Lessons From Bill Gates

The following quote from Bill Gates got me thinking:

"Every now and then i like to pick up a copy of TIME magazine and read every article from beginning to end, not just the articles that interest me most. That way you can be certain to learn something you didnt know previously."

Bill is a smart man, so I did what he said.

I picked up a magazine and I read every article in there, from beginning to end. I read the letters to the editors and I pored over every advertisement.

But I didn't stop there, I also looked at the layout, the use of fonts and the wording used in the headings.

I analyzed every photograph, taking into account the composure, the use of colour, and the size of the photos.

I surveyed the use of illustrations, the way that the images interplayed with the text, the way that certain quotes were brought out for emphasis.

I read the copyright notices and the page footers. I thought very hard about the editorial and i memorised the names of the people who had worked on the magazine.

Then I studied the paper itself. I noticed how glossy it was, how the tiny pixels of colour were indistinguishable if i held the page ten centimetres from my face, but how under a maginifying glass I could clearly detect the intricate pattern of coloured points.

I inhaled the sweet chemical aroma of the pages and I dreamt of the distant lands where the papers had been milled from the pulp of trees. I thought of the hard work of the men who cut down those trees and the noble work of those who planted new trees.

I ran my tongue over a page and noticed the tangy taste of the inks and how it differed between the pages that contained images and those that contained only words. I tore off a corner and began to chew silently on the paper when the newsagent barrel-tackled me and threw me out.

Thank you Bill.

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