IDEATE, INNOVATE & GENERATE

‘Ideation is not a synonym for innovation, conformity is not its simple antonym, and innovation is not the automatic consequence of “creative thinking.”.’

- Theodore Levitt

To ideate is not merely the faculty or capacity of the mind for forming ideas or the act of the mind by which objects of sense are apprehended and retained as objects of thought, as any dictionary states. It is more than just generating ideas. This contemporaneous Buzzword represents the creative process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas, where an idea is acknowledged as a basic element of thought, that can be visual, concrete, or abstract. And as such, it is an essential part of the design process, both in education and in practice. 

Today’s youth are not short of dreams. Some dream of cars, bikes and such thrills and some dream of future and someone special, yet there are some who don’t just dream small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men. Aye! Such dreamers don’t just dream they act; they not only believe, but also plan. Such men and women have long in their strides towards fulfillment, left their mark upon both history and society. Their ideas and ideals have pulled man and machine to the present eminence.

Way back in 1642 a 19 year old, trying to find an easy way out of doing some monotonous drudgery developed and built the mechanical adding machine, Blaise Pascal was his name and no school had taught him such craft. When Louis Braille was 15 years old, he developed an ingenious system of reading and writing by means of raised dots. Today, in virtually every language throughout the world, Braille is the standard form of writing and reading, used by the visually challenged people.

Rebecca Schroeder from Toledo, Ohio, USA was ten when she became an inventor, obtained a patent for her invention in 1974. She improved upon the idea over the next few years, eventually calling it the Glo-Sheet. The Glo-Sheet is a battery operated photo-luminescent used in many places, it basically acts as low intensity backlight. Photographers used them in their darkrooms, critics found them perfect for taking notes in dark theaters, and emergency medical technicians used them in ambulances, doctors use them so they can check patient's notes in the dark without waking them up and the US Navy and NASA use them extensively.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge” - Albert Einstein; the youth of today are definitely not lacking in their ability to imagine, the level of knowledge, skill and amount of interaction is far greater than that was in the yesteryears. Yet this raw dynamism has not produced much greatness, nor has this potent treasure hive harnessed? Fantasy united with reason, is the mother of the arts and the origin of marvels, yet seldom do the twain meet.

The late Harvard Professor Theodore Levitt was clearly referring to the youths, who are filled with new ideas and a passion to achieve them when he spoke about ideating. And he was right when he said it is not merely innovation, it was something else “entirely”. Nevertheless this “entirely” is seldom found in reality. Lack of means is one of the main reasons for not realizing ideas; another is dearth of financial sustenance and want of information, mainly appropriate techniques of getting things done. The art of turning dreams into reality is a lot more strenuous than envisaging, though not as intricate.

In most cases any kind of creative spark is more likely to be doused by a torrent of preset beliefs than cooled by lack of resources and the support of peers. The conversion of an idea to a product or service involves many elements like the idea, what resources you need, how to procure them, how to overcome shortcomings, Process Procedure that’s involved, budget requirements; the legal hassles that may arise are some of the major roadblock faced.

Many new ideas thus have to be realized by scavenging funds, materials and information, and of course trying out various techniques. History has proven time after time that this type of foraging is the basis of many products - original prototyping. Innovators like Thomas Alva Edison and George Washington Carver have attained their recognition not by waiting for resources to be brought to them, rather they have gone seeking their resources wither it was funds or some rare piece of hardware or obscure scarp of information. It is this type of quest that ideating youngsters must pursue to obtain the necessities to achieve their goal. Closer home, Inventors like Anadish Kumar Pal or like the late Gopalswamy Doraiswamy Naidu known as the Edison of India have proven that by soliciting resource on their own as they moved from ideating to inventing

Where there's a will there's a way. Seek what you desire and you shall find it. It is not impossible for a person who is acutely tenacious, with enough perseverance, a clear cut desire of what they want, can attain whatever resources that are needed for their endeavor. Rome was never built in day nor can your dreams be attained in one; you’ll have to be patient and persistent as you overcome the inevitable and innumerable hurdles that life is seemingly full of. Remember as you chug along the dreary road of life, every step you have taken in the right direction is vital to the outcome you seek.

Sale! Sale! News at 50%OFF (Till Stocks Last)

Sensationalism of news.... is the new age mantra of the media companies... they aim not only to inform but rather they overwhelm the viewers with the same piece of news played over and over again in a seamless cycle of debauchery.... The viewers are subjected to this affliction of information, overkill by these 24X7 news channels which under the cover of providing uninterrupted news (anytime news)... cause the viewers to over react, by overloading them with information to the point of becoming nauseous.

Another common tactic is the skewed presentation of news, so that one side of the story is shown until the viewers are saturated in it... then viola... new information suddenly seems to surface then the cycle is repeated all over again, albeit now it is the other side of the story. This incident of course, is news or rather, this particular news has a shelf till the ‘Next big thing’. Then its old news – a passable mention – an interesting update. Today’s media companies have many wonderful sweet sounding slogans that are designed to show their distinction from their competitors and their commitment to the 4th estate. However, what I feel is that these corporate battle cries are nothing more than camouflages to the simplest business truth – more sales… more money. And sale they do... the same news is sold shamelessly with the only difference being the packaging. Each media house has its own style of wrapper.However, in the end it’s the same stuff, different package

What does all this sensationalism in the news mean? Sex, money, violence…scandals of any sort…. especially when related to celebrities rakes in money, plenty of it, for the network that breaks the news. Never mind that in 30-60 minutes, the rest of the networks would have started streaming the same thing. The trick is to get hold of the news first, get it faster to the viewer, and milk the exclusivity to the max. And milk they do - more than a starving calf in drought/lean year.

News stories are often perceived (rightfully or mistakenly) as partisan or biased due to the sensational nature in which they are reported. A media piece may report on a political figure in a biased way or present one side of an issue while deriding another, or neutrally, it may simply include sensational aspects. Complex subjects and affairs are often subject to sensationalism to the point where the very essence of the issues becomes tainted with confusion. Exciting and emotionally charged aspects can be drawn out without providing elements such as relevant background, investigative, or contextual information needed for the viewer to form his or her opinion on the subject, which is gross infringement of the viewer’s right to NEWS.

And does all this matter to us? For you, me, anyone for that matter who depend on the media for information about the real world, the answer is bound to be, yes. Learning the truth about what’s going on in the world is hard enough, now, we must deal with these ‘news manufacturers’ whose idea of a good story is a reflection of prime-time soap-operas, plus or minus a few facts.

But if one were to wonder why this staggering amount of sensationalism floods the news, the answer, I’m afraid - however nasty and caustic - that the bulk of the blame for this, does not lay with the business minded corporation, no matter how greedy, who’s flawless understanding of the consumer but (our) unsatisfying thirsty nature for news, which they conveniently fill.

I’m Back

To all ya wonderful ppl who actually bother to read my blog (thanks a ton) sorry for the really long, i mean really looong delay, been a bit busy…. Ok ok I was a lot lazy.

But I’m back and am gonna keep posting as often as I can and should. So till my next post cya.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL EXPEDITION

Indians in space will not anymore be like just Rakesh Sharma, Kalpana Chawla or Sunitha Williams। ISRO is planning to put Indians in space by Indians. We will not have to hop piggy baggy on other people’s goodwill gestures. We can, will and should show the world that we too can master complex space age technologies, not depend on foreign powers for help. That was the message that came loud and clear on Monday, in Hyderabad during the 58th International Astronautical Congress.

India is planning to conduct 60 space missions over the next five years to achieve multiple objectives in navigation, positioning, advanced communications, space transportation, earth observation and space science, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Prithviraj Chavan said।

"Our space program is inspired by the vision of self-reliance and priority to use space technology for accelerating national development। In line with the aspirations of a billion-strong people, our scientists and technocrats have the capability to produce world class satellites and launch vehicles to position them in different earth orbits," Chavan said.

Over 2,000 delegates, including heads of global space agencies and other dignitaries from 45 countries, participated in the Congress and Chavan said space technology had become an indispensable tool in the quest for progress in economic, social and cultural fields।

"Vantage perspective from space has enabled us to understand the complex processes related to weather, natural resources and earth's environment and its eco-system।

"Our communications and remote-sensing satellites have strengthened our voice-data networks and television broadcasting infrastructure, improved our weather observation methods, disaster-mitigation support and the ability to manage natural resources," Chavan said.
Referring to the multiple benefits of space applications, Chavan added that tele-education; tele-medicine and village ITES resource centers across the country had brought about a paradigm shift in India's approach to provide literacy, healthcare and knowledge to the needy, especially those living in rural and remote or inaccessible regions।

"Space applications and technology have begun to play a crucial role in meeting the challenges of education, health services, disaster management and bridging the digital divide between the haves and have-nots," Chavan pointed out।

In this context, the minister called upon space-faring nations to maintain the space environment with an ethical legal framework for the optimal utilization of space resources and preventing it from becoming another battlefield in future।

"In a world of growing conflicts and terror, protection of space assets is paramount for all. A robust system to protect space assets used for military, commercial or societal applications has to be put in place through legal, technical and cooperative mechanism," Chavan noted.
With advances in space exploration becoming expensive and risky, Chavan expressed concern over the asymmetry in policy and regulatory environment as applicable to commercial space activities in transfer of technology and market access।

"Time has come for a pro-active policy on the dual use of technology, capacity building and equal access to space resources. The space-faring nations should facilitate greater role for private investment in explorations, infrastructure building and technology development, keeping in view the changing policy environment in the post-cold war era," he added.

Soon India will join the ranks of Countries like US, Russia, in having the capability of sending humans to space and bringing them back. The day is not far off when Indian astronauts will set foot on the moon. India cannot sit back and watch. China and Japan have already started their lunar missions. We should not be left behind in this race. We have already proved our emergent capability by the indigenously developed PSLV and GSLV; we also have mastered a rudimentary but successful technology of reentry capable vehicles (SRE-1). In the not so distant future, Indians will join elite club of space travel proficient countries.

Racing Down Delhi’s Roads

Racing Down Delhi’s Roads

“India has moved one step closer to hosting its first ever Formula One race. That after IOA President Suresh Kalmadi met with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and was handed two draft contracts to that end.

Two alternative sites have been identified and a date has been fixed. Now what's needed in the immediate future is the money that will turn that draft into a proper contract that can seal the deal.

The F1 group has turned its conditional offer for a Formula One race in India into a more concrete reality.

They've handed the Indian Olympic Association drafts of a Race Promotion Contract and a Circuit Right Agreement. The plan is for Delhi to host a race in early 2010, possibly March.

The immediate order of business for the IOA is to select one between Greater Noida and Sohna, the two sites shortlisted by Herman Tilke, the F1's chief architect who visited Delhi last fortnight.

Kalmadi says that will happen within the next month after……..”

For more info: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/showsports.aspx?id=SPOEN20070026387

IOA President Suresh Kalmadi now wants to add to the already over flowing, overcrowded city a Formula One race track. There is hardly a space in the City, the 15 million people who live Delhi can explain to you a lot better about the crowd there. With the Commonwealth games being conducted in 2010 Delhi is going to need more space to spread out, given the number of the venues planned (more than 10). The city transport systems are overflowing and ineffective. The preparation for 2010 commonwealth games have not done much to improve the city appalling condition, some people are wondering if the city will ever be prepared to host the games in 2010.



With two events (Commonwealth games and India's first Formula One race) there is of course lot of revenue expected but will authorities be able to manage it?


There are 28 states in India, with hundreds of suitable sites each; they never chose that all those cities. I agree that Delhi is capital, which does not mean you are going to overcrowd it with so many Stadia. There are hundreds of suitable cities in this country, it not only give what we want but also improve those cities simultaneously. The infrastructure needed will eventually be paid by the revenue earned from these new facilities and from tourism and other related ventures.