Wandering Soul

I am really tied up with my B-school applications, but I just had to take time out to post this one!

On this day exactly half a century ago, mankind set out on a quest to explore the final frontier. The USSR launched the Sputnik 1, earth’s first artificial satellite, on October 4, 1957. It was the era of the Cold War, and this launch started the space race between USA and USSR. Here’s the front page of The New York Times announcing the launch of Sptunik 1:

The mission of Sputnik 1 was to study the density of high atmospheric layers. It fell from orbit on January 4, 1958 and burnt up after completing 1440 orbits. Those 3 months were by far the most important period in the history of space exploration, and set the stage for man’s foray into space.

I am very happy today! One of my favourite applications has expanded to cover my favourite hobby as well. Google Earth now includes Google Sky, which is a sky-mapping software.

Google Sky has turned Google Earth’s concept completely on its head, literally. The camera which used to point down from the sky, can now point up at the click of a button.

While you can turn the constellation outlines on and off, you can also pan and zoom across the entire night sky. It uses, what I think, are high resolution photos of the sky, taken from observatories, and telescopes across the world, and beyond. That’s the best part about this software. There are no representations of objects. All are real photographs. Everything is real!

There’s a special layer called ‘Hubble Showcase’ to show mind-blowing images of deep sky objects. While trying out the software, I promptly zoomed in on my favourite spot in the night sky – The Orion Nebula.

Some of the deep-sky objects in Google Sky have detail photos, presumably taken by Hubble, or other orbiting telescopes. It contains a database of objects from the Messier catalogue and the New General Catalogue. It even allows you to watch the motion of planets across the sky using time compression. There is information on each object in the application, be it a star, a planet, a galaxy or a black hole.

And if you are thinking that this application is only for couch stargazers, or that it will kill star gazing, think again! There’s something for everyone here. I was always intrigued by Andromeda Galaxy, the twin to our own galaxy, but didn’t know where to find it. That’s when Google Sky’s search feature came to my rescue, taking me across the sky and right towards Andromeda. Such features will inspire more people to take up the hobby of star gazing.

Talking of sky mapping software, you should check out Celestia. It is a 3-dimensional view of space that will make you feel like Captain James T. Kirk. Celestia does not confine you to the surface of earth. You can move around planets and galaxies, and boldly go where no man has gone before! But this post is about Google Sky and I’ll end it here. I’ll talk about Celestia later.

I was missing in action for a long time, and for good reasons. I was preparing for the GMAT, and with the test now behind me, here I am, back on the blog.

I scored 710 (Q=48; V=40) on the GMAT. While I know my score is not world-beating, I am happy with it. A score of 700+ on the GMAT does give you an edge when applying to B-schools. If you are planning to take the GMAT and are unable to decide between the host of prep material out there, then let me make it a bit easier for you.

I had a mix of online study material and books. I referred to an online compilation of GMAT material to start with. It was brought to my notice by my buddy, Saumil. Unfortunately that site is unavailable now.

After that came the books and their accompanying CDs. I used Kaplan GMAT Premier Program, Princeton Review’s Cracking the GMAT and The Official Guide to GMAT Review 11. I should thank my close friend Anuj Kacker, who’s presently pursuing his MBA at The Indian School of Business, for lending me these books.

A week before the test, I downloaded the official GMATprep software from mba.com. The GMATPrep will give you an idea of what you can expect from the real test, as this software carries actual questions from earlier GMATs.

The best method of preparation is to practise solving the questions. Once you get comfortable with the various types of questions, then you’ll actually start enjoying the tests.

Microsoft wants to catch up with Google. Google is way ahead in the Internet Search market, and ads linked to text-search. And with Google developing its own internet based softwares and office applications that directly compete with Microsoft Office, Microsoft wants to go on the offensive.

In order to catch up, Microsoft wants to take over Yahoo! and increase its market share in Internet Search and search-linked advertising. Yahoo! is the second most-used search engine after Google.

Microsoft was in talks with Yahoo! last year for a proposed takeover. Since then the push from Microsoft had slackened. According to the report on New York Post, Micorsoft has intensified its pursuit of a deal with Yahoo! after losing DoubleClick to Google last month. Microsoft has apparently employed Goldman Sachs to see the deal through.

Microsoft has an option of catapulting itself into a competitive position by buying 5 - 10 smaller companies. But with the loss of DoubleClick, that option seems to be fading. The only other option is to buy something like Yahoo!

According to New York Post, a deal between Microsoft and Yahoo! would up the combined companies’ share of the all-important search advertising market to 27 percent against Google’s 65 percent. It would also narrow the gap in overall online ads with Google to just 13 percent.

More importantly, a deal would drastically increase the eyeballs, potentially increasing advertising. Microsoft and Yahoo! also feature complimentary offerings on the content side. MSN draws an older audience with its news focus, whereas Yahoo! attracts a younger demographic with its entertainment coverage.

The talks are still in the initial stages and neither company is commenting on anything. Let’s wait and watch how the deal goes through and how Google reacts to it…

UPDATE: Bloomberg reports Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s top internet ad man, as saying that it could take at least five and maybe 10 years for Microsoft to gain significant traction against Google’s search. A Yahoo partnership could make Microsoft a threat right away and may be its only choice to keep up with Google’s acquisitions. In another story, alarm:clock reports that Google is stepping up its efforts to buy the Internet job portal SimplyHired. The purchase makes sense for Google, as it doesn’t have a job site in its folds, when the online job search market is growing rapidly. This buy out news is close on the heels of the Microsoft-Yahoo news. Is it the case of Google trying to consolidate it’s position as the leader in online services and advertising market?

I had recently posted on my visit to Goa. My friends refused to believe that I could actually find a peaceful beach in Goa during winter, which is the peak season there. But yes, I did find one! Morjim, is what it is called.

And better than the beach, is the place where I stayed - Camp 69. Lots of people have asked me about this place, so this post is for all of you.

Camp 69 is an ensemble of log cabins, right across from Morjim beach. To reach the hotel, follow the signs to Montego Bay Resort, and when you arrive at Montego Bay, turn right along the road and around 200 metres down you will see Camp 69. If you use Google Earth, you can download the placemark (KML) for this place.

There are about 9 cabins apart from the restaurant, which is the central hub. The cabins are clean and spacious. The walls are made of wood, but the floor is tiled, which explains the cleanliness. All the cabins have attached bathrooms. They have a ‘running’ hot water facility, as in when you call for hot water, the boy from the restaurant comes running with a bucket of hot water None of the cabins are air conditioned, but believe me, with the cool sea breeze blowing, you won’t miss the a/c. The cabins are well spaced out, so there’s complete privacy.

The restaurant is the high point of this place. It’s an open hut kind of a set-up. The food is delicious and generous in quantity. It serves continental and Goan cuisines. If you want something that’s not on the menu, you can request the chef to make it for you, and he will be glad to do so. You can expect good music in the restaurant, especially old numbers.

The place is run by a local person, Bosco. All the staff is local Goan and the staff is really friendly and helpful. More importantly, the staff is trustworthy. They will help you out if you want to hire bikes to move around, or even if you want directions to some town. They also have safe-locker facility to keep your valuables and passport while you frolic on the beach.

If you want to enjoy a non-crowded, clean and peaceful beach in Goa, you should head to Morjim, and stay at Camp 69. In my opinion, it is the loveliest and most peaceful little hotel around Morjim/Aswem beaches.