Disqus - Latest Comments for Shripriya

Re: No to perpetual copyright

Shripriya — Mon, 21 May 2007 09:33:11 -0000

Jeffrey - excellent point re: CC and copyright, especially since copyright is now life of author PLUS 70 years!! I will make the change (another reason not to write posts at 1AM :) ).

Re: Insanity in Baroda

Shripriya — Sat, 26 May 2007 00:01:29 -0000

@ Rational Human - I completely and totally agree with your last point. Your argument was also articulated by Vir Sanghvi. Here.

Re: No to perpetual copyright

Shripriya — Sat, 26 May 2007 00:09:42 -0000

@ Megha - you should do it. Takes a couple of minutes. Really very simple.

@ August - I agree that Creative Commons is a great tool for artists but I think using it in concert with current copyright won't work. The thing is that current copyright laws are so onerous that in order to really free up "creating", I think that they need to go back to the historical limitations - 28 years. Seems more than enough to me.
I am sorry you had problems posting your response (will investigate).

@ Krishna - First let me disagree with your underlying premise that science is more important than art. I think for a truly evolved society both are equally important. In fact, great art can motivate scientists to be even more creative etc. That said, I agree with you that valuing copyright more highly than a patent is a fundamental flaw. Good point.

Re: No to perpetual copyright

Shripriya — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:49:31 -0000

Nilu - Currently the copyright is the creator's death plus seventy years. The issue comes down to what is reasonsable - a period that allows the creator of the work to extract value, but also allows culture to build by allowing the use of that work as a building block.

Just FYI, when copyright started, it used to be 28 years. By the same token, patents are covered for 14 years. There are lots of publications about the length of patents (copyrights) and innovation. Like this one. Alternatively, you could read Lessig's book :)

Personally, I believe that Creative Commons is a better option than copyright.

Re: What up on Tatvam?

Shripriya — Wed, 30 May 2007 16:55:41 -0000

ROFLMAO!! :D

Re: When to start kindergarten?

Shripriya — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 23:04:30 -0000

Hey Raji! I get your point, but er... despite being the youngest, you have done fabulously! I mean *incredibly* :) So... did being young hurt you in any way?

Re: Seven months old

Shripriya — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 23:07:32 -0000

@ Indira - yeah, great story.

@ Libertarian - :D Then I hope you are working less and spending more time with them while they still need you!

@30in2005 - Yes, they are super-adorable. And even cuter and cuddlier in person. Reminds me that I need to make another trip to hang out with them.

Re: When to start kindergarten?

Shripriya — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 10:15:32 -0000

Hey Renee!! So great to see you here!

I think it is a great point about letting a kid be a kid. That is a fabulous reason. It makes so much more sense than the reason of "but if I hold her back, she will do better!"

@ Blue - Yeah, we all know people who don't outgrow their parents. Whether it is mommy finding the apartment or daddy getting them a job. There was a hilarious article in the NYT a while ago about how a mother called a partner at a consulting firm to talk about her kid. :D

Re: When to start kindergarten?

Shripriya — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 01:47:57 -0000

@Eispy 30 - That is hilarious. I love that skit!

@ Forth Ump - Yes, I can see you care about this topic! :) While I agree on most things, I feel very strongly that each child is different and parents need to figure out what is best for that kid. I have a cousin who graduated high school at 12 in the US. He skipped something like 5 grades. Forcing someone like that to stay in his regular age group could have been more damaging.

And he was a well-rounded kid too - played the piano, swam and was very social. Importantly, he was very well-adjusted too. And he's a very grounded adult. A great guy.

So, it all depends on who you are dealing with - if a child needs to be ahead, they can be and that's fine. As long as it is not the parents *forcing* them ahead... or *forcing* them behind... to gain an advantage in some way...

I think parents need to chill. And kids should be kids. I went to a school with no homework for the first few years and no exams either. It was heaven!! We need more of that.

Re: When to start kindergarten?

Shripriya — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 11:10:51 -0000

@ Priyank - that is indeed a scary story. I think the problem is the pressure of the Indian system. If you aren't topping, it is almost impossible to get into college. I guess that pressure is going younger and younger!

@ Indira - Seems like that is the norm world over now. Japan, China, US, India...

@ Radha - Great to hear that your kids are happy even though they are young for their class. I think a lot of it has to do with the parents and how they supplement their kids' education - whether they are young, correct, or older for their class.

@ Fourth Ump - You are right in that not all parents want/do what's best for the kid. ... I started writing reams here on how parents can mess up a child, but I deleted it :) Let's just say I've seen parents mess up kids for life with their "efforts"!

Re: eBay wins skirmish

Shripriya — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:06:53 -0000

@ Greg - come on! Be bold :)

@ Will - I agree. But what are the alternatives really? Search is a one-man show. And even if you can get the other channels to replace current volume from Google, the lure of potential additional volume from Google will always be significant. Seems like a tough spot to me.

@ Alex - I agree with Will on this one. Nothing against free markets, but this was an eBay event. And to be clear, eBay has never said that they will allow any service onto the platform...

Re: Seven months old

Shripriya — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:15:22 -0000

@ MumbaiGirl - they read this blog, so you have congratulated them already :)

Re: eBay wins skirmish

Shripriya — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 12:50:53 -0000

@ Alex - eBay may well lose the war, but it depends on how buyers find things and what shopping experience eBay can offer.

Let me give you another example - right now, on Google, for AdWords, they will list you with a little shopping cart icon if you use Google Checkout. They will not give you that icon if you use PayPal.

However, it is their search engine and they are entitled to set the rules on what checkout service you need to use to get that extra promotion. There is no way at all that Google will give you an icon and say "Uses PayPal".

By the same token, eBay won't allow you use Google Checkout on eBay.

Can you use Google in your own store? Sure. Can you use PayPal in your own store? Sure. It is just that *both* competitors refuse to promote the competing payment service on their core site...

Re: Google’s image search

Shripriya — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 15:30:23 -0000

@Fourth Ump and Jeffrey - well, besides the fact that I can do a vanity search on Yahoo images more effectively ;) (which wasn't really the point of the post), have you guys seen a difference?

What about for your own names?

Re: Unlocked iPhone

Shripriya — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:20:41 -0000

@ Jeffrey - I think the answer is yes. After all, no one has come up with a better iPod!

@ Guru - It is not in Apple's hands - the hackers are going around Apple.

@ eas - you are probably right (sadly). However, they have just hacked it so that you can use a pre-paid card. And none of the other functions are affected. So there is hope. But you're right it might become a cat and mouse game.

@ Bruce - fair concern. Their hack for prepaid cards lets most things work - but YouTube does not...

@ Vertiboy - Haha - yes, sea kayaking is preferable to showering. For everyone else - private joke based on Veriboy's blog.

@ Indira - yes, thanks.

@ TGFI - aargh... dang it. If I had posted more frequently would I have been spared from this tag?? ;)

Re: Harry Potter and the ending

Shripriya — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:22:25 -0000

@ Priyank - haven't seen the movie yet. I do enjoy the movies, but the books, to me, are so much more exciting since the plot is revealed for the first time.

Are they releasing it as an e-book?

@ Rathi - So will you be skipping Sunday's class to read the book instead? :)

Re: Insanity in Baroda

Shripriya — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 15:34:41 -0000

@Upanishad - clearly you don't understand the law. Beating someone is not the same as writing something or drawing something. When you, as you say "kick... ass", you are violating the other person's rights and the law. On the other hand, drawing, writing, art, film, sculpture, is about individual expression and that's a fundamental freedom. Get it now?

And by the way, this is not about Hindu or Muslim. I believe the cartoons of the Prophet should be freely circulated as well - even if the Muslims hate it. That's what called freedom of expression.

Re: Insanity in Baroda

Shripriya — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 08:57:16 -0000

@HH (Hypocrisy Hater) - get real! This from someone who can't use their own name or email address. Ha ha. What a joke.

And I had a blog before - too bad you weren't there (in your real or fake identity) to know whether I posted those or not. I'm all about being timely with my posts. So, your loss.

People who don't even have the guts to blog under the own name/identity lose all rights to challenge anyone to do anything.

Re: Insanity in Baroda

Shripriya — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 09:21:59 -0000

No, no, Upanishad. I was pointing at Hypocrisy Hater. Not you. I said "HH". I will update that in my comment.

To that point, I don't dictate anyone's rights. But no one dictates mine either.

Re: Insanity in Baroda

Shripriya — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 16:58:34 -0000

I turned off comments on this post for a day because I got an email from a regular reader that I was leaving it open for the "crazies who don't get basic logic", especially since the post was two months old already.

However, I learned you can't prevent the crazies and they pollute the rest of my blog instead.

Upanishad, this is not aimed at you at all :)

SO, to all my **regular readers** and those who are subscribed to this thread - apologies but the comments are back on. Please feel free to come here and turn off the email to receive follow-up comments. Also, please don't bother arguing with people who don't get logic. I will be ignoring comments on this post and I hope you will too.

Re: iPhone unlocked - for free!

Shripriya — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:06:26 -0000

Megha - don't do it. The latest software update, the now-infamous 1.1.1 update kills all innovation on the iPhone. The Treo (Palm) was a wonderful phone because you could get so many external apps for it. Now, it was huge and ugly, but I used it for two years because you could make it powerful for your needs.

Until Apple allows me to own my phone and put whatever I want on it, I won't buy the iPhone. It's like buying a Mac and telling me that the only software I can run on it has to be produced by Apple! Insanity!!

Re: Green Dimes

Shripriya — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 02:07:28 -0000

Karen - great idea. I will follow your method and see if I can rid myself of the pesky catalogs!

Re: Facebook doesn’t want my money or “No gift for you!”

Shripriya — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:28:31 -0000

Thanks for the chat today, Ei. I updated the post as well.

Re: Open kimono startup

Shripriya — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:29:54 -0000

You're welcome, John. Hope things are going well. Can't wait to see your FB app!

Re: Benny Lava is stuck in my head

Shripriya — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:31:53 -0000

You're all very welcome! Two weeks later, I still find it funny. And the catchy tune helps.

BunnyLuvah - thanks for the translation :)

Re: Green Dimes

Shripriya — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:55:56 -0000

@Alieda - it actually has worked for us. We are seeing less junk. As Mikey mentions above, if you want it to work on your catalogs too, you just need to keep the ones you want to unsubscribe from, go over to the greendimes site and add them to the list to be removed. The reason to be careful is b/c if you add a catalog you actually don't receive the icky catalog company will then *add* you to the list!

I know we keep missing each other - why don't you come by this week?

@ihatespam - you have to give it longer than a month

@Mikey - yep, you are right!

@Natalie - thanks for the heads up.

@Sanjdimes - Happy to... glad it works!

Re: An emergency landing

Shripriya — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:12:14 -0000

Chris - thanks for your detailed response - much appreciated.

While it is wonderful for you to present an aviator's perspective, it is also important to see this from the passengers' perspective. For years, the airline industry has touted how air travel is the safest form of travel - and they are right. It is also the form of travel where passengers are the *least* in control - in a car, you are driving and so somewhat in control (one hopes!) and even in a train, you can actually jump off (even if the passenger would likely die from doing so, the ground seems close by).

Given that passengers feel completely helpless, I think it behooves the pilot (or whoever happens to be communicating with the passengers) to present the situation in a way that doesn't scare the passengers more than they already are. My personal opinion was that this particular captain did a poor job of that.

You make a very fair point that not all problems are identifiable on the ground and that some problems are okay to fly with - point taken.

And I completely agree with you that there are different departments. Unfortunately for the crew, they are the only ones that passengers see and interact with, so they are the only ones who we can talk to. They are also the face of the airline to the passengers, so I think if he'd said something a little kinder and gentler and less off the cuff and seemingly uncaring (from a passenger perspective), it would have been better.

Finally, I do agree that pilots have a very difficult job. I have often applauded when captains land planes smoothly or land planes not-so-smoothly in very rough weather. I am very open to giving them credit when due and even this particular captain deserves credit for his piloting skills. He could have likely saved the whole lot of us. I just take issue with his communication skills.

Re: Coolest bookshelf…

Shripriya — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:24:18 -0000

@ JSK - yep, they are at DWR. They are also at West Elm -
http://tinyurl.com/33m6r6

@ Niranjana and TGFI - LOL!! Sorry, I had to dramatically shrink the file size to post it online and thus lost quality. I will keep the squinting game in mind for future posts!

@ Charlie - :)

@ Prithvi - you can swing out just one book. You just have to take it out and then put it back - it is quite easy since there are only 5-6 books on each "shelf". The Kuramata design is hard for books since every single book comes in a different shape and size (while the revolving cabinet has exactly the same dimensions for every "shelf"). This design comes closest to solving the problem.

@ Kushi - as JSK mentions above, you can buy them at either
Design Within Reach:
http://designwithinreach.com/productdetail.cfm?...
or at West Elm: http://tinyurl.com/33m6r6

Re: Boy Oh Boy!!

Shripriya — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:16:01 -0000

Everyone - thank you very much!

TGFI, Neha, Mumbaigirl - more info one on one...
Abi - correct :)

Jeffrey/Erika - so overwhelmed, but will send an email with photos soon.

Re: Lasik - not always crystal clear

Shripriya — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:11:14 -0000

Rahul - there's lots of data on the web about success rates. The article mentions it as well. Not sure what you mean by "does it recur"?

I can't recommend anyone get or not get Lasik. You should do your research before making that decision.

Re: Change colors in the K2 theme

Shripriya — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:39:45 -0000

Hi Neha - what did you end up going with? and to shift themes - does it break everything? i.e. how painful is it? :)

Re: Handwriting

Shripriya — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:36:43 -0000

@TGFI - I am so with you. But I can't use my typing as the excuse for forgetting my Tamil!

@Priyank - I rediscovered the joy of fountain pens, but it still hasn't rescued my handwriting! But the fabulous fountain pen is fodder for another post :)

Re: Thank you, Shailu Iyengar

Shripriya — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:38:37 -0000

Ei - she was truly an incredibly fabulous person!

And I hope you are around for a long, long time so that your nieces and nephews enjoy you as you are right now :) And when the time comes, I am sure they will remember you very warmly.

Re: Shoot! The Blog

Shripriya — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:23:31 -0000

@Eileen - The starter version of the Archive with 50MB of storage is free. The other tiers have a fee

@Krishna - This competes directly with Getty. However, unlike Getty, at PhotoShelter, the photographers get to decide the prices of their photos (Getty determines it on their site). Getty is much hated in the industry since it pushes prices down a lot. While this may seem like a good thing, in the end, it is self-defeating: low prices mean that the photogs won't upload their best images and so buyers won't find the best images.

Re: To move to Tumblr…

Shripriya — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:24:33 -0000

Hi Amit - thanks for the link! But "Install the script on a server that supports PHP 5"? Er... Hmm... will try, but that may be beyond me. :)

Re: To move to Tumblr…

Shripriya — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:45:28 -0000

Eileen - LOL. Only because I haven't "spoken" to you. I do think you should blog - you have such fabulous stories to tell :)

Amit - Yes, I thought of that and Fred Wilson suggested that as well. Seems like the best alternative right now. Another idea is to post to the tumblr blog, but also have the post show up on the main blog, pulling it in. Fiddling around with things. Planning on moving the comment system to Disqus to help with that. Thanks for your thoughts!!

Re: Thank you, Shailu Iyengar

Shripriya — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:53:31 -0000

Hi Nancy - thank you for you kind words. I'm glad you found this post.

Re: Unsubscribe me!

Shripriya — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:00:52 -0000

Hey Jeffrey - I pop gmail and .mac into the Mail app on my computer. So, set up a rule in Mail, I think, yes? I think category 2 and 4 are harder to set rules for, but 1 and 3 should be fairly straightforward...

Re: Unsubscribe me!

Shripriya — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:47:21 -0000

@Krishna - Sure. It is quite... er... "strict", so be prepared.

@4th Umpire - LOL! Naughty, naughty!

Re: IPL and International Cricket

Shripriya — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:48:52 -0000

@Indoczar - yep, Willow saves the day!

@Krishna - right you were!

Re: Elizabeth Edwards on the pathetic coverage of the elections

Shripriya — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:50:10 -0000

That is true - the market gets what it asks for. However, the issue is that do news organizations have a duty to try to elevate the level or not? One could argue that as a public service, they should try to educate and illuminate rather than just entertain and cater to lowest common denominator.

Re: Suleman from Britain’s Got Talent

Shripriya — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:51:18 -0000

@tgfi - the crowd reaction added the excitement to the act :)

@Eileen - lol! Trust you to catch that. He looked *so* awkward!

Re: On choosing and settling

Shripriya — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:22:21 -0000

@Eileen - hardly. A high-quality woman like you will never be doomed :)

@Erik - I thought of you when I saw the game theory bit :) Loved the more detailed thought-process on your blog. For others - it is here: http://erikstuart.com/post/33044873

@Ricky - great examples re: the house. I struggle with the "settle" conclusion. It seems to broad. I guess it is all a matter of degree... settling/compromising over smaller things (or a whole bunch of smaller things) seems fine to me, but settling on a "larger" issue just to get married seems... desperate. But then it comes down to what's smaller/larger for each person.
Glad you enjoyed the articles!

Re: Elizabeth Edwards on the pathetic coverage of the elections

Shripriya — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:33:40 -0000

@Prithvi - yo! welcome back! I like the Economist subscribers idea. I see you have no fear of being labeled an elitist ;)

Re: Opera - in a theater near you

Shripriya — Sat, 31 May 2008 21:42:12 -0000

Yeah, I don't know why it is $22. Perhaps because a live ticket is a lot more? But I agree with you that this should be educational and customer acquisition focused instead of profit focused.

Re: The first female president

Shripriya — Sat, 31 May 2008 21:47:52 -0000

@Krishna, @ Gupta - The US is actually pretty conservative when it comes to politics. There have been 43 presidents. Every single one of them a white man.

I don't think "old" is a qualification to say he's different! :) Yes, he's older than most, but we've had OLD white men as presidents, thank you very much.

The only non-typical candidates are Obama - a black man and Hillary - a (white) woman.

Let's not even try to give the Republicans any credit for being non-typical. If and when McCain chooses Jindal, yes, he'll get kudos for that, but he's doing it to counter his age (Jindal is in his mid-thirties!)As an aside, Jindal also converted to be able to play in US politics - that says something too.

But I do recognize and celebrate that the Democrats have been able to put forward to such non-typical candidates :)

Re: New York’s message: have a rich life

Shripriya — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:58:56 -0000

Prithvi - It is a beautiful poem with a whole slew of interesting odes to Manhattan. How cool that you were able to do it to match the title!

And if Currid really recommends more night clubs, I shudder. We are seeing an influx of them around flatiron and it is not great...

Re: To move to Tumblr…

Shripriya — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:33:22 -0000

Jonathan - VERY cool. And a hosted solution too! What about a Wordpress plugin? :)

Every day I get search queries to this post looking to move to tumblr, so your plugin would get some traction!

Re: Enjoying the rain

Shripriya — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 01:17:49 -0000

@Krishna - The professional clothes are an acceptable excuse, but doing your own laundry?? :) Just throw the stuff in the washer! But, yesterday was the weekend anyway - there were still very few people braving the elements unprotected (but there were a few!)

@TGFI - The whole experience is much better in the summer when the weather is good. Doing this in the fall would be extremely unpleasant to say the least!

Hmm... filed a complaint with bloglines. Let's see what they say.

@Prithvi - I seriously thought about dancing and prancing - or more specifically opening my arms out wide, tipping my face to the sky and whirling around. But then I felt a bit silly since there were people about. Maybe next time :) And when you do your singing in the rain routine, be sure to let me know!

Re: Jetsons-style grocery shopping

Shripriya — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:35:45 -0000

Blue - TOTALLY agree with you. I'm a recycling freak (even tear the windows out of window envelopes to ensure they can be recycled safely :) )

Re: Benny Lava is stuck in my head

Shripriya — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:01:16 -0000

@Everyone - Hilarious, yes. I still find it funny after all this time.

@Zach - The actress is Jaya Sheel apparently...

Re: Green Dimes

Shripriya — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:06:29 -0000

@Bob Nolin - Have you tried to contact support on their site? I am sure they would try to resolve the issue immediately to enable you to sign up and pay... Good luck!

And it is definitely working for me!

Re: iPhone… still…

Shripriya — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:16:51 -0000

No, Apple doesn't care much about its users. I use the products because they are the best designed products out there. Hopefully the unlock will be upgrade resistant like the unlock of the 2G phone :)

Android... hmm... so far from reality still. Let's see how it goes.

Re: New York’s message: have a rich life

Shripriya — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:19:05 -0000

@Rakesh Malik - I often felt that NYC was a city that was better to visit than to live in. I've changed my opinion on that over the years. I think it is good for both.

@Rakesh - It is true that different people will be happy in different cities. Or one can be happy in any city if you find the "side of its personality" that works for you.

Re: Enjoying the rain

Shripriya — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:21:36 -0000

@tgfi - thanks! Please do let me know if it stops again.

@mumbaigirl - I'm with you on the bath thing, but funnily enough, if the day is warm, the rain doesn't feel that cold.

@Prakash - Tell me - did you do it?! :)

Re: When to start kindergarten?

Shripriya — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:57:59 -0000

@all - I think it just depends on each child. Some children learn faster and are fully capable of interacting with children who are older - they should be encouraged to do so. The Kindergarten/Primary school I went to was particularly good at identifying these kids and making sure they were in a class of their "intellectual peers" versus their "chronological peers".

For others, their chronological peers are their intellectual peers and they are in the right group for their needs.

As long as the child is happy and learning, that's what is important.

Re: iPhone… still…

Shripriya — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 18:11:08 -0000

@LivePaola... yikes. Yes, I think I am destined to wait. Either till the iPhone Dev Team unlocks it or till 2010 when the ATT contract expires.

Re: Another “Born Free” - Christian, the lion

Shripriya — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:39:10 -0000

@ylenol - Lol.

@Vidya - yes, it is true. The Wikipedia link I provided that confirmed it. Snopes is always good too though.

And you can find "Untitled" here. Thank you for your kind words about the film.

Re: Michael Phelps - #7 in pictures

Shripriya — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:30:06 -0000

I really felt it would just be a piece of paper since, when I became a citizen, I'd already lived here for over a decade... Interestingly it was more than that...

Re: Enjoying the rain

Shripriya — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 09:30:42 -0000

Love the parody... and the newspaper cube-plastering!

Re: Form and function

Shripriya — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:38:55 -0000

@Priyank - True, there is a relation and I, for one, am okay with that within certain bounds. The key condition is that if you charge *anything* for a product, it better work. Actually, even if you don't charge, but if you warrant to the customer that they should use it and depend on it, it better work.

So, you should be offended that your screwdriver never worked. That's ridiculous. What was the $5 for then?? The company should be ashamed.

Once the product works, I am completely okay with a company charging more for a quality product where the form surpasses expectations. More power to them!

Finally - your site was pretty and usable :) Congratulations.

@miapan - I've used them for 15 years now. You do have to be a bit careful, but I find it worth it. If you are very worried, you could pay a premium and go for daily disposables. The risk of infection is all but eliminated.

Re: Sarah Palin - the mandatory post

Shripriya — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 23:06:25 -0000

@vruz - agreed.

@Eileen - I think the Dems handled a lot of this wrong. Focused too much on Palin... primarily due to shock! Time to focus on McC who is only being talked about now b/c of Palin. Let's put the focus back on him and therefore de-energize them! :)

@Krishna - True, Barry is probably running a bit earlier than he should. However, let's be clear - at least he has the wisdom of choosing a running mate who is equipped to be President. Do you seriously believe Sarah "I can see Russia from Alaska" Palin is even remotely qualified? What does it say about McC that he chose her.

And... this is blog that is clearly Democrat (often Independent, but in this case, Dem!), so of course like-minded people will chime in here. If you want to find a blog where the Reps are chiming in, there are millions on the web. You can find them very easily I am sure!

Re: Sarah Palin - the mandatory post

Shripriya — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 23:25:46 -0000

@Krishna - Good point - I do think debate is a good thing as long as it is civilized.

As I conceded earlier, I think Obama is running 4 years early. However, I still think he's better than McCain. For example, in the first major decision as a nominated candidate, he picked Biden - someone you respect, while McCain picked the moron. What does that tell you about their decision-making abilities?

And I can think of cases where someone just out of HBS (say 2-3 years out) may be better qualified to run a company. Can't you? ;)

Re: Sarah Palin - the mandatory post

Shripriya — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 08:47:01 -0000

Also, McC was upheld for his "high principles". What does it say when *every* major newspaper has called him on his lies? Not just the NY Times, but the WSJ and the Washington Post - "Now he has broken that promise so completely that the John McCain of old is unrecognizable. He has become the sort of politician he once despised. " (http://snurl.com/3rfqk)

And not just news organizations - even the most despised and despicable of all liars - Karl Rove thinks McCain has gone too far. Sad.

Re: New York is not an alley

Shripriya — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:18:46 -0000

Just to be clear - the "alley" reference is something from the technology world. Silicon Valley refers to the Bay Area and people refer to New York (in the tech world) as Silicon Alley.

So the point is that it is not an "alley", it is much more than that.

@Kiran - thanks!

@Krishna - banks happen to be headquartered here - that is not the fault of the city!

I agree with you though that the bankers themselves are not innocent. In fact, far from it!! As an industry, it gets way more money than it should for the work that it does.

Every Governor and Senator of a state where voters are in trouble of any kind will support the constituents. HOWEVER, the *only* one who can have an impact on it and make decisions is a federal body. A federal body that is backed by the Republican party in power - the people in that body were put there by Republicans over the past 8 years and they should be fully held accountable for this disaster. They are bailing out some and not others and putting the government into businesses it has no business being in (ah, yes, small government... anyone??) They are doing it because the Republicans don't want to be held responsible for sleeping at the wheel for the past 8 years and letting the financial system as we know it collapse entirely. Vote them out - forever!

Re: The apps make the phone

Shripriya — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:20:22 -0000

@tgfi - I think the only one like that has already given me his phone :)

@Kiran - yeah, smart devices are the savior of mankind... :) But really, if some of these apps were available on the bberry, I would consider switching. The bberry desperately needs an app store.

Re: Adjusting to NYC

Shripriya — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:43:56 -0000

@LivePaola - yes, gorgeous. But usually only in the upper e/w sides.

@tgfi - dang. Fixed now.

Re: Sarah Palin - the mandatory post

Shripriya — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 16:00:40 -0000

@Ram - Thanks for visiting.

First, Krishna, who you say you agree with, thinks Palin is a moron. Do you share that conclusion?

Curiosity of the world is travel. Period. Ebert uses Europe because in the US, it is considered the easiest place to visit. Unlike South Asia etc.

And so what if she has five kids?? She's the one who says that she shouldn't be given negative points for that, so let's not. She should have done it anyway. You can't have it both ways - use the kids when useful and then say the kids won't hold you back when useful. If the kids won't hold you back from doing a great job, they shouldn't have held her back from doing anything else either.

Did you actually listen to her interview on ABC with Charlie Gibson? It gave me the shivers. She said several frightening things - she thinks she's ready to be president. No qualms. Wow! I wonder if *anyone*, even the president should be that overconfident. Oh, and foreign policy experience - she can see Russia from Alaska. Wow!

Ivy League in itself is irrelevant. It is merely a proxy for achievement at a high level. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne is an excellent, excellent school. It is very highly regarded and produces brilliant graduates. An Ivy League education per se is not relevant to be good at what you do. However, 6 schools in 5 years to graduate? A bit on the other extreme perhaps?

You seem to be a single issue voter (just guessing from your last point). I am not. I am a social liberal and a fiscal conservative. The Democrats will give me socially liberal policies. The Republicans will give me nothing - as the last 8 years have proved, they are *not* fiscally conservative. What they will do is give tax breaks for the >250K. I will likely benefit. But I don't want to. I would much rather pay more taxes and live in a land where the woman has a right to choose, where gay marriage or civil unions can be celebrated and where children learn about Darwin instead of creationism.

I care about who gets put on the Supreme Court and whether my tax dollars will go to Irag or to restore the third-world level airports and transit systems.

I care that the US has a relationship in the world that is collaborative and inclusive. Where we sit down with people before firing missiles at them. Where the POTUS knows the difference between Spain and Latin America (This was McCain, by the way who said he would not sit down with the President of Spain! http://tinyurl.com/4cme7m)

Finally, I really think we are living in an "Atlas Shrugged" world where we make excuses for mediocrity and go so far as to celebrate it. When did mediocrity become a great thing??

Re: Sarah Palin - the mandatory post

Shripriya — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:26:44 -0000

@Keshav - since this post is about Sarah Palin - let me ask you - would you ever want her to be the VP? Ever? If the answer is a resounding no, then you can't vote for McCain.

And re: Obama and the Born Alive act - he voted against the Illinois bill but FOR the Federal bill. Why? Because the Federal bill contained language that protected Roe v. Wade that the Illinois bill did not. At least he's paying attention to the details.

Re: Sarah Palin - the mandatory post

Shripriya — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:10:09 -0000

@Keshav - you are right, Obama could not have voted for the 2002 bill. "Mr. Obama said in 2004 and again on Saturday that he would have supported the federal version." But, you're right that would have is not the same as did!

To answer your point on restricting minors who wish to travel inter-state to get an abortion due to home state restrictions. Forget the father impregnating. The issue is that the girl gets pregnant and is too scared to tell the parents. Cannot get an abortion in state - has to go to another state. Or, the kid tells the parents, the parents insist she not have an abortion - she's a minor, but she doesn't want to continue the pregnancy. What are her choices here?

Anyway, we can debate whether minors should have sex (they do, that's the reality) and whether they should be made to carry the pregnancy to term, but we will never agree.

I've been pregnant. I worked really hard to get pregnant. I've had that incredible feeling of hearing the heartbeat when the embryo is just a spec. It is amazing. But that is *me*.

I would not presume to tell another woman what she should do. And, by the way, that's the libertarian philosophy on things - stay out of my finances AND my personal life! You and I will just never agree on this topic, so let's let it rest, shall we? :)

Re: Sarah Palin - the mandatory post

Shripriya — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:40:57 -0000

@Keshav - you continue to ONLY listen to what you want to.

[This section of my reply is edited from the original reply - I felt there was too much personal information on a public blog]

It is the right to choose what to do with the pregnancy, the embryo and your body without which the pregnancy will not continue. Clear?

And you seem to be a single issue voter. Please see above for all the issues I care about. I hardly want an administration that will say no to gay marriage/civil unions etc. etc. (all detailed in my response to Ram)