Isn't it Blind Development?

After having experienced somewhat similar pollution in Delhi during my visit last year on thanks-giving time.. I can totally empathize with Beijing residents. Even though it was probably ten times less than what is being reported in Beijing now a days..

I totally call it blind development.. There is no point in developing that fast when you make day to day life of your own citizens under such a enormous health risk. What is this development for? to make quality of life better.. isn't it?? What is the point of having all the modern amenities if you can' live or breath to enjoy them..

There is no easy solution to this problem.. As this article from CNN mentions.. Los Angels had gone thru it starting in 1950s.. however, I am sure, if California hadn't fixed it, our Hollywood would have moved to some other state or may be some other country by now..

not only that, it is question of how we approach and handle such situation.  We are mostly blind, if this could be fixed any time soon by Chinese government... I remember that they have instilled multiple temporary measures during Beijing Olympics. Even then there were multiple complaints from Athletes about air quality. At that time I used to think that these Athletes are coming up with excuses.. however.. it seems that there were genuine concerns.. and may be they were temporarily fixed or tried to be fixed but in reality they weren't fixed...

Hope that Chinese government will come up some concrete and long term plan to take care of such situation rather than trying to cover it up or simply restoring to temporary measures..

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/14/world/asia/china-smog-blanket/index.html

LinkedIn membership surpasses 200 million

This number may seem really small as compared to Billion+ of FB.. but there is one very clear difference.. Business Model.. and consequently revenue generation as well.

LinkedIn is

• default site for professional networking
• default site for head hunters who pay small monthly subscription fees to get access to so called premium features
• default site for job seekers who are more or less willing to pay small amount as monthly subscription for premium services offered by linkedIn

Further..

• There are lot of amazing communities around variety of professions
• Mobile app works like charm.. in-fact I feel it is somewhat better than to go thru their full desktop/browser based portal
• Though I do like their summary of professional news on their portal. Which obviously is way to the mark based on your professional career as they have pretty good profile of yours.. 

There is no overhead of managing huge amount of image or videos or millions and billions of updates/likes as FB has to handle.. Which should result in really low cost of ownership or operations for linkedin as compared to FaceBook..

I think from stock performance basis I would be much more longer on LinkedIn as compared to FB. Though as of now I don't own either of them nor I have any plans in near future...


Let me know your thoughts..

LinkedIn membership surpasses 200 million

By Jeremy C. Owens

jowens@mercurynews.com 

MOUNTAIN VIEW — Professional networking service LinkedIn announced Wednesday that its membership rolls now surpass 200 million people, as international expansion has helped the company double its user base in less than two years. The new tally is “an important and exciting milestone for the company,” Deep Nishar, senior vice president for products and user experience at LinkedIn, wrote in a blog post.

“This milestone is more than just a metric — it’s a reminder of the global footprint and the scale of impact our network has each day,” Nishar wrote.

LinkedIn passed 100 million users in March 2011, and has focused on other countries to grow that number, adding 13 new languages in the interim. Now offering its service in 19 different languages, LinkedIn says that more than 64 percent of its users live outside the United States.

India has proved to be the best source for growth, as the country’s 18 million LinkedIn user base ranks second behind the 74 million in the United States, the Mountain View company said Wednesday.

Turkey and Colombia have provided the fastest year-over-year growth for membership, while China and Brazil have experienced the greatest rise in mobile usage of the social network, LinkedIn reported.

The total members LinkedIn claims seems to rank it fourth among U.S.based social networks, behind Silicon Valley cohorts Facebook and Twitter. Comparisons are not simple because the sites use different standards and can release information sparingly, but Facebook is known to have more than a billion users, making it the largest social network.

Happy New 2013!!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year!!!

Hope this 2013 brings peace, joy and prosperity to everyone!!

Starting this year with great news clip from my beloved California..

http://www.mercurynews.com/science/ci_22300614/rains-promise-seen-deep-sierra-snow-pack

California was suffering from drought for last 3-4 years which was causing restricted water supply to farms and orchards. However, this year started with great bang and above average rainfall in all areas. More importantly, snow storms in Sierra caused super great snow level which are already enough to support up to 40% of California's water supply. This is just beginning of wet season. Hope that by the end of season we will have more than enough rain/snow to not only take care of this season, but also build some extra reserves for future seasons..

This should definitely help spur local economy come back to its feet even faster. We in tech world are doing best to grow California economy any how.. Little support from mother nature is always more than welcome!!!

Lastly, you should expect many more skiing pictures from us ;-)

Once again a very Happy New Year to everyone!!!

SNOW PILES UP

Winter’s wet start bodes well for season

By Lisa M. Krieger

lkrieger@mercurynews.com 

December’s storms have boosted the spirits of California’s water watchers, with the season’s first Sierra Nevada water survey revealing a snowpack deeper and wetter than normal.

The ritual trek along Highway 50 near Lake Tahoe to survey the state’s water outlook revealed more than four feet of soggy snow, with moisture 34 percent above average.

That compares with last year’s depth of 0.14 inches — scarcely more than a few scattered patches.

“We are doing great — off to an excellent start,” said Ted Thomas of the state’s Department of Water Resources. Last year was dry, except for late spring showers.

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RICH PEDRONCELLI/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Frank Gehrke, chief of snow surveys for the Department of Water Resources, gets up after tumbling in the snow Wednesday.

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The crucial reading means the state will be able to deliver at least 40 percent of the supply requested by state water project members this year — and it expects to give more, as — and if — winter storms accrue. 

The measurements are particularly important because California is entering a fourth year of drought. 

The gusting Pacific storms nudged San Jose’s cumulative seasonal rainfall to 7.19 inches, a big splash beyond last year’s 1.55-inch total. So far, Concord has had 9.64 inches; Livermore, 8.29 inches, and Oakland, 10.63 inches. This time last year, none of those cities had more than two inches. 

The next week or two are expected to be dry, with temperatures ranging from the low 30s to low 60s, said Austin Cross of the National Weather Service in Monterey. He couldn’t predict whether dry skies will persist through January. 

That’s no cause for concern — it fits a pattern of a midwinter dry spells alternating with rains, Cross said. Fresno farmers rejoiced while keeping a close eye on thermometers. On Wednesday night, to prevent freezing delicate oranges, huge fans blew air through the orchards and warm groundwater poured through irrigation channels. 

“This is fantastic news,” said Fresno County Farm Bureau director Ryan Jacobsen, who views the snowy Sierra from his office. “The San Joaquin Valley is considered a desert. We would not be in existence if not for the snowpack above us.” 

Welcome signs of winter are everywhere in the Bay Area. White-blossomed milkmaids and manzanita shrubs are blooming along Mount Diablo’s Mitchell Canyon and Donner Canyon areas. And three beloved waterfalls are cascading down the flanks on the Clayton side of the mountain, visible to hikers on the Falls Trail, said naturalist Leslie Contreras. 

Wednesday’s clear winter skies gave Diablo’s visitors views all the way to Mount Shasta, Mount Lassen, the Sierra and the Farallon Islands. 

Fungus fans are thrilled by the appearance of mushrooms, delicious when they’re not killing you. Our coastal mountains are home to more than 1,000 species, which start bursting through the soil two to three weeks after the first rains. 

“Rains are heaven sent,” said mycologist Phil Carpenter, “prime minister” of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz, who is busy preparing for the annual Jan. 11-13 Fungus Fair. “This is our time to glory.” 

Other harbingers of the season, banana slugs, have emerged from their summer hiding spots — finally able to travel along moist routes. 

Chinook salmon are swimming up Mount Tamalpais’ Marsh Creek for the first time in 60 years, weary after spawning and a long journey from the ocean. 

“December was very kind and generous to California’s rivers and streams,” said Steve Rothert, California director American Rivers. 

Early rains are also important for steelhead trout, said environmentalist Matt Stoeker, who monitors the Peninsula’s San Francisquito Creek. “Having a heavy flow in December means fish are able to get out of the Bay and upstream to spawn.” 

Migratory birds are arriving in the Bay, a critical stop along the Pacific Flyway. 

Stunning white snow geese, visiting from the Arctic, were in a flock of Canada geese at the Sunnyvale Baylands Park. Other avian winter visitors include red-breasted nuthatch near Mount Madonna and pine siskins feeding on redwood cones atop tall trees along Highway 152. In the Central Valley, vast flocks of sandhill cranes and tundra swans have gathered. 

But water-lovers are trying to temper their enthusiasm in a still-young winter. 

“We still have a lot of season left to go,” said Jacobsen. “We’re really encouraged, but the rains have to continue for it to be a true success.” Contact Lisa M. Krieger at 650-492-4098.