Smartphone Decisions

I have traditionally been a late adopter of technology, especially when it comes to phones. Now I'm realizing that I want and need a smartphone. My free Nokia phone has done well for its price ($0), but I just can't keep pace with the smartphone crowd. I am seriously considering 3 phones right now:

iphone:

This is the safe choice. It's proven and its strengths and weaknesses are known. The negatives are that AT&T doesn't have a great network and that one can't multi-task on the iphone.

Droid:

Droid runs with Verizon and has a Google operating system (the Android) to support it. On the downside, it's heavy.

Nexus One:

I'm leaning towards this phone, because it seems like a cross between the Iphone and the Droid. Unfortunately, it's not yet out for Verizon. It also doesn't have as many apps as iphone, but I'm not sure how important that is.

This link has a good comparison of nexus one vs. the iphone:

http://www.ifixit.com/Misc/nexus_vs_iphone.html

I think there is no right decision here, and I'll have to take the plunge at some point.

Wharton Healthcare Conference - 2010

I went to my 2nd Wharton Healthcare Business Conference last month. A couple of
points stuck out to me:

1. The regulatory process for medical devices is about to get a little harder. In the medical device panel there was talk of a tax on medical devices and a dissolution of the 510K approval process.

2. A lot of new healthcare IT and healthcare services companies are building businesses around the theme of 'Integration'. The Thursday keynote was delivered by the CEO of TriZetto, which is in the business of healthcare integration.

The Wharton Healthcare conference is one of the best conferences on campus. I think that this is largely due to the conference's large budget. Also, the conference has dedicated team members who help run it. Furthermore, proceeds from the Healthcare Conference finance many events in the Healthcare Management program at Wharton, so it's imperative that the conference go well.

Still, I do feel that more innovation could be applied to the conference format. I am a proponent of more interaction between speakers and audience members. Perhaps the case study format could be employed. Also, participants could pre-register for breakout sessions; these participants could be assigned prep work for the session. This would enable them to meaningfully participate in the sessions.

Wharton Entrepreneurship Conference

I attended my first Wharton Entrepreneurship conference in February. The theme of the conference was ‘Entrepreneurship in a rising economy’.

My favorite speaker was Andy Dunn, Founder and CEO of Banobos, a company that designs men's pants. Andy’s spoke to a packed room and was a thoroughly engaging speaker. He ran his session as a case study, in which he took students through the process of starting a company and asked them questions about what they would do in the entrepreneur's position.

He conveyed many lessons that I found useful. Most importantly, if you’re hoping to start a business in business school, the best thing you can do is meet people and network. Also, Andy discussed the merits of having a ‘contratrian’ viewpoint. This means trying to do things the opposite of how everyone does them to separate and differentiate your business from the competition.

The e-conference was apparently less exciting than in 2009, where the keynote speaker was Donny Deutsch (from CNBC’s Big Idea with Donny Deutsch). However, I do think that the conference could be shortened to be more impactful and that the conference theme could be highlighted a bit more. As always, I recommend more ways to elicit quality audience participation. Still, I'm glad I went and enjoyed meeting several student entrepreneurs.

Book Reviews: Nabokov, Thompson, Camus

Over the last few months, I have read several books from the 1950s:

Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson

The Plague, Albert Camus

The Rum Diary, Hunter S. Thompson

Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita is the story of a middle-aged man who has a strong desire for 'nymphets', or girls between the ages of 12 and 16. At times Lolita touched upon complex, brooding, and taboo feelings; however, in the end it fell well short of its potential. The moments where it truly spoke to the reader where overshadowed by many more pages of unnecessary details and trivialities.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter Thompson

After a disappointing read in Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was just what the 'gonzo' 'doctor of journalism' ordered. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a drunken and drug-fueled romp through 1950s LA and Las Vegas (and the road between the two) about.....nothing really. Or maybe it's about how the drug movement of the 60s had gone sour, or it is a meaningless search for meaning. I later watched the movie and concluded that the book was much better. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is an impressive novel about the 'extreme', and I highly recommend it.

The Plague, Albert Camus

To catch my breath from Thomson, I read The Plague by Albert Camus. The Plague is set in 1950s Oran, Algeria, and is the story of a city that is quarantined due to an outbreak of the plague. The novel discusses the philosophies of several characters towards life and religion. The Plague was similar to Lolita in that it had great potential, and at times it touched upon key sentiments; however, the characters were hollow and the brooding atmosphere that Camus wanted to develop simply didn't materialize. Still, I was inspired to visit Oran and Algeria, and almost booked a trip there this summer.

The Rum Diary, Hunter Thompson

The Rum Diary, written by a 22-year old Hunter Thompson about a 30-year wandering journalist in San Juan, Puerto Rico, did not disappoint. Though just 22, Thompson displayed keen insight to capture the mind of a 30-year old so well. Copious amounts of rum were consumed during the novel, with the signature drink being 'rum and ice' for about 75 cents on average. This whetted my appetite and I decided to try the drink myself, but for about $7 at the local bar. Thompson aptly captured the experience of westerners in San Juan who ultimately fail to understand and adapt to their new surroundings. At times there are glimmers of understanding, but for the most part the western journalists, who are all on the run from something, have to keep on the move.

Wharton Winter Welcome Weekend

The emotional thrill ride that was Wharton Winter Welcome Weekend (WWWW) came to an end this morning. For two days, about 150 Round 1 admits to the Wharton MBA program, including me, were congratulated and shepherded through various welcoming events.

On Thursday morning, we were officially welcomed to Wharton by senior folks in Wharton administration and were treated to lunch. I was fortunate enough to sit at a table with the Director of Admissions, J.J. Cutler. Most of our talk revolved around sports – baseball and football. After lunch, the admits broke into mini-cohorts – I was assigned to Cohort B. We broke into smaller teams and competed with other teams to use Tinker Toys to build as tall a structure as possible – apparently we’ll be doing stuff like this on the learning team retreat. I reluctantly stepped away from the activities for my CTT Commercialization class at 4pm, had a few slices of pizza at the monthly CTT meeting, and headed into Center City to La Viola for a Healthcare Management (HCM) dinner. After dinner, we went to Ladder 15 for some drinking (15th and Sansome).

On Friday, I attended an information session on Financial Aid in the morning. I then attended industry sessions on healthcare and entrepreneurship before attending a talk on global programs – Global Immersion Program (GIP), Global Consulting Practicum (GCP), and International Exchange Programs, including the Insead program. The best part of the weekend came next: Wharton Live. Admits were treated to 2 stand-up comedy acts, 2 comedy skits (one about Partners Club and the other about the Financial meltdown), a performance by Bateria (a Brazilian drumming group), and 2 songs by the Whartones. One of them was just awesome – it was, surprise, surprise, about the economic recession. I’m trying to figure out what the original song is called…The night’s festivities ended with yet another social at Fado (15th and Locust), where we once again took over the bar.

On Saturday morning, I attended a brunch hosted by the India club at New Delhi restaurant (40th and Chestnut).

It was a fantastic weekend, so much so that I just paid my deposit and enrolled online for the Wharton MBA Class of 2012! I am planning to attend the Spring Welcome Weekend, if only to hear Wharton Live once again.

Chaat House

893 E. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA
(Intersection of Wolfe and E. El Camino Real)

The Indian restaurant market in the Bay Area may be crowded, but Chaat House (http://www.chaathouse.net/menu.htm) stands out as an excellent North Indian snack food restaurant. Over winter break, my cousin, who has been frequenting the establishment for the last 5 years, insisted that his mom and I give Chaat House a try. So, we went to Chaat House for lunch and ordered Chana Bhatura, Sprout Bhel, Bengan Bhartha, Sarason ka Saag, Aloo Paratha, Hara Bhara Paratha, Gulab Lassi, and Chaas.


The food was excellent, reasonably priced, and just the right amount for three hungry people. I was surprised by the food’s freshness and mildness (not too pungent or spicy). Of the above items, my favorite was Chana Bhatura. The atmosphere in Chaat House was also laid back and pleasant. We sat near the TV and watched song and dance numbers from old Hindi movies.

Give Chaat House a try if you’re in the mood for some light snacks that remind you of food from the old country.

Deal or No Deal?

During Winter Break, I watched an unusually high number of game shows since my grandmother, who loves game shows (and cheesy Indian soap operas), was at home. The most interesting one, by far, was Deal or No Deal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_or_No_Deal). Why? Because I can’t figure out if the show is pure genius or pure stupidity.

On the one hand, the game is just a measure of contestants’ risk tolerance. When more briefcases with large dollar amounts are opened, the probability that the contestant possesses a briefcase with a low dollar amount is higher; and vice versa. Contestants usually choose to reject the first few offers, either out of greed or a love of being on TV.

On the other hand, the genius of the show might be in how the deal is calculated. The deal seems to be computer-generated; if so, the Banker is there only ‘for show’. At first, I thought that the deal was just the expected value of the remaining amounts. The expected value is the remaining dollar amounts x the probability that they will be selected. But, this turns out not to be the case. I sat with my laptop and Excel open a few times while watching the show and the deal turned out to be lower than the expected value. Clearly, a more advanced algorithm is at work. The algorithm probably changes, as do the rules of the game, from time to time.

To his credit, Howie Mandell is an entertaining host. And while most game shows are high energy (The Price is Right, Family Feud, etc.), this one is larger than life given all its melodrama. But to me, nothing is more satisfying than watching a greedy contestant reject a deal and end up with a low amount. It’s like watching NASCAR for the car crashes!