The Green Machine

I remember my initiation into the idea of green living through, ironically, cars—one of those inventions that contribute significantly to pollution (though I must admit I drive one to work everyday like hundreds of millions).

The cars I'm talking about, however, didn't look like your regular street machines but something straight off the pages of a sci-fi thriller. These “concept cars” invariably looked very curvy, used lots of sheet glass and were often accompanied by smiling beauties (not sure if the girls were there to turn your attention away from the fact that such solar or non-fossil fuel powered cars were not going to be a reality for the next 10-20 years).

After more than two decades since those memories, it's heartening that electric and hybrid cars are gradually being introduced in the market.

The click-click world of computing is in a similar situation right now, though things here seem to have moved relatively faster than for automobiles.

Most of those in IT would identify the green-colored “Energy Star” logo that appeared while the computer booted up. It is believed that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was one of the first to launch efforts to recognize energy-efficiency in tech equipment when it announced the Star as a voluntary labeling program in 1992.

Today, there are thousands of such programs and efforts worldwide to cut down on energy use by ICT equipment—most notably in large data centers that have become massive guzzlers of electricity.

The rising energy prices, coupled with a growing environmental consciousness, have resulted in a multi-billion-dollar “green equipment” market. Even in India, which is always considered price-sensitive and therefore reluctant to shell out 15-20% more for the green tag, many CIOs and other decision makers have begun to “talk green,” if not “buy green.”

But they should look beyond the initial cost and think of RoI from green IT in the longer term. Fortunately, several businesses are in an expansion or migratory stage and can thus take help from the independent data centers that have come up recently in India and which tout great green credentials. Or they can tweak their purchasing processes to include some  green elements as well.

I know it's easier said than done. But it has to be said—and, eventually, it will be done more than we thought possible. Policies and laws on e-waste and energy use will catch up in India, but there's no reason why the avant-garde businesses should wait to go green.

The green run, after all, is going to be a marathon.

Book Review: The Soul of Leadership

At the heart of this book is the idea that leadership emanates from the core of our being

“In eight areas of your life you have the power to be guided by your soul,” says Deepak Chopra in this slim but significant book: “Thoughts, emotions, perception, personal relationships, social role, environment, speech and the body.” The bottomline is that in all of them our behavior affects the people we lead. If we evolve, so will they, he avers. And that's the basic premise on which Chopra builds his concept of leadership that is soul-driven rather than one that exploits people or their insecurities.

Given that the very term 'soul' is attributed more to religiosity than spirituality, it might put off readers not in a mood for religious sermons or some such. But Chopra clarifies what he means by this word within the first few pages. “When I talk about the soul, I'm not referring to the soul as defined by any particular religion...I believe the soul is an expression of an underlying universal field of consciousness,” he says.

Equating the soul with 'awareness', Chopra writes that at the soul level you are seamlessly connected with everything in the universe, to the silent domain from which all matter and energy spring.

In keeping with this explanation, the book often dips into the realm of spirituality or philosophy of the Paulo Coelho kind. At the same time, however, it does detail the principles of leading from the soul and provides useful tips to any leader willing to look beyond personal aggrandizement or material gains.

For one, Chopra hands the reader a map of sorts by spelling out L-E-A-D-E-R-S, with each letter of the acronym unraveling what it means to lead from the soul (L = look and listen; E = emotional bonding; A = awareness; D = doing; E = empowerment; R = responsibility; and S = synchronicity). In further explaining how each element works, he gives examples from the lives of prominent leaders such as Jawaharlal Nehru and Nelson Mandela.

A very important building block that Chopra uses and adapts in the book is Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Recognizing the two overriding themes in our lives as 'needs' and 'responses', he says, “As a leader [of a group], if you are aware of the hierarchy of needs and their responses, you will be able to continue to respond effectively as the group's needs move up the scale from basic to increasingly spiritual.” This is the most powerful thing a leader can do, he affirms.

At times, the book tends to get a bit heavy and repetitive. But thankfully, Chopra has peppered it with some interesting anecdotes and titbits. Going into the roots of words, he points out that the word 'inspiration' is derived from the same Latin root as 'to breathe' and 'spirit': “When you inspire others, you motivate them to breathe together in the same atmosphere.” Tales such as the one from his own childhood in Jabalpur in a newly-independent India, in which Nehru, passing by in his motorcade in front of his house, tossed his lapel rose towards his mother (who thus acquired a special status in the neighborhood), make for interesting reading.

Then there are the inspiring stories of two entrepreneurs-leaders who created and nurtured two completely different but similarly 'soul-connected' organizations (Jeremy Moon of Icebreaker and Renata Black of Seven Bar Foundation).

The Soul of Leadership could be dismissed by some who cannot bring themselves to believe the ideas of universal connectedness and core human values, but it will be lapped up by the many who are hungering for something far beyond the clinically logical or transactional.

Movies that Needlessly Fan Violence Deserve Ban

As I write these words, I shudder at the thought of what the wrong attitude to religion and religious leaders can wreak in human life - and hope that things get better rather than worse...

The context is one of the stupidest and most useless movies ever made in the name of religion or freedom of expression. Titled "Innocence of Muslims," the poorly made video is alleged to have been made by a California citizen curiously named Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. It shows a rakish, shady character playing the role of Prophet Muhammad and indulging in all sorts of "obnoxious" behavior.

I happened to watch it when someone pointed it to me. But when I knew of the outrage it caused and its aftermath, including the death of several innocent people caught in violent protests that erupted in various parts of the world, I was aghast. Not that my watching it caused any of it, but I wish I hadn't.

Who would have liked to watch a movie such as this? And why did Nakoula, apparently a frequent financial fraudster as per several media reports, make it in the first place? Do Americans - or anyone else for that matter - have the right to express whatever they want, in whatever form they want to? And should that right be defended even at the cost of several innocent lives (that might be saved if some exceptional bans to the right are exercised)? To what extent should the right to free speech be defended and in what circumstances?

All these questions are being debated in American and other media right now - as they have been debated for some time in the past on other, similar occasions (such as when a US cleric was bent on burning the Koran on the anniversary of Sept 11).

There are stern men and women who think that it should be the perpetrators of overt violence that should be punished, why ban a movie or arrest its producer?

In my opinion, while the fundamentalist nature of a section of Muslims (as also of other religious followers) is for everyone to see and condemn, isn't there a "reverse fundamentalist" nature of many free speech advocates who want to defend it at any cost? And, in cases such as this, apparently without any justifiable noble cause.

If the idea of the movie is to criticize the Prophet or Islam or its followers, why not do it in less vulgar forms than the movie in question?

What would work better - to involve and engage a wider audience in a debate and discuss the core issues or to make a crass parody and enrage people (a majority of whom are uneducated, misguided youth and cannot grasp sophisticated arguments about free speech anyway, but can get angered if provoked unnecessarily and blatantly)?

5 Quick Tips to Gatecrash the Olympics

At a time when India and Indians should worry more about getting the medals (mostly Bronze, coz Gold will be snatched away by their wives and turned into jewelry), one Ms. Madhura is hogging the limelight for all the wrong reasons.

Or is it the right ones? I get confused so often these days.

Her brazen acts have inspired this shabby article - which, somehow, I hope is a tad less shabby than our prep for London2012.

So, here it goes, darlings. Don't procrastinate your entry into the world's biggest sporting event - for which millions are fighting for *empty* seats! (Check out the ticket trouble stories on the Web to know why seats went empty.)

Tip #1: Don't participate in a sport. No, never. Else, you'll be an invited guest and will miss the fame (or notoriety, take your pick) that comes with gatecrashing. Apparently, that's what keeps a lot of Delhiites in particular, Sheila Dikshit in very particular, and Indians in general from "coming out and playing."

Tip #2: Wear a red top. I'm sorry. I have a short memory. I can't remember Madhura's face but I certainly do remember that she wore a red, very very red, top.

Tip #3: Contact Danny Boyle. For his dance troupes can do a lot of extra calisthenics - apart from doing their bit in opening ceremonies. Now, don't ask me if contacting the Slumdog director is more difficult than slumming it out to break into Olympic venues. That's for you to figure out.

Tip #4: Pre-inform the Indian media about your impending adventure - and promise to give the story to whoever has the widest reach or promises back the best, consistent and repeated coverage. You see, most media guys are getting bored of repeated scams tumbling out of the incumbent government (which is hell-bent on producing them, somehow - never minding those Anna fasts demanding anti-corruption measures). They are really anxious to cover other interesting stuff happening around.

After all, what fun would gatecrashing be if the world can't get to see you in your favorite red top marching happily alongside a (mostly) incompetent contingent of athletes!

What's more, the media that goes along with your plans might even help you a bit (isn't their motto "Anything for a story" these days?)

Tip #5: Actually, there's no fifth tip. But I hated to begin the article with anything less than a list of five, which kind of seemed rounded. But hey, why don't I offer you a deal, like they do at Nirula's or Baskin-Robbins? Taking a cue from their creative sundaes, why don't you make your own tip!? Remember, you'll require a lot of imagination and ingenuity to break into the coveted rings.

Best of luck. And don't blame me if you still can't gatecrash!

How Secure Can You Be?

Security is not a destination but a constantly moving target. And the trick for solution providers and enterprises is to move faster than the 'enemy'

With due apologies to the uber brands of the automobile world, there are only two types of mass-market cars (considered from a certain standpoint): those that have some security products installed and those with just plain vanilla, factory-fitted locks. Then, even among the ‘secured’ ones, there’s an entire cornucopia of fitments – gear locks, ‘hockey sticks’, central locking...the works.

Nevertheless, both types of cars get stolen.

But if I were to ask you, Which cars get stolen more often and in greater numbers? you would promptly answer the question without consulting the stolen-vehicle investigation department.

Just as we try and secure our assets in the physical world (but often end up losing them), so it is in the more subtle realm of information flow. Companies can use the best antivirus on the market, set up advanced firewalls or configure multiple layers of authentication, but they may still not attain foolproof security.

Having said that, organizations have no option but to try as many ways to protect critical information – their life-blood in today’s competitive world – as possible. And keep at it relentlessly, because security is not a destination but a constantly moving target. The growing crop of thieves, hackers and anonymous groups lurking in the darkest corners of cyberspace are always ready to raise the bar for security vendors and solution providers by launching more and more sophisticated attacks (sometimes with alarming success).

Consider the enormity and reach of some recent security attacks. Around a year back, as many as 77 million Sony PlayStation Network accounts were hacked, resulting in loss of millions of dollars to the company as its site went down for a month. Even the top purveyors of security like RSA and VeriSign were not immune: RSA's parent company EMC is said to have spent over $60 million on “remediation” when a series of “spear-phishing attacks” were launched against its employees. In VeriSign's case, there was a debate about the extent of damage resulting from unauthorized access to the company's servers. But the point is, no-one is spared when it comes to security breaches.  

In the future, the problem is only going to get compounded, what with the wider adoption of social media, and trends such as Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and enterprise mobility. Put this together with the increasing sophistication of Advanced  Persistent Threats (APTs) and organized crime syndicates – and you have a recipe for disastrous breaches.

There are some in the industry who think that adopting measures such as retina scans, fingerprinting and other biometrics will stem the tide of attacks. But there are experts who dismiss such claims. For instance, Professor Steffen Schmidt, co-author of the book The Silent Crime: What You Need to Know About Identity Theft, is of the view that identify theft will only increase with technological advances.

I think we are going to have more security but never enough of it. The only thing to be sure is that, in the fast-moving cavalcade of security, there will be no time for applying brakes.