Tweeps Remember Tsunami

On hashtag #2004TsunamiMemories tweeps poured in with memories of one of the worst nightmares of Sri Lanka.

Here are some select tweets - that blends all the emotions (the good, the bad and the ugly), facts and impact on Sri Lankan society. I guessed this is way better than a detailed blog.

Its a disaster which thought us that beautiful things can be devastating at times too. #2004tsunamimemories
— Muhammed Sabith(@Sabithl) December 26, 2012

My #Tsunami experience srimahasen.blogspot.com/2011/05/2004.h… #Tsunami2004
— DJ Slash™ at Y FM (@yfmdjslash) December 26, 2012

A friend of mine became a victim. Luckily her father later found her among the dead bodies in a hospital, unconscious. #2004TsunamiMemories
— Janu K (@Janujedi) December 26, 2012

I witnessed so many decaying bodies were pulling out from the Peraliya train and it still gives me goosebumps...:/ #2004TsunamiMemories
— Hiyal Biyagamage (@hiyal89) December 26, 2012

#2004tsunamimemories Volunteering and diving in sea for dead/lost bodies after Tsunami is one of memories I will never forget.
— N ⚓ Thomas (@Yaaluwa) December 26, 2012

For the rest of the world it's Boxing Day. To us it's Tsunami day. Ravaged beaches and lost souls. Moment to Reflect and move on.#fb
— Mili (@milindat) December 26, 2012

Went to Galle for cleanups after 2 weeks of Tsunami - We cleared up a whole school in the town #2004TsunamiMemories
— Nadheera Udawatthe (@nnulk) December 26, 2012

Proud to have been part of a great job of sending clothes, meds & dry foods to affected areas by the SL Girl Guides. #2004TsunamiMemories
— Gayathri (@GSenev) December 26, 2012

@cioconatsl Went to Kalmunai to see the affected area's and was dumbstruck at the extent of the damage.. #2004TsunamiMemories
— Muhammad Nasir (@MoAwesomeSauce) December 26, 2012

My beautiful cousin and her hardworking single mom were at the Matara church when the waves hit. They didn't make it. #2004tsunamimemories
— Himal Kotelawala (@himalkk) December 26, 2012

#2004TsunamiMemories - I had engaged in relief work for 7 days. Such life transforming event -isura.biz/2012/06/happy-…
— isura(@isura) December 26, 2012

අත් ටැක්ටරයක කොස් පොල් පුරෝගෙන අපේ පාරෙ ගියා සුනාමි ආධාර දෙන්න..ඒ ඒ මිනිස්සුන්ගෙ උපරිමය වෙන් ඇති.#2004Tsunami #2004TsunamiMemories
— indika kumara (@indika27) December 26, 2012

සුනාමි අස්සෙ මැරුන මලමිනි සමග ලිංගිකව හැසිරිලා තිබුනා සමහර මිනිස්සු..දුම්රිය අනතුරෙත් හෙම වෙලා තිබුනා.. #2004Tsunami #2004TsunamiMemories
— indika kumara (@indika27) December 26, 2012

Simple test on been happy

2012 is almost done with. A time for reflection and celebrate success.
What I've found interesting during the year, I have blogged here.

And I was reflecting on the most important learning of the year. Let me share it with you.

If you want to make others happy, be happy with your self first, no matter what.
If you are not happy, forget others.
Dig deep in to the reasons why you are not happy and make a list. That's a start.

Let 2013 be your happiest !

Yours truly,
isura

pic credit: IBushuev

Celebrate small wins

First start at individual level - that is with you.

Nothing motivates and energizes you better than the simple realization of ' I am making progress each day.'

We take small wins for granted - a conversation that went well or a small progress in a project that was stuck. These small wins counts each day. They add up to Victories.

But mind is tricky, it forgets because we adore big endings. Hence keep a list - better keep a diary.

You have to do it Every day before you leave office.

Pic Credit: Image Source

Email is not your work

We are not paid for the number of emails we read, or assessed on how many replies we hit.

Email has become a place where we spend a lot of time.

But on real terms, email is an enabler for better decision making. Yet, it is not work.

We should focus on the output. If we finish, package and ship, that is out put. Then we should see how much of an impact that output makes. Do a simple test - if the impact you make is low. Go backward from impact to output to number of emails you respond. I did, and at one time, was hugely surprised.

Few things I did successfully.

1. Check emails once every 2 hours. Not having email opened in the browser all the time.
2. Prioritize and star emails by skim reading. Then make a day plan and see which work needs to be done during the day. And then have a list for sending and replying emails.

Pic credit: nicolas hansen

Anything.lk & Groupon making headlines

First it was Anything.lk been acquired by Dialog, on 10th Dec 2012 - Dialog buys 26% of anything.lk

Then few hours back, a rumor mills around Groupon, that it might be bought in by Google. And the CEO of Groupon refuses to comment.

This post from Nov 2011, provides context on why daily deals startups like Groupon starts nicely and then slows down - Groupon shares continue to free fall.

2 reasons put forward: Was it the ill timed IPO, or fundamental error in business model? For further insight, play 5 minute video below.

Wanna pitch Sri Lanka? Share this.

It is long been told about the power of user generated content, opposed to colossal budgeted promotional/branding work, where a team puts everything, except passion for what they promote.

Above is a perfect example. Product is a video. About Sri Lanka. Done by Max Kegfire (a tourist I guess).

Would there be any other perfect material than this for us to promote our country?

And the song in back ground is 'paradise' by Cold play. Paradise...hmmm...

UPDATE: 25th Jan 2013
Apparently youtube has blocked this video as the video uses 'paradise' track from Cold Play. So the video above will be having a different sound track. And if you really wanna see this with 'Paradise' you can still see it at Vimeo. Here goes.

We Go Sri Lanka 2012 from Max kegfire on Vimeo.

How can YOU be your HERO ?

This movie gets a review from me, just after seeing the trailer. Very seldom that happens. The following is taken from movie web site.

Finding Joe is an exploration of famed Mythologist Joseph Campbell’s studies and their continuing impact on our culture. Through interviews with visionaries from a variety of fields interwoven with enactments of classic tales by a sweet and motley group of kids, the film navigates the stages of what Campbell dubbed The Hero’s Journey: the challenges, the fears, the dragons, the battles, and the return home as a changed person. Rooted in deeply personal accounts and timeless stories, Finding Joe shows how Campbell’s work is relevant and essential in today’s world and how it provides a narrative for how to live a fully realized life – or as Campbell would simply state, how to “follow your bliss”.

Market for old PCs and feature phones

I took this pic at a shop, which is at the centre of Piliyandala, last week. If you look close, right in the middle, you can see a very old PC, something that you saw in 1990's, is up for sale.

128 VGA - 1,000/=

It took me a while to digest.

Then I remembered a story an Indian colleague shared a few weeks back.
In India, very old feature phones, with damaged screens, have a huge market among the blind community. I asked ' how can a blind person use a phone?'

I felt small while listening to the answer. Abundant and amidst a sea of smartphones we take these stark realities for granted. There's a world out there, cut out from basics. It's time for us to think big - in seeing the big picture, not necessarily big in thinking.

On eating mindfully

" A crust eaten in peace, is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety " ~ Henry Thoreau

Eating a meal can be a pleasant relaxing experience. But eating in a rush ruins that experience. I had times, when I could not tell what I had for lunch, after 2 hours of consuming it.

Mindfully eating can make a huge difference. Simple things in life gives you energy. This insight was dawned after this experience - Eating rice, only rice

Pic credit : Atli Mar Hafsteinsson

Ideas Vs Execution

Friday night, I had a 3 hour long discussion with one of my most admired mentors.

I asked him few questions about entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka. Here I Share few of them, as they were really helpful for me.

Q - I talk to many Sri Lankan youth, and they have some good ideas. How do you think of these ideas? Is it worth pursuing them?

A - I would say we have good people with good ideas. I even see brilliant ideas that can go global. Ideas is not the problem. Execution is the problem.

Q - What does that mean? Does that mean I should be realistic in generating ideas? 

A - No, you can dream big, but lot of big ideas do not see the day light. Why? because many don't think of the How. Prime example is Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg did not had the idea of a social network, but his 2 friends did. The 2 friends went around talking to people, funders, etc, because they were passionate about idea. Zuckerberg simply took the idea and made it work. He was a doer. And he beat the pack. What Zuckerberg did was not right. Later he settled out of court with his 2 friends. Message here is - he who won, was the doer -who worked fast and loved a product, instead of been obsessed with an idea.

Food for thought for the week end. Do you agree?

Pic credit : Blend Images/Jon Feingersh

App revenue: Android taking over iOS.

Really?

Yes.

Comparatively on YoY basis. (October 2011 - October 2012).

During this period Google Play Store (android) revenue grew by 311% ! while Apple App store(iOS) sales grew by only 13%.

Not really?

Still with that growth , Android total app revenue is one fourth of iOS app revenue. Apparently the gap is getting closer each month.

And on free downloads: Android grew by 48% and iOS just 3.3 %. Significant number for Android, yet no impact on revenue.

Apple and Android now claim having 700,000 apps each in their app stores.

Where is this leading Sri Lanka?

1) Android is cheaper, far reached to rural communities in Sri Lanka, than iOS. Fusion's 'Smart Village' project gives us greater insight of app requirements in rural landscape.

2) Many wanna be and expert android developers are available in Sri Lanka. Many are concerned about not been able to monetize their apps.

3) And...Google Play store is not launched in Sri Lanka yet. But Google officially launched a office in Colombo recently. Hopefully things seem to fall in place.

Pic credit: ryccio

SOCL - the social network of Microsoft

I am in. My Socl profile here.

Dummies guide here.

My initial feeling checking around So.cl was : "Pinterest in windows 8"

Why Microsoft in social media?

Few weeks ago Microsoft emphasized 'social search' on Bing, as a reason to use Bing.

Now comes a social network that is explained as ' share your search, discover new interests &  start a video party'.

I don't get why I need to share a search. I don't need to go to So.cl to find new interests, and video party? I mean Google+ hangouts is the only feature Google+ can out perform Facebook, and that too for Google did not worked well, still. So not impressive Socl.

Future?

Having said that, internet is a funny place. I was over the moon with Pinterest, instagram and tumblr and posterous, when I started in. Now, hardly log in to them. Life is too short, to be in too many places. But you may never know. It's still early hours for Socl. Rupture can come from anywhere. What's your thoughts? 

Pic credit: copied from some where in Socl.

Innovative non profits ! Why not?

Innovation is something found in for profit sector. More risks, more innovations, more returns.

Non profits in the other hand, are more careful.

Seth Godin did a wonderful post on  'Non profits have a charter to be innovators.' He reasons from non profit point of view, as to why non profits do not innovate as they should be.  

One reason: "We're doing important work. Our funders count on us to be reasonable and cautious and proven, because the work we're doing is too important to risk failure."

One alternative: "We're doing important work. Our funders count on us to be daring and bold and brave, because the work we're doing is too important to play it safe."

The thing about most cause/welfare non-profits is that they haven't figured out how to solve the problem they're working on (yet). Yes, they often offer effective aid, or a palliative. But no, too many don't have a method for getting at the root cause of the problem and creating permanent change. That's because it's hard (incredibly hard) to solve these problems.

My life as a social entrepreneur throws me challenges of both the reason and the alternative.

Seth's full post here.

Pic credit : Doug Ross

Sri Lankan crusade on Facebook

There are many hate mongering posts on FB - done by a few, spreading like a virus - all camouflaged as 'in the name of saving their respective religions.'

And recently there are anti-hate posts popping up too. It's a religious war front, fought through emotions. We all know what these emotions lead to. I was born in 1981, and I am bitter about such nonsense.

I can do only one thing - quote Ajahn Chah.

" All religions are like different cars all moving in the same direction. People who don't see it like that, have no light in their hearts "

---
Related article:
- No action for spreading religious hatred on Facebook - IT Pro

Pic credit : Dorling Kindersley

World AIDS day - What does it mean?

I knew facts about HIV disease. But I never knew the deep social, economical and cultural aspects of AIDS in Sri Lanka, until I watched 'Swara' a movie with Nita Fernando in lead role. I had the rare opportunity to watch the movie before it hits the screen (Unfortunately the film is yet to be released). She asked for my critique, instead I thanked her for her sincere effort to put a humane Sri Lankan touch in to a much debated issue plaguing us. Coming back from the movie, I felt ashamed of my lack of understanding on Sri Lankan context of AIDS. Then I studied on it.

Do you know some poor women in this country, who work as sex workers to earn a living (labeled/tabooed as 'prostitutes') get raped 20 times or more in one night?

Can you imagine the human tragedy?

Many praise Thailand for its' 'professional' sex trade (tourism). Sri Lanka is also testing viability to follow those steps. 

And I am alarmed to see the global campaign for AIDS is spearheaded by a contraceptive producer. What does this mean? Does it mean ' Have sex as much as you want, but remember to purchase and wear a condom? '

Now you may argue, then what authority Reebok has to sponsor Cricket. Yes, but you see, Cricket is not a disease which decides very stability of human race. AIDS is very dangerous, spreading and lurking around us in broad day light. 

Why no PR campaign in the world, requests for curb in sex trade? Why there is no discussion on how to control harmful rage of lust at individual level? Do we have enough understanding of the issue?

These are just few thoughts and questions in my mind. I am no way an authority on AIDS, but a humble being living in a complex combo of a society where sex is celebrated as a 'thing' to consume/purchase just as we purchase tooth paste from a grocery store.

Pic Credit : extracted from Facebook

Like to learn Design? Now you can, online.

Milad wanted me to give Refresh present to Lee. So I said to Lee, 'It was great'

November Refresh Colombo had Lee Bazelgette doing his presentation on 'Social Phygital world' - in other words - 'design' - how design affects us and makes us alive.

His presentation is here (with links to sources).

The presentation invoked a desire in me and Muditha to learn design. I mean great designs.

Few months back we registered online at coursera.org to a course called 'Small Design: Creation of artifacts in society' done by amazing Guru Karl Ulrich.

We are lagging behind, as we did not stick to our timelines. Nevertheless we are still able to access the content (a great pdf, online video tutorials by the guru himself, forums etc.). What matters is not certificates, but learning something that you are really passionate, which is not related to your daily job.

Not only design, there are many other courses available. If you wanna learn, seriously, here's the chance. Don't tell excuses like cost of education, no time for classes etc. Go ahead. Get educated from the best.

I Will also do a more detailed post on Coursera.org, later. 

Pic Credit : Refresh Colombo

4 reasons why you should NOT buy a basic kindle

The one I use. Now it's called 'Kindle Keyboard 3G'

1. NO DISTRACTIONS

I mean no touch screen. Only physical key board (who can stand that?). Only one thing you can do at one time - is read a book. (Sigh)

In a world where we need constant distraction and frequent updates - this device lets you down in a bad way. And you know what? screen is just plain grey (No color screen !). Good thing is, the screen looks great in outdoors. No glare. Just like reading a paperback. And how to brag infront of a crowd - a grey screen loaded with good books in it?

2. IT COSTS $ 69 

Seriously? When iPAD just cost you $399 or more, and great android devices are just around $200, who in sane mind would want to buy this rudimentary piece? $ 69 is way too high price tag.

3. YOU CAN CARRY 1000 BOOKS WITH YOU.

This is the craziest part. 1000 books? And it can hold your PDF's too. I mean your entire life of PDF's. Can you find people nowadays who are reading at all? Mind you, reading books eats in to your precious time on TV, youtube, gaming, social media etc. And reading books is a bad habit  when your life is designed to follow the pack.

4. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD A SAMPLE BEFORE BUYING A BOOK.

So finally, here's the catch. You can download first chapter of books for FREE ! 

And don't watch this video.

If you are still tempted after reading these 4 reasons and the video, I will call that 'it's your fate'. Go ahead and try your luck. If you do, love to hear from you.

Will 'Surface' surface from dark?

I blogged enthusiastically on 'Surface' Keynote, a much anticipated event, in June. (Microsoft Surface, Finally)

Then Microsoft finally finally launched the product in October. 'Sales are moderate', Steve Balmer admits. 

A good product, sadly, missing on its' potential, due to bad timing. Everyone falls in love with it. Then there's no way to purchase it. (Online purchase here, but don't know how good it is)This was evident when 'Surface' was demoed at November Refresh Colombo. Allmost every participant liked it. On twitter too, the sentiment was apparent. 

Hope this will be available in Sri Lanka soon.

Pic Credit: Refresh Colombo

Yash Chopra's final project

Yash Chopra is the maestro of emotions. He focuses on an ordinary life's emotions - Zooms in - as if the whole world stops breathing to find out what's next. His work in bollywood is a spectrum of great cinematography.

Jab Tak He Jaan (JTHJ) was his last. A good enough reason to watch it in a cinema theatre. Yash delivers as usual. He will be missed by millions. What I find unbelievable is his precise ability to blend latest technology in cinema to evoke emotions of love, which transcends generations. He was able to talk to any age - be cool, trendy, and preserve a poetry quality of creativity. The camera work of opening titles where Shah Rukh rides a motorcycle through terrains of Ladakh, is pure genius. There were many such master strokes.

A.R.Rahman delivers once again a great sound track. Before I went to movie I've listened to full sound track at-least 12 times. It's a mesmerizing album. 'Challa' is a treat. The songs in the movie, taken individually, are blocks of creative mastery, in its' own right. Many critics rated music as average, but I disagree.

But the story penned by his son Aditya Chopra lets the film down. When one sees a story from Aditya the expectations are high. Imagine a film Yash directing, Shah Rukh Khan in lead role, Rahman doing music, Gulzaar penning lyrics - and then Aditya scripting the story. It's like a divine ensemble of creative genius. On that level of euphoria the story fails miserably. Disjointed plots meshes up for too long (3 hours !) messing with overall directorial and musical energy.

Despite holes in the story, the film seals yet another Yash authenticity in our hearts. I have seen it in micro level at the cinema hall which was packed with joyful faces - and on macro level, the film raked more than its budget ( 500 million Indian Rs) in ticket sales, with in 4 days of its' release. Unbelievable feat.

Final word: Watch.

Pic Credit: The Hindu

Eating rice. Only rice.

This happened on a busy week day. I came home to grab lunch and then do a report. I was tired from morning meetings, and went to kitchen to find, no curries left. Only then I remembered, I have devoured both breakfast and lunch portions in the morning, because they were great. (Greedy!)

I sat, with a plate full of rice, only rice.

I've never eaten rice alone, and felt bad. No time to prepare anything, as I had to complete a report.
I ate one lump. Then another. Felt like eating pulp.

Then I slowed down, and then began to enjoy (Enjoy !) the real taste of rice. Never in my life, I found taste of rice as on that day. Funny, I've been eating rice all my life, but never known its real taste.

This is like most things in life. We see things in a web, with lot of other things, hence forget to experience each individual's taste.

Hope you'll also try rice, only rice, once.

Pic credit: Yuji Kotani

Speech of Dr.Richard Teo

If any one of us, as humans, want to live a fuller life, I find this speech by Dr.Richard Teo as a treasure.
He had been a very successful doctor, until he was diagnosed with cancer.

The way you look at your life will be forever changed.

Click here for the text of full speech, as found on Facebook.

And click here for youtube video of the lecture.

Back to writing

I thought I might not be on this space again. Few months back Blogger platform gave some unexplainable troubles, and with no support from Google side, I gave up this space.

Then I was ill, and took some time off. In that silence, I went back in life through posts of this blog, and amazingly found energy and creativity, which was like my thinking talking to me. And oh, the site is now working fine, with no hitch.

So why not? I thought.
During sickness I read, wrote, thought and laughed a lot.

The writing I do now, may project a different flavor. So do please bear with me :)

New thought, another step forward

Final Blog Post From isura.biz

Blogger platform let me down. Reasons are here.
I was badly sick too for the past couple of weeks. I am shifting. Shifting to a new platform. A new mindset. A fresh start.

A shift in thinking.

Folks, it has been great, especially last 2 months, with the responses I got for posts here. In-fact page views increased 4 times from May to June.

So on 11 July 2012, I am shifting. Here's the new space Shift In Thinking. Spread the word. Thanks

Lasith Malinga - A Different View Point

Today I watched Malinga speaks to Kelum Shrimal in a talk show, before the start of 3rd test match (Pak vs SL). Malinga was candid, very talkative, and to the point. I was amazed to see his maturity. 4 years back he could not speak at post match interviews - a shy guy who let his bowling do the speaking.

Today, thick and through controversies like SLC player contracts and IPL endorsements, I have witnessed a matured sportsman.

He gave advises to young bowlers on how to have self discipline.

" A coach can give you guidance. Don't blame coach if you cannot perform. You should know your performance limits. If you can only bowl 6 overs on a stretch, stick to that. Don't over do and kill your career"

Talking about Mahela's regret over second test match decision to put Pakistan bat first, Malinga said,

" No, I am backing Mahela for the decision he took. See, Mahela saw the chance of getting 2 wickets on a flat pitch on the morning of the first day. If we were able to get quick wickets, we could have gone for a 2-0 lead. But Pakistan batted well and the risk Mahela took, was exposed. But I back his risk taking "

Wow, I am impressed. Some one giving a different refreshing view point.

Entrepreneurship Is Getting Popular

Right now lot of activities are happening in Colombo - on start-ups, Social Enterprises and Venture Capital. Courses are booming, and policy makers are also beginning to breath life in to it. Geeks show interest to start their own stuff.

Bad thing right now, which can very well happen, is start-ups waiting for big money from Venture capitalists and banks, instead of trying to start things small and use one's own instincts to get things off the ground.

That is bad as not having any start-ups at all.

What Makes An Entrepreneur ?

Academics & business magazines are searching hard for the holy grail of what makes a great " Entrepreneur ". There are thousands of books out there. Millions of articles. 


I talked with many entrepreneurs in last month. I was privileged to ask blunt questions, and get straight from the gut answers from all of them. These are the people who have really done the thing. The real thing of continuously be on the game of making money despite facing hundreds of obstacles each day. 


I can write many stories they told me. I can even write posts on "how to be"s and "5 great this and thats on entrepreneurs". 


But let me distill what they told, EACH one of them.


" I believed in ONE THING at a time . And I WORKED RELENTLESSLY to achieve it. I did not give my self EXCUSES. That meant saying NO to many things. All I could see, drink, eat and breath was MY IDEA "

Very strange thing

Yesterday night I tried logging in to this blog. I could not. Thought it might be 'blogger' outage. But then other blogger sites were working fine. I tried to log in to admin panel, and it works fine. Yet still I cannot see the site. I can even do new posts like this from admin panel. 

Strange thing is, 2 tweeps last night confirmed me that they can see the site, and works perfect. Very strange indeed. I have contacted Google and awaiting their response.

Do you have any idea, what this might be?

Equal Treatment In Teams

Pic Credit: Daly and Newton

" There's no 'I' in team, but there is a 'me', if you jumble 'team' "

 ~ Dr. House from House MD 

Treating equal to all team members, is a myth we love to believe.

Though we say we treat equal, in consciousness we know it is not. 

Look at IPL. Chris Gayle gets paid better than any other in his team, yet he's a team player. And there are other team players who gets a lower buck. 

Why treat unequal? Reason is obvious. Chances of Gayle performing better is higher than the rest.

In business also, treating the best with the best is the right thing to do. The rest can wait, or deliver to the required standards.

This is reality. A painful exit from a myth we love to believe.

Jack Welch had been saying this for 20 years. Very few people had been able to digest it.

Why People Don't Bargain At Super Markets ?

pic courtesy : Blend Images

We are not happy with the shop in the street corner. These shops for me are examples of serial entrepreneurs. I am never tired of watching them start their work in the morning and how persistently they work hard each day to make ends meet. 

Most people shopping at street corner shops are never satisfied with the deal. We check the bills, calculate total, and ask questions. We leave thinking we could have haggled more. 

People happily pay bills at super markets. No checking, no questions asked. Most of us.

I am not a bargaining freak. I am happy to pay the price tag if it is reasonable. Yet the incident below, sent a shock wave in my brain.

I was at a super market in Katubedda. I had 14 items. 7 each from 2 products.

I saw Rs.120 displayed in green, on cash register, for a product which the label said Rs.100/-

Rs.20 each for 7 items equals Rs.140/-

I asked 'why?'. A polite inquiry.

'There's a price revision' the girl at the cashier continued billing.

' I will pay only the label price, if not, I will not buy'

The girl called her supervisor. He came, punched some keys on key board, and inserted a Rs.140 discount. Magic !

Since I purchased 7 items from a single product, the difference was noticed. Otherwise I won't even know.

Not a big deal. Or may be. I learned a lesson. 

Have you ever had such an experience? Why you prefer super markets over street corner shop?

Please leave a comment below. Commenting here, is very easy now, as you can log in from your twitter, FB or Google+ account. No 'captcha's, and takes only 2 minutes. 

It Was Fun - Social Media Day 2012

Had a wonderful evening at Social Media Day Colombo ( #SMdayCMB ) on June 30th. Read my previous post for context.

Sarvodaya-Fusion had an interaction session with the audience, where I explained 2 stories of how social media helped us on serving rural communities.

First story was about Eastern province floods in January 2011. Please read this post for full story.

Second story was about how smart phones through social media (FaceBook),  helped a rural community in Kurunegala to connect with a conglomerate in Colombo, so that now they enjoy Rs. 1.5 million worth of coir brush orders each month.

The 4 minute video capturing that story is below.

Had a wonderful response at the event as well as long after, on tweets, emails and phone calls. I am amazed to see the eagerness of youth to connect and contribute.

Truly humbled and looking forward to connect the rural communities of Sri Lanka with the appropriate latest technologies plus the eager minds of Colombo.

Need to appreciate the wonderful support from very enthusiastic teams of Etisalat and Ogilvy. Overall it has been a great event !

Pictures of the event from 2 FB albums : Etisalat , Ceylon Today

Related Articles on the event.

Social media and innovation surge in Sri Lanka - Angelo Fernando's blog 

Be inspired - My post-event thoughts on social media day Colombo - Amitha Sampath's blog

Colombo celebrates social media day - Chamindra Hettitantirige's blog

Ceylon Today - July 04, 2012

Asia Pacific Tech4Good Summit 2012

This post is a bit late. I've presented Sarvodaya-Fusions's Smart Village program at Asia Pacific Tech4Good Summit 2012 which was held in Indonesia from 22-23 May 2012. The outcome was quite encouraging. Also saw an application by 'One world India' on how they use SMS to educate pregnant mothers. 

Tech4Good summit is about harnessing the power of technology to support  nonprofits to achieve transformational change both within partner organizations and in the way they deliver services to their beneficiaries and constituents. More than 50 representatives from all of Asia Pacific had wonderful discussions and most of ideas are taken forward to next year.

Pictures can be seen from these 2 FB albums: Day 1 , Day 2  

Below is my presentation slides.

COLOMBO - Social Media Day 2012

In 2 hours, Colombo celebrates Social Media Day 2012. As of now, Mashable indicates 1600+ cities around the world are celebrating June 30th as Social Media Day. It was started in 2010. For Colombo this is the second event. First in 2010, now the second in 2012.

Today, I will be presenting " Social Media to lift economy of rural communities" based on the work at Sarvodaya-Fusion, to 150+ social media enthusiasts. It starts at 4 PM at Excel World. 

It will be followed by sessions from 'SL meme' and JehanR.

Gonna be fun. Excited.

In the mean time, on twitter, the party has already started with #SMdayCMB hash tag. Do follow. 

Why Should You Come to Refresh Colombo?

Despite 'Refresh Colombo' been popular, many asks me why I go there, and why should they go.
I can answer that. Click the link below.


5 Reasons For Why Should You Be At 'Refresh Colombo'


That's a blog I have posted in August 2011. Still hold true. (And it is the most viewed post in this blog)


And for all still wondering, here's the link for today's line up of speeches.

FOMO ( Fear Of Missing Out ) ?

According to JWT Intelligence, FOMO - ' Fear Of Missing Out' is,

" The phenomenon of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you're missing out—that your peers are doing, in the know about or in possession of more or something better than you. While we've always had a fear of missing out, today it's exploding with the onset of real-time, location-based and social media tools. We're exposed more than ever before to what others are doing, and we're filled with a gnawing uncertainty about whether we've made the right choice—not just in a given moment but in stages of our lives as well. "

I am a part of social media, as we all are. There is very good side of it, and there is a bad side of it. FOMO is one bad symptom of a problem, if ignored, can be a vicious cycle. 


Play the 1.5 minutes video above, and have a look at the info-graphic below (You can click on info-graphic to Zoom in). I tried to ignore this, but the more I read about it, the more I get convinced, there are some aspects of it with in me. 


So what is the alternate?  
Completely shut down from Social media? Well, it would be like asking to stay out of TV. Social media is so ubiquitous, to stay away. Then what?


Let's try to balance. It's in our minds to shift, and change. Do drop a comment below. Looking forward to your honest opinions :)

Source: mashable.com via isura on Pinterest

Embed Tweets On BLOGGER

It is nice way to tell a story about something happened on twitter, if you can embed those tweets in a blog post. This is also called - 'speech bubbles' by many.

I am using Blogger, and I could not find how to do that after painful search on Google. Then I asked Azker how he did it in his blog post. He sent me a wordpress plugin since he's running his site on word press.

@isura are you referring to the embedded tweets as bubbles?
— Azker Mohamed (@azkerm) June 20, 2012

I again made a request to him, and then he made this blog post with all the instructions. Going through the instructions I was able to do this post with embed tweets. Nice, Isn't it? 

@azkerm do you know a plugin for blogger? I am dying to find one :(
— ICT4D (@isura) June 21, 2012

Check out Azker's GeekLK site. Pretty neet and informative. http://www.geeklk.com/

Social media is about sharing what you know with others. Azker was very kind to respond immediately to me, not only that, to draft a blog post so that others also can be benefitted. Great. 

Wow, FLIPBOARD

This is a post to share with you, the most beautiful smart phone app I ever used up to date (Today is 23 June 2012)

Wow, Flipboard.

This has been in iOS platform for a long time. I got to know, because it was launched for android this week. Not only for Android, but to Nook and Kindle Fire too. In future it will come to Samsung apps too (BTW, samsung is coming up with their own app store called 'Samsung Apps')

If you are in iOS, Android, Nook or Kindle Fire, this is a must have. In-fact, you SHOULD HAVE Flipboard.

Why?

• Flipboard let's you swipe (I repeat Swipe) through blogs, news feeds (these are amazing) and.....your social networks on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Youtube, Google Reader, Tumblr, Instagram etc etc etc like flipping through a posh designer magazine. 

• The best Facebook client I have ever used. We all know FB official app for android and iOS sucks, because it takes ages to load among other woes. And Friendcaster was the only solace. With Flipboard, you are in wonderland. And this is the best part. You can share any FB post from Flipboard. I could not do sharing from any FB app I used so far.

• If not for Flipboard you will be missing on a wonderful experience of surfing your net and your social networks.

So get on board. And when you do, drop a comment below. Much appreciated your feedback.

Windows Phone 8 and NFC

Not even having a breather, from 'Surface' launch, 2 days back, MSFT unveils Windows phone 8 (code named 'Apollo') at Windows Phone Developer Summit.  Phew...

Well I would love to see at-least this shipped. Soon. 

First the good news:

Windows Phone 8 supports dual- and quad-core CPU, HD resolutions, External storage on SD card expansion, and...... near field communications (NFC) technology. Very cool. 
Basically OEMs can turn handsets into virtual wallets. So MSFT joined Apple and Google, in the race of getting our wallets in to our smart phones. MSFT has done the home work better with the mobile operators, way better than Google, and may be Apple.

For those who are wondering WTH is NFC. 

Near field communication (NFC) - is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimetres. Present and anticipated applications include contactless transactions, data exchange, and simplified setup of more complex communications such as Wi-Fi. Communication is also possible between an NFC device and an unpowered NFC chip, called a "tag".

Still not getting it? Here's the 2 minute video which would undo your doubts and blow your mind.This is on Google Wallet, which is kinda same in the function in NFC with with any smart phone wallet. 

Bad news:

MSFT has no plans for Wallet with NFC in US for this year. Google has many issues with Security in the eyes of mobile operators, and the outlook for this COOL tech overall, is dim. 

Early adopters of Win 7 and 7.5 are frustrated because they cannot upgrade to 8. They are angry of course, with right reasons. All these tech launches, on a rapid scale confuses consumer. 

'Chinaman' Is Making Waves in US

Well, I blogged about Shehan Karunatilaka and his novel 'chinaman' last week.

Today Indi featured him on MTV SPORTS morning show. Shehan connected via Skype from US, where he is currently on a book tour promoting his novel. Man, A novel 1000% on cricket, in US? He sure has some talent. I am really happy to see this progress. A Sri Lankan novelist, making waves. Really really happy.


Or BTW, the novel is renamed to 'Legend of Pradeep Mathew' as 'chinaman' is offensive to Chinese. I don't know. *face palm*


If I was working for Sri Lanka Tourist Board, I would do a campaign for 'Sri Lanka' along side. He's basically pitching Sri Lanka. What more do we need as a nation, at this opportune moment?

Do watch the video below. It's hilariously informative. 

Happy Birthday, Amma

With Amma, at Galle Fort, April 2011.

My Amma (Amma = Mother in sinhalese) saved my life many a times, knowingly and unknowingly. 

Life advises, Pushing me through AL's, attending to me when I was critically ill, are few things out a million things she have done to me knowingly.

She saved me from tsunami in 2004, unknowingly.

On that fateful day, at the exact timing around 930 am, I was supposed to be at Galle Bus stand, to get a bus to Colombo. I was packing my bag, when Amma came and said " Putha, we are giving a lunch to Aunty, why not you stay and take lunch with us and go". Luckily I agreed. 

For 8 days, I worked shoulder to shoulder with few of my friends, to distribute food, garments, dry rations, milk bottles for kids, around Galle. I am so happy to date, as we were able to reach the real grassroots, not a Divisional Secretariat, to give away to people who were frustrated and in real genuine help. I still remember the look in those eyes, and the faint 'thank you' they murmured. 

In my prayers, thanked Amma million times, for that single thought, that not only saved my life, but gave me the opportunity to help people in need. 

Today Amma turns 62. 

I am blessed to be living with in 5 km radius of both Ammas. (My Amma and Muditha's Amma). 

I wish both of them great health and piece of mind. Thousand blog posts cannot pay tribute to their good deeds for me, still this is a humble attempt to think a minute on all mothers in this world who take the same trouble to bring the best in a child.

So in that sense everyday is a Mother's day ! Cheers !

Those Are The Arrogant Jerks Who Saved Your Life

House MD poster : Pic Credit

House MD is my favorite TV show. It's now in its' 8th season. 

Dr.House is a very lucid character. He is arrogant, technically very competent and crosses any line to get his work done.

His work is - curing ailments, not patients. He believes talking to patients is useless, as for him patients are liars, which makes you inept.

His methods are unorthodox, and hence despised by everyone. His team despises him the most.

Only reasons he gets to hang around in the hospital is because he gets the X files. The patients nobody can solve.

In the episode 'poison' in season 1, two teenagers are dying from some strange poison. Using every trick in their sleeves, the doctors  try to locate the poison and its' source. They nearly killed one of the patients in the process, yet manage to cure both of them at the end. The diagnostic methods they use are highly unconventional. Mother of one of the teenagers, resists House and his team's aggressive methods. House become very unpopular, even after teenagers get recovered.

This is the best part of the episode. The resistive mother meets House and his assistant, as she wheels her recovering son out of hospital 

"Who are they?" Son asks. 

"Those are the arrogant jerks who saved your life" mother replies.

Both House and assistant hear that, and slowly walk in to the elevator.

In life, most of the time, it is respectful even to be despised, when you know you have done the right thing. What your conscious said.

It is so easy to be popular. Not at all easy to command respect.