"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."
The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
"But what ... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home."
Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."
Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?"
David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible."
A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service.
(Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
"Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?"
H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper."
Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in "Gone With The Wind."
"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make."
Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting Mrs. Fields' Cookies.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."
Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible."
Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
"If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do this."
Spencer Silver, on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M "Post-It" Notepads.
"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you. You haven't got through college yet.'"
Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal computer.
"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools."
1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.
"You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can't be done. It's just a fact of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training."
Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the "unsolvable" problem by inventing Nautilus.
"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You're crazy."
Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.
"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau."
Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.
"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value."
Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure deGuerre.
"Everything that can be invented has been invented."
Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899.
"Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous fiction".
Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872
"The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon".
Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873.
"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
Bill Gates, 1981
「…像水上救生、拔河、合氣道、野外定向等,恐怕只有小貓三隻四隻會去捧場。」
「掛羊頭賣狗肉」的高雄世運會,陸以正,中華民國前駐南非大使
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Popular Posts (All Time)/滿堂紅
-
建國中學不如青島啤酒 發表於6月25日自由時報 老父遺訓為「化獨漸統」的 馬膺九 先生將 建國中學的英文譯名 的拼音由威妥瑪拼音的Chien Kuo改成了漢語拼音的Jianguo。此舉拍 中 對 華人民共和 國 岸 的馬屁拍過了頭。非但是對建國中學的大不敬,更顯得對漢語拼音的無知...
-
台灣之敵 發表於 2019-04-27 自由時報: 《ROC才是「台灣之敵」》 民進黨立委王定宇前年提出「刑法」修正草案,希望將「敵人」增列為構成要件,是忽略台灣的法理現實而導致的蛇足。中國共黨政權固然是中華民國的敵人,但對台灣而言,中華民國才是法理上(de jure)與事實上(...
-
Man of la Mancha (I, Don Quixote) : 從俠到瞎 Man of la Mancha (I, Don Quixote) Lyrics CERVANTES May I set the stage? I shall impersonate a man. ...
-
身分證加註國旗、國號之必要 發表於: 2019-04-04 自由時報 立法委員 黃昭順女士主張身分證應該要有國旗、國名 。身分證本來應該是國內使用的文件,加註國號、國旗實屬蛇足。但中華民國身分證因其特殊性,卻有註明的必要。因爲事實上(de facto)它就是國際性的文件,根據中華...
-
台灣英文大丈夫 發表於2018年10月25日自由時報:《 台灣三次語言大換血--談英文列第二官方語言 》 台灣別說以英語文作爲第二官方語文沒問題,就算把英語做爲「國語」也是小菜一碟。我們早有三次成功案例。而且台灣人的英語文並沒有想像中的那麼差。真正爛的是教育、考試方式。 台灣三次...
Popular Posts (7 Days)/七日紅
-
建國中學不如青島啤酒 發表於6月25日自由時報 老父遺訓為「化獨漸統」的 馬膺九 先生將 建國中學的英文譯名 的拼音由威妥瑪拼音的Chien Kuo改成了漢語拼音的Jianguo。此舉拍 中 對 華人民共和 國 岸 的馬屁拍過了頭。非但是對建國中學的大不敬,更顯得對漢語拼音的無知...
-
Lady's 小吃部、月越泰:古早價的古早味 頭家說:「我們只有兩種客人:一種是從不來吃的;一種是回頭客。」因為實在是太超值了。這年頭,到哪裡去找20元的皮蛋豆腐跟燙青菜? 廚藝是中規中矩的古早味。炒飯鑊氣足。用力推。 店址: 高雄 打狗 市苓雅區永平路104號 就在青年...
-
On Starbucks/關於星巴克的二三事 Watching 2011 remake of Moby Dick. Notice the character named Starbuck. Google answered my question once again: Starb...
-
正港高捷弊案第二彈:菜英文/Engrish at Formosa Boulevard 世界第二美的 打狗 捷運美麗島站之美中不足: Be Environmental : I guess they meant "be environmental friendly....
-
Restore Linux (Ubuntu 10.04) MBR after Windows installation/重灌暈到死後復原Linux開機 Boot with Ubuntu LiveCD Mount the partition containing /boot to ...
No comments:
Post a Comment