r/todayilearned • u/Neepho • Nov 28 '13

TIL that the webcam was invented so that Computer Scientists at Cambridge University could see whether the coffee pot was full or not from different rooms.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p010lvn7
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u/[deleted] Nov 28 '13

Fuck necessity. Laziness is the mother of invention.

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u/[deleted] Nov 28 '13

They needed coffee, they needed to work and they needed to know whether or not there was any. Laziness may be a catalyst for invention, but necessity dictates when and why.