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From: kenner@lab.ultra.nyu.edu (Richard Kenner)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Creating markets (long)
Date: 15 Sep 1994 17:00:43 GMT
Organization: New York University Ultracomputer Research Lab
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 <351m34$1706@watnews1.watson.ibm.com>
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Date: 1994-09-15T17:00:43+00:00
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In article <351m34$1706@watnews1.watson.ibm.com> ncohen@watson.ibm.com writes:
>It reminds me of the (fictional) story of the corporation offered the
>opportunity to build the George Washington Bridge as a private
>enterprise, and in return to receive the rights to all tolls collected.
>The corporation observed that there were no cars currently driving across
>the Hudson River between upper Manhattan and Ft. Lee, NJ, and concluded
>that there was no market for the bridge.

I heard a variant of this story, where the river was unnamed, the 
corporation was IBM, and the marketing study was done by placing a
boat in the center of the river and counting the number of people
swimming across.