Tech Trends for 2015 (Globally)

Tech Trends for 2015 (Globally)
Innovation and technology go hand-in-hand when it comes to delivering solutions and prospective technologies for business leaders to strategize and provide rational inputs to align their business with future trends. The catch comes, where the onus is to decide which trend will be a trail-blazer and those which won’t nearly classify as a bankable technology for the near future. The opportunities become huge when one examines the rate of adoption these new technologies possess. In the minds of the consumer, any and all technological evolutions are welcome, if they are either a disruptive technology which posses the promise of changing business models or if they are enablers. Enablers are technology in which CIOs have invested effort and money. They represent new developments and potential use cases, which already come from an established business model.
Convergence continues to stand out as the tech-trend, which shines with the promise of changing and reshaping the future, the physical and digital worlds are always converging and together form the basis of a future where digital immigrants will find it easier to collaborate with digital natives.
Product advertising becomes the mainstay of digital giants using service oriented architecture (SOA) and API’s are here to stay with more and more developers gearing for a major overhaul in the way ad-optimization companies service their stakeholders. We are in for a change in the way advertising revenues drive businesses both big and small.
Data limitations will progressively be encountered and faster, cheaper and more user friendly methods will turn even the run-of-the-mill populace into an advanced user, having more and more information in hand to make sense of the environment and respond in real-time.
Sensors and wearable chips are making big waves in user-wearable technology and it’s only natural to expect devices which are more attuned to human senses whilst keeping a view of augmenting user experience and interaction.
Cloud computing is another major interface, which augments businesses, to offset their data hurdle and arrive at short ‘turn-around-times’ with minimum expense. Mobile strategies and IT strategies are aligned in concordantly because of the same architecture they employ to access, enhance and deliver cloud facilitates to end users.
Although all the above tech trends, show a promising future and don’t really disrupt the ecosystem, that is until we arrive at the topic of “User-Centricity”. User centricity is still a nascent topic which will prove its importance in coming years. It basically talks of the growing capabilities of user, which in an evolving ecosystem are also being equipped to counter, services of the hapless middle-man and are directly able to access functionalities which before were out of their reach. Previously, usage of such services were directly defined by capability of the user, which has now been eroded by the growing easiness of adopting new technologies due to the user-friendliness of any platform, which the developers itself are working on to enhance user experience.
It remains to be seen what more trends come into light in near future, albeit by the look of things so far, trends in the future have a very promising and interesting outlook.      

Technology Year in Review 2014

Technology Year in Review 2014

We have almost arrived to the end of this year, and in the techno-sphere, offerings were few and far in between. We see a definite change in the way of usage of technology. It is because of a shift that is happening in the minds of customers. Technology is now being viewed as not a tool but as an obligation, which the tech-giants, need to constantly evolve to keep the competition in check. It has further escalated into a needless exercise of over-pioneering services and products. All this happens at the cost of the end user, who has yet to find a steady ground to build upon a digital environment of familiarity and acquaintance. It is a practice that might soon reach its saturation and the developers will have to fathom out a way out of this dilemma. Let us take a moment to ponder about where we have reached. In previous years, convergence was the keyword everyone was chanting beneath their breaths. consequently, everyone became familiar with a device having a recognizable outlook; come six months it has now morphed into a device which has a familiar face but a different soul altogether. Progress shouldn’t come at the cost of “User Experience” (UXD). The industry has now driven itself into a corner, with the only way forward being, coming closer to the user and not the competitor.

Coming to 2014, having seen a sharp rise in the gadgets and devices which operate in the realm of healthcare and medicine, it’s natural to expect more of this trend. Take for example, the new fitness tracker wristbands which are a godsend for doctors who need constant and precise data from their patients. In an incident, an isolated group of Amazon tribes where discovered by a satellite using revolutionary technology, although extremely approvable, it becomes a very good cover for us to lookout to our next important concern- privacy.

Google glasses block peripheral vision with their wide rims but they show a lot more than they block; imagine knowing somebody’s digital persona with just a single glance of their mug through your glasses! The concerns for privacy are huge and legal ramifications are just around the corner, for anybody who daresay wears a Google glass and mistakenly walks into a restricted area.

Now, Mobile applications are a big part of one’s daily routine of digital life, the trends have now been established and mobile applications are becoming more and more scalable and useful, all thanks to cloud computing, which again is now a big thing in itself -to manage big data and to connect with consumer. Whilst on the topic of cloud computing, it has become imperative to stress on the fact that almost everywhere the onus of cloud computing is proving itself a boon to small and medium business alike.

Mobile strategy now presents a tangible path towards user engagement and businesses are using numerous vehicles to eagerly become a contact point to its dedicated audience. Mostly, they give the impression to show an increase in their footfalls or traffic, but regulating content online, is a difficult task, which makes us wonder who is caring about brand-dilution?

With so many tech innovations all ears, on providing the shortest path possible between two given points, the responsibility seems to be somehow, delivering customers to the business in a slapdash fashion, without taking in consideration- that technology somehow has made regulation a difficult task to control.

Moving ahead, to much happier news, we now have in our grasp, the new technology of screen-less displays (contact lens displays) and flexible displays, the increase of phone display sizes has only generated a new wave of aspiring customers looking for a change in the humble screen display. Things  get remarkable when body-adapted wearable electronics will open up a new market for the scramble of the tech-giants to begin again and further converge into a product with myriad capabilities proposed; and as usual, under-utilized.

Although, the promise of carbon nanotubes decreasing the weight of vehicles and bringing upon an increase in fuel efficiency and decrease in emissions is good news for those of us dependent on fossil fuels for general commute, which is again a large part of the global population. The news of clean energy source, in particular wind and solar, can be highly intermittent; instead of producing electricity when consumers and grid managers want, they generate uncontrollable quantities only when favorable weather conditions allow, still we have high hopes for it in the future.

Today’s Digital life needs use of many digital devices, which are run by batteries, promising news again comes from the people toying around with carbon fibers. The creation of very high density carbon-nanotube batteries, promise a quicker charge and 30% more electrical energy than today’s Li-ion batteries.

Then again, these high density batteries will come in handy to upcoming CryptoPhones and blackphones, these devices are encrypted and offer a window of private communication unseen by sleuths and investigating companies.

The recent news of NSA snooping, which has resulted in Brazil cutting of any and all usage of US internet networks, is only slightly smaller news than the discovery of fire, in tech-circles. The net connectivity uses primary lines of fiber optics strewn through a labyrinth of wires inside the ocean bed, connecting continents. So the news of Brazil, going to huge lengths to avoid US internet network makes sense, when we examine the fact that -privacy issue takes precedence over several billion dollar investment in laying of fiber optical lines. However time will tell, how much of importance this has been on a ground level as new tricks of tracking customers are emerging. One of those being -tracking potential customers over the cell phone id’s that are being broadcasted over Wi-Fi signals, in malls and shops. It is being exploited by retailers to find out patterns and behavior of consumers.

HD content was releasable way back in the 70’s, but due to lack of consumer excitement it got delayed by three decades, such is also the story of Oculus Rift, in a fantastic story of virtual world meeting real world, finally the technology seems ready and available for wide spread use. A more mundane but potentially useful application that Sony is exploring would let travelers visit virtual hotel rooms before booking the real thing. Assuming they ever want to take the headsets off. 

Already, there is a new technological leap in the bio-tech segment of genome mapping and engineering, Scientists say creating humans with CRISPR-edited genomes is “very possible”, but they concur that “considering the safety issue, there would still be a long way to go.” In the meantime, the team hopes to use genetically modified monkeys to “establish very efficient animal models for human diseases, to improve human health in the future.”

An increasing focus will be seen in understanding requirements and exploiting technologies to fulfill the gap of human need and techno-innovation. The promise of good things, remain to be seen in near future. Although as of now the future looks bright.

Rise of the Women Techie: Experiences, Learning’s, Challenges, Lessons

Rise of the Women Techie: Experiences, Learning’s, Challenges, Lessons

American leader, Brigham Young said - “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.” This quote is getting more apt as generation pass since it was coined in late 1850’s.

From putting rebellious matrimonial CVs (which go viral) to representing India in WWE, women have come a long way in representing their own self rising above and over, amidst shoulders of men. A long time ago, in the early days when man used to hunt, the lady of the household managed safety of her progeny and dependant elders along with cooking food and maintaining networks with the neighbors. A woman is born a manager, she is born a multi-tasker, she is born a capable leader and she is an inborn fighter.

Fast-forwarding to today’s day and age and we come upon the modern avatar of a women working in an IT-MNC company and juggling responsibilities of her home and workplace in tandem, and by the looks of it woman are rising up to a higher level than their male peers, take for example the case of Swapna Yadavalli, Associate – Director, Synechron. She is one of the 900+ professionals globally who has managed to get certification in PgMP, PMP, CSM. She is also recognized as an EXPERT in program management community by PMI and featured in PMI Newsletter, “Emotional Intelligence Impacts Wallets”. To be a globally acclaimed professional and have only about 900 peers in the world is a rare achievement and there are probably more number of astronauts out there.

IT companies like Synechron provide enhanced recognition and support to its female employees via a number of parallel programs and continuous projects like Women’s Club, Self Defense classes, Power Yoga & Zoomba fitness programs. All this is an effort to recognize the challenges faced and is a feedback to promote and to give privilege to unique challenges faced by women in today’s modern work-culture.

Challenges faced in such a vibrant culture and atmosphere are great but the reward far outweighs the risk of pursuing a career for the modern women, as men too after being given a nudge in the right direction have agreed that the place of the lady is far better in an office on an earning stronghold rather than making rotis inside a kitchen. The potential is now realized and women are now in a better position to bargain over their future with their lives.

There are as of now 5 Indian women on Forbes billionaire list but still 40% of women are underweight when they begin pregnancy. The rise of women as a techie is but a small step in the big event of things. Rise of Women Techie is simply an example of the high goals women can touch when given the right opportunity and favorable management. 

Experiential Communication

Experiential Communication

Setting the Context:

·         Passive --à Active Consumption

·         More, richer stimuli -à Objective

·         “Experience the Product” – How it Works

o   Understanding Benefits

o   Consumption + Communication – Consumption is only one way of experiencing a product which is short term. There are others like hospitality industry, perfumes, alcohol which involve other elements like memory and anticipation which are long term.

o   Co-Creation

·         Involvement

·         Interest

·         Credibility

Experience through test drive/samples/reviews/testimonials, these are all credibility hooks, but all these are nothing in comparison to trying the product oneself.

Culturally, Indians like to touch/feel products before buying them.

Advantages of Experiential Communication:

·         Highlight Benefit

·         Selling

·         Enhance the Value (Experience)

·         Chances of buying are higher

·         Post purchase dissonance is lower.

Pure products no longer exist. They are now a combination of product and service, called ‘Prodice’.

Ø  All you ever buy is an Experience

Ø  Experience being a subset of Communication

Example: - Cars are communication in themselves – Experiencing the test drive

-          Perfumes can be an experience-  You try it before you buy it.

types of girlfriends

Types O' Gals as galfrends

-------------------------

[NOTE: PURELY A WORK OF ART AND FICTION.THEREZ NO MOTIVE TO HURT ANYBODY'S FEELING.]

=Ms.Nice Gal=

Also Known As: What a Girl, Precious, One of the Boys, Doormat

Advantages: Cheerful, Agreeable, Kindly

Disadvantages: May wise up someday.

Live example: umm ... u*** n n***.. {psst.had to write u***'s name re} !

=Old Yeller=

Also Known As: She-Devil, Sourpuss, The Nag, My Old Lady

Advantages: Pays attention to you.

Disadvantages: Screeches, Throws frying pans

Live example: h*******; a close frend o u***, name withheld, else will have to

make do wid half a leg n face

=Sickly=

Also Known As: Whiner, Mewler, Grumpy

Advantages: Predictable

Disadvantages: Contagious

Live example: all of dem (am i being rather bluntly honest?)

=The Boss=

Also Known As: Whipcracker, Sergeant, Ms. Know-it-All, Ball and Chain

Advantages: Often right

Disadvantages: Often right, but so what?

Live example: surely M*** .. gads Poor Tanuj !:P!

=Ms. Vaguely Dissatisfied=

Also Known As: The Fretter,Worrywart, Typical, Aw C'mon Honey

Advantages: Easily soothed

Disadvantages: Even more easily perturbed

Live example: s***** easily fits da bill here . :)

=Wild Woman=

Also Known As: Fast Girl,Freewheeler, Unconscious

Advantages: More fun than a barrel of monkeys.

Disadvantages: Unreliable; drives off cliffs

Live example: J** :D ... heee heeeh heee hee eee eeee *faint*

=Huffy=

Also Known As: No Fun, Humorless, Cold Fish, Iceberg,Snarly

Advantages: Your friends will feel sorry for you.

Disadvantages: You will have no friends.

Live example: >error< no match found as of yet !! phew !! BUT maybe p*** !! :)

=Woman from Mars=

Also Known As: The Babbler, Spooky Girl, Screwball, Loony, Bad News, Artistic

Advantages: Entertaining,unfathomable

Disadvantages: Will read her poetry aloud.

Live example: wud luv to name sum1 but its better kept for guessing a*******

=Ms. Dreamgirl=

Also Known As: Ms. Right, Goddess, Knockout, Perfection, The One

Advantages: Funny, Intelligent, Uninhibited

Disadvantages: Will have nothing to do with you.

Live example: >error< cant continue search with "dreamgirl" and "Ms. Right" attributes

[ P.S> EXTREME CARE HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN IN POSTING THIS CONTENT

BCOZ I AM A LAZY WEASY OGRE WHO LIKES TO SAY HURTFUL THINGS

BUT STILL IF U AGREE WITH THE FACT THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THE

AFORESAID N FEEL SAD ABOUT IT THEN 'DONT' BOTHER COMPLAINING;

I CANT HELP.

READ AND ENJOY.LAUGH AT YOUR OWN MISERY :p

THANKIN U

UNSINCERELY

Ash

JURISDICTION SUBJECT TO COURT OF de_dust2 ONLY ]

i became one... more than u ought to carry,

i was a bit wondery dat til nowshe hadnt cald me..

wat cud be da reason, most of da timeshez da one pretty ga-ga over callin me ..
so i cald ..

"it happens so many a times" evrything happens for a reason

ur da one who falls into a trap
a simple mockful trap

dat fate builds, u see it, but u want to fall in it,

so u brag bout it to ur frends.well, i too fell in

n m really sorry, coz i dragged u into it...

twas a bad idea any1 in ur place cudnt hav lasted dat long

as much as u i

i only hope u dont hav to deal wid it in future

any1 as me m a burden to any1 i knw even to u,

i became one... more than u ought to carry,

ever but believe me wen i say

'i loved u wid all i had '

derez was nothin more to take from me after that :)

n dnt u wrry re, after every bad moment comes a brighter dawn

i will always pray to god... dat u get a bf
so romantic, dat he brings roses everytime u both meet

so happy, he buys u vodka wid icecream

also he wud be rich,so instead of a maruti he brings something big

and he waits fr u fr 4hrs in vashi stn

and always memorizes da length of ur hair,so da next time u cut them

,, he instantly know

salso he wudnt ask for change from u in mc donalds

u see he is rich na

n also wo sujit ko bhi pasand aye

and too add to it..uske paas aacha cel ho, tuta futa nokia nahih

thode sar pe baal bhi jyada ho

thoda mujhse lamba bi ho

and gosh he must be fair to match u .. aint !!

i hav neva prayed to godbut will surely pray..u get da best boyfriend evr !!!
- sincerely..ashish !!

dissertation - USER CENTRICITY AND ITS EFFECT ON THE DIGITAL BIOME AND MEDIA AGENCIES

PREFACE Over the years, it is assumed that evolution is the right way forward and it is the way, nature choses a path to move forward after many permutations of trial and error. One such evolution going strongly, is the one that we are witnessing upfront and its progress is so fast that it has become a revolution. The thing in question is the digital revolution. Effect of digital revolution on media and as a whole on the advertising. 8 PROLOGUE USER CENTRICITY is a term given to the growing power of populace in general. Today in advertising world, ad agencies are facing an uphill task of convincing clients. Clients which are well versed and well equipped in use of tools of trade like Photoshop and CorelDraw etc. One should be wary of the invisible giant in the room and that’s exactly what is happening in the advertising world today. Focusing on the agency part first, advertising agency are finding it increasingly hard to convince clients on the aptness of the campaign, media plans or the general print ads they create as because the client now feels that the digital creation of the aforementioned is not as hard or as costly as it was assumed by them beforehand as everyone now has access to internet and the bar has been set higher by other agencies, so on and so forth. Power to the user takes a whole new term here as unlike other professions, power to the user on the contrary means that the power is being taken away from somebody, which in this case is the hapless agency, who is sandwiched between client and consumer. 9 INTRODUCTION User Centricity is a term given to the growing power of Users. In the digital front, it defines the growing-  Acceptance  Customizations  Familiarity It also stakes to the endorsement of digital society and its  Tools  Mechanisms  Working  Modus-operandi by the Common Man Any user of today’s Digital services, is far more evolved than the average user a decade back. Concordantly, this research attempts to discover -  Points of Conflict  Approval  Degree of Acceptance  Causality  Conclusion of the fight between the ever-evolving powers of both, “The Digital Marketer” and “The Digital User”. 10 PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION One of the foremost areas of research is identifying the focal point of study to be undertaken and the reason for which it has proved itself necessary. A digital user is now that evolved entity which has shown and proven its worth in changing the market perception and product acceptance. He / she is now more evolved and more connected with more say in the things at hand be it social, cultural or economical. A digital user is now more aware has better perception and ingenuity, and is heavily dependent on the social sphere and digital biome. Digital is now much bigger than IT or Telecom, digital has now encompassed all the other subsets of connectivity. Thus us a digital user is not merely limited to social presence or online persona, it’s a manifestation of all evolving spheres of life which have been altered by the advent of digital uni-sense in the singularity. The digital marketer has come into existence for the sole reason that business exists in the realm of the digital and the potential hiding the digital user. On a digital platform, the attributes are evened out, the big is not bigger and the small is not smaller. On an even playing field, there only can be so much scope of exposure or creativity to take effect. 11 Failingly, the effect that has happened is saturation. The digital user has now seen and accepted most of the tricks of the trade and is now highly suspicious although still naïve, but the collective conscience is growing alarmingly. With more and more power available to the digital user, the digital marketer finds itself at a point where it can no longer hold an elevated position to those the marketing is intended. Hence the process of convincing or otherwise is severely hampered even transparent. Thus cutting profit margins and naturally scope to visualize creatively. The age of specialization is passed, the age of convergence is here. The underlying current of “to be better at everything”, has forced the digital user to experiment, evolve and accept almost all of the digital biome into its own personal laboratory. An average user is not a worry to the biome. Hardly, not all digital users are equal. The contention comes in when a singular user rises above the collective powers of digital user and digital marketer subset. When this happens, the issue of security, livelihood, economy and trust between the user and marketer is shaken. Which results in even more saturation of interest on the part of digital user. User centricity is now being understood as good thing, almost a promotion of sorts for applications, tools, software’s etc. The mere concept of having an enlightened user is appealing to the business as a connected digital user is easier to connect. However the growing disparity begins with the increase in the canonical sense of apathy on the part of digital user that hails every good thing as extraordinary and every mediocre product or service as failure. 12 This high strung arena where the performance index is measured in the polarity of utter success or utter failure, user centricity is only raising the bar higher and higher into the unknown.


Digital users who identify themselves to the digitally affiliated class, are prone to blatant manipulation by the digital economy itself. There seems to be emerging a pattern which suggests that the large part of the user base is extremely trustworthy to a part of the digital society but extremely averse to the other parts of the same society.  The user doesn’t seem to demarcate applications or services based on their developers or providers.  It is interesting to note that only 15 of the respondents have agreed that they are paranoid by their action being logged for whatever reason, almost 30 of them agreed to the fact that they are aware although they see no need to exercise restraint or clean their digital footprint. 30  A huge part of the recruited respondents show belief in technology and its effect but are oblivious in its actual progress and diversity.  Most do not agree with the notion on unintended vs. intended usage of technology.  Like a premeditated offering with a stereotype set cast, most only seem to believe a digital product will only have the use for what it is being marketed as of now.  Future premeditation is absent. 31  There is a severe bias, almost a polarity of thoughts when it comes to UGC vs MGC debate. The user agrees to being saturated but maintains hope of encountering creative ideas from the UGC class owing to better technology developments.  Although the same user shows a loss of interest in MGC, who are using the same technology and better specialization to bring out more creative output.  Hilariously, the notion, “Content is Junk, Container is King”, is being proved here to some extent.  Point to note and ponder is the user expects the digital marketer to bring forth more creative methods to satiate its digital hunger and consumption but is not ready to accept technological advancements, thereby severly limiting any future progressive value of the biome.  A vast majority of respondents who believe that the photographers of today are better due to access to better technology, arises a set of respondents from the former respondents who believe that the 32 disconnect is growing between media owner, media houses and ad agencies.  It’s a clear indication to the fact that digital revolution is aiding user centricity to such an extent that corporate houses are finding it hard to prove their mettle amongst the barrage of onslaught from all sides, namely – its corporate rivals and from its own intended user base that is now becoming a case of friendly fire. 33 CONCLUSION  The Digital User is very skeptic at first, although once broken-in with a new technology quickly maintains a balance with the same.  The Digital User believes in Technological advancement, but doesn’t believe in the Notion, "it will happen so quickly".  The Digital User is at a severe paradox with itself. It’s an exploring but non-discovering entity. The user seems to explore all available options only in the boundaries of its known and often preset digital hangouts.  The power to the digital user comes from the spoon-feeding of the user from a subset of much more advance users, with the ratio heavily skewed but propagation is fast and relentless. Although the information and power through it, is spreading fast. It doesn’t hold true for ethic, culture and control of that information to follow the same dissemination speed and reach.  User centricity has the power to influence social, cultural and business paradigm.  There seems a tie on the effect of User Centricity on the relationship between a Media house, Media Owner and an Adv. Agency, which is entirely assumed, as a close assemblage would have pointed that the Digital User understands User Centricity which is simply not the case.  Causality of ‘more promotion’ is ‘more saturation’ and ‘more saturation’ prompts even more ‘promotion’.  Digital Users agree that they prefer UGC to MGC. 34 APPENDIX ADSENSE “Google AdSense is a program run by Google that allows publishers in the Google Network of content sites to serve automatic text, image, video, or interactive media advertisements that are targeted to site content and audience. These advertisements are administered, sorted, and maintained by Google, and they can generate revenue on either a per-click or per-impression basis.” ADWORDS “Google AdWords is Google's main advertising product and main source of revenue. AdWords offers pay-per-click, that is, cost-per-click (CPC) advertising, cost-per-thousand-impressions or cost-per-mille (CPM) advertising, and site-targeted advertising for text, banner, and rich-media ads.” DIGITAL BIOME “An online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects” DIGITAL FOOTPRINT “A digital footprint is the data trail left by the interactions in a digital environment; including the use of TV, mobile phone, the World Wide Web, the internet and other connected devices and sensors. Digital Footprints provide data on what has been performed in the digital environment and the data can be used in behavioral targeting, behavioral economics, personalization, targeted marketing, and digital 35 reputation, social Influence and other social media or social graphing services.” DIGITAL MARKETER “Someone who makes use of electronic devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, cellphones, digital billboards, and game consoles to engage with consumers and other business partners. Internet Marketing is a major component of digital marketing.” DIGITAL SERVICES “An online service provider that sells access to digital library of content such as films, software, games, images, literature, etc. While no transfer of property is made, a nearly perfect duplicate of the data is made on a customer's computer.” DIGITAL SOCIETY “A smaller subset of the Digital Biome” DIGITAL USER “A person who understands the value of digital technology and uses this to seek out opportunities for implementing it with a view to make an impact.” FACEBOOK “Facebook is an online social networking service.” 36 FUSION TABLE API “Or simply Fusion Tables is a Web service provided by Google for data management. Data is stored in multiple tables that Internet users can view and download.” KISSMETRICS “A customer analytics platform designed for small and mid-sized companies” KLOUT “Klout is a website and mobile app that uses social media analytics to rank its users according to online social influence via the Klout Score”.