I don't know what the point of Babbage's statement was; it makes little sense other than a quip, or - as 'immibis suggests upthread[0] - a case of Babbage not r

I don't know what the point of Babbage's statement was; it makes little sense other than a quip, or - as 'immibis suggests upthread[0] - a case of Babbage not realizing he's being tested by someone worried he's a fraud. I do usually know what the point of any comment quoting that Babbage's statement is, and in such cases, including this one, I almost always find it wanting. -- [0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43893270 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43893270