[Nodrog]

I find the article+comments quite interesting, since it gives a really nice illustration of the way humans cope with new situations by trying to form analogies with what they already know, regardless of how unsuitable these analogies may be. Its also interesting that the way people frame their first analogy often tends to determine the way they will eventually view the new issue, since they can end up with a mental picture in their head which sometimes blocks them from seeing things as they are. Watching arguments between people with different mental pictures/analogies is painful because they will just talk past each other for hours without touching on the fundamentals of their disagreement :/

You're walking down the street in Hypotheticalville and in front of you is a gentleman who, when he walks, spills seemingly endless torrents of golden coins on to the pavement behind him. He seems unconcerned by this and you notice that if not picked up, these magic coins quickly evaporate. Is it moral for you to pick a few up?

"If you steal a silver Mont Blanc pen it's theft but if it's an ordinary ballpoint pen or a pencil it is assumed you can take it.

But casual and occasional use while travelling is a bit like reading your book from the light coming out from someone's window. It's like eating someone's leftovers."

What if you pay to have a water supply piped to your house, and pay a monthly service fee, and perhaps even get metered on your water usage - and then someone secretly taps into your water pipe?

More like reading someone's newspaper over their shoulder on the Tube

If someone leaves their front door wide open is it wrong to go in a steal the television?

Those who leave their connections open have as little right to complain as somebody who parks their car and then leaves the door wide open.

In a certain far-off country, potatoes are so cheap that no one buys them as they need: they simply have a load delivered every day, and the ones they don't need they leave out in the street. what can be the harm in picking them up and taking them home?

Using someone's wireless internet is of course not exactly like any of these things. It does share some features with most of them though.