BBMP – The corporate body in charge of Bangalore – which keeps roads pot hole free, streets free of trash, lakes without foam, keeps underpasses dry during monsoon – was able to carve out free time to brainstorm and come up with a new law – to regularize pets.

BBMP has put up a list of allowed breeds in Apartment Complexes. Sufi who happens to be a Beagle is now an illegal immigrant as of today. Sufi, Trump also hates you now.

And it is not over – there is a new rule now – only one pet per apartment is allowed. And Indies are not in the list either. Good luck Carbon ( Sufi’s friend living in a nearby Apartment ).

To tackle pet breeders they justify. I tell this to Sufi and she does a face palm with her cute paws.

Instead of punishing all pet lovers – why can’t they legalize and regularize pet breeding. Right now it is done illegally and the poor animals are exploited. The mothers are made to give birth every 6 months for 14 years at a stretch and are reduced to machines and then let loose on the street – and not knowing how to fend for themselves – die a miserable death.

BBMP’s intention – I appreciate and am grateful – is right. But their law will just be like the trash clogging the storm water drains – is of no use and will cause more problems for everyone.

This law is not going to curb pet breeders. Now they will give you an additional service. Apart from selling a puppy out of their puppy mill – for an additional charge will get you a license. More money for breeders, the officials. Ka-Ching.

This reminds me of how the IT Department went after Angel Investments in Startups.

Startups get investment on the valuation suggested by the founders ( ahemm.. on a huge discount ). This is not an income to the startup. Even a 3rd grader knows this.

One wily politician ( no names here – dont have energy to fight lawsuits ) – used this route to park his ill-gotten money as investment in fictitious companies.

The IT Department was asked to go after such investments. Now that everything is automated – the IT Department officials did a Select-All, Mail Merge and sent threatening letters to all Startups who raised Angel Investment – to treat this investment as income – and so you should pay tax. Some – like us – have used up all the money in building the business. Some had shut down and the founders had moved on.

All the Startup founders collectively face palmed, panicked and had one more reason to lose sleep upon.

Startups now engaged their Auditors – who relished such a battle – replies were sent, demands to appear on such and such date was made, personal appearances were made on behalf of the startup by the auditor ( everything billed to the Startup once again – with GST mind you ).

And the wily politician? Oh they have the means and resources to tackle such notices.

Being the victim of 2 such laws ( Pet Law and Angel Tax ) – cannot help laughing at the situation.

So what will happen to Sufi?

I am not too worried. Sufi is backed by Beagle Brigade. The group which rescued such Beagles from the clutches of Laboratory which used Animals for testing cosmetic products. I am confident they will get Beagle included in the list.

My real worry is – why is BBMP burning its midnight oil on such Pet laws. Monsoon is charging up as we speak and Bangalore is going to become one big messy pool. The road to our apartment complex has been dug up on the left for GAIL gas pipe line and a drainage on right. Not yet relaid. It is a muddy mess with vehicles getting stuck. When it rains what will happen?

Sigh.

My last post was in January 2018 and it was an effortless post – just a book round up of 2017 books I read.

From then to now lots have happened.

Rajinikanth has announced his entry into politics.

Flipkart got acquired by Walmart.

CSK won the IPL tournament.

BJP struggles to win

Trump is not yet impeached.

Spectre Bug

Bitcoin went up and down and out of news now.

And yet it all went unobserved by me.

So my future self on a rebirth who somehow discovers this blog – or an alien race researching on why the Earth imploded – a big part of history will be missing.

My future Self and aliens – I am resuming my blogging.

Unblocking the Bloggers Block – let my ideas flow and live in the ether.

Imagine.

A place without the Social Media noise.

A place to go to read what the great minds are thinking.

A place without Advertisements or Clickbaits.

That place was Medium. It is no more.

But isn’t Medium a business?

It is a business at the end of the day. There is no free lunch. Medium has to pay its staff. The investors need an exit.

But shouldn’t knowledge and thoughts be free?

Human Kind has progressed with the free flow of knowledge. Whenever knowledge was dammed, chaos reigned. Human progress slows down. When knowledge is shared, we grow by leaps and bounds.

Tesla made all its patents open source. So other electric car manufacturers can develop on it. Volvo invented the seat belt and opened up its patent. They saved millions of lives.

In contrast.. Apple and Google and Samsung – the Mobile Phone giants are patenting the smallest of idea – and stiffling innovation in Mobile phones – so no new ideas can come to life – except the giants.

Or like India not having access to  Cryogenic rocket technology – which the Superpowers hold it within themselves and so we still haven’t been able to launch a human to space.

Venkat, you got fooled so dont blame Medium

Agreed I misled myself. I believed Medium to be this utopian watering hole I go to read about Productivity Hacks, Entrepreneurs, Cancer Survivors. I love(d) Medium.

But it all has come to an end. Medium is now forcing me to pay to access this content.

Can’t you just pay the 5$ a month?

Yes, I can. Mostly I will. Medium is where I turn for inspiration or book ideas or stimulate my mind and curiosity.

So what is Venkat’s problem?

If writers start writing for money – will it not again get into the clickbait territory. The writers get paid based on the claps they get. So they will start writing for more claps. What gets claps? – Sensational stuff. Things that appeal to the darkest part of the human mind. Things that make you say eew and aaw.. and yet you will read. Things like the accident on the road when a crowd surrounds it – you want to peek in.

I just described above – the Tabloid Newspapers, The News Channels, The Articles on Social Media

Medium was free of all that. Because writers wrote freely with no monetary carrot dangling in front of them.

The whole concept of Medium is shattered.

So what is the solution?

Medium was started by the co-founder of Twitter – Evan Williams. I can bet it does not take billions of dollars to develop and run Medium. Evan Williams could have just sustained single handedly from a fraction of his annual income.

Heck. If Medium had just asked for donation like Wikipedia – people would have paid.

There are so many sites still running – Ad free – Wikipedia, Craigstlist, Angelist..

Sigh.

You Devil called Money. We hate you but we cannot live without you.

Of the various hats I have worn all these years – founder, Sales guy, Deployment Specialist, Level 1 and Level 2 Support, DevOps, Cheque depositor – I have come to realize I was a Product Manager all along – right from the get go.

Putting a label on what you do is extremely important. It helps you define the job you do, appreciate it, read more on it and helps you improve on that particular skill.

If you are the guy/girl in charge of making the Product among the Founding Team – you are the Product Manager. Say it out aloud – “I am the Product Manager”. The fate of your entire Startup lies in your decisions.

All other designations – CEO, CTO, Director, Co-Founder all are important – for the outside world and your team-mates – but nothing is as critical as the “Product Manager” hat you are wearing now.

Strap the Product Manager Hat tight.

When I gave Sales demo – I was not trying to get a Cheque out of the customer. I was listening to their pain points, and my mind was frantically scanning to see how my Startup could alleviate those paint points. I was trying to find patterns among Customers – so my solution can solve them all. I was trying to see how much value we can give them, and price our product as a fraction of the value ( and not just features ).

When I was paying the monthly bill for AWS account – and saw it was increasing gradually, asked myself – Are such resource hogging servers really necessary – and promptly turned them off – and found better cost effective alternatives. Also when I plan a feature, I keep the cost in mind – I am not going to get sold on the hype of a technology [ NoSql I am looking right at you]

When I got a customer to go live – I realised how a few small features created some of the biggest headaches and heartburns. Promptly booted them off or tweaked them.

When I had to do Marketing – do SEO, or write content for Brochrures, or create Competitor analysis – I had to analyse inwardly as well as the competition and could identify the areas we were strong and weak. I knew what areas we could pull ahead of the competition – become more stronger, and what areas we had to improve – so we cannot be beaten down with.

If you are the Product Manager of a Startup – and working 9 to 5, doing a few customer interviews, talking to the CEO/CTO/Founder, browsing competitors website/Apps, STOP – you have to do more. [ ps : Startup founders, if you have hired Product Managers – here is what they have to start doing ]

1. Accompany the Sales guys in a few demos. In fact you should constantly do this – product keeps changing, market keeps changing, competiton keeps changing.

2. Get your hands dirty and deploy a few accounts – from start to finish.

3. Write the next set of marketing material, do the next Competitor Analysis document yourself – instead of just giving inputs.

4. Do SEO, plan the adwords campaign yourself.

5. Be the DevOps and/or pay the AWS bill from your pocket and get it reimbursed – and see for yourself that one cool feature which hardly anyone uses is costing a bomb.

And for my startup founders – Say it aloud. Stick it in big fonts right in front of you.

“I am the Product Manager”

Dear PETA

Good job on creating a mass movement and uniting a fractured Tamil Kingdom ruled between a Dynasty and bunch of Film Stars. Thank you – no one could have accomplished what you just did.

I am not going into the merits of Jallikattu or demerits – but given the clout you posses – here are my humble requirements – so you will get your priorities right.

Poultry and Cattle Transfer

I wait on my bike in a traffic signal with the hot sun and exhaust fumes everywhere, sweat drips  from the helmet harness on to the petrol tank and as I watch it evaporate – I hear a few bird sounds nearby.. turn to my left and see these white chicken all squeezed tightly – suffocating under the same sun and exhaust fumes – luckily their trip is only a few hours before they turn into a tandoori platter.

However, PETA – this is plain wrong. The poor souls deserve a decent journey the last few hours of their life.

Please get Supreme Court to pass an order to transport these poor souls in an AC vehicle – with enough space and feed. We should show these Chicken that we humans are not inhuman.

You saved a handful of Bulls from being subject to 30 odd minutes of hardship in a year – now it is your duty to save these billions of chickens that go through this daily.

Yes, the cost of Chicken will go up – so be it. The Non-Vegetarians will work harder to savour the chicken – they won’t complain. Just like they are not complaining now about the Jersey cow conspiracy, or the thousand year culture that has got destroyed with the Jallikattu ban.  

Pet animals kept for Breeding

Halal Cut

PETA, PETA – how can you stand this?

When you cannot stand 30 minutes of a bull run – how can you allow 30 minutes of a slow drip by drip death of a Goat or a Chicken. Yes the veins are cut and the bad blood oozes off – so the meat is fresh and pure – but imagine the torture the poor animal goes through?

Shouldn’t you ban this too? The last minutes of the poor soul – when all its life has seen just the animal factory doors or a cage with zero joy or laughter – at the least can have a quick fast death.

I have a better idea PETA.

Let us ban killing completely. We buy vegetables, wash and cut them. Why not the same with Chicken, Goat or Fish? The Great Emperor in the West – Mark Zuckerberg I heard does the same thing. If he can do it – so can Non Vegetarians in India.

Here is your requirement – ban all slaughter of animals. Animals can only be sold alive – it is upto the consumer to make the final cut.

You might ask – what about Restaurants. Yes along with Menu card, let the waiter parade the chicken and goat to the table. Like they do with Crabs nowadays.

Once the patron selects, can go to the back of the kitchen where he/she can perform the deed, come back and continue checking WhatsApp – while the food is prepared.

Use your clout PETA.

Beef Industry

PETA – gosh my blood is boiling thinking of this.

First the Cows and Buffaloes ( your special friends I believe ) are transported inhumanly to the Slaughter Houses.

There they are herded into a slaughter room where they are hit with a heavy metal rod – where they are stunned. Some lucky ones die but mostly they just pass out. And because the slaughters have to meet the daily targets – they do not wait for the poor soul to fully depart the body.  While the animal is still dying and trembling – the insides are torn out and meat is cut.

PETA – you have to stop this. Monitor the industry closely. By now you should know how much time it takes for an animal to completely die. Let us give them the time – instead of being skinned alive. Reduce the output from these industries.

Let the price go up or if it is unsustainable let the business owner find something else to do.

Finally Economics

It is ok – let the price go up. Economics has a way of solving the demand supply curve – and which is sustainable for the environment.

Organic Milk from a Desi Cow is above Rs.100 for half a litre. Yes, that is the true price it deserves – I will switch to Green tea or Soy Milk. Price of a produce – says how scarce it is. Definitely we will switch to alternatives if something is not sustainable for the pocket.

Instead of keeping the price same, and still we try to meet demand by cutting corners ( adulterating or injecting steroids ) – or destroying the environment ( by using deadly pesticides and eradicating healthy but less producing crops ), or torturing poor souls and treating them like machine parts in an assembly unit.

Sigh PETA.

I honestly still don’t know why you will go after Jallikattu – while these other big issues are rampant and are far more deadly. I wish you will get your priorities right.

My first blog post of every new year is on the books I crunched in the past 1 year. Here is the list for previous years – 2010, 11, 12, 13, 14, 2015

For 2016 I had a target of 52 ( 1 per week ).

Science Fiction

Adventure stories on present earth life is boring. Drama is boring. Romance on Earth is boring. Only Science Fiction keeps me interested – it has all and much more.

1. Dark Forest by Cixin Liu

Remember Stephen Hawking? Recently he gave an interview in which he said something ominous – if Aliens contact us please do not respond – this book gives the why.

This is the 2nd part of the trilogy written by Chinese Author. Compared to first part it was a bit dull, and the story meanders through various attempts Humans make to fight with the advanced Alien species – through our primitive technologies.

Towards the end the story unravels beautifully.

2. The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood is a much acclaimed author who is good at painting Dystopian worlds. I heard her name mentioned during the US Election – on how a Trump world will be like Atwood’s so picked this one – was quite depressing at places, but loved the plot. Truly a great story teller. Regarding Trump’s new world – well even Atwood would not have imagined.

3. Red Rising ( Part 1 )
4. Golden Son ( Part 2 )
5. Morning Star ( Part 3 ) by Pierce Brown

Toooo good. As a Sci-Fi Lover lapped it up. The plot started like Hunger Games but got developed elaborately and loved how the story progressed. It is all about Strategy and how our Hero Darryl beats them all edging close to death all the time – everything is there betrayal, adventure,romance – heck they should make this as a movie.

6. Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

This is the 2nd part of the Trilogy – the first part was Enders world which got made into a movie. Story starts with a mystery which gets unravelled at the end. Gripping through out – dull at a few places when the author takes pain to explain things in detail – but ending is really superb – how the aliens and humans come to an agreement to co-exist.

7. Survival Quest – Way of the Shaman by Vasily Mahaneko

In future prisoners are not put in Jails, but soaked in a virtual reality prison. And the prisoners have to mine day in and day out. Boring right – but they made an interesting story out of it. But you can skip.

Fiction

8. Animal Farm by George Orwell

Want to understand India’s Political Elite – read this book. I think when the Politicians kin enters politics, they present this book – on how to rule the masses.

9. Immortals of Meluha
10. Secret of Nagas
11. Oath of Vayuputras by Amish Tripathi

Somewhere in the middle of 2016 I acquired an Amazon Kindle and promptly signed up for the buffet plan. Read all these books in one trot. Superb imagination. Thoroughly Entertaining.

12. 2 States by Chetan Bhagat

The following criticism might apply to me when I write my own book someday. I once read somewhere that Jeffrey Archer rewrote his book 7 times before he was satisfied. He will also write his books double spaced, so he can make corrections below the lines. 2 States had a nice plot, but felt Chetan Bhagat could have rewritten at a few places. Felt as if the book was written in a hurried manner.

However, to give Chetan Bhagat credit – it was simple fast reading and entertaining. Can see why he is such a roaring success. Has created his own style – and it works pretty well.

13 Stranger by Albert Camus

Much acclaimed. Weird book. Man commits murder and what goes on in his head. Reason why I should stick to Science Fiction.

14. Colorless Tsukumi Tazoki by Haruki Murakami

Story moves slowly. The protoganist discusses Classical Music, describes the food in detail – typical Murakami fare. Interesting plot. Loved it.

Productivity

15. Mastery by Robert Greene

Wish I had read this in the early days of my career. Heck, I would be a writer giving Chetan Bhagat run for his money – if I had read this book some 20 years back. Book has many insights on how to become the master of any domain.

16. Deep Work : Rules for Focussed Success in a Distracted Word by Cal Newport

I had arrived at a conclusion that Social Media is useless. This book goes one step further and drives home the point that Social media is not only useless, but very much evil.

Point well made – this book is a must read for the millenails. – I am depending on you milenials to spend the last years of my life on flying cars, and visting Mars – but if you guys squander the time liking and retweeting inane things – I dread to think how my old age will be. Millenials – please log off Social Media – and go create something awesome.

Comics

17. Amar Chitra Katha’s Mahabaratha I,II and III

Superbly done. Enjoyed it thoroughly. It is such an easy way to read Mahabaratha. Do it.

18. Watchmen – DC Comics by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Had I been born in US, I would have been a nerd no doubt. And with dark rimmed thick glasses would have read all the comics. This one is dark, depressing at places, totally weird and didnt make any sense dialogues at many places – but gripping and held me glued to it. The book was written in the backdrop of cold war – and the influence of Super heroes on the outcome.

Now I am curious what the Batman, Superman comics are all about.

19. Perspepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Autobiography comic – depressing at many places. The author describes how she squeezes in happiness. We get a glimpse of how Iran went from a Great open culture to smithereens and how it is difficult for a open minded free bird like the author.

Sigh. Why? When we can use our collective intelligence to build space ships to go conquer the Galaxy – here we are mired in petty religious squabbles. Depressing really – how we are wasting the potential of Human brain.

Spritituality

20. Monk who sold his Ferrari by Robin Sharma

If you are curious on the Spiritual stuff, but do not want to sign into the Art of Living, Isha, Iskon etc.. camps – then read and follow this book. Has good simple tips for leading a good happy life – without being branded as a Spiritual guy. Liked the practical suggestions in the book.

21. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Much acclaimed. Some of the truths we already know – nothing earth shattering for us Indians who are already half awakened. Some are true eye openers.

And for 2017 have again set a target of 52 – 1 per week.