Contact me at bala@balaramadurai.net.

My Books

I have written a few books on various topics.

My Podcasts

I have recorded a few podcasts on topics that I am very happy to talk about.

Design Thinking

The learners get under the skin of the user/customer and solve problems for them. The approach is based on an age old theory (more than 2000 years old) postulated by Lord Buddha. The learners learn thinking tools from the design world, the TRIZ/ARIZ world, Indian arts, metaphors and the patent database. Finally, they utilize some tools from six thinking hats and Mr. David Snowden. They learn the course interactively through silence, videos, stories, inane jokes and interesting assignments.

Creativity and Innovation

This workshop module uses the ARIZ/TRIZ thinking methodology (You could say that this course is an offspring of the design thinking course). The learners bring in problems that they have been working on and I guide them to use ARIZ/TRIZ in detail. The learner brings in problems that they have already understood and are fairly certain about the problem to solve using the concepts in the course.

Technology Forecasting

If design thinking is for the NOW, technology forecasting is design thinking for the future. The learner uses a methodology called FORMAT - http://handbook.format-project.eu, a result of a European Union funded (~$3 million) project. The learner hones their skill to think of a future timeframe of more than 10 years. They will consider the potential of the current technology, but also the alternatives and how strong or weak is their technology of interest in comparison to the alternatives. Imagination, intuition, analytics and data crunching go hand in hand in this course. The predictions from the forecasting exercise are not as important as the questions of forecast posed (first stage of the FORMAT methodology).

Executive Coaching

“How does one execute a large innovation project within my company? Do I get personally involved or delegate? Am I listening or telling? I am doing my best, what more can I do?” If these are questions that keep coming to your head (and you happen to be the head of a company or department), you have reached the right place. One on one coaching can work wonders in clearing out the fog around some of the issues you may be facing in your workplace.

Intrapreneurship - A workout

Intrapreneurship is a conundrum of sorts, since it is making an entrepreneur out of an employee taking the risks of an entrepreneur with the friendly resources of a company. How did Mindtree achieve this in 2008-9? I introduce the participants to the company profile. I excite them with the remarkable history of a very different kind of company. How and why did they launch 550? Why is 550 a very different sort of program? How did the program bring out innovation and the creative entrepreneurial spirit of the company? The learners assume the role of innovation managers of companies of their choice to design and present an intrapreneurship program.

Client Speak

I have worked with many clients and I always like to hear that they come out from the collaboration happy and satisfied. Have a look at what the clients said about my work.

Updates (News and Blog)

I write occasionally about a few things that are dear to me - writing about life, teaching tools and techniques, and learning about technology. I plan to write more about health and writing in general as well. Stay tuned. Please do subscribe to my blog if you like what you read.

Books n Stuff Podcast: S2 Episode 05 - Meet Author-Editor Dr. Pallavi Narayan

on 2023-11-29

Note - This summary was written by the AI module in Descript online software and not by me

Introduction:

Hello readers and book enthusiasts! Today, we have an exciting blog post for you based on an intriguing podcast episode. In this episode of the “Books N Stuff Podcast,” we meet Dr. Pallavi Narayan, an author and editor extraordinaire. She joins host Bala to discuss her incredible journey in the world of writing and publishing. So, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to be inspired!

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Podcast Enterprise: S2E02 Who mourns for Adonais

on 2023-11-22

Space, the final frontier. These are the podcasts of the Podcast Enterprise. Its only mission: to explore story structures, to analyze our favorite characters and plotlines, to boldly talk what everyone has seen before

We will analyze all episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series or TOS for short using the following guiding structure:

  1. Synopsis or summary of the episode
  2. Story structure
  3. Character analysis
  4. Our likes and dislikes

The synopsis: When this episode begins, you first of all, you find that Scott is flirting with a new ensign on the bridge. Her name is Carolyn Palamas.He seems to have an interest with her, which is something very new. We haven’t seen that before. After that, we learned that the Enterprise is en route to a planet called Pollux 4. And as they near the planet, some sort of an energy field crops up and it takes the shape of a giant green hand.

And it holds the Enterprise in place.And this energy field is so powerful that the Enterprise cannot move, it cannot fire, it cannot break free. And as Spock notes, this energy field, even though it looks like a hand, it is not made of any sort of organic matter. It is not a living thing. It’s just plain energy. So this is very confusing because what sort of an entity can create that sort of an energy field and then they find a certain figure come up on the viewing screen. It’s just a head but it looks human it’s got a laurel wreath on its head and it claims to be Apollo and as the Greek god Apollo and it’s not going to let the Enterprise go.

So Kirk and a small landing crew including the Ensign, the new ensign, have to teleport down to the planet where they’re met with this strange muscular huge man who claims he’s the greek god Apollo he lays claim to the ensign Caroline and he’s interested in her and he takes her away and she is obviously taken in by him also. He wants the landing party to stay back on Pollux 4. And he also wants all of the crew aboard the Enterprise to come down and make themselves slaves to himself.

He believes he’s a God and it seems that he is a God and Kirk somehow reasons that he probably is the actual Greek God Apollo. And he believes that these beings, all of these gods, are actually some sort of space travelers that came to earth a long time ago and sort of bedazzled and primitive inhabitants of the planet and took on the guise of gods.By the end, they find that Apollo is very very capricious he’s got some sort of a lightning bolt from his fingertip he can destroy things he can kill people but each time he does something to that effect. He weakens.

And this is noticed by Chekhov. Long story short, what happens is somehow Kirk and the others have to get out of this planet.They have to have the Enterprise released. So basically, they have to get away from there. They have to prevent the rest of the crew from getting enslaved by this character. And Kirk decides the only way to do that is to try and turn Ensign Carolyn against Apollo. And her loyalty will be tested. Therefore he tells her something and finally she sees the truth and she spurns Apollo.That makes him go into a meltdown.

And Spock from the Enterprise out in orbit discovers that it is possible to punch some holes into that energy field and fire the phasers. So they discover that the temple where Apollo is lodged has some sort of energy source, and if they fire the phasers there, they’ll be able to destroy that temple and Apollo’s energy.

They do that, they’re released, and Apollo becomes heartbroken, he cannot have any more followers, he says, and he disappears. It’s some sort of a death, as we understand, but not exactly, and he disappears. And they go back to the Enterprise, free from this entity that they don’t really understand.

That brings us to the end of this episode. Thank you for listening to the Podcast Enterprise. Please do share your reviews with us and please share this podcast with any of your writing friends or trekkies. Live long and prosper!

Stay tuned in for our next episode! Enjoy!

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Podcast Enterprise: S2E01 The Amok time

on 2023-11-08

Space, the final frontier. These are the podcasts of the Podcast Enterprise. Its only mission: to explore story structures, to analyze our favorite characters and plotlines, to boldly talk what everyone has seen before

We will analyze all episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series or TOS for short using the following guiding structure:

  1. Synopsis or summary of the episode
  2. Story structure
  3. Character analysis
  4. Our likes and dislikes

The synopsis: When this episode opens, what we find is that Dr. McCoy is very worried about Spock and he tells Kirk that there’s something seriously wrong with Spock. He’s not eating properly, he’s irritable, and he’s almost nervous to use the doctor’s words and there’s something wrong and nobody can figure out what it is.And Kirk and Dr. McCoy actually witness Nurse Christine Chapel taking some soup for Spock and Spock, throwing it out with some choice abuse for Nurse Chapel.

Now Spock has his pride and he is not going to tell Kirk what the issue is. But he does tell Kirk that he wants to go to Vulcan and there is something on Vulcan, his home planet that will cure him.But he absolutely refuses to tell Kirk what it is. The Enterprise already is on route to a planet called Altair VI, and this is for some sort of ceremonial event that’s happening there. And Star Fleet command has insisted that the Enterprise go there.

They cannot change course, but Spock insisted they change course.Over the course of time, he also manages to convince the bridge that the captain has given orders to change course to Vulcan. And there’s a lot of back and forth and a lot of humor there. But then Kirk finally confronts Spock and demands, orders him to tell him what is wrong with him. And the issue is there’s some sort of a mating season for Vulcans and Spock is in the throws of it and he can’t control it.He must go down. He must get back to Vulcan and have a marriage ceremony held.

Otherwise there’s going to be a lot of problems. And his wife, or the woman that’s supposed to be bonded to him is called T’Pring. Nobody else knew that. So finally, Kirk with a lot of thought he decides to go to Vulcan. And there, there’s this elaborate ceremony for Spock, and the marriage ceremony has to take place.But this woman T’Pring, she’s pretty devious. She decides that she doesn’t want to accept Spock directly. She wants a champion in his place and she chooses Kirk of all people. So now Kirk and Spock have to fight each other to the death. Spock is completely out of his mind with all of his emotions taking over.Kirk doesn’t know what to do exactly.

For one thing, it’s very hot on Vulcan, and for the other, it’s the atmosphere is so thin that he can’t breathe and he is losing this fight. So McCoy injects him with something. Kirk is knocked out and it looks as though Spock has won, and then T’Pring reveals a bombshell that she never wanted to marry Spock in the first place.There’s another Vulcan that she wants to marry, and she devised all this nonsense so that Spock releases her basically.

Or even if he doesn’t release her, she can have an affair with this other guy. So Spock decides not to marry her. They get back to the Enterprise. He’s in temporary command of the Enterprise, but he doesn’t want temporary command because he believes he’s killed Kirk. And then what happens is, we’ll discuss this in detail, but what happens is Kirk is not dead. Spock is very happy.

He shows emotion for the first time, for about half a second, and, yeah, everything is back to normal by then because now whatever was bothering him, Spock is gone with, with the fight and everything.Kirk is alive and all is well.

That brings us to the end of this episode. Thank you for listening to the Podcast Enterprise. Please do share your reviews with us and please share this podcast with any of your writing friends or trekkies. Live long and prosper!

Stay tuned in for our next episode! Enjoy!

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Podcast Enterprise: S1E29 Operation annihilate

on 2023-10-25

Space, the final frontier. These are the podcasts of the Podcast Enterprise. Its only mission: to explore story structures, to analyze our favorite characters and plotlines, to boldly talk what everyone has seen before

We will analyze all episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series or TOS for short using the following guiding structure:

  1. Synopsis or summary of the episode
  2. Story structure
  3. Character analysis
  4. Our likes and dislikes

The synopsis: The USS Enterprise is approaching the planet Deneva. Captain Kirk is actually very nervous at this point because there’s something wrong with down there in Deneva, and Uhura is not able to communicate with the people there, and his brother is also down there.

And Spock very helpfully says that there’s some pattern of mass insanity that has been jumping from planet to planet, and now it’s going to be on Deneva. And Kirk is naturally very worried about this. There’s no response to their calls. While they’re approaching this planet, they find that a small ship, a Denevan ship is flying towards the Denevan sun, which is very hot, and then it gets very close to the sun. It disintegrates, but not before the Enterprise picks up an exclamation where the person on the Denevan ship says he’s free, and whatever it is, it’s gone. He’s free and he dies.

That’s it. So now, the issue is they have to get down on Deneva and with a small landing party. When Kirk teleports down there, he finds that the place is more or less deserted. It’s supposed to be a hugely populated planet, but there’s nobody there. However, they go down there, they look for people, and then, it looks like some people are coming out to attack them, but they don’t want to attack them, but they’re being forced to attack them against their will.

It seems they’re being controlled by something else or someone else We don’t know at this point. Kirk eventually finds that his brother is dead. His sister-in-law is acting crazy. His nephew is unconscious. So the sister-in-law and nephew, they take them back to the Enterprise and there they find that the sister-in-law is being controlled by something in her body.

She’s trying to tell them what went wrong on Deneva, but she’s not able to because something is choking her from within. And she starts screaming. Things go from bad to worse. Eventually she passes away, but they have to find out what is going on Deneva. So Kirk and the landing party, they return with Spock and they try to find whatever this infestation is, the source of this infestation.

And then they come across these icky, plasticy looking huge, pink colored creatures that are sticking to the ceilings and walls and making weird noises. One of them attaches themselves to Spock, and from then on he is also infected. He undergoes excruciating pain. He tries to talk, but this thing tries to prevent him from talking.

It’s controlling his thoughts, it’s controlling his emotions, but through his sheer Vulcan physique, he’s able to push down the pain and control whatever it is this thing is trying to do. The Enterprise must naturally now try and dissect these parasites. Parasites that are infecting people and turning them insane.

And they find that it’s some sort of brain cell or those creatures are some sort of loose brain cells of a creature that we never really see. They’re flying all over the solar system infecting people from planet to planet, bringing them down.

Driving them insane and through a lot of trial and error, to cut a long story short, they find that the only way to kill it is to throw intense light at it. So that’s the only way it can be killed. There is no other way of getting rid of it. It is resistant to almost everything. So the sample that they have in the lab, they take it to a chamber and subject it to that light, which I believe is 1 million candles per square inch intensity.

So when they do that, they find that the thing is dead. So naturally now Spock has to be cured and Spock being Spock decides to have himself cured without protecting his eyes from the intense light because the people down there on the planet cannot have that sort of protection. So he goes into the chamber, they switch on the light, and he goes blind.

And then after that, very conveniently they find that they don’t have to throw the full spectrum of light at the creature, just the ultraviolet light. So seed satellites are released all around the planet that release high intensity ultraviolet light, and the creatures are killed restoring order to some extent, and I’m sure we are gonna talk about this later, but Spock does regain his sight.

That brings us to the end of this episode. Thank you for listening to the Podcast Enterprise. Please do share your reviews with us and please share this podcast with any of your writing friends or trekkies. Live long and prosper!

Stay tuned in for our next episode! Enjoy!

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