Author Archive

Waseem Ahmad

I love technology! I love how it improves our lives by allowing us to instantly communicate with people across the globe, access tremendous amounts of data in an instant, and produce and consume meaningful information. Computers give you the power to take tasks of enormous size and complexity and simplify them. I find computing very exciting and challenging which is why I'm working at Facebook as a Software Engineer. I recently completed my Bachelors in Computer Science from Rice University.

I've moved a lot as I grew up. So I've lived in 8 different cities across the world and hope to live in and travel to many more. Currently, I live in San Francisco, CA. When I'm not working or exercising at the gym, I'm always ready for an adventure! I love coffee, good conversations, movies, biking, reading, writing, flying remote control aircrafts, and most of all, the company of good friends.

2013: Year in Review

Written by Waseem Ahmad. Posted in Blog

sanfranciscoThis year has been full of travel, new experiences, and achievements! Lately, as it’s has been coming to an end I’ve been reflecting on how it went. I’m really grateful for all the moments and opportunities that I’ve had this year!

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Hacker Life

Written by Waseem Ahmad. Posted in Blog, Computer Science

I’ve attended quite a few hackathons in the past month. This happened as a combination of my personal interest, opportunities coming along my way, and immersion in the hacker culture at Facebook during my internship. Here are my views about hackathons:
  • You sacrifice on sleep to create something really cool that interests you with an incredibly limited amount of time and resources.
  • Along the way, you run into issues that you could not have foreseen. Sometimes this leads to a pivot or a restart to a completely different idea. Other times, you can alleviate the issue through a clever hack.
  • You have to fully leverage your team and make sure every cylinder is firing.
  • You have to create a product / prototype that everyone will find creative, innovative, useful, and technically challenging.
  • If you’re solely in it for money / prizes, you’re unlikely to succeed or remain motivated. The whole point is to program and collaborate in a playful and exploratory manner. The biggest win is the knowledge and experience you gain coming out of the hackathon.
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