unforgettable kadalundi

Unforgettable Kadalundi

Kadalundi - Birds, Mangroves and much more !!

The sign boards of Kerala Tourism placed alongside the highways of the state, apart from doing their regular duty of giving distance information, gives the road traveller an introduction to the names of the tourist spots in the vicinity.

Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary was introduced to me by the sign boards near to the Kozhikkode in the NH 17 section. I always had many doubts about a bird santuary. Will there be a caged section where birds will be housed, or will it be a natural vegetation where birds will flock. Whenever I enquired about this place to some one at Kozhikkode, they always told me not to visit this place as it is not worthwhile and it contains nothing. But then why is it promoted as a tourist spot.

The urge to visit this place was reignited during the fag end of my 6 hour early morning drive from Trivandrum to Kozhikkode, when I again saw this name to appear in the sign boards as I approached Kozhikkode.

I made up mind to visit this place that day evening itself. Luckily it happened and here I present before you the "Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary"

Kadalundi Bird Santuary is around 20 Kilometers from Kozhikkode. From NH17 one has to take an westward turn towards Feroke after 8 km from Kozhikkode. The roads are typical narrow village roads with moderate traffic. As we approached Feroke there is one interesting bridge, which added some optical special effects while travelling, due to the enormous amount of trusses it contain.

Jeeps are the main mode of public transportation in this part of the state and the filled to brim statement is completely justified by the way people are packed into it and sometimes I wonder whether this 5 seater vehicle carries more passengers than an 20 seater minibus, with most of the passengers hanging outside.

feroke bridge

This kind of travel poses great danger to the life of the people travelling in it. The vehicle is travelling completely offbalance, but the attitude of law enforcers to check such irregularities, only after a mishap occurs and that too for just a month or so, helps these kind of highly dangerous practices to continue.

After passing Feroke amidst the mad honking of those dangerously driven private buses, and Chaliyam, a quiet town, we reached Kadalundi. As no sign boards were seen, we asked the local people for the route and surprisingly before telling us the route they were asking whether we came to see the bird santuary or to visit a home. If it is the bird sanctuary then there is nothing to see was the advice. Is it a case of local people not finding there own place interesting. I got this answer all the three times I asked the route. But all of them explained the route in detail and in a very polite manner too, typical of the people in this part.

We had to travel through the side of the Kadalundi Railway Station through a narrow but beautiful road, which gives an impression of travelling through a forest.

Again there were no sign boards. Doubts lingered on whether we are inside the bird santuary and this is all that we can see. Got out and asked a person who was passing by. He also gave us an amused look as if we did a serious mistake. Based on his instruction we stopped the vehicle nearby a huge bunch of vegetation which were actually propped up from the Kadalundi river.

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPd_XRfxiEU

These were nothing but the Mangroves. Mangroves are medium sized trees that grown in saline conditions and are mostly in the news because of hue and cry raised by the environmentalists for their protection because of their ability to protect against soil erosion.

The density of these mangroves were blocking the view of the Kadalundi river on the other side. We walked through narrow path way and reached a wide open space, the sprawling kadalundi river was on view. On one side there was a railway bridge and on eastern side there was another bridge under which we could see the lashing sea waves. Yes it was an estuary and a beautiful one too. The mangrove population on the banks of the river has given the required mix of greenery to the already glorified ambience.

Watch the wonderful panoramic view here.

kadalundi river

Bird sanctuary or no sanctuary this location is really wonderful, the calmness is so soothing, just sit here and mix with nature, feel dwarfed by the hugeness of the river.

The railway bridge itself looked really beautiful in these environmental settings.

kadalundi railway bridge

The road bridge on top of the estuary also needs to be visited soon for I was sure that the view to both sides will be really wonderful. But for the time being, we decided to relax and look out what is happening around.

kadalundi kadavu bridge

If one makes a quick visit here, then he is sure to be disappointed since, on a quick look you are sure not to spot any birds. Slowly but steadily we began to spot some of the birds.

Looking up we could see a lot of majestic Eagles (Sreekrishna Parunthu) circling around.

Their white upper part is contrasting to their darkbrown body color and the way they just spread their wings and glide through the air with minimal movement of their wings reminds us of the graceful way one must approach in doing things.

A lean tall white crane with black beaks was seen landing on a rock on the river.

Once it perched on top of the rock, it stood their still as if it is a statue. His legs were also black in color and are so lean that at times it was felt as if this guy is suspended in air.

On scanning the entire area, found out another crane near to the opposite bank. This was different from the one earlier spotted coz it was having a different color for its beak and seemed a little bit more bulky like a pelican.

My knowledge about the names of these birds is really great, hence I am not specifying the names. Soon the diversity of the bird population was on view. We got to see single birds calmly sitting on the tree trunks protruding from the river as well as a flock of birds who came from nowhere and quickly occupied their position on the other side of the river.

We were in for a visual treat soon as the flock of birds began to move around in unison creating a lot of different patterns. Their underbody color was contrasting to the upper body color. This resulted in creation of a different coloured patterns when they turned, twisted, hovered around just above the water. It was as if we watching a laser show. Only the music was absent. But sometimes calmness itself is music as the even the lightest of breeze can be heard.

I could not capture the patterns created by the birds, thanks to my ability in clicking moving objects in low light conditions, but the image of that pattern dancing still lingers on my mind.

Meanwhile a short beautiful object came and perched on top of another wooden trunk very close to us. His sitting posture was really majestic, no wonder he is christened as "King"fisher.

When we were analysing the kingfisher, in a quick swift action, this guy nosedived to water and came back up as if nothing had happened. But on a closer look I could see that he had something in his long beak.

He had an aim in his mind while sitting calm and was completely focussed at the movements of targed under water and waited for the right moment. When the moment came he acted quickly and emerged victorious. Surely a lesson for all.

Another little golden colored fellow was walking through the shallow waters occassionally dipping its beak under water. The setting sun had created a golden color pattern on the smallish waves on the river and this elegant little creature seemed to be a part of the color scheme.

This fellow was a workhorse as it was walking all the time constantly dipping its beak in search of food, unlike the kingfisher thingy which waited for the right moment and grabbed the opportunity.

All this time we could see some small white structures at a distance in between the tree trunks on the river. We had thought of them as some construction. I zoomed my camera and took a shot of those white structures, only to realize that they were another flock of birds sitting there with minimal movement.

As we were sitting there watching these little wonders amidst the colorful settings we noticed that there were lot of thin stick like objects protruding out of the wetlands close to the dense mangrove population.

Those were roots of the mangroves and the discussion was shifted on how these roots help mangroves breathe air in low oxygen conditions due to the salinity of water. Wonder how nature devices mechanisms for adapting life in varying environments.

The calm atmosphere was suddenly broke by the sound of an approaching train. Even though trains in this part of the world are not the most beautiful ones around, the ambience around made it look beautiful when it passed through the rail overbridge.

It was not long ago when a train got derailed over this very bridge and fell into the Kadalundi river.

Time just flew past as we kept on observing the life at this bird sanctuary and we found that Sun has already gone down the horizon. The sky color was getting really beautiful and with it the total look of the surroundings too changed.

We decided to move out of this place and get on top of the bridge on top of the estuary to have a view of the sea and the river. While walking back got to see two boards detailing the birds found in this area. The boards were already in a very unclean condition and it seems like the concerned department has lost interest in promoting this as a tourism spot.

Neverthless it is a beautiful spot and if there was a boating facility we could have explored a lot more. As we walked through the dense mangroves we noted some jelly like substance on the river banks near these mangroves. Could not make out what it is. But the shape being that of a fish, my son began telling that it is a fish.

By the time we started our journey back through the road near to the railway station dusk had already set in, but the road and the beautiful trees still had not lost its glory and it was a pleasure to glide through this narrow lane.

Again asked for directions and reached near the bridge on top of the estuary which was named as Kadalundi Kadavu bridge. This seems to be a recently constructed bridge.

Our vehicle got on top of the bridge. When we rolled the windows down, we got hit by a gush of fresh air. Instinctively all of us got out of the vehicle and as expected the scenery was fantastic to add to the refreshing and energizing wind blowing across from the sea.

Watch the color of the sky and the sea. We all seem to be part of a live painting. A painting which was changing its colors in every passing second.

A look towards the sea yielded this scene.

Had we got more time, we could have ventured into those rocks and just sit there for a long time. The view towards the river was equally interesting and we could see the place where we sat a little while ago and also could get a complete picture of the lengthy railway overbridge over the river. Watch this image closely and you can see a complete train in this single frame.

It was full moon day and I was tempted to take a close shot of the beautiful white thingy which seemed to be present just entertain us.

It was getting dark very fast, but the color of sea just above horizon was getting more and more intense with each passing moment and I was not able to go, even though my spouse was asking me to make a return.

I have seen this umpteen times, but the color of sky at dusk is something which turns me on and I cannot stop gazing at the colors and normally takes a lot of shots just to see how the color pattern was changing.

On the other side the full moon seemed to light up the entire area and the reflection it created on the river was superb.

All my co travelers got inside the vehicle barring me. I was busy capturing all the things around even though the light condition was not good, the color scheme was good. Tried to capture my carriage in the backdrop of this exemplerary settings.

Soon I got inside the vehicle, but we stayed there some more time just enjoying the sea breeze and discussing about this beautiful place. Another superb destination in God's own country, which is not a popular tourist destination and devoid of any tourist activity resulting it remaining a virgin without any commercialisation at all. Before I cranked the engine I took one more photo of the colorful sky in the back drop of the protective railing of the bridge which seemed to say Goodbye and see you again.

How friends help us feel confident

Everyone has self-doubts and insecurities from time to time. It's common to worry about how we look, our performance at college or at work, or how others perceive us. Sometimes we may question whether we said or did the right thing in a specific situation -- or worry about something as minor as whether we picked the right pair of shoes to complement a little black dress.  
Like most people, whenever I'm unsure about myself, I tend to ask a friend or close family member for a second opinion. A healthy dose of skepticism and uncertainty about ourselves is a good thing because it helps us make better decisions. No one knows everything or has perfect instincts, and having good friends on whom we can rely for advice helps improve our sense of self-confidence and make better decisions.
 
Here are five ways friends can help us gain self-confidence:
1) Friends cheer our successes
Whether it's acing an exam or getting a promotion at work, our friends take pride in our achievements. "Way to go! I knew you would do it! "
2) Friends model new ways of being
Every friend has some strengths or skills that help us strive to do things a better way. We see a friend give a talk before a large group and win the favor of the audience, and wonder whether we might be able to do the very same thing.
3) Friends support our efforts to grow
Sometimes the biggest deterrent to accomplishing our goals is thinking that we can't. Friends sometimes see strengths in us that we aren't able to recognize ourselves and give us the encouragement to try something new or do something better.
4) Friends wipe away our tears
Everyone has failures or bumps along the road, whether it's being dumped by a guy or losing a soccer tournament in a shootout. Friends help us deal with our mistakes - even big ones-helping us keep things in perspective. "He wasn't good enough for you anyway." "You were lucky to make it to the finals!" After a few laughs with a good friend, you may even forget what it was that was getting you down.
5) Friends teach us the value of teamwork

Alone we may be too timid or insecure to introduce our selves to new people or places, or too frightened to try something new or differently. But when we are working or playing alongside a friend, we suddenly see our energy and creativity blossom, enabling us to soar higher than we ever imagined.
 
The best part of close friendships is that the feelings are reciprocal: They share our dreams and we are able to do the very same thing for our friends as they do for us!
 

Good Communication Skills - Key to Any Success

Good Communication Skills -

Key to Any Success

 

Good communication skills are key to success in life, work and relationships. Without effective communication, a message can turn into error, misunderstanding, frustration, or even disaster by being misinterpreted or poorly delivered.

Communication is the process by which we exchange information between individuals or groups of people. It is a process where we try as clearly and accurately as we can, to convey our thoughts, intentions and objectives.
Communication is successful only when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information.
In today's highly informational and technological environment it has become increasingly important to have good communication skills.
While many individuals still continue to struggle, the inability to communicate effectively will hold them back not only in their careers, but in social and personal relationships.

Important steps for acquiring good communication skills:  

1. Know what you want to say and why.
Understand clearly the purpose and intent of your message. Know to whom you are communicating and why. Consider any barriers you may encounter such as cultural differences or situational circumstances (gender, age, or economic biases). Ask yourself what outcome you want to achieve and the impression you want to leave. 

2. How will you say it?
We're all aware by now, that it's not always what you say, but how you say it that counts. Begin by making eye contact. You inspire trust and confidence when you look a person in the eyes when you speak. Second, be aware of your body language since it can say as much, or more, than your words. By standing with arms easily at your side you tell others that you are approachable and open to hearing what they have to say. If instead, your arms are crossed and shoulders hunched, it suggests disinterest or unwillingness to communicate. Good posture and an approachable stance help make even difficult communication flow more smoothly. Make sure you speak in a cooperative, non-adversarial tone. Be nonjudgmental.

3. Listen.
Communication is a two way street. After you've said what you have to say, stop, listen, and look for feedback and clues of comprehension. While the person is responding avoid any impulses to cut them off or listen only for the end of the sentence so that you can blurt out more ideas or thoughts that come to your mind. Respectfully give them your full attention. When they are finished, to ensure that your message has been clearly and correctly understood, ask open questions and encourage discussion. Fine-tune your message if necessary.

4. Reach understanding, agreement or consensus.
Once you have had to opportunity to discuss your message and the feedback to it, re-visit the purpose of the interchange. Have you reached common ground, solved a problem, or clarified your position? If the purpose was to teach or instruct, have you accomplished your goal?  To communicate well is to understand and be understood. Make sure that your message has been received as intended and that any questions or concerns have been alleviated. You can even agree to disagree. There are no guarantees that your communication efforts will be meet with total compliance and agreement. As long as you understand each other, are cordial and respectful, you can still have a successful exchange. 

More Tips for Developing Good Communication Skills

To obtain a better command of the English language (or any other language), expand your vocabulary by reading and writing more. Look up words you're not familiar with. The better you are able to express yourself, the better your ability to communicate. Practice your listening skills. Be considerate of other speakers by waiting until they are done before stating your views. Process what has being said before responding. Learn to understand and appreciate opposing points of view by being open-minded and making an effort to see things from another's perspective. It will in turn, gain you more cooperation and understanding. Avoid trying to communicate when in an emotional state. You lose objectivity and may say something inappropriate or regrettable. Take time to think your position through before speaking. Join an organization such as Toastmasters that encourages you to develop a variety of communication skills as well as allowing you the opportunity to meet new and interesting people.

When you take the time to acquire and hone good communication skills you open yourself up to better relationships, more career opportunities, and increased self-confidence. Moreover, you reach higher levels of mutual understanding and cooperation while successfully attaining your goals.
All new skills take time to refine, however, with effort and practice you can develop good, even exceptional, communication skills.

How To Get Stronger in 30 Days! Follow My Easy Steps

How To Get Stronger in 30 Days! Follow My Easy Steps.

My name is Mark and I’m a 28 year old financial analyst who lives in New York City. Ever since I graduated college, I’ve been packing on the pounds.  I’m sure many of you can relate.  Sitting on a swivel chair in the office, sitting on the couch playing Call of Duty 4 at home, drinking beer with the buds.  Though I’ve always been on the chubby side, I realized that for the first time in my life, I had become FAT.
Ever stare at yourself in the mirror and wonder how you let it get this far?  Not only had I gotten huge around my waistline, all those video games and all those hours logged at the office had reduced my average muscles into dust.  I couldn’t bust out a push-up anymore, let alone a pull-up.  I looked like Mr. Potato Head, a torso as large as any other fat guy, but puny stick arms that couldn’t lift anything heavier than a remote.
But I didn’t become fat and weak overnight.  No—nobody does!  Becoming fat and weak, like becoming fit and strong, happens over time.  It’s a process.  We get sucked into a lifestyle, whether you work 40 hours a week, love to play video games, sit at the computer clicking link after link.  Time passes by almost without you knowing it.  But when you finally look in the mirror, it seems like you’ve gotten fat and weak overnight.
I had finally come to the realization, I had finally admitted to myself that I was fat.  This is the FIRST STEP TO LOSING WEIGHT.
But first, take a look at yourself.  If you haven’t done so yet, look at yourself in the mirror.  How do you feel?  Angry?  Ashamed?  Do you feel fat?  Are you unhappy with the condition your body is in?
It’s time to admit to yourself that your body needs a change for the better.  If you’re fat, you need to admit to yourself that you’re fat.  If you’re weak, you need to admit to yourself that you’re weak.  Deluding yourself will get you absolutely nowhere.

You will need to follow THREE steps to getting stronger fast.  They are:
1. Rethinking your diet
2. Working out HARD
3. Taking the right supplements
Here’s a quick sample workout that will help you get stronger in no time!
How To Get Strong With Only 3 Body Weight Exercises
The two common misconceptions about body weight exercises are that:
1) You can’t get ripped using only your body weight and
2) You need to do ab exercises to get 6-pack abs
The truth is that for years I also had these misconceptions, until I met a guy name Alberto who taught me what it means to be strong and fit. Not only was Alberto physically ripped, but unlike a lot of weight lifters, he could also sprint like a cheetah and do over a hundred and fifty push ups at a time. He was also extremely toned, and yet never did sit ups since he didn’t enjoy them. Alberto taught me all I know about getting strong with only body weight.
The Secret To Six Pack Abs
There’s nothing wrong with doing exercises that target the abs, and I even encourage doing exercises like planks. But ab exercises aren’t what will show off your six pack. What will give you a six pack is a combination of exercises that get your abs going (which is almost all bodyweight exercises) and having low body fat. How do you get low body fat? Count your calories, work out, and make sure that you’re taking less calories in than you expend. Sound simple? That’s because it is. Now that we have that out of the way, here are the 3 body weight exercises to get you strong.
The Push Up
The most basic of all the body weight exercises, the push up is an awesome exercise for overall strength that gets the pecs, arms, and shoulders going. You can target different muscles by switching how close your hands are together and by doing diamond pushups, where you put your fingers in a diamond. If you want to target your chest more on this one, you can also do push ups on your fists (I recommend a mat for this one.) They key is to switch up the different push up styles to work different muscle groups.
The Pull Up
The Pull Up is the most feared and yet the most beloved of all the body weight exercises. The Pull Up targets your arms, shoulders, and upper back. Face your palms away from you and grib a pull up bar, and lift yourself up until your chin is over the bar. That’s one repetition. The further out your hands are spread on the bar, the more it works your upper back exclusively and the harder it is. Start out with a narrow-grip, and as you get better, progress to a wider-grip.
The Parallel Bar Dip
The parallel bar dip is the answer to people who think you can’t get a well developed chest without weights. The exercise targets the lower and inner chest, places that are usually hard to target without weights. To do them, place your hands on the parallel bars, and lift yourself straight into the air. Lower yourself until your elbows are bent, then lift yourself, and you’ve completed one repetition.
Sample Workout Plan
Monday – 3 sets of 15 normal push ups. 3 sets of 3 medium grip pull lups, and 3 sets of 6 parallel bar dips.
Tuesday – Aerobic exercise.
Wednesday – 3 sets of 10 close grip push ups, 3 sets of 3 medium grip pull ups, and 3 sets of 6 parallel bar dips.
Thursday – Aerobic exercise.
Friday – 3 sets of 10 diamond push ups, 3 sets of 3 medium grip pull ups, and 3 sets of 6 parallel bar dips.
Saturday – Aerobic Exercise
Sunday – Rest
There you have it. Those are the 3 core body weight exercises that will get you strong. Do those and eat right, and you’ll be on your way to getting fit and strong without having to use weights!

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination, full of hope.” - Maya Angelou, is an American autobiographer and poet. “If you want a loving relationship in your life and can’t figure out why one is eluding you, remember this: you can either choose Love or choose fear. When you choose Love your options narrow because you have chosen to walk a narrower path of trusting your intuition and feelings over the five senses. You cannot seek for Love, since you can only have what already are. And if you have Love this means you must give it away with no expectation of return. Any expectation of return is not love, but the fear of not having love creeping back in. Choosing fear outsources your happiness and makes someone else responsible for the way you feel. You seek for Love because you believe you lack it. Trust that you are perfect Love in this moment and only allow in a person that resonates on this vibration. Do not try to change someone, when you do this you deny the Love inside you by choosing to deny what is Now. Love can only exist now, when you try to change someone into an idea of what you want them to be you have decided to be in a relationship with your projection of a possible potential of someone else. You are fooling yourself if you think trying to change someone will make you happy. Instead, change in yourself the things you think the other person should change. This is why you are not happy and fulfilled now. The Truth is that finding True Love is effortless for those who sit in Trust that they already have everything that could ever be sought after. This Trust will attract a person who is equally fulfilled; this is the only type of person capable of Love, one who has Love to give away.”

Nobel prize for literature - as it happened

• Sarah Crown
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 6 October 2011 13.17 BST
• Article history


The latest Nobel laureate, Tomas Tranströmer, in his house in Stockholm on October 6, 2011.Photograph: Maja Suslin/AFP/Getty Images
11.22am: Good morning, and welcome to our first-ever Nobel prize for literature liveblog. The prize is announced at 1pm in Sweden - that's 12 noon our time. You can watch a live webcast of the announcement here (and I strongly advise you to do so: sitting around watching a webcast of a pair of gilt doors constitutes my favourite moment of the literary year. The excitement when the doors finally open is quite out of proportion). We'll post the winner as soon his or her name is announced, and then round up reaction, extracts and whatever else we can lay our hands on.
What news so far? Well, the odds have shifted around again in the night. Dylan continues to lead the pack at 5:1 (inexplicably, in my view - but there's a good discussion going on on yesterday's blog about his candidacy as to why he would in fact be a deserving winner). Hot on his heels is Algerian-born Académie Française member Assia Djebar, who is currently tying for second place in with Haruki Murakami, both at 6:1.
Odds can be a good indicator for the Nobel - in 2009, Herta Muller zoomed up the rankings on the morning of the announcement, and sure enough, yomped off with the prize. But as MA Orthofer points out over on the excellent Literary Saloon, "remember that at closing last year it was Cormac McCarthy that led the pack at 3:1 (with Murakami at 5:1)" - and Maria Vargas Llosa came from nowhere to win. It doesn't do to get carried away.
Journalists hate the Nobel because it's such an unknown quantity: there's no shortlist, so no way of knowing whether you're going to be confronted with a winner about whom you know very little (I refer you to the now-infamous Year of Jelinek, about which the less said, the better). But what's nerve-racking for us may well be conversely entertaining for you, on the other side of the computer screen. Either way, it certainly adds some spice to the proceedings.
Here's a full list of the winners of the prize to date, and let's while away the minutes until the announcement with some idle speculation. For the record, my money's on Adonis - but I've never guessed one right yet, so I beg of you, don't take me word for it ...

11.38am: Looking around at what people are reporting, most are buzzing about Bob Dylan's streak up the odds, but there's a good Washington Post piece asking whether this is the year when the Nobel committee will turn its gaze east, towards Asian and Middle Eastern literature. South Korean poet Ko Un and Syria's Adonis have featured in the favourites list for years; both would be worthy winners, and there's a particular sense that to award the prize to a Syrian author in the year of Arab Spring would be timely.
The Post points to comments from Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Nobel committee, in which he said that the academy "has started to work actively to broaden its scope beyond Europe and the English-speaking world". You can listen to an interview Richard Lea did with him earlier this year, here.

11.47am: Just tuned in to the webcast, and I can exclusively report that we are currently looking at a room of people, milling around, waiting - much as we are - for something to happen. There's some up-tempo muzak, though, and several nice chandeliers.
11.48am: Woah! it looks as if the Nobel website has gazumped itself: go to the front of the Nobel prize for literature site, and they appear to have posted the name of the winner: Serbian author Dobrica Cosic.

Steve Jobs the businessman: Can Apple thrive without him?

,As Apple fans mourn the unfortunate loss of Steve Jobs, the great innovator will be remembered most of all for how his ideas changed people's lives. But in the world of business, he will also be honored as an absolutely brilliant CEO. Jobs possessed the rare ability to link emerging technologies with consumer habits and tastes in a way that built a powerful corporation and an internationally beloved brand. There aren't that many people in modern corporate history who can claim that skill. In fact, Jobs was probably unrivaled in the world today in matching great ideas with savvy marketing and pristine execution. And that's why there is reason for uncertainty about Apple's future.

The question is: Can Apple keep the Steve Jobs spirit without Steve Jobs?
There is a long history, of course, of entrepreneurial companies not only surviving their charismatic founders, but thriving after they passed on. Ford did just fine after the death of Henry; Disney is still a force in entertainment long after Walt. Apple will remain a major player in the world of computing and electronics without Steve. The firm is simply too established, too much a part of a consumer's life, to just wither away, even with the exit of a towering figure like Jobs.
But the question remains if Apple can continue to be an industry leader as it has routinely been under Jobs. Can Apple keep its edge? Apple's success has always been based on being first, by solving problems others thought unsolvable, and introducing products that changed how people worked, played and communicated. It is not easy for any company to continue to produce innovative hit after innovative hit, even with its visionary leader still in the corner office. It will be even harder for Apple with Jobs gone. That isn't to say that current CEO Tim Cook can't get the job done. But Jobs is just a very hard act to follow.
The future facing Apple makes me think of another electronics giant, Japan's Sony. Sony was Apple before Apple, the great global innovator that produced products that changed people's lives, again and again. Sony, remember, championed the idea of personalized electronics – not the giant radio in the living room, but the miniature transistor radio, or the portable TV set. Sony invented the Walkman, altering forever how people listened to music, in the same way the iPod has in more recent times. Sony, like Apple, was a company that thrived on new ideas, new technologies, and an engaging brand.
And just like Apple, Sony was propelled forward by personality – well, two personalities, in fact – co-founders Akio Morita and Masaru Ibuka. The two of them were behind everything Sony did, much like Jobs at Apple. They were unique visionaries, with a unique talent of bringing technology to the masses. And in the process, much like Jobs, they built an international company with an unrivaled brand.
Sony is still one of the industry's titans today, long after Morita and Ibuka have left the scene. The Japanese firm continues to make high-quality consumer electronics under one of the most trusted brands in the world. But no one would say Sony is the influential innovator it used to be. Apple took its place as the game changer of the electronics world. Up-and-coming companies like Samsung have eaten away at its global presence in key businesses, like televisions. Sure, the company has been managed by some talented people, but Morita and Ibuka were just too hard to replace. Sony has never been quite the same without them.
Will Apple suffer the same fate? It is impossible to tell. Yet Sony offers a cautionary tale. I was in Tokyo conducting some research on Sony a few years ago and had the pleasure of interviewing Yotaro Kobayashi, a long-time friend of Akio Morita. He believed that Sony struggled because its modern-day managers kept trying to recapture the old Morita-Ibuka spirit to guide the company to its future. But, Kobayashi believed, that was not possible. There was only one Morita and one Ibuka.
Just like there is only one Steve Jobs.
Kobayashi's point was that Sony had to grow beyond its dynamic founders and find a new future in order to maintain its greatness. Sony had to stop looking backwards to an age it couldn't recreate and instead look forwards. That may be sound advice for Apple today.

Read more: http://curiouscapitalist.blogs.time.com/2011/10/06/steve-jobs-the-businessman-can-apple-thrive-without-him/#ixzz1a147jHzz

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