Harish Raju Musings

Exclusive Video of Virgin Galactic’s Test Flight

Well it’s been one heck of a weekend down at Startup Weekend Columbus II. We’ve had a dozen companies started and enough stories created to fill a year’s worth of posting on this blog. I’ll be sharing some of those stories to come. Here’s the list of companies birthed at this weekend’s Startup Weekend Columbus II. The description’s were pulled from the Tweetstream (#swcii) from the event. Check them out.

TechLife Columbus: Startup Weekend Columbus II - Engaging, energizing, innovating - making it happen - video links

Get early wins to build momentum fast. By the end of the first six months, the new leader must have begun to energize people and focus them on solving important business problems, in ways that have a quick, dramatic impact.

The key to an early win is to identify problems that (a) can be tackled in a reasonable period of time and (b) have solutions that will result in tangible operational and financial improvements.
TO SECURE EARLY WINS, A LEADER SHOULD:

- Establish A-item priorities, the major objectives that she must accomplish in the first couple of years. That lets her determine goals for the first few months in the context of these longer-term objectives. When she sets out to get some early wins, she can simultaneously move the organization toward the longer-term goals.

- Identify a center of gravity, one (and only one) key area or process where early wins are probable. For our new COO it was the distribution system, but the right center of gravity depends on the business. In a pharmaceutical company it might be a key part of the drug discovery process; in an auto company, the handoff from product development to manufacturing. Regardless, the chosen center of gravity must be an area that is important and that allows for substantial performance improvement.

- Initiate pilot projects, specific initiatives within the center of gravity to secure early wins. Implementation plans for the projects should define the standards to be used, the resources needed, and the methodologies to be employed, while specifying both tangible and intangible goals.

New Leader? Get Early Wins - Harvard Management Update - HarvardBusiness.org

HP experienced revenue declines in every area of its business with the exception of Services, which is its EDS unit purchased last year. Services revenue increased 116 percent to $8.7 billion due mostly to the acquisition.

Revenue from notebooks dropped 13 percent, and desktops 25 percent. HP’s total PC shipments were also down 4 percent for the quarter.Chief Executive Mark Hurd remained upbeat during a call with analysts. “We executed well in a challenging market,” he said Wednesday afternoon. “I’m particularly pleased with the results of our Services segment. We now have a second segment with significant recurring revenues.”

The Services unit contributed one third of the company’s profits during the first quarter.

But the Services business was the lone bright spot.

“Though there were pockets of organic growth, the slowdown in IT spending was global,” Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak said.

HP earnings dip nearly 10%, will cut salaries | Business Tech - CNET News

In what’s probably the most interesting camcorder announcement of 2009, Sony proffers the Handycam HDR-XR500 and HDR-XR520, a pair of hard-disk-based AVCHD camcorders which integrate the dual firsts of built-in GPS and a new Exmor-R back-illuminated CMOS sensor.

Though the sensor isn’t new, this is the first time we’re seeing it in products. The technology, which flips the layers so that the photosites are above the electronics where they can get more light, may prove an effective way to improve low-light performance, the continuing weak aspect of consumer camcorders. Sony claims an 8dB increase in sensitivity, for a 50 per cent reduction in noise.

Annoyingly, Sony continues to overstate the resolution of its sensors. This one’s 6 megapixels, though you’ll see the company claiming 12 megapixels — its interpolated resolution — all over its marketing materials.

Sony Handycam HDR-XR500: GPS camcorder - Crave at CNET UK

Canon announced the release of four high definition flash memory camcorders today. Two models, the HF S100 and HF S10, are loaded with features clearly aimed to entice budget-minded professionals and amateur filmmakers. The lower-tier models, the HF200 and HF20, offer fewer features but still show improvements over previous models.

All four camcorders record video in the AVCHD format in full 1920 x 1080 at 24Mbps, the fastest possible bitrate for the codec. All four include the latest generation DIGIC DVIII processor, which adds two new features: face detection for up to a purported 35 faces and an improved auto exposure system. Canon reports that the new processor also allows for better dynamic range.

Canon Pushes Pro Features for Flagship HD Camcorders in ‘09 - HF S100, HF S10, HF20, and HF200 - Canon

Nice Digital Photography Glossary over at DPR:

Glossary: Learn: Digital Photography Review

Now that the iPhone SDK has officially been released and the Apple App Store is open for business, it’s time to write killer mobile applications! To do that, you’ll need to use several powerful (and possibly unfamiliar) tools: Xcode, Interface Builder, Objective-C, and then the iPhone SDK itself. It can all be a little overwhelming at first. Learn how to write your first table-based iPhone application from Bill Dudney, an experienced iPhone developer.

The Pragmatic Bookshelf | Writing Your First iPhone Application

The toolbox of the development manager is less about the kinds of “hand tools” that most other roles are intimate with. The development manager’s tools are more about “power tools” and “automated machinery” which the development manager leverages to transform the group. Here are some of the tools the development manager will use:

• Methodologies - Development managers have their own methodologies for developing software. The ability to execute that methodology or their methodologies is a great tool. Some development managers may use existing methodologies derived from the Capabilities Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) framework created by The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg. The SEI web site at http://www.sei.cmu.edu/ has a wealth of information about the metrics for ensuring that the processes that are in place at an organization are effective.
• Practices - Development managers need more than just broad methodologies they need a practical guide to understanding what does and doesn’t work in Software development. The Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK) contains the high level overview of software development best practices and is freely available at http://www.swebok.org. The development manager can also use the guide as a tool to identify gaps in the team’s knowledge and develop strategies to fill those gaps.
• Career Development Process - Development managers are responsible for developing the group. That means a firm understanding of how to develop people in the organization. The development manager may be familiar with one or more than a dozen approaches to developing the careers of the people that work for him (or her).
• Scheduling Tools - The development manager is adept at scheduling multiple conflicting priorities and as a result is skilled in the use of a resource scheduling tool. Whether a simple Excel spreadsheet or a deployment of Microsoft Office Project Server 2003, the development manager knows how to ensure that resource management is well taken care of.

Anatomy of a Software Development Role: Development Manager

Srikumar recalled: “One quality in Sandeep which caught my attention was he always aspired to be a good leader. He led from the front in whatever endeavor he took up. He loved sports and was an excellent soccer player. He was straight, upright and would tell the truth on the face which made him stand different from others.”The only son of Unnikrishnan, Sandeep, was born in Kozhikode in 1977. He completed his schooling at Frank Anthony Public School at Cambridge Layout, Bangalore. After clearing the NDA examination, he underwent training at the Indian Military Training Academy, Dehra Dun, for one year before being commissioned in 1999.He joined Lalghatta Jatta, Rajasthan, and served in Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad and 7 Bihar regiment for some time and was stationed in New Delhi.

Deccan Herald - Home they brought their warrior dead