Funny Ellipsis-using Boy

Pic taken from Indian National Congress' FB page

This isn't just about one politician. In fact, politics is only about such ramblings. Sometimes the ramblings come to be believed and politicians chance upon a windfall, on others they find critics like me.

Look at those words:

We want to give power to the people.

Since 'you' want to 'give power', of course who is going to hold the power. Because if you don't 'hold' power, how will you 'give'? In the case of your giving power to the people, can you specify how much power? Surely not enough to make them rise against you, right?

Your politics is our politics.

Whose politics? Poor people's? Is their hut your hut?

Your fight is our fight.

'Fight' implies an opponent. Who is that opponent? My proposal is that when we use the word 'fight', it should always be accompanied by the word 'against' and another word that is placed after 'against'.

So assuming it's FIGHT AGAINST ________. What fills the blank? Inflation? Wow! Assuming we can indulge in a 'fight against inflation', how exactly is the fight seen and measured?

What we have done so far is ensured the dumbness of most people in this country. Education hasn't been good enough to make most of us understand the dynamics of 'inflation'. If we can't completely fathom the dynamics of inflation then how do we fathom 'fight against inflation'.

Vote for him because he speaks the stuff that most of us don't understand.

Automobile is a convenient lie and traffic is exactly what it was meant to be

From wikipedia:

The word automobile comes, via the French automobile from the Ancient Greek word αὐτός (autós, "self") and the Latin mobilis ("movable"); meaning a vehicle that moves itself.

We are still struggling with artificial intelligence. Do you really believe a vehicle moves itself? Then what exactly do you do sitting in that vehicle?

Let's say you don't move the vehicle. Do you still believe that the vehicle is moving itself?

Read more from wikipedia:

The loanword was first adopted in English by The New York Times in 1899.

If the belief of/in the word 'automobile' has resulted in losses to you (I can't think of a loss that's well-articulated and measured though), time to sue the NYT :).

Wikipedia has more on the origins of the word 'car':

The alternative name car is believed to originate from the Latin word carrus or carrum ("wheeled vehicle"), or the Middle English word carre ("cart") (from Old North French), in turn these are said to have originated from the Gaulish word karros (a Gallic Chariot).

Now the concept of wheeled vehicle sounds like the true description, isn't it?

And we are also unnecessarily bothered by 'traffic'. It's meant to be just what it is. Flow but slow. Again from wikipedia:

Traffic in English is taken from the Arabic word taraffaqa, which means to walk along slowly together.

And yet we keep cursing. May be they never told us about company in traffic. We've got some nasty teachers :).

Multi-tasking, some clarification

Image source: wikipedia

A lot of us who've tried being superheroic, and tried doing things in a way that we become worthy of this appellation called 'multi-tasker', would relate to what I have found out.

For example, ever tried talking on the mobile phone or answering someone's call while brushing your teeth full of froth. How does it feel, this attempt to multi-task?

But let's say your mouth is full of froth and foam, and for a couple of minutes you ignore the call or the mobile phone ring. And once you are done with rinsing your mouth, you get to answering the call or talking on your mobile phone. How does that go?

To understand multi-tasking in the truest sense, determine whether the two/more tasks are meant to happen at the same point in time or in a sequence over a little stretch of time.

My anxious attempts at doing it the first way have put me in such inelegant spots and situations that I don't want to share them here. Currently, I am occupied with the second kind. And that is proving very very tiring.

Two more points.

Those who have developed this ability to multi-task over a stretch of time, I reckon, have mastered a very crucial skill.

Actually, a better term than multi-tasking is juggling. Conceptually and sonically, both.

"What do you want?" asks the shopkeeper

"Mug."

"Steel Mug?"

"No! Beer Mug."

"This one?"

"Yes somewhat like this, but with better design."

"Like this?"

"Ummm, not really. The earlier one was better. But I would like, ummmm, some design in red on the mug."

"Well, then..."

"Can you show me all the mugs you have?"

Words have an inverse relation with specificity! The latter demands micro-detailing. But every detail needs an additional word to be spelled out. The more micro you go, the more words needed to explain the 'micro' point.

Every additional word added to specifications rejects some products. If you want to check out a large array of products to see and feel stuff to help you determine what you want, do not deal with a lot of specifics. If you really really are sure of what you want, if your imagination's that immaculate, prepare for a good adventure.

Verbal Confusion

A friend, Subur Khan, expresses on FB:

Why the hell everyone is so politically judgmental these days... If you oppose Modi... Then you are pro congress... If you raise your voice against injustice you become traitor... Nobody ask what Big B/Ajay Devgan/Akhshay Kumar have done for Uttarakhand's victims whereas SRK/Aamir/Salman are being questioned... Suddenly FB has become more communal then that of 'rest of India'

In my response, I didn't touch upon the communal aspect because I reckon that's an off-shoot of what I call the Godly Confusion, that is Verbal Confusion. Here's my response:

Really, is that happening on your timeline!? Ha ha ha ha bollywood finds itself under fire every time something serious happens.

Part of the reason is people think they are heroes. And heroes are always meant to give others a good time, whether the times are good or bad. That's how people view it.

But bollywood is an acting industry not a heroism industry. And heroes are actors, not necessarily heroes. This verbal confusion is the source of income and is the source of pressure.

And this brings to light the deficiency in verbal education in this country. There are english speaking institutes whose mandate was just this. But then the way it happened, english speaking doesn't quite mean speaking english meaningfully. So again a verbal confusion.

All schools I guess were also meant to impart a sense of understanding meanings but since that takes effort and time, they just dropped it out of their list of objectives. Now it seems as if meaning making doesn't exist.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

Don't mind. This is early morning verbal energy.

New Duck

I have imagined something. New Duck. Now that I mention it, can you imagine the New Duck? How does it look?

Now that we are both aware of the New Duck and we both imagine the New Duck, what are the chances that the New Duck that resides in both our heads is the same?

Sure, both imagine with the same name New Duck but what are the chances that we are imagining the same New Duck?

Between two individuals who want to interact with each other, words are what are used to convey and understand imaginations, emotions, expectations, manners, behavior et al. And now you see how difficult it is to be specific?

Being specific is a skill. And it is difficult. Just plain difficult. Being able to make imagination understandable through words is a mighty skill. If anyone has mastered it, hire that person without a moment's delay.

This is a part of the reason why business plans/advices/consultation seem ridiculous. It might not be a matter of bad intention on the part of the evaluator. And it might not either be a matter of bad business plan either.

If New Duck is a product, do enough to produce a prototype like object. New Duck will be far better understandable.

Elements of persuasion

I find the following in the case of a book. I am talking about stuff found on the physical book.

1. Title
2. Author's Name
3. Visual on the Jacket
4. Appreciation/Endorsement Blurbs
5. Award/Number of Copies Sold/Motion Picture Adaptation
6. Story Idea
7. Storyline
8. Price
9. Thickness of the Book
10. Publishing House
11. Material/Binding Quality
12. Mini-reviews inside on the first few pages
13. Manner of Indexing
14. Titles filling up the Index
15. Author's Pic
16. Author's Bio

Architecture of Confusion

There's this strange being which creeps into some deep recesses of our skulls. Apparently, it is observed to make its way out through the precise hole through which human beings take in their sources of energy and survival. 

But before making its way out, it has to make its way in. So it uses two orifices on the sides of the human face and two glassy balls which see and reflect this being.

This being has enchanted so many intellectuals and fools alike. And supposedly is responsible for development of civilization too. In democracy it's considered to be the biggest part of freedom of speech.

It feels like it has truly found its home in the human skull. But on other days, it feels like human beings have truly found their homes in this being.

Yesterday morning, until I came back from the garden, I felt like life's really good. I light up my mobile phone and this being flips my feeling so thoroughly to make me feel like life's pretty ridiculous too.

But then the forms that this being manifests in is staggering. And through those forms, it makes the human beings feel like they've created amazing structures. But perhaps if a way were to be found out to reach into those deep recesses where this being resides, we might find it to be laughing out playfully watching us use its structures all over the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome the one and only one, Mr. Worrrrrrrrrdemon!

CEO or CDO?

If ever the annals of 'words that obscure understanding' is written, then this word/term will surely feature: CEO. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.

Ever wondered why work isn't satisfying? Even the kind of work that you really love? Even the kind of work that you really love in an organization/team that you really love?

The term that really hides behind the term CEO is CDO. CHIEF DECISIVE OFFICER. The guy who decides has to deliver. So has to move his ass and kick others' ass. It is the moving and kicking of asses that really gave birth to EXECUTIVE, that really made EXECUTIVE substitute DECISIVE.

But the cost of that substitution has been humungous. Satisfaction out of work.

For the organization it served good political purposes. For really, if it comes to the pin on the point, there can only be one decision and one decision-maker. And the person decision-maker has to take responsibility of all that gets executed for the decision taken. It takes balls to take responsibility. Metaphorical balls. Most fail to muster that. So meeting rooms and committees and such. On occasions when someone with balls shows up, things really change.

Try being the CDO. You'll fail. You'll succeed. You'll meddle. You'll learn. You'll get better. Every single time, a substantial leap.

Invisible Shoes

For anyone who has been into running, and has had to grapple with small or big injuries induced by running, and has spent a good deal of time picking appropriate/perfect running shoes, this is a must watch/read. And for those who are interested in marketing and communication of any sort, this is a must must watch/read.

The oxymoron called INVISIBLE SHOES. And this is a positive note (I mean no contempt coz of it's oxymoronity). Click on the link and check. You'll see 'shoes' like these.

Shoes, these are shoes? And invisible, we are saying?

These are huaraches. (This isn't news, these are already quite popular.) If you were asked to wear huaraches by a Mexican tribesman, you would've frowned. A flaunty burly inebriated guy might have even kicked that tribesman with his Nike pairs :).

In the context of running and shoes-obsessed runners, the way to cut through was take a relative position. Compared to the stuffy big running shoes, of course they can be said to be 'invisible'. They are sandals but for guys wanting 'shoes', the way to make them look at this option is to call it a 'shoe'. And to charge whatever they are charging (which isn't a big deal), the prices of current crop of shoes is a good benchmark.

I might get one of these soon enough :).

Lions and Tigers enrol for Personality Development Programs

The title is a joke.

When I was much younger, on a couple of occasions, my parents advised me to attend some personality development program. I hated the suggestion back then, I hate it even now (when offered to someone else :)). Mind you, I said 'the suggestion'. What it does mean is that I am not quite averse to the idea of 'personality development'.

Here's a perspective.

One of the popular indicators (only an indicator, no guarantee okay!) of a 'well-developed personality' is felicity with language. So people who are good at talking, at using a range of words, at structuring arguments seem to have a good personality. And this indicator seems to have been used by a lot of institutions and coaching classes to sell their PD programs.

Having observed myself over the years, the one thing that has aided in improving my skills in language is the the actual 'searching for' and 'doing of' things. The more I've tried doing things in a particular domain, the more my need to search for the most effective means to accomplish those things. And of course, searching meant asking the right questions or conveying the right ideas, which in turn means trying to use the words which are most representative of the thoughts in my head and which could be understood in the same manner by the people trying to answer my questions or trying to help me. And learning from this process for the next thing to do.

I've seen quite a few people around me attend the PD programs. Very often, the 'positive change' disappears after a while.The reason is, in all probability, not going through the process of finding more words or a better vocabulary for doing something new/better. Doing it is.

Keeping promises

Marketers are often chastised for not keeping promises. When they do keep them, we reward brands with great word of mouth.

As individuals we win the trust of our colleagues and friends by keeping our words, or rather, by delivering on our words.

What were the words you spoke to yourself? Where were the promises you made to yourself? How did you keep them? How confident you are and how much you trust your own abilities is just about that.

"Hard Work"

When I hear the words "hard work" or "work hard", I conjure up images of intense physical labor and toil. Is my perception commonly shared? If yes, in that case, if I have to convey "intense mental work/labor, work of real thinking or insight", what should the words be?