Welcome Year 2011

Durga Puja 2010

FIFA World Cup 2010

Football lovers love Maradona as much as they hate him. When he was a player, football critiques spent thousand of printed lines describing his football playing genius, coaches tried to find his weaknesses and strengths. Opponent teams cursed him for his amazing goal scoring ability. Now that he has become national coach of Argentina, he is again in the spotlight! He was never away from fame, though. Maradona did not play this world cup as a player. So what? He drew attention than any of the present Argentine footballer. His admirers said that the God had come back to take the charge of his dynasty, the world of football. His enemies said (before that Argentina Germany match) that he has grown a ‘devilish beard’ with his age (they found no other fault in him!). After that shocking match, his critiques and enemies have found at least 10,000 errors of coach Maradona. Maradona was partly responsible for Argentina’s miserable loss. But main reason was Argentine defenders who failed to defend their goalpost from German blitzkrieg. Just like old days, coach Maradona is hiding his footballers from media attacks that he once did as captain of his national football team.

Germany started their world cup journey with a 0-1 loss to Serbia. They failed to reach the world cup final with the same 0-1 loss to Spain. In the middle of playing these two games, they knocked out two big teams, namely, England and Argentina. In the previous world cup also, they made Argentina’s exit. Neither they can win the world cup, nor they will let Argentina to win it. That’s a bad game approach. 

What will happen in the final?  Netherlands and Spain are facing each other in FIFA World Cup 2010. Both the teams have consistently played well in the whole tournament. The way Netherlands defeated Brazil was exceptional. The way Spain dominated Germany was extraordinary. Both the teams deserve to win in the final. 

Spain defeated that Germany who swept away Argentina in this world cup. Naturally, Argentine fans will support Spain. Also, Messi’s playing at Barcelona may be another cause for supporting Germany. On the other hand Netherlands beat Brazil to reach in the final. So Brazilian fans may not support Holland. They may indirectly support Spain. But football is an 11 versus 11 game. More support does not mean the game is going to be in Spain’s favour. I am waiting to watch an interesting battle between Spain and Netherlands which may be unpredictable till the last whistle.  

   

Who will star in the final? From Netherlands’ point of view, it will be superstar Arjen Robben. Along with him Holland boasts off Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie. In Spanish side, excellent footballer David Villa, Fernando Torres may steal the show. But I don’t understand why Fabregas was not given much opportunity to play in this tournament.  

Despite the exit of big teams like Portugal, Germany, Argentina, Italy and Brazil, this world cup is special because it has given us new finalist teams. Also, I am happy with the performance of Asian team Japan and African team Ghana. New powers are emerging in this world cup. FIFA World Cup Final between Dutch and Spain is a proof of that.

My only condolence is for coach Maradona and that psychic Octopus named Paul. In this world cup, whatever the psychic Octopus predicted became true. Germans are planning to fry it up in a frying pan. If that happens that will be a bad news for football astrologers! But think about that creature’s unbelievable predictions. Doctor Octopus should hire Paul as his assistant and should check his own fate in his next tussle against that amazing Spiderman!  But that’s another story and has nothing to do with football.

Maradona, Maradona, Maradona…

Your left foot had the power

Of a great painter’s brush,

You made the football

To talk to your

Body’s changing moves.

Defenders all over the world

Tried to scare you, tackle you, fowl you,

Could they snatch your external body part,

A football?

You moved like a white lighting

In the dark cloud of opponent’s defense;

Other strikers saw opponent’s goal post,

You aimed to shoot there,

There was one word that fed you

In your entire football career –

Goal, goal, goal.

Not only Argentine fans

But football lovers worldwide

Were crazy because of you,

You were crazy for them, too.

You risked and sacrificed your body

For the enjoyment of millions of fans

Who saw unarguably best skills of

Dribbling and body movement

In entire football arena.

Some say, you are the football God,

Some say, you are the prince of football,

I say, you are a tiger

In white and Indigo stripes

Who started hunting with a ball

In the slums of Buenos Aires,

Who made his mark

In his play for Boca juniors,

Who eventually became

Greatest football sensation

Because of his creativity, fighting spirit,

God gifted football skill;

He was the ‘God’ in world cup

Not because of his hand

But truly for his excellence

In football dribbling with magical left foot,

And don’t forget his contribution

In club football like Napoli and Barcelona,

But there lies his fall from grace

Although that can’t erase his passion for the game,

And all his achievements

Are well preserved in the hearts

Of millions of emotional followers

Who kissed football instead of lover’s lips

And loved shouting –

Maradona, Maradona, Maradona…

Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft: Apple’s success secrets and possible strategies Microsoft should take now

Apple’s iPod. Apple’s iPhone. Apple’s iPad. And now Apple ‘overtakes’ Microsoft. The picture of a fast moving company’s latest example. Looks like an apple does not fall on the ground due to acceleration due to gravity, but it can fly high in the corporate sky, too. But what’s the inside story?

Is it Steve Job’s magic that made it possible or is it the example of a good corporate strategy?

In my opinion, Microsoft has wrong strategy. It has always concentrated on software and operating systems. Although, Microsoft’s has vast business products, but it main business always revolves around software and Windows. There lies the wrong strategy. Let me discuss the wrong strategy of Microsoft and right strategy of Apple in detail:

Product: Apple’s iPad and iPhone are all tangible products and costs at a ‘reasonable price’ in developed countries and ‘high price’ in developing countries. Windows 7 or MS-Office is reasonably priced worldwide. But Windows 7’s pirated version is widely used and code breakers around the world feel a special fun to generate ‘crack’ or ‘patch’ of the original software developed by Microsoft. Compared to that, I wonder, how many enemies Apple has. How many people or organization have dared to ‘duplicate’ iPad or iPhone? I guess, none! That is the reason where Windows loose profit and Apple gains it.

Branding: all the terms iPod, iPhone, iPad seems like brand names. But ‘Windows Mobile’ does not sound like a brand. Tell me how many Microsoft’s tangible products (if there are any) are branded like iPhone or iPad?  You will get less popular answers.

Target audience: Windows OS is targeted at all computer and laptop and Window’s mobile users. But iPod is targeted at music listeners. Apple’s iPhone is targeted at mobile phone users and iPad is made keeping in mind of laptop users, gamers, ebook readers etc. So you can see rather than product upgradation, Apple is more focused on launching different products for people’s varied needs.  That relates to better understanding of consumer lifestyles.

Buzz: Everything Apple does, create buzzes. One can remember the long standing queues in front of mobile stores before the launch of iPhone. That happens because of buzzes. Buzz marketing is great for tapping the ears and eyes consumers. Before, launch of any great Apple’s products, you will see, television, web, radio, print media, everywhere Apple is in news headline (and such buzzes last for 1 week to one and a half months). Except the launch of Windows 7, how many times you have noticed buzzes around Microsoft. 

Pricing: I use my Nokia phone. In India, the lowest price of a Nokia handset can be still under Rs. 5000/-. Because Nokia, Motorola, Sony has products for all income groups of the society. A good iPhone handset costs around Rs. 30000/-. So when six low-cost Nokia handsets are sold, the profit margin only covers the sale of one iPhone! This is the reason iPhone or ipad sales have such a hiking profit. Also, in India, upper class and middle class’ income is growing. And western country people hardly suffer from loss of money. They are buying Apple products frequently. That way, Apple sees no reason for their products’ price reduction. However, a large market in developing countries remains untapped by Apple.

Has Apple conquered everything on web? Are they the new world leader in IT world?

I think there is no reason to panic. Apple’s does not possess biggest search engine (well, it is Google of course); Apple does not run incredibly popular portals like yahoo.com or MSN.com; Apple’s does not have any nice developing software like .NET or VB6 or C#. And cool graphic icons on iPhone can be designed in Adobe Photoshop or any similar image editing software.  So the web world is commonly shared by many big companies. Nobody is actually the leader (not even Apple!)

Apple vs. Google?

Both the companies are extremely innovative. But again, while Google’s products are majorly web based ‘intangible’ applications, Apple is focused on iPod or iPhone like ‘real-life gadgets’.  Google has launched its online store like Apple. But that does not mean these two companies should be compared unless they have similar identical products in web world and in real life.

What strategy Microsoft should take to regain its position?

Open new windows: No, I am not talking about new Windows OS (say, Windows 8, 9, 10…), I only mean new windows. That is new segments of business. It is time for Microsoft to have their own real life gadgets.

Buzzes: Consumers love buzzes. Before launching of any new Microsoft ‘branded products’, there should be buzzes. All types of media should be fully utilized. It is very essential in today’s world that when you are launching something, every newspaper should give your product a good rating in their product reviews. I mean reviewers New York Times in USA, Daily Telegraph in UK and TOI or The Telegraph in India must have similar words of applause for your product. That may create buzzes in consumer world and can lead to word-of-mouth marketing.  Microsoft must think like that.

Branding and pricing: If users of iPhone get a similar functioning phone with Windows 7 in it, they may give it a try. If Microsoft can innovate their product line with cost effectiveness, a number of consumers can try their products.

Hire lifestyle analyst: All the electronic fairs that are held around the world, bring new and changing consumer trends. If Microsoft and Google are planning to bring electronic gadgets in the market, they should hire some gadget savvy representative. I call them ‘Lifestyle Expert’. These lifestyle experts should attend gadget fairs and prepare reports. Companies should come up with new products based on that research.

Please don’t name your product in a dull manner. Look at Apple. Follow their way of naming the product. It’s not a mobile phone, it is an iPhone. It is not a ‘laptop-kind’ of device, it is an iPad.  Position your brand like that.

Bring new faces: I have seen Bill Gates and Steve Jobs on television. What do you think, when you see Bill gates? And what comes on your mind when you see Steve Jobs? I see Bill Gates as ‘an IT guru, who is calm, soft-spoken, techie’. And I see Steve Jobs as my ‘SMART, next-door, tech-savvy neighbour’. These are two different approaches. Consumers always like to identify themselves within the demonstrators. They like the approach of Steve Jobs who demonstrates Apple’s products standing on the stage and interacting with audience. Microsoft has to catch this trend. They need to bring an excellent tech savvy guy, who is young, smart, wise and possibly good looking (Don’t take good looking as a silly phrase. That ever matters at times!)

According to my personal belief, these are some of the simple steps that Microsoft or any company of that caliber should take to stay on top.

What is my take as a consumer on Apple’s products?

Apple’s has been getting a huge success for its products like iPod, iPhone and iPad. There is no denying that Steve Jobs is doing miraculous tasks for a company that was once considered as ‘dying’. But what impact Apple’s last five year’s winning journey will have on my life?

Honestly speaking, I certainly fall in the low level income group. So, I can’t buy iPhone or iPad.  And I am not alone. There are millions of people in developing countries, who can buy a lost-cost handset from Nokia or Motorola but can’t buy an iphone. I may search topics on Google from cyber-cafes, use Windows OS or MS Office from other’s computers or login at any moment to my Yahoo! Mail account but I can’t afford to buy an iPhone. Unless, Apple has products for all income groups of the society and I find Apple as part of my daily digital life, I have slight objection for accepting Apple as the global IT leader irrespective of where that big company’s profit level goes.

By the way, I don’t believe in media reports. What I see around me, I believe in that. No reporter’s special product review can make me decide to purchase an iPhone. If my own product judgement seems to me positive and I can afford the product, I am going to buy it. I urge you to be rational like me.

Even if they loose, I love Argentinian footballers

My heart is not a commodity that can be sold to the winning world cup football team. I may like Spain, Portugal, England or France but I want Argentina to come out as the champion. So, I wish them a great success in this FIFA World Cup 2010.

What you can give back to internet?

Parents give us the knowledge and inspiration to prosper in life. Their contribution can be compared to the volume of water in a ocean. Nobody can pay back his or her parents’ debts.

Internet is the mother of all media. Be it text or audio or video, you can find everything on internet. The medium of world wide web is our ultimate resource for collecting and sharing information. And who can ignore the enjoyment part of it. Internet is a genuine friend, that can make your mood cheerful at the time of loneliness. People not getting any job can even earn money sitting at home. So internet has become bread earner for them.

Business transaction and communication are totally dependent on Internet. Companies are using corporate blogs to connect with consumers and their clients and employees. Many future notifications and strategies are published via Internet. Distant business meetings are organized by video conferencing and without internet nobody could have imagined it.

Internet has everything to make your virtual life colorful. If you are a newbie writer and want to showcase you work to others, try blogging. You can find friends by social networking sites. Want to know answer of any question? Place your question through appropriate forum. Are you a game freak? Play online games from internet or download them. You can spend hours on internet.

Critics of internet says that spending too much time on internet can be symptoms of cyber addiction. What should a person do if he has no friend in real world or he is not so good at field games. Internet is the place for him to do activities. Yes internet had bad effects. There are cases of cyber crime, internet is the cheapest resource of pornography and hacking is a concern for security experts, but you can’t blame internet for that. As there are good people who have made internet for betterment of human beings, there are bad guys who take advantage of this medium and continue their evil activities. But please don’t blame internet for the bad effects.

Let me come back to the point where I had started. Our parents have unimaginable contribution in our life. When we are established and grown up, we take care of our parents and try to make their life more beautiful. To some people like me internet in the next best friend after parents. From my early adulthood to today’s date, it has caused me to enjoy life more. It is the world of Harry Potter for me. Any idea how we can pay off its debts? At least if we can’t pay it back, can we make our own individual contribution to keep this medium moving forward?

How ‘ethical’ is ethical hacking?

Some people consider stealing as an art. But can art bring miseries to one’s life? Specially, when somebody is stealing your personal data online, then you call it art by no means. In fact, you will think that person who is responsible for stealing your personal data, should be tracked down and punished.

Hacking as the term suggests stealing someone’s or any organization’s private data by breaking into firewall. Hackers who work for security agencies are treated as ‘superheroes’. Specially, when someone is hacking in favour of his country’s government, nobody calls him a villain. 

 The whole activity of hacking has got a new viewpoint. In the name of terrorism, common people’s websites, computers and email ids will be hacked by the security agencies for the cause of baseless ‘suspicion’. You may not be aware that your cyber café’s activities will be recorded and your personal information will be secretly read by somebody else.

 Is that ethical? You call hacking an ‘ethical’ activity? I think the term ‘ethical hacking’ is rubbish. Hacking is stealing. And no stealing can be ethical even if someone’s doing it for national or patriotic cause. 

 Many ethical hacking courses are coming in the market now a days. But the ‘ethics’ of the students are hardly judged before admission of the courses. What if bad guys as students know the tricks of hacking in this way? And some hacking software are available on internet which can be easily downloaded and used. Moreover, there are forums on hacking on internet. Cyber law of every country should be made tough on hacking and not everybody should be made eligible for an ethical hacking course. 

 Hacking is not a course like hardware, software or networking. It is very risky and only ‘good guys’ should learn about this subject for their own system’s security purpose.