The department store Marshall Field's hired a wordsmith to listen to Fuller talk for two days. After playing around with syllables, he came up with "dymaxion" as a good brand name that fit the way Fuller talked. Fuller liked it so much he used it for a lot of projects: Dymaxion house, Dymaxion car, Dymaxion World Map, and Dymaxion Chronofile. The Chronofile made Buckminster Fuller the most-documented person in history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_Chronofile
>After playing around with syllables, he came up with "dymaxion" as a good brand name that fit the way Fuller talked.
I wonder if the word smith facetiously chose this word because it sounds really stupid. After all, the way that Fuller makes up his own words makes him sound like a raving idiot. Don't get me wrong, he was undoubtedly a really smart guy, but his personality and mannerisms detract from that.
Looking through the lens of 2013 it might sound stupid. In the cultural context of the mid-20th century it was perfectly appropriate. Fifty years from now the word "iPhone" will probably sound like the dumbest name ever.
