A huge WTF??

Eric Schmidt with Financial Times -

“We are very early in the total information we have within Google. The algorithms will get better and we will get better at personalisation."
“The goal is to enable Google users to be able to ask the question such as ‘What shall I do tomorrow?’ and ‘What job shall I take?’ ”
“We cannot even answer the most basic questions because we don’t know enough about you. That is the most important aspect of Google’s expansion.”

Hold ON!!!

Okay!! let's assume that Google is a great company and the trio leading the Google now are the greatest philanthropists that the world has ever produced and are on a mission to make the world a better place to live in. But what if?? they are not?? What about those who succeed, what about the hordes of employees we trust our information with?? what about the future laws, patriot act anyone? what about privacy? what about the meaning and purpose of life? getting advice from some bot?? Ridiculously Ridiculous.

Let us for a second, imagine those words coming out of Steve Ballmer's mouth.
Hell's Frozen!!!!
How much should one trust a Corporation?

Approving of everything Google (or anyone who wants to get into your mind) does just based on love and trust is just like giving Bush' the mandate to go to Iraq. Only with worse results.

American Democracy

Here in America, people take pride in their democracy and freedom. I find US a great place to live in. I am single healthy guy with a decent job, with not many responsibilities and earning enough money to live well.

But when I try to look deeper, I understand there are many problems. Lack of sound education system for the kids, failing social security and health care, an economy that is going down, a foreign policy that makes more enemies every day and arrogant politicians who stick to populist politics rather than doing a reality check.

What is more appalling more than any of this is public inaction. 70% of the nation do not believe in Iraq war any more, but they are doing nothing to end it. US spends more money on defense and military than rest of the world combined. The budget on military is more than the entire economies of countries with a billion citizens. I hear politicians say, there is a cost for freedom, but how much? When security is a bigger concern than education and health care and quality of life, it is a clear indication that there is some thing is wrong. We are paying taxes through the nose around 35% of what we earn, then sales tax of 8% on everything we buy and many more.
And its a big disappointment looking at how this money is being transferred to the big companies.

But where is the reaction, why don' t people take to streets. Why do they just leave it to the politicians to work it out. How does these opinion polls help, if the president can ignore them like its just some noise. Democracy doesn't just come into picture, when there is an election. Look at the Mexicans, in spite of having no legal ground for their cause, they are brave and strong enough to march in millions on the street and initiated this whole debate. What are the natives doing to get us out of Iraq? Get more money to health care, decrease the war spending. You spend a trillion on homeland security and have a wide open border on the south and a free for all shipping yards. US cannot even control the drugs with in its own borders.

USA is stinking rich when compared to other countries and pay more taxes to the government than any one else. Why do they need to settle for less quality in life. If US cannot afford it, no one can. What is the use of democracy, when the people cannot dictate the policies.

Bring in the JOY!!

I recently bought a camcorder for my sis, a Panasonic gs85. And it has got this joystick as one of the input devices on the camera. And I realised what an amazing input device joystick would make for many many devices. I'm not a gamer, so I didn't use a joystick or any similar input devices much before using this camcorder, so this is revealing to me. No need to use the touch screen, just use the joystick to go up and down the menus.

Take my favourite, television remotes as an example, there are separate buttons for channel up and channel down, page up and page down, volume up and volume down resulting in a device every one hates. Replacing it with joystick doesn't need any drastic technology changes, it should still be able to work with the same RF and IR technologies that remotes use now.

Or take any mobile devices, be it mp3 players or phones or pdas or GPS devices or digital cameras or UMPCs, most of the browsing we do on the menus are these same controls, that is up down, left and right and page down. How easy it would be to browse your menus with a joy stick. You don't even need to worry about technology as it is on device and you can keep what ever you want on these devices.

I know quite a few devices already have joystick. But still the percentage is very minimal, when compared to the number pad. I can think of many amazing things that you can do with out lifting your finger if you have the right interface. So, spread the joy.

Xbox 360 and TiVo

In line with my previous posts on the future of home PCs and 'set top boxes with broadband connections' being the future of the living room, looks like TiVo and Xbox 360 would be the major competitors in the near future to occupy that space. For one, they are already there in the living room and they both are connected to the Internet.

There is no stopping Xbox360, with all their live community and likely netflix, zune, iptv integration and a easy to use controller with a chatpad and of course with the MS Marketing Muscle. Once they have the foot in the door, everyone knows what they are capable of doing. Xbox 360 already has a huge 'paying' community and Xbox Live Marketplace is offering more and more content. Xbox platform could easily become the Windows of the living room. As Xbox system is a closed system with no third party software, it is more easy to control and avaoid security issues like in Windows. And for the same reason, it could emulate the success of iPod/iTunes closed environment by controlling everything in the ecosystem, but only in a larger scale. There are already 15 million Xbox 360s out there, but primarily as gaming system. I guess at some point, they should release a less expensive, non gaming xbox system with IPTV and other entertainment services.

TiVo is more conventional box in the lines of VCRs and the DVD players of the old times with familiar remote controls and a bunch of extremely useful features that integrate with the current living room eco system, i.e broadcast TV. With the new marketing push, they might capture a significant market with the non gaming crowd. But still needs more killer features to have a permanant place in the living room. And the push from the dishtvs and comcasts is always there for their 5bucks. TiVos already have this unique feature, i.e DVR which Xbox cannot do yet without a Windows Media Center PC in the network. But any feature that needs an additional hardware is as good as nothing. TiVo is low in sound and power and doesn't generate as much heat as Xbox. TiVo is already integrated with Amazon Unbox. So it has the biggest store backing the download service. TiVo is inexpensive with all the subsidies. TiVo to Go is another killer feature, get all the recorded content on to your laptops, ipod and other PMPs. You can already share your content with other TiVo users.

Wii is also an interesting contender with the Opera web browser integrated and allow you to browse internet unlike XBox360 and TiVo. Apple TV, doesn't seem to have much applications and is not good enough to be a mass market phenomenon. PS3 is too expensive and is overrun with Xbox Marketplace. Slingbox is a feature in the future settop boxes rather than a separate gadget. I really dread to see an application like Yahoo! Go on the TV.

And then there is my ICECUBE ;)

Future of Television?

Like I mentioned in an earlier post here, I think the days of home PC are numbered. And they are going to live the life of secondary citizens. And the set top boxes are going to rule the home.
I see the evolution of the set top boxes, just like mobile phones.

There are a number of device manufacturers like nokia and motorola, a number of service providers like Verizon, AT and T and Sprint, a number of platforms like Linux, Windows, Symbian etc.. there are device/OS combo like Palm with its own Palm OS, Nokia with Internet tablet OS, iPhone with Mac OS and Blackberry etc... But the technology is either CDMA or GSM.

So the delivery of content to the living rooms would be cable technology, satellite and in addition to that would be delivery over Internet. I am not familiar with the technology behind satellite and regular cable technology like comcast and the flexibility those platforms have, but content delivery that offers interactivity like Internet would be the future.

It's not a one way traffic anymore. Broadcasting and even on demand can only be a part of the equation. The future would be about incorporating the interactivity that Internet brings to the PCs to the content on TVs. No more browsing for the content being broadcast, not even scheduling the TiVo to record the programming to watch it later, Not even a catalog of movies and shows available on demand.
This will simply not do.

Its about making the Content available anytime. Want to watch the episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, where Rachels finds out that Ross loves her. No waiting for the network or cable channels to broadcast, no searching the DVD collection from the closet, No rushing to the DVD store to rent or buy the entire DVD collection. You should be able o do a simple search on the TV and play it. Nothing else will do. All content everywhere. No waiting for the downloading.

Want to watch the show with an old friend from school, no need to get on the aeroplane. Just kick up the messenger widget on the TV and buzz him. Synchronize your show and chat over the web cam while watching your favourite episode. From your couch.

Are you watching the Television alone and are excited about the impression Jon Stewart made on Bush and want to share your feelings with every one, just rate it 5 stars by sitting back on the couch and write up your feelings to the blog or a discussion board. Is it not enough, just select the start and end of the 2 min part of the 20 minute show and send it over to your friend in the east coast. From your couch.

Wait! I've just got an email to my Yahoo Mail, open it up and read it through. From your couch!

Just saw the advertisement about the new Bimmer in the middle of the episode and want to see the specs of the ultimate driving machine? Boom, push a button and go right on the product page of the new BMW Z8. Right from your couch.

You get the idea, the power of the Internet over the TV. Ability to read yesterdays news today. Ability to read the search over the Internet for an article you read a few months ago. Bookmarking your favorite websites and vi sting them again everyday. Getting alerts when some one update a blog. Get this power on to the TV content.

No Windows Media Center extensions like in XBox360 and No Apple TV that can just play the content from your other PC. No TiVo that can only play the content you recorded yesterday.

The future is for the set top boxes with 'innovative' and 'light weight' and 'ridiculously easy to use interface' and 'silent' platforms with simple and more powerful controllers (remotes are so last century) that deliver HD content with Internet interactivity. (and access to the user activity for googles and yahoos to sell ads on;) There will be competing hardware devices, with competing OS, with competing services, mix and matched.

Who is going to be the Microsoft, Nokia and Verizon of the TV.

Defining India

What characterizes India? How do you define India?
India is an epitome of 'Unity in diversity!!!'
It is amazing to see India as one, when you look at the politics across the worlds and struggle carried over by billions.
Look at the middle east and Africa, how disarrayed they and struggle with problems plagues by religion and for land smaller than a single major city in India.
India does have problems, but the strength and unity we show as Indians is amazing for a land that cannot be more diverse. I think this strength come from the culture that respects others opinion and beliefs. This strength comes from attitude to live and let live. This strength comes from the understanding that it okay to be different from each other. To agree to disagree. It is a nation that has democracy in its DNA and not something that is imposed.

I was impressed with Shashi Tharoor's (former UN under secretary) book "From Midnight to Millennium" about the journey of the Nation from 1947 into the 21st century. The book showed me the India I didn't see, the book made me understand about the very environment I live in but didn't care to learn about it. I have not ready many books about the India, but this book has to a great objective analysis on the country, its culture, its people and its politics without any political or ideological bias.

He is making another effort to define the country. In his column in Times of India, he is writing a glossary of Indianness. He is already into his 2nd column, and I am looking forward to the series he is coming up with.

Don't miss this -
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Columnists/Shashi_Tharoor/articlelist/1568338.cms