2022 Happy New year - back to some sense of life ?!.

Interesting NYTimes article  on why "

It’s high time for women to reclaim the real strength behind exercise" 

to consider, esp. as we roll into new year 2022 with resolutions! 

BTW talking about new year resolutions - something of my own here. Am back into my blogging site after a gap of several years as I kind of got some of my free time back from busy work and family routines, and will to try to do what I enjoy, i.e., sharing some wisdom from what I read to the world, especially on stuff that matter to growth and development. Hope to keep this going.

Back to the article, completely agree with the author's key message  "

Exercising to Slim Down? Try Getting Bigger" ... 

to encourage women to work out for strength with the fringe benefit of the pursuit of visible muscle, and that the strength training shouldn't be gender biased.  

Also love the point she makes on "

exercise not only for physical but also mental strength. I exercise to feel the endorphin high of accomplishment and to manage life’s lows...". 

 

Finally, "

I now know how fortunate .. to be living in an era when a growing number of fitness professionals sell exercise not as a punishment, but as a celebration of what our bodies can do".  

Enjoy 2022 and Celebrate life !

The connected world: are you doing it right?

Recently Reddit users had a good laugh over a post titled “Mom, you are doing it wrong.”  Somebody’s mom was making hard copies of recipes off her iPad by placing the iPad’s screen directly onto the photocopier.

I laughed, too, but a little ruefully.  After all, I spend a lot of time helping business enterprises deploy new technology effectively in pursuit of powerful benefits. No matter how exciting those benefits, when people face disruptive change, they tend to bend the new back to the familiar. Mom wants hard copies of her recipes, iPad or no iPad. Users want to keep their old familiar processes, new technology or not.

Not surprisingly, hobbling new technologies with old processes diminishes its benefits. When the benefits do not materialize, users are disillusioned (“We went through all that and this is all it does?) and buyers are flummoxed and unhappy (“Where is my competitive advantage?  Where is my savings?”)

Digital revolution

Because the near future will be dominated by disruptive change – in the form of the digital revolution – it’s a good time to focus on this vulnerability of new technology deployments. For example, in the business world,  SAP S/4HANA® is one the most powerful enterprise technology platforms supporting that revolution, and is now being embraced across all industry sectors as part of what is being coined 'Industry 4.0'. Its new suite of applications let companies of all sizes take economic advantage of exciting technology advances like Big Data, Internet of Things, Machine learning, AI, Predictive Analytics, Robotic Process Automation, Cloud and Mobile solutions.

Absorb, analyze, and react

Without such a platform which supports in-memory processing and cloud based architecture, companies would drown under the sheer weight of the endless real-time flood of big data coming from the new world of connected enterprise. With the platform, they can not only absorb and analyze the valuable data they receive from a variety of internal or external sources (smart IOT devices, social media feeds, click streams) but more importantly, they can react in real time. Not only can they be made instantly aware of, say, a maintenance issue with their equipment, but even as they are made aware of it, the technology can also be pursuing the appropriate fix using some of Machine learning, AI capabilities. Critical failures are prevented, equipment uptime is maximized, human errors are mitigated. 

Yesterday

BUT, that can happen only if, in this example, the maintenance team adapts and enhances their current business processes to permit the technology to exercise its full potential in real-time analytics – if they fully adopt “event stream processing,” a major departure from traditional analytics. Yesterday’s traditional ERP systems would receive and store the data, then prepare it for consumption through ETL (extract transform load) processes, and finally present results and share insights as needed. In an increasing number of situations, these insights are too late.

Today

New technologies like SAP S/4HANA® enables a vastly different, more rapid, and instantly valuable Smart Data streaming process.  It starts with stored queries /analysis, then it receives data (from thousands of sensors, electronic commerce sites - both internal and external, and internet-connected devices), then processes the data, and immediately, pushes the results to trigger an appropriate reaction. It is revolutionary, not evolutionary. No matter how fast the data moves, how much data there is, or how many data sources it is being pulled from, it is all under the user’s control via a single, intuitive interface. Users can define patterns and address scenarios from all aspects of the business, enabling them to stay agile and tackle issues as they arise. Properly deployed, it upends old processes.

Challenge

But old processes are comfortable. What if people mistrust the accuracy of the data, or simply find its speed unsettling and imprudent?  They do what seems prudent and slow it up. All that real-time data gets batched up and sent around to be reviewed the next day. All those alerts that were supposed to trigger a rapid reaction (“Notify service teams that a vendor shipment is significantly delayed.” or “Shut down pump #4312 and notify maintenance that its pressure has exceeded safety parameters.”) fall on deaf ears until it is too late. And worst of all, the company’s opportunity for competitive advantage goes by the wayside, with all parties wondering what happened.

Thrive

Making the most of new technologies whether at home or in business means adopting a strategic view and taking a radically different approach from the conventional. It requires open mindset to change the ways we have felt comfortable so far, be ready to vest time to learn and upgrade skill sets so we are equipped to use the new tools in right way, and be ready to reap the full benefits in a new, digitally connected world. 

It is one thing to use an iPad and a photocopier when all you want is paper recipes, but if we want to thrive in the digital age where disruption seems inevitable, let us cultivate a changed mindset. Time to go and read up on my manuals for our new Instapot, seems to be the rage now!

Seagulls and Purpose of life

I stumbled across an interesting article  in HBR Blogs and couldn't resist my self commenting on it as below

"It baffles me that out of trillions of species that live and perish in this universe, why is that we humans are the only ones that does this critical thinking in trying to understanding the metaphysical level - like the purpose of all existence ? and constantly keep evaluating our surroundings ? a Seagull that goes on about it's flight path to catch it's food does it ever wonder why it's flying ? or what its life's purpose in bigger schema of things ? how about a whale in ocean ? or that e-coli bacteria ? do they all wonder about why they do what they do ?.. they just seem to do whatever they need to do for their basic needs of surival (growth is implied) and reproduction? beyond that they seem to be in bliss ..never seeming to care about anything else around through their life cycle ? or poke their noses in other's affairs ! ...it seems that so-called elite thinking or overthinking is our bane and not a boon ! the ultimate purpose of life is already there right infront of our eyes as evidenced from all the life forms around us (ofcourse minus one) .. "to live in simplest form & means possible" -- Only we are too egoistic to accept it !"

Now, that seagull example in my comment above was actually a real one.. an extension of my wild thoughts that pondered when I was driving home in rush hour traffic across Fremont bridge and saw a seagull flying over it, and wondered about what the bird must be thinking of all the fools stuck in traffic below. 

Later at home during some interesting dinner table conversation, I raised this topic with my daughter about this idealogical question - why is it that we as humans have so many artificial needs like clothes, cars, homes,  etc..where as none of the other species like these birds don't  seem to need ?. One valid argument my daughter made was that the things we made eg clothes etc make us survive better in harsh conditions, which otherwise would have made us inhabitable to place like Portland in winter.. so her logic was al of this stuff that we need is part of our survival and increase our chances. My question was then - why is that no other species decided to do the same ? or in fact the more important question was what if all other species also start to do the same thing ? that is to increase their chance of survival by creating stuff that was not natural to them.  How about that visual of a seagull driving a porsche ? (could be cool idea for next Pixar movie !)

 
Here let me take slight detour into biology and genetics that I am getting recently fanatic about.. to talk about the theory of natural evolution , that the species would slowly genetically evolve with changed features to survive their habitats and thus become diverse. During this process, ofcourse several generations die as they couldn't adopt or survive. But that's all part of the law of nature ! small plants slowly evolving to become giant redwoods, or lizards evolving into mighty komodo dragons. So why is that when all other species try to follow this arduous and painful path of evolution, we humans try to throw-in a shortcut by going against the natural process and artificially comeup with our own process of self-evolution.  That takes back to my original question and whether by developing artificial means to increase our chances of survival in a short run through all the stuff we invent, are we really gaining anything in long run or infact are we jeopadizing our own chances of future survival ??  
 
Take a look from the caveman times to now - we lost our hair, which was almost thick fur-like back in those caveman days that protected from harsh winters (infact  my wife agrees too I was like a caveman with my head full of hair back in days when we got married) ; we lost our long nails (damn it! they would have been so useful as bottle openers) ; we lost our capability to eat or drink anything direct from nature without purifying it through thousand screens ; we can't survive in wilderness for more than a day (rescue squads have to be sent in !!).  So by not allowing human bodies to carrout the necessary genetic evolutionary processes just like other species do by exposing them to the harsh nature .. as the time passes we are infact are becoming weaker and vlulnerable in comparision to other species that are evolving to become stronger. 

Now extrapolate this for thousand years and what do you think is going to happen to be human race ?.. a small portion of us who remain will be living in airtight germ-free regulated dark underground colonies that are fully equipped with artificial rivers, trees, mountains (as we can't risk exposure to direct sun, open air, trees), wearing hazmat suits round the clock, that have built in screens that can stream live feeds of millions gigabites per sec of the wild, beautiful nature outside where the flocks of Seagulls still fly freely on the Fremont bridge, only this time with hoards of Komodo dragons roaming free below !  whew..wait a minute, we can't let that happen !! we need to do something.
 
So here's my suggestion for human race... if you care about your survival start to think about how to live free  like that of the Seagull in Sky.. may be then you might become the first generation of  "futurites" (my copyrighted trademark name for future human species ;-) who might evolve slowly to gain some really cool super abilities to survive the future.. such as ability to directly drink water from rivers, live in wilderness for a week on their own without any idevice, communicate through vocal cards rather than using fingers to type on to a screen, or able to walk a mile without collapsing. 

[Of course all of this is possible only if we pass the immediate danger to the human race this year.  Yes,  I am referring to the fuss about 2012 Mayan calendar and Apocalypse ! I frankly think we are all not yet so highly evolved or lucky to die such sudden, painless death !!! such forutne only favours fully evolved species like Dinosaurs.   But we never know, the recent solar storms , the signs of missing snow on mountains, does make this year look out of the ordinary ! may be time to Party like the end of the world !!]

Pedal to the Metal

Quote : "For there is something in man that seeks out challenge, especially the challenge of a single man taking on a task in which all the forces of nature, and often the opinions of the world around him, are arrayed against him; a task in which his own solitude may become his greatest enemy; a task that his own drive, his own desire, and his own ego must make him accomplish. There is something in man that seeks out the challenge of the unknown within himself and seeks to challenge the limits of his very being. There is something in man that makes him run marathons" : End quote. (source)

It's my countdown time.. few more days for my first Full Marathon..


I will be running the 26.1 miles and 385 yards (42.195 Km) on Oct 9th, 2011 at the Portland Marathon.

Don't ask me why I do it ? or how does one do it ?.or whether I enjoy doing it ?.. honestly I myself don't even know all the answers.

But one thing I do know is I like the fact that I am doing something I  thought would never be able to do in my life time !

Of course, am I scared of it ? hell.. yes, especially when you read all the horror stories and you-tube videos of runners collapsing of exhaustion 200 yards from finish line etc, but I guess that's where the excitement also comes from. That 'caveman instinct' that we are all born with, but never deploy or reach out to see how far we can take it ? and simply put, a new found appreciation for this amazing forgotten piece of equipment that I owned for a long time called "my body". 

Our body is the only thing that stays with us every moment.. from birth to death.. yet what do we do with it ? ignore it, abuse it, throwing all junk in it, never really check what it's full potential. God gives everyone at birth pretty much similar framework (ok..ok, am exaggerating a bit here, ofcourse we know we all don't have same sizes of pieces, but what I mean is ..hopefully no one out there with four lungs or 3 hearts..we all have similar pieces which perform pretty much same functions) of this beautiful body that you can grow into anything you want.

Metaphorically, it's like this. You daily walk into your garage, get into this familiar car of yours you owned for years, fill with  all the junk in to the trunk and drive routinely at 60 mph happily for most of your life. Ofcourse you rarely think how would it be or whether can you make this baby purr at 120 or 140 mph ? because even if you wanted, you have been warned repeatedly and given specs to make you believe that- what you have is a  'family sedan' and not some 'formula race car', so racing something like that is just plain crazy, stupid and impossible. 

But, but..here is the catch ! unlike the car we bought, when we were born were we ever given that spec sheet of what our body can do? how fast it can go ? or how far it can go ? no ! zilch ! nada !! nothing !!!  then why the hell do we assume our body is like a family sedan ? what if, in reality the almighty god actually gave was euqivalent of a Porsche (or a Ferrari or a Maserrati ? huh..) covered under the disguise of a mini-van or family sedan?.

How freaking sad would it be to find out only at the gates of heaven (or hell if you are Dick Cheney !) when you finally reach there.  [Of course on the contrary, the nay-sayers and pessimists amongs us would argue that one may find those gates of heaven sooner if you assume you have a ferrari and keep pushing while in reality what you actually have is a civic or chevy vega. ]  

Still a valid point is,  shouldn't we try to know what the heck it is we have ?  that's where the kicking off tires and purring comes into play..where you have to try it, test it, stretch it, break it, fix it, train it, to see where it can take you.. how far and how fast... as they say put "the Pedal to Metal"...

So there's the long drawn reason why I do this thing called the "26.1 mile madness", and I am not alone, there are millions rediscovering this same inner model.. look at this video the spirit of Marathon

So Friends !  "you have to believe in yourself !..take a closer look at what you own".  Don't just follow what you have been told all your life.. check out yourself.. find what's under the hood (or belt) and rewrite your own specifications! it's never too late, and you'll be surprised  (or shocked as in my case!)...even if it's not a Ferrari..it might be a Corvette or a Mustang GT..any day better than whatever you think you already own !!.

You too will be amazed and will say "god.. you're absolute genius",  and the next time you approach those gates of heaven, you wouldn't just walk, but will proudly run through them with head and hands held high with a smile on your face.  Enjoy the race of your life ! 

Last but not the least, I proudly support my favorite non-profit charity, AID (Association for India's Development) through their Run for India program, to raise funds to support NGOs working at grassroot level in India and initiates efforts in various interconnected spheres such as agriculture, energy, education, health , livelihoods, natural resources including land and water, women's empowerment and social justice.  If you would like to donate for the cause please click on this link, or even better join AID's local chapter to start your own journey of 'miles for smiles' !

PS: if you like what you see, and want more of one-on-one chat, drop me a note..(will assure it'll cost far less than Bill Clinton's motivational spiel). BTW join the fun on Oct 9th, we are always looking for cheerleaders.

Immigration from Mexico to US fallen to its lowest level since 1950s

Seems like the the fiction work of "A day without Mexican" is turning into Reality ? Watch out America !!

Douglas S. Massey, co-director of the Mexican Migration Project at Princeton, an extensive, long-term survey in Mexican emigration hubs, said his research showed that interest in heading to the United States for the first time had fallen to its lowest level since at least the 1950s. “No one wants to hear it, but the flow has already stopped,” Mr. Massey said, referring to illegal traffic. “For the first time in 60 years, the net traffic has gone to zero and is probably a little bit negative.”