People Analytics - How Social Sensing Technology Will Transform Business and What It Tells Us about the Future of Work

Author:       Ben Waber
Publisher:   FT Press ;
Hardcover: 240 pages.
People Analytics involves measuring, collecting and analyzing the data which characterizes the people's behavioral patterns.
While the traditional methods of collecting such data has been through direct observations or through surveys, the emerging trend is the use of social sensors like company ID badges, cell phones etc.
This has a huge potential to enable an organization to understand in a better manner, how their people work and collaborate. This will provide them with actionable insights for improving the effectiveness and productiveness of the work force.
Ben Waber, an expert on organizational dynamics and social sensing technologies shows in this book how this is possible.
 A very well written and interesting book to read !
Read more details about this book on my business blog..
  

Geek Nation - How Indian Science is Taking Over the World

[Author: Angela Saini; Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton; Hardcover: 288 pages ]

Who is a Geek ? 
From the author's perspective geek is someone who is very passionate about a scientific, technological or any other intellectual pursuit. She uses this term in a very complimentary manner.
In the western world Indians are perceived as geeks or nerds.
Angela Saini an UK born award winning science journalist of  Indian origin travels widely across India (during 2008-10) to check on the veracity of this perception.

She meets and interviews several scientists, technologists, researchers in premier academic institutions, research institutes, IT companies.
The outcome of this scientific pilgrimage is this book which presents the 
picture of the status of the scientific education and research in India. 

A book of this sort could have easily turned out to be a dry and scholarly compilation of recorded interviews and its readership been confined to academicians and researchers. 
But Saini  very effectively manages to write it in a a fairly enjoyable travelogue style with right blend of information and humor. After all she is a reporter.
"Angela in the Geekland" would have been a more apt title for this book ! 

This book educated me on several facets of scientific and technology research and development  in India which I was unaware of for e.g. OSDD (Open Source Drug Discovery) initiative, Spoken Web project, Lavasa Corporation, e-Courts  etc.

I am not sure whether this book presents a complete scenario of scientific research in India but whatever is presented in this book certainly makes an interesting read.
Therefore I would recommend this book to anyone who is keen on knowing some of the interesting facets of scientific research scenario in India around 2008-2010.

 

 Links 

• Author's Blog
• Goodreads Ratings and Reviews -  Average Rating 3.44 / 5;  82 ratings; 17 reviews

Contents
Underlying themes of various chapters and the people and organizations featured in  them are given below.

Introduction : 

Underlying Theme: Origins of Space Research in India

• Professor U.R. Rao, Vikram Sarabhai Space Research Center, Trivandrum 

Chapter 1 Brain Games

 

Underlying Theme: Engineering & Science  Education

• Professor Vijay Singh, International Science Olympiad Training Center
• Nitin Jain, IIT-JEE 2009 Topper & Winner of several medals in Science Olympiads
• Professor Santanu Chaudhury, Dean of Undergraduate Studies, IIT Delhi
• Professor Ambuj Sagar, IIT Delhi
• Prerit Jain  - Undergraduate student, IIT Delhi
• Rajdeep Sahrawat, VP NASSCOM
• Ravindra Shah, Chief Compliance Officer, Tata Consultancy Services
• Ananth Krishnan, Technologist, Tata Consultancy Services

Chapter 2 Electronics City

Underlying Theme: IT Industry

• Thomas Simon, VP-HR, Tata Consultancy Services
• Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys Technologies
• Dr. Manish Gupta, Director, IBM Labs, India
• Yusuf Motiwala & Apul Nahata , Founders, TringMe
• Nishant Ranka - Undergraduate student, IIT Delhi

Chapter 3 The Long-Life Banana

Underlying Theme: Genetically Modified Crops

• Dr  Pravendra Nath, Molecular Biologist, National Botanical Research Institute
• Vijay Jawandhia, a farmers' right activist, Vidharba
• Vandana Shiva, a rural rights activist, New Delhi
• Dr. Ajay Parida, Executive Director, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation

Chapter 4 Chariots of the Gods 


Underlying Theme: Vedic Sciences

• Subbarao Narayana, Academy of Sanskrit Research, Melkote
• Dr. Satyanarayana, Oriental Research Institute, Mysore
• Sanal Edamaruku, President, Indian Rationalist Association, New Delhi
• Meera Nanda, Historian and Researcher, Institute of Advanced Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
• Sunderaj Chandrashekar, Academy of Sanskrit Research, Melkote
• Professor MRS Narasimha Murthy, Head, Molecular Biophysics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 

 Chapter 5 The Mindreading Machine

Underlying Theme: Forensic Sciences

• Dr Sunny Joseph, Directorate of Forensic Science Laboratory, Mumbai
• CR Mukundan, Inventor of Brain Electrical Oscillations Signature (BEOS) software

Chapter 6 Geek's Rule 

Underlying Theme: e-Governance

• Scot Wrighton, City Manager, Lavasa Corporation
• Vineeta Dixit, Principal Consultant -e-Governance Plan, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, New Delhi
• RK Sharma, Computer Analyst & Programmer, Department of IT, Rajasthan
• Girish Kumar Sharma, Registrar, Delhi High Court

Chapter 7 The Impossible Drug

Underlying Theme: Bio-medical Research

• Professor Virandar Chauhan, International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi
• Dr. Sujatha Narayanan, Deputy Director, Department of Immunology, Tuberculosis Research Center, Chennai
• Dr. Sridhar Sivasubbu, Researcher, Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, New Delhi
• Dr. Sulagna Banerjee, Madras Institute of Technology, Chennai
• Zakir Thomas, Scientist, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi 

Chapter 8 Brainpower

Underlying Theme: Nuclear Energy

• Dr Ratan Kumar Sinha, Director - Reactor Design and Development Group, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai

 Chapter 9 Rocket Science

Underlying Theme: Space Program 

• Narayana Moorthy, Researcher, Vikram Sarabhai Space Research Center, Trivandrum
• Madhavan Nair, Ex-Chairman, Indian Space Research Organization

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People CMM 2nd Edition

Authors:        Bill Curtis, William E. Hefley , Sally A. Miller 
Published:    2009
Publisher:    Addison-Wesley Professional ; 
Hardcover: 694 pages.

People Capability Maturity Model (P-CMM) is a Human Capital Management framework developed by Carnegie Mellon University. 

This book describes the People Capability Maturity Model (P-CMM) in totality and is the single authoritative and valid reference for internal assessments and SCAMPI appraisals based on this model. 
It is a very significant contribution to the Human Capital Management literature. 

Read more details about this book in my business blog.
   

The Immortals

[Author: Amit Chaudhuri; Publisher: Picador; Paperback: 424 pages ]

This novel has three main characters - Nirmalya an adololescent boy, his mother Mallika Sengupta and their music teacher Shyamji.
Set in the backdrop of Mumbai of 1980s and Hindustani classical music as the underlying theme the book explores the relationship between these characters in a very laid-back leisurely manner as the story unfolds.
The Immortals has  several awards to its credit and was also shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book 2009.
The story does not have a conventional plot . Reading experience was more like watching a documentary film. The ending was rather abrupt. In fact the author could have chosen to end the story at any point of time in the narration and it would not have made any difference.
However the poetic style interspersed with subtle humor employed by the author while he sketches the characters and describes the city of  Mumbai (then Bombay) of thirty years back in time kept me fully engrossed till the end.
Readers used to fast paced novels with twists and turns may not appreciate this book.
But definitely a good read as far as I am concerned.

 
Links 

•  Author's website
• Goodreads Ratings and Reviews -  Average Rating 2.98 / 5;  97 ratings; 23 reviews

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