Comment Re:This is actually very cool... (Score 1) 84
figuring out the best way to fill a rectangle with circles
I don't know about best, but I think Mandelbrot has already figured out the prettiest.
figuring out the best way to fill a rectangle with circles
I don't know about best, but I think Mandelbrot has already figured out the prettiest.
One study after another cites the previous study, and almost no one knows where that 42 billion dollar figure came from, but it's impressive, so everyone continues to quote it.
Ars did an article on attempting to trace one such oft-quoted figure of losses, and slashdot discussed it. This $42 billion figure is probably from the same source.
tl;dr: big-dollar piracy numbers probably come from some unsubstantiated source from 1993 or earlier.
A large number of installed systems work by fiat. That is, they work by being declared to work. -- Anatol Holt