The discussion about whether products are better when made by an artisan reminds me of the essay called "What Colour are your bits?" http://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/l

The discussion about whether products are better when made by an artisan reminds me of the essay called "What Colour are your bits?" http://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/lawpoli/colour/2004061001.php http://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/lawpoli/colour/2004061001.php The article discusses how society treats information differently depending on where it came from, and how it was produced -- even if that difference is not observable in the raw bits themselves. When we are discussing whether artisan-made products are better, I think it is worthwhile to have in mind whether we're considering objective, measurable standards, or a different sort of perspective that takes into account "color". From the article: > Of course, we need to think about yield, efficiency and environmental impact. But we also need to think about what kind of world we want to live in. And if we do, most of us would say that we would prefer food chains that preserve human links between consumer, farmer, land, and animals, in a landscape that combines functionality and beauty as much as is possible. Is the concept of "preserving human links" something that can be measured objectively, or is it color?