Focus on solutions

I clearly remember a certain lecture delivered by Dr A. Ravindran during one of his classes on Inventory Management where he spoke about "simple solutions are not always the best."He took the example of a businessman who proposed the idea of a 50% safety stock and by using normal safety stock calculations it was often found out that 50% safety stock is too high a figure.

Well true maybe simple solutions are not always good,but sometimes when we try to focus on the solution we can save a lot of money in industry and our daily lives.Here are two cases which i received in an email forward:

Case 1

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink won't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million.They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater,in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range
from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil.

Case 2

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly
line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.

Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt,they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on,and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Moral: 1. Always look for simple solutions…

2. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem.

"Dark" temptation

Before going to the US,I had little idea about dark beer.I had heard about a few varieties which are manufactured by Indian beer companies like Haywards but were not very popular .My initial impression of American beer was based on companies such as Bud light,Miller lite and Coors light none of which I found to be palatable .So when one of my beer buddies from NIT asked about US beers I gave him a very poor feedback.The first time I had a dark beer with my friend Cedric,I didn't have a good impression either.It was Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout a variety I would relish today but then,didn't really like it .I was not given a good impression of Guinness by Cedric,who wasn't a big Guinness fan.Today Guinness is amongst my favorite beers.Over a period of time,I have developed a taste for good dark beers and individual American breweries which are big local names but need not be the biggest international players make really amazing beer.Funny thing,most of the people in the world base their impression of American beer on Coors ,Miller and Bud,which an American guy once described as "Dude,you kidding me!!That stuff's just a piss in a can". Oh yeah I agree with him.The Pennsylvania brewed Yuengling Porter is a great beer,but my favorite currently is Dead Guy Ale of Rogue Breweries,Oregon Not all dark beers are good,Shiner bock based in Shiner ,Texas isn't the best of the lot I had.But I often ask myself,what is it in dark beer that makes me want it all the more? The taste of course.Besides,I abide by the beer manifesto which is as follows:

BEER MANIFESTO
I. We hold that beer is a superior beverage.

II. We hold that beer is worthy of passion.

III. We hold that beer enlivens spirits.

IV. We hold that beer is not an abstraction but a concrete reality which occured in the past, occurs in this living present and will occur in the future.

V. Beer is made from basic ingredients of water, malt, hops and yeast.

VI. Beer occurs as a result of a naturally occuring process which can be adapted and reproduced by anyone.

VII. Beer flavors occur as a result of radical discontinuity between the old existence of its ingredients and their new existence as beer.

VIII. Beer thus obtains widely varying degrees of complexity based on its ingredients and the brewing process.

IX. Some beer is produced and exchanged as a consumer good.

X. Some beer is produced but consumed in the home.

XI. Consumer tastes are widely varied.

XII. Those that produce beer for sale too often hold their profits in greater regard than their product.

XIII. Large scale brewers have ruined beer.

All true beer lovers will agree with me on the above!!

Reminisicing New York City

Since early morning today I was lost in my thoughts which took me back in time to the day before Thanksgiving 08' when I went to New York City for the first time in my life.Many people have asked me"What is it about New York ,you like so much.Its a crowd congested city".This is very difficult to explain to a person who hasn't been born and brought up in a city.Yes,nature's creations are very beautiful.Springs and brooks,the beauty of the fall when leaves turn red,lush green pastures,everything is fine.Do I like them?Yes I do.Would I want to live amongst them? No ,not for more than a couple of days.It is exceedingly boring if you have been born and brought up in a big city to live even in a small town.That is the reason why NYC fascinates me so much.Perhaps its not me alone as many of my friends who love NYC also feel the same way."Wow,what a city,I wish I could live here".
The journey began on a chilly day with the temperature nearing zero degrees Celsius.I caught the NJ transit from New Brunswick and arrived at a crowded Penn station in New York.The moment I stepped out from the Penn Station,it was an extraordinary feeling .I was feeling a bit out of place in Manhattan with almost everyone wearing a topcoat or a peacoat.So I entered into a store to buy myself a topcoat ,which gave me a great feeling.Shopping in New York can be an amazing experience.Times Square,Broadways,Madame Tussuad's wax museum,one can go on and on.New York has an amazing culture whether it is fashion,the variety of cuisine, art ,theater or jazz music .The public transportation system in New York is excellent and the people are very helpful and friendly towards tourists.
Statue of liberty!!Thats what most foreigners associate USA with.It was amazing to see the statue of liberty,though I must say it is the glamor associated with New York that I will remember it most for.After having lived in a small town in India for the past 4 yrs and now living in a small town in US,my occasional trips to a big city whether it is Bangalore in India or New York in US,I get an immense satisfaction.Oh yes,I would love to live amongst the crowd and the broadways,the restaurants,pubs,shopping malls ,street food and glamor,and that is why I love big cities amongst which New York takes the cake.
So yeah,I love New York,Viva New York!!!

Is it worth the hype? Yeah,it sure is!!!

What am I talking about? Slumdog Millionaire,the movie which has been hitting the headlines right from LA to Chennai,with A.R Rahman receiving a hero's welcome for his awards.The movie indeed has lived upto its hype.I decided to the choose this movie over my regular afternoon siesta and I sure wasn't dissapointed. Excellent storyline,with some extraordinary perfomances and A.R Rahman's music adding the perfect touch for a very sucessful movie which indeed is being hailed as one of the best movies of 2008-09.I would completely agree to it,despite all the controversy surrounding it of "protraying India in a bad light" I feel this movie is indeed a celebration of life and is truly inspirational.As far as the critcism is concerned it isn't difficult to see it is coming from people in Bollywood who haven't been successful at an international level.A touch of jealousy,eh monsieurs? I think the Oscar committee will have its task cut out this time regarding the best picture,with Dark Knight being extremely sucessful and a great movie by itself.So lets keep our fingers crossed...oh what the hell,just enjoy great movies!!