On inventing

Another installment of a conversation with The Most Brilliant Person Alive.

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MBPA:  Do you ever think about inventing something?

Ashlin:  What, like, you mean in particular?  Like have I come up with something?

MBPA:  Yeah!

Ashlin:  No.  Not really, not yet, at least.  Why, have you?

MBPA:  I HAVE.

Ashlin:  No kiddin!  What is it?

MBPA:  Okay, well… they’re socks…

Ashlin:  Uh-huh?

MBPA:  BUT!  They have little divots in them between the toes… So you can wear them with sandals!

Ashlin:  …

MBPA:  Isn’t that smart?

Ashlin:  … Yeah.  It is smart.

MPBA:  See?!  It’s great, right?

Ashlin:  Yeah.  Because it’s been done already.

MBPA:  What?!

Ashlin:  Well, first off, because the 70’s brought about toe socks to the Americas.

MPBA:  Oh yeah.  I remember that.

Ashlin:  But more importantly, just so I’m clear, what you’re referring to is a sock with indentations specifically between the big toe and the next in the series, right?

MBPA:  YEAH!  See?  Completely different.

Ashlin:  Yeah.  That’s been done before, too.

MBPA:  Oh yeah?  Where?

Ashlin:  … I don’t know… 17th century Japan.

MBPA:  Whaaaa??

Ashlin:  No, seriously.  They wore toe socks that made space for their little wooden thong shoes.

MBPA:  What?  That’s ridiculous.

Ashlin:  What’s ridiculous about that?  You just came up with the same idea without realizing it’s been implemented for centuries.  Isn’t it actually smart on your part to come up with an idea like that without prior knowledge that it’s already been invented?

MBPA:  No.  It’s stupid because it sounds like you’re making that up just to put my idea down.

Ashlin: WHAAA?!  No!  Christ, look, we’ll look it up right now…

Ashlin:  Okay.  What do you say now?

MBPA:  … Well. … At least I’ve got one advantage.

Ashlin:  Oh yeah?  Wassat?

MBPA:  I’ve got a better name for it.

Ashlin:  What is it.

MBPA:  “FLOP SOCKS.”

Ashlin:  … Right.

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