Wednesday, June 29, 2011

At The Buspark


I had been House Captain of one of the four senior houses. There were two junior houses, four senior houses, and then there was Gaurishankar, where people who stayed on to do O Levels and A Levels - Senior Cambridge stuff - stayed. Back then in Nepal school was 10 years. Then you sat for the nationwide School Leaving Certificate (SLC) exams. And if you passed, maybe you went to college. But high school was 12 years in places like America and Britain. And this British founded and run top school in Nepal had introduced O Levels, A Levels. Half of the students in Class 10 were selected to do O Levels. Half of those were selected to do A Levels. And this was already a school where you got into in Class 4 after sitting through nationwide entrance exams.

O Levels was two years in Britain, one year at this school. So you finished school in 13 years.

We had three vacations: summer, Dashain/Tihar, and winter. Dashain would be the Nepali Christmas. I was not from Kathmandu. Kathmandu is a valley, the capital. Half the students at school were from outside the valley. I was one of them. The valley students got to go home about once a month for a weekend. We went home for the three vacations.
Kathmandu store, NepalImage via Wikipedia
I had given an excellent year as House Captain. We won pretty much every competition there was, academic, sports and otherwise. Morale was super high. The grades of the students went up across the board. I personally took charge of one student a year junior to me who was considered struggling. His marks were up by 20% across the board by the time I was through.

And a fight broke out on the soccer field. We won the match, there was a fight. I learned about it later. It apparently escalated. It erupted in the dining hall later, and one or two places on campus. I heard.

Our official color was blue. The red house were the sore losers.

But then things quietened down, or so I thought.

I had been the top student in my class every year to that point.

Circles: My Idea

The Sean Parker Analogy



This is weird. I am watching this video. And I am at the 27 minute mark, and I am like this is weird.

I am not into smartphones either. I mean, I don't even have one. I don't have a regular phone. I have a barebones prepaid. And the guy pulled out a primitive phone.

I am not into gaming. Reality is more fascinating than fiction. My World Of Warcraft is the crowd action across the Arab world. That's my "gaming."

I don't do product/coding stuff. For me it is about the user experience. Third parallel.

I don't care about money. But it is a good measuring tool. It is necessary fluidity. I have to convince myself it is about curing poverty for me to be able to think in terms of big money. If it is just, just, just about me, I am just fine where I am, and I need to find a new place to live by July 1.

That white male, how did he know these things?

White Male Conspiracy To Drive Me Homeless
Sean Parker, Billionaire, Was Really Poor Once
The Day I Got Called Sean Parker

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Sean Parker: Video: Facebook, MySpace

Google And Apple Playing Tetris?



When Apple revealed its new operating system, the town was abuzz. Oh no, Apple is out to kill all sorts of sexy startups! And now Google is doing the same. Some very sexy apps out there might see fierce competition from Google. It is like Walmart came to town, and the mom and pop stores are going belly up.

Apple Is All Over The News

Has Google Finally Cracked Social?


Driving Coast To Coast

I once drove coast to coast, it was about sleeping and driving, and sleeping and driving, and sleeping and driving. I wanted to get there fast. I did it. I went from the Pacific Coast to the Atlantic Coast. It was an experience.


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When Wikipedia Beats Social Media

Great early computer scientists and engineers? Alan Turing...who else?less than a minute ago via Twitterrific Favorite Retweet Reply


@jenny8lee This is where Wikipedia beats social media. :-) Or, long live Google.less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet Reply

Stanley Clarke: Spanish Phrases For Strings And Bass



(Via Whitney McNamara)

Babycastles Awesome Party In Williamsburg

In Williamsburg for the Babycastles party. 1st person to show. Trick: be punctual. Just the ambience. Tempting music.less than a minute ago via txt Favorite Retweet Reply


Monday, June 27, 2011

Google Nexus Prime On The Way

Which phone will be my first smartphone? Nexus Prime has as good a shot as any if it shows up fast enough. My first tablet will also be an Android, but only if it compares to the iPad in feel, and is super cheap. I am not paying 500 for a tablet. I paid 330 for my current laptop. And that is why the Chromebook is a fail for me right now: it is not cheap enough for me. Hello Michael, as in Michael Dell.



VentureBeat: Google’s first Android 4.0 phone may be Samsung’s Nexus Prime
MobileCrunch: New Details On Google's Next Nexus: Now Known As Nexus “Prime,” Built By Samsung
CNet: Is this buttonless phone the next Nexus handset?