We've graduated... :)
to http://blog.vitaperacta.com
But...
No time for blogging :( ...
We're busy having fun!
working at
Vita Peractawww.vitaperacta.com
I was caught in a long conversation with a friend about how the framework we've developed can be of immense use in HR areas. After discussing about various issues involved in building our first application and the user interface, I realized that one of the biggest difficulties would be in defining the requirement of the company in an appropriate way. Most of the times, the company or the people involved in recruitment themselves find it very hard to deduce what kind of a person are they looking for. So defining the work-culture and job-profiles appropriately would be a major challenge.
However it is not a technical challenge and has more to do with coming up with methods by which we can extract valuable information about the work culture and environment at a company in short and efficient ways. Woa! now it does seem like a technical challenge! Incidentally, this is precisely one of the discussions I had with Amit Ranjan, the COO of Slideshare and the cofounder of team Uzanto when he was here for Conquest 2007.
With some valuable insights from Amit and a couple of new ideas for better data collection methods, waiting for some time to give shape to these ideas and improve the model. By the way, still looking for some good programmers who are passionate about fuzzy programming and have enough interest and commitment to learn fast, the necessary skillsets. Also any interest/background in psychology, evolutionary biology would be of great value... Like always, know anyone like that - introduce him/her to us at "vitaperacta AT gmail DOT com"
However it is not a technical challenge and has more to do with coming up with methods by which we can extract valuable information about the work culture and environment at a company in short and efficient ways. Woa! now it does seem like a technical challenge! Incidentally, this is precisely one of the discussions I had with Amit Ranjan, the COO of Slideshare and the cofounder of team Uzanto when he was here for Conquest 2007.
With some valuable insights from Amit and a couple of new ideas for better data collection methods, waiting for some time to give shape to these ideas and improve the model. By the way, still looking for some good programmers who are passionate about fuzzy programming and have enough interest and commitment to learn fast, the necessary skillsets. Also any interest/background in psychology, evolutionary biology would be of great value... Like always, know anyone like that - introduce him/her to us at "vitaperacta AT gmail DOT com"
Informational Website Released
0 comments Published by Amruth on Thursday, April 12, 2007 at 10:31 PMAn informational website has been released at http://vitaperacta.googlepages.com
The website intends to give a rough overview of what we are doing in order to reach out to people & groups who might be interested in partnering us at various levels. So if you know any, please pass on the link to them.
Mail us at vitaperacta(at comes here)gmail.com if you have any suggestions regarding the website or otherwise.
The website intends to give a rough overview of what we are doing in order to reach out to people & groups who might be interested in partnering us at various levels. So if you know any, please pass on the link to them.
Mail us at vitaperacta(at comes here)gmail.com if you have any suggestions regarding the website or otherwise.
Activities over the next month:
- Building a portal with user registration and payment system
- Building a test-version of the software for basic testing of the framework
- Building an executive summary and business plan
- Network & Team building
If you are one of those energetic and talented minds who would be interested to be a part of what we are doing at Vita Peracta |OR| you know someone who might have the required skills to fit in any of the above roles and would be interested to join the team, do let us know at amruth.br@gmail.com
Always wondered, why all the entrepreneurs or innovators mention the amazement of the roller-coster ride they enjoyed on their historic journey. Well, just got a feel of that in the last few days. Xio has definitely made my heart a lot stronger with the kind of shocks he had been giving me. I am really grateful to the Patel statue that stands so serene amidst our bhawans. A place where a coffee cup has accompanied us on so many such roller-coster rides. Also the park !
Well , the park encounter was the one where we got to know know so much about Vita peracta's future and who's important for it in which sense. Subconsciously I always knew all this. But when we "word" all these preconceived notions... things become so crystal clear.
I have always followed this philosophy. You may call it my concept for Luck factor or the devine intervention or my reapings of my earlier doings.... but the fact remains that things happen when you keep faith n keep doing it. Its better put by my grandfather ... who says
" any result is always a result of three factors -
Well , the park encounter was the one where we got to know know so much about Vita peracta's future and who's important for it in which sense. Subconsciously I always knew all this. But when we "word" all these preconceived notions... things become so crystal clear.
I have always followed this philosophy. You may call it my concept for Luck factor or the devine intervention or my reapings of my earlier doings.... but the fact remains that things happen when you keep faith n keep doing it. Its better put by my grandfather ... who says
" any result is always a result of three factors -
- prarabhdha karma - the reapings of your earlier doings
- your efforts
- luck
this is a foolproof system. Consider a scenario where you are planning an evil act. If your efforts are so genuine that they overpower the effects of the other two factors -> you achieve success. But this has an adverse effect on your next act considering the evil intentions.
Hence the inference... if you keep doing what you are doing with utmost determination and faith and in the company of sanely insane people like Amruth success is bound to embrace us !
Hence the inference... if you keep doing what you are doing with utmost determination and faith and in the company of sanely insane people like Amruth success is bound to embrace us !
so here you go ---
a pic of a phenomenon who epitomised the faith and determination philosophy
a pic of a phenomenon who epitomised the faith and determination philosophy
How do we get the best out of the team?
0 comments Published by Amruth on Thursday, February 22, 2007 at 8:44 AMAfter having pondered a lot over how to get the best team, we finally understood the trick - If you cannot get the best team, get the best out of the team. And so, as we wait for getting a more complete team with expertise in all areas required, we will change our focus from the product we are developing to the business model and a business plan, which we are very much in a position to develop.
I remember having a chat with Nakul about setting this aside for a while. But then, I realize that someone with so much enthusiasm and attachment towards the venture like Nakul can make you look at things positively even in the most boring of times. And Mom telling me like always that she doesn't want me to choose between my dreams when she knows that I can go ahead with both.
And though I am not completely sure if this is the right place, just feeling like typing in a thank you note to Ajit. Made me realize that sane discussions between sane people can lead to strengthening insane ideas!
So here we go in our new avatar with our focus shifted on developing a business model around our concept... and Sastry, great to have another sane mind joining the team. Hop on and enjoy the voyage buddy!
I remember having a chat with Nakul about setting this aside for a while. But then, I realize that someone with so much enthusiasm and attachment towards the venture like Nakul can make you look at things positively even in the most boring of times. And Mom telling me like always that she doesn't want me to choose between my dreams when she knows that I can go ahead with both.
And though I am not completely sure if this is the right place, just feeling like typing in a thank you note to Ajit. Made me realize that sane discussions between sane people can lead to strengthening insane ideas!
So here we go in our new avatar with our focus shifted on developing a business model around our concept... and Sastry, great to have another sane mind joining the team. Hop on and enjoy the voyage buddy!
How do we get the best team ?
0 comments Published by Amruth on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 at 11:31 AMI've already told that one of the biggest question we asked ourselves is "How do we get the best team?" We've focused on expertise ; on core competencies ; compatibility and what not. But today, I realized that when we are building something new from the scratch, all that matters is how strong is the team's commitment and passion towards the dream they want to build.
I realized that my passion is my desire to understand the mystery behind human mind through our project and the rest matter a lot less to me, atleast as of now. For the first time, I began to question myself if I am a burden on the team, me being a dreamer who works to unveil some crazy answer to a puzzle which might have little practical hope.
This is my first team project in my life and I guess I had to learn it the hard way - one man cannot do everything as good as a well coordinated team can. The solution which we have come up with is to better organize our team with each subgroup focusing on one area in which they will develop expertise. We have the complete freedom to do what we want within our focus area untill we come up with an initial draft. Then, we will all sit together and refine the model putting in our own ways of looking at it.
Fortunately, we have a few people in mind who might fit well in certain focus areas. They are not experts, but I realized that an expert would not care much about developing something that is so radical and abnormal. They are better off doing incremental research for which they get paid. So we hope to find and build the best team required, a team which can see the idea through and find themselves a place that would charm them for the next few months atleast...
P.S: I started walking back to my room thinking, "Why don't I throw this in dustbin and get going with a normal life, studying for my grades, completing my half-worked papers and saying yes to people ?!" ... and like always, I end it with... "Here's why !"
I realized that my passion is my desire to understand the mystery behind human mind through our project and the rest matter a lot less to me, atleast as of now. For the first time, I began to question myself if I am a burden on the team, me being a dreamer who works to unveil some crazy answer to a puzzle which might have little practical hope.
This is my first team project in my life and I guess I had to learn it the hard way - one man cannot do everything as good as a well coordinated team can. The solution which we have come up with is to better organize our team with each subgroup focusing on one area in which they will develop expertise. We have the complete freedom to do what we want within our focus area untill we come up with an initial draft. Then, we will all sit together and refine the model putting in our own ways of looking at it.
Fortunately, we have a few people in mind who might fit well in certain focus areas. They are not experts, but I realized that an expert would not care much about developing something that is so radical and abnormal. They are better off doing incremental research for which they get paid. So we hope to find and build the best team required, a team which can see the idea through and find themselves a place that would charm them for the next few months atleast...
P.S: I started walking back to my room thinking, "Why don't I throw this in dustbin and get going with a normal life, studying for my grades, completing my half-worked papers and saying yes to people ?!" ... and like always, I end it with... "Here's why !"
I never knew the reason why i thought of choosing this picture ...until finally TODAY !!! It dawned ! My expressions when i woke up today to witness the magnificent fog outside my room were exactly like those in the picture.
Well thats not what I want to convey. Just yesterday Xio [Amruth] inquired why that weird pic in your draft post. I didnt have an answer. Its just that I had a strong feeling that it did fit the bill. Just believing in something so strongly that it does transform into a reality is what distinguishes some from the rest. And thats what lead to a major decision for Vita Peracta's future. I liked the way we discussed yesterday. It reinforced the feeling that we have a strong belief system !!! :) [if not as individuals but definitely as a team]
Life is Beautiful ! ... and Vita Peracta will make you realise ...
One of the key reasons why my model inspires me is its predictive potential ! Unlike other psychological theories which are based on statistical data, we use a model which is built on a set of verifiable postulates from which the rest of the predictions are derived. It is here that we have an edge over conventional psychologists who think human behaviour is too complex to be modelled by numbers and functions.
Reminds me of the situation in biology before Darwin, when all that was possible was to observe and record data about the innumerable kinds of plants and animals our planet hosts. But once we had a theory built on verifiable postulates - the theory of natural selection, we were able to predict what kind of organisms survive an evolutionary phase in a particular environment and hence predict what kind of beings might inhabit an ecosystem.
Also reminds me of the situation in economics, national planning and warfare before game theory. When all you could do was to send out your best orders and hope that the opponent does something that will benefit you. But once we had the simplest of framework in hand, we were able to predict how a market would behave, how nations make decisions and so on.
And so, we make predictions, verifiable statements about learning, altruism, decision making time, dream frequency, laziness and a hundred other things that form a part of our everyday lives ! Most of them are already known observations and hence the so called predictions turn out to be explanations. And the remaining few, we hope will be found true. But what strikes me is that all of these statistically/inductively known facts are now reasoned out by using a minimal set of postulates on which we have built out model. That, I see as the biggest boost to my confidence in the model; like we say in physics - "The theory was so beautiful that it had to be true."
Reminds me of the situation in biology before Darwin, when all that was possible was to observe and record data about the innumerable kinds of plants and animals our planet hosts. But once we had a theory built on verifiable postulates - the theory of natural selection, we were able to predict what kind of organisms survive an evolutionary phase in a particular environment and hence predict what kind of beings might inhabit an ecosystem.
Also reminds me of the situation in economics, national planning and warfare before game theory. When all you could do was to send out your best orders and hope that the opponent does something that will benefit you. But once we had the simplest of framework in hand, we were able to predict how a market would behave, how nations make decisions and so on.
And so, we make predictions, verifiable statements about learning, altruism, decision making time, dream frequency, laziness and a hundred other things that form a part of our everyday lives ! Most of them are already known observations and hence the so called predictions turn out to be explanations. And the remaining few, we hope will be found true. But what strikes me is that all of these statistically/inductively known facts are now reasoned out by using a minimal set of postulates on which we have built out model. That, I see as the biggest boost to my confidence in the model; like we say in physics - "The theory was so beautiful that it had to be true."
I remember saying that it all started with a crazy idea... and 3 months later, this is where the idea stood -
We were working on developing a software to create a virtual personality of the user so that the same can be loaded to a different environment to predict the user's reaction to the situations. This would have a lot of applications in various fields which require HR assessment and development... (Yea, I'm being hopelessly modest - it's just one small target customer base).
The problem however, was to work out a model which would allow us to arrive at such an accurate model of the user's personality since most of predictive psychological theories are accurate only on large population groups.
We were basing our model more on evolutionary biology & game theory, with psychology to estimate certain aspects of the model rather than using it as a starting point. We were working with help from a few scientists in evolutionary biology & psychology from IISc, NIMHANS, NBRC & Oxford regarding the same.
We had completed an initial model for an individual's personality and were looking forward to getting out a design document for the software so that we can atleast pitch the idea to a professional AI programmer. But the big question that we asked ourselves a zillion times was - "How can we get the best team for the project?!"
We were working on developing a software to create a virtual personality of the user so that the same can be loaded to a different environment to predict the user's reaction to the situations. This would have a lot of applications in various fields which require HR assessment and development... (Yea, I'm being hopelessly modest - it's just one small target customer base).
The problem however, was to work out a model which would allow us to arrive at such an accurate model of the user's personality since most of predictive psychological theories are accurate only on large population groups.
We were basing our model more on evolutionary biology & game theory, with psychology to estimate certain aspects of the model rather than using it as a starting point. We were working with help from a few scientists in evolutionary biology & psychology from IISc, NIMHANS, NBRC & Oxford regarding the same.
We had completed an initial model for an individual's personality and were looking forward to getting out a design document for the software so that we can atleast pitch the idea to a professional AI programmer. But the big question that we asked ourselves a zillion times was - "How can we get the best team for the project?!"
It all started with a simple suggestion by Nakul - "Keep it simple !". The ever-cogitating me found it so beautiful that I decided to blog on it as "The Jnacool Philosophy". I went further and wanted to start "The Jnacool School" online and that was when Nakul said, "Hey dude ! Lets start up with this idea... I see a huge bank of potential customers !"
We met immediately outside VK ( for non-BITSians, it's a hostel in BITS) and started brainstorming about the idea. I had a problem, "Oye, it's not going to work. How will you make people believe in what we say? It might work well, but how will they trust it in the first place to try it out?". Jnacool: "Yea. We need someone who can pitch it for us giving reasons for why it will work... know anybody?". And that's how Sindhu came in.
How long did it all last...? just an hour - before we decided that we need a completely different solution to the problem we had identified... Half an hour more and we were heading somewhere...
It was exciting because it was something we could relate so strongly to ourselves and mysterious because we were clueless how it would all turn out... we decided to give it a try... and so it began, as a crazy idea.
We met immediately outside VK ( for non-BITSians, it's a hostel in BITS) and started brainstorming about the idea. I had a problem, "Oye, it's not going to work. How will you make people believe in what we say? It might work well, but how will they trust it in the first place to try it out?". Jnacool: "Yea. We need someone who can pitch it for us giving reasons for why it will work... know anybody?". And that's how Sindhu came in.
How long did it all last...? just an hour - before we decided that we need a completely different solution to the problem we had identified... Half an hour more and we were heading somewhere...
It was exciting because it was something we could relate so strongly to ourselves and mysterious because we were clueless how it would all turn out... we decided to give it a try... and so it began, as a crazy idea.