- By David Vise
Google is a miracle to me. It became an integral part of almost every
walk of life, that it is difficult to imagine a day without it. “The
Google Story” is about, Google. (No surprises there!). It is about the
meteoric rise of two young students who dared to dream and cared enough
to achieve that dream. Just as every dream begins with no foundation
apart from self belief, their dream of providing easy access to the web
became a reality through their belief in it. Luck favours the brave and
it is proven again, by the inspiring story of this software miracle.
Sergey
Brin and Larry Page, the two founders of Google established this
company in a hope to provide a quality service to the internet users and
their quest to build a superior quality search engine and their page
ranking system did what seemed to be trivial for other software giants
to care about, to provide what the internet users want accurately and at
a right pace. Right from the start, Google had its goal clear, to
provide a quality service to its users and true to its goal, it
continues to do so. I am a faithful Google user, with or without their
lock in, I use Google every single day. With their bold and aggressive
steps, the two pioneers took the search phenomenon to new heights and
shook the monopoly of Microsoft and challenged Yahoo to make Google a
world wide business.
What began as a statement, “I want
to download the entire web”, went on to become a reality as the idea
took shape and the search engine took birth. The book is written as a
detective story, engrossing the reader into understanding the Google and
its culture. David Vise had done a fantastic job in bringing the Google
to the readers and it forms an interesting journey. It is an
inspiration to every one who cares to dream, however unrealistic and far
fetched it may be, as long as one believes in them.
Creating
a college atmosphere and giving perks that are unchallenged by any
industry out there, Google made quite a few loyal employees. However
aggressive the targets are, if the loyalty of employees is guaranteed,
the targets will be met. By providing an atmosphere that is closer to
college, with unique design to the place and a touch of youth to the
interiors and encouraging gadgets that the employees like, providing
them the chance to explore their personal interest every day and evoking
a creative thought process, the company earned a loyal set of followers
and it is no surprise that almost every software engineer who value
their thought want to work for Google. Right from the computers the
employees use to the food that they are provided in their cafeteria to
the other free benefits that they get, the place is practically a second
home to most of the Google employees. Falling in love with a company is
something that no one should do, but I dare say, Google employees might
differ to it.
The book details the journey of Google,
from a mere search engine to a world wide business and how it challenged
every software company on its way, before making itself public and how
the two pioneers personally sought out to expand the Google and continue
to do so and are millionaires by thirty. The quest and the challenges
that were thrown in the way were met with arrogance, sheer brilliance
and unequalled audacity. The mistakes were few, yet the lessons learnt
were valuable and the public offering not only made the employees rich,
but also increased the funds that can be channelled for the future
projects that come out of the Googleplex, the creative giant of the
industry. Be it the chef who provided multi cuisine to the employees or
the different style of Google founders in rewarding the employees for
their hard work, the company set on a journey that is unique and
different and engrossing not only to the people involved in it, but also
to the people who aspire high.
The book provides an insight into the company and leaves an impression of voyaging through a journey that is inspiring.
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Monday, December 8, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
The Last Lecture
- By Randy Pausch
The Last Lecture– a truly inspiring book written for three kids by their father, who wants to impart his wisdom for he would not be there to see the growth of his kids nor would he be around in times of their need. Written by a man who lived life to the fullest every single day and aptly titled – “Achieving your childhood dreams” – and how he went about achieving them with simple anecdotes and timeless metaphors, his speech stands out as an inspiration to the hundreds of students present there, in the university auditorium and to the millions of readers world wide …
Randy Pausch, a Carniege Mellon university professor, diagnosed by Pancreatic Cancer and was given a short span of three to six months, goes about the last few days LIVING a life as he normally did. There is a sense of fulfilment in achieving childhood dreams. To dream and to hold on to that dream and to work for fulfilling that dream is not an easy task. Many a time, we tend to be influenced by circumstances, situations, people. Most of the decisions either due to emotional or relations bonds, are either shunned or modified. But, out there are few who live a life, every single day and go about achieving their desires with a passion that is rare and unflinching to the time. Not that there will not be difficulties, as Randy pointed out, “brick walls are there to show us how badly we want something”, but to work with those difficulties and to achieve – that is a true achievement.
The simple anecdotes of his life imparting wisdom and how he goes about fulfilling his child hood dream of being a Disney Imagineer and then, how he goes about fulfilling his students dreams, daring them to go beyond their strengths and urging them to hold onto their dreams and polishing them to become better at what they were already good at – It simply forms an amazing read.
A short book, which can be completed in three hours time – but will last with you for a life time. This book is not just a legacy left by a dying man, but also a book that inspires one to hold the right priority for the right things in life. Though Randy Pausch was a man of family values, which becomes clear from the book, he is also a man to whom work is of paramount importance. The diligence with which he goes about his job and the commitment with which he drives his children is truly brilliant. In the times where pay by the work hour has become common, to stretch oneself beyond that and to spread the passion with his fellow students is a rewarding experience, as many students of his go about achieving their dreams, giving him a reason to be proud of.
There were quite a few invaluable lessons learnt from this book, but most importantly is to dream and to hold on to those dreams. Despite not knowing the paths to those dreams, clinging onto them and step by step moving forward, will one day or the other land you in that dream. If not, nothing is lost, I have travelled with hope and on a path that meant something to me, that alone should be fulfilling and enriching. Mentors are hard to find and if one finds a mentor who can make us believe in the beauty of our dreams and helps us in fulfilling them, well, one has found the gift of their life, a gift that is worth living for.
To take a pick of his metaphors is a tough choice to make, but this will stand out:
“Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.” Though I have heard this in varied forms, may be, this last lecture by a professor whose days are numbered and having read the effective utilization of time, well, it stuck and it hit a chord…
The Last Lecture– a truly inspiring book written for three kids by their father, who wants to impart his wisdom for he would not be there to see the growth of his kids nor would he be around in times of their need. Written by a man who lived life to the fullest every single day and aptly titled – “Achieving your childhood dreams” – and how he went about achieving them with simple anecdotes and timeless metaphors, his speech stands out as an inspiration to the hundreds of students present there, in the university auditorium and to the millions of readers world wide …
Randy Pausch, a Carniege Mellon university professor, diagnosed by Pancreatic Cancer and was given a short span of three to six months, goes about the last few days LIVING a life as he normally did. There is a sense of fulfilment in achieving childhood dreams. To dream and to hold on to that dream and to work for fulfilling that dream is not an easy task. Many a time, we tend to be influenced by circumstances, situations, people. Most of the decisions either due to emotional or relations bonds, are either shunned or modified. But, out there are few who live a life, every single day and go about achieving their desires with a passion that is rare and unflinching to the time. Not that there will not be difficulties, as Randy pointed out, “brick walls are there to show us how badly we want something”, but to work with those difficulties and to achieve – that is a true achievement.
The simple anecdotes of his life imparting wisdom and how he goes about fulfilling his child hood dream of being a Disney Imagineer and then, how he goes about fulfilling his students dreams, daring them to go beyond their strengths and urging them to hold onto their dreams and polishing them to become better at what they were already good at – It simply forms an amazing read.
A short book, which can be completed in three hours time – but will last with you for a life time. This book is not just a legacy left by a dying man, but also a book that inspires one to hold the right priority for the right things in life. Though Randy Pausch was a man of family values, which becomes clear from the book, he is also a man to whom work is of paramount importance. The diligence with which he goes about his job and the commitment with which he drives his children is truly brilliant. In the times where pay by the work hour has become common, to stretch oneself beyond that and to spread the passion with his fellow students is a rewarding experience, as many students of his go about achieving their dreams, giving him a reason to be proud of.
There were quite a few invaluable lessons learnt from this book, but most importantly is to dream and to hold on to those dreams. Despite not knowing the paths to those dreams, clinging onto them and step by step moving forward, will one day or the other land you in that dream. If not, nothing is lost, I have travelled with hope and on a path that meant something to me, that alone should be fulfilling and enriching. Mentors are hard to find and if one finds a mentor who can make us believe in the beauty of our dreams and helps us in fulfilling them, well, one has found the gift of their life, a gift that is worth living for.
To take a pick of his metaphors is a tough choice to make, but this will stand out:
“Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think.” Though I have heard this in varied forms, may be, this last lecture by a professor whose days are numbered and having read the effective utilization of time, well, it stuck and it hit a chord…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)