Keeping Your Methods Secret, and the Benefit therein.
Heck, here we go again!
A Pakistani man with a limited internet connection and struggling to find a job, found a hole in Facebook’s operating system. He figured out a way to directly place advertisements on people’s personal timelines without forking money over to Facebook. He then contacted the representatives of the social media site and told them about it. They promptly ignored him. So what did the Pakistani man do? He went directly to Mark Zuckerberg’s timeline and drafted an advertisement.
It was only then they took him seriously. He was greeted with an inbox full of messages from the programmers at Facebook. He told them how he did it, they promptly fixed the problem and sent him a nice thank you card. The Pakistani man was expecting some compensation for what he did. However, Facebook responded that he had violated the company’s protocol by posting directly on Mark’s page. The Pakistani man would receive nothing from Facebook.
I like the above story because it reveals a lot of things. First and foremost, it shows us that talent is everywhere. Technical knowledge is not limited to the upper echelons of academia. A kid with an internet connection and a five-year-old laptop can make a multi-billion dollar company take notice.
Secondly, the other thing to take note is don’t expect a reward for pointing someone else’s flaws. It makes the person look bad, and when a person looks bad, they don’t take kindly to rewards.
Thirdly, after you get noticed do not reveal or secrets until after some agreements are made. If the magician pulls back the curtain too soon, the magic is gone. It is always good to have a little bit of mystery about you. This is because the human mind is naturally attracted to puzzles. We like things we can eventually solve, or how a story ends. Which is why motion pictures can hold our attention so long. We want to see the conclusion.
Well, that’s my take on it at least.
The Reddit page where I found the story
I spent Memorial day at a veteran’s cemetery. I saw the temporary marker of where my father would be. I also witness the countless miniature flags placed at every tombstone. It was like the red, white and blue tapestries were like blades of grass, dancing in the breeze and uncountable. The asphalt driveways were lined with automobiles and Harleys. A lot of people came out to that solemn place to pay respects and updated the deceased on their lives. Well, that’s what I did at least.
We all feel like we have more time than we do.
I felt I had the luxury of wasting yesterday’s morning by laying in bed and watching snake documentaries, till I went to Riverside National Cemetery.
Bills and incoming expenses certainly can make you feel paralyzed and partake in the idle entertainment.
However, I am lucky. I do not have a mountain of student loan debt; I don’t have little ninos to provide for. I don’t have a girlfriend to keep my eye of affection for. In these aspects I am grateful. What is odd if the tables were turned I would probably long for the life I am given now. Conversely, I use my situation as a catalyst for laziness.
I guess we can’t have our cake and eat it too. The grass is greener will always be the case.
I got lost on a tangent there sorry. Debt and bills really shouldn’t be a limiting factor within your mind. For Pete’s sake, our president went bankrupt seven times! (There is another conversation to be had about that, but being broke is not permanent.) We all fear that it is. I know I do. Which is why I don’t strike for the clouds because I feel like I will fail.
The fear of failure is the biggest obstacle because it dissuades us from even trying. Right now, I’ve been living paycheck to non-existing paycheck. The real life requires discipline. The good life requires people to help prop you up and push you farther. Short sighted decisions can have a lasting outcome.
I am grateful for the friends I have and glad that I can do the things I do. However, some mentorship would be beneficial instead of making this up as I go along.
I like to believe that I am an eternal optimist, however, based upon these thoughts that I wrote a pessimist is lurking within the subtext.
No one gets’s out of life alive. So might as well have fun right?
These are my thoughts, and I am happy for those who read them.
And as always,
Hang Tough,
Be Bold,
Live Creatively.
