August 3, 2017
While Pokémon Go may have been the best marketing campaign for AR, we are only scratching the surface. The possibilities are endless. So don’t let your enthusiasm die down. The roller coaster has just started its journey.
July 21, 2017
India needs to add a million jobs a month every year to feed the youth who are entering the workforce. Every AI agent will need to be trained through millions of iterations. As more AI applications emerge, the need for training AI will grow exponentially. Labor arbitrage will make India an attractive destination for jobs that involve training AI. A study has found six areas where the use of robots will create new jobs: automobiles, electronics, renewable energy, skilled systems, robotics and food and beverage. Jobs like robot psychologist, personal online shopper, robot ethicist did not exist before. This may even be the next outsourcing wave for India. But the jobs we get will have their consequences...
July 16, 2017
Jagga Jasoos is an out and out Disney film. It is a comic book that has come to life. There are bright colors and a range of emotions done in bold (a tad oversaturated) color. You travel to exotic places and like any good detective story, the film takes you to exotic and fictitious locations or ask your Bengali friends where is Shundi. The locations create the fantasy Disneyland complete with zebras, giraffes and ostriches. Should you watch it? Read and decide.
July 11, 2017
“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers”, Pablo Picasso There was a cartoon doing the rounds recently that showed a person celebrating Guru Poornima by praying to Google. This is what augmentation of human capabilities means. What Picasso said is true. Google is better than us when it […]
July 6, 2017
Wall Street cheered McDonald’s decision to have digital kiosks in 2500 locations to do what cashiers would. The shareholders cheered loudly and McDonalds shares hit an all-time high. The move is part of an initiative ironically named as “Experience of the Future.” These “McJobs” have funded many students and families with living wages. That may not happen for long.
June 28, 2017
The data we generate is then used to craft algorithms that can predict our next move. That is the basis of all the nudges we get as we shop. “Those who bought X also bought Y” is the algorithm trying to figure out your next move. The algorithms are always trying to second guess you — till the time you give up controls of your life to the algorithm. Then why not make a living by selling this data that is ours.
June 25, 2017
Would you pay millions to have a Buffett lunch? For more than 18 years, people have tried to outbid each other to have lunch with the Oracle of Omaha – Warren Buffett. This year the winning bidder shelled out $2.68 million for the privilege of having lunch with the man.I have some good news for you. You can get the wisdom of Warren Buffet and his right hand man, Charlie Munger if you pick up the book titled “All I Want to Know is Where I’m Going to Die So I’ll Never Go There”. Yes, that is the title of the book. I was almost not going to read it. I thought it would be another compilation of financial mumbo jumbo and ratios. Then I read the subtitle. It says, “Buffett and Munger – A Study in Simplicity and Uncommon, Common Sense.” This a must-read.
June 22, 2017
Travis had described the 14 values as a “philosophy of work” that Kalanick and chief product officer Jeff Holden, an Amazon vet, had spent hundreds of hours putting together. The values were built on a world view that there was room for only one ride sharing company in the world. There was no doubt that it demolished the taxi service companies that used to limit the supply of cabs to be able to charge arbitrary prices. Supply of cabs was restricted keep demand higher than supply. Uber demolished all this.It was built on a view that for me to succeed I must kill my peers. The value of “principled confrontation” was designed to encourage employees to challenge authority without fear. On the ground, it translated to bullying the weak colleague.
June 19, 2017
If you have never been active on social media, do not try to make up for lost time by getting hyperactive. Think of unconventional choices. Have you thought of being your own boss or pursue your passion for teaching? This may be a good trigger to get started. If you want to run fast, then social media could be just the running shoes that you need.