6 Flags - Thrilling Rides

Yesterday we went to the Six Flags theme park with a couple of friends, Salil and Vanya who were visiting. We were planning to go to the New Jersey Six Flags when we realized that there was a New England Six Flags and it was closer. We also figured it would be less crowded.

We wanted to be there before opening, so we could avoid the rush at least for the first few rides. We got there at 10 and luckily there were no lines. In the first couple of hours we had gone on all the recommended rides.

We then took out the park map and started going to every single ride. The one ride that was excluded from the Park ticket was the Slingshot. This seemed quite exciting and was separately priced at around $30. Reia seemed to be in a mood to do it all. And offered to pay from her pocket money to get launched straight into the air 240 feet at over 80 mph, in an instant. And what goes up that fast, must come down even faster. Reia and her friend enjoyed the experience, and labelled it "One of the best rides ever".

We didn't miss even one ride. We circled the park multiple times and made sure we covered all the rides. Except for the ones which had an age barrier. Those that were just for kids, and we weren't allowed in.

And finally, we managed to do all except one. A new ride was being premiered. The "New England SkyScreamer". This was advertised as the "World's Tallest Sky Screamer". Unfortunately this ride was only for Season Pass Guests and since we were day visitors, we weren't eligible for the ride.

Reia was very keen on taking the ride. We realized that to upgrade to a Season Pass would be just $19 and even if we came just once more, it would be totally worth it, since the entry was around $50. We got the season pass and as luck would have it, the ride broke down. We decided to hang around for a bit and almost everyone had left the area. That's when we noticed that they were trying it out. Guessing that the ride could open soon, Reia and her friend rushed to stand at the start of the line. They got lucky and when the ride restarted, they were the first to get on. They experienced the last ride left, the New England Screamer.

Heading home, we realized that Reia who was a little scared of rides, even at Disney had allowed peer pressure and pure determination overcome fear and go on rides that she would normally not dream of going near to.

Overall although I got on to all rides, except the slingshot, and had a great time, there seemed to be something missing. I'm not sure what exactly that was. It seemed that although the rides were far more thrilling than the ones at Disney, they did not have the finesse of the Disney experience. And therein lies the reason that Disney is Disney.

Digitizing the world. One word at a time.

At a recent meeting with a client during our presentation, the client made an observation. "These seem so simple and so beautiful. It reminds me of Luis von Ahn. We thanked the client for their kind words. And tried to put on our most knowledgeable face, hoping he didn't figure out we had no idea of who Luis von Ahn was.

The moment the client dropped us off at the airport, I started my research to find out about Luis von Ahn. I Googled. And there was tons of data on the gentleman who also happened to be a genius.

What was most informative and impressive was what he's done in his own words. Suffice to say now that we've helped digitize the world, lets learn new languages for Free, whilst translating the world wide web.

Code for America

Most of us have spent a good part of our lives talking about how ineffective and inefficient the government is. Code for America is a non-profit that does something about it.

Its tag line, "Bringing together local governments and technologists to make better cities for everyone." The beauty of the project is its simplicity and how so few doing so little can make such a huge difference.

Have a look. And hopefully some of us will be inspired enough to stop talking and start doing.

Bombay Mirror

Once in a while you come across something that is able to make a point or several points. Assumptions and perceptions is something that most of us allow ourselves to be influenced by. And that's not such a great idea.

The short film "Bombay Mirror" holds a mirror for us to see and reflect. In the words of its director, Shlok Sharma, "In times like ours, when all are groping around in the dark to find their belief systems, I feel this time is appropriate to share my 2nd short film here. A satire on the unpredictability of human nature, Bombay Mirror is actually a dig on fanaticism."

The World's Largest Participative Event

The world's largest democracy is currently undergoing elections. You'd expect that an event of this magnitude would get serious attention on the world's stage. And that it would attract some attention in the US media.

I was surprised to see that the event did not merit even a metion in passing. Not even in programs covering world affairs. There were 2 exceptions. An opinion ed in the New York Times and a unique take on the subject by British comedian John Oliver. Together they give an awesome insight into an amazing event.

The New York Times Op Ed
"
The Biggest Election
By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
MARCH 11, 2014

A growing population guarantees that every national election in India is the largest election ever held. This year is no exception. More than 814 million citizens are eligible to vote in national elections scheduled to begin on April 7 and conclude on May 12. Much is riding on the results, which are expected on May 16.

The Election Commission of India has time and again performed the amazing feat of getting mind-boggling numbers of voters to the polls — and then counting all those votes. There is every reason to believe that this next mammoth democratic exercise will be free and fair.

Polls indicate that the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to win the most seats, though probably not enough to form a government without support from one or more of India’s large regional parties. This leaves a very slim chance that the Indian National Congress could cobble together enough seats to remain a part of a governing coalition. There are many wild cards, including the impact of India’s new Aam Aadmi Party, whose anticorruption campaign resonates with many voters.

India’s national elections are an achievement, but are only one of the pillars on which democracy depends. And here India’s democracy has proved far shakier. Its Constitution promises much: It guarantees essential democratic rights, including equality before the law and freedom of religion and expression. It prohibits discrimination based on religion, caste or race, and it guarantees the right to an education. The Constitution also explicitly prohibits exploitation, forced labor and child labor.

Yet in many of these areas, the country has fallen tragically short. While a vibrant economy has created a record number of billionaires and an aspiring middle class, grossly exploitive working conditions are the lot of many Indians, including children. The vast majority of young children are now enrolled in primary school, but many attend schools so poorly staffed and equipped that they cannot learn. The court system remains inefficient, with far too many cases languishing without resolution. Attacks on freedom of expression are increasingly common, with pressure and threats of the crudest kind casting a dangerous chill on the free exchange of ideas and opinions. These conditions pose serious threats to India’s open society.

That’s why the next election will be crucial. Voter turnout is expected to be high. Indians hold dear their power to express their hopes and vent their frustrations at the ballot box. But if the next government cannot deliver the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, India’s democracy will have failed its citizens.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/opinion/the-biggest-election.html?_r=0
"

And the extremely funny John Olivers take on the India Elections and the US media.

Idea to Reality

Many of us have had great ideas for products. And they remained that. An idea. Mainly because we didn't have the ability to translate those ideas into working products. We basically find that we don't have the resources to convert our ideas into reality.

Now there's an option. Quirky is website that allows inventors to share their ideas and if the site's experts and its users find that the idea has commercial merit, they will convert the dream to a reality.
You can check it out at : www.quirky.com

An example is of their latest release, a cool air conditioner. And what's really amazing is that it took just 4 months from the first submission of the idea to the final product available in stores. So not only do they help the inventor with the development of the prototype, they have a great system to get it to market.

And if you thought all of that was great, here's the best part. Money. All the stakeholders get a piece of the pie. The inventor gets a % (in the 10% range), and interestingly enough so do the site users who were part of the interaction that led to the idea becoming a product.

Would like to go on, but have to rush. Need to get out my drawing board and sketch out the ideas I have. And that's one of the negatives of such a portal. We all may suddenly realize that our dream idea is not such a great idea after all.

Advice or Advise

Should you be giving advice or advise ? Actually neither. One is grammatically incorrect. And the other would be wasted.

I have a general rule of not giving advise. That is because in my experience, people hear what you say, but only listen to what they want. And its very rarely what you're saying.

This week was an exception. There were 2 occasions when I felt that it would be a good idea to break my rule and give some, what I believed was well meaning advice. And once again I was wrong. It was a wasted effort.

And so the question that presents itself, "When do we need advise ?" and "When should we give advice ?". And for a change, the answers are reasonably simple.

So when do we really need advice ? The answer is probably, "Always". We could all do with some good advice. Others see what we don't and so getting  their perspective could be extremely useful.

It's my experience we should only consider giving advice, when specifically asked for it. Even then on most occasions, what is being sought is an endorsement of their opinion,, but the probability of them evaluating your opinion when they've asked for it are reasonably high.

And interestingly enough, if some of the above is correct, chances are you would continue to use your judgement on if and when to give advice. And what works, is what's right.