Ok, maybe it's time to try this cool workation thing out. Anyone around here who has tried this for a week near Bangalore - Coorg, Chikmaglur, Sakleshpur? Any recommendations?
Update: Lot of the fancier resorts offering very nice packages (7 nights for 4), reliable wifi, but food inclusive packages will blow your budgets. Bungalows/Homestays cheaper, but wifi will be a pain. So yeah - not as cheap or straightforward. But, will likely give it a try :).
Definitely interesting to see if any home cooks etc start considering this. But then I go would think that people who have settled around here are likely local rich landowners or retired & there to chill :). So only option is to cough it up or compromise with work availability.
For those wondering about my Coorg #Workation experiment, I definitely enjoyed my week there and would highly recommend it if you are bored of staring at the walls of your home during Zoom calls. We were brave and split our stay between Porcupine Castle & Tamara for $$ concerns.
Porcupine Castle is a nice, simple resort with spacious rooms & a work table. Options of individual and shared balconies between 2 rooms if you are in a group - decent views. Wifi was mostly great, 4G works otherwise. So 2 people can work together if required.
If you are a vegetarian, be prepared for some slightly boring food options (for me) around paneer, babycorn & mushroom. I understand the Coorgi fare on pork though was really something. Staff here take enough safety precautions. Excellent value for money overall.
Tamara is definitely in the luxury category. Beautiful cottages, views that are stunning from the top of a hill and it rained pretty much non-stop through our 4 day stay there. Large rooms, but difficult for 2 people to be on a call together as there is no private space.
Very large scenic resort, has hikes around (couldn't go because of rain) and many falls-ish on the hill itself within the resort. Makes it damn difficult to work (don't!). Obviously food, drinks are very elaborate here. Very tasty food too.
All staff wearing masks all the time, room being cleaned only without you in it. Food is left outside if you order room service. Definitely feels safe and that is what you would expect from a resort that charges so much I guess.
Both places said they are running at almost 100% occupancy. Definite fatigue setting in for the Bangalore junta. Special thanks to @HariPyt and @Pickyourtrail for the Tamara package. Skeptical of cost earlier, but definitely going back there soon :).
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Ok, by the magic of Co-Win, found a slot for vaccination tomorrow in Bangalore. Now to see actual results on availability tomorrow.
Pro-Tip, please search by district: BBMP if you are looking for a slot and not by Pincode. Many slots seem to be open.
The disappointment of calling so many numbers that don't pick and having to say No leads to people endlessly this last week has been somewhat offset by the fact that I now know at least 5 people who booked slots after I sent out this message to them, Small joys :).
1. Check on Co-Win Website and not app. 2. Search by District (BBMP worked for Bangalore) and not Pincode. 3. Ctrl+F for 18. 4. Pray - cancellations happening as well from what I am hearing.
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One last ad-tech thread to wrap up 2020. The Google anti-trust trial notes, at 130 pages make for an interesting read. Slightly surprised at how some of the wildest speculations may have turned out to be very conservative against what was actually happening.🧵
US regulators compare an ad exchange to the stock markets & why Google has an unfair advantage. In the world of advertising, Google plays the role of the facilitator (SSP) to the seller (publishers), marketplace (exchange) and an intermediary(DSP) to the buyer (advertisers) (1/n)
As visible in the above chart, Google provides multiple tools to publishers and advertisers: Double Click for publishers, Admob, DV360, Google Ad Manager, Google Display Network and most of it linked through AdX, their exchange through which publishers & advertisers transact(2/n)
Can't believe I am doing a thread on Google and changes in the playstore "rules" almost a month after I did one on Apple! A lot has already been written and spoken about the "Google tax" by folks across media and tech, nonetheless my notes and thoughts on the topic 🧵
Google announced changes in their billing policy to enforce apps selling digital goods to only use Google Play billing services to be more specific. In that change, they also included new definitions of digital goods - Video, Music, Fitness classes, Dating in that list.(1/n)
Look closely at the list to see who they are taking on here - Netflix, Spotify, Match Group (Tinder) But, they don't seem to be as up in arms as much as the Indian ecosystem and protesting it as vocally as we are (or maybe I am missing that news). I wonder why? (2/n)
Important thread & read from @TheKenWeb today on why brands need to understand the implications of where their ad money goes and what it funds. While I agree with the need, a few reasons why I think this isn't happening widely (and difficult to implement) 🧵
Here is how ad planning at brands actually works (I think at least). Brand Manager decides the objective of the campaign (awareness, reach etc) and budget available. Communicates this to their media team (if one exists) or agency to formulate a media plan to deploy funds (1/n)
The plan is supposed to achieve best outcome for the brand across all options - TV, Print, OOH, Radio, Digital. If you are purely outcome-driven, every choice is based on metrics and currencies that are well understood by all stakeholders across organizations (2/n)
Truly well done by Dream11. Once they got the title sponsorship, seemingly went out of the way to ensure that they hurt competition or maybe bring them to the same playing field.
Not a fan of what has happened because obviously, there are challenges to Google's monoploy on the app store, biased policies, and their power in the app ecosystem. @nixxin's thread is a great summary.
Few interesting questions though: 1. How can a federation of a vertical/industry be founded & driven by the leader in the industry claim to be neutral and representative of the industry itself? 2. Should Google have asked this question when the complaint came up?