Happy Birthday Dear Blog

It's happened.  My blog turned one this week and I didn't even realize it.

Before starting this blog last December, I had a few thoughts flowing through my mind which were reasons I felt I shouldn't start a blog.  They were:

• I may not have anything interesting to say (which some could argue is still the case).
• I didn't have a specific topic I felt I could write about all the time.  Many blogs focus on specific domains such as technology, sports, fashion, politics, etc. but I didn't really feel I could justify an entire blog to just one topic.
• I didn't think I would have the time to maintain a blog.  This has still been my biggest challenge and there are some months where I've been posting regularly and some months where I seem to have disappeared.  Apart from work commitments, it becomes a matter of how I choose to use my free time and many times I've willingly decided to spend time with the family instead of the blog. 

Image: miahs-party-store.com 

What has the blog meant to me?  

Well, it is has been a good way of venting when I've been frustrated or sharing my views on topics I'm passionate about because as great as Facebook and Twitter are, there are times when you want to say much more.  Starting this blog also gave me the confidence to start a second blog (which is mainly tech-related on http://blogs.jackys.com).

Since I'm also celebrating my first year of the blog, I've decided to make a subtle change to the name of my blog.  In February, I had re-christended my blog, "Blogging with Training Wheels" as I felt I still had a lot to learn and understand about maintaining a blog.  I don't think by any means I'm perfect or fully understand yet what goes into making a blog really successful, but I think it's time I set free without the training wheels.  Therefore, I've decided to rename the blog as "Blogging sans Training Wheels."

The best way to learn is from your mistakes.  Without the training wheels, I'll surely fall over a few times but that should make the blog better in the long term.   If you've got any inputs on what I can do better, please do share them and I'd be glad to hear them.

In the meantime, I'll keep doing what I've been doing and hopefully, you find a post or two interesting enough along the way.

You'll Never Walk Alone

Whoever knows me, knows I like a few things.  Good food, good music, gadgets to play with and football.

So it was too tempting an opportunity to not share this video link of the team I'm so passionate about.  Elvis Presley singing "You'll Never Walk Alone."  This is dedicated to all the Liverpool fans out there.

P.S. My two kids and I are all dressed in our Liverpool shirts today.

Eminem: This Generation's Dylan?

Having just read Steve Jobs biography, one thing comes out as straight out obvious: Steve Jobs was truly and deeply inspired by Bob Dylan.  There are numerous examples of this that the book's author, Walter Isaacson, mentions and this prompted me to actually buy Bob Dylan's greatest hits on iTunes over the weekend.

I can understand where people of the Steve Jobs generation found the sentiment of Bob Dylan's work inspiring but I don't think I've truly appreciated it mainly because I've grown up in a different age.  Jobs quoted lyrics from Bob Dylan during various times in his career as he found a lot of what Bob Dylan said relevant to what was happening in the world around him.

For this generation, I think we see a lot of that in Eminem.

This may sound ridiculous but if you've ever sat down and paid attention to the lyrics and actually heard what Eminem has had to say in his music, you start to realize this man is a poet at heart.  He may be a bit extreme, he may throw in more four-letter words that are required but that's also been because he's been so emotional about whatever he's rapped about.

In a day and age where you don't truly get a sense of a story in music these days, Eminem has been one of the few exceptions.  Nearly every track of his highlights a journey he's gone through.  As a father, you can hear the pain in his voice.  As a husband who's done wrong, you can hear the anger he holds towards himself.  He's represented himself in multiple personas at various times in his career because like most of us, he's also trying to figure out, which of those persona's is actually him.  He's been open enough to talk about battles with race, drugs, depression, poverty and friendships.  He doesn't paint a rosy picture because life isn't all roses but he does help paint the bigger picture.

I can't think of many other artists in this day and age who actually address as many social issues as Eminem does as a mainstream artist.  I wouldn't expect Eminem to show up at too many events celebrating literary greatness like the Sharjah International Book Fair (starting this week from November 16 - 26, 2011 - click here for details of the event) but I think in years to come, hopefully his literary qualities will get appreciated much like we appreciate that of Bob Dylan today.

Whatever your biases are towards his music, keep it aside the next time you hear his music.  Listen to the story in his lyrics and maybe you'll start to see where I'm coming from.

The Blog and I

"What's happened to your blog?"

This is a question I've been asked quite a lot lately because it's obviously been a while since my last post.  After I got this question again last night, I decided to respond this morning.

The blog exists though admittedly it hasn't been as active of late.  I've had a busy few weeks with various events and travels which has meant very little screen time in front of my computer and increasingly I've been using my tablet for managing my e-mails, but haven't found it quite as comfortable when it has come to working on the blog.

I've also been a proponent of the fact that if you write something, it should be somewhat meaningful, even if it means you write less often but when you do write, it should be appreciated.  I haven't had as much from a personal perspective to probably share of late hence I didn't see the need to rush in front of my computer and put out a post.

The good news is that I should be around in front of my computer a lot more often over the next few weeks so you will probably start seeing more posts from me (including one later today if I can complete it), so don't fret and thanks to everyone for their feedback, both positive and negative thus far.  The blog will continue and hopefully my random ramblings continue to make sense occasionally. :)

Closure: Steve Jobs & Freddie Mercury's Queen

I woke up this morning to the news of Steve Jobs' passing and wasn't quite sure how to react.  A few minutes later, I could feel a few tears strolling down my cheek and then I realized, that even though I never knew the genius that was Steve Jobs personally, I was mourning for someone who felt near and dear to me.

Image Courtesy: apple.com

Without wanting to sound like an episode of Glee, I got in the car and instinctively had the urge to listen to a few songs from Queen this morning.  Freddie Mercury was a genius in his own right and died fighting an  illness that he'd kept hidden for years.  Steve Jobs did the same.  Different illnesses but the fighting spirit remained in both of them.

Listening to a few songs from Queen, it seemed like every song I was listening to related to Jobs.  A few examples below.

A King of Magic - A classic from Queen was the first song that came to mind.  What Jobs did was magical in so many ways, whether at Apple or at Pixar.  He re-did what was already done and knocked our socks off.  The lyrics from this song also seem apt (see below).

It's a kind of magic,
It's a kind of magic,
A kind of magic,
One dream, one soul, one prize,
One goal, one golden glance of what should be,
It's a kind of magic,
One flash of light that shows the way,
No mortal man can win this day,
It's a kind of magic,
The bell that rings inside your mind,
It's a challenging the doors of time,
The waiting seems eternity,
The day will dawn of sanity,
Is this a kind of magic,
There can be only one,
This rage that lasts a thousand years,
Will soon be gone,
This flame that burns inside of me,
I'm hearing secret harmonies
It's a kind of magic,
The bell that rings inside your mind,
Is challenging the doors of time,
It's a kind of magic, 

We Will Rock You - Steve you did indeed rock our world.  In the last couple of years, we've seen a World Economy and an Apple Economy.  The Apple Economy has probably helped save the World Economy.

I Want it All - In the chorus, to the song, the words "I Want it All" are repeated three times and then Queen sang, "and I want it Now."  This epitomizes what Steve Jobs believed in.  He had a vision, a passion, a desire to get things done and to dominate the way it was done.  What made him stand out though was the belief that it wasn't a product of the future but something that could be done today.  It makes me think of the launch of Siri, the talking assistant that was demonstrated by Apple just the day before Jobs passed way during the iPhone 4S launch.

I Want to Break Free - May seem like an odd-choice for a song to remember Steve Jobs by but there are a few powerful lyrics in this song that summed up the passion Apple products created for a first time buyer that often stayed with them for life.  The lyrics from the second verse are below and see if you agree with me.

I've fallen in love
I've fallen in love for the first time
And this time I know it's for real
I've fallen in love, yeah
God knows, God knows I've fallen in love 

Radio Ga Ga - Seems ironic that the iPod may have killed radio at one time before Apple again revived it by spreading the concept of podcasts (that virtually most talk radio stations rely on today) and Apps to listen to your favourite stations on.

We are the Champions - Jobs came back to Apple when they were down and made them into one of the most enviable companies out there.  The fact that he managed to defy the odds during a recession, made Jobs and Apple true champions.  What's more, they've inspired another generation of champions along the way.

The Show Must Go On - Tim Cook and the rest of the team at Apple have been entrusted with the job of continuing where Jobs left off.  The culture and the mindset has been instilled by Jobs but as most of us know, companies outlive individuals in many cases.  Let's hope the same continues here with Apple.

I know there many be many other songs that may have been relevant and I grappled with whether I should include them in this post or not but felt these summed up the loss of Steve Jobs probably best.

Steve, you will be missed but the lessons you've left behind will inspire generations to come.  Thank you.

Will Whitman Outwit the Competition?

"Messenger Down! He's finally been shot!"

This is how I imagined the situation in the HP Board Room last week when it was confirmed that HP had just fired their CEO of less than one year, Leo Apotheker.

While I personally felt Apotheker was the wrong man for the job, it was shocking to see how HP's Board failed to take responsibility for actions that they were also responsible for.  The last twelve months have been rocky for not only HP but the rest of the industry as they've all struggled to grow while Apple has moved ahead of the pack at record pace.

HP's Board missing in action when their CEO needed a hand

In firing Apotheker, HP's Board washed their hands of any responsibility of whatever's transpired for them since he took over, including their decision to exit the tablet & smartphone business, separate their PSG division and acquire Autonomy.  Most of these were actions that we would've thought unthinkable a year ago before Apotheker took charge but for him to take these decisions as CEO, there must've been some consent or agreement on this direction from the Board at HP.  It is inconceivable to think that all of this would've happened with Board endorsing it and as a result, it was in essence part of their strategy as well.

The way Apotheker managed these announcements had a left to be desired for and his ability to chart out a direction for HP seemed flawed in my opinion but to strictly put the blame on him is wrong.  Having personally seen Mark Hurd speak previously, my guess is that had he been in the same position, he would've I'm sure been able to handle the situation a lot better. Hurd had a sense of charisma and respect that he gained which would've made you think that any decision being pushed through by him was well thought through.

With HP now deciding to appoint Meg Whitman, an HP Board Member, as CEO can be seen as positive step forward given her track record in the consumer space at eBay but what we have to remember is that she still is part of the Board that went ahead with Apotheker's strategy for changing HP.

Will Whitman outwit (sorry for the pun) everyone and bring HP back to the leadership position it deserves to be in by doing something revolutionary in HP or will she serve as a captain of a ship that's already set sail?  We'll wait and see but whatever she does decide to do, I hope HP Board's learns their lesson as they next time around they can't ask why the CEO screwed up.  It's been their own doing and they have to take responsibility for themselves going forward.

Please note all thoughts mentioned on this blog are personal views and not given by me in any official capacity.  If quoting from this blog, please quote me in a personal capacity only and not in my official capacity.

Typing Centres: What's the Point?

Anyone who's lived in the UAE knows the story about typing centres.  For those not familiar with them, they are basically institutions that exist for the sole purpose of typing documentation for anyone requiring a government service.

While the UAE has been talking extensively about e-services, the job of a typing centre attendant has been thriving.  I saw an example of this when I decided to renew my Emirates Identity Card (EIDA).  With all the hoopla that's surrounded applying for EIDA (click here to read an earlier blog post on this), you'd think that renewing it would be easier as the powers that be would have everything they require from you from the first time you applied for the card.

How wrong I was.  Apart from the obvious of supplying them with a photocopy of my passport, updated UAE visa and presenting them with a copy of my old EIDA card, I was told, this all had to be sent to a typing centre and re-typed onto a form and then it has to be re-submitted to them.

Why?

I have no idea.  The bureaucracy that surrounds a simple step like renewing a document can actually serve more as a deterrent in the long term.  Prior to coming to the UAE, I'd never lived in a country where I had to approach a typing centre to do anything for me.  With advancements in technology, I'd always assumed the role of typing centers would diminish in the long term as most typewriters start to suffer from old age and rust.  That though doesn't seem to be the case here in the UAE and if you're looking for a new business to start up, I'd suggest you enroll yourself in a secretarial course and get your typing speed up as you stand to rake in the dough.

P.S. In case you were born after 1990 and are wondering what a typewriter is,  have a read through this Wikipedia link.