Homeopathic information?

Copies of digital information are true to their "originals", or perhaps more accurately, in the digital world the distinction between "original" and "copy" loses all meaning. But that doesn't mean that there's no longer a distinction between the physical and the digital. A number of years back I remember reading about "digital trading cards" which were apparently supposed to be the baseball cards for the digital age. The web site of the company that distributed at least one version of these still exists (though I'm not sure the company itself is still active). The company explained that:

Mac/PC interactive digital trading card is a extreme collector’s item with a unique serial number that entitles you to a valuable certificate of authenticity once registered online. This certificate allows you to collect, play and even trade your cards across the globe.

which somehow just doesn't seem convincing. Is there really any logic in paying for "a unique serial number" when a digital copy can almost always be successfully made, and in the long run it's nothing more than bits?

Similarly, my brother has an extensive collection of lapel buttons on Jewish topics, and often he'll scan these and display them on his web site. Occasionally he'll send me a link to an item on eBay that he'd consider buying if the asking price wasn't too high. When he doesn't buy a particular button I find myself asking whether there's really a difference between the scan of a button he owns in his collection, to that of a button he doesn't own. After all, he can easily save a copy of the scan, or even a screenshot of it. At what point has the essence of the button been diluted beyond the point at which it can't be considered "his"?

Go to: Fade away.