It actually doesn’t have to be NFC. Check this out. Nice and neat.
Have you come across something similar?
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Spending other people’s money
Posted on April 3, 2011 by panda
I have just started reading REWORK (by Jason Fried & David Hanson).
Each section of the book is a short sweet lesson for anyone planning to start his own business. Coming from people who created some great products, this book tries to show a different perspective on some of the most common myths around starting your own business.
What made me write this post is a chapter titled “outside money is plan z”. He makes a convincing case for not going after VC money.
One of the reasons put forth is: Spending other people’s money is addictive”.
A nice lesson that we tend to forget. But to me this is a reminder about a few things I know I should be doing.
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Who is the Devil??
Posted on March 23, 2011 by panda
Off late I have been watching a lot of television series. I wanted to get hooked on to something after HIMYM went off air and Reaper somehow fit in.
Nothing special about it, except may be the charming devil, the vulnerable Sam and of course the petite Andy.
It’s all about Sam who has to work for the devil and catch escaped souls from hell with help from a bunch of friends.
Today morning we were just having a conversation and I realized that there is no concept of devil in hindu mythology. There is no dark prince, the king of hell.
The closest I could reach was Yamraaj. But then he is not the devil. He is at par with the Gods. He collects souls and mets out the final justice but he does not induce people to do bad, to do evil..
I just cant figure out where I am going wrong but it seems the Hindu mythology democratized even devil’s kingdom. There are small cheiftains … lust, greed, envy but no single overbearing figure as devil. And yes, they have a leader, the king of Rakshasas but cant really call him “THE” Devil.
There are of course Asuras, a very close parallel to demons but no Devil..
Anything comes to you mind???
PS: Reminder to self.. Add Devdutt Pattnaik’s Myth=Mithya to your reading list on Shelfari. I have heard it has fresh way of looking at Hindu Mythology
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Who am I : Singnature lines
Posted on December 1, 2010 by panda
>One of the advantages of working for a maverick company is the chance to meet exciting people. Of late I have started taking notice of the signature lines of Thoughtworkers..
The latest one is ‘Problem Solver’
I think that is way better than signing off as ‘Business Analyst’.Each word carries a lot of baggage with it. The moment you write a ‘Business Anaylst’ or a Project manager, there is a lot background that gets painted even without the the person realizing. No one to blame. Stereotyping is just one of the many cognitive biases we have to live with.
But how do people react when they are faced with something that they cannot anchor to something else. It’s just doesn’t fit into the fixed frames of references they have made for themselves. Well this is another complex subject and a whole lot of other cognitive biases come into picture. Most of the times they tend to make a close approximation or rely on only one facet of information that they find handy or easily available.
Here is a small snippet of how people react to a innovative signature line (as expressed by of another Thoughtworker)..
I tried an experiment when I moved from PS into a sales role. I got business cards that said “leader of change” and some that said “Business Development Manager.” LOC cards get me a strong reaction one way or the other (what does that mean/how interesting to “is this a joke?”) while the BDM cards were immediately dismissed for fear that I would sell them something.
I would prefer this scenario better than letting others stereotype me. I am unique and I deserve a chance to describe myself to you… Even if it means unsettling your frames of reference or shocking you ..
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>Law of Treats
Posted on January 13, 2010 by panda
>
treat [treet]
–verb (used with object) : to provide food, entertainment, gifts, etc., at one’s own expense
–verb (used without object) : to give, or bear the expense of, a treat
–noun : entertainment, food, drink, etc., given by way of compliment or as an expression of friendly regard.
Any happy event in life can trigger a treat. Whether you are giving or receiving, it is an occasion to celebrate. Considering the central role it plays in social life, I was amazed not to find any rules around it.
The following are some basic (elementary) rules for dealing with Treats. These rules apply for any real or complex Treats, regardless of the events that has led to it.
Additive Identity of Treats
Treat (Reason) + Treat (Reason) = Treat (Event)
If you have multiple reasons for giving treats, you still give A TREAT. All the requests (actually demands) for Treats from friends always cumulate to ONE Treat. A TREAT always settles all the pending treats (takes care of all events that triggered the demand for a treat) till the day of the treat.
Example: Treat (for Birthday) + Treat (for Promotion) = Treat
Rule of Treat Nullification
Treat (Reason) – Negative Treat (Reason) = Zero Treat
Any negative event nullifies all pending treats. So
[Treat (for Birthday) + Treat (for Promotion)] – [No Treat (my cat died!!!)] = Zero Treat
Multiplicative Identity of Treats
Treat X Treat = Treat
The nature of a cumulative treat does not differ from the treat given for a single treat event. To explain it further:
Treat (for Birthday) = Treat (at Bombay Post)
Treat (for Birthday) + Treat (for Promotion) = Treat (at Bombay Post) and NOT Treat (at Taj)
Distributive Effect on Treats
The venue for the treat is a inverse function of the Number of people to be treated.
I have to run back to work now.. but I think this is enough to piss off my friends who are going to badger me even further for treats 
Filed under: Aaj ka funda | 2 Comments »
