Thanks to Trebor A. Rude for
this link.
“It was customary that all emperors be lovers of the latest
mechanical and technological gadgets. This custom of early
adaptation went back many dynasties, back to the day of the
mechanical nightingale.”
“So it was expected, when the old emperor died and the new
emperor was installed, that he would be fair game, like his fathers
before him, for the usual vendors and their gewgaws…”
“Transparency relates to the system underlying the computer. Its
intent is to make computing easy. Instead of worrying how the
computer works, you simply push buttons, and it works. You don’t
need to understand the computer. The computer does the
understanding for you.”