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Alice and Bob After Dinner Speech: Are Processing Delay Events a Joke or True?
Alice and Bob After Dinner Speech: Are the Processing Delay events a joke or true?
In John Gordon's famous after dinner speech, he notes moments in history were processing delays have changed history. I can't find any reference to these events or messages in history so presume like the rest of the speech is it simply light-hearted made up satire?
Would love your opinion. Text below.
"Send Reinforcements"
"Return home at once, trip cancelled."
- bgentilli 8y agoFull text: History gives us instances when this delay has changed the course of world events. There is a recorded case of a two-word military signal which suffered a processing delay of 150 years. The message, deciphered at the Pentagon in 1972, simply read "Send Reinforcements". It was sent on 1830 from Little Bighorn by General Custer. Consider the message: "Return home at once, trip cancelled." and think of the effect on world events if it had been decoded in time. It was sent in 1492 by Isobella of Spain to Christopher Columbus.
- FiatLuxDave 8y agoThese appear to me to be obvious satires of two events in history where the timing of a message was important. The first is Custer's request for reinforcements not resulting in help arriving in time. See: https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/custer-s-last-message.htm https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/custer-s-last-... The second appears to be a flip of the story about Columbus leaving Spain for France, only to be called back at the last minute: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_33_00007.htm https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/art/artifact/Painting_3...
- bgentilli 8y agothanks - very useful links