3.5. Lesson 17: Sharpen Your Tools
Popular mythology paints the youthful Thomas Edison as a telegrapher of almost supernatural skill. In fact, he never rose above the status of journeyman among fellow telegraphers. Although he always denied it, he was certainly hampered by his bad hearing, and if he hoped he could compensate for his shortcomings as a receiver by becoming a great sender, he was doomed to disappointment. Many men were faster at the key than he was.
Edison coped with his deficiencies through technology, but also by developing a unique personal skill. The latter approach is especially interesting because it illustrates the inventor's habit of viewing entire processes whenever he was looking for a path to innovation. He tried, at ...
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