Words and pictures

Listening to: Almost Here-Unbelievable Truth

A picture is worth a thousand words. Apparently.

Really I can't argue with that. Showing someone something is generally way more effective than describing it.

So having established that, I got to wondering how much a picture of a thousand words was worth.

First of all, a picture of a thousand words had to be created. And here you go:
You can count them if you like, or just take my word for it (cue comedy drum splash).

So what is it worth? The traditional market dictum of "as much as the market will stand" (i.e., just a little less than too much), or the slightly vaguer dictum of "as much as someone is prepared to pay for it"?

Comic value
Hard to define. This can range from none to priceless. Up to the viewer really, but I at least found the concept moderately amusing, to the point of chuckling quietly to myself at various times when toying with the idea.

Philosophical value
Obviously I found this intriguing enough to blog about it, so clearly not valueless then. The value of a thousand words philosophically (or perhaps in this specific case metaphorically) clearly depends on the chosen words, their meaning and intent, and distribution and understanding.

Surrealist value
4 giraffes, the radiator grille from a 1976 Leyland Mini, and a dog eared signed original edition of "The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy". So there.

Wage value
Given the legal minimum adult wage in New Zealand is $11.25 an hour, and the image took around ten minutes to create, plus about twenty minutes to blog about, lets see, someone owes me $6.65. At least. Creativity of this calibre normally commands a higher rate.

Economic value
I had a bottle of beer while putting this together, $13.99/doz, divide by twelve, thats roughly $1.15 to the brewery then. So by that tense, it is worth at least $1.15, since I am out of pocket to that effect. Although cost is not necessarily the same as worth.

Ecological value
I am using electricity for an arguably pointless and wasteful exercise. Never mind the carbon footprint for the brewery, and the means of delivering the beer to the supermarket. Ecologically then, the value is probably negative. However, comic value can offset this, improving your immediate environment by making you laugh, so it is not all bad.

Memorable value
Again in the hands of the reader and highly linked to the relative comic value. Instantly forgotten, mentioned in conversation now or years later, linked, making blogspots 'Blogs of note' list?
Impossible to gauge without the passage of time.

Associative value
Value inherent due to the fact that I created it, or that it is viewed via the various links I appear on. Maybe that should be 'Ego value'.

Right, I've just about run out of ideas on this one, so here endeth the post.