Faster than Light

I thought about it couple of years back, didn't thought that it will get real in my life. One other item will be added in this new world will be multiple dimensions more than what we know today. Look on following post for more on this:

Out of Three Dimensional world
http://techtalk-ns.blogspot.com/2008/03/out-of-three-dimensional-world.html

(Reuters) - An international team of scientists said on Thursday they had recorded sub-atomic particles traveling faster than light -- a finding that could overturn one of Einstein's long-accepted fundamental laws of the universe. more...

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/22/us-science-light-idUSTRE78L4FH20110922

Swiss candidate's platform: PowerPoint

The 51-year-old former software developer-turned public speaking coach is so convinced of the evils of PowerPoint that he formed an entire political party based on his cause. He is now an official Anti PowerPoint Party (APPP) candidate in the upcoming Swiss parliamentary elections. more...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/09/03/switzerland.anti.powerpoint/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Trial, error and the God complex

Tim Harford: Trial, error and the God complex | Video on TED.com

Driven off the Road by M.B.A.s

Bob Lutz, the former Vice Chairman of General Motors, is the most famous also-ran in the auto business. In the course of his 47-year rampage through the industry, he's been within swiping range of the brass ring at Ford, BMW, Chrysler and, most recently, GM, but he's never landed the top gig. It's because he "made the cars too well," he says. It might also have something to do with the fact that Maximum Bob, who could double as a character on Mad Men, is less an éminence grise than a pithy self-promoter who has a tendency to go off corporate message. That said, his new book, Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business, has a message worth hearing. To get the U.S. economy growing again, Lutz says, we need to fire the M.B.A.s and let engineers run the show.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2081930,00.html#ixzz1VVd5Ef3s

The disposable academic

One thing many PhD students have in common is dissatisfaction. Some describe their work as “slave labour”. Seven-day weeks, ten-hour days, low pay and uncertain prospects are widespread. You know you are a graduate student, goes one quip, when your office is better decorated than your home and you have a favourite flavour of instant noodle. “It isn’t graduate school itself that is discouraging,” says one student, who confesses to rather enjoying the hunt for free pizza. “What’s discouraging is realising the end point has been yanked out of reach.”

More....

http://www.economist.com/node/17723223?story_id=17723223

Science

Is Natural Science finally committed to materialism? There is no doubt that the theories of science constitute trustworthy knowledge, because they are verifiable and enable us to predict and control the events of Nature. But we must not forget that what is called science is not a single systematic view of Reality. It is a mass of sectional views of Reality fragments of a total experience which do not seem to fit together. Natural Science deals with matter, with life and with mind; but the moment you ask the question how matter, life and mind are mutually related, you begin to see the sectional character of the various sciences that deal with them and the inability of these sciences, taken singly, to furnish a complete answer to your question. In fact, the various natural sciences are like so many vultures falling on the dead body of Nature, and each running away with a piece of its flesh. Nature as the subject of science is a highly artificial affair, and this artificiality is the result of that selective process to which science must subject her in the interests of precision. The moment you put the subject of science in the total of human experience it begins to disclose a different character. (Iqbal)

Next Generation Professions

There is nothing like a doctor or engineer in future they need to be developed in completely mix professions. Doctors need to be engineer and mathematician and other way around an Engineer need to know more about nature.
This was the case few hundred years before but then we move to a narrow down version of these professions and now are the time to merge these qualities again to take the next step in humanity.
There are enough examples in Chinese, ancient Greece, Arabic golden age.

Current education system is not capable to deliver the professionals of tomorrow. The education system is already got outdated, most of the things people study in their academic time are not any more useable in the practical field. There is some change currently going on in some universities for example MIT is doing big steps to update things for future, an example can be seen on following link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/13/us/13physics.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1

But still it is not what the NG professionals will look like, this way a good physicist can be produced but not an inventor of next generation. We need bottom to top complete change in the education system, and continue change. Not only the one time change rather a change after every few years.

Surviving in the new world

The world is flat or round, it is divided in Continents or close as Global Village, one thing is sure that it is changing on high pace. Globalization is not a new phenomena, people who had studies history knows that Roman, Persian or Egyptian empires was as Global as EU, USA or China today. The trade of Silk Road is the one of few well known examples. Residents of this world were exchanging goods and services from very beginning of the human race. The only difference between the Global Village of today and past is speed of communication and transport. In history it took generations to see the effect of innovation. Following are just few examples how the collaboration happen at Global level during different historic periods:
The Sumerians the first known civilization started farming around 9000 BCE. It took 2000 years to reach India, 3000 years to Egypt and 4000 years to China. About 2700 BCE, agriculture had come to America. It was the time period when it requires thousands of years to bring innovation from one part of the world to other parts.
The paper was produced as early as 3500 BC in Egypt. China started early paper making around 105 AD. Use of paper for writing was common in China in this time and later on in Middle East (Baghdad) around 700 AD papers was widely used for books. In this period adoption of an innovation from one part of the world to other part took few hundred years.
From 8th till 12th century technology and innovation took other leap frog under Umayyad Caliphate in Al-Andalus (South Spain). In this time if some thing was innovated it took less than 100 years to be spread around the world. The collaboration and sharing of knowledge gets faster around the world. The next era started from 17th century till 19th century, where it took just 10s of years that a new technology and innovation was known in entire world.
In 20th century it took just a year and specially in last quarter days for some thing to be invented in one part of the world and got known in other part. From last 10 years the information exchange around the world need only few seconds depending on Optical cable path and speed of light. Exchange of knowledge and collaboration was done world wide from the beginning of human race it is just the speed what changed over the period. I am sure it will not stop here, we will see during 21st century that communication can be done faster than speed of light.
It is to be notice that time of adoption gets shorter in the same manner as spread of knowledge and technology. Now the question is how it is affecting our life. A kid born in Sumerians time does not see a big change until his death due to slow movement of technology and adoption. Even until 18th century knowledge gain in early youth was enough to survive till death. So that normal jobs stays same in one to two generations. The people got retired 10 years before might have seen the same that the knowledge they gain during their studies was valid and useable. But they still needed some upgrades every 10 or 5 years. I am sure that the people started their jobs 20 years before see it completely different as they need to update faster and adjust them self according to new environment.
From human resource perspective now it does not matter how much experience some body have, what matter is the speed with which some one can learn some thing new. In order to survive in this ever changing world we need to learn how to adopt change and how to learn fast. A best employ is not who think to work until retirement in the same company rather a best employ is the one who can adopt to change. An employer needs to adopt processes where some one new can be integrated fast and leaving person can be replaced faster. The alarming part is our education system which is still build on 18th and 19th century principles. Governments and educationists need to reform the education system, and this need to be done every 5 years. The change will not slow down now rather the speed will increase. It might look bizarre but I think it is not far that we will invent the ways to communicate much faster than light. I agree with Lisa Randall when she says that there are many more dimensions than what we know today and I think next way of communication have to do some thing with one of new dimension we will invent.

Ricardo Semler - Catalyst of Change

I am impressed by this Brazilian guy due to his innovative ideas about running a successful business.
Could be good learning point for Higher Management of dull and dump blue chips.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2003/apr/27/theobserver.observerbusiness7
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/302/
http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/308/

I enjoyed these lectures and would completely agree with Ricardo's ideas. There are still things can be improved or changed depending on industry segment but in general this is the way for future.

Thomas Friedman on Internet and Green Future

Here is a very interesting speech from Thomas Friedman on today's society, Internet and future of Green energy. I will suggest every one to spare some time to hear this speech.

http://ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/global/milestone/ocw1800-keynote.mp4

French court says site cannot grade teachers

A very interesting news, this shows how internet can change the way people behave. Just image if there will be site where people start writing about their doctors and other service personals. I think this can bring alot of business for some people and some of them can get jobless ;-) (Darwin's Law)

http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6232855.html

In my opinion this is not bad thing, i will my self prefer a doctor or teacher for my kid who can deal my kid responsibly.