closures after all?

[Neal Gafter]

On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Tim Peierls <tim at peierls.net> wrote:

> Here's an imperfect but suggestive analogy: More options in the treatment
> of a disease might offer hope to millions, but the physician's job is harder
> because she has to evaluate more options in the context of each patient. She
> might be glad to be able to offer her patients a promising new therapy, but
> she is working longer hours (or seeing fewer patients).
>

Doctors can do better by their patients by investing more time, with or
without new techniques.  On the other hand, she may be able to save more
lives with the same effort by taking advantage of the new techniques.  That
seems to be the way it works in practice.

Here's another: The addition of a new instrument when scoring a musical
> theater piece broadens the palette of available colors. The orchestrator is
> probably pleased when the producers cough up the extra dough for the player,
> because now he can achieve certain effects more easily, but he also knows
> that he'll be working harder -- it's another part to write. (But he's
> getting paid more, so he's not going to object. :-))
>

The ochestrator can do a better job by investing more time with or without
new instruments.  On the other hand, he may be able to better achieve his
goals with the same cost and effort by taking advantage of a new instrument
in place of a more traditional one.

Cheers,
Neal
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