William A. Shurcliff Discovers Parkinson's Principle Of Pyramiding Pride

(Page 3 of 3)

September/October 1975
By the Mother Earth News editors 
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The Sam Botts Co. took no visible action for many months. Old Man Botts said nothing to his department heads. He asked no one for help. He built nothing. Day after day he sat in his small office staring off into space. Finally, he mailed off a small package (a manila envelope, which required 20c postage) to the sponsoring agency. The envelope contained an ordinary Faber Co. wooden pencil, a check for $990,000, and a brief note which read: "This machine-pencil- meets the requirements: it writes in any language, is unaffected by damp climates, and, when caught in a flood, floats. Am returning the money we didn't need. Yours truly, S. Botts.

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The sponsoring agency was furious with Botts. The press ridiculed him. The stockholders felt crushed they cut his salary and eventually eased him out of the company entirely.

Today, there are 3,237,000,000 wooden pencils in use in Africa No second TWP machine was ever built.

Before I could catch my breath, Parkinson said: "Sorry. Must leave, Am to attend the dedication of the new NSF-funded solar heating system for the local high school. They say it's a technological masterpiece!"

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