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Business Legend - Thomas Watson JR


Thomas Watson JR: A Computer Magnet


As the eldest son of the president of International Business Machines, Thomas Watson grew up tortured by self-doubt. He suffered bouts of depression and once burst into tears over the thought that his formidable father wanted him to join IBM and eventually run what was already a significant company.


Yet 26 years later, Watson not only succeeded his father but also would eventually surpass him. Big Blue put its logo on 70% of the world's computers and so thoroughly dominated the industry that even rivals like Univac - which built the first large commercial computer - were dismissed as merely part of "the Bunch".


小托马斯·沃森:电脑磁铁



作为国际商业机器公司(ibm)总统的长子,托马斯•沃森(Thomas Watson)在自我怀疑的折磨下长大。他曾遭受过几次抑郁症的折磨,有一次,想到他那令人敬畏的父亲希望他加入IBM,并最终执掌一家已经很重要的公司,他不禁潸然泪下。


然而26年后,沃森不仅继承了他的父亲,而且最终超越了他。蓝色巨人在全球70%的电脑上都有自己的标志,并且完全控制了电脑行业,甚至连制造了第一台大型商用电脑的Univac这样的竞争对手也被斥为“一群人”中的一员。

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willer
willer
Apr 09, 2019

Write an essay within 250 words, using comparison and contrast to describe how a person grows into a famous one.

写一篇250字以内的文章,用对比和对比来描述一个人如何成长为一个著名的人。

https://lanfeizi.wixsite.com/english-learning/blog/kai-fu-lee-the-road-to-life-lies-in-your-every-choice

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willer
willer
Apr 08, 2019

A heart attack forced Watson to retire at age 57 in 1971, leaving him plenty of time for such adventures as retracing a flight across Siberia that he had made during the war. A lifelong Democrat, Watson served for two years as Jimmy Carter's ambassador to Moscow. But perhaps his proudest achievement was to emerge from the shadow of a legendary, relentlessly demanding father. In his first five years as chairman, the younger Watson observed the anniversary of his father's death in 1956 with a ritual. He quietly took stock of what IBM had accomplished since his father died, and then said to his wife, "That's another year I've made it in his absence."


1971年,因心脏病发作,57岁的沃森被迫退休,这给他留下了大量的时间,让他有足够的时间去探索他在战争期间穿越西伯利亚的飞行路线。沃森一生都是民主党人,曾担任吉米·卡特(Jimmy Carter)驻莫斯科大使两年。但也许他最自豪的成就是摆脱了一个传奇人物的阴影,一个无情地要求父亲。在他担任主席的头五年里,小沃森用一种仪式来纪念他父亲1956年去世一周年。他平静地回顾了自父亲去世以来IBM所取得的成就,然后对妻子说:“在他离开后,我又过了一年。”

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willer
willer
Apr 08, 2019

With IBM clearly on top in the early '60s, Watson took one of the biggest gambles in corporate history. He proposed spending about three times IBM's revenues at the time to develop a new line of computers that would make the company's existing machines obsolete. The goal was to replace specialized units with a family of compatible computers that could fill every date-processing need. Customers could start with small computers and move up as their demands increased, taking their old software along with them. This flexibility inspired the name System/360, after the 360 degrees in a circle. Ultimately, IBM's base of installed computers jumped.


上世纪60年代初,IBM显然处于领先地位,沃森押下了公司历史上最大的赌注之一。他提议将IBM当时收入的三倍左右用于开发一条新的电脑产品线,使该公司现有的电脑过时。其目标是用一系列兼容的计算机来取代专门的单元,这些计算机可以满足所有的数据处理需求。客户可以从小型计算机开始,随着需求的增加,他们可以带着旧的软件升级。这种灵活性启发了名称系统/360,以360度为圆心。最终,IBM的安装计算机基数跃升。

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willer
willer
Apr 08, 2019

IBM's future lay in computers - not a 19th century information technology like tabulators. Even the first primitive vacuum-tube machines could calculate 10 times as fast as IBM's tabulators. He recruited electronics experts and brought in luminaries like computer pioneer to teach the company's engineers and scientists. By 1963, IBM had grabbed an 8-to-1 lead in revenues over Sperry Rand.


IBM的未来在于计算机——而不是像制表机那样的19世纪信息技术。即使是最早的原始真空管计算机,其计算速度也是IBM制表机的10倍。他聘请了电子专家,并聘请了计算机先驱等知名人士来教授公司的工程师和科学家。到1963年,IBM在收入上以8比1领先于斯佩里·兰德(Sperry Rand)。

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willer
willer
Apr 08, 2019

His success in promoting the use of flight simulators earned him a job as aide and pilot for Major General, the Army Air Forces' inspector general. He flew throughout Asia, Africa and the Pacific, displaying steel nerves and shrewd foresight and planning skills. He was set to fly for United Air Lines after the war when a chance conversation changed his course. In formed of his job plans, "Really? I always thought you'd go back and run the IBM company." the general said.


他在推广使用飞行模拟器方面的成功为他赢得了一份副官和少将飞行员的工作。他飞遍了亚洲、非洲和太平洋,展现出钢铁般的意志、敏锐的预见和规划技巧。战争结束后,一次偶然的谈话改变了他的航线,他本打算飞往联合航空公司。根据他的工作计划,“真的吗?我一直以为你会回去和运行IBM公司,”将军说。

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