User:	skarra
	Date:	2009-07-07 22:33
	Subject:	Making a point
	Security:	Public

	User:	sunil_prasad
	Date:	2009-07-06 20:28
	Subject:	Summer time
	Security:	Public

This "summer" we have decided to finally do what we should have done a year ago, something that most new comers do, explore. Washington state is known as the evergreen state and it is not without a reason. It is green throughout the year and has some of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the United States. The weather makes it easy to explore them pretty much all round the year and what better time than the warm summer.
Last Saturday we woke up relatively early hoping to beat the crowd at the DOL where Shravya was to take her drivers knowledge test. She aced the test and we were done by 9 AM ... and the day was just too awesome to be wasted back at home. So we decided to call up KP and Veena and fix up a nice plan. We forced them out of their beds and drove them along to Rattle Snake Ledge. There are multiple trails that you can choose from and we decided to stick to the four mile trek just to have a nice and slow start to our trekking season. This takes about 1.5 hours up (with a lot of photo breaks) and about 40 minutes back. The view from the ledge is spectacular ! Large mountains with dense forests and blue lakes in the valleys.
I would have loved it if it was a little less crowded ... but hey every Seattlite deserves his share of the sun !
Here are some of the pictures from the day ...

	User:	skarra
	Date:	2009-07-06 18:27
	Subject:	"Browse Here and Buy Online" Book Stores
	Security:	Public

One often comes across pleas like "don't go into a book store to check a product out and then come out and order from some online store - it does the physical store no good while you aim for that 5% discount."

Sadly, if 'check out a physical product and buy later online' is what consumers want, then that's what they will do; you cannot fight that. So let's imagine a store that lets people do exactly what they want. Imagine a store that has rack after rack of books - for display. Instead of a physical shopping cart you pick up a hand-held (with a bar code scanner) at the entrance. The hand held can give you complete access to the online information about a product (like amazon reviews, book website etc.). You browse (physically + info on the net) a book/item, and if you like it, you can 'add to shopping cart' electronically. Once you are done you check out - at 'internet rates', and your selections will be delivered by post to your address.

Think of this as a new retail format that market makers like Amazon can use. 'internet rates' should be possible because there is no inventory management at all in the store (expensive real estate). Perhaps a significant fraction of the cost can be recovered from the brands / companies whose products are being displayed.

Hm... anyone got Jeff Bezos' personal email address? Do you think he'll cough up some cash for some thoughts on this idea? :=)

	User:	sunil_prasad
	Date:	2009-07-03 14:39
	Subject:	Thank God these little ones are still around ...
	Security:	Public

Spotted this little fellow at BIAL last month ...