Money For Nothing, Multiplied

Nowadays, we seem to be enamored with the math operation called Multiplication.  Google the term and you see

1. Buy my book and multiply your effectiveness.

2. Master Your Muse and Multiply Your Blogging Effectiveness

3. Think in terms of three: three routes to every treasure, three solutions for every problem, three chances at every opportunity. You can't fail to multiply your effectiveness, reduce your frustrations and expand your income!

4. Multiply Your Business Productivity By Reprogramming Your Brain! Tap into that 6-inch battlefield between your ears, and tune your thoughts to the profit frequency.

5. You2: A High-Velocity Formula for Multiplying Personal Effectiveness in Quantum Leaps.

6. Use a Wiki to multiply your collaboration effectiveness! Check out my Wikipatterns How-To guide, with practical advice from a wiki expert. (That’s me!) Here’s what people are saying about my book:

• Create an idea-sharing environment where incomplete can be linked together and from this, solutions emerge. (sic)
  
• I’m going to recommend this without even reading it! Should be a must-read ...

Please stop! Did she really recommend a must-read book, without reading it? She did.

Multiplication is surely the internet blogger's favorite math concept. I loved the reprogram your brain page, but for sheer something-from-nothing-audacity, the award goes to Wikipattern How-To Guide.

This obsessive focus on multiplying effectiveness reminds me of the Dire Straits song,

Now that ain't workin' - that's the way you do it,
You play your guitar on the MTV.
That ain't workin' - that's the way you do it,
Money for nothin' and chicks for free

It seems the phrase Multiply your effectiveness is a politically- and economically-correct way of saying money for nothing and chicks for free.

☞  Most people want Something for Nothing. It's a book I found on Amazon. On greed, politics, etc.

☞ Did I say Something for Nothing? A different book, on kleptomania. Shoplifting. Same thing...

What does this all have to do with math? Math says this rags-to-riches strategy won't work, because

Something times nothing is equal to nothing.

Now if you weren't paying attention, you might think I said:

(Thanks to Molly's Grove)

But I didn't say that. I'll repeat the formula:

n x 0 = 0

means you don't get somethin' for nothin'.