Along the journey of life…

When we board a train or a bus, there are several other people traveling with us but still when comes our destination we eventually alight and continue with our journey…

Life is exactly like this. A journey along which we come across people. Some of them accompany us till the end while others leave us midway. Altogether the journey of life is filled with acquaintances, separation and new beginnings.

Like any other journey, life has a destination which may vary for each one of us but still will have the same purpose – being happy. Unfortunately, very often in the quest of happiness we fail to actually recognise it when it presents to us.

Life is also a lesson where we keep learning both from our failures and successes. It is an adventure where we learn to know strangers, make them our dearest friends and share our most intense moments with them.

Have you ever stopped and thought about how it was when you still didn’t know your best friend? How incredible it is that the person who was a complete stranger to you yesterday is your most precious treasure today!

I believe the key to happiness is to simply appreciate these special treats life offers us in the form of friends, lovers or companions. We never know when our paths might separate but at least we won’t regret not having enjoyed the time we were meant to spend together.

This post is mainly to express my love for all those special persons who have been part of my life. For those who are now part of it. For you all who have left your imprints in my life’s journey so far…

Let’s get active!

After a bit more than 1 year since I started to work, I’ve noticed one very important thing – working makes you less active physically! It absorbs most of your time and energy plus it completely changes your lifestyle…

So, after realising all this, for quite a long time now, I’ve been trying to adapt myself to this new way of living and make out time for more physical activities. It sure helps to feel more energetic! I am no sports person but I do like some work out.

The process was and is quite difficult to maintain though because being a web developer and having a flexy time for work, I might find myself coming home too late. So the idea came to me – why not try to include some small and simple activities in my daily life routine? Besides, the recent ads of the margarine, Flora, made me even more realise how simple things could be done to improve our physical activities! It’s all in integrating those in our life and making it fun! After all, if we are to do something it should be first and foremost enjoyable and pleasant, else what’s the use?

Hence, all small trips I have to do I try my best not to take the car – besides it’s sometimes a headache to find somewhere to park your car or even get stuck in the traffic! Or even if I’m going by car, I might very well park somewhere far but safe , so I’m sure the car is secure plus I’m going to have a stroll out of it.

The most important thing is to realise that it’s very simple things that could easily change your physical state. And when we talk about physical state, we also should think about our nutrition. Yes, I know it’s the same lecture everytime but as I see it, controlling your food does not necessarily mean cutting out all nice things you like to eat! It’s all about knowing what you are eating and how you are using it – since it’s our body fuel.

Besides, if we try to find at least 30 minutes everyday to work out, it would be sufficient enough to keep fit. And if time allows, this 30 minutes could very well get to 1-2 hours. One of the best ways to make work outs fun is to add in some music! It not only helps to boost your energy but also time yourself. For example, during 3 songs I’m going to walk briskly (on the treadmill ) then another 3 ones I’m going to slow down the pace. With this, you can easily spend 15 minutes alternating brisk and slow walks. Another tip is to try to make a playlist with alternating rhythmic songs and slows. It really helps in motivating and controlling your pace in your work out!

Working out should also be your moment to let go all stress and tensions. Put on your most favourite songs and move on the music without any restraint. Let yourself enjoy this moment. Add in some variations plus some activities you like best -skipping, running, cycling, jogging,etc. Think like this is your hour – you are taking care of yourself and your body. Add to the fun by either working out with friends or getting yourself new clothes for work out (this is for girls specially ). Also don’t forget the “after-work-out” time where you get a nice hot bath or those who have tubs then enjoy the effects of bath salts /oils ( if you are doing it in couple even nicer ).

Last thing – we are lucky enough to live in a tropical island where summers are daaaamn hot but also the best occasion to work out the most we can in the best enjoyable way possible. I’m talking about going to the beach and swim or jog, go hiking, go cycling or even just stroll about admiring the greenery It all depends on where you live and what’s best to do according to your daily routine. In short, being active physically only needs some adjustments and the will to do it. The rest is only pleasure !

My Google Adventure

My Google Adventure by Sou

I don’t quite remember when it all started but I know it was a relief to discover Google search engine! It was followed by the creation of my gmail account and later on my iGoogle page… I also had an enthusiastic lecturer who always kept us abreadst of all news about Google like when it had bought YouTube. Besides our class at the university had its own Google group to enable ‘mass communication’ – as I viewed it. Today though we have graduated, the group is still there and we still communicate from time to time.

Then I joined Netgroup as a web developer and as every decent developer Netgroupers use Google for online search and we also make use of Google Analytics to keep track of the traffic flow on our site.  I was even pleased to learn once that my blog had brought most back links to the site

My adventure intensified when I actually got the opportunity (and enormous chance) to discover the Google Map API and use it for one of our projects – Mauritius Villas – which is yet to be launched (and you can be sure I’ll announce it when it does ). So, there were two of us, Youshrin and I, to enter the world of what I call Google coding. The experience was really great specially when you’ve been able to adapt the map to the requirements of the project. And yeah we also discovered Google Map Maker and we added regions that were missing specially for our map to work effectively. We got a bit desperate while waiting for the moderation at first but it paid off when we finally saw the regions appearing on the map! I might elaborate on this in another post (if requested ).

The last but not least event in my Google adventure was the G-Mauritius Day 2009! It all came to me as a surprise when our director sent me a message telling that he had registered me to represent Netgroup at the event. I was like astonished, surprised and then thrilled. The forum was very instructive indeed and though all information is available online to actually get started with the Google API, having real Googlers there explaining it to you is a unique and enriching experience. It was all about receiving a concentrated amount of useful info in just one day! I can’t wait to give a try to Google Gadgets and Google Friend Connect! As for Google Web Toolkit, it sounds like a real ‘miracle product’ specially for those who know the pain of debugging in IE. However, not being a Java developer at present, it was like the message of deliverance but then the disappointment . Anyway it gave me the incentive to probably jump into Java development later on in my career…

As representative of Netgroup, I found a lot could be used in our sites for more innovative and competitive products. After the brilliant experience with Google Map, Netgroupers have yet to discover Google Gadgets and Google Open Social. This of course will depend upon future projects’ requirements.

If  I could summarise my Google adventure (so far) , I’d say it began with me being a regular Google user, then I became a Google API developer and finally a G-Mauritius Day participant. I wish and strongly expect this adventure to continue. Open source is just ‘fantastic’ (as would say one of my past lecturers) and one of the best part of it is having forums like this one where virtual and geographical barriers are crossed. After all, human contact is the best experience

P.S: The picture is on my Facebook page. I shall place it on my Flickr soon for everyone to be able to see.

What do women want?

Seeking with the eyes by Sou

It has been very big puzzle indeed, present in the mind of men and women themselves, for centuries now…

Ask any woman the question and believe me the answer won’t and can’t be straight forward! Oh and no this is not because women are not intelligent or smart enough to know what they exactly desire! The matter is the question englobes “women” and it would be hard for one single woman to answer for all those types of women out there!

But some attempts could be made though. There are those who’d be happy to have a nice cozy house, a simple and gentle husband and kids to look after. While others would prefer a more busy life with a career as well as a family. Some women like their freedom pretty much, even in relationships.  On the other hand some would like to fully commit and devote themselves to their loved ones.

Of course, I’m using extreme examples! There are also those women who fall in between those extremes. The very fact of discovering what a woman wants, takes a lot of understanding – make sure you see her like an individual with her own identity (and not just a ‘like-all-women’  point of view). Once you’ve figured out who she really is, it all becomes clear. You’ve got to get close enough to her to understand her desires and dreams and even closer to wish they do come true.

In general, women would want you to listen to them and stand by them. We also would like you to stop this stereotype thinking about women being the weaker sex. In other words, start being less condescent or even better, don’t be it at all! Yes, we agree there are things men do that we can’t do but it never meant  that men had to get the lead.

When in a relationship, a woman would want, above all, a supportive and comprehensive partner. Someone who will be by her side for all important steps she takes in life  either in terms of her career or her personal life. It doesn’t mean that a woman cannot stand on her own alone – far from that. It means you do have an important place in her life and your opinion counts!

Women are very complex beings – I firmly agree. Yet the least a man could do is to accept their difference first by putting an end to this usual comparison between a man and a woman. Yes, women have unexplained reactions at times , they tend to get moody very easily. I even agree that they can also become a pain in the neck. But in the end you should understand that all she wants is your attention and affection. More than men, women seek for  love and attention all the time may it be from their surroundings or from their partners. This is why jealousy is most common feeling in women than in men.

Again whatever I’ve been saying might not be fully true for each and every women. Yet the most similar thing among them all is that they are human beings seeking for a place in what we call a man’s world (though not so much anymore according to me) and who have been successful so far

Hence, their most deepest wish would be to finally make women equal to men;  not in terms of deeds or salary but mostly in terms of attitudes and behaviours on the part of the society as a whole…

H1N1 flu triggering change in our educational system…

Modern Education

With the H1N1 flu spreading in Mauritius for the last 2-3 weeks, the government came up with the decision of closing schools for around 10 days. However, this term being the most crucial one due to end of year exams, measures had to be taken for students to keep in touch with courses while being at home.

Hence, the idea of giving a list of homework to students on Friday and Saturday last, where the latter had to fetch it at their respective school. Yet, at the end of these two days, it was noticed that 30% of students still hadn’t come to fetch their homework. Then only did the government make use of communication technologies at hand i.e. a hotline, text messages and emails. Plus it has also been decided that in about 15 days, every school will have its own website! The Mauritius College of the Air (M.C.A) has  also agreed to diifuse special TV programmes as replacement for missed courses.

The initiatives and efforts are very good indeed but did we have to be in a situation of crisis to finally make use of technologies in our educational system? Though some institutions are already following the technological pace, others are literally lagging behind – where even a photocopy machine is not available!

The integration of new technologies in our curriculum has to be considered seriously. I am sure it is there but the initiatives have yet to be taken and here we are, facing a crisis, jumping at the those measures that should have already been applied. A school website would not only have helped in bringing a new means of communication but also in administrative purposes. We are living in an information technology era where the internet has become a very important tool may it be in our everyday life or in business. So, why not make use of it for educational purposes also?

Personally, the best example I have experienced in such matter is the website of the Computer Science  and Engineering Department of the University of Mauritius, where we could download course handouts and also consult latest news may it be for exams schedules or even projects allocation. I remember that my  friends from other faculties used to think how lucky I am since I had so much facilities at hand. The same could be applied to our schools where parents could get latest news online ( since letters circulated through students nowadays rarely reach parents). For secondary level, notes and past exam papers could be placed online.

The big BUT in this suggestion is that there are still families without a pc at home! So, it would become somewhat discriminatory towards those students who have no internet facility at home. A very big loophole that has to be taken into consideration in the initiative of becoming a cyber island… Besides, if notes were to be placed online maybe it would stand as a threat to private tuitions and those teachers, who have made  it an integrate part of our education, might very well oppose to this idea.

With deep thoughts, maybe this step taken in a moment of crisis is much better. Had they planned it all, it might have become a real fiasco. Let’s hope it turns a new page for our educational system and kudos to those teachers and staff who are , on their own initiative, bringing a modern touch to their work.

Guys have feelings

Sad Happy by Isaiah Stephens

Yes, they do! It seems somewhat controversial for a girl to write about this but I wished to voice out my perception of the matter…

Since the time I’ve had friends of the opposite sex, I’ve been consistently discovering new facets of men (no wrong meaning there)!

Lately, there’s one particular aspect that has touched me a lot: how guys express and manage their feelings. Under their rough and tough appearance, most of them are very soft and gentle. Just like we, girls , always relish the idea of being admired, cherished and even “owned” by someone, guys also feel the same. It might be at different levels, compared to girls , but still…

It’s always a pleasure for them to hear how handsome or special they are and no matter how “indifferent” they might appear rest assured that the message went right to their heart

Personally, I’ve seen that it’s easy to forget that guys can be sentimental and sensitive. Though they might hide it behind their tough looks, they yearn for affection and love too. They might not fall into girlish depression (for some at least) but they also feel the pain of being dumped or betrayed.

I might seem to be pointing out the obvious but if we think of our everyday life, specially us girls, we might find that we often ignore this fact. We tend to expect a lot from guys specially on the sentimental side. Let’s realise that if we want their affection, we aught to understand their feelings and give them as much as we want to receive from them. Affection and care are the best at melting the toughest of guys !

The Eternal Quest For Beauty

'beauty is ... ' by Emaleth

It’s an everyday concern for most of us and even  a career prospect for some. Whether we deny it or not, it has always been in human nature to seek for beauty, for what’s more attractive, because it’s all about some well-being factor with things or people around us…

After some deep observation (no not scientific though), I have noticed a very important factor in being beautiful – to be happy with who you are. Shakespeare was right in saying that “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” but we won’t also run from the fact that physical beauty isn’t given to all of us . Yet, beauty in itself is not only about having physical traits that kill. Physical beauty, I believe, is all about genes. It’s just the right genes mixes that favour the most beautiful physical traits in a person. In brief, it cannot be actually controlled… unless we start reproducing on the basis of gene compatibility and in the optic of producing most beautiful offspring…

The other aspect of beauty is the non-physical one. The “beauty within” as we call it. The aspect of beauty that is controllable, malleable I’d even say. How come? By accepting who you are (not always an easy task I know) and show confidence in your own self. Deep inside we should accept that no matter how we are physically – dark or fair complexion, tall or short, blond or brunette – the real beauty lies in assuming the physical traits we have inherited and put in our own to give the best result of a beautiful person.

I think we all would agree that people who always express happiness and some well-being in who they are, always evoke some liking in us. And when we’ve developed a liking for someone, we stop seeing the physical flaws, we only see that blend of joy and self-confidence. And this is how I understand Shakespeare’s words. Beauty is like how we treat ourselves. We are all different and it happens that we envy others for some specific trait but let’s just think of the chance of being us first. We all have something special that brings out the beautiful person in us. Let’s just find it!

However the sad part of my observation is that beauty also depends on money. Yes, it costs nothing in being happy with who you are but it costs to put forward your physical beauty. Again it would be just hypocritical to say that natural beauty is all that counts. Yes, simplicity is true beauty but simplicity doesn’t mean no self care. We all come to a point in life where we realise that some beauty care would do no harm but rather help to maintain ourselves. (I am not talking about excessive beauty care though!) However, taking care of ourselves costs – beauty products, beauty parlours and beauty spas. I came to the conclusion here that the richer you are the most facilities you can get and the better you can look. A sad truth but this is how this world goes… It’s all about a matter of luck – whether you are born rich or not and whether you get rich or not.

It might appear superficial to be writing about beauty but in fact if we have come to think of beauty as superficial it is because the human race has put forward so much importance in it. Even at the time of Egyptians, beauty products existed and beauty held an important part in people’s life. We’ve grown to think of it  to be superficial because as years went it became a tool for marketing and medias. “Standards” – top models/actors – have been developed and the real meaning of beauty has been completely modified according to the way stylists and designers view it. Yet, let’s not forget that who ever are those who have set these so-called beauty standards are humans just like us with their own perception of beauty.

So, let’s not just get lost in all these and for some minutes realise the real beauty in us. It’s all part of self-realisation and a quest to set upon to feel really happy with who we are.

P.S: Click on the picture to view it from it’s original page and have a better view.

This is how life goes

When you are celebrating your birthday with your parents in the warmth of your home, there might be a cousin there who is struggling for life…

When you are sitting comfortably in front of your PC watching a movie, a friend out there might be lying wounded on the floor, after a car accident, breathing his last…

When a father is watching his daughter grow, become someone successful in life, another father there is seeing his child losing grip of life day after day…

When you are sharing few moments of love with your dear ones, there are people out there who are waiting for their closed ones to come back home…

And this is how life goes, happiness and sorrow, smiles and tears, relief and regrets…

It teaches us only one thing: cherish the past and grasp the present, to better face the future. Life is the lesson to learn to appreciate what we have. It’s easy to get lost but it always strikes us with particular events that make us ponder more about it and realise its preciousness.

“Live high, live mighty, live righteously…” J.Mraz

To Future Developers…

If you are aspiring a career in software development, there are a few things you should realise before really stepping into this adventure…

I might be working as web developer for less than one year but I’ve learnt quite a lot in those last months. The first and foremost advice is to really like programming else it’s all gonna be hell!

Besides having an affinity for the job, certain skills are also important among which are analytical skills, patience (loads of it), a well -structured way of working and be well organised.

A developer , I believe, should also be sharing – for his/her own benefit (yeah true). Of course claiming your work is important but here the main idea is to share your experience and knowledge with your colleagues. Not only do you stand to gain more but you also get to introspect how you work and maybe find out how to improve it.

Deciding about becoming a developer will also bring about changes in how you view life. Development brings you to think methodically, relate things to others, find out the possible outcomes, the different conditions that could alter your results and so on. Soon this way of thinking will start to reflect on your everyday life.You might end up finding yourself calculating every outcomes of one single decision (side effects of if/else control structures?).

However, being a developer is the best thing that could happen to me. I used to look in awe at softwares and think of those peeps who had actually coded these as crazy. Today, I just feel like they are not only crazy but geniuses who have made of a computer a living entity

As you aspire to step into a developer’s career, I’d advise you to sincerely ‘feel’ it than just ‘choose’ it. As someone once told me: Since we are to make money to live, why not find a job that’s going to bring both money and self-satisfaction…

Celebrating our Motherland

Photo montage by Sou

To every Mauritian, the 12th March means not only the Independence day but also a special time to think about our nation, our daily lives in our country and also the different cultures present in our little island.

Far from all the political aspects of the event, the 12th March for us is, according to me, a time to rejoice about our Mauritian culture. Yes, we should be grateful that today we are free and independent but I believe more emphasis should now be put on the new generations. A bigger focus on how we are to live this freedom together, how we are to bring this nation forward on the world map.

Above all, I believe it should be a day where we celebrate each and every Mauritians. A day where we really enjoy the fact that we live in this little paradise. A day where we try to pay a tribute to our special Mauritian culture…In short it should be more of some big celebration among ourselves, fellow Mauritians – maybe on the beach, at sunset with grilled chicken and beer

We are to at least realise our luck of living in our little island in the sun and therefore to really grasp this, why not go out, discover it, enjoy it and appreciate it to its true value?

Also, it’s a time to ponder about how to make our nation progress because mind you politicians are not to be relied on. If we want to go further, we will have to bring our own contributions. And it all demands some effort from us all – some sincerity in our work, for example, would really help us all in improving our quality of life! If each and every Mauritian employee (specially in the public sector) could show some dedication to their job, we could reach better quality of service and therefore happier clients and healthier businesses.

Those are of course things to think about. And since I’m talking about ways of making our island a better place, have a look at this Google Moderator website - Ideas to make Mauritius better! – where fellow Mauritians have posted their ideas of how to improve things in our country. Together, we could really make a difference so let’s just take some time to think about what we can do at individual level…

I’ll thus wish all of Mauritians a happy national day and may our cultures always flourish together!

Cheers to Mauritius!

Cheers to all Mauritians!!!

Meet your boss online

Yes, this has become the latest trend – finding your boss online on either a social community site like Facebook or a blog!

Recently, I was reading a blog post (click here to view it) where a vacancy at Vinivi was kind of being announced by a third party but still where comments were being answered enthusiastically by the company’s founder. This stands as some good example of how technology, specially the internet, has completely altered the communication between the boss and the employee.

Though this might be more of a reality for ICT companies, I believe it’s also becoming so for other businesses. Why is it so? Well first of all because the boss is also a human being (yes yes) and like any other person following internet trends, he\she has a profile on a social community site or even has a blog. So, there’s some huge possibility that you meet each other online isn’t it?

Secondly, the internet is becoming an important communication tool for any type of businesses and so it helps in keeping contact with not only clients but also employees. And what’s the best way to reach people on the net other than having a profile on a social network or having a blog? Let’s just take Facebook as example, its population of users is such that you can always expect to find your colleagues there including your boss!

However, the complexity of the matter starts here – are you going to accept/send a friend request from/to your boss on professional basis or personal ones? Though limited profiles do exist, it’s always somewhat confusing at times to really judge what’s allowed and what’s not. It’s maybe a big disadvantage of the Web 2.0 – where everything and everyone becomes one single community – where your personal life gets mingled with your professional life…

It’s not such a bad thing though – well depending on the way your boss keeps his relations with his employees – it helps in getting to know your boss and colleagues in a different light. It’s also easier to get an overview of how the people are, in the company you are about to join. Besides if you have a young and open-minded boss (like we do at Netgroup), such situations do not really seem awkward.

I believe this trend cannot be stopped, we shall see more proximity between employers and employees, thanks to such social networks. However, the question of how to handle such proximity lies with us. We are all to take our responsibilities of how to handle our relationships. Communicating over the net with colleagues and bosses is really beneficial for the company itself – it helps in enhancing the relationship between them. So, let’s not mess up all this and let’s learn to be sensible and responsible on the net. It’s not about imposing limits but it’s about knowing how to use the freedom being offered online….

It’s in human nature to break rules…

Ever since man has been on this Earth, he has been establishing rules,regulations,structured systems that are meant to bring some standards or guidelines for others to follow.

However, it has also been in human nature to go against those restrictions – students who’d rather bunk classes, drivers who’d invent new laws on the roads, workers who’d rather rebel against the company’s policy, a lawyer who’d find his client some way to escape from law by manipulating it…

Why is man so fickle? Because the human being is an ever changing organism with a brain that keeps on thinking and that will always find a flaw somewhere in the established system or that’ll shrewdly devise a way to avoid restrictions. In other words, the human mind can never bind itself to rules. It’s inborn for any human being to develop some resistance to any kind of limitations presented to him/her. It’s somewhat some kind of self defense because we all love our freedom.

I don’t believe it’s some flaw in human nature though. Had we been mere receptive puppets, the world would’ve stayed unchanged. The French Revolution, Ghandi’s non-violent fight for independence and more recently Obama’s victory for the United States Presidential Elections (to name a few) – none of these would’ve happened if man hadn’t been of changing and rebellious nature. We all want the best and we all have our limits of tolerance.

When I said rules in my title, I didn’t imply legal rules or any institutional rule in particular, I was pointing out at any type of limitations being put upon humans, may it be man-made or natural. Man has and will always strive for his freedom even if it means going against any authority. At times it might be a huge outrage of anger and frustration, that has been kept for too long, or it might also be some wise thoughts and calculated actions but in the end it would only result in man trying to pull down the walls of restrictions and that’s why there will always be laws and law breakers…

P.S: The accompanying picture is quite evocative of restrictions and freedom both right there so close yet so far Enjoy !

D’you have any contacts???

The True Businessman by Peter Geo

Today the Central Electricity Board (C.E.B) was supposed to carry out some works on our electric lines during the day and the supply of electricity was cut as from 08.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. However, when we got back home we saw that we were still without electricity and that our neighbours had already got back theirs… Something was definitely wrong in our connections then. So, the very first step to take is of course to call C.E.B’s hotline number – which my mum did THRICE (the first time being at around 6.30p.m. and the third time being at around 09.30 p.m.).

Meanwhile my dad phoned a friend who’s got a relative working at the C.E.B who in turn called an advisor at the Ministry of Public Utilities who then phoned a press officer of the same ministry ( wait it still goes on) who theeen phoned the C.E.B to dispatch some technicians at our place…

All this to point out that in our little-island-in-the-sun, if you have no contacts (and here I mean of course top level employees) in whatsoever public institution, you might end up calling endlessly at customer care offices ( wonder what kind of care that is)…

The same thing happened to a friend of mine who kept phoning at Orange (Mauritius Telecom) Customer Care to troubleshoot a problem he’s been having with his SIM card. It’s still under process… While my mum had her SIM card upgraded in one single day thanks to some acquaintance there!!!

SO my question is : what’s in the saying – the customer is a king??? It isn’t , specially for public facilities! They boast about being at the service of customers, about training their staff for better customer service but what for if in the end it’s some contact that you need?

It might also appear as some kind of corruption BUT face the damn truth if you ever think of going the straight way – it’s going to take you more time, more energy ( because you’re sure to steam up) and more patience (because of course your case will have to be viewed and reviewed).

Some pretty sad reality of how our public facilities go about… If we all could just be true to ourselves and true to our work, this world would have been much a more pleasant place to live! So, you out there when you’re at work do think of how you would feel as the customer and do try to give your best in your job because it would not only benefit you but all those who depend on it also…

So what does it all mean?

The video below is very evocative about the fast (in fact SUPER RAPID) evolution of information technology worldwide. Have a look before going further with this post

While it might sound a bit freaky, the video is quite indicative about the big influence of information technology on our existence. I don’t know if all of us do realise it or even feel it but indeed the big evolution in the field of information technology totally changed our lifestyles and habits! Who would have thought that Facebook – a site initially meant for Harvard students only – would gain so much popularity in such a little time?

So, of course, what does it all mean? What do all these figures mean? It all depends, according to my humble opinion, on our understanding and vision of things. Some might say we are being dominated by technology while others would just ravel at the news.

As for me, it means that we are living in the information technology era where the most important asset is information. But of course, information alone is not enough. It needs to be given the appropriate structure for more efficient use. So there it is – information technology brought about new jobs and a new sense to knowledge in itself.

How come a new sense to knowledge? If today blogs are gaining in popularity it’s mainly because it is believed now that it’s not only what experts have to share that counts but public opinion also! THIS is the new sense to knowledge – an opening to the public, an opportunity to let people share their opinions and beliefs which eventually becomes a pool of information rich enough to enhance your knowledge as well as understand others.

Information technology has eventually brought up a real new aspect to business management and the internet (combined with all telecommunications devices) brought about the best way to leverage information resources. However, it also brought new challenges like how to keep up with its rapid pace of evolution; because eventually it’s like a race where the fastest is the winner.

This also means that only part of the world is into this incredible evolution while another part is still struggling with famine, civil war and other calamities… It’s the modern “natural selection” altogether.

Still information technology is really fascinating and more inventions are to come because it’s like going round a circle: you think you’ve reached the end but it might very well be another start…

An Overview of Netgroup By the Director

As some of you already know, I’ve been appointed as Web Developer at Netgroup for a bit more than 4 months now. Though the name might not ring a bell like Accenture, Netgroup offers great opportunity to young developers specially in developing some experience in web development. And again though we are no big multinational, the team spirit is what is the big strength of the company as well as the culture it has adapted. Here is an interview of the director, Mr Vincent Duval Latreille , published in Emploi Mag magazine , which unveils more information about Netgroup.