Encounter with Amazon Echo

By nature, I try to get my hands on most of the new product launches, more to exercise my view as a critique and designer. I often bump into products with a black screen like mobile, tablet, laptop, TV and what not. It seems like there is a race to put the black screen into every product possible in the name of the internet of things (IOT) or connected devices. On the aesthetic side, I don’t see much evolution from the previous generation black screen products though I found the lot of emphasis on speed, user interface, and user experience, but nothing revolutionary from quite some time.

The launch of Amazon Echo in 2014 was a surprise to me as this is the product, which moves away from the black screen. As a matter of fact, the whole product is black. In the first promo video, it seemed to be a product that’s trying to find a niche which doesn’t exist. I was very skeptical as I had used voice-enabled services in the past like Siri and a similar speech to text engine, and I believed there is still a long way to go before a product can survive solely on voice-enabled interaction.

It was the only end of 2015 when I actually laid my hands on Amazon Echo and I must say what a pleasant surprise. Unboxing was very simple as there were not many layers of packaging, unlike typical Apple products. Out of the box, you see this big, bulky, black cylinder, which should always be plugged in and be connected to Wi-Fi to work. I always look up to Amazon’s product launches and am a big fan of kindle and fire tablet which I see as the best value for money. As a product designer, it seemed to me as a very traditional design where function dominates the form. The engineer inside me was very curious to experiment with it and amazon voice service (AVS) has opened a whole world of possibilities in front of me.

Within a day, Alexa sneakily became an integral part of our family. I mostly use it to play music, my wife to make her shopping list and my son to try his luck to get answers of all of his questions, which are certainly beyond the limits of Google, forget about Alexa. Time and again, I get frustrated when I have to repeat myself or shout at the top of my voice to get heard correctly, but it is still the best voice enabled device I have come across.

Echo comes across as a device which belongs to the whole family, not to an individual. Perhaps television is another actively shared device but it throws a plethora of options in front of us, which creates debates on what to see and whose demand to succumb to. However with Echo, we hardly have such a fight. Alexa no doubts lack AI, but still my wife will say, “We ask so many questions to Alexa, I fear she might be angry one day”. There is a very high perceived sociability of the device.

I have added quite a few custom interactions using Alexa voice services like reading stories for my son, and it is just amazing. Voice enabled services are the way to go and I am sure Echo is setting a new benchmark in this direction. There is a whole new level of user interface and user experience to explore as you don’t see what you are doing but something is happening as per your command in real time. At times, I hate my phone as it is too intrusive, it distracts me by nudging me to do the lot of stuff which I don’t want to do at a given time. For example, I pick my phone to call my friend but end up spending time considerable time looking at all the notifications which often leaves me frustrated. However, Echo does what I ask it does, keeping me immune to the immense possibilities of things I can ask. I like it for the very reason that it doesn’t have a screen.

From the design perspective, Black cylinder looks no-brainer to me in terms of industrial design as cylinder would be the first obvious shape which I will come up if I have to stuff speaker, base, and booster which are mostly in the circular in shape in a device. But when you hold echo into your hand, it gives a feeling of robustness and quality. There is a lot I wish echo should have – it should be smarter, it shouldn’t abruptly say that it didn’t understand the instruction and instead, it should provide options to get the task done as well as keeping me engaged if I want to. I really wish It could take multiple instructions and process them very quickly. I know that in the future, Echo will be able to do much more than what I wish for.

Today Echo sits comfortably in our living room, plays the right music during dinner time, helps me to have an awesome conversation with my family, and above all, keeps me away from my phone when I should be.

Three dimensions like geometry define one’s geometry of life

Recently I read the book titled “Autobiography of a Yogi” by Yogananda which revealed load of facts about the great Guru.

In my perception Spirituality is nothing but knowing your inner self, which is not an easy task. It doesn’t mean that one should leave all worldly affairs to be spiritual, it is more about doing things with the knowledge of knowing, what one is doing.

Three dimensions like geometry define one’s geometry of life.

First one is physical dimension which one feels through out one’s life. We can correlate this with normal distribution curve, initially it grows and makes one stronger and tougher and after reaching its apex it starts decaying.

Second is worldly dimension (Maya’s dimension), which is like a sine curve and doesn’t let one to come out from this easily. One oscillates like a pendulum back and forth, swings himself in the tides of ups and downs. Most of the People are caught by this, some time they feel very high in confidence and the next morning very low and again pendulum swings and very process continues.

Third one is Spiritual dimension, which is like an exponential curve and keeps one levitated in a state of bliss and that feeling grows stronger and stronger with time. It gives one a sense of self realization and helps in attaining a state of sheer joy in every thing one does.

“Sankalp” promise to our India

Opssss, I can’t take it any more.

“Ab Sahan nahin hota hamse”

16th December 2012, Nirbhaya was raped inside the DTC bus in New Delhi.

Was it the first time some one raped, not really? It happens every day and in thousands numbers almost everywhere.

Lot of people blood boiled like never before, people came down to street of Delhi. There was wide spread protest through out the country like never before., But Delhi was boiling in the chilling winter of December. That is the fate of the “City of Djinns”. History tells, Delhi has witnessed far too many massacres, wars, protest than any other city in India.

All the 6 accused arrested, One died in police custody and remaining 5 were convicted of “Sexual Assault and Murder” on 8th July and got the maximum sentence of 3 years imprisonment in a reform facility.

Was justice done?

I am asking all of you. Was Justice done?

If not, that what could be the justice to those vultures…

Hanged till death!

What that will solve?

Violence to solve violence – Is it the best way to stop violence?

If yes, Then what about the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Seems doesn’t make sense in the present situation.

Answer me!

In December – January, I was part of a national odyssey called “Jagrati Yatra” (The Awakening), aiming to solve problem of India through Enterprise based solution. Protest, debate was one way to bring awakening – but that still depends on others, we want others (governments, bureaucrats) to change; But here the idea is of “Being the Change”, Being in  Every country has its problem and like all other we too had many problems.

• Problem of safe drinking water, Hygiene, pollution, population, unemployment, illiteracy so many…

We were 500 youths travelling in a train, discussing about the various problem. Covering various cities, towns and villages of India, Meeting different set of people and each was representing a different set of India.

There was my India, my India has a problem of Pollution and traffic jam.

There was the India of the people living is the slum of Bihar. Their India is hungry, faces problem to provide them a good meal, forget about the good part, at least a meal in a day. Their India is naked, doesn’t have a cloth to cover the body, There India is shame less, doesn’t have a shelter to hide the shame.

There was the India of the people living in the backward district of Bengal. Where most of women and girls dies, because of the septic caused by using to polythene, used cloth, and what not  during the menstrual cycle. Their India can’t provide them a piece of cloth or napkin.

There was the India of a Riskawala in Delhi, whose main job was to pick dead bodies from the street as hundred die during winter season in Delhi, almost every day. And at times, he tightly embraces the dead body to get the warmth in chilling cold of Delhi.

What an Irony.

There was the India of the people waiting in Madurai eye hospital. Their India is blind, Can’t see. Their India just can not afford a simple cataract operation.

And

There was the India of the girl Nirbhaya (Whose real name, most of us still don’t know). Her India is raped openly every day, every hour, every second. Her India couldn’t provide the safety to its citizen.

Problem of my India seems meaning less if I compared to problem of so many India’s I saw.

We used to discussed problem of each India in detail and try to build social enterprises to support each cause.

And Then “Nirbhaya Case” Happened. And the whole scenario, thought process changed.

Problem is different, here the problem is of Morals, values and a simple sense of right and wrong.

What kind of social enterprise could be built to solve this monstrous problem and another what could be the possible causes.

We learn these values, from our parents, peers and well-wishers.

How that could be fed to “Janata” if they lack the basic sense of right and wrong. How? HOW?

How insignificant, I am feeling today. Could India be abandoned due to whims of few morons? Could I sit and do nothing, as it is beyond my control, and keep hoping that one day every thing will be all right.

Time has come from going beyond being mere thinkers and trust me world doesn’t need thinkers any more, it needs doers.

I will do my bit, will try my best to influence more and more people for the right cause. It might look today a drop in the ocean, but soon these drops will become a torrent.

My movement has become, time has become.

That is my “Sankalp”, promise to myself.

What say you! What say you!

Danish Days

Time flies when you are happy and busy but clock doesn’t move when you are sad and lonely.

you are leaving me Alone here”, My girl friend told in the sad tone. I couldn’t think the best diplomatic answer so kept quite hence leaving no chance for any misinterpretation.

She is now my wife and I still believe, “Silence is golden”. That time our relationship was very much secret, even our closest friends were not aware of it.

 We were sitting in a cab going towards Airport, There was a Pin drop silence. And my phone rang, It was Sajan. “Hey I am coming to Airport to C U OFF”. Gr8 Come !

Now the complication, but poor Sajan didn’t guess much even after seeing the crying face of Rashmita.

And Next day late Morning I Landed in Copenhagen, My land lady came to pick me from airport, I reached at my apartment at 12 O clock afternoon, was very tired and slept immediately.

When I woke up; I saw outside there was a sunlight in the surrounding but whether was little cloudy. I saw my watch it was 5 O’ Clock. I remembered I have to call home and inform them that I have reached safely. I put my sleeper came out in the street, to my surprise, there was no one anywhere in the sight, all the shops were closed. By walk I reached Nearest Railway station and saw a phone booth right across.

Suddenly a train came, and the only person in the whole train was the train driver. Strange I thought, I was totally confused, perplexed and simultaneously scared. It seemed to me there is some kind of curfew in the whole city, but how come there was nothing in yesterday’s news and even my land lady didn’t inform me such thing.

In India, Such kind of silence at evening 5 O’ clock is not just possible until unless there is some thing terrible wrong in the country. I reached phone booth, dialed to Rashmita as that was the only number I remembered at that time. That too due to lot of scolding in the beginning, “you don’t remember my number”.

 

My girl friend picked and the first thing I heard, “Where the hell you were, we were so worried. Your Mom is almost crying.”

Why, I told you, “I will call you in the evening.”

“Oh and now is your evening”, my girl friend said.

“Ya it is close to 6:00”, I replied

“Did you reach some other planet, It is morning 9:30 here”, she said.

“What!” I looked up suddenly sun came out from the sky and filled the atmosphere with light. I actually woke up next day.

I used to take monthly train pass to commute to office and city center. One day I was sitting in the train and enjoying the marvelous landscape outside.

Someone tapped on my shoulder, Ticket please. I proudly showed my pass, “Sir, It got expired yesterday”. What! Fine was 1000 DKK (8 K INR) almost equal to 3 months pass. Due to nervousness I told, ya ya I bought it yesterday, must be somewhere in my bag.

To show him, I started searching my bag, jackets, paints… Hoping he won’t wait and come back later and by that time I will somehow escape. Other thing, I wasn’t having any money too.

He patiently waited for 10 Min and calmly said, “I think you forgot at home, made the bill, “Pay at the post office”.

It was very hard, DKK 1000. I thought I have to compensate. I will buy bicycle and won’t use monthly pass for next 3 months. Got to know there is a bicycle auction on the coming weekend at “lost and found” department.

Reached there early, but wasn’t gaining courage to auction as it was happening in Danish. I was standing from quite some time, I thought at least I should participate, I will add fifty DKK in the base price and later somebody will take over.

fire hundrede … fire hundrede halvtredserne I shouted. To my surprise no one else added any thing further and later fire hundrede halvtredserne 1, 2, 3 and I got bicycle. That too paid 20% additional tax, as I wasn’t aware of the rules because they were written in Danish.

 

Truly speaking it wasn’t easy to away from family and friends. I missed my family a lot and discovered 3 kinds of missing. It started with

Yogi missing: Yog means spiritual feeling in Hindi.  It is more or less spiritual missing, you miss your family and friends but you feel their presence with in.

Something I felt in the beginning, Autumn was about to start but whether was quite good.

Lot of greenery around and Weekend used to be booked for Exploring.

But autumn came in no time, leaves stated falling. Then it was almost 2 months and now my Yogi missing turned in to

Bhogi missing: Bhogi is a Hindi word which means a experience of pleasure and pain. I felt nice while I am in office, absorbed in work, but after reaching home, Feeling of loneliness engulfs me. I felt happy and sad at the same time. Life was becoming sinusoidal curve oscillating between happiness and sadness.

And worst, winter came in full swing, and covered the already barren land with sno.

Markets used to be empty and that calmness was slowly creating frustration with in me and now my Bhogi missing turned into

Rogi missing. Rog means Decease in Hindi, I just couldn’t concentrate and then it was almost 5 months away from my family and friends. So finally I went to celebrate X’Mas with my family and was back again to follow the similar pattern of missing.

But this time, I decided. NO I won’t let it happen again. So this time I joined Toastmaster immediately and there I felt at home.

Soon I learnt, I need to love city and its’ ways otherwise it is just difficult to have good time in new atmosphere. As wise men say, “Be a Roman when you are in Rome.”

Now I believe I have got a tint of Danish in my behavior, HOW you might be wondering.

There are some ways to discover how much Danish you have become during your stay in Denmark, quite valuable for expatriate like me.

You know you have lived long enough in Denmark. When

You think it’s impolite to sit next to someone in a bus if there is a bench where you can sit on your own.

You honestly believe that travelling 30 KM is really a long distance.

The first thing you do on entering a bank/post office/pharmacy etc. is to look for the queue number machine and you accept that you will have to queue to take a queue number.

Can’t remember when to say “please” and “excuse me”.

You find yourself more interested in the alcohol content than the name of the wine.

It feels natural to wear sport clothes and a backpack everywhere.

You find the idea walking across the street when the light is red unforgivable, even though there are no cars in sight and it’s 3am in the morning! And yell at pedestrians crossing at red light.

You say Skål at every sip because you can’t find anything else to say

List is endless, and I have lot to say.

To cut short, It was happy good Danish Days.