Monday, December 28, 2009

Developer and Tester


Friday, December 18, 2009

OBITUARY

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has
been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his
birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape..
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the
worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend
more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children,
are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended
from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for
reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the
job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental
consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could
not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an
abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;
and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a
burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by
his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son,
Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers:
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Courtesy: An email from Sri Kothakota Srinivas Reddy garu, IPS.
Email contained reference to R.Nataraj I.P.S Director Fire and Rescue Services,TN, Not sure if he is the author of this post or he simply forwarded to Mr.Reddy.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Root Cause Analysis

An Interesting Customer Complaint

This is a real story that happened between the customer of General
Motors and its customer-care executive. A complaint was received by
the Pontiac Division of General Motors: This is the second time I
have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me,
because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in
our family of ice cream for dessert after dinner each night. But the
kind of ice cream varies, so every night, after we've eaten the whole
family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive
down to the store to get it.

It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiac and since
then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see, every time
I buy a vanilla ice cream, when I start back from the store my car
won't start.

If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine.

I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how
silly it sounds: "What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not
start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get
any other kind?"

The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter,
but sent an engineer to check it out anyway. The latter was surprised
to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine
neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinnertime,
so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It
was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came
back to the car, it wouldn't start.

The engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got
chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The
car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to
start.

Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this
man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore,
to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem.
And towards this end he began to take notes, he jotted down all sorts
of data: time of day, type of gas used, time to drive back and forth
etc. In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy
vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of
the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate
case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other
flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter
where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor. Now, the
question for the engineer was, why the car wouldn't start when it took
less time. Once time became the problem and not the vanilla
ice-cream, the engineer quickly came up with the answer: "Vapor
lock". It was happening every night; but the extra time taken to get
the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to
start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still to hot for the
vapor lock to dissipate.

Remember: Even crazy-looking problems are sometimes real and all
problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution with a cool
thinking.

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

LINDA's Bar

LINDA's Bar

Linda is the proprietor of a bar in Cork . In order to
increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are
unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later.

She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the
customers loans).

Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into
Linda's bar. Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate
payment constraints, Linda increases her prices for wine and beer, the
most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes
these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Linda's borrowing
limit. He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the
alcoholics as collateral. At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert
bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and
PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide.

No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities
are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the
securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager (subsequently
of course fired due to his negativity) of the bank decides that slowly the time
has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Linda's
bar. However they cannot pay back the debts.

Linda cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy. DRINKBOND
and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in
price after dropping by 80%.

The suppliers of Linda's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and
having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine
supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.

The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock
consultations by leaders from the governing political parties (and vested
interests). The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on
the non-drinkers.

courtesy : email from vivek, springboard

What is the right decision?

*Insight into Decision Making - Good One:*




A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use

while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the

rest on the operational track.




The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can

make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the

kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused

track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather let the train go its way?





Let's take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make........

........









Scroll down







Scroll down further





























Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice

only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, to save most

of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most

people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that

the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right

decision to play at a safe place?



Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who

chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us

everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a

democratic society, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the

majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how

farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to

play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case

he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.



The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try

to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing

on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in

use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train's sirens..

If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he

never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track

was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted

to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake!

And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might

end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.



While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be
javascript:void(0)
made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right

one. *



'Remember that what's right isn't always popular... and what's popular isn't

always right.'



Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils.*

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Today

Today I will delete from my diary

two days: yesterday and tomorrow



Yesterday was to learn



and tomorrow will be the consequence



of what I can do today.





Today I will face life
with the conviction that this day
will not ever return.





Today is the last opportunity
I have to live intensely,
as no one can assure me
that I will see tomorrow's sunrise.





Today I will be brave enough
not to let any opportunity pass me by,
my only alternative is to succeed.





Today I will invest



my most valuable resource:my time,



in the most trascendental work:
my life;





I will spend each minute
passionately to make
of today a different
and unique day in my life.





Today I will defy every obstacule
that appears on my way trusting

I will succeed.




Today I will resist



pesimism and will conquer



the world with a smile,
with the positive attitude



of expecting always the best.




Today I will make of every ordinary task
a sublime expression,




Today I will have my feet on the ground



understanding reality



and the stars' gaze



to invent my future.







Today I will take the time to be happy
and will leave my footprints and my presence



in the hearts of others.








Today, I invite you to begin a new season



where we can dream



that everything we undertake is possible



and we fulfil it,



with joy and dignity.



{SMILE}

Have a good day

and a better one tomorrow!

from my mailbox of 2004