iConverged

This is not a post about management or technology, but something of utmost importance to us technologists. Do you like solving big problems? Read on…

SAHC, an exciting non-profit got started by the Bay Area El Camino Hospital, South Asian physicians, specialists, and generous donors. I am pleased to let you know that the center is out of its pilot phase and is now open. There was a well attended opening ceremony yesterday with a who’s-who in the South Asian community making their pitch for getting screened.

I want to do my part and share my experience with you: A few years back, on a plane ride to India, I read an interesting piece in India Today where there was preliminary research being done in Singapore, London, and Chicago (Dr. Enas Enas) on a genetic anomaly with South Asians that increased their chances of fatal heart attacks by 400%. Kaiser was also noticing an abnormal number of fatal heart attacks in the Indian community in the Bay Area.

I kept track of these events, learned of SAHC, and got screened a few months back confirming a few early markers. Once this was confirmed, a case worker was assigned to me and the SAHC hooked up with my primary care physician. They also sponsored a free fitness instructor at the YMCA and assigned a nutrionist to work with Meera and me on diet choices. Thankfully, I can postpone getting on drugs for a little bit more. Best of all, the service was all free and Aetna picked up a significant portion of the advanced lipid tests. I spent $69 in total for such world class service.

My long blog is to convince each and every one of you South Asians to get screened at http://www.southasianheartcenter.org/. This epidemic is real and will likely you. It does not matter if you are:

* Working out
* Rich
* Vegetarian
* Thin
* Stress Free
* Have had no other complications
* Have borderline cholesterol readings
* Are a woman

Please make time to sign up and get tested. Look at all the positives you will get by simply signing up:

* You contribute to some very cutting edge research that will save the lives of many of your friends and millions of South Asians. By 2010, India will have 60% of the CAD world burden. The median age of a South Asia CAD victim is fast dropping to the late 30s/early 40s.

* You will be in control of events in the eventuality of a cardiac event or a stroke. You will be armed with all the relevant information. You risk is already two times the US national average based on existing data. You risk increases 4-8 times if you have adopted a western lifestyle, smoke, or drink.

* A majority of South Asians in the US are just beginning to enter the danger zone. 5% of all ER cardiac events in the Bay Area are due to South Asians. You could be next! Act now!

* With changed lifestyle choices, you will indirectly contribute to combating childhood obesity/diabetes in the community and give our children a better future!

Please do sign up.

I always read about how powerful the blogging community reach is, but never experienced it first hand, till now.

We began this blog in November 2005 (less than 3 months ago) as a ‘fun thing’ to do. Within 3 months, we have around 600 unique visitors reading our blog, with around 350+ returning visitors. Considering its short life-span, it is quite exciting to see the reach of this system.

This has basically taught us four things:

• People actually read stuff if it caters to a certain vertical they are interested in (in our case, VoIP, Wireless, all things convergent)
• Humor helps – our funnier ‘red tie yapping’ articles seem to be fairly popular
• Sharing experience is appreciated – our red-tie posts on “to-code-or-not-to” and “being a good manager” are examples of some of the more widely read red-tie articles we posted.
• Advertising revenue works – with google ads and similar

A Note about anonymity

We have received several emails on ‘who we are’ and ‘why we keep it a secret’. The answer is simple: Just for fun. We don’t really care if you know who we are. It is just a little bit more interesting using a nutty monicker. Infact, if you google around, it is very easy to atleast know who one of us is. No big deal. Like we said, it is just for fun.

Who are you ?

If you are reading our blog, how about telling us who you are ? How is this for a deal: You tell us who you are, what you do, and I will tell you who I am and what I do (if you haven’t found out already). Our email id is corporaterat AT gmail DOT com.

Want us to write about something ?

We are not claiming to be experts, but we do claim to be fairly comfortable in the areas of technology we write about, because we work hands-on in these domains and consult with clients who build solutions for this space. If you want us to write about a technology vertical within this convergence space, send us an email and let us know. If we do write about it, we would be glad to acknowledge you (if you want to).

We all get so caught up on the mega-trends of technology that we sometimes miss the simple events that reminds us just how transforming IP is.

I had one such experience I want to share.

I came to the US in 1990 from India to go to grad school. In those days, AT&T used to charge me $2.65/min to call home. Communication was typically facilitated by having a network of expats who would carry home letters, gifts, and photographs! The Internet happened, at&t happened, and now I have literally free communication services to India. Great!

However, my parents lives were pretty much the same the past decade. They live in a humble home in a decent neighborhood and spend their retirement years with friends and family on a very modest pension.

And then, my Dad who is 68, learned about the Internet. He bought a computer, got broadband access, taught himself a variety of web programming languages, setup a family website, and finally setted on Flash programming. I absent mindedly encouraged him and assumed it was a passing fad. Boy, was I wrong!

The past year, my dad figured out that he could use his computer skills to rekindle his love for Math and Physics. He started building flash movies on a variety of basic physics concepts. He built simulators, arcade games, etc. He joined the flash developer’s forum. He even helped a local (US) organization publish a car game for kids.

His work is beginning to get noticed in his community of interest. He’s gotten emails complimenting his work from all over the world. Rafael, 75, a physics enthusiast and a mechanical engineer from Venezula wrote:

It is more about people all over the world empowered to express their creativity on a global scale and experience the Network. Broadband IP is just beginning.

Go Dad!