Photography ? Me?

greetings :)
i'm bored now, and as i couldn't do much other than this, heres what i did. :)


thinking "Ghetto" ? not quite..


its a wired world...


the storm's coming...

cheers
wu

Money, Markets & Reverse Offshoring

Well hello..
The monsoons have just started and i'm freezing. Thats a good feeling. It's been a few months since the last round of recruitments at the IIMs and other top business schools here in India. And the media, are doing their bit.

Lets start from the beginning. In the early 90's India, especially Bangalore, saw a large number of software and technology firms set up shop. And as the years went by, this trend turned into boom. It would be interesting to note the reasons for this sudden mushrooming of these firms in the country. Could one attribute this to a sudden spurt in entrepreneurs in the country? Perhaps, but the strongest reason for companies to have set shop here would be costs. Back in the 90s, Bangalore was a small city, with empty roads, abundant green cover and clean air. But most importantly, it was an economical place to live in. Cost of living was much lower than the metros, and the government back then was supposedly in favour of tech industries coming into the state. As i'm told, the Govt. of Karnataka offered incentives for companies setting up campuses in the city. Ranging from tax holidays to land and throw away prices, companies had every reason to step into Bangalore. And one of the best reasons, was talent. Bangalore had and still has, a large skilled talent pool, and 10 years ago, putting this talent to good use wouldn't cost firms as much as it would abroad. Thus, it was a wise idea to set up large work teams in the city, and have them work on projects for various international clients. And so was born the concept of Offshoring..

Starry eyed kids would often be overheard saying how they wanted to become "Computer Engineers" when they became "big", even though they hadn't a clue as to what they'd be doing as computer engineers. Coding was what people did, and it was what they were paid for. And in the mid 90s, taking home 8k a month was considered a big deal. Thats how much was paid back then. Compare that to now.

An Infosys fresher would receive compensation to the tune of 3.2lac p.a.. And increments every 6 months to a year would send that figure skyrocketing in no time. And Infosys is just the start. Google, pays 12lac p.a., according to a leading fresher's portal. And it isn't surprising why.

Every year, when a new batch of the IIMs is done with it's campus recruitments, the newspapers carry overly enthusiastic stories on the fat pay packets of these infant future-CEOs.
And though these stories leave all us innocent blog-folk amazed at how intelligent these young guys are, they also tend to have a darker side. Now consider everything i said earlier about tech firms setting up in Bangalore, or even the country. As i had mentioned, costs were low. Skilled people weren't as "expensive" as they'd be anywhere else in the world. And now look at the situation. Poof! The little dream cloud just vanished. The reason these companies came into the country, no longer exists. Costs have taken the upward spiral here too. And paying 2.5crore p.a for an IIM grad is a big deal. Not that i'm trying to question the quality of an IIM graduate, nor do i seek justification from someone who hires an IIM grad for 2.5crore p.a. :)

What i'm trying to imply, however, is that the market tends to follow what is put before them. Graduates look at the packages these business school blokes are offered, and suddenly feel the itch. "3.2lac just ain't enough for me to code. i must be paid more.." And as a result, costs go up again.

The national media makes such a big fuss out of these recruitments, that it simply screws up the markets, in short. Suddenly employees feel the need to be compensated more for the work they're doing. And employers are forced to oblige, given the fact that the quality of skilled labour available has gone down several notches.

There are over a 100 engineering colleges in Karnataka. However, the best companies recruit engineers only from the top 5 odd colleges in the state. That too, just a handful. Consider this wild calculation

If every college in the state produces atleast 50 Computer Science Engineers every year, it would translate to 5000 graduates every year.

However, product companies such as SunGard, Google, Huawei pick up less than 10 graduates each when visiting a campus for recruitments. And remember, these companies visit only the top 5 colleges. What happens to the remaining grads? Is there a reason why most of them don't have jobs? The shocking answer, which industry experts now dole out to everyone who asks, with a certain amount of self satisfaction, is that these engineers are not QUALITY engineers. One would wonder what a "quality" engineer is. As it turns out, the system for engineering education is founded on scoring marks, and not on innovation or any other school of thought you may have associated engineering with. And as a result, you're left with a breed of robots, who derive when shown how, and calculate when given formulae and relevant data. This, is a result of the earlier dream cloud (the one which vanished). Everyone wants to get an engineering degree, and work for an IT firm, in their own town, with a dream pay packet. Thats it. Thats the dream. And as hordes of people push forward to realize this dream, what gets lost is the passion to learn, to discover, and to invent. And this has been going on for so long, that the system just adapted to the needs of the masses, and stopped catering for the ones who joined an engineering programme, for the engineering part of it.

Wheres this headed? Recently, TATA Consultancy Services said in a press release, that it was cheaper for them to hire an American to work in the US for an American client, than send an Indian to the US to do the same work. What does this imply? What happened in the 90's in India, has just taken a U-turn. Jobs which earlier poured into India, now seem to be trickling back into the International markets. It may not be noticeable at this stage, but it will be evident in the future. It doesn't go to say that it would be the death of Offshoring. Offshoring would be alive well past you and i, however, the magnitude at which it took place in the past, will be hard to replicate in the future. Atleast for us.

Universities are waking up to this rude fact. Changes are being made in the system. Syllabi are being made advanced in order for the next line of engineers to be armed with cutting edge knowledge.

The good news is that it won't leave anyone discontent. Jobs will require more commitment, and getting them will require even more of it. The distinction between innovators and workers will become evident. The hierarchy of the creators, implementors and users will show itself in the near future.

The trend will shift from localization of corporate resources, to spreading out over multiple locations in order to absorb the best from every environment. This hopefully, will be successful in creating a healthier global work environment, with better productivity and efficiency. In all probability, we should all get to see it within our lifetimes.

Unless some newspaper carries another "Highest Salary" story again. :)

cheers
wu

Need a new Dell battery? Prepare to wait

I really don't know whether to laugh at this, or straighten my face.. The hilarious part is that they have almost a 100000 new batteries to ship out.. The serious part is that these batteries are a fire hazard.. This leads me to wonder if warranty claims and faulty product replacements are causing Dell's profits to tumble. Is it a sign of bad build/component quality in Dell notebook computers ?

Source : The BusinessWeek Online

I hope Dell computer owners like classical music, because they'll hear a lot of it when they're on hold to order replacement batteries for their notebooks.

After Dell Inc., the world's biggest computer maker, recalled 4.1 million batteries due to a potential fire hazard on Monday, panicky Dell computer owners clogged up the recall hot line, driving wait times up to roughly 30 minutes.

Armed with nothing but determination and a dose of gumption, I figured I'd give the battery replacement hot line a shot. I wasn't motivated by self-interest -- I don't personally own a Dell laptop -- but I did have a driving force: My editor asked me to do it.The first 10 times I called the number, I encountered a vaguely pleasant, but dead-end message from a woman urging me to hang up and order my battery online for faster service. At the end of the message, I was treated to a busy signal before being disconnected altogether.

At this point, most Dell computer owners might give up on the hot line and try to order their batteries online. Even that option may not be so simple, though, since you'd probably want to take the recalled battery out, which leaves you dependent on the AC power adapter to stay powered up and online.

I wasn't deterred and after seven minutes of redialing the 1-866 number, I finally got a different recording that told me to wait about 15 minutes to speak to a representative. I was expecting the delay to be long.

After 21 minutes of listening to Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons," and repeated assurances that my call is very important to Dell, I finally got through to a customer service rep who explained that the company is recalling the batteries because Dell doesn't want to "take any chances."

"We don't want to have your house catch on fire or anything," she said.

How should I send it back?

"After you qualify for a new battery, we'll send you one with a prepaid box to return the old one for proper disposal," she said.

Although she suggested I immediately remove the battery and use the AC adapter and power cord to run my computer, I was told I wouldn't be able to get my hands on a replacement battery for up to 20 business days, by way of DHL. My offers to pay an additional $25 to get the battery rushed were politely declined.

Dell spokeswoman Gretchen Miller acknowledged the long telephone delays, saying the company had already received 90,000 orders for new batteries.

While Dell's corporate customers in many cases are able to deal directly with sales representatives, she suggested that consumers use the Internet site, http://www.dellbatteryprogram.com, for faster service.

Also see : Fire Hazard Causes Dell To Recall Laptop Batteries

K&N Replacement Air Filter : Santro Xing

I got my Xing, named Charlotte (after Kristin Davis' character in Sex and the City), as a present on my 18th birthday. This Forest Dew coloured hatchback is one cool car. It comes loaded with a really quick, and powerful engine. It is fuel efficient, and does great in the city. However, that wasn't good enough for me. :D


I found out from the Hyundai service guy, Prithvin, that i had several options when it came to modifying my engine.. I could simply change the air filters to a performance set, change the intake system, or change the fuel injection system.

A performance K&N air filter is a Nylon based washable filter. The OEM filter is a paper one, and cannot be washed.. The K&N can pull in 440CFM of air, while the OEM filter can do just about 320CFM. The more air the intake system can pull in, the better..

The issue, however, is that for higher performance, the volume of air being pulled into the engine isn't the only factor. The velocity of this air also plays an important part. A performance intake system rids the engine of the air box, and replaces it with a single metal tube, with a conical air filter at the end. The conical air filter allows over 800CFM of air to be pulled in, while ensuring high velocity. As a result, performance of the engine is boosted by 10%, and a heavenly vroom sound induced into the engine :)

A replacement air filter costs INR 3500 while an intake system such as the K&N Typhoon would cost INR 7000. I settled for the the performance air filter for now. The moment i had this filter installed, the pickup had improved, and acceleration was a lot smoother. I've had this filter for a month now, and i've noticed that the car is a little more efficient when it comes to fuel. The difference can be seen particlularly between the second and third gear, where the acceleration is simply superb, even better than the acceleration of the stock engine.

The replacement filter is worth the dough, and you'll see the difference the moment you have it installed.. Replacement takes 10minutes, and the filter is claimed to last for 100000 miles before needing a replacement. Regular cleaning and tuning ensures top notch performance at all times.

I will be switching to the Typhoon intake system shortly. Will update you once i've had it installed.

Sony MDR-XD100 Stereo Headphones

Once again, my pockets were feeling a bit heavy, and i was out on the look out for interesting stuff to buy.. My trusty little sony headphones which came with my dead discman weren't seeming so great anymore. I came across the Sony MDR-XD100 at an online store on fine morning. They looked great, and came with a lengthy cable. I said, what the heck, and ordered one.

It arrived a couple of days later in a neat package with the following

• Headphones
• Unimatch adapter
• Documentation

The first thing you notice when you pull the headphones out of its packaging, is the length of it's audio cable. at approximately 10feet long, i doubt you'd have any problems with yanking the connector out during an exciting fragfest.. The design will strike you as flimsy, but it is anything but that. My XDR100 has survived quite a few falls off my desk, and needless to say, it looks, and sounds perfect.

The headphones are very comfortable to wear, and the neat gap in the headband provides for a perfect fit, on any head.. :) The cans are padded with leatherette, which is quite successful in blocking out any external noise. The cans are contoured on the inside, allowing the user to wear it in just one way. This, however, ensures that the output sound is clearer, and is directed towards your ear.

The XD100's have a good frequency range, wider than the human hearing range.. The bass on these phones is average~good, while the mid-high range sounds are simply superb..

Technical Specs :

Max. Power Handling	1500 mW
Plug Material	Gold
Compatibility	Studio
Driver Unit Size	40 mm
Impedance	70 ohm
Weight	6 oz.
Volume Control	Without Volume Control
Frequency Response	12 - 22000 Hz
Design	Over the Head
Usage	Consumer
Cable Length	11.48 ft.
Sensitivity	100 dB
Sound Mode	Stereo

Pros:
Economical, Good sound reproduction, long cable, snug fit
Cons:
Above average Bass, Flimsy appearance

Conclusion :
The MDR-XD100 is perfect for amateurs, and general users, looking for good and clear sound at a low price. These cans are available on Amazon for $13, which is pretty cheap considering the performance these offer. Also look for the XD200 and the XD300, in the same series.

Welcome to Wu Space

Hello and Welcome to Wu Space,
I'm Wu and i intend to use this blog to rant about everything from technology to traffic jams, in the hope that it helps innocent beings in their quest for the meaning of life, and booze. I also hope that it does the same for those not-so-innocent beings.

-Wu