"When you put the picture up - and you'd better be recording, if she(Lisa) sees the picture and starts singing amazing things will start happening and you'd better capture it." - Hans Zimmer in an interview)
Lisa uses a "language grown by itself" as she puts it. It's not a real language- she improvises them...Yet it may sound like Greek or Turkish, it is totally made up. Hence the "watching the screen and just singing, and you better be recording when she starts or you'll miss the best stuff." from the quote by Zimmer above.
Composed by: Hans Zimmer; Klaus Badelt; Lisa Gerrard
(THIS QUOTE IS FROM A BIOGRAPHY/INTERVIEW WITH LISA GERRARD)
It is enchanting during the finale of Ridley Scotts Roman epic and the question on everyones mind is: Which language did you sing in?
I sing in the language of the Heart, begins Gerrard. Its an INVENTED LANGUAGE that Ive had for a very long time. I believe I started singing in it when I was about 12. Roughly that time. And I believed that I was speaking to God when I sang in that language. Now I am filled with the Holy Ghost, that is the promise in the Bible the Church will not talk about, because this secret would mean the fall of the religion. The idea is that one can have a personal relationship with God without the interference of an organisation like the Church.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Everybody hurts
R.E.M: (Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe)
When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes
Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on
'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone
If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on
Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone.
When the day is long and the night, the night is yours alone,
When you're sure you've had enough of this life, well hang on
Don't let yourself go, 'cause everybody cries and everybody hurts sometimes
Sometimes everything is wrong. Now it's time to sing along
When your day is night alone, (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go, (hold on)
When you think you've had too much of this life, well hang on
'Cause everybody hurts. Take comfort in your friends
Everybody hurts. Don't throw your hand. Oh, no. Don't throw your hand
If you feel like you're alone, no, no, no, you are not alone
If you're on your own in this life, the days and nights are long,
When you think you've had too much of this life to hang on
Well, everybody hurts sometimes,
Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes
And everybody hurts sometimes. So, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on
Everybody hurts. You are not alone.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
With a little help from my friends
One should not make the mistake of thinking they can make the land and sky meet just because it appears so over the horizon.
Some presumptions can be very dangerous at times. The mistaken sense of entitlement always turns into a full circle within the life time itself and mostly results in a shock. While some strong and wise ones learn from it and move on to create a better destiny by overcoming the mental agony, others mostly fall back dwelling in past glories and sulking with their adamant ego's.
Associating satisfaction with other's opinion is one of the most commonly acquired trait thanks to the social nature of the animal called Man. The hunger keeps on increasing as the praise keeps on satisfying, feeding the ever more hungry devil residing inside everybody. A big cat, a Tiger, does not wait for a standing ovation from other creatures after a successful kill. The Tiger eats up to his fill satisfying the requirement of survival and moves on. No hard feelings, no soft emotions.
Somehow, somewhere in the evolution, humans seem to have lost this bit and acquired a totally useless skill of feeding on other's acceptance and approval. Hence the prizes and rankings. Now ofcourse, this can be successfully disputed based on a difference in intent and calling it the advancement of the human race and ensuring the continuity of humanity. But I am just saying.
This brings forth the subject of understanding ones own self and knowing the others around us. Being an excellent communicator does not guarantee others acceptance and approval, it only ensures that the idea is passed around with relative accuracy as was intended in the originators mind.
The truest and the most accurate form of unbiased, uncorrupted communication is the one which happens with and within ones own self. Its the one which happens without any particular requirement of language or skill set. Its the purest form of simple understanding. You will almost magically, just know. Unlike popular belief, this form of communication is not limited or constrained to ones own self. It also occurs between closely bonded individuals. A mother and her baby, an owner and pet dog, in between a couple truly in love for instance.
The more one tries to convince and garner acceptance and approval, the tougher it becomes to accomplish. There will always be differences of opinion. There will always be an overworking mind. There will always be a bias. There will always be an ego. There will always be a selfish intent. And, so will there be a sinful existence.
Some presumptions can be very dangerous at times. The mistaken sense of entitlement always turns into a full circle within the life time itself and mostly results in a shock. While some strong and wise ones learn from it and move on to create a better destiny by overcoming the mental agony, others mostly fall back dwelling in past glories and sulking with their adamant ego's.
Associating satisfaction with other's opinion is one of the most commonly acquired trait thanks to the social nature of the animal called Man. The hunger keeps on increasing as the praise keeps on satisfying, feeding the ever more hungry devil residing inside everybody. A big cat, a Tiger, does not wait for a standing ovation from other creatures after a successful kill. The Tiger eats up to his fill satisfying the requirement of survival and moves on. No hard feelings, no soft emotions.
Somehow, somewhere in the evolution, humans seem to have lost this bit and acquired a totally useless skill of feeding on other's acceptance and approval. Hence the prizes and rankings. Now ofcourse, this can be successfully disputed based on a difference in intent and calling it the advancement of the human race and ensuring the continuity of humanity. But I am just saying.
This brings forth the subject of understanding ones own self and knowing the others around us. Being an excellent communicator does not guarantee others acceptance and approval, it only ensures that the idea is passed around with relative accuracy as was intended in the originators mind.
The truest and the most accurate form of unbiased, uncorrupted communication is the one which happens with and within ones own self. Its the one which happens without any particular requirement of language or skill set. Its the purest form of simple understanding. You will almost magically, just know. Unlike popular belief, this form of communication is not limited or constrained to ones own self. It also occurs between closely bonded individuals. A mother and her baby, an owner and pet dog, in between a couple truly in love for instance.
The more one tries to convince and garner acceptance and approval, the tougher it becomes to accomplish. There will always be differences of opinion. There will always be an overworking mind. There will always be a bias. There will always be an ego. There will always be a selfish intent. And, so will there be a sinful existence.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Loyalty
Loyalty from: Seth Godins blog. What a gem of an article!
Loyalty is what we call it when someone refuses a momentarily better option.
If your offering is always better, you don't have loyal customers, you have smart ones. Don't brag about how loyal your customers are when you're the cheapest or you have clearly dominated some key element of what the market demands. That's not loyalty. That's something else.
Loyal customers understand that there's almost always something better out there, but they're not so interested in looking.
Loyalty can be rewarded, but loyalty usually comes from within, from a story we like to tell ourselves. We're loyal to sports teams and products (and yes, to people) because being loyal makes us happy. Why else be a fan of the Cubs? Some customers like being loyal. Those are good customers to have.
Loyalty isn't forever. Sometimes, the world changes significantly and even though the loyal partner/customer likes that label, it gets so difficult to stick that he switches.
I think there's no doubt that some brands and teams and politicians and yes, people, attract a greater percentage of loyal fans than others. Not because they're bigger or better, but because they reinforce the good feeling some people get when they're being loyal. Hint: low price or supermodel good looks are not the tools of choice for attracting people who enjoy being loyal.
Rewarding loyalty for loyalty's sake--not by paying people for sticking it out so the offering ends up being more attractive--is not an obvious path, but it's a worthwhile one. Tell a story that appeals to loyalists. Treat different customers differently, and reserve your highest level of respect for those that stand by you.
Loyalty is what we call it when someone refuses a momentarily better option.
If your offering is always better, you don't have loyal customers, you have smart ones. Don't brag about how loyal your customers are when you're the cheapest or you have clearly dominated some key element of what the market demands. That's not loyalty. That's something else.
Loyal customers understand that there's almost always something better out there, but they're not so interested in looking.
Loyalty can be rewarded, but loyalty usually comes from within, from a story we like to tell ourselves. We're loyal to sports teams and products (and yes, to people) because being loyal makes us happy. Why else be a fan of the Cubs? Some customers like being loyal. Those are good customers to have.
Loyalty isn't forever. Sometimes, the world changes significantly and even though the loyal partner/customer likes that label, it gets so difficult to stick that he switches.
I think there's no doubt that some brands and teams and politicians and yes, people, attract a greater percentage of loyal fans than others. Not because they're bigger or better, but because they reinforce the good feeling some people get when they're being loyal. Hint: low price or supermodel good looks are not the tools of choice for attracting people who enjoy being loyal.
Rewarding loyalty for loyalty's sake--not by paying people for sticking it out so the offering ends up being more attractive--is not an obvious path, but it's a worthwhile one. Tell a story that appeals to loyalists. Treat different customers differently, and reserve your highest level of respect for those that stand by you.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Luv & attachment are the only reasons for suffering
And they arise out of ones own ego, out of a sense of ownership. This belongs to me and its lost, she shouldn't have done this without asking me, I should have been there..
It an endless list of futile expressions of a lost man. I say man, because women have a different set of rules guiding their lives, they are totally different entities. Except for continuity of species, theres really no other reason why these two need to interact and live together. Having said this, thinking of comparisions between males and females is so pointless, its like asking why we don't live our lives beginning from death and live back to being born. Thats it, that is the deal you have been dealt with and you do not have a choice now, you are at the table, playing and you have to play with the cards which are dealt. Theres no reshuffle, theres no rematch.
In the infinite stupidity of evolution, there was a point reached where it was decided some random thing, maybe a piece of raw meat or a mate, should belong. Ahh, that is the word which turned the excesses of this life into a reality! Thats the point where homo sapiens sapiens, decided to live for the future and not in the moment. Have you ever seen any creature voluntarily amassing wealth which they do not need at that moment? Except of course for a few exceptions like ants maybe, they need to conserve food for their future generations and ensure survivability of their species. But apart from survivability, homo sapiens sapiens is the only creature, which applied this concept of excess to everything else. Have a feeling it arised out of an inability to be secure of their own ability to repeatedly keep on winning. You see, man thought, why the hell should survival of the fittest be the only rule deciding who is to live on? I maybe weak, and I still have an equal right to live, no damned law should take that right away from me. And bingo! There arose the fights for liberation, revolutions for freedom, struggle to define a piece of land carved out of blood and toil and call it mine.
I hate to have to fight with my heart against my very own heart. Many say its lack of decision making or confusion, I say fuck you, you are the moron who doesn't understand the intricacies of having to choose between winning and winning. Winnings not winning all the time.
It an endless list of futile expressions of a lost man. I say man, because women have a different set of rules guiding their lives, they are totally different entities. Except for continuity of species, theres really no other reason why these two need to interact and live together. Having said this, thinking of comparisions between males and females is so pointless, its like asking why we don't live our lives beginning from death and live back to being born. Thats it, that is the deal you have been dealt with and you do not have a choice now, you are at the table, playing and you have to play with the cards which are dealt. Theres no reshuffle, theres no rematch.
In the infinite stupidity of evolution, there was a point reached where it was decided some random thing, maybe a piece of raw meat or a mate, should belong. Ahh, that is the word which turned the excesses of this life into a reality! Thats the point where homo sapiens sapiens, decided to live for the future and not in the moment. Have you ever seen any creature voluntarily amassing wealth which they do not need at that moment? Except of course for a few exceptions like ants maybe, they need to conserve food for their future generations and ensure survivability of their species. But apart from survivability, homo sapiens sapiens is the only creature, which applied this concept of excess to everything else. Have a feeling it arised out of an inability to be secure of their own ability to repeatedly keep on winning. You see, man thought, why the hell should survival of the fittest be the only rule deciding who is to live on? I maybe weak, and I still have an equal right to live, no damned law should take that right away from me. And bingo! There arose the fights for liberation, revolutions for freedom, struggle to define a piece of land carved out of blood and toil and call it mine.
I hate to have to fight with my heart against my very own heart. Many say its lack of decision making or confusion, I say fuck you, you are the moron who doesn't understand the intricacies of having to choose between winning and winning. Winnings not winning all the time.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Setting a Limit to Sit with Emotions
Came across this beautiful article on the internet today. Taken from http://www.intent.com/dailyom/blog/setting-limit-sit-emotions
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When an emotion haunts us, it is often because we are afraid of really feeling it.
Our emotions color our lives with varying palettes. Sometimes we feel a strong emotion in reaction to something that has happened, but emotions also visit us seemingly out of the blue, flooding us unexpectedly with joy or grief or melancholy. Like the weather, they come and go, influencing our mental state with their particular vibration. Sometimes a difficult emotion hangs around longer than we would like, and we begin to wonder when it will release its hold on us. This is often true of grief stemming from loss, for example, or lingering anger over a past event.
Usually, if we allow ourselves to feel our emotions fully when they come up, they recede naturally, giving way to another and another. When an emotion haunts us, it is often because we are afraid of really feeling it. Emotions like despair and rage are powerful, and it is natural to want to hold them at bay. Certainly, we don’t want to let them take us over so that we say or do things we later regret. When we are facing this kind of situation, it can be helpful to ask the spirit, “How long do I need to sit with these emotions, how long do I need to feel these emotions before they can pass?” If you ask sincerely and wait, an answer will come. Setting a time limit on your engagement with that difficult emotion may be just the technique you need to face it fully.
When you have a sense of how much time you need to spend, set a timer. Sit down and make yourself available to the emotion that has been nagging you. All you have to do is feel it. Avoid getting attached to it or rejecting it. Simply let it ebb and flow within you. Emotions are by their nature cyclical, so you can trust that just as one reaches its apex it will pass. Each time you sit with its presence without either repressing or acting out, you will find that that difficult emotion was the catalyst for much needed emotional healing.
====================================================
When an emotion haunts us, it is often because we are afraid of really feeling it.
Our emotions color our lives with varying palettes. Sometimes we feel a strong emotion in reaction to something that has happened, but emotions also visit us seemingly out of the blue, flooding us unexpectedly with joy or grief or melancholy. Like the weather, they come and go, influencing our mental state with their particular vibration. Sometimes a difficult emotion hangs around longer than we would like, and we begin to wonder when it will release its hold on us. This is often true of grief stemming from loss, for example, or lingering anger over a past event.
Usually, if we allow ourselves to feel our emotions fully when they come up, they recede naturally, giving way to another and another. When an emotion haunts us, it is often because we are afraid of really feeling it. Emotions like despair and rage are powerful, and it is natural to want to hold them at bay. Certainly, we don’t want to let them take us over so that we say or do things we later regret. When we are facing this kind of situation, it can be helpful to ask the spirit, “How long do I need to sit with these emotions, how long do I need to feel these emotions before they can pass?” If you ask sincerely and wait, an answer will come. Setting a time limit on your engagement with that difficult emotion may be just the technique you need to face it fully.
When you have a sense of how much time you need to spend, set a timer. Sit down and make yourself available to the emotion that has been nagging you. All you have to do is feel it. Avoid getting attached to it or rejecting it. Simply let it ebb and flow within you. Emotions are by their nature cyclical, so you can trust that just as one reaches its apex it will pass. Each time you sit with its presence without either repressing or acting out, you will find that that difficult emotion was the catalyst for much needed emotional healing.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Peace
Struggling through some difficult realizations..
Learning the song of silence..
Humbled by the divine opinions and
Pardoned by the deadly horizons..
Woke up to live an illusion,
or gotten lost trying to find the world?
=================================================
Song lyrics | Death Or Glory lyrics
Learning the song of silence..
Humbled by the divine opinions and
Pardoned by the deadly horizons..
Woke up to live an illusion,
or gotten lost trying to find the world?
=================================================
Song lyrics | Death Or Glory lyrics
Friday, September 10, 2010
What is the cost of silence?
Conflicts occur when two entities disagree to agree repeatedly. Weather it is the social semblance of a loss of face or a deep rooted desire, unaware of its own consciousness striving to win a game it does not like. Either ways, cryptic mysteries are difficult to resolve by strong willed ambition because they defy the primary instance of its own existence. Which is, of-course, to learn.
One major fight against destiny is to ask why it intends to teach, when the lessons do not mitigate the difficulties of the present time. Why would there be a punishment without the occurrence or knowledge of a crime? What use could it possibly be?
On another note, having a choice and choosing to have a choice are not exactly the chicken and egg class of scenarios.
We can be knowledgeable with other men's knowledge, but we cannot be wise with other men's wisdom.
One major fight against destiny is to ask why it intends to teach, when the lessons do not mitigate the difficulties of the present time. Why would there be a punishment without the occurrence or knowledge of a crime? What use could it possibly be?
On another note, having a choice and choosing to have a choice are not exactly the chicken and egg class of scenarios.
We can be knowledgeable with other men's knowledge, but we cannot be wise with other men's wisdom.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Coffee and the cup
Came across this in the email today.
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each others cups.
Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
Don't let the cups drive you... Enjoy the coffee instead.
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each others cups.
Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
Don't let the cups drive you... Enjoy the coffee instead.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Random musings
Einstein - 20th century is about Perfection of means and confusion of outcomes.
From HBR blog: "People pay attention to those who control their outcomes. In an effort to predict and possibly influence what is going to happen to them, people gather information about those with power."
From HBR blog: "People pay attention to those who control their outcomes. In an effort to predict and possibly influence what is going to happen to them, people gather information about those with power."
Chinese proverb, "Patience is power; with time and patience the mulberry leaf becomes a silk gown."
Knowing you are doing something wrong isnt the same as doing it right.
Knowing you are doing something wrong isnt the same as doing it right.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Can you sell a dead donkey?
Smart story I came across today..
A city boy, Raju, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for Rs 100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.
The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died last night."
Raju replied: "Well then, just give me my money back."
The farmer said: "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."
Raju said: "OK then, just unload the donkey.."
The farmer asked: "What ya gonna do with him?"
Raju: "I'm going to raffle him off." (Note: To raffle is to sell a thing by lottery - draw lot - to a group of people each paying the same amount for a ticket)
Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"
Raju: "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."
A month later the farmer met up with Raju and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Raju: "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two rupees a piece and made a profit of Rs. 898.00."
Farmer: "Didn't anyone complain?"
Raju: "Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his two rupees."
A city boy, Raju, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for Rs 100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.
The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died last night."
Raju replied: "Well then, just give me my money back."
The farmer said: "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."
Raju said: "OK then, just unload the donkey.."
The farmer asked: "What ya gonna do with him?"
Raju: "I'm going to raffle him off." (Note: To raffle is to sell a thing by lottery - draw lot - to a group of people each paying the same amount for a ticket)
Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"
Raju: "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."
A month later the farmer met up with Raju and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Raju: "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two rupees a piece and made a profit of Rs. 898.00."
Farmer: "Didn't anyone complain?"
Raju: "Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his two rupees."
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Funny Shayaries
Came across these today:
Unki gali se guzre..ajeeb ittefaq tha
Unho ne phool phenka..gamla bhi saath tha!!
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Unki gali ke chakkar kaat kaat kar,
Kutte bhi hamare yaar ho gaye,
Wo to hamare ho na sake,
Hum kutton ke sardar ho gaye...
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haseen tum ho to bure hum bi nahi,
mahalo mein tum ho to sadak par hum bhi nahi,
pyar karke kehte ho shaadi shuda ho,
kaan kholkar sunlo, kunware hum bhi nahi.
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Unki gali ke chakkar kaat kaat kar,
Kutte bhi hamare yaar ho gaye,
Wo to hamare ho na sake,
Hum kutton ke sardar ho gaye...
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Tere dar pe sanam hazar baar ayengey,
Ghanti bajayengey aur bhaag jayengey
Monday, May 31, 2010
You Are What You Measure
A friend sent this good read from HBR.
Column: You Are What You Measure
by Dan Ariely
A loose consensus has formed around the idea that basing CEO pay on, say, five years of stock returns would eliminate some of the reckless decision making that led to the Great Recession. But I suspect that even if you could build a compensation plan that focuses on long-term shareholder value, you’d solve only part of the problem.
That’s because such a scheme still ties CEOs’ motivation to one fickle number—company share price—and assumes that pay alone motivates chief executives to perform.
Any number of things can motivate CEOs—peer recognition, for example, and even a desire to change the world. In fact, CEOs usually have all the money they need. Why then does it seem that they care more about stock value and the compensation it produces than those other forms of motivation?
The answer is almost uncomfortably simple: CEOs care about stock value because that’s how we measure them. If we want to change what they care about, we should change what we measure.
It can’t be that simple, you might argue— but psychologists and economists will tell you it is. Human beings adjust behavior based on the metrics they’re held against. Anything you measure will impel a person to optimize his score on that metric. What you measure is what you’ll get. Period.
This phenomenon plays out time and again in research studies. Give someone frequent flyer miles, and he’ll fly in absurd ways to optimize his miles.
When I was at MIT, I was measured on my ability to handle my yearly teaching load, using a complex equation of teaching points. The rating, devised to track performance on a variety of dimensions, quickly became an end in itself. Even though I enjoyed teaching, I found myself spending less time with students because I could earn more points doing other things. I began to scrutinize opportunities according to how many points were at stake. In optimizing this measure, I was not striving to gain more wealth or happiness. Nor did I believe that earning the most points would result in more effective learning. It was merely the standard of measurement given to me, so I tried to do well against it (and I admit that I was rather good at it).
This phenomenon happens at an organizational level, too. States that use standardized education assessment tests produce kids who indeed perform well on these tests but falter when asked to demonstrate their knowledge of the same material in a different way. Does that make teachers bad at their jobs? No. They’re simply behaving the way people do when they’re judged on the basis of a metric.
So every morning, a CEO arrives in his office and checks the number he’s judged on: the stock price. He’ll meet with people who have ideas about how to make it higher. Now and again, he’ll buy or sell something, or hire or fire some people, to move the number. All the while, analysts will keep watch, praising him when the number goes up and criticizing when it goes down. If you were subjected to such unrelenting scrutiny, wouldn’t you do as much as you could to get the number up? Even if you knew your actions would probably come back to bite you in the long run?
To change CEOs’ behavior, we need to change the numbers we measure. Stock value metrics that focus on the long term are a start, but even more important are new numbers that direct leaders’ attention to the real drivers of sustainable success.
What are those numbers? Ideally, they’d vary by industry, situation, and mission, but here are a few obvious choices: How many new jobs have been created at your firm? How strong is your pipeline of new patents? How satisfied are your customers? Your employees? What’s the level of trust in your company and brand? How much carbon dioxide do you emit?
None of these metrics is as easy to measure as shareholder value. That’s part of why we’re so fixated on it. But if we measure just what’s easy, we’ll maximize just what’s easy.
Dan Ariely (dandan@duke.edu) is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and the author of Predictably Irrational (HarperCollins, 2008).
Column: You Are What You Measure
by Dan Ariely
A loose consensus has formed around the idea that basing CEO pay on, say, five years of stock returns would eliminate some of the reckless decision making that led to the Great Recession. But I suspect that even if you could build a compensation plan that focuses on long-term shareholder value, you’d solve only part of the problem.
That’s because such a scheme still ties CEOs’ motivation to one fickle number—company share price—and assumes that pay alone motivates chief executives to perform.
Any number of things can motivate CEOs—peer recognition, for example, and even a desire to change the world. In fact, CEOs usually have all the money they need. Why then does it seem that they care more about stock value and the compensation it produces than those other forms of motivation?
The answer is almost uncomfortably simple: CEOs care about stock value because that’s how we measure them. If we want to change what they care about, we should change what we measure.
It can’t be that simple, you might argue— but psychologists and economists will tell you it is. Human beings adjust behavior based on the metrics they’re held against. Anything you measure will impel a person to optimize his score on that metric. What you measure is what you’ll get. Period.
This phenomenon plays out time and again in research studies. Give someone frequent flyer miles, and he’ll fly in absurd ways to optimize his miles.
When I was at MIT, I was measured on my ability to handle my yearly teaching load, using a complex equation of teaching points. The rating, devised to track performance on a variety of dimensions, quickly became an end in itself. Even though I enjoyed teaching, I found myself spending less time with students because I could earn more points doing other things. I began to scrutinize opportunities according to how many points were at stake. In optimizing this measure, I was not striving to gain more wealth or happiness. Nor did I believe that earning the most points would result in more effective learning. It was merely the standard of measurement given to me, so I tried to do well against it (and I admit that I was rather good at it).
This phenomenon happens at an organizational level, too. States that use standardized education assessment tests produce kids who indeed perform well on these tests but falter when asked to demonstrate their knowledge of the same material in a different way. Does that make teachers bad at their jobs? No. They’re simply behaving the way people do when they’re judged on the basis of a metric.
So every morning, a CEO arrives in his office and checks the number he’s judged on: the stock price. He’ll meet with people who have ideas about how to make it higher. Now and again, he’ll buy or sell something, or hire or fire some people, to move the number. All the while, analysts will keep watch, praising him when the number goes up and criticizing when it goes down. If you were subjected to such unrelenting scrutiny, wouldn’t you do as much as you could to get the number up? Even if you knew your actions would probably come back to bite you in the long run?
To change CEOs’ behavior, we need to change the numbers we measure. Stock value metrics that focus on the long term are a start, but even more important are new numbers that direct leaders’ attention to the real drivers of sustainable success.
What are those numbers? Ideally, they’d vary by industry, situation, and mission, but here are a few obvious choices: How many new jobs have been created at your firm? How strong is your pipeline of new patents? How satisfied are your customers? Your employees? What’s the level of trust in your company and brand? How much carbon dioxide do you emit?
None of these metrics is as easy to measure as shareholder value. That’s part of why we’re so fixated on it. But if we measure just what’s easy, we’ll maximize just what’s easy.
Dan Ariely (dandan@duke.edu) is the James B. Duke Professor of Behavioral Economics at Duke University and the author of Predictably Irrational (HarperCollins, 2008).
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Close to Intelligent code
I can't believe how this works and fail to understand it. I had seen this before and I know its not exactly new, but still., felt like putting this up on my blog for posterity.
http://pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=c96f911b3e35f9e1
Just told him that "You fail me," and by magic, it said "Well, Atleast I try."
http://pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=c96f911b3e35f9e1
Just told him that "You fail me," and by magic, it said "Well, Atleast I try."
Sunday, May 9, 2010
All alone
You think its all just your friends,
And you want to live alone.
Where you at boy?
you nowhere.
And you're all alone.
And you want to live alone.
Where you at boy?
you nowhere.
And you're all alone.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
I will go
Don't befriend me,
for I don't know you.
Don't wear me,
for I am not your friend.
Don't pity me
for you don't know me.
Don't know me
for I am not the one you think you know..
I love you,
I do.
But don't be serious,
for I never know.
Life is just.. life
and you never know..
For I know
When I will go.
for I don't know you.
Don't wear me,
for I am not your friend.
Don't pity me
for you don't know me.
Don't know me
for I am not the one you think you know..
I love you,
I do.
But don't be serious,
for I never know.
Life is just.. life
and you never know..
For I know
When I will go.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Hunger
Elude me more, for I get on my knees,
The world goes by, and I will still love you more.
Pray with more compassion, and the hurt only increases,
am yet to get you, if only to fulfill my destiny.
Bring me the wildflowers, I'd like to know,
If growing for your own will make me low,
Will I be myself still? Or will I become you?
I never know, I may never know.
The world goes by, and I will still love you more.
Pray with more compassion, and the hurt only increases,
am yet to get you, if only to fulfill my destiny.
Bring me the wildflowers, I'd like to know,
If growing for your own will make me low,
Will I be myself still? Or will I become you?
I never know, I may never know.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
If you can
Just like opposites attract, the opposite of opposites repel.
Don't share my pains, for you may not suffer,
don't lie in my vain, for you may not understand,
forgive me when needed, for it is asked for my willing sins,
be my friend, for its written in my tears.
Don't share my pains, for you may not suffer,
don't lie in my vain, for you may not understand,
forgive me when needed, for it is asked for my willing sins,
be my friend, for its written in my tears.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Stimulating conversations spur life
The amount of money and pure joy one can spare for others is what should define a persons richness.
On a totally different note, the issue with people in authority is that they believe just because a car can travel at 120kmph for instance, it will and should always do so. On top of this they expect it to keep going faster and faster quarter on quarter just on the basis of fuel input without giving a thought about other things like the tyre's wear n tear, maintenance, and in a more humane context, this often forgotten thing called "motivation." Just because you fuel a car does not mean it will always perform at top speed. Thats the primary reason robots exist inspite of no apparent lack of unemployed population.
On a totally different note, the issue with people in authority is that they believe just because a car can travel at 120kmph for instance, it will and should always do so. On top of this they expect it to keep going faster and faster quarter on quarter just on the basis of fuel input without giving a thought about other things like the tyre's wear n tear, maintenance, and in a more humane context, this often forgotten thing called "motivation." Just because you fuel a car does not mean it will always perform at top speed. Thats the primary reason robots exist inspite of no apparent lack of unemployed population.
Monday, April 5, 2010
The Darwins are out
Got this AMAZING mail today from someone I know..
---
Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.
Here is the glorious winner:
1. When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.
And now, the honorable mentions:
---
Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us.
Here is the glorious winner:
1. When his 38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.
And now, the honorable mentions:
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Purpose of Life
Came across this as someone sent it on a mailing list at work.. Had to store it for posterity!
And below is the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip which somehow makes me feel connected to the strip above.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Choices vs compulsions
X: Once you've had enough bad, you'll turn to good.
Y: Vice versa.
Z: Is there ever an enough?
Y: Vice versa.
Z: Is there ever an enough?
Friday, March 26, 2010
Success breeds success
Came across this today, take what you will out of it.
There was a farmer who grew superior quality, award-winning corn in his farm. Each year, he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honors and Prizes.
One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew his corn. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. "How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" The reporter asked. "Why brother"
The farmer replied, "Didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen grains from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I have to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors to grow good corns."
The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.
So it is in the other dimensions and areas of life! Those who choose to be in harmony must help their neighbors and colleagues to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others live well. The value of a life is not measured by how long one lived it is measured by how many lives it touches………
There was a farmer who grew superior quality, award-winning corn in his farm. Each year, he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honors and Prizes.
One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew his corn. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. "How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" The reporter asked. "Why brother"
The farmer replied, "Didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen grains from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I have to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors to grow good corns."
The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves.
So it is in the other dimensions and areas of life! Those who choose to be in harmony must help their neighbors and colleagues to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others live well. The value of a life is not measured by how long one lived it is measured by how many lives it touches………
Bang on
None of this is mine so just pasting the link thanks to its truthfulness.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Whats with Luv?
Thought will post a few things people I know said about Luv and relationship's for posterity..
- A good relationship should have the determination of a mirror, which never loses its ability to reflect even if its broken into a thousand pieces.
- Love is a self learning experience.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Strange brew
The depths of sorrow are never ending.
Forbearing the temptation of being eternally happy is somehow deeply ingrained in the shallow wisps of a tornado approaching.
Not sure why I got that thought. Its very likely to be a result of a review at work ;-) Felt like a carrot and stick story all over again, except, the donkey was me this time. Am thinking this is the actual way most of the employees live their entire lives, giving themselves false hopes and living in a all sealed box afraid of getting out of the set pattern of life. Afraid of everything. What if....? And the possibilities of endiung that sentence are mostly not positive. Or maybe I am wrong and most of them are living just as they expected or planned to, getting ahead moment by moment, inching towards their eventual victory.
Recently, someone I do not know personally got a heart attack and after the initial treatment in ICU and the works, he was unfortunately declared medically dead. The doctors came in to ask permission to remove the ventilators on him. Which made be think of the decisions one may have to take in life, one has to prepare for. I wondered about all those people who talk so much about being decisive and how they would react in situations like these. Its not all that difficult to pass a judgement on someone when they are not related in anyway. It becomes a different ball game altogether when you know that person and are in some manner related. Hope he pulls through. Amen.
Forbearing the temptation of being eternally happy is somehow deeply ingrained in the shallow wisps of a tornado approaching.
Not sure why I got that thought. Its very likely to be a result of a review at work ;-) Felt like a carrot and stick story all over again, except, the donkey was me this time. Am thinking this is the actual way most of the employees live their entire lives, giving themselves false hopes and living in a all sealed box afraid of getting out of the set pattern of life. Afraid of everything. What if....? And the possibilities of endiung that sentence are mostly not positive. Or maybe I am wrong and most of them are living just as they expected or planned to, getting ahead moment by moment, inching towards their eventual victory.
Recently, someone I do not know personally got a heart attack and after the initial treatment in ICU and the works, he was unfortunately declared medically dead. The doctors came in to ask permission to remove the ventilators on him. Which made be think of the decisions one may have to take in life, one has to prepare for. I wondered about all those people who talk so much about being decisive and how they would react in situations like these. Its not all that difficult to pass a judgement on someone when they are not related in anyway. It becomes a different ball game altogether when you know that person and are in some manner related. Hope he pulls through. Amen.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The worst game show answers ever
From: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/the-worst-game-show-answers-ever-14662992.html
As a little light relief, one of our readers has compiled a list of some of the worst answers ever to gush from the mouths of game show contestants... enjoy.
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE (BBC2)
Jeremy Paxman: What is another name for 'cherrypickers' and
'cheesemongers'?
Contestant: Homosexuals.
Paxman: No. They're regiments in the British Army who will be very upset with you.
BEG, BORROW OR STEAL (BBC2)
Jamie Theakston: Where do you think Cambridge University is?
Contestant: Geography isn't my strong point.
Theakston: There's a clue in the title.
Contestant: Leicester.
PHIL WOOD SHOW (BBC GMR)
Wood: What 'K' could be described as the Islamic Bible?
Twisted Zen teaching someone forwarded me in email.
1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for
I may not follow. Do not walk beside me for the path is narrow. In fact,
just piss off and leave me alone.
2. Sex is like air. It's not that important unless you aren't getting any.
3. No one is listening until you fart.
4. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
5. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
6. If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a
couple of mortgage payments.
7. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their
shoes.
8. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
9. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and
he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
10. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was
probably well worth it.
11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
12. Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield
13. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
14. Good judgment comes from bad experience ... and most of that comes
from bad judgment.
15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
16. There are two excellent theories for arguing with women. Neither one
works.
17. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are
moving.
18. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
19. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our ass ... then
things just keep getting worse.
20. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
I may not follow. Do not walk beside me for the path is narrow. In fact,
just piss off and leave me alone.
2. Sex is like air. It's not that important unless you aren't getting any.
3. No one is listening until you fart.
4. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.
5. Never test the depth of the water with both feet.
6. If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a
couple of mortgage payments.
7. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their
shoes.
8. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.
9. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and
he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.
10. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was
probably well worth it.
11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.
12. Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield
13. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.
14. Good judgment comes from bad experience ... and most of that comes
from bad judgment.
15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.
16. There are two excellent theories for arguing with women. Neither one
works.
17. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are
moving.
18. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
19. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our ass ... then
things just keep getting worse.
20. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Luck Matters! (and how!?!)
With a pile of 300 resumes on his desk and a need to pick someone quickly, my boss told me to make calls on the bottom 50 and toss the rest. "Throw away 250 resumes?"
I asked, "What if the best candidates are in there?"
"You have a point," he said. "But then again, I don't need people with bad luck here."
- Becky Horowitz
Monday, January 18, 2010
The final retort
A friend sent me this superb quip which is probably the final word in the age old men versus women argument. Thought it would be nice to have this as the first post of the new year 2010.
"I just had an argument with a girl I know. She was saying how it's unfair that if a guy fucks a different girl every week, he's a legend, but if a girl fucks just two guys in a year, she's a slut. So in response I told her that if a key opens lots of locks, then it's a master key. But if a lock is opened by lots of keys, then it's a shitty lock. That shut her up."
"I just had an argument with a girl I know. She was saying how it's unfair that if a guy fucks a different girl every week, he's a legend, but if a girl fucks just two guys in a year, she's a slut. So in response I told her that if a key opens lots of locks, then it's a master key. But if a lock is opened by lots of keys, then it's a shitty lock. That shut her up."
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