Seth Godin is, as usual, right on the mark — no user servicable parts inside:
That’s what it says on countless electronic and mechanical devices. “Don’t touch this,” it says, “you’re way too dumb to open it… you’ll get hurt”
The problem, of course, is that pretty soon you start looking at the entire world that way. Whether it’s web design or Google analytics or backing up your hard drive or just talking to the guys in the plant about your new ideas, it’s really easy to see the world as a black box.
Here’s a simple secret of success: ignore the sticker.
I’m a geek. I work with servers, infrastructure and network hardware. I know how a good deal of my industry’s stuff works because I was never afraid to rip the cover off and get my hands dirty — a parentally challenging (and initially somewhat destructive) habit as a child has lead to a busy and often productive work ethic as a result.
When I tackle something new, be it technology or software, I still whip the cover off for at least a brief look at the clockwork action below.
≡ This is a brief remainders entry relating to the topics of ethos, links, motivation, tools and written in response to an external article, comment or opinion — refer linked article for completeness and context.
Brendan Borlase is a Systems and Network Administrator living in Adelaide, Australia, having lived, worked and breathed Information Technology for over 12 years. Learn more.
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