Governments need to crowd source Actionable Insights

Indian Cities are beginning to crowd source Actionable Information! 

The Road Transport Department (Govt of India) is asking Citizens to take and upload photos of traffic offenders/ wrong parking, for which they get rewarded. BBMP (Bengaluru Civic Agency) has tied up with a FM Station, asking Citizens to report on the non-functioning street lights and are attending to it in a few hours' time. Incredible. Hyderabad City Traffic Police is now crowd sourcing videos of traffic offenders and while the Offenders' Licenses get suspended, the Citizen Journalists get Cash rewards for the information. Too cool. We bash up the Government and the Bureaucracy at the slightest provocation usually. It's only fair that we applaud when they do good work.  Want more. Need more.

Life changes post Starting up: Entrepreneurship

My ex-colleague who has recently started his own business, had dropped by recently, and we spoke about how Entrepreneurship is different from being employed. He spoke about how life has changed and the adjustments he's made at home, to ensure he continues chasing his dream. Couldn't agree more with him. There are so many things that change when you become an Entrepreneur/ startup your company. Risks that you take, Challenges you face and the Mental Battles you go through, which are different from the days you were employed. Offered to listen to him every time he feels stressed or anxious, coz there are times and instances in an Entrepreneur's life that even his spouse won't relate to, while a fellow Entrepreneur may. If you're an Entrepreneur, make friends with other fellow Entrepreneurs. And if you've made it to the top, please drop the rope for someone else.

Data Privacy Fears - well founded?

So, we allow Google to track our location. Apparently, Google does track when we don't allow as well. Google knows what we're looking for, and keeps track, so "it can personalize". But it can also use the data in a zillion other ways. We voluntarily give away so much personal data on Facebook, that anyone who wants to peep into our lives, doesn't have to work hard. And now, we have invited strangers over, who're slowly becoming "Family" - Siri, Alexa, Jarvis & Ok Google. What's the chance that they're listening in on conversations, WITHOUT the 'wake word/ gesture'?  What's the chance we're living in the Big Brother/ Big Boss home, and just don't know it yet? The Truman Show, anyone? And we will have more guests over, soon - In living rooms, in cars, in Offices and in bedrooms; who understand gestures, recognise facial emotions and may actually walk about home. This apart, various Intelligence agencies can snoop in, at the snap of a finger, pretty much. Hackers can hack their way into what they please. If you're a believer, God may be watching over us too :) And we fret over Privacy!

Entrepreneur's musings

An Entrepreneur has many things on her mind. Always. Simultaneously. It's good to not have anything on mind, sometimes. It's good to not control and let it flow, sometimes. It's good to unwind and let it be, sometimes. It's good to skip work and just play, sometimes. It's good to spend time with family, and not just money on them, whenever possible. This nothingness would then inspire moments of brilliance. And that would be good, most times.

Unique Unemployment Problem in India

There is an uniqueness to the Unemployment problem in India -  1. Open roles don't get filled on time, due to lack of Tech skill, Communication or other reasons. 2. On the other hand, there is a eligible and skill-ready population - including Senior Citizens, Home makers and College kids, who may be willing to work part-time/ flexi hours but don't find relevant opportunities. While there are some platforms coming up, to connect this Talent with Opportunities, it's still not enough and not mainstream yet. How can we do more to plug this gap?