Interview of a World Traveller

One of the things that I always wanted to do is to travel the whole world and write about the places and people. Well, I cannot afford it and I could travel only 2 countries until now. I hope that after few years, I can really travel many places. So, I always try to read anything related to travel. I am a member of Absolute Write Forum and to my amazement, I discovered that there is a member there who has traveled extensively in the last few years. Sara has gone to many places and you will find that in her blog: http://sayssara.wordpress.com/ she has shared some of her experiences. I became very eager to interview her to know about the world more. Here, are the interview questions for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: You have traveled extensively in the last one decade. What are the major problems that you faced while traveling?

Sara: When you do a lot of travelling you become aware of what the potential problems might be and how to avoid them. In countries with a high rate of poverty, crime can be a problem and tourists are often seen as easy targets because they have money. You need to be aware of your surroundings, and avoid flashing cash or expensive cameras around, or travelling alone in unlit areas, and so forth. We tend to research a place before going there, to be aware of any problems. We have so far managed to avoid any major problems.

Razib Ahmed: What are the countries that you like to visit as soon as possible and why?

Sara: I would like to visit as many countries as possible while I am still financially and physically able to do so, as there will come a day when I won’t be able to. I don’t really have a time scale other than that. I’ve never been to Greece; that’s on the agenda for this year. We haven’t done much of Asia yet – we’d like to see China, Japan and Russia.

Razib Ahmed: While traveling, I am sure that you have witnessed real poverty in some parts of Asia, Africa and South America. How did you feel when you saw the suffering of poor people?

Sara: It makes me more appreciative of how fortunate I am myself, and how privileged we are in Britain. It makes me quite cross now when British people complain about the health care system, or the education, or the government. We live in a country where we have a democratic government; free healthcare; social security; free education to everyone under the age of 16. So many places we have seen don’t have these things, and I think people need to appreciate the fact that we do, and that makes us very lucky.

Razib Ahmed: Have you become fan of any handicraft product of any particular place? If so, please let us know something about it.

Sara: When we were in Tanzania earlier this year, we visited a village where volunteer work over the years had put in place schools and a system of vocational education, where young people could learn crafts such as carpentry and jewellery making, skills that would allow them to get a job as adults. We met a young woman from this village who was just about to finish school, and had ambitions to go to university and be a lawyer, and it was only because of the volunteer work that had happened there that this option was open for her. The shop was selling jewellery that had been made by women who had been taught the craft, and profits from it went back into educating youngsters. I made a point of buying a fair number of gifts for my friends there, because I liked the idea that in buying the jewellery, I was helping local children to get an education.

Razib Ahmed: I noticed from your blog that you have published some short stories and written two novels. Have you written any book about your travels? Do you have any plan to open a blog about traveling?

Sara: At the moment, I’m just planning to transpose notes from my journals onto the blog’s pages, rather than set up a separate dedicated travel blog. I’ve toyed with the idea of travel writing, but my strength seems to lie in fiction rather than non-fiction.

Razib Ahmed: There are some countries you have visited more than once. For example you visited Canada & the USA in 2002 and again in 2008. Did you notice any change in these two countries in 6 years?

Sara: I think in the past much of the world has aspired to be more like America, seeing it as a utopian ideal of wealth and freedom. But there are a lot of unpleasant things about America hidden under the surface – inequality; poverty; racism; religious intolerance. Some of these things became more visible during the Bush administration and we found that the US became a much less pleasant place to visit. I am optimistic that the new President will change things for the better.

I visit Canada a lot because I have family there. I did live there for most of the 1980s, and when I go to visit my family, I find that the town I lived in has changed so much in the last 20 years that I don’t recognise much of it anymore. Areas that were woodland when I lived there are now big built-up suburbs. I find this quite strange.

Razib Ahmed: Why did you open a blog? What is your future plan with your blog?

Sara: I have been told by several people that if you’re a writer you need a website and a blog. Until I get a publishing contract, or at the very least an agent, I don’t think there’s much point in having a website because I have nothing to promote. But I started the blog as a way of practising, really – a first step in building a web presence for myself. I blog about writing, commuting, travelling and books because these things are all significant parts of my life. I never really anticipated I’d have much of a following; I set up the blog for myself. I find that if I’m not doing much work on the novel, at least if I’ve posted a blog entry I can feel I’ve written something. Hopefully the day will come when I’ve had a book published and people that read it and like it can follow the blog to learn more about the next book’s journey.

Razib Ahmed: What is your most favorite place to visit and why?

Sara: I loved the south island of New Zealand; it was very peaceful and laid-back, with some breath-taking scenery. But I am also very fond of cities. I love Paris, New York and Toronto because they all remind me of London, and I feel at home there. I think cities across the world often have more in common with each other than a city and a small town in the same country do.

Razib Ahmed: You have visited Dubai and Hong Kong. Both of them are considered to be very important commercial hubs for Asia. Did you have any favorite memory to share about them?

Sara: They are both countries straddling two cultures. Dubai is a fascinating place, a mix of the traditional and the modern. When you spend time on the beaches, being brought drinks from the hotel bar and seeing women walk around in skimpy bikinis, it’s easy to forget that you are in a conservative Muslim country. I understand it’s the Crown Prince who is wanting to encourage tourism to Dubai, to bring money into the country. That’s a very sensible business strategy, given that the oil is soon to run out, but on the other hand it will be a shame if Dubai has to lose its Middle Eastern identity for the sake of Western tourism.

Hong Kong is an interesting mix of East and West. When we first arrived in Hong Kong, it felt like the most alien place I had ever been to. My husband and I felt very out of place, being pale skinned and taller than most of the locals. We went for a walk on the first day; the streets were packed, with locals scurrying by us, and there were signs everywhere, hung over each shop, that we couldn’t read a word of because we don’t speak any Chinese languages. After a couple of days, though, we began to acclimatise. Hong Kong is very fond of western shopping malls. All the signs in the malls are in English, and most of the locals speak English so we had no problems communicating.

Interview of Marilyn Braun: A Royal Watcher and Blogger

I am a staunch anti-royalist person. I am a strong supporter of Republican form of government and I find it very difficult to accept any kind of monarchy in the world of 21^st century. Well, you may argue that England has constitutional monarchy and the Queen (or the King) is just the symbolic head of state. May be you are right but still I always believe that the head of a country should be elected (directly or indirectly) by the people and it should not pass through father to son. Anyway, that does not mean that I do not have any interest on royalty. In fact, I am a regular reader of Marilyn's Royal Blog. If you visit the blog then you will also like it- I am sure about it. Marilyn Braun is the blogger and she has the skill to make the royal characters alive through her writing.

Many of us have the notion royal history is just boring stories about kings and queens. I can confidently say that you will be forced to change your idea when you visit the blog of Marilyn Braun. She is passionate about the subject and that would make you to enjoy reading her entries more. Marilyn Braun has received some media coverage because of her blog and passion. Marilyn also has another two blogs: The Royal Chronicles and The Kate Middleton Report. In BlogTalkRadio, she has a talk show called “The Royal Report”.

I was interested to do an interview with her for a long time. I sent her the questions thorough email. Here is the interview for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: Why did you get interested about royalty in the first place?

Marilyn Braun: I developed an interest in the royal family when Prince William was born - June 21st, 1982. I remember hearing about it on the radio and wanting to see the first pictures of him. That led to learning about the rest of the family. Prior to his birth it really wasn't on my radar. I have a vague recollection of hearing about Charles and Diana's wedding in 1981 and wondering what all the fuss was about.

Razib Ahmed: In your blogs, I have noticed that you give a lot of coverage tothe British Royal family. There are some other royal families inEurope. Is there any special reason that you are mostly interestedabout British Royal family?

Marilyn Braun: I've always had an interest in British royalty. Maybe being Canadian has something to do with it. I knew a bit about the Dutch royal family because I'm part Dutch but I didn't really realize that there were other royal houses out there until the internet came along. There aren't very many books on other royal families so I'd say that because of the internet I now have more of an interest in the Scandinavian families, the Dutch, the Spanish and a bit of the Japanese royal family. I will always be primarily interested in the British family. Maybe it's a comfort zone thing!

Razib Ahmed: In my own city, many people I know feel that after death ofPrincess Diana, the British royal family has lost much of itsattraction. Do you agree with this kind of sentiment?

Marilyn Braun: Yes I do. Diana really made the royal family interesting, brought a certain glamour which had been missing since the heyday of the Queen and Princess Margaret when they were younger. British royalty has existed for a thousand years but Diana really helped increase peoples interest in it. At least it increased mine. Since she's died there's been a void in the family which hasn't been filled.

Razib Ahmed: Who is your most favorite royal figure and why?

Marilyn Braun: I would have to say that Diana is my favorite royal figure. She's the one that really fired up my interest in the royal family. She made it interesting. Her being in the royal family moved the subject beyond something in history books. She gave the family glamour, something that was sorely lacking then and is lacking now.

Razib Ahmed: We have seen rules of two queens in the last two centuries-Victoria and Elizabeth II. Both of them ruled for a long time(Elizabeth is still there). How would you asses these two queens?

Marilyn Braun: When I think of the two Queens I think of duty and consistency. Both of them command great respect. They have some similarities: both succeeded to the throne when they were young women and their reigns started with great promise. Prior to Victoria becoming Queen, her middle-aged uncles had mistresses and illegitimate children, the public wanted something different. Victoria was 18 when she came to the throne. She was young, consistent and dutiful. There was a certain promise in having a young monarch, especially a female one. It's the same with Elizabeth II. She was 25 when she came to the throne, a real change after having 4 middle aged kings. She was young, glamourous, with a handsome husband and two small children. She seemed to have it all. As Victoria and Elizabeth have gotten older they have become a by-word for duty but their images are different, Victoria's was very formidable whereas Elizabeth II has a more human one. Elizabeth may not give her name to an era like Victoria but she'll be just as tough an act to follow for her heir.

Razib Ahmed: Two women caused a lot of controversy for the British royal familyin the 20th century. First there was Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (alsoknown as Lady Simpson) who married King Edward VIII and for thismarriage Edward had to abdicate the throne. Then, in our own time, wehave Camilla (Parker), the wife of Prince Charles. Don’t you thinkthat a lot of negative criticism has been hurled at them just becausethey were women?

Marilyn Braun: I don't know that it's because they were women. I can't think of a male equivalent situation to compare it to. Maybe if the tables had been turned in that respect there might have been more appeal, more romanticism in public reaction - the princess/Queen chooses her commoner knight in shining armour. I think that a lot of the negative criticism came from the way they looked/look, especially the Diana/Camilla comparison. Many people could not see the appeal to either of them. If they'd both been unbelivably beautiful the reaction to them might have been different.

Razib Ahmed: Also, the British people were not ready to accept Lady Simpson toaccept as their queen decades ago. However, now, they do not seem tohave any problem with Camilla Parker. Isn’t it an act of hypocrisy? After all, many people still feel that Camilla was responsible for thebreak up of the marriage between Charles and Diana while, Lady Simpsonwas dedicated to her husband until the end.

Marilyn Braun: People could look upon it has being hypocritical but I think it's more a sign of the times. If Edward and Wallis were to happen now it would be a different story. I don't think people look upon Wallis and Edward as a great love story. They spent the rest of their days in exile and regardless of their devotion they seemed like sad figures. With regards to Charles and Camilla, I personally never expected them to get married. I didn't think it could happen and I was surprised when the engagement was announced. There are still people who have a problem with Camilla, even though her behavior has been exemplarary since her marriage. Yes she did come between Charles and Diana and there wil always be people who hate her because of that. But ultimately Charles and Diana were mismatched and their marriage might have ended regardless. The biggest indication that people are unsure of Camilla is her title. For instance, when the Queen dies, instead of being Queen Camilla she will be HRH The Princess Consort. Right now she is legally Princess of Wales but because the title is so associated with Diana she has chosen to be known as Duchess of Cornwall instead. I don't think there would be a question of her titles if people universally approved of her.

Razib Ahmed: I should have asked this question first. How many blogs do you haveand how much time you give for updating them every week.

Marilyn Braun: Right now I have 3 - Marilyn's Royal Blog, The Royal Chronicles, and The Kate Middleton Report. I also have a weekly internet radio show called The Royal Report. At the moment a lot of my focus is on my show, gathering material and writing the scripts. I don't spend as much time as I'd like with updating my blogs, especially Marilyn's Royal Blog and The Kate Middleton Report which is exclusively about Prince William's girlfriend. I used to write a lot of informative articles - which is really how MRB started. Those take a lot of time to research, they're not articles you can just throw together, I also want to be able to stand behind what I write, maintain credibility. It's not my style to write about the day to day goings on with the family. I think of MRB as more of a resource blog with occasional satire thrown in. The Royal Chronicles was an experiment with wordpress and The Kate Middleton Report, I try to keep it updated but recently there's been a lack of good material, especially when you don't see her for a long time.

Razib Ahmed: Do you earn any revenue from your blogs? If so then what areadvertisement programs you use in your blogs?

Marilyn Braun: I've had some success with Amazon. I'm part of two other revenue programs which haven't been as successful.

Razib Ahmed: Has blogging led you to any other writing gigs or any honorablemention in any mainstream media?

Marilyn Braun: Yes, I've appeared on CTV Newsnet, CBC Newsworld, and CBC Radio. It's interesting because one of my dreams was to be a royal commentator and little did I know that I'd get that chance through my blogs! Unfortunately the opportunities are few and far between, which is one of the reasons why I created The Royal Report, to make my own opportunity.

Razib Ahmed: Finally, in this time of economic recession, don’t you think thatthe British royal family is a big burden on the tax payers of UK?

Marilyn Braun: I think I read somewhere that the cost to tax-payers is 69p/year - that's what? the equivalent of a cup of coffee? Regardless of the economic situation I think people will always question the value of the royal family. At times I don't think they set a good example. They may say they're tightening their belts, meanwhile they're going on expensive vacations, taking a gap-year with police protection in tow, and choosing more expensive modes of transportation. Also pagentry is expensive. But royal events, such as royal weddings, are a real bright spot. They raise morale. There are people who want to see a royal wedding between Prince William and his girlfriend Kate Middleton. It may not change anything but it can make you forget your problems, if only for a little while. And it's tough to put a price on that nowadays.

Interview of Randa Clay: A Successful Freelance Designer

If you have noticed my blog then you must have realized is that I am really terrible when it comes to the matter of design and graphics. My blog has nothing outstanding in its appearance. To be honest with you, I have no skill in this field. Still, the designs of Randa Clay caught the attention of my eyes. Her portfolio is impressive. Her blog’s url is: http://randaclay.com/ and if when you go there then you will be amazed with the amount of resources and information about graphics design and use of design in blogging. Randa is an expert freelance designer and she is highly skilled on WordPress. I became interested to take her interview and emailed her the questions. Here is the interview for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: Why did you decide to become a designer? What factors led you to this career?

Randa Clay: I've always loved good design and enjoyed any opportunity to do things of that kind, but as an amateur, it was difficult to really get results I was pleased with. I gradually got tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop and taught myself how to use them and gradually began to work as a professional in the field.

Razib Ahmed: In your work, what are the softwares that you frequently use to create the designs?

Randa Clay: I design sites and other graphics with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and WordPress is what I build most sites on.

Razib Ahmed: When did you start blogging? Is there a special reason that you opened a blog in the first place?

Randa Clay: I started blogging 2.5 years ago. I realized that having a static web site was not going to help me achieve my goals. Blogs are perfect for networking and building credibility, and they are great for ranking in search engines.

Razib Ahmed: These days, many companies and individuals in USA and in Europe tend to outsource a lot of projects to countries like India. Do you feel threatened by this? If not, why?

Randa Clay: I don't feel threatened by this, but the industry I work in is not one that has been affected as much. If I were a virtual assistant, I would feel threatened.

Razib Ahmed: From your blog, I understand that you are a big fan of WordPress. When you started using WordPress and would you like to share some information about the works you have done with WordPress so far?

Randa Clay: All the projects on my blog design page have been created with WordPress. WordPress is simply the best software I have ever used. It can manage just about any site and there are so many great plugins (add-ons) that do just about anything you can imagine for a site that I don't see any reason to build a site without it.

Razib Ahmed: What advice would you like to give a newbie in the field of graphics design? What are the programs (software) that they should try to be skilled in?

Randa Clay: I would advise someone new to graphic design to start a blog and write about what they're learning along the way, and work through lots of tutorials to learn how to use tools like Photoshop and Illustrator. The use of WordPress is growing exponentially, so it's definitely a good area to specialize in. Networking with other designers and learning from them is key as well.

Razib Ahmed: You are also a marketing consultant. Have you noticed any new challenge in the field of marketing for your clients during the ongoing economic recession?

Randa Clay: I haven't noticed any new challenges necessarily. The same ones exist, such as differentiating themselves from the competition, but they're even more important when customers are more scarce.

Razib Ahmed: Kindly, tell us a bit about your personal and academic background.

Randa Clay: I'm a work-at-home mom with 2 boys and my academic background actually includes several college degrees in music. I didn't study marketing or graphic design in college. My personal blog is at http://honestlycrazy.com .

Interview of Shan Sinha CEO and Founder of DocVerse

Web-based applications are not uncommon any more. Due to its easy access, many people are now moving towards these applications. Doc Verse is such an easy web-based application that enables users to work on group power point presentations. The best thing about DocVerse is that this software would not create any problem with the existing software on your computer. The software developed by DocVerse is a plug-in software that syncs with your MS Office (any office version starting from 2003). You would not need to buy any extra-software. Though in the testing phase, the software is very easy to install and use. If you have a group power-point assignment and it is hard for group members to sit together to work on it, then download DocVerse, install it on your computers and start working immediately from your homes.

I came to know about DocVerse from a report of Tech Crunch and then I became interested to do an interview. I contacted them by email and Shan Sinha (CEO/Founder) was kind enough to answer all my questions. Here is the interview for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: The economic recession is going strong and all business organizations, big and small, are desperate to save money and cut-costs. Now, is the best time to start-up your own web-based applications because people would look into them. In such a situation, you went after developing plug-in for Microsoft. Why did you go for developing a plug-in application?

Shan Sinha: To be clear, our product includes a plug-in as a means to an end. It’s important to realize that whether your application is a desktop application or a web-based application is less important than focusing on building a great product that people will use. In our particular case, the problem with most collaboration software is that they don’t adapt to how people work and instead ask people to adapt to the software. Most people start by creating documents on their desktop. As soon as they have to take an extra step to “put” the document somewhere else on the web, you’ve lost them.

Integrating into Microsoft Office lets our users seamlessly take advantage of web-based functionality without having to change how they work.

Razib Ahmed: Do you have any plans to start-up your own web-based application in near future?

Shan Sinha: We already have a web-based tool that people can use to view, share and provide feedback on their documents. We view our product as harmonizing the benefits of web-based applications with software that 90% of people have on their desktop.

Razib Ahmed: Some people are saying that online office suits would replace Microsoft office software. Is it possible? What do you think about it?

Shan Sinha: I view web-based Office applications as a complement to desktop applications. People should be able to share, edit and access their documents however they like. If that means someone needs to share and edit their document on their desktop, they should be able to do that. If someone needs to share and edit their document through the browser, they should be able to do that. Regardless of where those edits are made or who makes those edits, they should be able to get the latest version of their document any time, by simply opening it.
Think of it like email. Sometimes I access my email using Outlook or any other client on my desktop (for example, on a plane). Sometimes I access my email through a web browser. But I haven’t completely thrown away either one.. I use both, whenever it makes sense to do so.

Razib Ahmed: Do you think that the high demand of web-based applications will only stay throughout the recession? Will the demand of web-based applications drop after the recession ends?

Shan Sinha: I think you are creating a false choice between web-based applications and desktop applications. What people care about is whether a product solves their problems or not. What IT managers care about is reducing their cost and management overhead.
The web is simply a software distribution mechanism. The applications that people demand are those that provide the maximal benefits by solving their problems in the best way possible while minimizing the difficulty and cost of using the application.
As a thought experiment.. I assure you that a web based application that requires you to fill out 10 pages of forms to register will have worse usage than a product that requires a very light weight install and no registration process.
People don’t care about whether something is coming from the web or is on the desktop. All they care about is whether it’s easy to use and does something that makes their lives better.

Razib Ahmed: Currently, you are working on developing plug-in applications for MS Powerpoint. Do you have any plans extend the function of this plug in to support other MS office programs?

Shan Sinha: We will be releasing support for the entire Office 2007 suite (Word & Excel) later this spring and will also be expanding support to Office 2003 soon after.

Razib Ahmed: In third world countries, many people use the pirated version of MS office. If they install the DocVerse plug-in, will it create any problem for them?

Shan Sinha: Our licensing agreements remain separate from the licensing agreements for Microsoft software. We are not sure if unlicensed Microsoft software supports our plug-in.

Razib Ahmed: When are you going to release the fully developed DocVerse?

Shan Sinha: As I mentioned, we will be releasing support for the rest of Office 2007 and Office 2003 in the coming months. We will make our product generally available when we feel that it is ready for general usage.

Razib Ahmed: One of the major applicants and beneficiaries of such web-based applications are school and university level students? Do you have any plans to develop web-based software targeting the student community?

Shan Sinha: Our product is very well suited to be used by students. We already have students in several campuses using our product. One great example includes how MBA students at Harvard Business School and University of Michigan School of Business have already begun using our product in a significant way.

Razib Ahmed: Currently, Microsoft office is also used in mobile phones. Do you have any plans to develop a version of DocVerse for Office mobile?

Shan Sinha: We have no immediate plans to support Windows Mobile but would be open to hearing customer demand for it, and if it is large enough, we will build it.

Razib Ahmed: Can you tell us a bit about your background and about your company?

Shan Sinha: My co-founder and I left Microsoft in October of 2007 to start DocVerse after recognizing an opportunity to change the way people work with each other. We ended up raising our first round of funding in the summer of 2008. We released our first product in Feb of 2009 and are now growing quickly.
Before DocVerse, my co-founder and I were both at Microsoft, doing product strategy for SharePoint and SQL Server. Prior to Microsoft, I started a mobile enterprise applications company, which we successfully sold in 2001. And before that, I started my career at another health care, dot com start up. I did my undergrad and master’s degrees in Computer Science at MIT. I was born and raised in the US and currently live in San Francisco.

(This interview was first published in this blog on March 2009 but then it got deleted for technical reasons. Now, I am again giving it for the readers.)

NEC in Bangladesh and Alfred Tan Interview

This is another interview that I did in 2005. I know that it is an old interview but it should give you some information about NEC presence in Bangladesh. It was published in Computer Bichitra Magazine.

NEC is a Japanese ICT company and it has worldwide presence. NEC is always keen to invest in research and development (R&D) and it is always trying to make the life of the consumers and business organizations easier through inventing new technology. It is very strong in the laptop(Notebook), brand PC and servers and a strong feature of its products is the fact that its computers can provide very high performance for both the consumers and business organizations while at the same time they save electricity compared to the products of many other brands. It is a market leader in Japan and this company takes its Asian market very seriously. It is also present in the Bangladesh through its partner, Navana Computers, one of the oldest ICT companies in Bangladesh. Recently, Alfred Tan, sales director, Developing Market Group of NEC visited Bangladesh and held important meetings with business partners, government officials and attended a press conference. He gave an exclusive interview to Razib Ahmed of Computer Bichitra in which he talked about the products of NEC as well as NEC’s willing ness to support the ICT sector of Bangladesh:

Razib Ahmed: Tell us briefly about NEC.

Alfred Tan: NEC is a Japanese company and in the Asia Pacific region, we are a very strong player in the technology market. We are focusing on Asia and in Bangladesh we are working in partnership with Navana Computers. We are the strongest in computing, in communication and entertainment in Japan. This claim has been supported by various international agencies like IDC. We are number 1 in only just selling products but also in terms of quality and providing support. Now we are going towards digital convergence. We want to deliver the premium products. We want to give the consumers the best quality and value for their money. Through our products, services and our partners we want to give the best to our customers. We always maintain an International standard in our products and services. We have proved it again and again all over the world.

Razib Ahmed: Why have you selected Navana as your partner?

Alfred Tan: As you know, Navana is a trusted name in Bangladesh and it has performed at the highest level for years after years. As I told you earlier that we like to ensure the best service and support to our customers. We have seen for the last two years that Navana has tried to keep up the standard that we want from them. However, we are just here not to do business only. We like to contribute to the society and I mean my words in this regard. Soon, you will see some examples of our social commitment in Bangladesh. We have almost finalized some projects that would contribute to the development of Bangladesh.

Razib Ahmed: What is your goal in Bangladesh? What are the products that you will focus in the Banglaldeshi market?

Alfred Tan: As I told you that we never compromise on quality and standard. We like to introduce the same standard in Bangladesh. We like to work not with Bangladeshi standard but we like to bring Japanese standard-the international standard to Bangladesh. We are already in the Bangladeshi market for the last two years. Now, we want to make our position stronger here. We will focus on servers and notebooks here. Here I like to say something about our products. If you visit our website then you would find out that we invented the water cooling technology. The technology has revolutionized the computer industry. This way, the processors get cooled very quickly and easily. Considering the fact that Bangladesh is a hot country it will be a good thing. On the other hand, this technology saves a lot of power and at the end of the month, it can save your electric bill significantly. This again can be blessing for Bangladesh. This technology can enhance the performance of a server substantially. Our servers are the best and they have high quality too. The best aspect of our server is that if you want to change any parts then you don’t have to shut down the server. So, it never stops working.

Razib Ahmed: I hope you know that the market of Bangladesh is highly price sensitive. What are you thinking about it?

Alfred Tan: Yes, we are fully aware of this reality. However, let me tell you one thing very clearly. Although initially, NEC servers may sound a bit expensive as we focus on maintaining highest standard, within a few years, the customers discover that NEC servers may sound a bit expensive as we focus on maintaining highest standard, within a few years, the customers discover that NEC servers are much cost effective than other servers because in other servers when you want to add something you have to take license again. But in our server, you don’t need it. The reality is that you are paying a price anyway. You judge the price of a product on the basis of its performance. For example, a bank has no choice but to install the latest technology and the choice is up to them whether they like to present their customers the safest and best technology in the market or they want to go for a cheap solution only to save money. We are not here only with expensive products. For the consumers, we have got laptops in the price range below $1000.

Intel in Bangladesh in 2005: An Interview of Humayun Akhlaq

This is an interview that I took in 2005. I think that Humayun Akhlaq does not work for Intel anymore. Still, I am giving this interview here because this way, you can get some idea about Intel’s presence in Bangladesh during 2005. The interview was published in Computer Bichitra Magazine.

Intel is the worldwide leader in microprocessor technologies. Intel microprocessors enjoy the lion’s share in the market.

All of us are familiar with the “Intel Inside” slogan and the “Pentium” Brandname is familiar to everyone across the globe. However, in the last few years, Intel has also been moving in other areas of computing. It is trying to expand its business and trying to present itself as a company with computing solutions under one roof. Earlier this month, Intel organized its ICC in Dhaka. To join this event, Humayun Akhlaq, Sales Manager, Intel Corporation in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, came to Dhaka. He attended a press conference. He gave an interview with Computer Bichitra. Here is an excerpt of the interview:

Razib Ahmed: How is Intel doing in your country?

Humayun Akhlaq: In Pakistan, Intel started operation in 1997. Thus, in the last eight years, we have seen some great progress in the Pakistan market. The good thing is that we are having lot of support from the government of Pakistan. For example, the government of Pakistan is encouraging the flourishing of ICT sector and also giving all kinds of incentives. The Pakistani government has removed taxes from this sector substantially and has undertaken a number of projects to use ICT in infrastructure building. After coming to Bangladesh, I am glad to see that the Government of Bangladesh is also very pro-active.

Razib Ahmed: What is Intel’s plan for Bangladeshi market?

Humayun Akhlaq: In this region, Bangladesh is an important market for Intel. Bangladesh is a country that is developing in the ICT sector gradually. During this visit, I have talked to our business partners about what we can do here. Right now, we are working on the 2006 plan for Bangladesh-What investment we need? What resources we need? I wish I could implement them from tomorrow but as you know, we must follow some guidelines and do some background research. We would like to see our commitment and investment to Bangladesh grow from quarter to quarter rather than annually.

Razib Ahmed: You have met with your business partners in Bangladesh. What kind of reaction did you get from them?

Humayun Akhlaq: It was absolutely a marvelous experience for me. When I came to the meeting in the morning, I found out that 85% of them had come before me and were waiting for me. Within 10 minutes, we had a 100% attendance. Their eagerness towards Intel really amazed me. We gave some awards the high performing partners for achieving highest amount of sales. I asked them, how many of them were interested to complete for this program this year. I saw that quite a large number of people raised their hands. This positive attitude towards Intel is a surely an encouraging sign.

Razib Ahmed: In India, Intel runs a number of projects that have no relationship with business but are purely related to social commitment of Intel. When we can see similar projects in Bangladesh?

Humayun Akhlaq: We are working on that and we have some plans for Bangladesh too. It is something that we have to do in Bangladesh regardless of business opportunity there is. Everywhere, we are in the world, we are committed to the community, to the country and to the people and that goes whether we have a lot of commercial opportunity or not. We take this issue very seriously and we like to contribute more in the emerging markets.

Razib Ahmed: Do you have any plan to work with local universities?

Humayun Akhlaq: To be very honest, at this moment, we have not explored this area. However,if it is needed or if the universities have any requirement that can be useful to both of us then I am sure, we can explore the possibility.

Interview of Ana Goncalves of Expressive World

My blog is about South Asia and one of the things I am passionate about South Asia is its food. If you live in the UK then you would surely know that South Asian food (curry food) is very popular in Great Britain. There are many South Asian restaurants in the UK and they are often mistakenly called as “Indian Restaurants”. A good number of these restaurants are owned by people of Bangladeshi origin and that is why, I like to call them “South Asian Restaurants” instead of “Indian Restaurants”. Anyway, I recently came across a blog called Expressive World. I found an interesting entry about review of a book on Indian food. So, I became interested about the blog and the blogger. I emailed her some interview questions and received the answers.

Here is the interview for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Ana Goncalves: I am an open minded individual who is very relaxed in herself and her collected state of mind. I am on the journey of elevating and developing my conscious awareness through insightful reflection, and any other means of tools which help to balance my emotional and physical well being along the way. My second priority is to help people, and create a better place for all those who live here. Currently a Neighbourhood Network Administrator in a community for an Older people’s project. To find out more visit: http://www.crawleynetwork.org.uk/. I experience each moment uniquely as it is, therefore I don’t have any set hobbies as I enjoy doing anything I feel to express or explore all of my being in.

Razib Ahmed: Tell us a little bit about your blog Expressive World.

Ana Goncalves: Expressive World is a tool of self exploration and discovery, when I feel to express myself within a written content.

Razib Ahmed: What is your future plan with this blog?

Ana Goncalves: No future plans.

Razib Ahmed: Reading your blog entries I found out that you are a very spiritual person. Tell us why you chose such a subject for your blog.

Ana Goncalves: I did not choose the subject. It chose me. I write because it is an expression and reflection of who I am. I chose to create a blog as it would be more personal from that sense. Previously this domain was a forum for people to learn more about themselves by expressing exactly how they felt and learning to understand the experiences they encountered.

Razib Ahmed: Ana you write great poems. I liked Locker Number 225. Can you discuss a little bit about this poem.

Ana Goncalves: Thank you. I am happy that you enjoyed this poem. I too liked it very much. This poem was inspired by a picture of a locker, and some eyes peeking out from it, at Absolute Write. I wrote from inspiration out of that, and it came out like so.

Razib Ahmed: Tell us a little bit about your writing habits. In your blog you wrote a review on Anjum Anand’s book on India meals. What do you think about Indian foods?

Ana Goncalves: Like many other world dishes, the food very much represents the culture and way of life of the country. Indian foods are deliciously varied, and a good treat especially the curries.

Razib Ahmed: What are your favorite Indian dishes?

Ana Goncalves: I enjoy a variety of Indian foods, mostly healthy oriented dishes. I don’t have any favourites. I’m a big food lover in general, and always like to taste new types of food. I never eat the same thing over and over.

Razib Ahmed: There are many Indian restaurants in UK and Indian foods are quite popular over there. Have you ever been to any Indian restaurant? What is your favorite dish?

Ana Goncalves: Yes, I have been to several Indian restaurants, and they have all been very nice and unique in their own way. Again, I don’t have a favourite dish, as I always eat something different each time, as it is always cooked accordingly to the chef or culture.

Interestingly went to an Nepalese Restaurant on sunday night, and had a variety of dishes. I think then was drawn to a pork curry dish with the nuts and pineapples. Complimented the rice, and the coconut and peanut bread.

Interestingly enough now too, my mum is baking simosas. Indian food has been a long while around my reach since a young child, as my mum used to cook with her Goan friend, and she picked up lots of tips from her. We used to live together. Plus I have cousins who are from Pakistan, and I grew up the second part of my childhood in a very strong Indian community.

Socomec UPS and other Products in Asia: Some Information

I took this interview a few months ago. At that time, Jean-Michel Pigeon APAC Project Manager and Clement Chang Area Manager of Socomec came to Bangladesh and I took their interviews for a magazine here in Dhaka.

Socomec is a big name in the UPS industry worldwide. Its products are available in all the continents in the world. Socomec is also a popular name among UPS users in Bangladesh. Tech Valley is their sole distributor in our country. Socomec products are widely used by companies in Telecom, medical and financial sectors. The company is contemplating on expanding their operations in Bangladesh by opening a local office in Dhaka. Recently, Jean-Michel Pigeon APAC Project Manager and Clement Chang Area Manager of Socomec visited Bangladesh. Razib Ahmed of Computer Bichitra joined them along with Md. Mahfuz Ali Sohel in a friendly chat in which they talked about various issues related to Socomec. Excerpts from their conversation for the readers:

Razib Ahmed: Tell us a bit about your partnership with Socomec.
Md. Mahfuz Ali Sohel: Socomec is a French company and it has worldwide presence. They are mainly in the UPS business and their focus is to present the world with more effective and powerful UPS so that economic activities do not hamper due to problem with electricity. Socomec was set up in 1922 and initially they were famous for producing switch gears. They have been making UPS since 1972. So, you can see that it has over 35 years of experience in this field. Socomec also produces rectifier, inverter, static transfer switch etc. IN the UPS category, Socomec has products from 600 VA to 4800 VA.
Tehcvalley has been marketing Socomec UPS products since 1991. We are their sole distributor in Bangladesh.

Razib Ahmed: How are Socomec products doing in Bangladesh?
Md. Mahfuz Ali Sohel: Among business users, Socomec UPS products are very popular. In fact, we have supplied Socomec UPS to many Telecom companies, hospitals and clinics, Banks and Financial
organizations. I think that Socomec has 60% market share in Bangladesh. Our focus is on business users and we are successful in it. We also have a model or two for home users. In fact, we provide some subsidy and try to sell the UPS for home users at a cheaper rate.

Razib Ahmed: The condition of electricity is terrible in Bangladesh and all the people are suffering. The imported UPS devices that can support home users for 3-4 hours are very expensive and beyond the reach of most people. Don’t you think that Bangladeshi companies should come forward and make UPS that would be more suitable for Bangladeshi condition?
Md. Mahfuz Ali Sohel: Yes, I agree with you that Bangladeshi companies should come forward in this regard. However, there is a problem at this moment. Right now, there is a global shortage of lead- the main raw material of UPS battery. Bangladesh government and leading universities should carry out research in this regard.

Razib Ahmed: Do you provide any warranty for Socomec products?
Md. Mahfuz Ali Sohel: Yes, we do. There is one year standard warranty for Socomec UPS devices. Warranty may be extended upon the request of the customers. For example, some of our clients like to buy 5 years extended warranty from us when they purchase a Socomec UPS.

Razib Ahmed: Bangladesh is totally dependent on foreign countries for computer hardware products. Why can we not produce computer hardware products in Bangladesh?
Md. Mahfuz Ali Sohel: The main problem for Bangladesh is that its market size is still relatively small to many countries of the world. We may have nearly 150 million people in our country but very few of them are using computer accessories. So, a hardware producing company will have to go for exporting. However, it is difficult for Bangladesh to compete with China in this regard. So, it is a difficult task. However, the government should come forward in this regard and help the private sector. The government has to take initiative for research.

Conversation with Jean-Michel Pigeon:

Razib Ahmed: How long have you been with Socomec?
Jean-Michel Pigeon: I have been with Socomec over 20 years. I started in 1988 in R&D. Then, I was involved in Technical marketing side as Project Manager. 3 years ago, I went to Beijing and contributed in the Chinese operation of our company. Then, I was made APAC Project Manager. Now, I am based at Singapore and I look after Asia
Pacific region. Asia Pacific is a very important region for Socomec. We have presence in many countries in this region. In India, we have a subsidiary Chennai and we have offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore etc. We have subsidiaries in Singapore, China, Taiwan etc.

Razib Ahmed: What are your most important markets in Asia?
Jean-Michel Pigeon: China and India are the largest markets in this
region. You know that they are the largest countries in the world too. There are some countries we are doing very well and the market leaders. In some other countries, we are in the second or third position. In Singapore, we are doing quite well and we have a good
market share there. We have also seen healthy growth in China too in recent years.

Razib Ahmed: This is your first visit in Bangladesh. How would
you describe Bangladesh?
Jean-Michel Pigeon: I just came here last evening. It is a beautiful country and I also liked the fact that Dhaka is a less crowded city compared to some other cities of Asia. As for the electricity, I noticed that several times electricity was gone since this morning. I liked Bangladesh and its people and I look forward to come here again.

Razib Ahmed: In Bangladesh, in the markets, you can find many
brands of UPS products. Why should a company buy Socomec UPS instead of other brands? What are the good sides of Socomec UPS?
Jean-Michel Pigeon: I believe that Socomec UPS products have some good sides. The main thing I like to focus is that we give a lot of efforts on Research and Development. We always try to bring out the best products. We work a lot on producing faster and better UPS and we are always trying to make new UPS and increase their capacities and we focus on bringing new technology on a continual basis. This new technology gives a lot of facilities to the customers in terms of cost and efficiency. That is perhaps why, Socomec UPS is the leading UPS in many countries in Asia and the world.

Razib Ahmed: Tell us something about R&D of your company.
Jean-Michel Pigeon: We give a lot of emphasis on Research and Development (R&D). We are always investing on new technology. That is why, you will find that nearly 80% of our products were developed in the last 3-4 years.

Razib Ahmed: Do you like to share any experience with us about any project?
Jean-Michel Pigeon: We have carried out some large scale installations in China. For example, we have installed more than 30 400 KVA UPS for Beijing Telecom which belonged to China Telecom. All the gas lines from east to west of China are backed up by our UPS. In India, Cisco is one of our biggest customers. Our largest installation is
near Shanghai China.

Clement Cheng is Area Manager of Socomec. I also talked to him about Socomec products in Bangladesh:

Razib Ahmed: How are you doing in Bangladesh?

Clement Cheng: Bangladesh is one of our important markets. You know that Tech Valley is our local partner. I think that in the last 5 years, business has been growing steadily in Bangladesh for us. We are hopeful that Bangladeshi market will continue to grow at a good pace. We are hoping to have double digit growth for Socomec products in Bangladesh every year. We are considering setting up an office in Dhaka but as of now, we still have our good partner Tech Valley for the last 17 years. We are highly satisfied with the performance of Tech Valley in Bangladesh. We export all models of UPS to Bangladesh. Financial sector, telecom companies, medical industry are our
main clients in Bangladesh.

Razib Ahmed: How do you make sure that customers get good after
sales support in Bangladesh?
Clement Cheng: We take all our customers very seriously. Our partner Tech Valley has good engineers. They are trained by our people of Socomec. We also have some specialists in Asia like Jean-Michel Pigeon who are based in Singapore and they provide support to whole of Asia. This is our immediate support to the clients. Of course, we have more experts in our head quarter in Europe.

Razib Ahmed: What are the special features of Socome UPS that make them more attractive than other brands in the market?
Clement Cheng: As you can see, we have nearly 4 decades of experience in producing UPS. Thus, we are an established name in the UPS industry worldwide. We have been present in Bangladesh market for last 17 years through Tech valley and in the last 17 years we have seen many competitors come and go in this market. This shows that our products have something special that kept our clients happy in Bangladesh. That is why, we have good market share in this country. We are here to stay in Bangladesh.

Razib Ahmed: What is your future plan about Bangladesh?
Clement Cheng: I have stated earlier that Bangladesh is an important market for us and we hope to see healthy growth here in the coming years. So, we are planning to open local office and carry out operations here.

Razib Ahmed: What kind of marketing strategy do you follow in Bangladesh?
Clement Cheng: First, we look at the demand and what the customers want. Then we try to follow up that with our products. Then we try to provide integrate power solutions. As you know, at this moment, telecom is the booming sector for Bangladesh. So, we are trying to address this market segment. We are focused on big capacity UPS solutions. In fact, the largest UPS in Bangladesh was installed by Tech Valley and it was a Socomec UPS. It was installed in the medical sector. In the Telecom sector, we have nearly 70% market share. We are also very strong in the banking sector. Composite textile sector is now booming in Bangladesh and it has a good potential for Socomec products.