The Matthew Effect

Working on my Obsidian plugins. Quote from Marcus Aurelius.

Hey there.

I hope you've had a great week.

What I've made for you

I’ve been working on making my Obsidian plugin, QuickAdd, better.
There’s still a ton of work to do. Especially under the hood.

QuickAdd has been out for about 2 years now. It came out not long after I started using Obsidian. First as a Templater script, which was found to be too limiting after a short while. Then, I ported it to be a standalone plugin, which is when things started getting crazy.

As of writing, the plugin has more than 226,000 downloads. The accompanying video I made is closing in on 100,000 views.

These numbers are crazy to me. I appreciate every single person who has interacted with the plugin, or with me, as a result of seeing it.

I still get a spark of happiness when I see the things people have created using my work. In the beginning, I’d often help people in the Obsidian Discord with settings things up, and then later see the result. But now, people are creating crazy workflows, which I just happen to stumble upon. Seeing these things is just indescribable — someone, somewhere, finds the little piece of code I wrote helpful in some way.

The Matthew Effect

The Matthew effect, also known as accumulated advantage, is a phenomenon where those who have achieved success are more likely to continue to succeed, while those who have not are more likely to continue to struggle.

It is called the Matthew effect, after Saint Matthew. There's a verse in The Bible:

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

The Bible

Or, as Hamming puts it in his talk, You and Your Research:

"Onto those who have, shall be given. Onto those who have not, shall be taken away. Or to put it bluntly: those who got gets, and those who haven't got it—you know what happens."

Richard Hamming

This is true in science and your career.

  • Once you're famous, it's easier to stay famous. You'll be given more opportunities & learn more.

  • In science, researchers who have made significant contributions to their field are often given more opportunities to conduct research and receive funding for their projects. This can lead to even more discoveries and recognition, further cementing their status as influential scientists.

  • In careers, individuals who have established themselves as successful are often given more opportunities for promotion, networking, and career advancement. This can result in a cycle of success, where those who have achieved a certain level of recognition continue to receive more recognition and opportunities.

You have to do something outstanding, or it'll get taken from you.

As a corollary, the Matthew effect makes it hard for newcomers to break into a field or climb the ladder. So we should take chances on those new to the game. Give opportunities to those who haven’t had their shot.

Quote

Soon you’ll be ashes, or bones. A mere name, at most—and even that is just a sound, an echo. The things we want in life are empty, stale, and trivial. Dogs snarling at each other. Quarreling children—laughing and then bursting into tears a moment later. Trust, shame, justice, truth—“gone from the earth and only found in heaven.” Why are you still here? Sensory objects are shifting and unstable; our senses dim and easily deceived; the soul itself a decoction of the blood; fame in a world like this is worthless. —And so? Wait for it patiently—annihilation or metamorphosis. —And until that time comes—what? Honor and revere the gods, treat human beings as they deserve, be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Remember, nothing belongs to you but your flesh and blood—and nothing else is under your control.

Marcus Aurelius