Chris Zell wrote:
New GM chairman knows "nothing about cars" but he promises to learn
about them.
Very reassuring. . . .
Actually, sometimes the people who know little or nothing about an
industry are the ones you need. You want so-called outsiders. For
example, post-WWII freight transportation was revolutionized by
container-ships and container freight trains. (This is called
intermodal freight transport or "containerization".) The concept was
largely invented and pushed through by Malcom McLean, a non-expert
who knew little about ships. He started out as a truck driver, so he
understood the basics. He was arguably the most important innovator
in the history of modern freight transport, perhaps second only to
Trevithick -- another outsider.
For 10 extra points, what does Trevithick have to do with cold fusion?
People from outside the profession sometimes make successful
politicians. "Who sent you" was the classic Chicago pol response to
anyone who wanted to run for office or get a job. It meant: What
party boss sent you? Who are you beholden to? (So-far-) successful
modern politicians that nobody sent, who were Quite Unwelcome by the
establishment, include Obama in the U.S., and in Japan Hatoyama (the
next prime-minister in a huge upset) and Min. of Health Labor and
Welfare Masuzoe, the only LDP member who is not presently politically
radioactive. Masuzoe and the head of the Communist Party, K. Shii,
are the only two Japanese politicians I know who speak to the point
with common sense.
By the way, the present crop of Japanese politicians are well
educated with technical backgrounds. Hatoyama has a PhD in
engineering from Stanford U. and was an assistant prof. at Senshu U.
Mazuzoe was an assistant prof. in Pol. Sci. at Tokyo U., and Shii
graduated from the Engineering dept, Tokyo U. Hatoyama sometimes
talks like a professor in a way that people cannot understand, and
has been nicknamed "the alien" (uchuujin) because of this.
- Jed
