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It is likely that someone did realize this, did the math on the labor costs to pull all the wire up across the country, and realized it wouldn't actually be pro
by olympus 9y ago
It is likely that someone did realize this, did the math on the labor costs to pull all the wire up across the country, and realized it wouldn't actually be profitable. There are guys that track individual ships across the ocean to decide what/when to trade, I doubt everyone missed the value of ATT's physical assets.
- cperciva 9y agoI don't think that Tanenbaum was being completely serious. The point is to put the value of that copper (and the cost of replacing it in the event that it is damaged) into perspective.
- andymcsherry 9y agoHe certainly wasn't. If you read his political blog (http://electoral-vote.com/ http://electoral-vote.com/), you'll find this sort of sarcasm is his hallmark.
- cperciva 9y agoRight, my extreme understatement was my British sense of humour coming through. I was forgetting that HN has people whose only exposure to Tanenbaum is via the Linus-Tanenbaum debate (or possibly not even that) and for whom his sarcasm and my characterization of it would be less obvious. My favourite Tanenbaumism, while I'm on the topic: Aircraft carriers are modular. If a toilet gets clogged, it doesn't start launching nuclear missiles.
- dfc 9y agoThe quote would be so much better if the subject were submarines instead of carriers.
- cperciva 9y agoPerhaps... but the non-modular software equivalents of aircraft carriers routinely do launch metaphorical nuclear missiles despite not being intended to ever have that functionality.
- abysmalfitzg 9y agoI do agree that aircraft carriers have stronger claims to being British :)
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- rz2k 9y agoFurthermore the statement mischaracterizes the ownership rights AT&T actually held over that copper once it was in place. For example, according to federal law, AT&T had to extend service almost everywhere at nearly fixed rates, even if revenue from the installation would never pay for itself.
- dzhiurgis 9y agoWhat's your take on Nickel, Cobalt, etc metal market that goes into modern batteries?
- olympus 9y agoRecycling batteries is obviously profitable since there are many companies that do it.