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From: hollombe@ttidcc.UUCP (The Polymath)
Newsgroups: net.misc,net.physics
Subject: Re: Re: perpet motion - oil companies hiding plans is self-contradictory
Message-ID: <295@ttidcc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 22-Mar-85 20:26:03 EST
Article-I.D.: ttidcc.295
Posted: Fri Mar 22 20:26:03 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 26-Mar-85 05:04:10 EST
Organization: The CAT Factory
Lines: 36
Xref: watmath net.misc:7641 net.physics:2307

>From: davet@oakhill.UUCP (Dave Trissel)
>Newsgroups: net.misc,net.physics
>Subject: Re: perpet motion - oil companies hiding plans is self-contradictory
>Message-ID: <369@oakhill.UUCP>
>
>I've always thought that the ideas about oil companies (or any other business)
>buying up or otherwise hiding ideas or patents which are so potent as to
>revolutionize (and thus undermine) their field of activity is self-contradict-
>ory.
>
>The obvious reason is that if those ideas or patents are so potent, then
>billions of dollars could be had by exploiting them, *not* hiding them!
.
.
.
>Is there something I'm missing?

Yes, the fact that all of these big businesses are economically  geared  to
be  concerned  only  with short-term profits.  They can't see past the next
quarter's bottom line and can't justify to their stockholders taking a loss
for  a  year  or two even if it means eventual huge profits.  Tooling up to
use an entirely  new  technology  is  horrendously  expensive.  That's  why
they'd  rather  suppress it.  It's much easier to continue in the old, less
efficient ways.

Note:  I'm not saying I believe in perpetual motion or gasoline pills, but
       the above principle does hold in real life situations.

-- 
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe)
Citicorp TTI
3100 Ocean Park Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA  90405
(213) 450-9111, ext. 2483
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