I Knew There Was a Blog Post in There Somewhere 0
This came through in my Quotes of the Day email a few days ago (emphasis added):
On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament!], ‘Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?’ I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.
– Charles Babbage, 1792 – 1871
I figured I could do something with it, but what it was was not readily apparent.
So I decided to let it sit on the back burner of my brainpan for a while.
Then my friend Nancy nailed it. Put in the wrong numbers, and you get the bailout:
Re the quote: “. . .if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?”
That sounds like the Sec’y of the Treasury & Congress wrestling with the housing crisis!! {How in hell did it happen & whom shall we give the bailout $s to??}
