Gotta write something!

Nothing eventful today. Just a few things cos I'd to blog! Ok, lets go.

Times of India - I had given up on their site. I cant even faintly recollect when was the last time I paid a visit to their site. Their web presence didnt even reflect close to what they stand as the national newspaper of India. And then, a couple days back I bumped into them again. And what a pleasant surprise! TOI sports a new look! And you know what, having set such low expectations, it sure is commendable. I like the organization of the page and the content too. One complain though. For a newspaper of TOIs stature - its legacy, its readership which I am sure translates into good revenue, can someone tell me why on earth do they need Google Ads. They could do much more with that screen real-estate than displaying Google Ads. And then, its not about money. Its about the image! I heartily welcome their long-due new look, but to me, having Google Ads on their main page shows that there is something seriously flawed with their branding model. Keeping that complain aside, I think they got me back! Good job, TOI.

On a more jubiliant note, India is now a trillion dollar economy! What I learnt today was that India has been the 10th largest economy all along. And, it is the fourth largest economy in terms of PPP (Purchasing Power Parity). TOI's article does a kind job of explaining the term for a layman like me. Here goes:

In purchasing power parity (PPP) terms - which converts rupees to dollars on the basis of what the two currencies can actually buy in their respective economies rather than on what the nominal exchange rate is — India has been for some time the fourth-largest economy in the world behind the US, China and Japan and its size is closer to $4 trillion.

Yesterday, I learnt that Toyota raced past GM for the quarter's top car manufacturer of the world. What surprised me, was my ignorance - GM reigning as the world's top car manufacturer so far.

I read today that Sony launched PS3 in India at the price tag of Rs. 39,900. Their target, which is modest, aims to sell 10,000 units of PS3 in the current finanical year. Per Sony folks, the Indian gaming market which is currently at $50 million, is expected to grow to $425 million by year 2010. This left me completely speechless. Now I know what they mean when a desi returning from India says, "Mannn, India is changing!". However, one thing that amazed me is the tag on import duties companies in this segment have to pay: a whopping 35%.

In comparison to Sony's price tag, Microsoft Xbox's premium version sells at Rs. 27,990. Nintendo's Wii still awaits its launch.

This to me spells the bell tolling for a major cultural shift. Not that it is not underway, but being in this part of the world, where governments give TV ads asking kids to go out and play, obesity levels rising, school shootings on the rise, I am not sure how would I want to qualify this. Never mind, thats a story for another day.