pouring tea grains into a container : physics and metaphysics involved

This is what happened today morning. Just as I was gonn refill the container that hold s tea (grains), i cud not somehow open it properly,. blame my (in)experience of 27 years or the design of the packaging but the grains just spilled all over the place. was i hasty? i feel partly deign would have to be blamed but maybe i was toom indecisive befor opening oit whether i wanted to open it and fall into the container or whether i wanted to have the 'feel' and sound of the poacket opening. Of course when u want the seconds one, you need to have as much extended a tear length as you can possibly can. I guess thats what i was aiming it. I wanted to hear that pppprrrrr...sound of the plasic being 'locally extended, fatigued, stresses fgetting distributed and strains getting linear to exponential'. Maybe the sound comes from the mindboggling calculations that plastic has to do in jsut a couple of nano seconds???? who knows.

coming back. I am amazed at my on the spot indecision to know what i want. i guess careful ppl (they generally are called mothers) are much more focused and goal oriented than a 27 year old | just woke up | paid for as a designer | on a saturday morning. These careful ppl'sminds seem to say befor opening the tea packet "hey lisyten yopu hands, i want it to fall exactly this much amount in exatcly this way and in this container only. the packaging shud be ripped in a way tght i can fold ity and preserve the rest ofg the tea grains for next refill" not all of us can become mothers but hey do we need to work opn taht 'bneing decisive' part ?????

of napkins-paper and mental

While using a paper napkin in office i observed how intricate the procedure actually was. First they are not great water absorbers (as we the users perceive generally, hence ending up using more than what is actually required) The steps are generally as follows. A user enters the mirror and sink area washes his hands and that verytime, does he make a decison how many napkins he's gonna use?? First two (given my huge size of hands), for me, get straight soaked in water off my hand, so they dont do anything practically. Its the third, fourth and 5th that dry up the hand. Interesting is to observe whether the used napkin has been utilised to iuts optimum? I dobt we utilise even 70% of it. Most pof them are designed for stackability and ease of dispensation. I still feel the need to investigate whether there is a way that we could somehow utilise per square cm of paper to its maximum.

Do we as users map wiping as a function that is thickness-of-paper defined? Does the fold in paper (for ease of dispensing and stacking) serve any purpose or is the main culprit when users fail to open it with their wet hands? Do they actually care?Is the user finally satisfied if he did it well? The most interesting point of enquiry for me is that at what exact point do we take a decision that the particular napkin we are using is ready for throwing. Finally can we design a paper-economical napkin??.......shall soon research and post my findings..

start something new...soon!

It was interesting as it has always been-talking to friends that share wavelets with you. Talking to Sahil about what I fear the most... that I continue getting creative kicks and impetuses from the things that fascinate me (visual complexity and all that intersection space of physical and intangible) and all I do is just fantasize about doing something but dont end up doing anything. He questioned why would I think that. He mentioned David Nightingale, the founder of chromasia who started uploading a pic a day off his new camera and now that initial day to day activity is a big venture that earns him enough divident to have left his job and dedicate his full time to the photoblog....it finally occured to me that neither larry page/sergei brinn or mark zuckerberg started wiuth a well laid out plan of startimng a google or a facebook. All they did was:::they started somewhere. yaar abhishek this is the crux. start something right here right now. make mistakes faster, learn and grow and do it. dont go into too much of analysis. Intuition is always greater a force than knowledge.... coz intuition is an absolute value entity, whether it be a child's or einstein's. Knowledge is a mix of fact and reflection thus could be a limited entity....the lesson : start something that excites you today dont delve too much into its future that you anlaysis says dont do it. Its better to do something and fail than not do at all. In fact do it to fail. If its great it wont....

IBM Press room - 2008-11-25 IBM Reveals Five Innovations That Will Change Our Lives in the Next Five Years - United States

An interesting piece of information shared by IBM. I read somewhere that Microsoft and IBM have actually come up with a list of 'trends' that they feel (or want us to feel they feel) shall change the world in the coming times..........Here is the IBM list


IBM Press room - 2008-11-25 IBM Reveals Five Innovations That Will Change Our Lives in the Next Five Years - United States

Soumitri and Social Innovation via Faint Voice

Dr. Soumitri ttaught us at IIT for a couple of months before he left for his role with RMIT Design SChool. An ardent 'Social Sleuth' that he is, he is expressive when it comes to any issue that is in the domain of social entrepreneurship, community based particpatory design, etal. He is a master of throwing random trajectories in conversation and in thought. Its up to you, the students, to catch them, intrepret thing (not understand) and do something abt it....At least thats what I think about him... read his blog that I am referencing taking some 'company-paid' hours off my monday morning office, but thats okay. The company should want their employees to be smart and updated...

Social Innovation « Faint Voice

samsung day.......hello in korean

A Korean Hello!

Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge

Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge

Blogged with the Flock Browser

before december, lets wrap it up!!

My basic challenge in life is the mismatch between the speed of thought and the speed of action/inaction. Goddammit I hate admitting it in front of my 'fans' but yes i am lazy. I hate it!! I really really hate it. So this is what I have thought I am gonna do. Thanks to my new room mate I was introduced to the practical side of 5S. Have known it for quite some time, gone through a course in it - Lean Management actually but .....was not too keen on Lean. The thing is that I respect creative chaos and that's why I refrain from too much of an order. The trick is for a designer to actually find a space between chaos and order where both are approachable to him.......see pic

Anyways, 'wrapping it up' here refers to making a conscious note of the short term goals I have set for myself - four competitions in December, reading Strength 2.0 and Crowdsourcing before buying any other book, completing the Consumer Behavior textbook, learning Adobe Illustrator in office, renderings in PS. One of the other things is that from tomorrow on I shall be super regular at gym. I love the experience, dissecting it I find that it's the energy I a left with that bothers me. Thus I shall try to pack my office time as much as possible and try to utilise it fully so I an hit the bed before 12. 7 hours of sleep is a must or else I feel listless.Anyone would!

I am like that only! + a website

Well it might seem i didnt learn at all all this while. not correct....but being a lazy soul that I am (saying that at the cost of reaffirming my faith in it which i actually donot want to) i didnt actually find enthusiasm to key in text... i hate getting bound by a process that i defined.its not freedom...anyways..i really got an interesting site that i would like to share with you guys..

How to Accomplish a Goal

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

We all have dreams. Whether they are big or small, they have vast importance in our lives. But we need a plan to get there.

Steps

1. Set a realistic but challenging/inspiring goal. Take a big dream, like "I want to be famous", and break it down into smaller, more manageable steps, like "I want to star in a science fiction movie", "I want to go to three auditions a week", "I want to move to another city" and "I want to save $5000 so I can move." Make the goal big enough to challenge and excite you, but not so big that you hesitate to take the first steps.
   
2. Plan ahead. Once you've broken down your goal into pieces, write down the steps on a piece of paper to make sure you have everything thought out. One of the worst things that can happen is you're almost to the point of your goal, but you're not sure what to do next. Also, give yourself deadlines for each step. Otherwise, you'll end up procrastinating and never achieving your dream.
   
3. Brainstorm ideas. Are there different ways to reach your goal? Write everything down that you can think of in three minutes, no matter how silly or impossible it may seem. For example, you could go to acting school, or maybe you could land a spot in a reality show that would get you started.
   
4. Ask. No one can tell you exactly what you should do to achieve your goal, but one of the best sources for guidelines is to ask those who have done what you hope to achieve. Learn from the experience of others without trying to imitate them.
   
5. Define and describe your goal. Write down when you want to achieve it. Write down the reasons why you want it. Write down what it would feel like after you have achieved it. Figure out exactly what it will take to get it. Be realistic about the time things will take. Many people don't allow themselves enough time, and give up too soon.
   
6. Be positive. Your goal should be written and have positive intent about what you want to bring into your life. This is very important, since the focus of your goal should not be centered around describing a problem you want to eliminate.
   
7. Make contingency plans. Never forget about the problems that might come up on the way, and prepare for them. Positive thinking is important, but preparedness is better than being shocked or devastated when obstacles appear.
   
8. Learn from mistakes. Making mistakes should be a subject at school to teach all children how to learn from them, instead of trying to avoid them. In the pursuit of a goal, you are likely to make some mistakes. Don't see them as bad or get angry. They are important to correct you and to lead you to success.
   
9. Draw on all your past achievements that are relevant to your goal. No matter how small you perceive your achievements, list them anyway. It could be something small, such as joining a healthy eating mailing list, to coming home from work late, yet preparing a tasty nutritious meal for your family in under 30 minutes. Once you review your list, you will be amazed at how all those small achievements soon add up, and how much you are really capable of doing.
   
10. Visualize. Close your eyes and imagine yourself accomplishing your goals. Where are you? How did you get there? How do you feel? Do this often. Don’t get swayed easily with the noise and happenings going on outside. Put your attention on what you are trying to achieve. Remember the goal, and you will have control over the discomforts and difficulties. A good way to visualize is to practice self-hypnosis.
    
11. Listen to your internal dialogue. What you are saying inside affects you physically, emotionally and mentally. Is your defense system inside trying to make you stick to your past, limiting beliefs and perceptions? Take over and challenge your inner critics. Monitor any excuses you might be making in relation to your goal. For example, saying "I don't finish work until late and won't have time to cook!" You must recognize that if you are truly passionate about your goal, it is up to you to make time.
    
12. Make a list of your personal strengths in relation to your goal. For instance, if you have a healthy eating goal you might want to consider strengths such as your level of commitment to eating healthily, or the fact that you enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes or even that you are an excellent cook. The list of personal strengths you can draw up is endless.
    
13. Seek help. Find the information, skills and knowledge that you need from other people, books, and audio or video programs. Speed up your learning process by emulating what other successful people have done. You save time and get results faster. Self-hypnosis audios are a powerful way to help you get fast, permanent results.
    
14. Create benchmarks or milestones. A benchmark is something you can use to measure your progress and know you're on track. For example, you can write "The first stage of reaching my goal will be done when I'm in the Entertainment section of the newspaper!" or "I'll know I've reached my goal of being famous when I'm a guest on Oprah."
    
15. Make a timeline. Draw a horizontal timeline with a dot at each end. The left end represents now, and the right end represents a point in the future. Specify what you want to happen and when, from now until then.
    
16. Be passionate. Striving towards a goal without passion is like a fire which slowly runs out of fuel to burn. Get excited; this will mean that you will love what you are doing. Methodically check your behaviors against impassioned dreams developed as a child. Always share the child within amongst your potential peers. This empowers the Law of Attraction that shapes the dreams of the child into the creative force of the adult.
    
17. Revisit, evaluate, and if necessary, adjust your goals. Keep a written record of your goals in a place where you'll remember to read them every day. They'll change and adjust over time as your life does, so keep them up-to-date.
    
18. Consider new opportunities and options that come your way. Sometimes things have a way of unintentionally leading you exactly where you want to go.
    
19. Start working towards your goals today. Ask yourself, "What can I do today to get one step, however small, closer to achieving my goals?"
    
20. Persevere. Now that you've got the momentum going, don't let it stop! Some steps may seem less exciting than others, but make sure to stick to your plan until the end!
    

Tips

• Don't forget the words of Lao-Tzu: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
  
• Be true to yourself. Your goal won't be nearly as sweet if you achieve it by doing things you're not proud of.
  
• Make sure your goal is SMART:
  
  • Specific
    
  • Measurable
    
  • Achievable
    
  • Realistic
    
  • Team-oriented
    
  • Time-related
    
  
  
• Put it in writing. Writing reinforces thoughts. Even if you are the only one to see what you've written, writing down your goals can give more power to your intentions.
  
• Always stay in a good mood when finishing your goals (get your mind right AND SMILE). Not that it's the law but science has proven goals get finished 2 to 20 times faster when you're in a good or great mood. Imagine any goal you want, getting finished 20 times faster! How easy is it to focus when your not in a good mood? Don't get tricked into slowing down!
  

Warnings

• Things don't always work out as you had planned. Stick to your goals, but be flexible.
  
• Don't share your goals with people who might tear you down. But, conversely; find someone close to you or a coach who will play the devil's advocate role - as learning to challenge yourself in new ways can help you to improve and get closer to your goals.
  
• Do not be tempted to squeeze a square peg into a round hole. If something doesn't fit or it doesn't feel right, try a different approach.
  
• Please remember that every coin has two sides. Do not be rigid in accepting or rejecting any advice. Goals such as freedom struggle are not necessarily Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-related; nevertheless, they created history.
  
• Often times, when you get good at accomplishing goals people tend to become more likely to distract you. In psychology that fact of life is summerized like this: "Disfunctional people hate seeing healthy progression of character in others". So don't let it get to you and recognize it, or that can get out of hand! Now disfunctional, doesn't mean mentally or physically handicapped. But if someone has a problem finishing tasks in any area of life, when they see you being successful, subconsciously their mind will convince them to build up sabotaging circumstances for you. That can also be summerized by the other psychological analogy "You become who you hang around. You stay the level of skill as who or what you believe". So just remember to believe the ones with the good results when faced with a important choice.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Go for Your Dreams
  
• How to Switch Careers
  
• How to Recreate Your Life
  
• How to Achieve Your Goals
  
• How to Realize Your True Potential
  
• How to Be Bold
  

Sources and Citations

• http://www.espian.net/rational_inquiry.php
  
• http://www.goal-setting-guide.com
  
• http://www.tips-to-organize-life.com/goal-setting.html
  
• http://www.achieve-with-hypnosis.com
  
• http://www.changedynamics.net
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Accomplish a Goal. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

3rd nov 2008

1. hmm...hate to admit but i missed the ist day of the gym.....non-conformist????my foot non conformist.its foolish. its interesting to see how small stuff (weaknesses) make us happier than a day of realisation one is working for a multinational electronics giant one product of whose is found in each and every modern home of this planet. stupid i am !!!
2. over ate a bit......2 slices i could have done whithout...
3. learnt about kitosis, a state of the body when i stops breaking carboydrates and starts burning fat for energy...to balance out energy intake and your basal metabolic rate
4.people think i am successful. I think they are...well at least at the end of the day, both me and they are successful, though in alien eyes....interesting thought.. aliens invade the earth and find everyone successful!!!

01 Nov 2008

Too much entropy too much planning. have been dying to get hold of a perfect labyrinth labyrinth is a jargon better still dying to simplify life i know there are ways you can and ways you can not .........

i guess this is the fundamental issue, we complexify simple things so that if we are not able to succeed in them we can say to ourselves, anyways that was tough/complex to begin with.

learnings time
1. keep ur cool at all times. you have covered such a large stretch. all that compared to the issue at hand. its tough for the mind to grip these two things in the same frame but really an insight into the cumulative past could do wonders.......we have been through so much and this is nothing
2. when u dont have anything to dont write...... but on second thoughts to be sustainably involved with a 'project' better write something, coz that will convert the act into consistent activity which is very important
3. systemise things to start with, but let the systeem take are of them initially, after a point just take over. had system been intemlligent, a computer could have smelt a rose or proposed to one of the LAN dummies. There is no alternative to creative flights mind can take.....

18 oct 2008

That life is about occasions, about events.
With girlfriend, stop stating the problem, share a solution.
Before going to bed, think about the breakfast the next day.
Dont eye all beautiful gals you see in the shopping mall.
Go to a book store, pick books you think will change your life then find a place where you can put them back. Books wont change it. Insearch of that single book that would change yopur life, you have been ass enough to get the whole library shipped to your house. Read the ones you already have.

Day One

1. Saw Dr. Vallayur Ramachandran's video series on 'Neurology and the passion for Art' and also on 'Phantoms in the brain'. A must watch for all in the creative fields.

This one on synaesthetsia (how onw or miore senses work in tandem) is really really interesting
http://psy.ucsd.edu/chip/pdf/Synaesthesia%20-%20JCS.pdf

Interesting viewpoints on Indian Art. How artists accentuate that one thing (out and above of realism) to effect an aestheic rapture.

2. Experimented with rice without the usual onion tadka (onion fry). It still tastes good.

3. Divide all work into two parts : main course and tributary. Cant say about all of us but I have seen I am happiest when I am simultaneously working on two things. The tributary is the one 'zing thing' kinda stuff like Design Competitions, a book on Design|Consumer Cult|applying for a scholarship....... something that is aloof and separatte and in fact mutually exclusive from the main course of daily work (630 to 330 pm job at IDEA)

In fact while preparing for exams like GMAT and GRE too, should divide the work at hand into two parts. I am sure you will find one to be more linear than the other once you do so. Eg. If Critical Reasoning (CR) is a weaker point in someone's prep regime and he has to complete Problem Solving part too in which he is comparatively adept, then the latter becomes the more linear one. Let it be the tributary. That is, whenever he has say 10 min gap he shoudl solve 3-4 questions. Main course (CR) should be give 'at a stretch' sittings.

Similarly at work reduce the linear tasks into intermittent work timings so that the main task is carried out in one or two chunks while the tributary is 'opened in a new window'.

Introduction

Small steps one at a time, a few learnings a day ! enuff to grow. We all are aboard the journey of life. how we react today is determined by what we learnt yesterday. Thinking each day is a yesterday of the coming tomorrow, I am starting to jot down what I learnt each day.