Although he was often credited with inventing the telephone, in fact Alexander Graham Bell did not create the company the bore his name and brought instant communication to the masses. In fact it was a government bureaucrat who was responsible because with out the taxes put on communications there would be no phone company. In fact the first words spoken through this invention were not as common cited "Watson come here." It was in fact "Watson I must pay more taxes so my worthless neighbors can live a life of ease while I toil in their stead."
The first phrase was just for the common people who do not understand the nuances like the Harvard elite.
( You Didn't Build This City on Rock and Roll, The Government Did, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Harvard University Press 2012)
10 comments:
One of the earliest lessons I learned as a kid was, whether you want to be a successful inventor or a brilliant detective or a Nobel laureate, the first thing to do is find a sidekick named Watson.
It even worked for Jack Nicklaus.
ChipS, They used to have Tom Watson Day @ Royals Stadium every year. All baseball players wish they were golfers. Before the game they would put a pin out in centerfield to see if anyone could beat Watson. The artificial turf made it interesting.
When the baseball players had their first strike Watson made a statement that maybe ballplayers should try competing for salary every week. That was the end of Tom Watson Day. The truth shall get you cancelled.
So who did Dorris plagiarize that from?
Chip S., nice observation! That was almost as profound as the the theory that Ferris Buller did not exist, that he was a figment of Cameron's imagination (like Fight Club).
I hadn't heard that theory, EBL. Is the idea that he makes it up to explain the wrecked Ferrari?
nick, great TW story. I think the PGA is more Republican than the Westchester CC by a wide margin.
Does the SEIU have an official band?
If so, they really should cover that old Jefferson Starship song with a slight rewrite:
We Built This City--and Your Business, Too!
Alex Trebek does not like Watson - it makes him look dim.
Trebek is a pompous French Canuck asshole.
Every time I look at the pic on this post I think he's hitting a bong.
See, if it had been Cheech 'n' Watson, that fuckin' Mexican would've been a big star.
Sometime in the 19th century, a delegation of government dignitaries visited Michael Faraday to view his electric motors and other inventions. One said "This is all very interesting, but of what possible use are these toys?" Faraday responded: "I cannot say what use they may be, but I can confidently predict that one day you will be able to tax them."
Without the future muggers of America we'd all be nothing NOTHING!!!
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