Philosophy Now Forum

it's prodigy.... ?

Skip wrote:it's prodigy.... ?

Do you have a better word?

thedoc wrote:

Skip wrote:it's prodigy.... ?

Do you have a better word?

Depends. Do you mean 'it is' an 'exceptionally talented person' or highly unusual phenomenon? In that case, no: your words would be correct.
If you mean that the typewriter gave birth to the word processor, then the grammatically correct, and therefore somewhat better, phrase would be: "its progeny" - but of course, that would be technically incorrect, since the word processor is an adjunct of the computer, which is a descendant of the adding-machine, not the typewriter.

Skip wrote:

thedoc wrote:

Skip wrote:it's prodigy.... ?

Do you have a better word?

Depends. Do you mean 'it is' an 'exceptionally talented person' or highly unusual phenomenon? In that case, no: your words would be correct.
If you mean that the typewriter gave birth to the word processor, then the grammatically correct, and therefore somewhat better, phrase would be: "its progeny" - but of course, that would be technically incorrect, since the word processor is an adjunct of the computer, which is a descendant of the adding-machine, not the typewriter.

Thankyou, "Progeny" is what I meant but couldn't think of the correct spelling, and my computer wasn't much help. Even though the word processor wasn't a direct descendant of the typewriter, the function is the same, with considerable improvement, and that is the connection I was trying to convey.

I figured that out and had no brief with it. My reaction was to the red-cape of it's for the possessive form.
For what it's worth, I agree that the word-processor is a prodigious invention; very positive in many ways.
However, its negative aspects are: allowing us to forget how to spell and enabling far, far too many people in the delusion of authorship.

Skip wrote:I figured that out and had no brief with it. My reaction was to the red-cape of it's for the possessive form.
For what it's worth, I agree that the word-processor is a prodigious invention; very positive in many ways.
However, its negative aspects are: allowing us to forget how to spell and enabling far, far too many people in the delusion of authorship.

I was never very good at spelling, and my computer only lets me know when something is spelled wrong, and doesn't always provide the correct choice for a replacement. It's one thing to have a reasonably good vocabulary, but if you have problems spelling the word you are thinking of, the computer doesn't always help.

I shit you not: the geatest invention is duct tape.

henry quirk wrote:I shit you not: the geatest invention is duct tape.

I guess you could use it to tape up all those obnoxious engineers who keep messing with your drawings.

How many uses are there for duct tape in an office?
Let's see, besides kidnapping and/or neutralizing department-heads and immobilizing engineers...
furniture repair
window covering
coffee cup insulation
flypaper-like trap for unwelcome visitors
disabling the air conditioner
emergency necktie replacement

Not workin' in an office, I can't say how useful a roll of duct tape would be there. Out in the world, however, you can do just about anything with duct tape. You name it and duct tape will make it better, easier, or get you through to when it is better or easier. Along with a first aid kit and baseball bat, I got duct tape in the car.

It cannot be beat.

And it now comes in colours, so I can repair my garage-tent without advertising its dilapidated condition to the whole world.

bobevenson wrote:Actually, I was referring to just those three commonly used items, and while I don't think you can choose one as being greater than the others, they were all invented in the USA.

Stapler. I don't even use the other two.

''The first known stapler was made in the 18th century in France for King Louis XV. Each staple was inscribed with the insignia of the royal court, as required.[4] The growing uses of paper in the 19th century created a demand for an efficient paper fastener.[5]''

As for the paper clip it seems to depend on which side of the Atlantic you are on regarding who invented it. Actually it was probably the Chinese. They invented just about everything else.

The tea break.

Computer search functions ... if only real life had a search function (without RFID).

One can weather many of life's travails with a Swiss army knife, a stick, a towel, gaffa tape and a small, sealed container :)

The exit, which is vastly superior to the entrance.