Is Google Buzz Here To Stay?
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by Zahid Lilani. 4
By now you have heard about Google Buzz and maybe given it a shot. At least you tried couple of times then you said “I think I should just check my email.”
You have to give it to Google that they were very smart about their new offering. Instead of launching it as a separate product like Wave, they launched it as a part of something already successful. In case you didn’t know, Gmail is the 3rd largest free email in the world.
I personally started out with Hotmail but always felt that email should be fast and easy. Gmail is fast and easy and that is why after using both Hotmail and Yahoo! I decided to divert everything to Gmail. Every time any website asks me for an email, I give out Hotmail. When people ask for email, I give them Gmail.
Lately, I haven’t had much time to play with it but so far it has been an okay experience. I don’t use Twitter much because when I ask a question on Buzz, I do get a response. On Twitter it is like I am shooting an arrow in the dark. I have more followers on Twitter by the way. Most people who are following me on Buzz are not really friends and I was little worried the other day that why exactly are all these people following me anyways but its all good, I embraced social media exhibitionism almost a year ago and don’t regret it… yet.
Buzz is here to stay because of many reasons, some of them are:
- Acts like FriendFeed but it is not.
- People who think Twitter is stupid love Buzz.
- You don’t have to work extra hard, its right their in your inbox.
- Real-time.
Gizmodo has written an excellent post on “What is Google Buzz?” which I suggest you read.
What do you think about Google Buzz? Like it? Hate it?
Free Food: First Google and Now Facebook
Posted on 11. Feb, 2010 by Zahid Lilani. 2
Article Summary
Facebook is currently using the same strategy that was used by high tech companies during the dot com era, providing food 3 times a day to its hungry employees. Facebook and Google are the only two tech companies in Silicon Valley that have a company owned cafeteria where food is provided to employees free of charge.
This tradition of feeding employees was initially started by HP back in 1950s when it first started giving out gifts to newly married employees and having free snacks and coffee. The philosophy behind this perk was that happier employees are more productive. Google was the first company in 1999 to take the philosophy one step further by having a resident Chef to cook meals.
Though Facebook is the new kid on the block, it competes with Google in many aspects and one successful strategy for Facebook has been to attract former and current Google employees. Almost two years ago, Facebook hired Google’s top Chef Josef Desimone who now serves 12,000 meals a week using mostly organic, sustainable products. Surprisingly, for the serious food lover, Facebook now offers cooking classes where the 50 member kitchen staff teaches employees how to cook.
The reason Facebook offers food to its 800 employees is to encourage them to work long hours. When employees know that they will get food at work, they focus more on work and less on thinking about what to eat or where to dine out. Facebook is not talking about the expense associated with offering quality food but estimates that it will generate revenues around $500 million this year that will justify having a small food expense.
Quality of food has attracted top talent to Facebook and has kept them working twice as hard. During lunch and dinner the cafeteria offers a “vegetarian entree; two main courses of meat, chicken or fish; a salad bar; two types of soup; and two desserts.” Apart from the cafeteria, mini-kitchens can be found throughout the building where people can pick up snacks and salads when the cafe is closed.
Mr. Desimone is one happy Chef because he gets weekends and holidays off unlike other Chefs who put in long hours during special occasions and weekends.
Original Article:
With High-End Meal Perks, Facebook Keeps Up Valley Tradition – NYTimes
Apple Is Real Life Dharma Initiative
Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by Zahid Lilani. 4
Can’t wait for the new season of LOST to start on Feb 2nd but wait a minute, this is not about Dharma initiative from TV series LOST. It is about the real life Dharma initiative, a.k.a Apple.
In the last decade or so we have seen Apple become more and more secretive about almost everything it does. One recent example would be the iPad. So many rumors, a lot of hype and in the end, besides the name, every thing was true.
That is exactly what the Dharma initiative is. Speculations and rumors and in the end, all true. In LOST, Ben like Steve Jobs never confesses anything until the right time. Things are same with apple.
So who are the survivors of Oceanic flight 815?
We, the bloggers.
We find something, we ask a question and we hunt for answers until we get the real thing. After that we say “all this for something that wasn’t worth it.” We help create Apple massive amount of buzz before it even releases anything of substance or acknowledges the existence of something. This has worked very well for Apple, I don’t see a reason why they (Apple) should not continue doing it…
Where are the secret hatches?
The new secret hatch that no one knows about and Apple won’t acknowledge was recently approved by Palo Alto’s architectural review board. It will be Apple’s new retail store that will be 20 foot all glass design, so much for transparency.
Do you agree with me? Do you see any other resemblances between Dharma and Apple?
8 Hilarious iPad Parodies That Will Crack You Up
Posted on 31. Jan, 2010 by Zahid Lilani. 4
Internet is currently awash in iPad parodies. Steve Jobs is either very happy or very sad or somewhere in between, depending on what time of the month it is. [sorry]
Please agree with me when I say that all this ridicule could have been avoided if iPad was called iSlate or iTablet. Maybe in future we will find out that iPad was really named something else but because of so many leaks and rumors, it was named iPad.
Until then, enjoy the creative geniuses…
Obama: State of the iPad Address
CollegeHumor Team
Pee-wee gets an iPad
Apple’s latest invention, iPad
Little misplaced because iPad can’t make phone calls but what if it could?
Steve Jobs impersonator introduces the iPad.
Hitler responds to the iPad
This video below by MadTV was done in 2006. Does it make sense that no one from Apple watched this video on YouTube?
Did I miss an iPad parody? Tell me about it…
Are Bloggers Really Writers?
Posted on 27. Jan, 2010 by Zahid Lilani. 8
I write to express myself but I blog to inform and educate. Does that make sense? Most of us toy around the idea of being called a writer just because we have been able to write couple hundred blog posts but is that a right title?
My curiosity is related to the fact that I think bloggers never write and writers never blog. Blogging is more connected to attracting and engaging readership whereas writing has more to do with the art form and literary element. My definition of a blogger is someone whose battleground is the world wide web and a writer is one who has print media at his at disposal.
We can all name bloggers who have written books but we might have a hard time if asked to talk about writers who have become bloggers and now write about topics that would otherwise be published in a book or some other form.
Writing is a way up for most bloggers because even in today’s digital age, the feeling of having something published in tangible form can be quite a thrill. So once again, we come to the same question, are bloggers really writers?
My personal take on it is of course not, bloggers are just bloggers. Some bloggers are good writers but they are still bloggers. There is one major difference between a blogger and a writer and that is medium.
Bloggers are more technically sound then most writers. Writers tend to perfect the content but bloggers on the other hand make sure they have content at regular intervals at the expense of quality (occasionally). That happens because of the medium. A writer takes days, months and maybe years to come up with one book but someone like me will write a blog during the 30 minute lunchtime (not in this case) and be satisfied.
Even though there are video and photo bloggers, the original blogging style is the one that still dominates. Writing.
Here is the defining moment my friend, are you a blogger or a writer?
Blogger for life…
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