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Domain: intoday.in
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Stories · 5
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Microsoft 'Was Sick', CEO Satya Nadella Says In New Book (intoday.in)
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has just published a new book called Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone. An anonymous reader quotes India Today: Nadella's push for cultural shift -- and hiring "learn-it-alls" instead of "know-it-alls" -- is largely meant to jolt enthusiasm for a new era of innovation at the company. Microsoft had long depended on the success of its flagship Windows operating system and the royalties it gets for each PC sold with it. But the global PC market is declining, and Microsoft fell behind as Apple and Google led the shift to smartphones. Nadella doesn't take any shots at Microsoft's co-founder and first CEO Bill Gates -- who wrote the book's foreword -- or Ballmer. But he's frank about their disagreements, especially over Ballmer's disastrous $7.3 billion acquisition of Nokia's phone business in 2014.
Nadella also refers to the company's previous organizational structure as a "confederation of fiefdoms" and recounts negative feedback received from employee surveys and emails. "The company was sick," Nadella writes. "Employees were tired. They were frustrated. They were fed up with losing and falling behind despite their grand plans and great ideas. They came to Microsoft with big dreams, but it felt like all they really did was deal with upper management, execute taxing processes and bicker in meetings..." He promises not to squander the new energy felt by employees after years of frustration. So far, it seems to be paying off; Microsoft shares have doubled since he took the top job in early 2014, and the company is attracting buzz for its work in AI, augmented reality and a new effort in futuristic computing.
A former Microsoft board member says Nadella "has made people believe in the future of Microsoft in a way that neither Bill nor Steve really did." -
ISRO Launches Six Singaporean Satellites (thehindu.com)
vasanth writes: The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched six Singapore satellites on Wednesday. The agency also tested the fourth stage of its PSLV rocket, a four stage/engine rocket powered by solid and liquid fuel, alternatively.
The test to restart the fourth stage of the PSLV rocket will help India in its future launches while attempting to launch multiple satellites in different orbits. Restarting a rocket engine soon after being shut off is a critical technology that must be mastered. Once a rocket engine is activated, a great deal of heat is generated. The trick is to cool it down in space and restart it after a short pause. India has now launched a total of 57 foreign satellites for 20 countries, and Wednesday's launch earned the country 26 million euros.
TeLEOS-1 is Singapore's first commercial earth observation satellite. It was launched into a low Earth orbit for "remote sensing" applications. The satellite was put into a 550-km-high, circular orbit inclined at 15 degrees to the equator. The next three satellite launches using the Indian PSLV rocket will be navigation satellites. -
India To Develop Military Robots For Warfare
WoodenKnight writes "Indian DRDO chief Avinash Chander has told reporters that development of robotic soldiers would be one of his 'priority thrust areas', saying that 'unmanned warfare in land and air is the future of warfare.' He foresees robotic soldiers assisting human soldiers initially but, he hinted at forward-position deployment of such robots. He gave a timeline of at least a decade for the project to see any practical use but said a number of labs in India are now working on this." -
More Fuel For Facebook Censorship Advocates In India
thodelu writes "Close on the heels of Friday's communal clashes in a town in India that were triggered by a Facebook post which contained morphed images apparently deriding a religious place of worship, there has been another incident. City police have removed images from another similar blog post citing 'cyber criminal' laws. There has been an ongoing effort in India to censor the web which would get more backing as a result of these events. Could we be seeing another Great Firewall of China?" -
At Commonwealth Games, the World's Largest Aerostat
GillBates0 writes "Last weekend saw the world's largest aerostat of its kind featured at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. The helium balloon or aerostat measures 40x80x12 meters, contains 20,000 cubic meters of helium and features lights, mirrors, cameras, a 360 degree projection screen, projectors and a reflective underbelly. During the show, it was raised 25 meters off the ground and transformed into a giant Bodhi Tree and a meditating Buddha, with giant puppets to complement the cultural performances beneath. These slideshows tell the story."