Gearing Up for Windows Vista

Microsoft Redmond Campus is coverd with Banners advertising Vista and Office 12. Even the shuttles have not been spared.

What My Name Means

Karttika, Karthika, Kartik

These names have the essential meaning 'one who gives courage and happiness.' These are all names attributed to Muruga, the powerful son of Shiva and Shakti, the Mother and Father of the universe. They created Him from the elements of divine fire and holy water. He is the embodiment of bravery, having total faith in the golden spear, the vel, of tremendous shining light. This sacred spear destroys all negativity and fear in an instant. Karttika goes into battle against all dark forces. Spiritually this means that the aspirant must stand firm against all negative qualities, ignorance and fear with heroic courage. To do this you can feel that your heart is light and free and send out all unwanted feelings. Ask your spiritual teacher to help you to make yourself independent of addictions and attachments. A vessel may be full of water but even the smallest hole will cause the water to leak out. In the same way, you might have small doubts and fears about your spiritual life that stop you making headway. To reach inner freedom and happiness you need self-confidence and strength to plug up those little holes of doubt and anxiety. Repeating your name inwardly will make you strong and sure.

The Ladies behind Infosys

The Ladies behind Infosys

In 1981, when N R Narayana Murthy led six other techies to float their dream venture called Infosys, they had no money and only their wives' support. And that support led to the founding and then the phenomenal growth of one of India's most loved companies.

Murthy and his friends did not have money, but they had something better: dreams, courage and conviction to move ahead with Infosys, through struggles and the constant fear whether their start-up would rake in business and money.

Murthy was the man who took final decisions that proved to be right always. And Murthy was the first one to shift from his Pune base to Bangalore when Infosys got it first client -- Data Basics Corporation from the US.

Two other founders -- Nandan Nilekani and S D Shibulal -- were the next to move to Bangalore.
As they struggled it out with the first Infosys days in Bangalore, Murthy, Nilekani and Shibulal took a firm decision: that their wives would not be involved in the running of the company.
Their wives -- Sudha Murthy, Rohini Nilekani and Kumari Shibulal -- fully supported the husbands, and baby-sat at home.

There was no luxury, only struggle, day in and day out. No car or phone. Murthy later recalled that it was not the luxuries of life, but the passion to create something new and innovative that made them move on.

But despite the struggles, the Murthys, Nilekanis and Shibulals took time out to go out to have fun on picnics in the picturesque Bangalore those days.

Today, Sudha, Rohini and Kumari are also among the richest women in India, considering their shareholding in Infosys.

What do the women behind the Infosys dreamers do these days with so much money?

Sudha Murthy:

"I take pleasure in giving. I feel that I have a reasonably good amount of money for all of which I don't have much use. So I thought I should share it with my poorer countrymen."

Sudha heads Infosys Foundation, the charity and social services wing of Infosys.

In her right, she is also reputed software engineer. In the early struggling days of Infosys, Sudha would leave her children -- daughter Akshata and son Rohan -- in the company of Nilekani's wife Rohini and do part-time job for Infosys, writing software codes.

An ME Electrical from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, she started her career as a Development Engineer with TELCO. Later, she taught Computer Science to B.Sc and MCA students in Bangalore University.

A prolific writer in both Kannada and English, she has been a columnist for several English and Kannada dailies and also has 19 books to her credit -- among them novels, travelogues, technical books and collections of real-life experiences.

She is probably one of the few Kannada writers to have her work translated into so many Indian languages.

Rohini Nilekani:

Her husband Nandan Nilekani runs Infosys. A fiercely private person, Rohini -- who worked as a journalist for several years -- is actively involved with several non-profit organisations in Bangalore.

She has also set up an endowment fund called Arghyam, (which means 'offering' in Sanskrit) that supports endeavours in health, education, and especially in equity in access to water for all.

She is also:
Chairperson for Akshara Foundation, the goal of which is 'Every child in Bangalore in school and learning well.'
Co-founder of Pratham Books, a non-profit publishing enterprise to produce high quality, low cost books for children in several Indian languages.
On the board of directors of Pratham India Education Initiative.
On the board of Sanghamithra Rural Financial Services and has funded its first microcredit program for the urban poor.
Last, not the least, Rohini is a prolific reader and writer, a quality she inherited while working as journalist with Sunday and India Today.
Few years back, she published her novel, a medical thriller called Stillborn, which was brought out by Penguin Books.

Kumari Shibulal:

Her husband S D Shibulal is the co-founder of Infosys, and currently director and head of Worldwide Customer Delivery, and continues to play a pivotal role in Infosys's astounding growth.

Shibulal and his wife Kumari live in a South Shore suburb of Boston, MA, with their two children.
But often, Kumari is in India, especially in Bangalore as she is the chairperson of Akshaya, a charitable trust they founded to help needy children in India. Akshaya offers scholarships, and has sponsored over 1,000 children for free heart surgery in the year 2002.

"What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean and if we do not do it the ocean is only a drop less," says Kumari Shibulal of her Akshaya Trust.

Kumari is also a sports lover, and especially of India's golden girl P T Usha from her home state of Kerala.

So when P T Usha was without money to set up the Usha School of Athletics in north Kerala, Kumari Shibulal was one of the first to give a helping hand.

Six students of the first in the Usha School have been fully sponsored by Akshaya Trust.
In one of her recent visits to the school, Kumari Shibulal wrote: "I will be more than honoured if one among the six students sponsored by me stands on the podium at international meets making our Tricolour fly high."

Above: (From left to right) Kumari Shibulal, Rohini Nilekani and Sudha Murthy. Photograph, courtesy Infosys Technologies.

XScream at Las Veags

X-Scream at Stratospehere

The X-Scream is the newest ride in Las Vegas, having just opened in late 2003. It was bolted onto the side of the Stratosphere tower at the 866-foot level. The X-Scream is built like a balance beam, with a single 8-passenger car that rides on top of the 69-foot beam. The beam tilts back and forth to move the car at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. The seating on the car is 2 across in 4 rows. Those that sit in the front get a far more intense ride than the remaining 6 riders in the back. That is because the beam hangs 29 feet over the edge of the Stratosphere tower, and there is nothing at all between the front riders and the ground some 800 feet below.

The ride starts with the entry ramp being retracted. The beam then tilts forward, with the car traveling to the end of the beam. They let you hang over the edge for what seems like forever, but actually is about 10 seconds. You then tilt back, with the car going to the full back position and stopping. You then tilt forward a second time, and again hang there for about 10 seconds. Next, you tilt back, but just before the car hits the back of the beam, it tilts forward again. This leaves the car rolling backwards, stopping, and rolling forwards while the beam is titled towards the ground. This time, as you hang there looking fearfully at the ground, they tilt the beam even further down. This leaves you hanging in the restraints high over a most excellent view of the Las Vegas strip, a view that most are too terrified to enjoy. The beam then tilts back one final time, bringing the riders back from the brink of death.

This is not a conventional roller coaster. In fact, at a track length of 69 feet, it can hardly be called a roller coaster at all. But it is a thrill ride of the first class. While this ride would be nothing if it were at ground level, it is one step beyond terrifying given that it is bolted to the side of one of the tallest buildings in the world almost 900 feet in the air. Those who are not afraid of heights will love this ride. Those who are afraid of heights will simply not be able to get on the ride—their survival instinct will kick in and not allow them to try it. That goes double it you watch the ride running from the outside observation deck before getting on. If you are the least bit iffy about this, don't watch the ride before getting on, and don't ride in the front seats unless you know you can handle it. It may also be a good idea to ride the High Roller first to help you get used to the heights.

It costs something like $8 to enter the Stratosphere tower, then $8 for the X-Scream. The best deal is the $25 day pass which gives you all-access to the tower and thrill rides. The X-Scream is outside, so it is subject to closing in bad weather and high winds.

XScream was unforgettable

Pappilon

Pappilon

This is one of those Ultimate Tales of Survival. When I was back in school my father always asked me to read 'Pappilon'. Now after 14 years I understand why.

The survival story of Pappi is 'surreal'. What I mean by that is - a normal person would give up and die in similar situations. From French Guyana to the Devils Island and finally to Venezuala, Henri Charriere perhaps brings out the extreme in mans zeal to survive all odds. While reading the book quite often you end up asking - can this be true, can this be real, what if Iam in a similar position.

Pappi brings out great condradictions - he is on island inhabited by the Indians who are supposed to be ferocious and merciless. On this island he finds love and peace. He is on an island of Lepers - here he finds friendship and compassion. He is resting in a church and totally trusts the mother superior. And she is the one who betrays him. To sum up - Papillon makes you stronger I would also like to add that this book is not only about Pappi. Louis Dega is one character I cannot forget.