The Bio

My name is Shyam Sunder Pappu, and hence the initials of the blog SSP. Born in East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh, India, in Rajahmundry, 1957 (yes, I am old and retired), to a Brahmin family, I came over to the US in 1974 to rejoin my biochemist dad and family after I finished my O-level at Rishi Valley School. In the US, I received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from George Mason University and a diploma in computer programming from the Computer Learning Center (which used to be in Springfield, VA, back in 1983), before finally becoming a naturalized US citizen in June of 1984 in Alexandria, VA. I was also involved in real estate and various other corporate jobs and received a certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) as a PMP. I am sure I am forgetting a lot of stuff, but these were the highlights.

The Blog

So welcome to sspblog.com! After a fulfilling corporate and personal small business career in IT, economics, finance, real estate, and telecom, among others (yes owned and operated a Bed and Breakfast too ) , I’ve decided to take on a new venture—this blog. Retirement has given me the time and space to reflect on the many things I’ve learned, experienced, and still find fascinating. And that’s exactly what you’ll find here: recommendations, reviews, how-to’s, and thoughts on the things that matter (with a few surprises along the way).

I’ve always been curious, whether it’s understanding the latest tech trends, navigating the complexities of financial markets, or figuring out the next great real estate move. Now, I’m channeling that curiosity into sspblog.com, where I can share my insights and practical advice and maybe even inspire a few of you to dive deeper into these topics. I will be honest with you—in this fast-moving world, I won’t pretend to know everything, as there is a lot that I don’t know, but I am willing to learn as I go along, and I might even get the readers involved by asking them questions and to comment on their opinions too.

This blog is a space for exploring what’s worth knowing and what’s worth doing, whether it’s mastering new skills, discovering must-have products, or just pondering life’s big questions. My aim is to make it all accessible, engaging, and, whenever possible, enjoyable. As Chatgpt and AI are used more and more everywhere, they have certainly become ubiquitous, and this blog is no exception since they will be used here also whenever it is useful. It is also safe to assume the product and other hyperlinks are most probably affiliate if not stated explicitly. This helps to defray some associated costs but does not effect the price you end up paying, and I appreciate and thank you if you use my link.

I intend to create Newsletters for many of the niche categories and you will be able to sign up for the ones that interest you. You will find them on the category pages. This will give you the option of reading any posts you may have missed at your leisure if you have not visited the blog for a while. Since I am planning to have many categories, niches and sub-niches, it is probably best to use the search function on the main page to find posts articles, etc.

So, whether you’re here for recommendations, how-tos, or just looking for something that resonates, I hope you’ll find it in these pages. Thanks for stopping by, and I’m excited to have you along for the ride!