Reaper Man (Terry David John Pratchett) читать бесплатно онлайн полную версию книги

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The joke here is that Ned Simnel is trying to think of a new, better way to power his Combination Harvester, when he is interrupted by the “pointless distraction” of his kettle boiling over. This refers to our world’s anecdote about James Watt, who supposedly got his idea for improving the steam engine when he watched the condensing steam from a kettle on the boil.

(Note that contrary to popular belief, Watt didn’t invent the steam engine itself: what he did was have revolutionary new ideas (e.g. the use of a condenser) on how to make the steam engine really (cost-)efficient, practical and portable.)