I suddenly realized that news channels are not the same any more. Earlier we had news bulletins at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. that gave you 'news' as in 'news' not 'news' as in discussions to death about every happening of the day!





Every single bit of news has to have a discussion associated with it. And there always are the so-called resident experts giving their much more than two cents.

When I watch the news, all I want are the headlines and a quick summary of the main news of the day. That's how it used to be. 30 minutes of crisp, objective reporting of the incidents. Not opinions of every party involved and more.
Now suddenly, every channel has a debate after every news item! And some panelists are asked to stay on for all the news stories. Like they are experts on everything. Think Renuka Chowdhary.

I wonder why this change has come about. Is there any English news channel that does news in the good old format?

On 25th December this year, former 'Effigentians' had the second reunion. It was great fun. We had some games, lunch and a whole lot of catching up.



When I look back at the gathering and also the years in Effigent, I wonder what it was about Effigent that brought everyone so close, what it was about Effigent that gives many people goosebumps even today, what it was about Effigent that was so magical?

I had written about this during Effigent's last few months here.

I still do not have any perfect answer.

I just leave you with the video that I put together when the consulting division was sold to another company:

I just finished reading Steve Jobs' biography by Walter Isaacson. It is a brilliant book. It takes us right through  Jobs' childhood up to the time just before he died. It brings us perspectives from Jobs, his family, colleagues, adversaries and many others. I read it entirely on my iPad and iPhone. The beauty of the seamless integration between the devices championed by Jobs was evident from this one fact: when I left the book on the iPad after reading for a while and then took it up a little later on the iPhone, the book on the iPhone opened up exactly where I left it at on the iPad!

Isaacson was called by Jobs to write this book. Jobs knew that books would be written about him after he was dead. They would not be able to get his side of the story. He wanted to correct that.

Jobs has often been portrayed in the media as someone who easily rubs people the wrong way, can be brutally frank and critical and tells it like it is. He can also be insulting. The book confirms this. However, this, in conjunction with the 'reality distortion field' led him to inspire people to do better and make such great products.

People have also criticized Jobs for the 'closed' nature of Apple products and the fact that Apple controls the entire eco-system around its products. The thing to realize is that this is the only way the experience while using these products can be seamless and enjoyable. The little thing I described in the beginning of this post is only possible if the devices are 'closed'.

I have a MacBook, an iPhone and an iPad. I never have a problem with crashing or hanging computers, viruses, transferring my music and books between devices and so many other things people around me working on Windows, Linux, Android and what-have-you complain about. iCloud is also such an amazing service that it takes this whole syncing business to an entirely new level.

There is no doubt that Steve Jobs has made a dent in the universe. Thousands of people around the world have experienced pure joy from the many products (and movies) that he has produced. He will be remembered for a long, long time.

Anna Hazare has stepped up the pressure on the government to bring about an effective Lok Pal Bill in the winter session of Parliament. People asked why Anna Hazare was assuming that the bill is not going to be passed and was planning an agitation. I kind-of saw reason in those arguments. But now, when I think about it, had the pressure been eased even if just a bit, the bill would never have been brought in this session. Well, I am still not sure if the bill is going to be a reality because our politicians are so thick skinned and devious that they may still find a way out.

Anyway, coming to the topic, we really need a crusader similar to Anna Hazare to check corruption in the medical industry. It is so widespread that it is a bigger danger than the administrative corruption that he has been fighting against. This is because it directly affects the life of the citizen. If administrative corruption is not checked, the worst that can happen is that someone's house may not be built, someone's pension may not be released or some corrupt ministers may get away after thieving the nation of a few thousand crore rupees.

What is happening due to medical corruption? First, what do I mean by medical corruption? Medical Corruption is basically when doctors and hospitals treat a patient for considerations other than the patient's health. For example, a doctor prescribing a brand of erythropoietin simply because that company sponsored  a foreign trip for him and his family. Or a doctor eschewing a particular brand because he was not sent on such a trip! In these cases, clearly, the patient's condition has become secondary. What became important is what the doctor gained from the transaction.

Referral fees is another huge area of massive, brazen corruption in the medical industry. Doctors are given huge referral fees for almost every service. Doctors, for the most part, send their patients to the service providers that offer the largest cut.

There are many such areas where corruption has become so deeply ingrained in the industry that it is no longer seen as 'corrupt' and yet it is nothing short of corruption. Shameless, absolute corruption.

It is more important for this corruption to be fought, in my opinion. For it is not merely money that is being lost, it is often lives that are put at stake.

I had heard so much about the book that I finally bought it and read it. I actually heard the audio book first (much to the disgust of my driver who had to put up with an accented voice talking nonsense for hours on end instead of hearing the latest chartbusters) and then thought I would go ahead and read the book because the audio was abridged.

It was a good book. Good messages, a good style of writing, overall simple to follow, not too weighty. I was blown away when I read it at first.

However, what was new? Nothing much, IMHO.

We all know what's being said. We all know that we are spending way too much time in things we don't like. We all realize that we need to take a step back and see where our life is heading and then take corrective action. But how many of us actually do that?

I don't find myself having made any change or practising any of the steps mentioned there. I suspect that a vast majority of the readers of the book haven't either. Well, there are definitely a few who have but those are really very few.

Things like Art of Living and Landmark courses are similar. People are highly impressed at first, especially when they read the material or do the course. The key to making it work though and see any perceptible difference is continuous practice of the concepts involved.

Yes, there is nothing wrong with these courses or books per se but they are not like some magic wands that are suddenly going to make us feel very happy and contented. It requires much more than reading the book or attending the course. And at the very base, all of them are very similar in content.

So, stop and think hard before selling that Ferrari.