Strange Ramblings

Google just launched their new messaging app Allo in an already overcrowded market. Now there are plenty of opinions online, that you can read, talking about what are the chances that Allo succeed, so we are not going to talk about it here. However, when trying to download the app on iOS through App Store, an interesting thing caught my attention. The content rating that was given to this messaging app was 17+ with further click ins such as: Nudity, Profanity etc. On the other hand, a simple comparison with WhatsApp (the debatable leader in the market), you'd realize the same has a rating of 4+. Screenshot Dt. 23rd Sept 2016: Taken on India App Store on iPhone Similar to PG ratings on entertainment contents, App Store has the following scale : 4+, 9+, 12+ and 17+ with the varying scales of nudity, profanity, violence and other such adult (not "child" safe) references. But its simply baffling to have such a huge gap between the content rating for tw

"Quiet is the most important book published for a decade" Amazon - Link Goodreads - Link Rating ***** Firstly, Highly Recommended ! A book review is never easy. It becomes even tougher if you love the book that you are about to review so much so that you read it at a snail's pace over months, and then don't have excerpts to recall. Hence, No Spoilers Here, You. Quiet is an extremely powerful book. The Author, Susan Cain has done extensive research on the topic of Introverts / Extroverts and how the world reacts to each of the personality types. She has been able to deliver a great narrative on basic understanding of each of the personality types, and how can each one of us react when we encounter people to make all our lives easier, covering diverse perspectives from that of a parent, to a teacher or to simply a friend. “There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” This line above, captures so much of the e

Ambiance ***** Food **** Experience ***** Overall ***** Often, we wonder, how would it be like to experience the world in someone else's shoes. Dialogue in the Dark gives you an overwhelming experience on one such foray. Located in the sprawling Madhapur area of Hyderabad, a stones throwaway from the Hitech City, this is the area of the city that will blend modern India with the city of Nizams for you. Located on the 3rd floor of Inorbit Mall, as soon as you reach the reception desk of the restaurant, you'll start feeling awe. What greets you is an 'unassuming' person at the reception, who matter of factly mentions, that this experience would be unique for you. There are rules to be followed, and he hands over a list of the same - key being, you don't have anything on you which emits light, in any environmental condition. Curiously placed are a few Walking Sticks lying in a corner allow your imagination run wild for a little while. The m

In reality, this is the "righteous" path that all of us have already trotted onto. The mediums of communication, that help us substitute physical interactions, keep on flooding our ecosystem. Be it virtual classrooms, virtual conferences or even attending virtual concerts , they are all there. And every now and then, there is something disruptive, or let me rather call it confusing, something that is Yo! Let's not try and get into the super high valuation that the app is getting. But, some of the use cases that have been developed, like the alerts that Israelis have been getting whenever there is a rocket strike back home. With some of these apps raising insane amount of bids, with the likes of Whatsapp ($19 Billion), Instagram ($1 Billion) and Snapchat ($3 Billion), even when the base itself has no angle for justification, we can probably place a bet on the way Yo is headed. The game changer though remains, if at all, the app will be able to break into the stock th

At the risk of sounding sexist, here we go... The argument started in the usual setup. You are on the verge of passing out of the college. Stuff on your mind is limited to placements. You have forgotten all about why you wanted to study in the first place, and how knowledge was at the pinnacle of your priorities.  Then walks in, 'Rebecca Black'.  And the conversation flows like this: -------- Situation: You are still unplaced. Everything in your paper says, you should have more interview opportunities, and better chances of getting through. RB is already placed. Her calibre seems good, but when stacking up, perhaps it doesn't compare. At all points, you are happy for her, but, you blame your stars after getting angry at the cosmic actions of the world. Me: The world is so unfair. I am not getting enough opportunities, because organization's are too concerned about their HR policies and their Gender Ratio. RB: Perhaps. But I don't feel an iota o

Talk about the words that are being thrown dime a dozen these days, in the food circle, "Molecular Gastronomy". Humans, being the curious beings that they are, have since ages tried to break down and rebuild everything around them. Be it the molecules that the universe is made of , or Reverse Engineer the only Alien Aircraft that we have, stashed away at Area 51 (well, maybe). You get the point, though. Molecular Gastronomy, dwells into these very realms. Being an Engineer, and a Science person myself, it shouldn't surprise anyone of where my loyalties lie.  Humans, though, are also very different from one another. We are not like the Bee Colony. With All Hail the Queen attitude, or the necessity of social strata being developed inside the colony, where everyone has a purpose, and everyone works for the benefit of the colony. Point being, we are Individuals, with our own set of ideologies and beliefs. One such belief, that irked me, was this comment by

I can get angry easily. Doesn't take much. But more often than not, it is controlled, leads to a healthy argument or stubbornness, leading most definitely to an adrenaline rush for me, and an interesting phase of human observation for others. A few things that piss me off, are a completely different story. One of them is how we Indians are all gaga over our expeditions abroad, and care trifle about the diversity that India has to offer, mostly. We call into the equation, of places across Europe, of what historical spread they have to offer, along with powerful natural beauty. We call into the equation, of the Developed Countries like America, of what modernization and skyscrapers they offer, alongside their standard of living. We call into the equation, of the horrid state of affairs in the countries that are unstable politically. We call into the equation, of Africa, of what ethnic diversity it offers, and add to that, the diversity of its flora and fauna. We also call into the

Yeah, new job, and the workload that comes along, can keep you occupied. So, I have been busy. Well, not really. You always find time for something that you like to do. There has been a break with blogging for completely different reasons, and I am back now. So here goes something on a lighter note, Weird, Tangential and Iconic Smiles :) :D :-) :\) >:) >) :-D The title says it all. You'll always find people around you with smiles that are different, not necessarily weird. And it is a big turn-on for most of us, figuratively. It is just awesome on so many levels to be surrounded with not only people, but living beings, with that quirky laugh and that weird looking smile. To think back, i have had so many crushes all my life,  just because of the way she smiled. I can hardly bring those original photos here, for obvious reasons, but i'll still try and pick on some of the most iconic public smiles around. The Artsy Smile: There are far more qualified people

OR NOT Disclaimer: Expressed below are my views on a topic that I believe to be touchy with many people. They, are not, in any way, related to Google or any other giant, and are not endorsed in any capacity by the same. What little knowledge that I have gained in the little time that I have spent in the company yet, has no implication on what I express here. Every idea has a seed. Some may call the idea itself a seed.  Big or small, the seed is the key. The origin of this post has something that is similar and very interesting. Something that has stemmed over a good part of the internet age. The argument between where to draw the line in terms of privacy. Having started recently, there was a healthy argument on the same with a fellow noogler during one of the sessions. And that brought back everything from the vault. The argument always remains, that big internet companies, with the extent that they have penetrated into the internet sphere, and the amount of information t

It has been said aplenty, "Life is a Journey. And the Journey is more important than the Destination." More often than not, if you follow this principle, you'd be left in good stead. So ditch all the long term plans, and live in the moment. Or a collection of them, like Graduation. One can truly break that in your face  question of Why MBA very easily. From where I stand, it is likely to be one of this: Break away from your undergrad university where you weren't exposed to your dream opportunities A complete U Turn, in terms of the chosen path, say from an Electrical Engg to IB Bored and hence getting back to the good ol' student ways, meeting people partying, lazing around Obviously, the whole concoction of stuff starts way before the actual gassing up  in a MBA. So you would be averse to yourself, and come up with THE answer, which would mostly border upon the first two. Rightly so, it ain't a small investment. There always will be people that

The Road Less Traveled "It's always about the journey"  I just arrived back from the Maha Kumbh, Allahabad, and I feel overwhelmed; Not at the mysterious religious beliefs that a place like Kumbh and Sangam would hold; after all, we'd have to live another 144 years to experience another, but at the very fact that I have started to feel more comfortable living out of my suitcase, on the road, than with a closet, and the fact that that happens only once in 144 years. So why should we Travel at all.. I am sure you'll find your own reasons, as soon as you take that first step out of your city. For me, it has always been for the love of the experience. Loose term, yes, but you'll get it once you travel. And for the uninitiated, Experience can be about that clear blue green water, the golden sand, the rocky coastline, the twinkling starry sky, the fresh soft snowy morning, the blazing hot sun. But there are finer tastes to travelling than the landscape and