BYE BYE ALLIANCE

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial

For what it's worth it was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.
It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

TODAY WAS MY LAST DAY IN ALLIANCE AS A STUDENT.NOW I HAVE BECOME AN ALUMNI OF  ALLIANCE.IT WAS A WONDERFUL JOURNEY AND WAS INDEED THE TIME OF MY LIFE :)

CONFICKER – the clock is ticking

If  you don't know what is Conficker by now,I can assure you that its no candy or confectionary.

Conficker aka Downup, Downadup and Kido is the latest deadly worm(the electronic species) which has affected millions of computers(only with windows ) around the world.

First check if you can access antivirus websites like  Symantec & Mcafee. If you can ,you are safe.If not, sorry you got CONFICKERED.

Please check Microsoft’s Conficker page for further details

Conficker though hit computers did not do anything fatal and was believed it will strike on April 1.However nothing happened on Fools Day but later it got active and automatically started downloading a rogue antivirus software.Now again reports of new conficker movements about a secondary virus called Waledac, that sends out e-mail spam without knowledge of the PC's owner, along with a fake anti-spyware program,

Vincent Weafer, a vice president with Symantec Security Response, the research arm of the world's largest security software maker, Symantec Corp said "Expect this to be long-term, slowly changing,It's not going to be fast, aggressive.”

Better update your antivirus programs as fast as possible and frequently.Looks like Conficker is here to stay..

WINDOWS 7 RC - just around the corner

Attention XP lovers , WIN7 will have a XP mode which will run through Windows Virtual PC. MS says this will help small firms using XP to move migrate more easily to Win 7.Older Applications can be installed directly in the XP mode without any compatibility issues.The beta versions of Windows XP Mode and Windows Virtual PC for Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate will be released soon. (I have the WIN7 Enterprise edition..and its good)

The official Microsoft blog says that the Release Candidate of Win 7 will be available from April 30 for MSDN and TechNet subscribers and for public downloads from May 5th.

Microsoft recently reported a fall in sales of 5.6 percent to $13.6 billion in the third quarter, which ended March 31. Profit declined 32 percent to $2.98 billion.This is the first decline in 23 years since the company went public.

However, it seems cost saving plans have convinced investors which resulted in astounding 11 percent,biggest jump in 5 months.Hopefully WIN 7 will give the additional boost to sales….

MJ 2.0

Hey Everyone….Long Time No See :)

I haven’t blogged for quite some time,because I am in the middle of a major transition in my life.All along  my life ,My identity have always been a student of a educational institution,well not anymore. [yes, I have been placed :) ]

But first things first, I like to say a big THANK YOU for all the respondents of my survey. With their help I finally finished my dissertation report.(web 2.0)

And as of 30th April my academic life will officially get over after the Viva Voce. That will mark of the end of MJ 1.0 :p

From May I will embark on my professional career as an Operations Executive in Real Estate Bank of India. (its not a bank :p ) .Thanks  everyone for their wishes and support  :)

Based on the work timings,I suppose I can still blog frequently :)

ANY SUGGESTIONS IN IMPROVING MY BLOG WOULD BE HIGHLY APPRECIATED AND IF POSSIBLE WILL BE INCLUDED

MJ 2.0 Coming Soon…………….

Call Rates R.I.P-UPDATE

I had explained in January that why “there will be no more Mobile operators but only Internet service providers” and why  there will be no mobiles but only  MIDs.

Well….looks like  the change has begun…

ConsumerReports.org reports that “AT&T will begin selling  netbooks with integrated wireless Internet cards, selling them for as low as $50 — with a data plan contract, of course. The rollout will begin in Atlanta and Philadelphia.” read more >>

Looks like AT&T  has realized the change…and it wont be much time before this change becomes global..

Read my previous posts about this :-

• Bye Bye Cellphones... Hello MID 
•  Call Rates R.I.P

Let It Rock-Kevin Rudolf feat Lil Wayne

I see your dirty face
High behind your collar
What is done in vain
Truth is hard to swallow
So you pray to God
To justify the way you
Live a lie,Live a lie
Live a lie
And you take your time
And you do your crime
Well you made your bed
I'm in mine

[Chorus: Kevin Rudolf]
Because when I arrive
I, I bring the fire
Make you come alive
I can take you higher
What this is, forgot
I must now remind you
Let it rock,Let it rock
Let it rock

Now the son's disgraced
He, who knew his father
When he cursed his name
Turned and chased the dollar
But it broke his heart
So he stuck his middle finger to the world
To the world,To the world

And you take your time
And you stand in line
Well you'll get what's yours
I got mine

Because when I arrive
I, I bring the fire make you come alive
I can take you higher
What this is, forgot
I must now remind you
Let it rock,Let it rock
Let it rock

[Lil Wayne:]

if not playing double click the video

[Chorus: x2]
Because when I arrive
I, I bring the fire
Make you come alive
I can take you higher
What this is, forgot
I must now remind you
Let it rock,Let it rock
Let it rock

[Chorus:]
Just let it rock
Let it rock,Let it rock
Let it rock

[Lil Wayne:]

And I wish I could be
As cool as you
And I wish I could say
The things you do
But I can't and I won't live a lie
No not this time

India Innovation Initiative

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) along with CII and Agilent Technologies Inc has launched I3 –India Innovation Initiative a unique competition where one can submit their innovative ideas and if selected they would be charted into viable business models, converting the idea into an enterprise.

"The DST receives plenty of ideas to develop through its national innovation fund (NIF). A select few can be worked out and developed into commercially viable innovations that can address pertinent problems like climate change, water scarcity or other such concerns," Anuj Sinha, the head of science communication division at DST, said. (Hindu)

So if you have some innovative ideas and believe it will make a difference ,here is your chance to prove it.

May 30/09 is the last date to send in your proposals. For more details log on t0 http://www.innovationgrid.org/i3/#

MS Laptop Hunters-new Ad Campaign

When Microsoft joined hands with CP+B to launch a Ad Campaign it was nothing but a $300 million mistake.Now again MS along with CP+B ,is back with a new ad campaign called “laptop hunters” .

MS says the ads feature “real people” choosing the laptop which has all the features they are looking for,within their budget (not surprisingly, they all buy a PC after considering a Mac) MS claims the ads are ‘completely unscripted’ but many don’t believe it. Even i don’t think they are completely unscripted or that the “consumers” were made to believe that they are taking part in a marketing research.

Microsoft Videos: Laptop Hunters #2 – Giampaolo

I think the authenticity of ads are not really a problem,as long as it convinces viewers that PC offers more value for money than a Mac (that’s again is debatable :p ). But as i have said earlier Mac is luxurious and not everyone needs it. Unless you are a graphic designer or something like that,an affordable PC is good enough for a normal user(the mass market) who just uses to surf the net, play media and type documents.. :) what do you think ? ;)

Apologize-One Republic

I'm holding on your rope,
Got me ten feet off the ground
And I'm hearing what you say but I just can't make a sound
You tell me that you need me
Then you go and cut me down, but wait
You tell me that you're sorry
Didn't think I'd turn around, and say...
That it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late

I'd take another chance, take a fall
Take a shot for you
And I need you like a heart needs a beat
But it's nothing new - yeah yeah
I loved you with the fire red
Now it's turning blue, and you say...
"Sorry" like the angel heaven let me think was you
But I'm afraid...
It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late whoa.....
It's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, it's too late
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah
I said it's too late to apologize, yeah
I'm holding on your rope, got me ten feet off the ground...

Lessons From A Slumdog Sales boy

An MBA or any similar management degree teaches you basics of economics,accounting,finance,marketing,human resource management,research methodology,business strategy.

Often B-school graduates,get a shocker when they enter into the corporate world and find there is a huge disconnect between the theory they studied and the tasks they perform on the field.Does that mean theory is irrelevant? definitely not.Its your ability to link the concepts and their relevant applications ,to see beyond the documents to get the big picture and the idea behind it.

Here,look how the uneducated “slumdog sales boy” (does is it sound offensive ??) sells small handiworks to the foreign tourists.

As a marketing graduate I am able to  identify the some of the concepts which are relevant to this boy’s strategy.

• He understands the customer segments namely domestic and foreign tourists
• He has targeted a niche segment i.e. foreign tourists who would be more profitable even though the sales volume might be low
• He understands that many others will be selling the same item and his only way is to pitch it differently i.e. in international marketing terms “communication adaptation”
• His multilingual ability gives him a competitive advantage over others selling the same item because business strategy tells us that distinctive capabilities are difficult to imitate than distinctive resources which are the main sources of competitive advantage.      So what’s the big deal ?….

If you are doing field sales and feel that all those concepts you learned are going to waste …think again…may be you can use those concepts and models to design your own selling procedure according to your industry. who knows ? if it clicks it may become a SOP in the  company itself….

Remember Knowledge is Power only when Applied correctly…..