Fidget Spinner

A couple of weeks ago I read about the sudden craze of fidget spinners. Last week, I saw one of the new interns in office playing with one. And then my nephew Ryan playing with one. And it seemed that wherever I went someone or the other was playing with one.

And naturally I borrowed theirs and ended up playing with it. And liking, well actually loving it. Next step, Buy 1. Which quickly translated to buying 10. Which I will now have to perforce present to people I know.

One would think that this wonderful product designed so well, had all the markings of success. And so it succeeded. But you would be wrong.

The fidget spinner as the name mis-suggests was designed as a tool not for fidgeting but to prevent fidgeting. It seemed like persons with ADHD tend to be unable to focus and so their hands are constantly in motion searching for something to do.

The origin is unclear and initially Catherine Hettinger was credited with being the inventor. She filed a patent for a spinning toy in 1993.

"... she told The Guardian that the origins of the fidget spinner came when she was suffering from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness.Unable to play with her daughter, she started "throwing things together with newspaper and tape" in an effort to entertain her. It soon gained moderate popularity as she began small-scale manufacturing from her home and sold her invention around art fairs in Florida."

"... A Bloomberg News article, however, disputes the claim that Hettinger is the original inventor of the fidget spinner, citing two patent lawyers who saw little resemblance between the fidget spinners which rose to popularity in 2017 and Hettinger's spinning toy, as described in the patent. Hettinger acknowledges there is no direct connection between her own spinning toy and fidget spinners in their current form and does not make any claims on being the inventor of the product, telling Bloomberg News: "Let's just say I'm claimed to be the inventor. You know, 'Wikipedia claims', or something like that.

Although the patent status of the various fidget spinners currently on the market is unclear, in an interview appearing on May 4, 2017 on NPR, Scott McCoskery describes how he invented a metal spinning device in 2014 to cope with his own fidgeting in IT meetings and conference calls. In response to requests from an online community, he began selling the device he called the Torqbar online. Shortly thereafter, others began making and selling their own versions, and in 2016 he partnered with a friend to file for a provisional patent."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fidget_spinner


The fidget spinner in its modern avatar, seems to have started its popularity journey in the beginning of 2017. There was an article published in Forbes on Dec. 23, 2016 by James Plafke describing fidget spinners as the "must-have office toy for 2017". So itremains a question whether the article started the process or just saw it coming.

And quickly like all good things there were several designer fidget spinners also available.

And again like all good things the price range varied big-time but whether the quality did remains an open question.

And for those of you who are wondering at what the hell is a fidget spinner, here's a short video on the subject.

How do fidget spinners work?
GorillaPhysics

Its popularity reached a level that CNN had an article, "All your questions about fidget spinners, answered".
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/health/fidget-spinners-what-is-trnd/index.html

Available since 1993. Goes viral in 2017. Yet another example of the way the world works. For anything to succeed the universe needs to be ready, the stars lined up and everything else in the right place at the right time. And then it will happen.

And for all those with a great idea that's going nowhere, this offers some insight. All you can do is to try and be there at the right places and hope that the right time will come. Hopefully sooner than later.

Happy Father's Day to Me. And to all the Fathers.

Today is universally celebrated as Father's Day. Which translated means that the US or rather US companies such as Hallmark decided to call it Father's Day so that they could sell a zillion cards. A couple of decades later, no one buys or sends cards, but the tradition continues and the Amazons of the world benefit.

Or so I thought. Until I looked it up and like all other things, there's an interesting story behind the origin of Father's day. Which as it turns out was inspired by Mother's Day.

"The nation’s first Father’s Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in the state of Washington. However, it was not until 1972–58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day official–that the day honoring fathers became a nationwide holiday in the United States."

"... a Spokane, Washington, woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an official equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910.

Slowly, the holiday spread. In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a flag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day.

Today, the day honoring fathers is celebrated in the United States on the third Sunday of June."
http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/fathers-day

Reia, my younger daughter after spending a few years in the US has perfected the art of re-messaging and so sends me a variation of this message every year. And it never fails to bring a smile, especially since its largely untrue, yet feels good. Who of us does not like to be praised.

Freia is a little like me. Not great at saying the right things. And so she tweeted asking for help with choosing the right thing to say. As printed on a mug. And managed not to get any of the brilliant mugs, all of which came pretty close to the truth, I think. Or to say any of them. Instead she treated me to a glass of healthy juice. Which didn't seem very appetizing because of the green color, which I relate to healthy and therefore untasty, if that's a word. And after that low expectation it turned to be pretty tasty.

The message I liked most was a tweet by ex-President Obama. Especially since it expresses my feelings. Perfectly. Just replace Sasha and Malia with Reia and Freia.

So to all of you father's here's to a Happy Father's Day, the one day of the year when you are appreciated for all you do. And to everybody else, we father's would really appreciate appreciation on a few other days too. How about once a month? :-)

It's more than a game... It's Baseball!

On Friday my cousin Vanitha invited Freia and me to a baseball game at Yankee's stadium. Yes, the iconic stadium that I had not seen in the last 100 years but had made my first visit last month for Freia's graduation. Only this time it was for watching the Yankees take on the Baltimore Orioles.

I had seen a little bit of Baseball on TV and had heard friends and colleagues discuss it. But had never really seen a game at a Ball Park. Yes! That's what a baseball field is called and I assume that's where the term "Ballpark it" comes from.

The buildup was huge. Vanitha told us that she had managed to get Box seats, and it included free food and drinks and ... I was excited. Vanitha, her son Ryan, Freia and I got there just before the start of the game at 7.30. We had great seats. Just 30 rows from the field and just behind the visitors area. They weren't exactly box seats, but who cares, they were Free.

And before the game, we decided to go get some of that awesome, amazing, free food. We got into the MVP Club that we had access to and realized that the free part was only popcorn and peanuts and sodas. Everything else including the hot dogs were paid for. I guess you can't go to a baseball game and not get hot dogs. So we got hot dogs.

And settled down to watch an exciting game. As Freia said, "It seems a little slow, unlike cricket where the runs keep piling up". Here at the end of the 1sts innings the score was 0-0. Luckily that quickly changed and by the end of the game the Yankees won 8-2.

I didn't know about baseball and felt that I should at least understand the game. Okay, a little bit. And on my ride to the stadium I quizzed my brother Frank about the game. He answered my questions and I learnt a little bit. For those who don't have knowledgeable siblings or friends who are willing to teach you about baseball, there's always YouTube. And here's my favorite. Probably because the author is like me, someone who comes from a cricket playing country.

It's more than a game... It's Baseball!

And for those like Freia who want to not spend more than a few minutes, here's Aja.

Ask Aja: Baseball 101

The Art of Parenting

As parents, we always think we are doing the right thing. And sometimes we get a rude shock. And I got a shock. Well okay, a jolt.

I was told by by daughter "NO. You actually aren't as nice as you think you are". And then her sister and Mon seconded and thirded it.

This was difficult to absorb. And then I got a second jolt. When I saw this Ted talk. When it happens twice in the same week, you can't help but wonder. Check out this talk and decide for yourself whether or not you are over-parenting. And for kids reading this, don't miss the part about, "The earlier and more chores you do, the more successful you are."

How to raise successful kids -- without over-parenting
Julie Lythcott-Haims

 

L!BRARY

These days my interest seem to revolve around education, libraries and designs. And so I couldn't resist a TED talk that touched on all 3 of these subjects.

What's most interesting is that simple changes can make major differences.

How to design a library that makes kids want to read
Michael Bierut

Picture Abhi Baaki Hai Mere Dost

This Wednesday and Thursday was Freia's graduation. And the University graduation was at the Yankee stadium. And her college graduation at Radio City musical. By graduating from NYU, Freia ensured that I got to visit 2 iconic places, I had not seen. And they were impressive. As were the ceremonies.

Freia's cap read, "Picture Abhi Baaki Hai, Mere Dost" which translated to "The movie is not yet over, my friend".

The commencement speaker at the NYU graduation was the iconic Pharell Williams. And he gave a good speech. Listen for yourself.

After hearing him, I wanted to give my own pearls of wisdom to the NYU Graduating class of 2017. And started writing what I thought was going to be the best commencement speech ever written. And after a few paragraphs, it dawned upon me that most, if not all commencement speeches were designed to tell graduates what to do as pearls of wisdom being passed on from one generation to another. And this in my mind was flawed. If they all did what we advised them to do, they would not be able to become the extraordinary people who would do extraordinary things.

And so my only advise would be:

"
Go do exactly what you think is best for you and for the world.

However, in our experience we have learnt the hard way what not to do. And here are my 10 Dont's for each of you.

1. Don't worry
2. Don't hurry
3. Don't judge
4. Don't fudge
5. Don't grudge
6. Don't hate
7. Don't wait
8. Don't diet
9. Don't fight
and
10. Don't covet

Go out and conquer the world. Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost.
"

1. Don't worry
Do what you think is right.You can always change your mind.

2.
Don't hurry
Else you'll miss the beauty of life and living.

3.
Don't judge
Its easy to be critical. Not so easy to do.

4.
Don't fudge
You'll be fooling yourself. And will likely fail in the long run.

5.
Don't grudge
Holding a grudge does more harm than good. To us.

6.
Don't hate
Its difficult not to. And yet that's what will define us.

7.
Don't wait
When you want to do something, just do it. Cos tomorrow may never come.

8.
Don't diet
Its easier not to. And also healthier.

9.
Don't fight
In a fight there are no winners. You lose, even when you win.

10.
Don't covet
Why covet what others have, when you can work to getting what you want.

The Future You

I had come across a couple of Tweets that talked about a very good talk by Shah Rukh Khan at TED. I thought that it would make a good topic for my blog. And reviewed it. It was good. Very good. And yet I was struggling with making it the topic of my blog. It said a lot. And yet very little. It was classic Shah Rukh, the Showman. Kept you captivated. And yet ?

As these thoughts were swirling in my mind as I came to the end of his talk, my player automatically moved to the next talk. It was the Pope. At TED. I was interested. I sat through the talk. And it was mind blowing. Its a must watch and must read.

Ironically the spiritual leader gives a talk that talks about science and technology, something that's majorly missing in today's political world.

 

Here's a transcript of the speech: 

Good evening – or, good morning, I am not sure what time it is there. Regardless of the hour, I am thrilled to be participating in your conference. I very much like its title – "The Future You" – because, while looking at tomorrow, it invites us to open a dialogue today, to look at the future through a "you." "The Future You:" the future is made of yous, it is made of encounters, because life flows through our relations with others. Quite a few years of life have strengthened my conviction that each and everyone's existence is deeply tied to that of others: life is not time merely passing by, life is about interactions. 

As I meet, or lend an ear to those who are sick, to the migrants who face terrible hardships in search of a brighter future, to prison inmates who carry a hell of pain inside their hearts, and to those, many of them young, who cannot find a job, I often find myself wondering: "Why them and not me?" I, myself, was born in a family of migrants; my father, my grandparents, like many other Italians, left for Argentina and met the fate of those who are left with nothing. I could have very well ended up among today's "discarded" people. And that's why I always ask myself, deep in my heart: "Why them and not me?"First and foremost, I would love it if this meeting could help to remind us that we all need each other, none of us is an island, an autonomous and independent "I," separated from the other, and we can only build the future by standing together, including everyone. We don’t think about it often, but everything is connected, and we need to restore our connections to a healthy state. Even the harsh judgment I hold in my heart against my brother or my sister, the open wound that was never cured, the offense that was never forgiven, the rancor that is only going to hurt me, are all instances of a fight that I carry within me, a flare deep in my heart that needs to be extinguished before it goes up in flames, leaving only ashes behind.  

Many of us, nowadays, seem to believe that a happy future is something impossible to achieve. While such concerns must be taken very seriously, they are not invincible. They can be overcome when we don't lock our door to the outside world. Happiness can only be discovered as a gift of harmony between the whole and each single component. Even science – and you know it better than I do – points to an understanding of reality as a place where every element connects and interacts with everything else.

 

And this brings me to my second message. How wonderful would it be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation would come along with more equality and social inclusion. How wonderful would it be, while we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters orbiting around us. How wonderful would it be if solidarity, this beautiful and, at times, inconvenient word, were not simply reduced to social work, and became, instead, the default attitude in political, economic and scientific choices, as well as in the relationships among individuals, peoples and countries. Only by educating people to a true solidarity will we be able to overcome the "culture of waste," which doesn't concern only food and goods but, first and foremost, the people who are cast aside by our techno-economic systems which, without even realizing it, are now putting products at their core, instead of people.

Solidarity is a term that many wish to erase from the dictionary. Solidarity, however, is not an automatic mechanism. It cannot be programmed or controlled. It is a free response born from the heart of each and everyone. Yes, a free response! When one realizes that life, even in the middle of so many contradictions, is a gift, that love is the source and the meaning of life, how can they withhold their urge to do good to another fellow being?

In order to do good, we need memory, we need courage and we need creativity. And I know that TED gathers many creative minds. Yes, love does require a creative, concrete and ingenious attitude. Good intentions and conventional formulas, so often used to appease our conscience, are not enough. Let us help each other, all together, to remember that the other is not a statistic or a number. The other has a face. The "you" is always a real presence, a person to take care of.

There is a parable Jesus told to help us understand the difference between those who'd rather not be bothered and those who take care of the other. I am sure you have heard it before. It is the Parable of the Good Samaritan. When Jesus was asked: "Who is my neighbor?" - namely, "Who should I take care of?" - he told this story, the story of a man who had been assaulted, robbed, beaten and abandoned along a dirt road. Upon seeing him, a priest and a Levite, two very influential people of the time, walked past him without stopping to help. After a while, a Samaritan, a very much despised ethnicity at the time, walked by. Seeing the injured man lying on the ground, he did not ignore him as if he weren't even there. Instead, he felt compassion for this man, which compelled him to act in a very concrete manner. He poured oil and wine on the wounds of the helpless man, brought him to a hostel and paid out of his pocket for him to be assisted.

The story of the Good Samaritan is the story of today’s humanity. People's paths are riddled with suffering, as everything is centered around money, and things, instead of people. And often there is this habit, by people who call themselves "respectable," of not taking care of the others, thus leaving behind thousands of human beings, or entire populations, on the side of the road. Fortunately, there are also those who are creating a new world by taking care of the other, even out of their own pockets. Mother Teresa actually said: "One cannot love, unless it is at their own expense."

We have so much to do, and we must do it together. But how can we do that with all the evil we breathe every day? Thank God, no system can nullify our desire to open up to the good, to compassion and to our capacity to react against evil, all of which stem from deep within our hearts. Now you might tell me, "Sure, these are beautiful words, but I am not the Good Samaritan, nor Mother Teresa of Calcutta." On the contrary: we are precious, each and every one of us. Each and every one of us is irreplaceable in the eyes of God. Through the darkness of today's conflicts, each and every one of us can become a bright candle, a reminder that light will overcome darkness, and never the other way around.

To Christians, the future does have a name, and its name is Hope. Feeling hopeful does not mean to be optimistically naïve and ignore the tragedy humanity is facing. Hope is the virtue of a heart that doesn't lock itself into darkness, that doesn't dwell on the past, does not simply get by in the present, but is able to see a tomorrow. Hope is the door that opens onto the future. Hope is a humble, hidden seed of life that, with time, will develop into a large tree. It is like some invisible yeast that allows the whole dough to grow, that brings flavor to all aspects of life. And it can do so much, because a tiny flicker of light that feeds on hope is enough to shatter the shield of darkness. A single individual is enough for hope to exist, and that individual can be you. And then there will be another "you," and another "you," and it turns into an "us." And so, does hope begin when we have an "us?" No. Hope began with one "you." When there is an "us," there begins a revolution.

The third message I would like to share today is, indeed, about revolution: the revolution of tenderness. And what is tenderness? It is the love that comes close and becomes real. It is a movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands. Tenderness means to use our eyes to see the other, our ears to hear the other, to listen to the children, the poor, those who are afraid of the future. To listen also to the silent cry of our common home, of our sick and polluted earth. Tenderness means to use our hands and our heart to comfort the other, to take care of those in need.

Tenderness is the language of the young children, of those who need the other. A child’s love for mom and dad grows through their touch, their gaze, their voice, their tenderness. I like when I hear parents talk to their babies, adapting to the little child, sharing the same level of communication. This is tenderness: being on the same level as the other. God himself descended into Jesus to be on our level. This is the same path the Good Samaritan took. This is the path that Jesus himself took. He lowered himself, he lived his entire human existence practicing the real, concrete language of love.

Yes, tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women. Tenderness is not weakness; it is fortitude. It is the path of solidarity, the path of humility. Please, allow me to say it loud and clear: the more powerful you are, the more your actions will have an impact on people, the more responsible you are to act humbly. If you don’t, your power will ruin you, and you will ruin the other. There is a saying in Argentina: "Power is like drinking gin on an empty stomach." You feel dizzy, you get drunk, you lose your balance, and you will end up hurting yourself and those around you, if you don’t connect your power with humility and tenderness. Through humility and concrete love, on the other hand, power – the highest, the strongest one – becomes a service, a force for good.

The future of humankind isn't exclusively in the hands of politicians, of great leaders, of big companies. Yes, they do hold an enormous responsibility. But the future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognize the other as a "you" and themselves as part of an "us." We all need each other. And so, please, think of me as well with tenderness, so that I can fulfill the task I have been given for the good of the other, of each and every one, of all of you, of all of us. Thank you. 

And for those who are still interested, here's Shah Rukh Khan, the King of Bollywood.