Steve Jobs wearing jeans and sandals under his black robe at his commencement address at Stanford University challenged the graduating class with three stories from his life.
The first "Connecting the Dots" was about his experience at getting a good quality education. His biological mother was an unwed graduate student who wanted him to go to college. Although she chose a lawyer's family to adopt him, they declined hoping to adopt a daughter. He was later adopted by a working-class couple — neither of whom had college degrees but pledged to send him to college. He said that although he started off in a top class school, he later found that it was not what he was looking for. He found that he was learning things he had no desire to understand. At seventeen he could not see the value in a good quality education at the cost of a heavy financial burden on his middleclass working parents. So after dropping out he decided to drop in to take the courses he really was interested in. His drop ins at Reed College calligraphy classes helped in developing beautiful typography in PCs when he designed the Mac 10 years later.
The second story was about love and loss. Having found what he loved to do, Steve decided to start a company with his friend Steve Wozniak when he was twenty years old. Apple grew from just the two of them in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. A year after he released the greatest PC on earth, the Macintosh, he was fired from his job. The company he created slipped from his grasp into the hands of people he hired to run it for him. Picking up the pieces of his now broken life he started to wonder where or what he would do next. He felt he was going through a phase of public humiliation. Yet he persevered and decided to pursue his beloved profession. Despite the rejection, he was convinced of his love for his job and this prompted him to enter into one of the most creative periods of his life. In the next five years he started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, got married, and started a family. Pixar went on to create the world's first computer-animated feature film, "Toy Story," and today is regarded as the most successful animation studio in the world. He learned that at times life hits you with a brick, but you should never lose faith. Be in love with what you do, and believe that it is great work.
The third story is about death. When he was 17 he read a quote that went something like "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." When he was fifty he was diagnosed with a terminal cancer. He was asked to say his goodbyes to friends and family. This had a lasting impression on his life. The thought of death made him value his life even more. He realised that every moment of his life was precious. He said, "Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice, heart, and intuition." On further investigation the doctors diagnosed it to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. He ended his speech saying "stay hungry and stay foolish." Pursue your goals with an ardent desire to fulfill your deepest longing to do what you love doing.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Friday, August 04, 2006
The World is Flat
A Newyork Times award winning editor Thomas L. Friedman writes about the new revolution that is changing the face of business today. He asks the pertinent question, "Where were you when the world went flat?" The internet is a powerful channel to bring the world to your door step. In his latest book, The World is Flat, Friedman describes how Xrays of someone in the USA can be read by a radiologist in India, or your travel agent could be someones grand mother sitting at home in a bath robe.
He goes on to explain that the lowering of the trade and political barriers and the fast paced internet revolution has enabled this transformation in the global business environment. The communication lines between people all across the globe have become so cheap that he says
” Today, “individuals and small groups of every color of the rainbow will be able to plug and play.”
He ends his book with a story about Abraham George who started Shanthi Bhavan. A school started for very poor untouchable children of India, who are given a good quality education. George believes that when these children receive a world class education they can aspire for careers that they would never have imagined if they remained in their poor living conditions. The world today needs more people who use their imagination to have a vision for the positive growth for the world, who will bring about the stability that the world needs.
Friedman says that those who live with bad memories of exploitation and terrorism will be those who will continue to imagine ways to unleash their anger. He makes us ponder why some peoples life's path makes them to strive for the joy of destruction, while others journey through the path that leads them through the joy of creation. He says we need people who wake up every morning with new ideas, and are willing to use their imagination to make this a better world.
He goes on to explain that the lowering of the trade and political barriers and the fast paced internet revolution has enabled this transformation in the global business environment. The communication lines between people all across the globe have become so cheap that he says
” Today, “individuals and small groups of every color of the rainbow will be able to plug and play.”
He ends his book with a story about Abraham George who started Shanthi Bhavan. A school started for very poor untouchable children of India, who are given a good quality education. George believes that when these children receive a world class education they can aspire for careers that they would never have imagined if they remained in their poor living conditions. The world today needs more people who use their imagination to have a vision for the positive growth for the world, who will bring about the stability that the world needs.
Friedman says that those who live with bad memories of exploitation and terrorism will be those who will continue to imagine ways to unleash their anger. He makes us ponder why some peoples life's path makes them to strive for the joy of destruction, while others journey through the path that leads them through the joy of creation. He says we need people who wake up every morning with new ideas, and are willing to use their imagination to make this a better world.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
World's Greatest Investor for Good
Warren Buffett, the world's most admired investor and second richest man, plans to donate 85 per cent ($44 billion) of his wealth to charity. More than 83 per cent of Buffett's stock of Berkshire Hathway will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is already worth about $30 billion. This foundation gives grant for medical research and education. Warren Buffett is convinced that Bill Gates will be able to disperse it better than anybody else in the world. Bill hopes to eliminate 20 of the top diseases in the world today and better the system of education. Melinda Gates looks towards finding a vacine for the AIDS virus.
The two simple values on which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is based upon are
* All lives—no matter where they are being led—have equal value.
* To whom much has been given, much is expected.
This is probably the largest donation by an individual that has been made in recent years. His astute understanding of this world and the needs of the people has prompted him to make this very generous donation. His magnamity is being well received all over the world. In a world that is being torn apart by wars and rumours of wars it is great to see the impact of the lives of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.
An extract from Wikipedia on the life that Warren Buffett leads.
"Despite his immense wealth, Buffett is famous for his unpretentious and frugal lifestyle. He continues to live in the same house in Omaha he bought in 1958 for $31,500, although he also owns a summer house in Laguna Beach, California. His annual salary from Berkshire Hathaway of $100,000 is nominal by the standards of senior executive remuneration in the United States."
The two simple values on which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is based upon are
* All lives—no matter where they are being led—have equal value.
* To whom much has been given, much is expected.
This is probably the largest donation by an individual that has been made in recent years. His astute understanding of this world and the needs of the people has prompted him to make this very generous donation. His magnamity is being well received all over the world. In a world that is being torn apart by wars and rumours of wars it is great to see the impact of the lives of Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.
An extract from Wikipedia on the life that Warren Buffett leads.
"Despite his immense wealth, Buffett is famous for his unpretentious and frugal lifestyle. He continues to live in the same house in Omaha he bought in 1958 for $31,500, although he also owns a summer house in Laguna Beach, California. His annual salary from Berkshire Hathaway of $100,000 is nominal by the standards of senior executive remuneration in the United States."
Friday, June 23, 2006
Microfinance
2005 was declared as the year of Microcredit by the UN. Loans as small as $100 can foster growth for a small business which in turn provides financial support for the their families, and growth in their local economies.
The growing need for Microfinance has brought many organizations forward as a means to fight poverty and hunger. It has changed the lives of many people and enabled them to lead better lives. This is not in any way to be considered as charity but a vehicle to free the chains of poverty and unemployment from those of low income households. The World Bank have been working with a variety of financial institutions, worldwide, to make lending to the poor profitable and find ways for poor self-employed to repay their loans and find savings opportunities.
The growing need for Microfinance has brought many organizations forward as a means to fight poverty and hunger. It has changed the lives of many people and enabled them to lead better lives. This is not in any way to be considered as charity but a vehicle to free the chains of poverty and unemployment from those of low income households. The World Bank have been working with a variety of financial institutions, worldwide, to make lending to the poor profitable and find ways for poor self-employed to repay their loans and find savings opportunities.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
World Cup fever exposes countries with poor infrastructure
In Bangladesh soccer fans are not happy after multiple power failures. Protesters wielding bamboo sticks attacked an electricity office for the power failures.
In Ghana the gold mines have been told to shut down power consumption during matches, as televisions suck up a lot of power.
The need for better infrastructure is a world wide problem. Even in India if the power fails during cricket matches or big TV sitcoms, the electricity department has to bear the brunt of the angry mobs.
In Ghana the gold mines have been told to shut down power consumption during matches, as televisions suck up a lot of power.
The need for better infrastructure is a world wide problem. Even in India if the power fails during cricket matches or big TV sitcoms, the electricity department has to bear the brunt of the angry mobs.
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