day 4

parable of an innovator 1: tony the wonder horse

Sometimes being first of a kind, best of a kind, or one of a kind is a bad idea. History has not been kind to innovators. The story of Tom Mix and his Wonder Horse is an example. Tom was a superstar long before the Internet, even before Elvis! In fact, Tom was the first cowboy superstar - a silent-screen legend in his own time. Tom and his horse Tony met a tragic death in Arizona, where this week's Daily Dose begins - the Parable of an Innovator. This parable is also somewhat mysterious because nobody knows precisely what happened to Tom and Tony. On October 12, 1940, the star of nearly 400 Western movies lay dead on an Arizona highway. The legend of Tom Mix and his Wonder Horse did not end with their demise. Lingering questions fuel many myths surrounding the highly successful star, innovator, and showman. My favorite account is that Tom was speeding in his 1937 Cord Phaeton convertible - blazing yellow - on a full tank of whiskey, when he missed a turn on US 89. Running off the road, Tom died an ignoble death when his suitcase whacked him in the back of the neck. His string of good luck was ended by a shoddy job of packing. This should not have surprised Tom or the stallion. They had traveled a rocky road for a long time. His alimony suits (he was on wife number 5 when he croaked), skidding film career (he did not make the transition to talkies), and drinking habit were unheeded warning signs. They signaled the coming of the end years even before he drove the Cord into the arroyo. This is the parable of Tom Mix, and it is also a parable of a big name in the computer industry. Tomorrow, we continue with the tale of how the leading PC company in the world ignored early warning signs and ended in the Silicon Valley ditch. Whacked in the back by its own shoddiness, this company is now making a dramatic exit from stardom.

parable of an innovator: 1 2 3 4 5 Daily Dose Index