Count me out, please

Thus asks lawyer Venugopal:^[1]

“800 million people believe Ramar Sethu was built by Lord Ram. Can court go into the issue whether he existed?”

I don't know on what basis he claims 800 million, but if that included me, without any bearing on anything else, please count me out!

Meta: I wish that this meme catches on with bloggers saying either count-me-in or count-me-out. If you're doing so, please link back to this post so that we can keep track and I get some linkjuice.

Sometimes ...

Back from 'net vacation

Hurray! Now, I've got high-speed Internet access. Yes, but I may not blog or edit Wikipedia often since we're still busy setting up, learning, and developing at Kneaver.

If I were to give a mini-update of what happened all these days, hmm ... where do I start? The withdrawal effects of net abstinence? The phantom limb that kept looking for the Yahoo! identity card in my pockets? The urge to look for my friends to discuss recently-heard trivia on "Dhaavanik Kanavugal", to discuss the future of Indian economy (as if we're Manmohan and Montek!), to mutually inflict goose bumps by talking about Cantor, or to rant about geopolitics?

Or the deservedly silent nights here in Sholavandan? The exposition of Tyndall effect in full glory over fields with paddy crop lollypopping dew drops? The sight of the full moon reflected on River Vaigai running in full spate? The myriad of things that I learn at Kneaver everyday?

I need a better medium to capture them all — some sort of a brain dump.

I can give a quick intro of Kneaver. It's a technology startup in Knowledge Management space. The unusual thing about Kneaver is that its founder, Bruno Winck, chose to have the India development centre in Madurai, and not in any of the metros. A French guy heading an American company setting up the India Development centre in Madurai; the world is getting flat, indeed.

I'm feeling at home. Well, I am.

Good bye, darling

Come December 15, I was about to shout Yaaahoooo! to announce my third year in Yahoo! But, today is my last day here, at least in this innings. I've been through several separations - in high school, college, previous employment, post graduation, and more, but this is the most painful of all. I don't say this simply because they're distant memory, but because I had always faced such events far more easily. Perhaps because they were all eventualities and this was by choice.

I'd earlier remarked to a friend that I've mastered the art of letting go - that is, by not thinking about it when you do. I tried doing that and was superficially fine, until I sent out that final email announcing that. My hands quivered as I composed the email and I was even more moved to the point of crying when I saw replies. As a colleague remarked, it's like the Marine Corps, once a Yahoo always so. Yes, it's a nation, not just a company to work for. I'll continue to evangelise Yahoo! (I've already converted one loyal Google search user into a Yahoo! search user) and recommend it for my friends, it's a fantastic place to work in.

While I'm sad for leaving Y!, it was an occasion to know how many friends I have and how much I mean to Yahoo! And, I'm looking forward to my next stop, Kneaver. More about that in another post.

Yaahooo!

The realisation was sudden when Vinoth asked me whether I've completed my second year in Yahoo! I'd completed precisely two years the day he asked. The two years were excellent and eventful.

On December 15, 2003, I joined Yahoo! as an intern. In the next few days was the year end party at "Club Cabana." I was pleasantly surprised that Jayanthi had arranged for my year-end gift - a music player - even though, they couldn't have planned one for me. After a full day of celebrations at Club Cabana, there were cultural events and I was merrily competing with the person seated next to me for the chicken pieces that were being passed around. Only when the awards ceremony came did I learn that this person was the CEO!

Soon after the chicken episode, I contracted chicken pox and was sick for over a month. When I returned, I was told that interns do not have the unlimited sick leave that employees do. I'd expected this a priori. But, two days later Jayanthi comes and tells me that they've decided to pay me the full stipend although I'd worked for merely 5 days or so!

Around the month of May, I'd developed a search-related hack (we don't have a 20% limitation :p) and was surprised to see the CEO coming down to my desk to see that. He offered several practical suggestions, I was looking at him wonderstruck. This is one of the biggest things that I feel extremely happy about - people are respected and every bit of their work is recognised. Soon after, on May 18, 2004, I was crossing the road and met Sridhar (then COO, now here) at the MG Road median. As we were waiting to cross the other lane, Sridhar asks casually if I'm taking up the offer from Yahoo! That was truly Yahoo!-style. I do not how many people got their job offers while crossing a road. I could only stammer "wh-y n-o-t?". On my request, they handed me the offer letter the next day and that became a perfect anniversary gift for my parents who were entering their 25th year together.

The next Monday, I became a full-time Yahoo! and was greeted with balloons tied to my cube walls and a basket full of chocolates at my desk. And ever since, it has been fun throughout. The organisation has grown more than three-fold here, but the basic culture has been organically maintained even while assimilating the increased diversity. The fun was all the more great when we worked on "cutting edge" technologies (literally) with hack saws and the drill-bit that our manager had brought for setting up a team stall for a recent internal event.

It's amazing to see how conversations that happen in the gym, lunchtable, or the corridor or rants vented out in random mailing lists result in newer products or features. An example would be how a lunchtable conversation with this "Big Guy" led him to staff a hack project. Also, having been in several teams, many of them horizontals, I'd had a chance to wow at the Life Engine that Yahoo! is.