Scheduled for 04/04/2009 at 15:00
City: Gurgaon

Description
The IndiBlogger Meet returns to the capital - Let's make this a good one! Please send in your ideas for the agenda. The organizer can be reached at +919880518019


Venue
Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd
DLF Cyber Green, DLF Cyber Citi
Sector 25A, Phase3, Gurgaon - 122002

Waiting for you Guyz... :)
Cheers
Sanjeev

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I think there are many smart people trying to solve the big issues we face. But here are the dilemmas I face every day.

These always seem to be no-win situations for me as I continually get them wrong!

1. When a woman gets on a train and I am not sure whether she is fat or pregnant. Should I offer my seat?
2. When I am going on a first date am I supposed to get the check?
3. I have just been on a fantastic first date. Should I call her the next day or just play it cool?
4. At the shop I was handed back more change than I was due, should I speak up or just keep it?
5. When someone serves you a horrible meal and then asks for feedback should you be honest or lie?

6. After spending a long day in the office should I go to the gym or to the pub?
7. The invite says ‘smart casual’, do I wear trousers or jeans?
8. My boss asks me to lie about why some work hasn’t been done. Should I lie for him?
9. Should I try and climb the corporate ladder or live a simpler life in the country?

10. I notice a co-worker has some toilet paper stuck to their leg. Should I tell them about it or laugh silently?
11. I want to take a 3 month holiday but I have a pet dog ‘Duke’ that is very old. Is it ok for me to put him down so I can get on with my life?
12. Friends arrive at my house with a Christmas present and I have nothing to give them in return. What should I do?
13. My grandma sent me a birthday card but she is soooo boring to talk to. Do I really need to call to say thankyou?
14. I damaged the left side of my car in a car park. Should I lie and get the insurance company to fix some of the existing damage?
15. My neighbour is a benefit cheat and it really frustrates me. Should I tell the government?

16. I see some kids vandalising a bus stop. Should I intervene or just mind my own business?
17. In a social setting when introduced to a woman for the first time, am I supposed to kiss her cheek, shake her hand or what?
18. I promised a friend I would help them move house, but since got a better offer to go and see a ball game. Should I lie and go to the game?
19. When in the bathroom I can hear my friend in the next cubicle. Is it ok to start up a conversation?
20. I drank way too much last night and have a severe hangover. Is it ok to call in sick or since it was self inflicted should I go to work?

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Gaming has moved from your parent's basement to the limelight. Here's the eight reasons why gaming may just supplant all other forms of media in the near future.

8- Legitimacy of Competition

The fact that the term, "cyberathlete" exists is a clear indication that gaming competition is becoming a serious business. From small Guitar Hero tournaments at local bars to massive Halo competitions with millions worth in prizes; gaming competitions are not only gaining momentum as accepted activities, they're attracting crowds and even syndication. A tournament company called Major League Gaming has a contract to broadcast gaming competitions on the USA Network. The market is large enough for a good enough gamer to earn a living and Starcraft is practically Korea's national sport. Sooner or later those who pwn will be cutting in line at clubs.



7- Social Networking

Remember those news stories about couples who met on World of Warcraft? Did you hear about that guy who was arrested for stalking a girl on Xbox Live? How about Republican Ron Paul who held a campaign march in the Alliance city of Ironforge on World of Warcraft's Wisperwind server? Most gamers have friends on Xbox Live or PSN that they've never met in person. We all know of the phenomenon of online social networking led by sites like Facebook and MySpace. Along with these sites, online video games will surely play a large part in the future development of people's online presence. Soon many people will be better known by their avatars than their faces.

6- The Tech-friendly Media

More than any other form of media, gaming has adapted masterfully to the new technologies of the 21st century, particularly when it comes to high-definition displays and the penetration of broadband and Wi-Fi. No form of media has taken to both of the big innovations of the last few years like gaming. While folks are still hooking analog cable to HDTVs and using America Online with their cable internet, most gamers are using the technologies of today properly, which is why consoles are performing more multimedia functions. The media companies are learning who its audience is, and it's usually holding a controller.

5- More than Just Entertainment

Games are no longer considered simply as tools for killing brain cells. Today there is a rapidly growing market for games as tools for education and fitness. Companies are looking to develop video games that are educational, while schools are looking to the gaming industry for new kinds of educational tools. Games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit are melding exercise with gaming. As games become useful outside the realm of entertainment they not only become more socially accepted, but more important to society. Educational films, fitness tapes, and even instructional manuals will soon be totally obsolete.

4- Declining Competition

Box-office returns are down. Cable and network ratings aren't exactly through the roof either. Most folks wouldn't touch a book to save their lives, so how are they entertaining themselves? More and more, gaming is becoming an acceptable means of entertainment, due in no small part to the staleness of its competitors. With no end in sight to the Hollywood writer's strike, the steady influx of videogames could convert many couch potatoes growing tired of three nights a week of "American Gladiators."

3- Gaming Goes Big

While the increase of independent, low-budget games has been critical in the industry's success, the big-budget blockbusters are also a key part of keeping the core gaming audience satisfied. While the conglomeration of big companies and the rapidly-increasing budgets for triple-A titles has led to game creation by committee, there's no denying that catering to the largest audience possible is an excellent business decision. It's the Transformers effect& many will be entertained, even if it isn't forwarding the art form an inch.

2- Increasing Cultural Relevancy

Remember the games of the past? They were all about jumping over alligators and eating jelly beans. Today, more video games are using politics and current events as subject matter. Call of Duty 4, for example, portrays the horror of nuclear war inspired by America's conflict in the Middle East. Think about Metal Gear Solid 4's plot about private military companies perpetuating war for profit. Not only are games daring to cover "real-life" topics, they themselves are becoming "real-life" topics. More and more you'll see game reviews in newspapers, indy-made video game spoofs, and television shows centering on gaming. This all indicates that games are normalizing in the world's collective consciousness.

1- Capturing the Casual Audience

Did anyone honestly believe that this would be the console generation that catered to the elderly and&:gasp:: girls? Yet that's exactly what's happened, due largely to the success of Nintendo thinking outside the box with the touch-screen Nintendo DS and the motion-sensing Wii. Before those systems hit it big, it seems as though Sony and Microsoft had resigned to competing over the same sect of hardcore gamers into perpetuity, but Nintendo's amazing success has broadened the audience considerably, and given its competitors reason to delve into more easy-to-enjoy games. And that's why we have dozens of Bejeweled clones on Xbox Live Arcade.

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Have you ever met a fairly smart person and then watch their activities in business and just wanted to puke? It certainly gives entrepreneurship a bad name. Indeed, it makes me sick to my stomach. Why do they stoop so low? Well it appears that they do it because it works and that there is a sucker born every minute and rather than having a little integrity and ethics they simply get down to the lowest common denominator and take peoples money.
But why do they do it; that is to say; Why Do Intelligent Internet Entrepreneurs Get Involved in Such Sleazy Stuff? I know for a fact that they do not have too, they are smart enough to figure out a better way and yet will not? It is such a shame to see bright people do this and it makes all business people look bad. It puts a tarnished image on the business community and makes an already skeptical public even more weary. And some of the hype marketing out there is utterly ridiculous.
My theory is that folks are just lazy, both rich and poor, smart or foolish; humans are just trying to get by with minimal effort. It is amazing anyone would want to have a human as an associate or friend. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

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Everyone wants to be a hero. Techies especially so. And there are special occasions where true glory awaits the hero. When there’s a crisis, it can pay to just carry on no matter what. Get the problem solved and celebrate victory. Winning through shear effort.

But most days are not like that. Most features need not heroes. They need realists. People who are willing to give up and walk away. Being a hero is all about sitting aside all costs and winning anyway. That’s not a prudent way to drive everyday development.

Here’s the problem: You agree that feature X can be done in two hours. But four hours into it, you’re still only a quarter of the way done. The natural instinct is to think “but I can’t give up now, I’ve already spent four hours on this!”.

So you go into hero mode. Determined to make this work, but also embarrassed that it isn’t already so. So the hero grabs his hermit cape and isolates himself from feedback. “I really need to get this done, so I’ll turn off IM, Campfire, email, and more for now”. And some times that works. Throwing sheer effort at the problem to get it done.

But was it worth it? Probably not. The feature was deemed valuable at a cost of two hours, not sixteen. Sixteen hours of work could have gotten four other things done that individually were at least as important. And you had to cut the feedback loop to avoid feeling too much shame, which is never a good thing to do.

That’s where the concept of sunk cost gives us a guide on what to do. It doesn’t what you’ve already spent. That time and money is gone. It only matters whether spending what’s left is worth it or not. Business school 101, but one of the hardest lessons to internalize.
In other words, stop being so afraid of calling it quits. You’re playing to win the full season, not a single game. Every time you play the hero card, you’re jeopardizing the next game.
Heroics are for when you have no other choice. When you can afford to take on tremendous risk because there’s no alternative. That’s probably not today.

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