Tuesday, July 31, 2007

What is naseba?

A lot of people have been asking me recently, what is naseba? Well here is your FAQ answered...

Q) What is naseba?

A) The word naseba comes from a Japanese idiomatic expression: "when there is a will there is a way." naseba can be translated, "if you make it happen." naseba is Business Information (BI).

We are committed to provide BI to the entire online community without them paying any charge for the same. We are a product company and our products are Strategic Business platforms like Congresses, Forums, Conferences or Expos.

Q) Is naseba Event Management Company?

A) NO

We produce, promote and host our own strategic business platforms using a conference, congress, expo or forum format - depending on the market - with the ultimate focus on ‘knowledge expansion’, ‘networking’ but most importantly maximizing ‘deal-making’ opportunities for all our executive clients.

Q) How are you unique from other similar events companies?

A) Let me answer this in bulleted format:


  • We are into providing you with Business Information for your strategic decision making.
  • We don’t host someone else’s events.
  • We host our own Strategic Business Platforms for business information exchange.
  • We give commitment in our contract, in black and white, the target number of people attending our event.
  • Pre-scheduled One-to-One business meetings.
  • A complete delegate directory with contact information & pre-course questionnaire to help you uncover the needs of the prospective client in advance.
  • Open business meeting to ensure you do not miss out on meeting any delegates you would want to meet.
  • Table sponsorship opportunities to maximize your visibility.
  • Limited numbers of suppliers to ensure you are not surrounded by your rivals.


  • Hope this makes us as a “unique” company!

    Q) What products does naseba have?
    A) naseba provides 4 streams of international products:

    Travel & Tourism Series - 10 strategic congresses focused on maximizing networking and deal-making opportunities for Travel & Tourism professionals.

    CXO Strategies - designed exclusively for CXOs by CXOs providing a UNIQUE mix of best practice and knowledge sharing in a problem-solving environment.

    Global Expansion Series - a dynamic two-day platform created for busy decision makers to conduct business in their respective infrastructure sectors through prescheduled, one-to-one business meetings interwoven with re-educational sessions and the ultimate networking parties.

    Knowledge Expansion - a conference format with a networking approach, focused on dynamic re-education for busy upper-level executives who do not attend vendor-driven conferences.

    Q) How old is your company, some company history details?

    A) In order to climb to the next level and expand more aggressively - further proving to make things happen - naseba did a reverse takeover of MM Finance, a company listed on the Marché Libre of the Paris Stock exchange - therefore, on October 5th, 2006 naseba proudly went public.
    Since inception in 2002, naseba has expanded its portfolio of worldwide executive congress and forums to 60 annual strategic B2B platforms covering 26 different industries.

    As a leading global business information company with headquarters in Monaco, naseba has offices strategically located in eight cities around the world and employs over 200 executives from more than 30 nationalities.

    We are multicultural, dynamic and focused on making it happen.

      Friday, July 27, 2007

      Top 100 Blogs

      I found this interesting site which gives you the list of Top 100 blogs in India. A very good website for seeing who's blogging in India.

      More interesting pages that I found was on this website are:

      Top 100 Most Influential blogs.

      Top 100 Songs being heard.

      Top 100 DVDs being watched.

      Do comment and let me know if you come across similar sites.

      Monday, July 23, 2007

      Product Review: BOSE Companion 5 Multimedia Speaker System.

      Update 2 - The volume control pod snooze error (Scroll to bottom)
      The volume goes off in the middle of play if USB not connected.

      Update 1 - How to connect your BOSE Companion 5 Multimedia Speakers to your TV? (Scroll down)
      Procedure and images to demonstrate the connection with TV.

      Product Review - Good sound comes in Small Packages!

      If you are one of those who hold any of the following opinion:

      >BOSE is costly.
      >BOSE has only Sophisticated Surround Sound Systems.
      >BOSE is my dream audio-video system.

      Then please read on….

      BOSE Companion 5 Multimedia Speaker System (BC5MSS) shatters all the myths and brings forward the reality of High Quality audio experience in a small package!

      ---------------------------------------------------------------
      Bottom Line

      Bose's Companion 5 speakers are great for those who want more from their DVD audio but lack the space for a true surround-sound setup.
      ---------------------------------------------------------------
      PROS

      The subwoofer delivers nice rumble. Speakers widen the stereo image. Great for desktop or home listening. Wired control has volume and mute button.
      ---------------------------------------------------------------
      CONS

      "Surround-like" is NOT real surround sound. The satellites are lacking in the mid-high frequencies. Control is wired.
      ---------------------------------------------------------------

      I bought the BC5MSS one month back and tried and tested it in multiple scenarios. Here is what I have to say about the system. BOSE is committed to provide Best Audio Quality and they have 100% delivered on it, interestingly, cost effectively and in a small package!

      I am sure most of us would have come across BOSE’s amazing sound quality experience once in a while somewhere. I experienced it for the first time in FORUM Mall’s BOSE showroom. During my first visit there I was sure, this is my Dream Audio system. However, I was not sure when this Dream is going to turn into reality. Yes, price was something which was keeping me back.

      Not long, I visited BOSE showroom around mid of June 2007 and I saw this BC5MSS system and saw a little price tag hanging there for Rs. 24,500/-. I was sure this is just going to be the price of the small speaker and nothing else. I was about to overlook, when the gentleman in the showroom approached me and asked me if I would like to see a Demo of the product. I said Ok go on show me what can this Tiny thing do? To my amazement, I was immediately overwhelmed by the systems audio performance! My very next question was, is this sound coming just from the speakers or there is a base unit to it? And, there it was, a pretty Acoustimass module happily sitting down there. My next question, so this set of speakers, stand, cables and this module costs how much in total? “Sir this entire unit including everything costs 24.5K” said the gentleman….yippeee…!! Am I dreaming or what? Well I had almost made-up my mind and thought let me quickly do an online research of the same and talk to one or two near ones. Did that quickly and took my decision to buy this system!

      Features worth a mention!

      Proprietary TrueSpace® surround digital processing circuitry - Creates an immersive sound environment from just two visible speakers. The system is designed for sitting at the computer; however I have used it with my TV out in my living room and gave that WOW experience.

      Digital 5.1 audio playback (Surround Like – Not Surround Sound) Brings music, games, movies and other 5.1-decoded material to life with much of the performance you'd expect from a five-speaker system.

      Compact Acoustimass® module – (The heart) delivers clean, deep low frequencies into the room. The module can be hidden almost anywhere in the listening area and allows for small, elegant speakers without sacrificing performance.

      Control pod - multi-function pod for volume control, single-touch mute, headphone jack and connection for a second audio source such as an MP3 player.

      USB connectivity - to your PC, this means that the Digital signal is being processed by the BOSE’s internal circuitry delivering that Virtual Surround Sound.

      Dual inputs – means you can connect your DVD/iPOD/TV-Out/MP3 etc while it’s connected to PC. As well as there is a sound out – to connect to your Head Set / Headphones.

      Performance Test – Built to last!

      I have tried connecting this to my PC, Laptop, MP3 Player, iPOD, DVD/TV Player.

      Results:

      PC / Laptop: As promised, delivered the Virtual surround sound experience with USB connectivity you do get a 5.1 channel surround sound experience.

      MP3/iPOD: Again as promised, delivered the WOW BOSE effect. Even with a 2.1 channel input, you get a 5.1 channel output experience.

      DVD/TV: You can take a serial to phono cable and connect your TV out to the Control Pod “in” the DVD out can go to the TV and experience the Surround Sound experience.
      Catch – Doesn’t match up to the actual BOSE surround sound system! I wouldn’t recommend for a complete surround sound experience. However, COST factor overtakes the sound logic sometimes! So your call, at this cost, a BOSE like experience should be really worth it!

      How to connect your BOSE Companion 5 Multimedia Speakers to your TV?

      I used the serial to phono cable(image below). The white and red end went into the TV out in the image below

      Serial to Phono Cable.(Single end into BOSE POD and Double end into TV Audio Out) TV Audio out


      Also, you can connect it to your DVD player too. Take a 3 pin to 3 pin connector cable and connect the 3 pins as shown in the image below to the Audio and Video IN of your TV. The other side of the 3 pins should go into the DVD player Audieo - Video OUT. So now your DVD player is connected to your TV and your TV player's output is connected to speakers.

      However, to be precise in this case the Audio processing is not directly on the BOSE board, so its not the digital signal being processed, but the analog one. Also when you connect BOSE directly to your laptop/PC, the digital signal is directly sent to the BOSE acoustimas module so the digital signal processing happens on the board and that's why DVD live quality.


      If you want to OWN a BOSE system which gives you most of Audio-Video functionality at a very reasonable cost, this would be a Perfect BUY!

      Update 2 - The volume control pod snooze error. The volume goes off in the middle of play if USB not connected. I have faced this problem that if I have connected the volume control pod with TV/DVD play, after some time of playing, the volume control pod goes into sleep mode. I am not sure why this happens, however, the solution is, connect your USB connector cable to some USB device or a laptop. In this way, the volume control pod remains active.

      This is a strange solution, but then it works. Let me know if it worked for you or not.

      Did you think Harry Potter was a children’s Movie? – Think Again!


      Movie Review - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

      Ihe movie's fame has gone beyond just being a children’s movie. Rowling and Yate has made it clear with the 5th part, Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix, that its not just for the children. It’s a full fledged entertainer which is power packed with the right ‘masala’ for being a complete entertainer for all ages (a little better editing would have propelled it more)! However lacks in fun or the funny element (I expected, a little bit, though). The story, plot, special effects, acting, costumes, make-up, fight scenes, drama, performances, screenplay, emotions, intimacy…am I forgetting anything, I guess pretty much it, the entire curry cooked very well!

      I watched this movie, after all the juggle, this Sunday afternoon at REX theatre, Bangalore. Actually this movie made me think, was this for children or adults? Teens may be, but not for kids… for sure!

      Well to start with the plot was very well portrayed in the movie, though sometimes it looked like you are watching the abridged version of book. Most of the scenes would quickly remind you of the chapter in the book, but would get over quick, however fairly conveyed the messages and the story. The plot was not revealed till the end, which keeps people glued who haven’t read the book and were watching the movie for the first time.

      Another interesting area, which I would like to comment upon would be the special effects. I liked them! They make or break a Harry Potter movie. Very well picturized flying scenes, well sequenced, breathtaking heights, brilliant sound effects, flying witches and amazing flying horses. What more would you want?

      Oh well, there was a keen importance given to costumes, I liked Sirius’s cloak, Hermione’s pink striped dress (and the way she wears her Tie), Imelda’s dress and off course Mr. Potter’s Suit! The make-up artists had spent good amount of time to ensure that every scene looked genuine and it did. The fiction brought to reality was looking true. The picturiziation and the screenplay were like the story unraveling scene by scene…like the pages of the book rapidly flipped.

      Performances go like this, Harry’s kind of shedding Ron and Hermione (I felt it). Evanna as Luna was brilliant. The best performances, however, were by Helena and Imelda - as Bellatrix and Umbridge, respectively. Helena portrayed Bellatrix perfectly and supremely pulled off Bellatrix’s obsessive (and deranged, creepy) devotion to Voldemort - she was practically licking her Dark Mark! Imelda was a great Umbridge, sinister in her own way - as we all know. However I felt, because of the length of the book, the movie was made fast paced, where lots of performances just got missed like the Grawp, Grimmauld Place, Kreacher, Tonks, Quidditch, Giants, Centaurs etc.

      Other interesting things were the drama, emotions and the intimacy! Well-well-well, Mr. Potter’s onscreen kiss, an intimate one, surely not for kids, made the crowds go howling. It was pretty much like any other Hollywood adult flick. Scenes with Harry holding hands, Harry going towards all the women, Hermione’s way of looking at Harry and others, all clearly suggested, NOT for my Kid. Not to forget the blood on the faces of Harry and others after every fight sequence. The order of the phoenix has grown out of being a ‘children’s movie’ to an adult/teen entertainer well.

      What I missed though was the funny side of it, which was there in initial parts. Who says teens/adults don’t like fun? Anyways….another thing which I didn’t like was poor editing of the scenes of Ministry of Magic. The long dialogues, the last scenes of the Prophecy, Dumbledore’s and Valdemort’s fight sequence.

      In short, a little over than an average watch! Worth watching once, if you are a Harry fan!

      Saturday, July 21, 2007

      Mozilla Addons Rock

      Though I write this blog entry using IE browser, I wanted to share some things which I see rocking in Mozilla Firefox.

      As advertized by Mozilla, firefox does speed-up your speed of browsing, but what it additionally offers is these Add-Ons which are really cool.

      You can visit this URL https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/recommended to find the reccomended Add-Ons by Firefox.

      Some of these which I personally like are:

      Yoono
      While you are surfing, Yoono instantly suggests what others have discovered: websites, people and articles. Create a rich scrapbook of your favorite stuff with the new "Buzz It!" feature, one-click grab and share videos, photos and texts from any web page. Yoono keeps your scrapbook and original Firefox bookmarks synchronized across your computers.

      ScribeFire
      ScribeFire (previously Performancing for Firefox) is a full-featured blog editor that integrates with your browser and lets you easily post to your blog.

      CoolIris Preview
      Cooliris Previews gives you the power to browse and share Web links and rich media faster. Just mouse over any link, and the Cooliris preview window immediately appears to show you the content. To email it, just click.

      Another reason why I like this one is that it reminds me of the Song "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls, one of my all time favourite. Lyrics and the music is ossum!

      del.icio.us
      This extension seamlessly integrates your browser with del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/), the leading social bookmarking service on the Web.

      ChatZilla
      A clean, easy to use and highly extensible Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client.

      LinkedIn Companion

      LinkedIn is an online network of more than 10.5 million experienced professionals. LinkedIn helps you be more effective in your daily work and opens doors to opportunities by helping you develop and manage your network of business...

      My LinkedIn profile can be easily accessed and update, whenever I need to!


      Do share if come across some interesting Firefox Addins. I would love to read your comments. Download firefox and new google toolbar for better browsing experience.

      Friday, July 20, 2007

      I have joined naseba

      I have joined naseba last week. I joined as a Marketing Director for the India and Middle East markets. I am accompanied with my colleague Zafar who brings in his extensive experience in Middle East market. My role would be to work along with Zafar to set-up a marketing department for the company and help generate leads and generate revenue. I am reporting to Liam Findlay, CRM Director, who has envisioned this entire department.

      naseba is Business Information.

      naseba producec, promotes and hosts strategic business platforms using a conference, congress, expo or forum format - depending on the market - with the ultimate focus on knowledge expansion, networking but most importantly maximizing deal-making opportunities for all our executive clients. naseba is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

      The word naseba comes from a Japanese idiomatic expression: "when there is a will there is a way."naseba can be translated, "if you make it happen."

      As a leading global business information company with headquarters in Monaco, naseba has offices strategically located in eight cities around the world and employs over 200 executives from more than 30 nationalities.

      naseba is proud to be working in partnership with many leading press groups and local authorities such as BBC World, CNBC, Financial Times, Time, Al Arabiya, London Convention Bureau, the Principality of Monaco, the Abu Dhabi Government and the City of Prague, just to name a few.

      I feel highly motivated with our CEOs statement: "The secret to our success is that we understand that all participants, both sponsors and executive delegates, must have a return on their investment - whether that investment is time or money. Our high rebooking rate of both executive delegates and sponsors is proving that we are delivering this ROI to our clients.” Scott Ragsdale, Chairman and CEO.

      Harry Potter Movie Tickets Sold Out in 60 minutes

      Harry Potter and the order of phoenix, Movie Tickets Sold Out in 60 minutes!

      Yesterday afternoon I visited PVR in Forum Mall, Bangalore, to purchase tickets for the movie long awaited movie Harry Potter and the order of phoenix, at 3 PM. They told me that the booking will start at 5 PM. So I went back and then again reached at 5.45 PM. And to my amazement, there was a long never ending queue. Within 5 minutes the person at the booking counter announced that the tickets for Harry Potter - the order of phoenix are sold out for the entire Saturday and Sunday(21-22 July 2007).

      With a long face, I returned to my office and started working. Just thinking that the demand is much more than the Supply. Or may be there are too many Harry Potter fans in bangalore! This is the 2nd week of the movie and still the tickets are not available.

      Real estate companies might want to look at this and start more new movie theatres in bangalore!

      Wednesday, July 18, 2007

      New Harry Potter Book Leaked Onto Bit Torrent



      After OJ’s book, its Rowling’s now. Seems like the latest book in the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”, has been leaked onto Bit Torrent. The book was leaked onto Demonoid and quickly spread to other sites in the form of two torrents. Already google search showing over 1,160,000 search volumes . One of the torrents features only 495 pages of the book while the other is complete. However, users who have downloaded the book say that it’s a bad quality scan and half the pages are illegible. You even have to use Photoshop to clean up some of them, should you want to read the book in its entirety.
      But with all the hype around Harry Potter, having torrents of a book like this can be dangerous. Mininova has already removed the torrents for the book, a move that the site normally wouldn’t choose. Now that it’s leaked, spoilers are bound to hit the Internet left and right, so be careful where you click. Otherwise, wait until the 21st to get your Potter on.
      I would urge all the Harry potter fans just to avoid downloading such leaked books and pay respect to the Author for her hard work!

      Saturday, July 14, 2007

      Changing Language of 21st Century Leader - Accountable Communication

      As the 21st century leaders come in the field to lead and empower a team of high performers, they need to develop and inculcate the New Language to motivate and bring more accountability and personal integrity. I am sharing some of the New Language words which are set to change the boards.



      Some important day to day examples which can help you excel in day to day conversation. These examples are nothing more than some well thought and well crafted sentences which can guide your way to growth. Initially you might find difficulty to implement these in your day to day dialogue, however with the positive mindset complemented by a conscious effort, you are bound to excel and bring more and more accountability in the system.



      > Avoid: “You’re acting ridiculous. How can you expect me to respond to a question that has absolutely no logic to it and doesn’t relate to anything that we’re talking about?”
      ü Replace with: “I’m having difficulty understanding how what you’re saying connects to the issue we’re discussing. Would you please elaborate…?”
      Ø In short harnessed words are accountable!



      > Avoid: “Everyone needs to get on board fast to handle this mess.”
      ü Replace with: “I need everyone on board fast. I can’t do this alone. Together we can turn this situation around.”
      Ø In this case, You are triggering action and not reaction!



      > Avoid: “I’ve made a decision to move ahead with a program that will help us achieve better performance.”
      ü Replace with: “I see a possibility for us to be the first group to lead the way in building a high-performance organization. I know we can accomplish this together.”
      Ø Inspiring people is the key, not derailing them!




      Do share more similar lines, words or sentences that you have seen effective in difficult situations.

      Sunday, July 01, 2007

      Coorg, your relaxing holiday destination!


      With ever increasing pressures of work, family chores, daily hustle and mundane routines, u'd need a relaxing and soothing holiday. I recently visisted Coorg and got exactly what I was waiting for quite a long time.

      Coorg enjoys the incomparable scenic beauty, lush green valleys, coffee plantations, teak wood forests & majestic mountain ranges. Add to that a strong, brave martial race of Coorgs (Kodavas) that reveres tradition, has a distinct culture and lives life to its fullest.

      Coorg is situated on the Western Ghats of Karnataka in South India. For the adventurous at heart, it is an absolute treat. There are trekking, golfing and angling (Mahaseer too!) options available. Religious trips abound on Hindu and Buddhist circuits. Family getaways can be easily arranged. You can also relax your body and mind with special Ayurvedic massages. Coorg is also as trendy and happening as its close neighbour Bangalore.


      Some Videos from Coorg trip


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