Update: World Startup Timeline, in the same lines as Indian Startup Timeline. The difference is obvious
Indian Startup Timeline is an initiative + application to build a single-point reference of the milestones and events that make up the lifecycle of any startup. The beneficiaries would be startups, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and practically everybody in the community. As I write this, the idea of IST is just 2 days young. It is an implementation of only my thoughts and I hope it garners support from startup bloggers/event organizers and startups themselves, to achieve it objectives.
The [Add Startup Milestone/Event] link will pop out a form to fill out some basic details about the startup and the past or future event/milestone. (If you think some additional fields or change in existing fields will help, feel free to let me know.) To avoid spam and junk, I review the entries before they show up in the timeline and views. Though I have said "New additions will be reviewed within a day", I can assure you it will be much faster. Email addresses will not be exposed and I might only use them to establish contact to validate the data.
Behind the scenes: After I visualised IST, I started off with an agenda to accomplish it without writing backend/server code! I had watched the interview of 'Mr. Office 2.0', Ismael Ghalimi in the WorkFast.TV show and this charged me up. I tried a few apps I knew and those I found in the Office2.0 Database. Did I meet the agenda? End of day, I managed to meet the agenda by about two-thirds. Zoho Creator powers the database, forms & views while MIT's Simile Timeline plots the timeline. Zoho gave a RSS while Timeline expects a custom xml format. I expected Yahoo Pipes to do the plumbing. Unfortunately, pipes only outputs to any of RSS-related outputs. EditGrid was another candidate that could have replaced Zoho since EditGrid lets me define a format of syndicated data and hence no intermediate plumbing would have been required. However, EditGrid lacks the powers of forms. So, finally its Zoho Creator + XSLT with PHP + Simile Timeline.
To-Do List:
1. RSS feed (Using Yahoo Pipes)
2. Email notifications (Built-in Zoho Creator)
3. Zoho Creator hiccups (JS errors + Favicon missing)
You can get it touch with me at rajiv @ rajspace.net or rajspace in GTalk.
So said the subject of SPAM mail in my spam folder! In the body, it said "this is the proof, watch:" and followed with a link to a ".exe"!
Its spam and crap, no doubt. But within that, its a very innovative crap! Never had a spam mail caught my eye to this extent.
Anyways, NO, I am NOT a moron! :)
I found Vysr from FastCompay.TV's demo-cum-interview of Guda Venkatesh (Alumni of IIT,Kanpur). Vysr is new toolbar released in beta for Internet Explorer and Fire Fox. It aims to enhance browsing experience by giving easy access to popular services like Google News, Wikipedia, YouTube, MapQuest and others (called Apps) within the current view of the webpage. On the top of this, it adds a context of the selected text to these apps. What this means is that you can select "abc" on a webpage and click on the Wikipedia app on Vysr. An in-page display shows the Wikipedia page on "abc". I like that! This acts like a lookup within the scope of my current webpage rather than opening another window or tab. Hence, I call it a Lookup bar, than a Tool bar. The position of Vysr is another difference among other toolbars. Vysr does not take away valuable real estate in your browser. It is well position in the bottom right corner. It is also easier to enable or disable which just a click, without having to through seek through the browser menus.
For developers, they plan to release a developer api. I await the release to design a Vysr app to search for shopping deals in India with DealSearchMaadi.com and stock analysis with Stockoogle.in.
Apart from the developer api, here is my wish list:
1. Google Web search app. (How can they forget this in the first place!)
2. The bar gets longer as I choose more apps. I would like to have a Windows quick launch bar's double-arrow styled option that on click pops up the other apps.
3. Geo-focused apps, especially for India for local weather, maps, stocks, news, search etc.
I would keenly watch out if Vysr replaces my Google toolbar over a period of time, also considering the possibility of Google using its toolbar to sketch the Google Trends!
Japan Rocks! :)
4th block, a common reference to Jayanagar Shopping Complex among friends and people in the area experienced turbulent times when a fire broke out on Friday night.
It is a place close to heart for me and many of my friends. It was the most popular hangout especially when I studied in Vijaya PU and NIIT, until everybody got busy with work and life. It was the "mall" of those days when the likes of Forum were unseen and unheard. During the 80s, when we used to come granny's place in Bangalore for summer holidays, I could sense my mom's excitement to shop in "4th block". My dad, even till today, loves to visit the vegetable market (which got gutted in the fire) in "4th block". In short, it is one of those "nostalagic" places.
Am glad the fire did not eat away everything. I wonder how many of shops have any insurance! Nevertheless, I hope the charm gets back soon.
After a long wait for 2 weeks, Google completed review of my application. Flaunt It! lets you flaunt support for your team/hero in your profile. You can also watch for whom your friends support. Currently, 3 themes are up: IPL, Formula1 & US Elections. Euro 2008 will be up in a few hours. Cricket Stars, Football Stars, Tennis Stars, Proto.in Shortlists will be coming soon. Indian Elections, MTV Roadies and more such coming soon.
Click here to add the application. Let me know what you think.
No, this is not my prediction. This is my conclusion!
Why does IPL have a semi-final and final? A format where every team plays another, not once but twice (home and away), a simple highest-pointer-wins works best in the interest of the best performing team. In its current shape, a day or 2's bad performance throws a spanner on the entire 42-day effort and performance. Though cricket as a sport is used to the semi-final & final approach, it evolved from the one-day format of the game where the group-format warranted a short listing approach and letting the best teams fight it out. IPL, like its godfather and inspirer, EPL should stick to logical EPL approach to award Rajasthan Royals the title.
Nevertheless, nobody is complaining, the largest beneficially being Set MAX, selling 10 sec ad slots at a record 10 lakhs! Hopefully, sense will prevail in the next edition. I would guess, the process would gain mindshare and traction quicker, if Jaipur does not win the title.
I was at Chinnaswamy stadium yesterday for the Bangalore v/s Delhi IPL match with a couple of friends. The last and only time I watched a match from the centre was way back the 1987 Reliance world cup in Goa! Guess it was a SL and Aus match. Spectators were sparse, the temperature was soaring, SL wasn't a team to watch in those days - in a way, it was a non-event. Yesterday was a contrast. A vibrant and noisy crowd, flood lit stadium and a comfortable entry gave a wonderful foundation to the experience. Shaan's performance and the laser show were mediocre. The drink part was satisfactory but the food service was insufficient and inefficient. Since this was expected, I ensured I stuffed myself with yummy long-time fave Subway veg delites. On the ground, the likes of Sehwag, Dravid, McGrath (and Goswani at a later stage) caught our eyes (Needless to mention the cheer girls:) ). McGrath is tall, like a giraffe! White's athleticism stands apart from rest of RCB guys! Steyn's run up and delivery flows like a wave! End of the match, though the result was not to our liking, it was a memorable experience. A successful Mexican wave was another highlight.
"RCB, Do You Need Software To Hack DD?" was our poster message. :)
I am back in Bangalore since early March. 5 months in Japan was an eventful experience in my life. I & Ashu relished every moment in our days in Japan. Though my stints in other parts of the world are much shorter, I can say with a lot of conviction that Japan is the best place to live life.
It is hard to bring out few highlights from the experience, since it was much more than a few bulleted points. Nevertheless, here goes:
1. People. It’s unbelievable! Are they struck a century back! Extremely polite and unbelievably helpful. These qualities negate the language barrier by leaps and bounds.
1. Cycles in the streets of Osaka. You will find Japanese from the age of 6 to 60 on cycles. So much so, I cycled to work too.
2. Japanese Food. Food in Japan is much more than Sake & Sushi! Raumen (Chinese noodles improvised) & Okonomiyaki (pan cakes with exotic sauces) were our fave. Apart from these, many other quick snacks, names of which I dont recall. In Bangalore, Okonomiyaki is fairly delicious in Harima, a Jap restaurant on Residency Road (Same building as Casa Picola & Tifanny)
3. Weekend trips to Kobe, Kyoto, Himeji & Ise Shima.
4. If London Eye is pride of London, Osaka & Tokyo have more than one. (They all claim to the tallest :) ). Further, no capsule is shared by others like in London Eye. My reference to London Eye, since it is one of biggest attractions in London.
5. Amusement Parks. am a amusement park fanatic! We were lucky to visit 4 of them - Universal Studios, Disneyland, Disneysea & FujiQ Highland. If the first three were colorful musical experiences combined with the thrills, FujiQ was the no-frills mind-shattering rides. "Eejanaika" was mindboggling. (Unfortunately, I could not make it more than once to feel having "conquered" the ride.)
4. 3 day trip to Mt Fuji area. Stays in Japanese-style inn & backpackers hostel. Soaks in Onsen (hot springs).
5. Trip to Yokohama. Heartwarming sea animals at Sea paradise and Raumen museum.
6. Baseball! I did not play a game or not even watched a game. However, found a batting cage. Around 20 shots for about 200yen was a steal.
7. Cans of hot Royal Milk Tea! Yes, this is a highlight since we guzzled lots of it in every trip. Ashu calls it her life saver in the cold!
Hope we are destined to experience Japan sometime again.