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Dinesh Verma Senior manager, policy and networking department "Another big challenge is obtaining a balance between ideas originating from our group and ideas from external sources, and avoiding the 'Not Invented Here Syndrome'." |
On the book: Legitimate Applications of Peer-to-Peer Networks (2004)
What made you decide to write a book on this topic?
IBM Research is a highly dynamic place where a research project often lasts about two to three years, and we need to shift our research focus subsequently to address new challenges in the industry. I like to write a book summarizing the knowledge gained during a project around the time of its conclusion. It allows me to distill the experience gained over the past few years into a concrete form, and provides a closure for the project. My book on peer-to-peer networks marks the shift in my research from the SRIRAM project to policy-based autonomic computing research.
How did you go about the research necessary to write such a technical book?
Since I write on topics of past projects, most of the research material is available during the course of studies undertaken in the project. For the project on peer-to-peer networks, we had studied several papers on the subject from ongoing conferences, symposia, and journals addressing this topic. We had also hosted several academic visitors working on related topics within our group. Most of the research material was drawn from those sources. One additional step which I always take is to search online book stores and search engines to check if anyone has written a book on a related topic, and to analyze those books to determine what additional value can be added by my book.
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What are the greatest challenges to you as an author?
The greatest challenge as an author is to find the time that is required to write a book, while working full-time and raising two precocious kids. Another big challenge is obtaining a balance between ideas originating from our group and ideas from external sources, and avoiding the "Not Invented Here Syndrome." However, when you finally hold the published copy of the book in your hand, you feel an immense degree of satisfaction that makes the whole effort seem worthwhile.
What or who inspires and encourages you to write?
My family inspires and encourages me to write, especially my wife Paridhi.
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
First, I would recommend the author to choose a topic area with which they are very familiar. For researchers, the transition time between research projects is a perfect time to summarize the knowledge gained from the past project into a book form. Second, they should decide on some time when they could work on the book un-interrupted. I wrote most of my books at night for a few hours after tucking my kids in bed. That maximizes your productivity with the least amount of disruption. Another good idea is to start with a detailed table of contents, set personal targets for completing each planned chapter, and trying to complete the chapters according to this personal schedule. For technical subjects, finding willing publishers is usually not very difficult. If you are an aspiring author, choose the appropriate publisher for your technical specialty, and just submit a proposal.
Who are some of your favorite authors today?
My favorite authors are Hindi authors Premchand and Harishankar Parsai. Premchand is one of the icons in Hindi literature. I loved the way he tackled very difficult issues while writing in very simple language and an amazing fluidity in narration. I specially love Premchand's short stories like "Namak Ka Daroga" (The Salt Inspector) which tackled the issues of corruption in public office. Harishankar Parsai had an amazing sense of humor and unveiled hypocrisy in the most irrelevant mode. My favorite story is "Bholaram ka jeev" (Bholaram's Soul) and I was delighted to find that is available on the web.
What role did books play in your childhood?
Books were an integral part of my childhood. I was a book worm who would keep reading books through lunch and dinner. I was a voracious reader reading all genre of books in Hindi and English.
Other books by Dinesh Verma
D. Verma. Content Distribution Networks - An Engineering Approach. John Wiley, 2002.