Jake the inventer

[planedriver]

Jake the inventor is struggling through the air terminal with two huge and obviously heavy suitcases when a stranger walks up to him and ask "Have you got the time?"

 

Jake sighs, puts down the suitcases and glances at his wrist. "Its a quarter to six" he says.

 

Hay, that's a pretty fancy watch" exclaimes the stranger. Jake brightens a little. "Yeah, it's not bad. I've been working on it for months - Check this out" - and he shows him the time zone display, not just for every time zone in the world, but for the 86 largest cities in the world. He hits a few buttons and from somewhere on the watch a voice says "the time is eleven till six" in a Cape Cod accent. A few more buttons and the same voice says something in Spanish then Japanese. Jake continues "Ive also put in regiona accents for each city". The dislplay is unbelievably high quality and the voice is simply astounding.

 

The stranger is struck dumb with admiration. "Thats not all" says Jake. He pushes a few more buttons and a tiny but very high-resolution map of New York City appears on the display. " The flashing dot shows our location by satellite positioning" explains Jake. "View recede ten", Jake says, and the dispaly changes to show eastern New York State. "I want to buy this watch" Says the stranger.

 

"Oh,no, its not ready for sale yet; I'm still working out the bugs." "But look at this", and he proceeds to demonstrate that the watch is also a very creditable little FM radio receiver with a digital tuner, a sonar device that can mesure distances up to 125 meters, a pager with thermal paper printout, and most impressive of all, the capacity for voice recording of up to 300 standard-sized books. "though I only have 32 of my most favorites in there so far" says Jake.

 

"I've got to have that watch" says the stranger.

 

"No, you don't understand; its not ready"

 

"I'll give you $1,000 for it".

 

"Oh, no, I've already spent more than that--"

 

"I'll give you $5,000 for it!"

 

"But its just not-"

 

"I'll give you $15,000 for it!" And the stranger pulls out a checkbook' Jake stops to think. He's only put about $8,500 into materials and development, and with $15,000 he can make another one and have it ready for merchandising in only six months. The stranger frantically finishes writing the check and waves it in front of him. "Here it is, ready to hand to you right here and now. $15,000. Take it or leave it."

 

Jake abruptly makes his decision. "OK", he says, and peels off the watch.

 

They make the exchange and the stranger starts happily away. "Hay, wait a minute", calls Jake to the stranger, who turns around warily. Jakes points to the two suitcases he'd been trying to werstle through the terminal.

 

"Don't forget your hard drive and batteries".