Steve Jobs - The Minister of Magic

"Jobs put life and soul into inanimate objects. Everyone saw steel, silicon and software; he saw an opportunity to paint his Mona Lisa. People saw a phone; Steve saw a transporter of love. People saw a tablet; he saw smiles and wide-eyed amazement. They made computers; he made time machines that brought us all together through a camera, screen and a connection" - Om Malik

Long after we are all gone, when the future generations look back at our era through the prism of time; when they attempt to write history, one thing is certain that Steve Jobs name would be taken in the same breadth as the creative geniuses of Da Vinci, Galileo, Edison and Einstein.

It's so ironic that in the era of nuclear bombs and guns where ignorant bravado and grandstanding are the toast of the town, a bespectacled tech geek with his magical toys manage to change and capture the imagination of the entire world. As he passed away this week, the outpour of emotions from his adoring fans, peers and rivals has been nothing short of overwhelming.

This week we celebrate a man who with a simple "touch" changed everything.

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Steve Jobs, tech visionary: 1955-2011

The Spirit of 1976: Steve Jobs, Jimmy Carter, the Ramones and a Climate of Hope.

Steve Jobs: What Twitter is Saying.

Steve Jobs and The Reserved Seat.

Tributes pour in for Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs Remembered.

Silicon Valley mourns Steve Jobs.

The Tao of Steve.

Jobs’s Death Draws Outpouring of Grief and Tributes

Harvard Business Review: The Legacy of Steve Jobs

Apple Price Chart

"You've got to find what you love"

For the Love of Technology!

Osama Bin Laden is DEAD!

The killing of the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks in New York came as a relief, jubilation and sense of uneasiness across the globe. Here are some headlines from around the world few days after the raid by SEAL team in Pakistan.

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Osama Bin Laden is DEAD

LOL!!! And this is not the first time. But to be fair other news network also made this mistake. Namely, NDTV!!!

The Killing Next Door: I do agree with the sentiment that it's a vindication of India's stand for last 3 decades! But it doesn't make the situation any less dire, if not worse. Because we now have unstable state with deep links to terrorism/extremists headed by a humiliated and hurt India-centric military / intelligence apparatus with a finger on nuclear button!

I'm surprised it took this long. I think the Bush Shoe game came out the very same day!

Hahaha .. Brings levity to the Situation Room! I think Obama playing PS3 is the most natural edit.

Would you rather have Obama had died rather than Bin Laden ?

The Crazy Donald Trump Presidential Bid

It became so crazy and surreal that it needed it's own blog post!

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George Stephanopoulos being "co-opted" by President Obama's "minions".

Bill Maher Bets David Letterman a Week's Pay Donald Trump WILL Run For President.

Bill O' Reilly scoffs at Donald Trump's Birther Claims!

Jerry Seinfeld and Donal Trump in War of Words.

Donald Trump: White House Correspondents' Dinner 'Inappropriate'.

Donald Trump fires back at David Letterman.

Barack Obama expresses his sad disappointment in Americans, and Donald Trump proudly takes credit.

Oh .. how we'll miss them!

The Daily Show stands to lose a lot of money if Donald Trump drops out of the presidential race.

Donald Trump disrespects New Yorkers by taking Sarah Palin to a pizza chain and eating his stacked slices with a fork!!!

 

Searching for Something Good to Say About India

Wow .. This dude is frustrated! I though his first article was a one-off but he continues from where he left with his second letter to NY times!

To be honest, I do agree with some of his premise about out-of-touch NRI patriotism, inequalities amongst Indian masses and paralytic corruption at every level. And I totally agree with him about the insane blind following all the spiritual gurus have in India amongst the "educated".

But I don’t agree with his idea and implication that such extremes are unique to India and therefore the recent peaks of achievement aren't reasons for celebration.

For instance, Commonwealth Games were plagued with huge corruption and Kalamdi was correctly persecuted. (That's a different matter that he's living it up on a government holiday in Tihar Jail and is planning Tihar Olympics!!!!) But Kalmadi should be persecuted because corruption is bad and not because the Chinese Olympics were "better organized".

I think we have a very unkind obsession about making one-to-one comparison between events happening in India and "seemingly similar" world events without caring to know the full story and factoring in different ground realities. I mean South African FIFA World Cup 2010 was a great success because you weren't one the local shopkeepers who were not allowed to sell anything within 1.5KM radius of the stadiums. China is booming and has a great story because you aren't the millions who live in remote villages in awful conditions or political activist who mysteriously disappear!

So yeah if you are feeling cynical or just don’t have anything else to do, go ahead read these articles. Whether you agree with him or not, his articles do make an interesting read.

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Searching for Something Good to Say About India

Indian Spiritualism Made for the Modern Age

Remembering 9/11/2001

I was sitting outside my college dorm with my friends on a pleasant Manipal evening as events of 9/11 unfolded 8312 miles away. Enjoying our milkshakes and ready to celebrate my birthday later in the evening, I was totally unaware how these events and the city were to become an integral part of my life!

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Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience

Incredible heart-wrenching image

Some bitter truth

Unique Vantage Point

Daily Show remembers 9/13/2001

Earthquake in Japan

Coverage of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that hit the east coast of Japan on March 11th 2011. The quake -- one of the largest in recorded history -- triggered a 23-foot tsunami that battered Japan's coast, killing hundreds and sweeping away cars, homes, buildings, and boats. Below are some of the articles discussing/analyzing this crisis as it happened:

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Massive earthquake hits Japan

Japan Earthquake Map: Epicenter and other impact areas.

Japanese Earthquake: The Economic Hit

Japan: Earthquake aftermath

Thoughtful gesture from AT&T. Every bit counts.

Will Japan’s quake be the costliest ever ?

Uprising in the Middle East: The "Jasmine" Revolution

Self-immolation of a fruit seller,Mohamed Bouazizi, in the bazaar of Tunisia sparked unprecedented pro-democratic revolution across the Middle East. But even experienced political observers were taken by surprise when Egypt, the largest and most stable Arab state in the region & key US ally, got engulfed with these protests and was thrown in a turmoil. Below are some of the articles discussing/analyzing this crisis as it happened:

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China, Twitter and 20-Year-Olds vs. the Pyramids

How Democracy Can Work in the Middle East

B.E., Before Egypt. A.E., After Egypt.

Date With a Revolution

Speakers’ Corner on the Nile

Egypt's real parallel to Iran's revolution

Up With Egypt

Yes Egyptians can!!! They Did It.

If Not Now, When ?

This is Just The Start!

10/1/2008 Links.

With so much happening on a daily basis with the financial meltdown, presidential election etc. to find funny ironic news is not that hard. Here are some lessons from today.

Duck Tales teaches us about Inflation and the Economy - http://digg.com/business_finance/Duck_Tales_teaches_us_about_Inflation_and_the_Economy

Rescue the Rescue - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/opinion/01friedman.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Sarah Palin ?!? - http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/adg/836109998.html