Reflecting on 2023: A Mix of Moments

It has been a considerable hiatus since my last contribution to this blog, and truth be told, it almost slipped my mind. As someone who doesn’t write for commercial gain or to chase statistics, I tend to pen down my thoughts only when the inspiration strikes. However, a gentle nudge from WordPress in the form of a 2023 activity summary prompted a reawakening, and here I am, ready to reflect on the year that was.

The question that looms large is, how was 2023? To answer that question requires delving into the depths of the experiences encountered throughout the year. In a nutshell, it was a blend of both smooth sailing and turbulent waters. A tapestry woven from good and bad occurrences, coupled with moments of high motivation and the occasional lethargy, painted the canvas of my year. It was an amalgamation of challenges met with resilience, making 2023 an overall positive and moderately demanding chapter of life.

Navigating through the ebb and flow of the year, the underlying theme was one of positivity. Despite facing hurdles and obstacles, the ultimate gauge of success lay in the positive bottom line. While it’s not an endorsement that the end justifies the means, there is a reassuring sentiment when one is confident that the means employed are virtuous and principled. In such cases, the end result becomes a testament to the journey’s integrity.

Looking forward, as the calendar turns to 2024, the aspiration is to establish a more consistent presence on this blog. Recognizing the value of this platform as a space for personal expression and reflection, the goal is to share thoughts, experiences, and insights more regularly. Embracing the challenges and triumphs that the new year will undoubtedly bring, the aim is to nurture a continuous dialogue within this digital space.

In the grand tapestry of 2023, the threads of ease and difficulty, highs and lows, motivation, and lethargy have woven a narrative uniquely mine. As I step into the canvas of 2024, the resolution is to contribute more consistently to this blog, fostering a connection with readers and, in the process, cultivating a reflective space that echoes the diverse symphony of life’s experiences.

How to Get a Grip on Your Schedule – The Three Big Rock Laws — Leadership Freak

A person who has a grip on their schedule has a grip on their life. Cramming more activities into less time is like walking on marbles. Running from one thing to the next means your life is frantic and shallow. Your relationship with time reflects your relationship to life. The secret to getting a grip […]

How to Get a Grip on Your Schedule – The Three Big Rock Laws — Leadership Freak

What COVID-19 Taught Me

It’s been 114 days (as on 13-Jul-2020) since I have gone out of my apartment. Staying in an apartment, alone (not lonely), away from family (not disconnected), I learned a few life lessons.

1. You never know when people will impose lock down so ensure that you have at least two months of supplies. Also, you should have some ready-to-eat stuff for at least one month in case there is no cooking gas or electricity.
2. While you are locked down, it’s important to take care of:
   1. Foods – what goes in comes out in the form of energy, thought and action
   2. Exercise – very important. Otherwise your muscles will give way to weakness.
   3. Schedule and discipline – otherwise you will loose the sense of day and night.

I will elaborate each of these points in the following blog posts.

Artificial Intelligence is Creating a New Industry for Journalists — Kezia Lubanszky

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?visual=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F840158074&show_artwork=true&maxwidth=500&maxheight=750&dnt=1

Artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly and is changing how we create journalism. In this podcast, Kezia Lubanszky talks to AI expert and CEO Przemek Chojecki.

via Artificial Intelligence is Creating a New Industry for Journalists — Kezia Lubanszky

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondō

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The book make logical sense but hit hard on feelings. It could have been a great article instead of a book. Book is filled with fillers. And Marie’s strange rituals like kneeling at the floor of client’s house or thanking her purse are way beyond my comprehension.

Marie emphasize on creating a space that improves your mind and body. She suggests to keep only the things that you are passionate about and get rid of everything else. We often buy things that appeal to us impulsively and then do nothing with them. Kondo says that the purpose of such things has already been served and now it’s time to discard them. This applies to books, clothes, documents, bills, gadgets etc. Every object that you have has a role to play. The challenge is to find if that role still has a meaning in your life.

I am inclined to try this out. Marie says it takes six months to tidying up a house. But I’ll do it my way not Marie Kondo way. I can’t talk to the things and find joy in everything. My mobile charger doesn’t give any joy but it serves a meaningful purpose in my life. I am going to leave the joy part aside. That just don’t make any sense to me. Instead, I’ll evaluate importance based on purpose.

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3 Steps to safeguard your credit card from operator’s innocent mistake

 

Jagdeesh, my colleague, told me an story one day. A doctor was travelling with his driver and they passed through a toll booth. Doctor paid 40 bucks as toll tax using his credit card and moved on. When he read the SMS, sent by the card issuer, around 15 minute later, he as satrteled. He has been charged 400 thousand bucks. Since his credit card has limit, the transaction went through. Although he came back and settled the things with toll company and his bank, I could never understand how that can happen. Well, not untill yesterday when I was about to pay 27 million. Of course, I do not have such limit in my card.

What actually hapened was that after entering the amount, the petrol pump attendant missed to press the enter button. As he handed over the swipe device to me, I entered the pin without looking at the little lcd screen. However, I happen to look at the screen before I pressed the enter button. I noticed the amount, took a moment to understand what has happened, and returned the machine to attendant to cancel the transaction. She looked at the amount, stranged look came on her face as if she has seen a ghost, and she immediately pulled out the card. I was relieved and saved.

The amount was 2704.83 and I after added 4 digit pin, it became 27048311.11 (pin changed to 1111). This is 27,048,311.11 i.e. 27 million. Although the transaction would not have approved because of insufficient limit in my card, it was a very good lesson for me.

Lessons Learned:

1. Always have a second look at the amount. You must know how much you are actually paying.
2. Always look where are you typing and ensure that you are typing at the correct screen.
3. Always press enter after you have entered your four digit pin.

Image source: pixabay

Flushing in ASP.NET MVC

nik codes

I’ve written a follow up to this post that answers many of the common questions about flushing early. Be sure to check it out.

The Setting

Before the beginning of this decade, Steve Souders released two seminal books on the topic of web performance: High Performance Web Sitesand Even Faster Web Sites. The findings and subsequent suggestions that came out of those books changed the face of web development and have been codified into several performance analysis tools including Yahoo YSlow and Google PageSpeed.

Most professional web developers that I’ve met over the past five years are familiar with Souder’s recommendations and how to implement them in ASP.NET MVC. To be fair, they aren’t that difficult:

• HTTP Caching and Content Compression can both be enabled simply via a few settings in web.config.
• Layout pages make it easy to put stylesheets at the top of a…

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The Core Incompetencies of the Corporation

The internet of everything: 5 big ideas at Structure Connect about connecting everyone and everything

Gigaom

Between the smart home, wearables and the industrial internet, we’re hearing about the internet of things all the time. But before we start connecting devices, we need to connect people in more places, improve connectivity in our homes and offices and even figure out how we can connect our web services to these new products that you control via an app.

It’s a lot to take in. That’s why we’re excited to host Structure Connect, a conference dedicated to the challenges and opportunities that ubiquitous connectivity in everything from sensors to smoke detectors is creating. The conference will take place in San Francisco on Oct. 21 and 22 at the Mission Bay Conference Center. We’ll use the event to discuss how we turn the theoretical promises of energy savings, smarter cities, automated homes that anticipate your needs and more-efficient businesses into reality. You’ll want to be there, so register…

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Does Corporate America Finally Get What Working Parents Need?