Google Story - audio book

This is my first audio book. The google story published in 2005 comes in five audio CDs. I listened to most of the book while travelling in the car.

The google story is exciting and inspiring. The last time i was inspired by a similiar book was when i read " The road ahead" by Bill Gates . The first brain to become the richest in the emerging era of Knowledge, which has profundly changed our work, communication, entertainment and life itself.

The google guys have done it better than Bill Gates. Serge Brin and Larry Page have brought about a revolution in internet search, built up a 230 billion dollar- worth company and became the youngest bilionaires in seven years after starting the company in 1998.

The google guys are audacious, visionaries and unconventional and quirky. They are free spirits like children chasing curiosity without fear.

The search system they have built is fantastic. One has got so much used to googling, life without it is now unimaginable. Their business model of free search giving objective results to users but giving enormous profits to them is a unique model. They have added so many other features like images, video, digitisation of books and desktop search and i am getting hooked.

Besides the scientific part of their achievement, they have defied business managers, wall street honchos, investment bankers and the washington lawyers daring them with their unconventional approach and beating them beyond belief in their own turf. I liked specially the way they beat the Wall Street with their own unique way of achieving success with their IPO.

Serge and Larry have built Google their own way. Even at the start, they managed to get venture capital without giving up control.

And of course, they have beaten my old hero Bill Gates hands down. Microsoft attempted several times and failed to beat Google.

I like the way Serge and Larry have made their work and achievements look like fun. They disregarded conventions, defied norms and did many things their own, sometimes funny ways. And their encouragement to employees by letting them spend 20 percent of their time in their own pet projects is smart and win-win for both. They value their employees, treasure them and reward them. Even when the company was small they employed a chef to do "culinary engineering' in the kitchen to provide healthy and great food. What a unique idea !

Having conquered the world, where do they go further. To mars , of course.....typical of them... they are involved in foundations and research on space travel, genomics, articial intelligence... and want to attach google to our brains....

I have become an admirer and fan of the google guys besides being an addict to googgle search.

Ambassadors Cup Golf

The tournament was organised in JP Green at Greater Noida on 13 May 2006. It was sponsored by Nicholas Piramal. It was Harinder Sikka, President of the company who put this tournament together. Thanx Harinder...

Ministry of External External Affairs was the official partner. Foreign Secretary shri Shyam Saran inagurated the tournament. He got a shock when he hit the first ball and it exploded... trick ball !. Minister of State Shri Anand Sharma was the chief guest at the prize distribution.

I won a trophy ( big crystal one ! ) with a score of 82. I was under pressure from Kapil Dev who was in my four ball and he drove 300 yards and finished with a sub par round. He won the first prize.

The tournament was telecast live by Zee Business TV. First time, an amateur golf event was given live coverage !

There were two explanations about our playing in this summer heat
- we are already crazy... having exposed our head to too much of sun
- Having worked in the government for many years, we have developed thick skin

Tip for those who did not win... should change the clubs. Instead of callaway and taylor made, they try the "night clubs" ! And should remember that " one does not have to be perfect... to enjoy golf and sex !"