Zakaria versus Zakaria

Is all well in the Zakaria household? Farid Zakaria, the best selling author (Future of Freedom et. al) and an editor at Newsweek International has been on a hitting streak that matches Barry Bonds, or if you prefer Sachin Tendulkar. On the flip side, Arshad Zakaria, one of the two other Zakaria’s has just been … Continue reading Zakaria versus Zakaria

How HI-bs changed California

They were dead giveaways in their shiny white sneakers and dress slacks: hi-tech Indian workers in Silicon Valley on H1-B work visas. But more than Indian surgeons or entrepreneurs, they’ve put Indian Americans on the cultural map nationwide. As the Silicon Valley economy splutters, the ubiquitous H1-B engineers who came to the United States on … Continue reading How HI-bs changed California

Dalai Lama Tour 2003

Taking his cue from the Rolling Stones, Tibetian spiritual leader, Dalai Lama is once again on a StateSide tour. The Dalai Lama comes back strong in September, with the hype of a concert tour. Earlier this month a brand-new 30-by-40-foot billboard was erected across from the Condˆ© Nast building on Times Square, announcing the Tibetan … Continue reading Dalai Lama Tour 2003

Hair This

The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating story about how Indian hair donated by devotees visiting the world famous Tirupati temple end up on the head of washed out celebrities like Lisa Marie Presley. Although India is a small part of the global hair business, compared to the market leader China, so-called Indian temple hair … Continue reading Hair This

The mighty minidisc finds a niche and actually becomes profitable

From Red Herring October 2000 issue Paul Budnitz is bemused by the falling fortunes of online retailers. For the 32-year-old president and founder of the minidisc e-tailer Minidisco in Berkeley, California, business has never been better. Introduced by Sony almost eight years ago, the minidisc is about half the size of a compact disc and allows music lovers to record music … Continue reading The mighty minidisc finds a niche and actually becomes profitable

Backoffice India

From Red Herring October 2000 issue Every so often India is rediscovered. Hippies in the ’60s sought enlightenment there. Then came the Deepak Chopra enthusiasts. And now, venture capitalists are seeking to cash in on a raft of Internet startups. But like the early spiritual travelers, most VCs are about to discover how elusive nirvana … Continue reading Backoffice India

Message Boards

From Forbes Magazine, Sept 13, 1999 These are a mixed blessing. You post messages on them; others respond — agreeing, disagreeing or elaborating. BODY: Yadda, yadda, yadda. These bulletin boards are noisy and full of useless chatter, with an occasional jewel buried there. The bulk of the entries are ill-informed opinions, rumors and even outright … Continue reading Message Boards

Broadband bargain

From Forbes magazine, May 3, 1999 HERE IS A WAY to ride the broadband wave without buying a moneylosing company like At Home Corp. Horsham, Pa.-based General Instrument (NYSE: GIC) controls 60% of the settop cable box market. Its new boxes will have high-speed modems inside that allow subscribers to surf the Web, get e-mail, … Continue reading Broadband bargain