Hacking Work #3: Adding custom functions to ArcSight FlexConnectors, Android and Toastmasters

Recently, I downloaded the game MouseTrap to my Android phone. While playing the game, it provided an opportunity for itself to solve the puzzle for you, provided that you did not get itself to solve it an hour ago. In other words, once you use the auto-solving system, you cannot use it in the next hour.

Recognizing how it worked, I wrote a hack on Android that allows the auto-solving system to be called countless number of times. And this reminds me of an extension system I wrote nearly a year ago to add custom functions to ArcSight FlexConnectors / ArcSight FlexConnector while working at ArcSight within the Technical Support department. Last year, a PS guy sent an email to the team on whether it was possible to convert hex to decimal, when reading custom logs, using FlexConnectors. I came up with a solution faster than anyone else despite not working on the ArcSight development team.

Sometime later, I decided to submit it for the ArcSight Protect 10 conference. Since I wanted to present an extremely well thought-out presentation, I took the opportunity to sign up for Toastmasters. I had the distinct impression that I came out with a very ingenious solution because quite a while later, I was informed that I wasn't in the list of Protect 10 presenters.

The MouseTrap hack and the FlexConnector hack? They both belong to the same class of hacks... When things don't go your way, hack the work (see #1 and #2)!