Bring BQC back - Reflections on quizzing in the age of Google

"Why do you indulge in quizzing? Can't you get all [un]necessary information about every damn thing in Google?." 

I posed these questions so flippantly as to sound cruel, to a dear friend of mine, an avid quizzer, whose debut book on quizzing, Biz World, was released recently. My friend became silent. He said, fumbling for words, "Well..You quiz because you love doing that! "Of course, I knew he could never give me an intellectual answer for questions pertaining to the heart. Even if he tried to convey, how it feels like when the neurons are rushing madly like million sperms, sieving through random zillion bits of memories, until one single neuron stumbles upon the elusive E-spot (Eureka!!), the heart shrieks in orgasmic joy, shouting the answer in ecstasy!, I could have never felt that euphoric feeling within. I could simply contend myself learning about oxytocin, prolactin, those naughty chemicals responsible for post-Eureka bliss!

Small message, Big Impact - Book Review

You are standing at the airport lobby. While your mind is flitting between different distractions designed by intelligent marketers in the lobby area, you suddenly recognize a familiar face! Your heart starts pulsating! He is the CEO of your dream company, waiting to catch his next flight.Your mind starts racing through interesting possibilities that can emerge if only you get a chance to show your passion about the work you've been doing and how much you adore working in his company! Although the heart tells you in Robin Williams style, Carpe diem, you are hesitant to move forward, as you don't want to sound pushy and silly by shamelessly pitching about your work! You see him totally lost in his Blackberry. While your legs are pushing you towards, you also try to hold back, unsure how to strike an authentic conversation without losing your composure!

Tuesdays with a farmer - Incremental Change & Career design

You would be able to appreciate this post better if you have read the previous post on this topic: Emerging power of incremental action in a networked world. 

Student: As I look at the telecom sector in India today, call rates are going down cheaper and cheaper and eventually one day,  it will hit the bottom where it would cost nothing.  When that happens, how will value exchange work, when we approach this issue from the perspective of incremental action?

To B, or not to B

During a recent alumni meet, an old school friend vented out his frustrations while we were casually strolling through the corridor of memories in my school.  "I don't understand this whole MBA hype in our country. I am so tired of it.". I smiled at him nonchalantly without retorting back with my volley of responses to prove the supremacy of this three-lettered tribe in our country over other lesser mortals, caught up in the vicious karma of their humble degrees. Had he asked me this question few years earlier, I would have probably given a befitting reply, which would have condescendingly jangled his poor nerves. 

Tuesdays with a farmer - The Emerging Power of Incremental Action in a Networked World

If you look at the Old era, you had the idea of pre-requisites: necessary and sufficient factors. If you had those, you can be successful. Work happened around them. Pre-requisites of power which ensured power.  If you had the money, knew the right connections, belonged to the right family, you could get to power Why did this happen? You needed access to capital/information so that you could get means of production or broadcast. 

Tuesdays with a farmer - Pregnancy- Part I

Note: This is an edited transcript of a lecture delivered by the farmer on "Pregnancy and Parenting"

 
Farmer:

I have always been fascinated by the idea that something which is so fundamental completely escapes our attention.  As families are becoming smaller and smaller, there is no carryover of old wisdom at all. You never have a great grand mother who could exactly tell you how this is done. As you get caught up in your stride, you realize you have no time and all you you can offer is nothing but money.