving deaths of police personnel at the hands of naxalites is more than a good reason for throwing away the cloaks of civilization. The Hindu has this report today. The torched bus in the picture is at a place where I sometimes wait for waving an auto for getting home. It is reported that about 20 buses were set aflame last night..and some shops near the KSRP quarters were also targetted. Now that is not all. What no report tells is that the IBM building where I sit is just opposite to the KSRP campus and about fifteen minutes back when I stepped into the office I could see that our building has been badly damaged. I do not have a camera right now so can't post any pictures. The front face of the building is almost entirely glass and a lot of it has been damaged.

It is a pity really why people go about destroying private and public property. Amongst the reasons for the protests was the argument that the police station did not have adequate security for handling an attack by some 200 naxalites. Yes similarly the innocent shopkeepers and car owners, who were pelted with stones by the protesters, too did not have adequate security to handle about the same or more number of protesters. I do not understand why every newspaper reports these stories as "acts of protests by angry mobs"..somehow nobody reports or investigates deeper..people can't just walk out of their homes and set fire to buses..it has to be an organized activity but sadly no one has reported anything about it.

Friday, February 11, 2005

Pub review: Legends of Rock

After not so much of a frantic search I have found a good hangout place in Bangalore. It is my equivalent of Apache in Pune. Megha threw up the idea of going there yesterday and I liked the place. It also features on the Wikipedia entry for Bangalore. Another review can be found on MouthShut. The place plays very good rock and mostly it is videos which one can watch on the big plasma screens mounted on the walls. They also have cigars on the menu it you want to try. And as it goes with rock..after a few beer glasses down the musical pleasure shoots northwards :)

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Userfriendly..

Today's one is great :)) Choose to read from two days back for more context if you have the time..