Robert J. Bradbury wrote:
> The cost of something depends on the cost of the
> raw materials, the energy required for assembly and the
> speed of assembly.
A not-completely-insignificant quibble: I would say "The cost of a product depends on the total quantity of human effort (direct and indirect) required to make it." Energy and material costs are really just indirect human labor costs.
IMO it can be very instructive to view cost issues in these terms, because it makes it very easy to see where you do and do not have big cost changes. It makes it obvious pervasive automation has such incredible economic potential, while making it easy to see that nuclear power does not automatically mean cheaper electricity.
Billy Brown, MCSE+I
bbrown@transcient.com