Life as a Knowledge Manager

Yesterday (Tuesday, Jun 10, 2008) the temperature (in Shrewsbury,MA) rose to 95F (Real Feel: 102F) breaking the record of 91F set in 1984. The temperature in Westborough,MA was High: 96F (Real Feel: 107F). (Source: AccuWeather).

During such extreme climatic conditions it is advised to periodically replenish your body’s fluid intake.

Unbalanced replacement of fluids causes Dehydration. Dehydration means your body does not have as much water and fluids as it should. Dehydration can be caused by losing too much fluid, not drinking enough water or fluids, or both. This in turn increases the risk for heat illness, extreme fatigue, muscle cramps, headaches, nausea, heat stroke, injury and delayed recovery.

I must confess that I am lazy when it comes to drinking water or any other fluids. However, in an effort to maintain a healthy and a balanced life, recently I have chosen to improve my hydration habits :.

1. As per FluidMovement.co.uk, Fluid intake to meet base daily needs (in ounces) is approximately half your body weight (in pounds). Everyday, I drink at least 8-10 glasses (75 OZ) of liquid per day.

2. Water alone can’t treat dehydration. Once you’re dehydrated you have to replenish salts, sugars and basic nutrients. Many common food items are mostly water. Everyday, I drink one glass of fruit juice (Orange/Carrot) and I eat a fruit to balance my nutrients intake.

3. In Summer, I like to hike nearby mountains (like Mt. Greylock - highest peak in Massachusetts). I have ordered a Hydration Pack to keep myself hydrated during the trail walk.

4. Milk contains 89% of water. I drink one cup of milk every morning. I drink a glass of water before I go to bed at night.

5. By the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated - you want to avoid becoming thirsty in the first place. During the day time, every two hours I drink a cup of water.

To keep hydrated, I have educated myself with the symptoms of dehydration. So, (as I have chosen) get in the habit of drinking more fluids and keep yourself hydrated.

Leisure has been one of the most inspirational work of Literature that has captured my mind.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep and cows.No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

W H Davis

Wm. Henry Davis (1871-1940) is to be considered as the poet of the tramps.

2007 was a very exciting year for me (at work and personally). My past teaches me how to live the present and how to deal with the future. With the new year (2008) commencing I have balanced my resolutions towards work, personal life and embracing “the green movement” by reducing my carbon footprints.

My resolutions for 2008:

Work:

1. Implement a “Blog” for educating existing customers, prospects and the rest of the world the advancement in our company product and services; work culture; technologies used and our achievement.
2. Educate our company members with the latest “Web 2.0” products which will increase their overall understanding of technology and its uses.
3. Concentrate my efforts towards managing a mobile health record.
4. Formulate appropriate guidelines to Manage the expectations of prospective and existing clients by time based management policies.
5. Upgrade our network infrastructure to a better routed network to improve network latency.
6. Move towards a controlled environment automated backup solution for our network documents.
7. Educate myself on Six Sigma Techniques towards managing business.
8. Understand and Practice Game Theory concepts at Work.

Personal:

1. Continue growing my Professional as well as Personal Network (Orkut ID: nainil@gmail.com).
2. Take nature walks and try to exercise at least three times a week. (HillWalking)
3. Continue with my (Petrology) study of rocks and geological sedimentations.
4. Develop a website to promote Jainism.
5. Update my personal website with information on my travel activities (places I have visited) and more photos in the Image Gallery.
6. Gather knowledge on New Englands topographical layout.
7. Learn historical facts about: Boston, Mumbai, London.

The Green Movement:

1. Participate in “Plant a Tree” movement
2. Reduce my Carbon Footprints

I look forward to a great 2008 with all my colleagues, my customers, and the industry.

This time of the year I tend to rethink all that I have accomplished through out the year.

2007:

Personal Life:

1. Got married!!
2. Expanded my field of study from Technology to Health Care with IT.
3. My rock collection/study (Petrology) is progressing.
4. Extended my lifestyle as a Jain follower.
5. Organized all our important documents online for real time access.

Work:

1. Successfully coordinated the $28,000 valued CCHIT certification effort for the company product.
2. Improvised the company intranet website — HELPDESK — allowing internal communication improvement.
3. Formulated appropriate communication policies within the company for directing the employee efforts in the right direction.
4. Transformed from being a Knowledge Research Specialist to being a Knowledge Manager.

We (myself and Avni) wish you a Merry Christmas and hope your holidays are filled with joy and happiness.

My Contact Information:
Email: nainil@eliteral.com
Orkut: nainil@gmail.com
IM: nainil@hotmail.com

Christmas is that time of the year where wants to contribute towards a better life. Every year there are hundreds of organizations that touch the lives of everyone in some way or the other. Getting outside and connecting with nature is the perfect way to celebrate the beauty of the season. The organizations which have brought commitment, compassion and have touched my life this year include:

1. Carbon Footprint: http://www.carbonfootprint.com
   A Carbon Footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. (carbon footprint calculator)
2. Earth 911: http://earth911.org
   Through the Earth911.com environmental portal users can access the leading comprehensive resource for community-specific “actionable” information about: Recycling Centers;
   Green Shopping; How to Live Green; Energy Conservation; Beach Water Quality and Alerting; Household Hazardous Waste; Programs for Children; Environmental Education. (videos)
3. CNN Impact your World: http://www.cnn.com/impact
4. Doctors Without Borders: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
   Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural or man-made disasters, or exclusion from health care in more than 70 countries.
5. Make-A-Wish: http://www.wish.org/
   The Make-A-Wish Foundation has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work.
   
6. One Laptop Per Child: http://laptop.org/

Please note: I have the utmost respect for all other organizations that have touched millions of lives and have not been mentioned in this blog.

My first encounter with materialistic world came into actual realization when I first had to shift apartments from Philadelphia to Boston. I realized that I had almost 30% of house inventory which I had never used or was not going to use in the future. Since then I decided to balance my needs and wants which my factual needs and wants.

This Christmas myself and my wife we both decided to give each other a gift. We decided to:

1. Organize our Documents with online access control.
2. Remove all unused items for charitable donation or recycling.
3. Scan all our Health Records and upload it on Microsoft HealthVault

Online Documents: We have scanned all of our most important documents and have uploaded them on a dedicated VPS server with dual backup facility for real time accessibility of data. We are now able to organize our documents online without the fear of loosing them for the rest of our lives.

Charitable Event: We donate our unwanted clothes at the local Walmart’s Cloths Donation boxes. Any other unused item goes to “Salvation Army” or any such projects available locally.

HealthVault: Microsoft HealthVault is personal health technology platform that lets you gather, store and share health information online. With HealthVault, users control their own health records, so they can privately share their health information with family, friends and healthcare professionals, and have access to trustworthy online health management tools.

We spent a total of 2 weekends to take care of the above mentioned tasks. By doing this exercise:

1. Time is saved (as we lead a more organized life).
2. We have a clear understanding of our needs and wants.
3. We are now looking at the bigger picture of being a united family with a sense of responsibility towards the world we live in.
4. We are able to find anything we need without searching for it.
5. We have secure Health Records; accessible from any where around the world.
6. We embrace technology to make our lives simpler.

I have always believed in optimizing time and work effort to lead a balanced life.

Todd D. Rakoff is Byrne Professor of Administrative Law, Harvard University. His book “A Time for Every Purpose - Law and the Balance of Life” explains the various laws which govern our effective use of time and it explains that the structure of our time for organized efforts is gradually changing.

Here is my work schedule:

• 6.30 AM : E-mail
• 7.00 AM : Write project plan for a process optimization project.
• 8.00 AM : Read news, blogs and watch videos on Health Care; Technology and Government matters.
• 9.00 AM - 6.00 PM :
  • Every day I attend 2 meetings (at least) and define rules for process definition and improvement.
  • I am a developer by heart; I spend an hour coding for our “HelpDesk” using open source (PHP and MySQL). The HelpDesk is a central source for all our internal communication needs.
  • Write and send enterprise e-mail about our monthly Network Maintenance updates; Email Policies; Latest updates on Health Care; Introduction of new projects.
  • Attend communications-project steering committee meeting
  • Define pricing for customized development items and lay down a road map for timely completion of the projects
  • Define knowledge transfer rules for an employee
  • Meet with senior vice president of sales to discuss plans for: Website updates; New ideas on marketing
• 7.00 PM : E-mail
• 8.00 PM : Dinner with family
• 9.00 PM : Update Blog; Write research paper [on Governing Dynamics of Internet (Health Care IT)]
• 10.00 PM : Study Jainism and geological sediments (rock formation)

November 9 2007: Myself and Avni, we went to the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway center in Saratoga Albany,NY. It was quite interesting to see the Horse Carriage Racing. There were folks betting on horses, gambling in the casino… the sight was magnificent; it was classic.

http://www.saratogaraceway.com/