The World Is Flat

"I would rather be a genius born in China than an average guy born in Poughkeepsie" - Bill Gates

Source: OK, I'll tell you. The book is The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman.

Explanation: So, today's quote is taken somewhat out of context. Here's the excerpt:

And as a result of China's drive to succeed, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates argued to me, the "ovarian lottery" has changed - as has the whole relationship between geography and talent. Thirty years ago, he said, if you had a choice between being born a genius on the outskirts of Bombay or Shanghai or being born an average person in Poughkeepsie, you would take Poughkeepsie, because your chances of thriving and living a decent life there, even with average talent, were much greater. But as the world has gone flat, Gates said, and so many people can now plug and play from anywhere, natural talent has started to trump geography.

"Now," he said, "I would rather be a genius born in China than an average guy born in Poughkeepsie."

But enough about Poughkeepsie. The following was by far the most amusing and bizarre quote in the entire book. It is a testimonial from a Google user:

I just want to thank Google for teaching me how to find love. While looking for my estranged brother, I stumbled across a Mexican Web site for male strippers - and I was shocked. My brother was working as a male prostitute! The first chance I got, I flew to the city he was working in to liberate him from this degrading profession. I went to the club he was working at and found my brother. But more than that, I met one of his coworkers... We got married last weekend [in Mexico], and I am positive without Google's services, I never would have found my brother, my husband, or the surprisingly lucrative nature of the male stripping industry in Mexico!! Thank you, Google!

And on that note, we'll bring this week to an end. Have a great weekend, everybody!