Kids are smarter than parents

Most people think that their generation was better, nicer, smarter than the new generation. The following is what many of the current generation think :

“Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in place of exercise; they no longer rise when elders enter the room; they contradict their parents, chatter before company; gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.”

The above is a quote from Socrates, that is over 2000 years ago.

The quote attributed to Socrates sounds really good. But unfortunately although several sources attribute it to Socrates, it was crafted by a student, Kenneth John Freeman, for his Cambridge dissertation published in 1907. Freeman did not claim that the passage under analysis was a direct quotation of anyone; instead, he was presenting his own summary of the complaints directed against young people in ancient times. The words he used were later slightly altered to yield the modern version. In fact, more than one section of his thesis has been excerpted and then attributed classical luminaries. Here is the original text [CAMB]:

The counts of the indictment are luxury, bad manners, contempt for authority, disrespect to elders, and a love for chatter in place of exercise. …

http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/05/01/misbehaving-children-in-ancient-times/

I completely disagree. I believe that the newer generation is better than us in every respect. We just have poor memories and the past always seems rosier that it really was. If there were any doubts at all, they were laid to rest by what I received from Freia, my 18 year old. She learnt more in a summer than I had learnt in a few decades.

Its said a picture speaks a thousand words. Sometimes a picture of a few wise words speaks a million.

HealthTap

The current trend in the IT industry seems to take a service that's already offered. And then make it convenient by giving access to it via the now ubiquitous smart phone.

HealthTap does exactly this to the health industry. What makes this service different is the access and costs. Unlike the other services there's a huge entry barrier in health. Access is not readily available. Last year when I wanted to meet a doctor for a regular checkup, most doctors offices would only schedule me after 3 months. And none of these services are cheap. Even with insurance.

HealthTap makes available a large number of doctors (more than 60,000 as per the website) who answer health questions for free. They have also announced a paid service where you can get virtual consulting via your phone, tablet or computer where physicians would also give prescriptions if required.

There is also the usual health tips, checklists, news articles and other tit bits.The interesting aspect I found bout HealthTap is the positioning. They don't talk about doctors and hospitals, illness, treatments and similar terms associated with health. They've taken the wellness route and considering its a virtual platform, that makes it easier to get subscribers.

You're more likely to sign up for staying well as opposed to being ill and wanting to get well.

Here are some quotes from the website.

"
What we’re all about: Feeling Good. We created HealthTap to help you and your loved ones live healthier, happier, longer lives.

How did we get here?
We asked, what do people really want when it comes to healthcare? We took our aggregate decades of medical and computer science expertise, our business acumen, and the experience we’ve gained from serving and surveying hundreds of millions of people and hundreds of thousands of doctors over the years, and came to three major conclusions:

People want a completely trustworthy source of health and wellness advice
It has to come from the most knowledgeable and trustworthy experts. That means doctors. Nobody else will do.

When people want help with their health, they want it immediately
That means getting help when you need it—not at someone else’s convenience. No waiting.
No excuses.

People want health advice to be completely personalized
Forget generalized information. You need a doctor to hear your questions, consider your symptoms, examine your records, for the help to be truly and utterly helpful.
"

HealthTap has stumbled upon a methodology that the Affordable Health Care Act has failed to do. Make it possible to have access effective as well as cost effective health care. Hopefully the health care industry can learn a few lessons and integrate those with the current health system making affordable health care a reality.

TaskRabbit - Geting tasks done

When you need something done, but can't or don't want to do it yourself, use TaskRabbit. They provide all kinds of services. Cleaning, Handyman, Personal Assistance, Moving Help and whatever else you can think of.

The beauty of the concept is its simplicity. It provides a service that everyone needs. And does it in an easy to use and effective manner.

"
How TaskRabbit works

TaskRabbit is the smart way to get things done by connecting you with others in your neighborhood.

1
We find the best people to help you.
You can trust our team of smart, talented Taskers, who have all been thoroughly vetted.

2
You outsource errands you don't want to do.
Just tell us what you need done and we connect you to qualified Taskers available to help.

3
You relax while we take care of your to-do list.
TaskRabbit helps you live smarter, giving you more time to focus on what’s most important.

How does payment work?
Transparent hourly prices Once you post a task, you see hourly rates for the Taskers who are most qualified for your job. A minimum payment of one hour is required per task. Secure, cash-free payments The entire payment process (including reimbursements) is handled securely online after a task is complete. There's no need for cash to change hands.
"

To ensure that the services being offered meet the company's standards, those providing services, called Taskers go through an extensive vetting process, which includes an identity check, background check and in-person interview and a training session.

The TaskRabbit website has a few tips for people providing services. Like the rest of the service, the mobile app, and the website, this too was simple, yet very effective not only for people providing services on TaskRabbit but for all businesses.

"
The 3 pillars of Tasker Success are:

Responsiveness
Responsiveness is critical to your success as a Tasker. We set expectations with our Clients that Taskers will respond to an invitation within 30 minutes, so reply as promptly as possible. If you are on a task and you receive an invitation, let your current Client know that you will be responding to the invitation and return immediately to the current task. Do not leave a Client waiting for your reply to a message in the chat thread. A prompt and clear reply is important to Client satisfaction.  Please closely manage chat threads for all tasks you have been invited to.

Professionalism
TaskRabbit is a Community for professionals looking to create positive Client experiences. Any unprofessional behavior impacts the entire Community and will not be tolerated. Some tips to demonstrate professionalism: Use your real name and a recent professional photo (that includes your face) on your profile. When possible, please wear your TaskRabbit shirt when completing a task.

High-Quality Work
Only accept tasks that you have the qualifications and tools to complete. Understand the expectations of the Client and complete your task in a manner consistent with these expectations. You should not accept a task that you feel ill-equipped to handle and you should not perform low-quality work on a task. Perform all tasks yourself.
"

TaskRabbit has managed to get great press. Here are 3 quotes that summarize well the services' offerings.

“TaskRabbit aims to help people take back their lives, be their own boss, help people out, make some money and just feel good again.”
ABC

“TaskRabbit is betting on a future where employment will seem much more like a series of small-scale agreements between businesses and labor than jobs in the traditional sense.”
Bloomberg Businessweek

“Leah Busque is the Founder and CEO at what is likely one of the biggest up and comers in America: TaskRabbit.”
CNN

I'm guessing TaskRabbit will be happy to find someone to write this blog for me. Something to definitely consider when this blog goes commercial.

The Ignorance Project

I came across the Gapminder Foundation recently and was amazed by the project and shocked at how little I knew. Not wanting to show any more ignorance I'm quoting below directly from the project site.

"
The mission of Gapminder Foundation is to fight devastating ignorance with a fact-based worldview that everyone can understand. We started the Ignorance Project to investigate what the public know and don’t know about basic global patterns and macro-trends. We use surveys to ask representative groups of people simple questions about key-aspects of global development.

When we find large knowledge-gaps, we know what teaching materials we should develop. The first results from surveys in UK and Sweden were published in 2013. As the project evolves we will investigate many more countries. The test questions and results will be made freely available under Creative Commons Attribution License.

The Gapminder Foundation started as a spin-off from Professor Hans Rosling’s teaching at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. He encountered broad ignorance about the rapid health improvement in Asia. He started measuring the ignorance among students and professors and the surprising results from the so called “Chimpanzee Test” were presented in his first TED-talk in 2006.

Since then, Gapminder has visualized lots of different data and presented it to lots of different people. During that work we have encountered all kinds of pre-conceived ideas and outdated concepts about our contemporary world. Our priorities have been guided by such ignorance-encounters. With the Ignorance Project we have now decided to start a systematic search for widespread ignorance about the world.
"

Do visit Gapminder and check out the Gapminder World application. Its fascinating and gives a whole new perspective of presenting complex ideas and thoughts. In a simple, easy to understand way.

Things Rich People do Differently. Every Day.

Once in a while you come across simple truths that make you wonder. Things Rich people do is one such article. I was discussing this with Reia and she asked an interesting question. Does it mean that anyone who follows these will become rich. I really don't know but am willing to bet that it definitely would increase the probability of them doing well significantly.

from : Times of India - Online
Libby Kane, Business Insider | Jun 28, 2014, 12.28PM IST

What you do today matters. In fact, your daily habits may be a major determinant of your wealth. "The metaphor I like is the avalanche," says Thomas Corley, the author of "Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits Of Wealthy Individuals." "These habits are like snowflakes - they build up, and then you have an avalanche of success." Corley spent five years studying the lives of both rich people (defined as having an annual income of $160,000 or more and a liquid net worth of $3.2 million or more) and poor people (defined as having an annual income of $35,000 or less and a liquid net worth of $5,000 or less).

He managed to segment out what he calls "rich habits" and "poverty habits," meaning the tendencies of those who fit in each group. But, Corley explains, everyone has some rich habits and some poverty habits. "The key is to get more than 50% to be rich habits," he says. And what are those rich habits that are so influential? Here are a few:
 
Rich people always keep their goals in sight. "I focus on my goals every day." Rich people who agree: 62% Poor people who agree: 6% Not only do wealthy people set annual and monthly goals, but 67% of them put those goals in writing. "It blew me away," says Corley. "I thought a goal was a broad objective, but the wealthy said a wish is not a goal." A goal is only a goal, he says, if it has two things: It's achievable, and there's a physical action you can take to pursue it. And they know what needs to be done today.

"I maintain a daily to-do list." Rich people who agree: 81% Poor people who agree: 19% Not only do the wealthy keep to-do lists, but 67% of them complete 70% or more of those listed tasks each day. They don't watch TV. "I watch TV one hour or less per day." Rich people who agree: 67% Poor people who agree: 23%

Similarly, only 6% of the wealthy watch reality shows, compared to 78% of the poor. "The common variable among the wealthy is how they make productive use of their time," explains Corley. "They wealthy are not avoiding watching TV because they have some superior human discipline or willpower.

They just don't think about watching much TV because they are engaged in some other habitual daily behavior - reading." They read ... but not for fun. "I love reading." Rich people who agree: 86% Poor people who agree: 26% Sure, rich people love reading, but they favor nonfiction - in particular, self-improvement books. "The rich are voracious readers on how to improve themselves," says Corley. In fact, 88% of them read for self-improvement for 30 minutes each day, compared to 2% of poor people. Plus, they're big into audio books. "I listen to audio books during the commute to work." Rich people who agree: 63% Poor people who agree: 5% Even if you aren't into audiobooks, you can make the most of your commute with any of these commute-friendly self-improvement activities.

They make a point of going above and beyond at the office. "I do more than my job requires." Rich people who agree: 81% Poor people who agree: 17% It's worth noting that while 86% of rich people (compared to 43% of poor) work an average of 50 or more hours a week, only 6% of the wealthy people surveyed found themselves unhappy because of work.

They aren't hoping to win the jackpot. "I play the lottery regularly." Rich people who agree: 6% Poor people who agree: 77% That's not to say that the wealthy are always playing it safe with their money. "Most of these people were business owners who put their own money on the table and took financial risks," explains Corley. "People like this aren't afraid to take risks."

They watch their waistline. "I count calories every day." Rich people who agree: 57% Poor people who agree: 5% Wealthy people value their health, says Corley. "One of the individuals in my study was about 68 and worth about $78 million. I asked why he didn't retire, and he looked at me like I was from Mars. He said, 'I've spent the last 45 years exercising every single day and watching what I eat because I knew the end of my career would be my biggest earning years.' If he can extend his career four to five years beyond everyone else, that's about $7 million for him."

And they take care of their smiles. "I floss every day." Rich people who agree: 62% Poor people who agree: 16% Enough said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/international-business/9-things-rich-people-do-differently-every-day/articleshow/37377075.cms 

There were several such lists and they revolved around similar habits. The one that is not being mentioned but is probably the no. 1 factor, is being "Born Lucky". Not necessarily rich, but lucky. Being born to parents who work hard so you can go to school and get an education and being born in a time when society gives each of us similar rights and minimal discrimination, all of these go a long way in helping us become successful.

So whilst practicing as many of the above habits as possible, smiling and being thankful for what we have would be a good idea, and may not make you richer. But will surely make you happier.

Yo

And for a change they're not referring to the usage of the app. Its all it does.

Unbelievable. Anything seems to sell. Even an app called "Yo", that allows you to message other app users your feelings of all kinds. And these can be expressed easily in 2 alphabets. "Y and O" Yep. Crazy as it sounds "Yo" is an app that allows you to sned a "Yo", to other "Yo" users.

What's even more unbelievable is that the app attracted a few million dollars in funding.

What this seems to indicate is that the merits of the creation are no longer as important as the number of people who are attracted and / or interested in the product. This may not be a good measure in evaluating merit, but I guess time will tell.

Stephen Colbert has a great take on the app.

Discovering NPR

Recently at a client meeting, the client mentioned an interesting idea he heard about. Using Captcha to digitize books. That was an amazing idea. And on checking he told me he heard it on NPR. A few days later, another friend mentioned NPR. I was curious. What exactly was NPR ?

I tuned in, and was hooked. One of the issues I had about most of the US radios and television channels was that they were partisan. They has a definite ideology and were either right or left, democrats or republican, capitalist or socialist. That meant you never got the news, just biased opinions.

NPR which is National Public Radio, is completely unbiased. They have opinions, but they are not guided by ideologies, but based on the events. It was refreshing to hear unbiased news and interviews.

I was sold. I now almost always listen to NPR and am contentiously surprised and impressed by the quality of the programming. Its not only the News, but also the other programs. Interviews, Opinions, Discussions.

NPR is a self funding non-profit. It is funded by contributions from listeners. It seems that not only can non profits compete with commercial companies, they can out-beat them.