Attack of the clones

When I was a kid, I was once amazed to learn that according to the wise folks, every person has about seven people who share an almost similar face. Wow, I thought, the Creator sure knew how to make things easier for himself (productivity win, isnt it ?!). But now, with the wisdom gained at the expense of the loss of the naivette of childhood, I think those wise folks sure didnt do their research right.

Why, in these few years that I have lived and the restricted geography (my countrymen)for the sampling, I think I have already beaten the statistical mean of seven that I fully believed in. Each time that an acquaintance remarked that he knew or had met someone who looked exactly like me and swore to the veracity of his claim, I would pacify my doubtful mind thinking that of course God did make seven of them, didnt He?

Often, first time acquaintances with whom I had just shaken hands, basking in the warmth of the newfound friendship have ventured to ask me if I have a brother who worked in so and so place or lived in so and so city. Initially, I used to be amused and would point out the existence of my sole sibling who in no way looked like me. This cardinality of my kinship would not satisfy my newfound friend who would ramble on how this guy he knows looks, walks and talks like me. Amazing, I remark, perhaps I was baked in a very popular mould !

Initially I also thought, that this sudden discovery of my clones occurred because of the pressing social need, felt by my new found acquaintances, to make intelligent and interesting conversation after the customary introduction and handshake. But later I was forced to revise my opinion because often some of my closer friends would suddenly chance upon one of my clones - an unsuspecting dude walking down the street, the new kid in a junior class in school, one of the junior batch in college, a colleague in their company and so on. Another disturbing thing was none of these clones happened to be a bigshot or an impressive personality, just your everyday nextdoor kind of guy. Maybe my clones and I are not destined to be great.

Those of you, who have managed to read on so far, testing your patience all along, will wonder why all this rambling suddenly today. Well, today was the proverbial last straw; one lady working with me today to solve a particularly vexing problem at work, innocently sprang on me the existence of a former colleague in her previous workplace who looked, walked, talked and even typed like me ! As if this shock wasnt enough, I seemed to have more in store. When I initiated a pleasant conversation with a particularly attractive girl - a new recruit who I have been trying to reach first base with - in my company today, she giggled and disarmed me with the disclosure that I reminded her of her uncle who - u knw whats coming - looks very much like me ! This does it !

It is the attack of the clones and I am going to fight tooth and nail. I am going to arm myself by compiling a list of all new clone-claims that I encounter. This shall be presented to every new acquaintance. Any claims made of existence of a sample outside the list would need photographic evidence of same, failing which it would invite legal proceedings for libel and damages for causing mental agony.

PS : Any reader who posts any claims in the comments, better talk to his lawyer first !

Is the Microsoft monopoly all that bad?

These days I have been seeing lots of articles on how Google is upstaging MS and how the latter's monopoly is in danger and the crown might soon roll. This set me thinking...Is the MS monopoly, exercised through its Windows OS, all bad?

Think of it this way...It is because Windows is the all-pervading OS and platform used the world-over, that you dont need to learn any other system, except this. For the general lay man, who uses a PC, he doenst really need to have a choice of systems to learn. The easy adoption of computing systems in all spheres of industry and economic activity owes a lot to the equation of PC => Windows !

Today you take it for granted that when you write a Word doc or forward that ubiquitous romantic pps file for the umpteenth time, the recepients wont have to go searching for an application that can open it. The de-facto standards that underline our computing experience are a positive offshoot of the Windows and Microsoft monopoly. Almost every competing application that runs on a competing platform is designed to mirror the features (and then maybe build on them) that the microsoft experience offers. Nobody sticks his neck out to go and promote an alternative. This forced adherence to imposed de-facto standards is the reality that we enjoy and have come to take for granted.

In fact, if one thinks about it, it is the omnipresent Windows system and the resultant lack of incoherence in the slew of technologies that were designed and road piggyback on it, that have played a significant part in the Internet Juggernaut that has rolled on and poses a threat to Microsoft today. How ironic ! In my opinion, whether Microsoft maintains its domination (monopoly is a bad word, much profaned) in the long run, would depend on how soon it realises that its future world lies beyond Windows and enlarges its vision to think "Domination in computing, rather than domination in operating systems ". But knowing MS, they are surely one step ahead and have already figured it out.

Not surprisingly, Google gets to enjoy so much good press. Afterall, every David enjoys the good will of the janata, in the duel with Goliath. It is a rule of human psychology that the underdog enjoys the support of the ppl, but when it comes to backing this up with their money, you would find the same ppl putting their money on Goliath, with all due regrets expressed to David. :-)