Author: madan

Twist with the public transport

today, I decided to attempt using the public transport system in chennai. Well. i failed! i realised that summer has begun, and more importantly, its hot at 11am. I waited in the bus stop after a meeting for nearly 15 mins. But then i reaslised that I dont know what bus i need to take! Damn! strike 1.

So i decided to take an educated guess. Now route no 54 – seems to be a frigging popular route. More than 12 busses of that route went in the 15 mins that I was there. I really need to try and understand how MTC does its route planning. Now imagine if they actually implement some yeild management methods to work on the routes.

There are three essential conditions for revenue management to be applicable:

  • That there is a fixed amount of resources available for sale.
  • That the resources sold are perishable. This means that there is a time limit to selling the resources, after which they cease to be of value.
  • That different customers are willing to pay a different price for using the same amount of resources.

If the resources available are not fixed or not perishable, the problem is limited to logistics, i.e. inventory or production management. If all customers would pay the same price for using the same amount of resources, the challenge would perhaps be limited to selling as quickly as possible, e.g. if there are costs for holding inventory.

Yield management is of especially high relevance in cases where the constant costs are relatively high compared to the variable costs. The less variable cost there is, the more the additional revenue earned will contribute to the overall profit. This is because it focuses on maximizing expected marginal revenue for a given operation and planning horizon. It optimizes resource utilization by ensuring inventory availability to customers with the highest expected net revenue contribution and extracting the greatest level of ‘willingness to pay’ from the entire customer base. Revenue management practitioners typically claim 3% to 7% incremental revenue gains due to revenue management activity. In many industries this can equate to over 100% increase in profits. A competent revenue management analyst with good decision support tools can generate $10,000 per hour..

Yield management has significantly altered the travel and hospitality industry since its inception in the mid 1980s. It requires analysts with detailed market knowledge and advanced computing systems who implement sophisticated mathematical techniques to analyze market behavior and capture revenue opportunities. It has evolved from the system airlines invented as a response to deregulation and quickly spread to hotels, car rental firms, cruise lines, media, and energy to name a few. Its effectiveness in generating incremental revenues from an existing operation and customer base has made it particularly attractive to business leaders that prefer to generate return from revenue growth and enhanced capability rather than downsizing and cost cutting.

I think it will make MTC more economically viable and more importantly – profitable!

They have a great group of talented drivers and conductors- the thing is now to optimize that specific factor to bring out the best in all necessary parties involved.

some info taken from wikipedia.

#Save #Paper – #Reuse #envelopes – Print This

I realized that the large A4 size covers that are there in the office are being used just once. So i decided to create my own “Reuseable Envelopes”

Very useful for inter-departmental postage or when you use covers for personal couriers.

Download the template from here

http://www.4shared.com/file/214784714/7bd8a3e8/Resuable_Envelope_Cover.html

updated the URL

damn them buggers @Mcdonalds

There is a McDonalds at the Ampa Mall in Chennai, situated just opposite the KFC. Outside the McDonalds they have the “Drive through” or the delivery counter. Which is convenient, but during the fiasco – realized its faster to go in a order.

So they have a huge board outside saying – 1 minute or a coke free. i smirked – knowing its impossible to deliver an order in 1 minute.

just to humor myself, i decided to check this “offer” out. So when i placed my order, I collected the receipt like a good little boy should, and then in front of the cashier – started my stop watch. Which is a Casio (just to establish the fact that its not some cheap thing which jumps or runs faster).

He immediately jumped and said “SAAR, this is voonly for zingle ORder SAAR” (yes, some creativity in the language, but the message is the same). So I said ok, if it is 1 minute for a single order, then it should be 4 minutes for 4 items.

Nonetheless, they were pretty efficient and brought it in about 2minutes 20 seconds. So, I showed the waiter who brought the delivery my watch.

He said “Sorry sir, but the 1 minute is not valid for delivery”. that kinda kinda put me off. I was like WHAAT?
Then he jumped and said “This is valid only Inside” .. Now that pissed me off even more. Here they have the board outside boldly displaying the fact that if its not delivered in a minute its free, and now they are back tracking on the whole thing. What?

its not about the free coke- its about the principle behind putting a board outside and then not sticking to it. If both the fellows had said the same thing – that this is valid only if you order a single item – then i would have been happy that the delivery was made in 2minutes and 20 seconds.

But with two employees giving me 3 different excuses – that put me off even more. I am sure if i waited longer – they would have come up with more creative excuses.

Anyways- i dont think i will ever go back to McDonalds- instead take my business to KFC, who dont promise anything – but still deliver better.

Its about setting the right expectations – underpromise and over deliver – you have a loyal customer.

My glimpse of #rural #tamilnadu

I had a meeting in Thanjavur, and decided to drive down. The roads were quite awesome – see pic below- which also had its share of these digital display boards. Quite impressive. What i liked the most – i saw NO accidents. Which is unsual considering the fact its a NH 45 – part of the north – south corridor.


Our meeting took us outside thanjavur – to a place called Allakudi, near Vellam. Crossed a few bridges and lots of farm land to reach there. and it was exquisite.

hoping not to look too touristy but professional (1stop short of a tie and blazer) i took all these pictures from the car.

of #gyms and #excercise!

Over the past month and a half, i have had my “wake up call” and have started visiting the gym regularly, and am watching my diet to the T.

the last few weeks at the gym have been interesting. been seeing quite an eclectic mix of individuals, body builders and just regular folks.

so i jog for about 10 mins and run for another 10 mins, over the 20 mins that i walk to warm up, this is what i like doing, and have been able to push my stamina, by either increasing the speed, inclination or just duration. step by step, its been painful, but rewarding.

i see some folks, who come and jog for 1 minute, keep wondering – HOW does this help? 1 minute?

another group – they put their weight onto the handlebars of the treadmill and walk- yes now this IS going to help you exercise and loose weight.

yet another group get onto the cross trainer and move really crazyly fast. again, for a grand total of 2 mins.

Like schools, i think gyms need to insist on high levels of personal hygine. this one dude stinks- not the best fragrance you want near your nostrils when you are breathing hard to keep your pace at 12kmph.

well, its been a fun journey, and i guess this is something one has to live with! 🙂

Security alert – Adobe Zero Day Vulnerability

from Zdnet

Malicious hackers are exploiting a zero-day (unpatched) vulnerability in Adobe’s ever-present PDF Reader/Acrobat software to hijack data from compromised computers.

According to an advisory from Adobe, the critical vulnerability exists in Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.2 and earlier versions. It is being exploited in the wild.

[ SEE: How to mitigate Adobe PDF malware attacks ]

The company has activated its security response process but declined to offer any more details until an investigation is complete.

Unfortunately, the company did not provide any mitigation guidance for customers.

The folks at ShadowServer describe the situation as “very bad.”

We did not discover this vulnerability but have received multiple reports of this issue and have examined multiple different copies of malicious PDFs that exploit this issue. This is legit and is very bad.

Here’s what we know so far:

We can tell you that this exploit is in the wild and is actively being used by attackers and has been in the wild since at least December 11, 2009. However, the number of attacks are limited and most likely targeted in nature. Expect the exploit to become more wide spread in the next few weeks and unfortunately potentially become fully public within the same timeframe. We are fully aware of all the details related to the exploit but do not plan to publish them for a few reasons:

  1. There currently is no patch or update available that completely protects against this exploit.
  2. There is little to no detection of these malicious PDF files from most of the major Antivirus vendors.

With that said we can tell you that this vulnerability is actually in a JavaScript function within Adobe Acrobat [Reader] itself. Furthermore the vulnerable JavaScript is obfuscated inside a zlib stream making universal detection and intrusion detection signatures much more difficult.

In the interim, Adobe PDF Reader/Acrobat users are urged to immediately disable JavaScript:

Click: Edit -> Preferences -> JavaScript and uncheck Enable Acrobat JavaScript

Or, better yet, use an alternative PDF Reader software program.

[UPDATE: Adobe plans to patch this issue on January 12, 2010 ]

source: http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=5119&tag=content;wrapper

Amazing Picture

Picture taken during the opening ceremony of the Bejing olympics – if you scroll down – it appears as though the same drummer is caught in various positions.

– not my picture.

MSI X340 – Finally- competition to #Netbooks!

With the costs of the netbooks falling and people “assuming” that they are getting notebook for such cheap rates, the market has flooded with netbooks. Sony, Dell, IBM/Lenovo, HP, Asus and the entire pack being lead by Acer- nice touch by acer there to create such a market.

Was finally reading a review on the MSI X340 Slim- Not a Netbook but between a netbook and Notebook. Using the next generation Intel Low Power consumption processor, provides some more advantages of mobile computing on a netbook type platform.

Read more: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=2704

Netbooks have grabbed a big chunk of laptop sales over the past couple years because they are small and inexpensive. Unfortunately, they also have squished keyboards and screens that make them difficult to use.

On the other end of the spectrum are the sleek premium laptops such as the MacBook Air and the Dell Adamo. Like netbooks, these machines are extremely light and portable, but they are much thinner, have attractive designs and have full sized keyboards and big, bright 13″ screens. The problem is that they cost $1500-$2500 and that would break the budget of the average laptop buyer.

However, there’s an alternative that is as thin as the MacBook Air, has nearly all of the features of the Dell Adamo, and has a price tag that is closer to a netbook. It’s the MSI X340 Slim and here is TechRepublic look at it from an IT and business perspective.

Specifications

  • Cost: $699
  • Model number: MSI X340-021US Slim (Black)
  • Operating system: Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Business
  • Processor: 1.4GHz Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500
  • RAM: 2GB of 800MHz DDR2 (1 SO-DIMM slot, 4GB maximum)
  • Hard drive: 320GB SATA (5400rpm)
  • Display: 13.4″ WXGA glossy LCD (1366×768 pixels) with LED backlight
  • Graphics: Intel GMA 4500MHD (integrated)
  • Video ports: VGA, HDMI
  • Other ports: 2 USB, Mic, Headphones, RJ45
  • Networking: Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000); 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; Bluetooth V2.0EDR
  • Webcam: 1.3 megapixels
  • Card reader: SD/SDHC/MMC
  • Dimensions: 13″(w)x8.8″(d)x0.78″(h)
  • Weight: 3.0 lbs (1.4 kg)
  • Battery: 4-cell Lithium-polymer (8-cell optional)

Who is it for?

This will appeal to users who want a slim, highly-portable Windows laptop for under $1000, and don’t like the small keyboards and irregular screens that you find on most netbooks.

What problems does it solve?

Ultra-slim laptops like the MacBook Air and the Dell Adamo are light, powerful, and attractive. However, you have to pay $1500-$2500 to get that combination of features. The MSI X340 delivers around 80% of the features and coolness for about $700.

Standout features

  • Thin and light – The dimensions of the MSI X340 Slim are almost identical to the MacBook Air (12.8″(w)x8.9″(d)x0.76″(h) and 3.0 lbs), which awed the technology industry with its thinness and portability when it launched in January 2008. This notebook is a very light load in your briefcase or shoulder bag.
  • Excellent LCD screen – The display on the MSI X340 is one of the most impressive features. It is clear, sharp, and bright, thanks to the LED backlighting. At 1366×768, it is much larger and much more standard than most of the netbook screens. It’s not as good as the amazing screen on the MacBook Air but it’s close.
  • Comfortable keyboard – With large keys, well-marked function keys, and a decent tactile feel, the keyboard on the X340 is comfortable to use — far better than any netbook. It doesn’t have quite as nice of a feel as the Dell Adamo keyboard but I liked it better than the chiclet keyboard on the MacBook Air.
  • Good battery life – Since the X340 has a low voltage Intel CPU and a power-saving LED backlight, it is a power-efficient system when running under a power-saving mode in Windows. I was able to get 3-4 hours of battery life, which is pretty impressive for a 4 cell battery. That said, since this is pitched as a power-sipping machine, I was actually hoping to get at least 5 hours for those long cross-country flights in the U.S.

What’s wrong?

  • Durability – While the Dell Adamo and the MacBook Air both have solid metal bodies, the MSI X340 is made out of plastic. That definitely gives it a little cheaper look. The silver-painted plastic trim around the expansion ports looks especially cheap. Because it’s made out of plastic, I also don’t expect that this would be a very durable machine, so it if you or the user you’re deploying this machine for are hard on laptops or need a little bit more of a rugged system then the MSI X340 is probably not a good choice.
  • Built-in mouse controls – I typically don’t like any of the trackpads you find on laptops, but as far as trackpads go. the one on the MSI X340 is not that great. It’s not very large, doesn’t have any special coating, and it only has one mouse button – you click on the left side for left click and the right side for right click. It’s not nearly as good as the large trackpad on the MacBook Air that also includes a great set of gestures to improve navigation. The one saving grace for the MSI X340 is that it also comes with a great little retractable USB mouse.
  • Lack of disc player – Like the Adamo and the Air, there’s no disc drive built into the MSI X340. That can make it difficult to install software, play DVDs, or digitize any audio CDs. MSI offers an external DVD drive that you can purchase separately.

Competitive products

Bottom line for business

If you really like the lightweight portability of the MacBook Air and the Dell Adamo but don’t want to pay a huge premium for it, or you like the small form factor of netbooks but don’t like the minimal keyboards and screens, then the MSI X340 Slim might be the product you’re looking for.

However, the X340 is made out of plastic, unlike the metal bodies you find on the Air and the Adamo, and that means it’s not going to be very durable. I wouldn’t recommend it for business users that need an industrial strength laptop and I wouldn’t plan for an X340 to last much more than two years.

A wake up call – health is wealth!

a few days ago, i had this shooting pain in my chest. a part of me felt dread and i was worried sick about what if? a part of me was worried sick about the cost implications of the treatment. i think that is the biggest concern about anything to do with the heart. nonetheless… it is a point that has been reached- as they say a wake up call.

the doctor called me and gave me this news. i know its not like a death sentence – with due respect to those who have more serious diseases, still, knowing that i now have a heart condition is worrying enough.

plan of action going forward, i need to consult with a cardio specialist, and get my act in shape. need to cut down on stress levels and similarly on my levels of tension.

what really sucks is that you think back and wonder- how did i let it get to this stage? can i be so unfit? but most importantly – I ask – why me? 🙁