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R.K.Laxman's Common man!
Showing posts with label Knowledge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Knowledge. Show all posts

Sales Forecasting

The Problem itself as a Solution : Six examples

Problems are everywhere. Problems are opportunities. The more, the merrier.
Because , we all make money on problems. Every single business in the world thrives by offering a solution to a problem. However, we are yet to recognize that many times, the problem itself is the solution.
Here I furnish six Innovative solutions by experts using the problem itself as a solution.

Vaccines:  Use the Pathogen itself  as a Medicine
A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins.

Traffic Jams: Avert bigger traffic jams by creating Smaller Traffic jams.
Yes. Indeed. Haven’t you thought that systematically small traffic jams are created at every Red light to ensure you avoid bigger traffic jams? We all know the chaos when traffic signals fail. Mumbaikers, the citizens of Mumbai Know its Value. That’s why you find they rarely jump the signals.  Want to know more science behind this, read the brilliant book titled “Numbers Rule Your World: The Hidden Influence of Probabilities” by Kaiser Fung.

Population Control: Control Population by increasing the life expectancy at Birth (reducing child mortality)
Research shows when child death rates are high, families tend to have more children in anticipation of child mortality. we may not agree Immediately due to a lack of understanding of numbers. Take a look at the Video by Prof Hans Rosling.  He says …Child survival will help in stopping population growth, will help the family also having fewer pregnancies. 

Homoeopathy :  Similia Similibus Curanter (Latin)
or in plain English,  “that which can cause can cure”. In a layman’s language, a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick people. This is the fundamental principle of Homeopathy.

Mosquitoes: Control Population of Mosquitoes by breeding more mosquitoes
Yes. Oxytec, a company of Mr Haden Parry has a solution to control the mosquito menace. The solution is to breed a special male mosquito that can regulate female mosquito fertility. All you need to do is breed them and leave them to the environment. The concept lies in using two biological features. One is that male mosquitoes do not bite and so, it can not cause disease and the other one is a law of nature! The male will always find females to mate with! 

Cybersecurity: “Hacktivists” as cybersecurity professionals or Anti Hacker hackers!
Today the world uses hackers to combat cybercrime. We now have Ethical Hacking as a respectable profession!

We were never taught to look for the solution in the problem itself. So, we need to unlearn and relearn. 
This unlearning and relearning can creatively change our approach to the problem and possibly bring in innovative solutions.

Though it is a cliché, I dare to quote “Even Impossible and I ‘ m possible”.
Does it ring a bell?

Srinivasa Ramanujam

Coursera : MOOCs, Massive Open Online Courses

About Coursera
We are a social entrepreneurship company that partners with the top universities in the world to offer courses online for anyone to take, for free. We envision a future where the top universities are educating not only thousands of students but millions. Our technology enables the best professors to teach tens or hundreds of thousands of students.
Through this, we hope to give everyone access to the world-class education that has so far been available only to a select few. We want to empower people with education that will improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the communities they live in.

Gmail IDs are Dot Blind and Caps Blind - Double blind* !!!


Yes ! Gmail IDs are DOT Blind & CAPS Blind and It's Good for us
* Do not infer from medical word Double Blind 

Gmail is is DOT Blind and CAPS Blind.
This means you may use Dots and Caps as you please in a Google e-mail Id and nothing goes wrong! 
Consider... your mail ID as  firstnamesecondname@gmail.com
Gmail is DOTS blind. so, your mail id can be written as
firstname.secondname@gmail.com or
f.i.r.s.t.n.a.m.e.s.e.c.o.n.d.n.a.m.e.@gmail.com or any other combination of text and dots.
Gmail is CAPS blind. so, your mail id can be written as
FirstnameSecondname@Gmail.Com
FIRSTNAMESECONDNAME@GMAIL.COM or in any other combination of Small and CAPS

Even a combination of DOTS and CAPS works in Gmail.
That's why It is Double Blind so, your mail id can be written as

or in any other combination of Small and CAPS, Dots,No DOTS. 
Don't Worry. You mail will be delivered !

Think Matrix

The hallmark of a consultant is the use of 2X2 Matrix : -)  
Thanks to BCG!
Here, I present you with TEN such matrices to brush up your knowledge before meeting a consultant!
It’s very unlikely that you may find a new version of these.. However, you are assured of your readiness for fruitful and intellectually stimulating conversations!

Reverse Innovation - Vijay Govindarajan

What is Reverse Innovation ?



Read this article from Healthcare at 1% cost  from The Healthcare blog.

Hans Rosling's 200 Countries, 200 Years, 4 Minutes - The Joy of Stats - BBC Four

Mega Pixel mania!

In layman’s language, a Megapixel means a dot on the picture.In tech parlance, 
MP is one million pixels. 
when the common says more the mega pixels , better the quality of picture.

Right?
Wrong ! Mega pixel has very little to do with the quality of photograph.

Its a sales gimmick.
Quality of photo depends on your skills not on MP! 

If it is not quality what else MP is for? 
It’s for the size of the photograph.
A 16 MP can get you 16.40" x 10.88" size at 300 PPI(Pixels per inch).

Do you really need that size?
When was the last time you got your digital photos printed?


Have you ever wondered why MP is not a talking point of high-end digital SLR cameras.Whereas,simple point and shoot cameras - hoo-hah about MP.

Do not take my word on Mega pixel!
Read an article from The New York Times that appeared way back in 2007
Breaking the Myth of MegaPixels

So the moral is , 
Don't get perturbed when you see ads for 16 MP. 
Your good old 5 MP is not yet obsolete!
If you are buying a new one,do not pay for MP.
Pay for other features like light sensor and pixel quality (not MP), zoom ratio etc.
These far more important!

Mnemonics for All

Mnemonics:  Mnemonics Neatly Eliminate Man's Only Nemesis - Insufficient Cerebral Storage.

The word mnemonics is derived from Greek. Mnemosyne is Greek goddess of memory.
Mnemonics is simply a method or system for improving the memory.When there is a need to remember something, you can put mnemonics to use!

Most often,you find medical students using Mnemonics to remember most difficult medical lists like twelve cranial nerves and their order etc.

Every student of Chemistry is confused with Litmus test – is it Blue to Red or Red to Blue ?
The most simplest Mnemonic no student will forget is “BRA”
Blue litmus to Red Litmus is Acid

Now , will you ever forget Litmus test?
The secret is..Sexy and dirty mnemonics are easy to remember!

Let's try few more:

Every corporate citizen knows to "KISS" but rarely does "KISS".
Keep It Simple and Short.

In maths,to remember the order of operations the Mnemonic  is :
My Dear Aunt Sally :  Multiply and Divide before you Add and Subtract.

Order of Taxonomy in biology is
Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach
Kingdom >> Phylum>> Class>> Order>> Family>> Genus>>Species

Remember the order of Planets: 

My Very Easy Method: Just Set Up Nine Planets.
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

Mnemonics are not just Acronyms. It can be any thing that can remind you.
Here are some examples:


This is another Mnemonic from history that may baffle you!
Concealed Neuroanatomy in Michelangelo’s Separation of Light From Darkness in the Sistine Chapel - Published in Neuro Surgery


Here is one more for You....
Converting Miles to Kilometers is easy by using fibonacci numbers.

Fibonacci numbers are a infinite series of numbers starting with 1,2 and  rest generated adding last two numbers in the series.
So to say,A small series of  Fibonacci numbers is
1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,233………

Now,the trick is to look at two consecutive numbers in a Fibonacci series!
8 miles equals approx 13 Kms.
55 Miles equals roughly 89 Kms. and you find every two consecutive numbers can be used for conversion of miles to Kms. Bingo! 
Need more Mnemonics ? … go to the site!

Mnemonics- A Guide

How do you feel the post is? is it "SSS" or "B2B"
Sharp,Simple Sexy or Boring to Bashing?

Slideshare - Present yourself

Need some one to appreciate your presentation ?
Do you wish to share your knowledge with the world ?
Want to Showoff your Knowledge and skills to your professional peers ? 
You can link it to your Linkedin account ! Post It on Facebook and Twitter!
Wish to reach your customers in an innovative way ? Tell your story and track leads?
Slide share is a great site to present yourself to the world.
Approximately 10 visitors to the site every second!
Here is a presentation . Why should you use slideshare ?
This is what slide share says....
Some of the things you can do on SlideShare

    • Embed slideshows into your own blog or website.
    • Share slideshows publicly or privately. There are several ways to share privately.
    • Synch audio to your slides.
    • Market your own event on slideshare.
    • Join groups to connect with SlideShare members who share your interests.
    • Download the original file
http://www.slideshare.net/

Yahoo..... Happy news to share with you all...I am in Cloud 9 !!!


Dear All,
I am very very glad to share with you all that my presentation " Its You" has been selected by Slide Share Editorial team to feature on It's Home Page. Mail from Slide share appended to show off my pride!
It's still in contest for World Best Presentation Contest - Horror show!
Watch the presentation and vote for me!  Here is the link.
http://www.slideshare.net/Mahiandsyama/its-you-5700066


Slide share Is a great site for Presentations.create an account and watch the site regularly. You will LCD - Learn ,Contribute and Develop!
Here is the presentation
Its you
View more presentations from Mahi Syama.

Google Insights

When people have internet access, What do they do? They Google!
Google captures the words that are used to search...
so with the power of the words that are used to search, Google can predict and plot trends.
Simple isn't it?
With this power, Google predicted the flu trends  even before Centers for Disease Control and prevention could present the flu trends.
Google showcases the power of word searches in a simple and amazing tool called 
Google Insights for Search
Go and get the insights.
Here are the videos.. get a hang of it...and Explore....
Watch this video for an overview of Google Insights for Search.

Watch this video to learn how to create effective advertising messages using Google Insights for Search.

Watch this video to learn how to evaluate brands using Google Insights for Search

Watch this video to learn how to measure the impact of your campaign using Google Insights for Search.

Data data everywhere .. not even a...

Presenting data is a challenge! It will remain a challenge forever - whatever you do.
Why so? Because it's data!

Data is everywhere….now days it's free of cost...most of the times…
The audience is interested in the insights, not the data. Not the boring data.

Here is a video from Ted talk that demonstrates..,.. how great insights from a huge amount of data can be presented very lucidly…Watch it…

Next time you are tempted to present data…remember this…
Present " INSIGHTS "... not data…

Data in. Brilliance Out. Tableau.

That’s the promise of Tableau…and indeed it lives up to its promise….
Tableau Public puts all spreadsheets to shame with its brilliant capabilities…
If you are in to serious analytics … Tableau public is a must!
Watch the Video….
Download the PowerPoint…Click the links….
Watch the Videos….
Learn… Get amazed …..and amaze others…..
It’s truly….
Data in. Brilliance Out.


Project Management Basics

Today project management is a buzz. 

The simplest and easy to understand definition is from Wikipedia - Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.

 The time tested method for implementing Projects has 5 Stages. 
Namely,
  1. Initiating the project
  2. Planning the project
  3. Executing the project
  4. Monitoring and controlling the project
  5. Closing the project.
Critics with an abundance of wisdom proposed six actual phases.
  1. Wild Enthusiasm
  2. Total Confusion
  3. Disillusionment
  4. Search for the Guilty
  5. Punishment of the Innocent
  6. Promotion of the Non-participants
LOL! Though it appears cynical, it should caution us to ensure that we travel the right path to the successful completion of the project.

Here is a simple presentation explaining the project methodology
Project Management Basics

Data calisthenics with Motion Chart

Have you seen Hans Rosling’s presentation on TED? This was my earlier post!
If you missed it… watch it…
You may consider watching a 5 Minute video 

 

After recovering from the awe-inspiring presentation, the immediate question that strikes the mind of a data geek is ....can I use my own data for similar data calisthenics? 

The answer is Yes! 
Hans Rosling uses software called Gapminder conceptualized by him. This was bought by Google. It is available as free desktop download that can be used even without Internet connection.
http://www.gapminder.org/desktop/

 This original Gap Minder has fixed data sets and these cannot be edited.

So what’s the alternative ?
Google showed the alternative…called Motion Chart!
In addition ,there is another free Option…
So, now we have two free Options
  • Motion Chart by Google (it’s a Google Gadget for Google Docs)
  • Trend Compass by Epic Systems.
  • now a day you can use Tableau Public also
Other Options include the use of crystal Xcelsius or even Excel. However, both these options need skills of high order!
For the time being let’s limit ourselves with free and easy options.
Before trying to use the software, it’s worth while to read the one page basics and play around with the outcome.
One page basics and Guide
http://www.gapminder.org/GapminderMedia/wp-uploads/tutorial/Gapminder_World_Guide.pdf

Here is a video to watch
Here is the Motion chart I have created with GDP and Population of BRIC-TM countries.

 Play with the data to understand the use of motion Chart.
If the motion Chart does not open on the website,Click the link Motion Chart Link to go to the Google doc and open "Gadget1"on the left bottom of your screen.
Now that you know basics of Gap Minder, use the alternative free option from Google.
Follow the steps given below
  • Go to Google docs and open a spreadsheet (You need to log in with a Google account)
  • The most vital part of Motion chart is preparation of spreadsheet
  • Create the spreadsheet with your data
  • The data you want to show as a bubble should be in the first column (e.g.: Countries, States, Territories Etc.)
  • The year should be in the second column
  • The data to compare should be in next columns
  • Once the data is in place, go to insert and add gadget
  • Select Motion chart Gadget
  • Bang! your Motion chart is ready!
  • Play!
  • You can publish your work by copying the HTML code for your blog or company site…or else have an Internet connection while presenting the data
Here below is a sample Sheet and Link

For more details click and visit the link
http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=91610
The other Option is Epic System’s Trend Compass
Here is the link.
http://epicsyst.com/trendcompass/TrendCompass.aspx?home=1
All the best… Happy exploration…

TED Talks : Ideas worth spreading

Ted is a non-profit organization devoted to ideas worth spreading.
Ted's mission is spreading Ideas!
It's indeed a feast out there on TED website
http://www.ted.com/

The website hosts videos - eminent personalities of the world sharing their ideas.
the videos are awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping and ingenious.
Here I present you a video - "Hans Rosling shows the best stats you've ever seen".

Netiquette : The unspoken rules of Net

There is hardly a day where you have not accessed your email or browsed the net.
It’s now a part of our everyday life. 

That's why you must know and follow netiquette else you will be the loser!
Here are seven important rules:
  • e-mail subject line: Always add a subject line. Without a subject line, your e-mail is lost in a pile of e-mails the recipient has. I dare say without a subject line your email is junk!
  • Avoid all Caps: All caps are difficult to read and in the web world, all caps mean you are yelling, you are a primitive netizen and you are an uncivilized cyber citizen! Just imagine some caricature yelling at you! I do not want you to be that caricature!
  • Large email attachments: They clog the mailboxes. The receiver will curse you! Never send large attachments. If sending large mail is inevitable, first ask permission, zip the file and send.
  • e-mails - Forward all: Every day we receive enough and more emails forwarded by friends and colleagues with all good intentions. Please understand that no one has time to do social service on e-mail. These chain emails are meant to collect e-mail IDs and send ads and spam. It’s a business! Your emotions are being user by someone for their business. Never forward such the chain mails. Not ready to believe? Just go to Google and read about chain e-mails. No company ever pays dollars for forwarding e-mails. If it were true, Apple and Microsoft would have become bankrupt by now…
  • e-mails - Reply all: Many organizations have their separate e-mail clients. Never click reply all unless absolutely needed. Now see what happens with reply all ... Sameer sends a mail using to bulk address to all his company colleagues including the CEO, CFO and all unknown colleagues in his organization that he is blessed with a child. Now a friend of Sammer enthusiastically clicks reply all and sends "Congrats". What happened? Sameer is blessed with a son and everyone is being congratulated as if it is an outcome of collective effort!
  • Lottery: Never ever fall prey to emails proclaiming you as the winner of the lottery or heir of million-dollar property. They are all Hoax. You will be cheated. Just search Google on the subject. Read and understand before replying to such fraudulent e-mails. Do not fall prey.
  • Never Say never Again: On the web, Chat and e-mail “Never say what you will never say in Public”. The golden rule is “Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you”.



12 Manage - Learn management theories & concepts

Just concluded a meeting with a management consultant?
Not able to fathom the terms and concepts the consultant uttered?
Confused? Baffled?
Let the next meeting give him a chance to wonder what happened to you in between..
Visit 12 Manage!
  • 12 Manage is a very informative website that presents the most important management concepts, theories and methods in a very lucid way.
  • It’s a management encyclopedia and also a networking site.
  • Around 400 such concepts and 1500 Management terms are presented and explained.
  • The disciplines include Change & Organization, Communication & Skills, Decision making& Valuation, Ethics & Responsibility, Finance & Investing, HRM, Knowledge & Intangibles, Leadership, Marketing, Programmed and Project, Strategy, Supply chain and quality.
  • The information is efficiently packed in the portal to locate the required information. You can download a search bar for searching through data.
  • It’s the fastest way to learn what they teach you in MBA or revise what you learned in your MBA.
Here below is the Link. Registration is free and needed to access the site.
http://www.12manage.com/

Welcome to the world's #1 website about management