IP: Episode I: The Phantom Windfall

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>Date: Tue, 18 May 1999 14:17:27 -0700 (PDT)
>From: John Wharton <jwharton@netcom.com>
>To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
>Subject: Episode I: The Phantom Windfall
>
>
>Dave--
>
>Signs of a healthy free-market economy: supply rising to meet demand.
>
>For what it's worth, the Century 16 Googolplex theater in Mountain 
>View (CA) is taking steps to accommodate the large crowds expected 
>for the new Star Wars film.  They've scheduled /28 separate screenings/ 
>for Wednesday alone, starting at 12:01am (!).  
>
>A total of 98 additional showings are planned through Sunday night.  
>
>
>Why bother scheduling formal showtimes at all?  Why not just go "16 
>Screens, No Waiting!"?:  Take the roller-coaster metaphor: usher the 
>crowds of rabid fans into each empty theater until it's full, then 
>start the ride and rechannel the remaining flood of ticketholders into 
>the next empty car in line, 24 hours a day, until they're all gone?
>
>Just a thought.  Sorry for the interruption...  
>
>   --John Wharton