This is The 38th Signal, a weblog about design, coding, design, experience, design, constraints, cookware, and so much more. Established 2007 in Angola.

Mata Hari was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was executed by firing squad for espionage during World War I. Before she was executed by a firing squad, she was pretty successful at what she did. Here're a few tips from Mata:

Use an exotic name
Nobody's going to be impressed if you have a name they understand or can relate to. Get a name that means something in a language they don't understand. That automatically makes you more important to them, because other cultures are better than theirs.

Give the people what they want
Sexy Women have been in demand since there were Men. Men are the decision makers. Give them Sexy Women. Come on, it's not rocket science.

Show some skin
You've got it... don't hide it! Let them call you shallow or decadent or whatever, at least you have a business model that doesn't go out of style. See point number two.

Sleep your way to the top
There are some powerful people out there that know how to get you where you want to go... Britain, Spain, Germany, past enemy lines, wherever. Give those people what they want and you'll go far. See points number two and three.

Dress up nice for your execution
When all else fails, keep your sense of style and mystique until the end. And stay positive! If nothing else, people will wonder if there's something they're missing, which will keep them off their guard. After you're gone, they may make legends about you.

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