I just heard a radio ad from the US Department of Energy encouraging people to switch from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent bulbs. Their case was based on superior efficiency. They said that the “new” bulbs are more efficient than the old bulbs in the same way that text messaging is more efficient than carrier pigeons. The flaw in this analogy is easily demonstrated. No one had to pass a law banning the use of carrier pigeons to get people to use other technologies.