The six types of Twitter conversations

Read a wonderful article here about twitter conversations and thought you would love it.

Twitter can sometimes seem like an endless universe where messages and conversations burn brightly for a short while and then float off into oblivion.

Leave it to the Pew Research Center to find meaning in the madness.

In a recent graphic, the research giant illustrates that, despite Twitter's vastness, there are really just six types of conversations that occur on the platform. Here's a brief description of each:

1. Divided: This conversation type references different groups of Twitter users who discuss polarizing topics. Users in one group rarely talk with users in an opposing group. Think politics.

2. Unified: Unified conversations occur within close communities, like those formed around hobbies, professional organizations or conference attendees. Users connect with each other to swap information and ideas.

3. Fragmented: The conversations around products and celebrities are fragmented-the people who follow these topics are large and very different from each other.

4. Clustered: Global news events set off many small and medium-sized clusters of conversations. These clusters usually form around various news sources, and don't interact with other clusters.

5. In-hub and spoke: News outlets and pundits often spark these conversations. The discussions largely consist of users retweeting the news outlet or pundit.

6. Out-hub and spoke: These conversations happen when organizations use their Twitter profiles for customer service issues. The organization (hub) sends messages to disconnected users (spokes).

Look at the graphic for more on each conversation type:

李绅 《悯农》Toiling farmers

After a lot of noise on the internet about the Earth day most of the people I know chose to carry on business with airs as if they have contributed their share to the world and in making it a better place. Take up some commitment and stick to it so it would make a difference in what you do and how your children will grow up to be. Beware that you are actually passing on what you do to your children.

A Chinese friend of mine read my blogpost on the Earth Day and sent me this poem. I had to ask him to translate the same for you and it is amazingly simple and to the point. Had to share it with you all.

The poem is called Toiling Farmers and is written by Li Shen and goes like this in Chinese.

锄禾日当午，
汗滴禾下土。
谁知盘中餐，
粒粒皆辛苦。

Farmers weeding at noon,
Sweat down the field soon.
Who knows food on a tray
Thanks to their toiling day?

Before I tell you more about the translation, let us see who Li Shen is. Li Shen is a poet from the Tang-Dynasty and had firsthand experience in observing the countryside and is known for expressing indepth coverage and documentation of the rual life in simple stanzas. This peom talks about the effort put in by the farmers for every single grain.

The farmers keep toiling away despite the blazing heat from the sun at noon, giving us a sense of how hard their work is. He goes on to depict a quick realization about the contrast when he compares the toiling farmers and their hardwork and the grain of food in your bowl and connects them as a fruit of the farmer's hardwork. If they dont toil, then who knows what you would eat. So we all should be thankful he concludes.


Isn't that beautiful?

Train now

There are ads and then there are brilliant ads. Here is a masterpiece I found on twitter shared by Brilliant Ads. True it is a masterpiece and I am really impressed. Here are some takeaways from this success story.

1. It is simple
2. Calls for an action 
3. Combines a simpler physical action with a fun to do task
4. Gives you the psychological push that consumer psyche craves for
5. Gives you the choice and control

Are you raising a spoilt brat?

Found this wonderful article by Krutika Behrawala and it is a must read.

Here's your parenting guide to instill the right discipline and responsibilities in your child

Picture this: At a supermarket, your 10-year-old demands that you buy him a box of chocolates. When you refuse, he throws a tantrum and since you don't want to create a scene in front of him, you relent and your son goes home happier. Well, surely, most parents must have come across such a situation at least once in their life. However, have you ever thought of the number of times you've given in to your kid's demands? Chances are that it's more than often and you might be raising a spoilt child. Says consulting psychiatrist Dr Pavan Sonar, "From my experience, I do believe that children today are more spoilt than their previous generation. When we see the behaviour of children of this generation, the basic qualities of attentiveness and respect towards elderly, social manners and discipline is absent in most of them. Abiding by the laws set by parents or society are carelessly ignored by kids today."

So, who's at fault?
According to clinical psychologist Saloni Sawnani, blaming the kid and labelling him/her as 'spoilt' is unfair. "It is more parents' faulty upbringing of the kid that leads him/her to be spoilt. The earlier generation of parents was more relaxed and had more time for their kids. However, with most parents working today, they don't spend enough time with their kids, so they make up by giving in to their demands and as a result, the child is spoilt," she says.

Signs your child is spoilt
Does your child behave insensitively to others? Does he or she want his demands met immediately? "Sometimes, a child might be genetically more energetic than the others, which leads to hyperactivity and you might mistakenly label him/her as spoilt. By five years of age, most children are able to communicate their feelings clearly. So, you need verify their behaviour and channel the aggression positively," says Saloni.

According to Dr Sonar, a spoilt brat is not ready to follow family or social etiquette. "The kid frequently demands money or gadgets. He/she has poor emotional control, throws tantrums, whines most of the times, doesn't take 'no' for an answer, misbehaves with peers and argues with parents," he elaborates.

How to deal with it

Don't label: "Understand why your child is behaving the way he/she does. Hear him/her out and find solutions. Most importantly, don't complain that your kid is spoilt to your family members or guests, especially not in front of the kid," says Saloni.

Know when to say no: Agreeing and giving in to everything your child says sends out a wrong message. Giving in to the tantrums tells your kid that all he/she has to do is cry and whine to get what he/she wants. When you say 'no' to your kid's demands, he/she knows that everything in life has a value and he/she has to work towards something if they want it badly.

Be consistent: During the initial years, you might pass off your kid's bad behaviour as just being cute but in the long run, it could have an adverse effect on your child. So, be consistent in your discipline methods. Set some rules and ensure that they are followed consistently. For instance, if jumping on a couch is not allowed at your place, stop him/her from doing so when at a friend's place.

Reward for good behaviour: Instead of bribing your kid by saying 'If you do this, you will get this', reward your kid when he/she displays good behaviour. "Affection always helps your kid," says Saloni. Adds Dr Sonar, "Abolish bad behaviour by rewarding the desirable ones. Awards should be very small gifts or token points."

Teach manners and values: "Storytelling is a great way to teach morals and values to your kid," says Dr Sonar. Instil values of responsibility, sharing, friendliness and sensitivity towards others in your child through various moral tales. Set a good example in front of your kids when it comes to good manners.

Bond over chores: If your kid is in his/her pre-teens, assign a task every day, whether it is helping you out with the laundry or tidying his/her study table. Teach your child that each member of the family needs to contribute towards taking care of the home and each other.

Set expectations: "Try to understand the reason for your child's behaviour and set certain expectations. Effective communication with the kid is very crucial. Teach them to express their emotions, that is, what and how they are feeling, instead of what they want," says Dr Sonar.

Once called Earth

In the words of Garvit

Can earth be Earth when all it’s trees are gone,

And sudsy waters have become unfit,

And poisoned life no longer greets the dawn

With raucous sounds that death has caused to quit?

Will trees no longer wave, with limbs unfurled,

On hapless earth, that ever in orbit roams?

Will human ego sacrifice the world

To satiate its lust for pompous homes?

Will distant space look down on orb that’s bald.

I now can hear the mother say,

“I was once called Earth.

But now , bereft of mirth, I weep. 

That treeless orb’s no longer Earth”

#EarthDay

Monday Blues: It is finished

Coming after an Easter Sunday, I would like you to ponder upon the words Christ spoke on the cross - It is finished. When a lifetime dream, his ambition and goal is achieved and he fulfilled his destiny on the cross, Christ chose to speak these words - It is finished. What a wonderful relief and joy it is when you have successfully accomplished your task and delivered.

This monday, let us concentrate on delivering what you have kept pending for a long time and finish it, so we can close on that chapter. This monday, be a finisher.

What is the world eating?

A look at various breakfasts of the world and you will be left hungry for different things at the same time.

 

Conserve water or stay thirsty

As the water level goes down with every passing day in Bangalore and all across the world, it is time to get up and fight for saving the wetlands or else your kids and mine would have to walk thousands of miles every year to get a small bowl of drinking water.

The most prolific group working on wetlands in and around Bangalore is IISc ecologist Professor T V Ramachandra and his team of resea­r­chers. 

“We’ve been studying the shapes and forms of the wetlands for 20 years. Every characteristic of lakes and wetlands in Bangalore has been mapped by us. But I am sorry to say that the technology city has suffered from depletion of wetlands over the last 20 years,” says Prof Ramachandra.

As per their research, over 300 lakes/wetlands have disappeared in Bangalore’s eco-system, with the City now having only 93. But seasonal lakes, lakes which come alive during monsoon are high in number at around 190.

“Wetlands are different from lakes, in that lakes would be the actual water body, while wetland would be all the soggy area and lands around the lake. The wet areas where weeds grow and where water is absorbed are all wetlands. At one point, we had almost all the lakes with extensive lands around them. The sixties and seventies saw a very exuberant green landscape dotted with water bodies. But by the nineties, the waterbody ecosystem completely changed,” Ramachandra explains.

What has been the major factor causing disappearance of the lakes? The ecologist puts things in perspective: “Urbanisation is at the core of Bangalore’s lake depletion. Too many buildings, construction of structures over lakes, encroaching wetland area around the lakes are responsible for the decline in lakes. 

Typically wetlands are denotified by government agencies and passed on to builders who pay a hefty bribe in return for the land bought. This agency-builder nexus should be taken out if we have to ensure strict regulation of waterbodies.”

There is also an opinion that orders on lake regulation by bureaucrats smack of ignorance of the ground situation. Says a researcher: “Ï have never seen bureaucrats visiting or inspecting lakes periodically. There is no long-term plan in place on how to preserve and protect the lake bio-diversity. 

Of course, there is the Lake Development Authority (LDA), but how much authority does it really have in the face of other powerful government agencies that do away with the land? Environmentalists have not been able to deal with the land mafia. 

A set of vested interests develop around a lake and at the right time, things move in the government to denotify areas and money is exchanged liberally. The committees that have bureaucrats must also have credible ecologists and environmentalists, thinkers and credible urban planners.”

Groundwater in Bangalore has been taking a hit for some time now. Researchers have pointed out that many groundwater areas have gone dry in and around Bangalore. All Bangalore residents don’t have access to water from the Cauvery river. 

So there is heavy dependence on borewells and underground water. In many areas, it is common to see women collecting water from taps and pipes in a corner or from a public borewell facility. 

This shortage could have been mitigated to an extent by expanding and preserving the water bodies around Bangalore. While it would not solve water problems on a huge scale, there could be a case for water body rejuvenation via water regulation.

Social researchers fear that water shortage will lead to conflicts and everyday fighting among residents of particular districts or regions. 

“Water wars are not impossible to anticipate in the near future. There is already a difference of opinion on water sharing between the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu who depend on the Cauvery river - southern India’s lifeline. 

From urban residents, both rich and poor, to farmers in the agrarian regions, Cauvery is vital for survival. In such a context, drawing water from other reservoirs would help.

Experts say water bodies close to the T G Halli reservoir (which also supplies water to the city), at the border of Western Bangalore, need to be protected to rejuvenate underground water. Unfortunately, industries were given permission to operate from around the area. But a sustained campaign against industrial presence has resulted in positive changes. 

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked nearly a dozen industrial units to shut shop from areas close to the reservoir, called Zone-3. The Tribunal also ordered that units vacate from Zone-4, stating that there can be no justification for granite cutting and polishing units around the reservoir. 

Chemicals were dumped on the river bed and into the reservoir and canals. Anti-pollution activists are reasonably happy that orders were given to factories to relocate. Hopefully things will get brighter as awareness picks up on the need to protect and preserve precious water bodies in and around Bangalore. “We would be very happy to share our studies on wetlands to help in their preservation,” says Ramachandra.

Monday Blues: Hang on

Hold on,Hang on 

Don't give up yet

For there's hope you bet

(Click on the pic to enlarge or http://500px.com/photo/65199249)

Slow poisoning of India

I will recommend is to see an excellent documentary ‘The Slow Poisoning of India’ , a 26-minute documentary film directed by eminent Ramesh Menon and produced by the New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). It deals with the dangers of excessive use of pesticide in conventional agriculture in India which is so rampant that people are eating a ‘cocktail’ of pesticides. India is one of the largest users of pesticide in Asia and also one of the largest manufactures.

The toxins have entered into the food chain and into our breakfast, lunch and dinner. The film showcases startling case studies from Kerala where villagers in Kasaragod district are paying a heavy price as it has been exposed to pesticide spraying for many years. It talks of the health impacts in other parts of India and also on how the magic of the green revolution in Punjab is fading as land and water bodies have been poisoned.

Cook yourself to keep your family healty

Renowned activist and author Michael Pollan argues that cooking is one of the simplest and most important steps people can take to improve their family's health, build communities, fix our broken food system, and break our growing dependence on corporations. The event was chaired by Tim Lang, professor of Food Policy at City University London.

  

Key Points in the Video

• Poor women who cook have healthier diets than wealthy women who don’t cook.
• In America, rates of home cooking have decreased 50% since the mid-60s.
• On average in America, we spend 27 minutes cooking per day, and 4 minutes cleaning up (which means it’s probably fast food — who can do dishes and scrub pots and pans in 4 minutes?).
• To be healthy, eat anything you want, just cook it yourself.

Monday Blues: 10 things you shouldn't do when you start a business

NIKKI BOWMAN came up with these wonderful things you shouldn't do if you are an entrepreneur. I am not a big fan of lists but here is an exception.

1. Launch a business without market research.
2. Start without a plan (but don’t spend years reworking it
3. Take no for an answer
4. Launch without a budget for marketing
5. Begin by focusing on making lots of money
6. Be indecisive
7. Be inflexible
8. Be cheapest on the market
9. Believe starting your own business will give you free time
10. Spend your early profits on prestige items

Monday Blues: Grow like there is no tomorrow

When your roots are strong 

You will learn to grow strong

When you have a chance to grow 

Grow like there is no tomorrow

(Click on the pic to enlarge)

Touching Letter From Woman to Stranger Who Paid Her Grocery Bill

From Progressive Populist blog:

There are tons of judgmental people out there. We all know that.

Especially in a nation where being poor has been twisted into having personal and moral shortcomings, thanks to the rhetoric on the right.

Fox News regularly demonizes the poor, and the social programs that help them keep a roof over their head, clothes on their back, and food on their table.

So when I first got wind of this letter, a quick glance at the headline made me believe that this was going to be a letter about someone standing in line at the grocery store and using food stamps to pay for their goods, all while being condemned and chastised from some unsympathetic, insensitive, holier-than-thou cretin who was in line right behind them.

But no. The woman who wrote the letter experienced much better than that. It restored her (and ours) faith in humanity. The person in line behind her paid for her groceries, and it made a bigger impact than the do-gooder will likely ever know.

And the woman’s children were there to witness the good deed and were equally moved by the gesture. And because of it, they are much more likely to grow up and do the same for someone else. What comes around, really does go around.

Here is the letter, which was published at Huffington Post and was originally posted on the woman’s blog.

Dear woman behind me in line at the grocery store,

You don’t know me. You have no clue what my life has been like since October 1, 2013. You have no clue that my family has gone through the wringer. You have no clue that we have faced unbelievable hardship. You have no clue we have been humiliated, humbled, destitute.

You have no clue I have cried more days than not; that I fight against bitterness taking control of my heart. You have no clue that my husband’s pride was shattered. You have no clue my kids have had the worries of an adult on their shoulders. You have no clue their innocence was snatched from them for no good reason. You know none of this.

What you do know is I tried to buy my kids some food and that the EBT machine was down so I couldn’t buy that food. I didn’t have any cash or my debit card with me. I only had my SNAP card. All you heard was me saying “No, don’t hold it for me. My kids are hungry now and I have no other way of paying for this.” You didn’t judge me. You didn’t snarl “Maybe you should have less kids.” You didn’t say “Well, get a job and learn to support yourself.” You didn’t look away in embarrassment or shame for me. You didn’t make any assumptions at all.

What you did was you paid that $17.38 grocery bill for us. You gave my kids bananas, yogurt, apple juice, cheese sticks, and a peach ice tea for me; a rare treat and splurge. You let me hug you and promise through my tears that I WILL pay this forward. I WILL pay someone’s grocery bill for them. That $17.38 may not have been a lot for you, but it was priceless to us. In the car my kids couldn’t stop gushing about you; our “angel in disguise.” They prayed for you. They prayed you would be blessed. You restored some of our lost faith. One simple and small action changed our lives. You probably have forgotten about us by now, but we haven’t forgotten about you. You will forever be a part of us even though we don’t even know your name.

You have no clue how grateful and embarrassed I am that we pay for all our food with SNAP. We eat well thanks to the government. I love that. I love that the government makes sure my kids are cared for. It is one less worry for us. I also struggle with pride and embarrassment. I defiantly tell people we are on SNAP. Daring them to judge us.

Only those closest to us know why we are on SNAP. They know my husband is a hard worker who was laid off after 17 years in a management position with his former company. They know we were moved from our home to a new state only to be left homeless since the house we had came with the job he lost. Only those closest to us know my husband works part time while looking tirelessly for more; that he has submitted more applications than he has received interviews for. Too many jobs are only offering part time work anymore. It is not easy for a 40-something year old to find a job that will support his family of five kids.

You know none of this but you didn’t let that stop you from being compassionate and generous to someone you have never met.

To the woman behind me at the grocery store, you have no idea how much we appreciate you. You have no idea the impact you had on my kids. You have no idea how incredibly thankful I am for you. Your action may have been small, but to us it was monumental. Thank you.

Thank you for not judging us. Thank you for giving my kids a snack when they were quite hungry. Thank you. Just thank you.

Forever,

Andrea, the woman in front of you at the grocery store with the cart full of kids who are no longer hungry

Jamuna vs Brahmaputra

We were searching for a friend's house in Assam on Google Earth and found Jamuna river flowing through Guwahati to the shock of my life. Now how did that happen? This should have been Brahmaputra and not Jamuna. Refresh and it is still the same. I have loaded the screenshot here and am notifying the team at Google too.

Interestingly this is a prominent river and not a small tributary. In fact it is the only masculine-named-river in India. I hope Google quickly corrects it.

You can be really careful but there can be mistakes. If you wake up and rectify, there shouldn't be a problem. After all we are all human. Google... Are you listening? Or should I search for Taj Mahal here in Guwahati?

Water on Mars

Yep. There is. I am in the know how and have access to some classified information for quite sometime now and that makes me believe strongly that there is water on Mars and that this would not just be a good news to us humans but also a great chance to explore and move on to new worlds.

This announcement of the presence water or should I say the presence of an ocean on Enceladus, a moon, revolving Saturn just affirms that water and other life supporting elements can be existent all around the universe and we are in the process of discovering them.

When the Cassini spacecraft got its first closeup look at Saturn’s moon Enceladus after the probe’s arrival in 2004, it was rewarded with a jaw-dropping sight: giganticgeysers of ice particles and water vapor spewing hundreds of miles into space from the icy world’s southern hemisphere. These plumes are so prolific that they continuously resurface Enceladus’ sparkling white surface with a fresh coating of ice crystals—and still have enough left over to be the main source of ice particles that make up Saturn’s E-ring.

I sincerely hope Mars rover or our own Mangalyaan just affirms this and makes us proud. Fingers crossed. Waiting.

The marketing logic behind Lungi dance

Or should I make the title the lack of marketing behind Lungi dance? I think I will keep the title.

Taking the nation frenzy, cutting across all ages, genders and should I say sizes (?) and reaching close to 2 crore views on all the youtube channels and easily reaching the multi-crore mark, I had to look at it and decipher the logic or the lack of it behind the whole marketing bandwagon.

It is simply the most silly and simple celebration of the South Indian mania behind the legendary Rajani and his fans who are innumerable and spread across the world and the celebration is lead by another superstar who is also loved across the world and blatantly tells you to get up and dance. The best way to explain this would be the celebration of the perfect cultural amalgamation when a Punjabi sings composed in south Indian style in Hindi and is loved all across the country. Rohit could easily be one of the bestest planners and SRK could only one of the best marketing geniuses in the country or it could be a great gamble that paid off or a properly planned and pulled off.

It succeeded as it brings to the forefront the eccentrics of the common man's fancy dance in the comfort of his friends in the effects of his evening exuberance when he is trying to dance off his troubles.

And as a Rajani fan I am not complaining. I should also roundu gumafy the moochen and start tapping.

Enna? What do you say?

The Habits of the World's Smartest People

Wify forwarded this article by Kathleen Davis to me and it was worth the read. I am sure you would like it too.

 There is no one picture of intelligence, but many people with high IQs do tend to share some of the same habits -- both good and bad. For example, according to research complied by Online-PHD-Programs.org, while those with high IQs tend to set goals and read avidly, they are also more likely to drink more heavily and suffer from anxiety.

 For more on the habits of smart people, including a look at the IQs of icons such as Albert Einstein and Bill Gates, check out the infographic below. Click to Enlarge+