"But they are not both resultant from light falling on "real" objects. Film is a real object. When a computer translates something into data it is no longer a "real" object but anonymous data."
It is always a real object in either case. In both cases, photons have fallen on a physical object and the way this object responds is what records the image. The only difference with the CCD sensor is that the process can be reversed easily so that the sensor can be used again. I reject the idea, however, that either of these processes ever deals with "disembodied" data. The data is always encoded on some physical object, be it a silver compound, a silicon chip, ink on paper, or a retina. In the digital case, it is simply more obvious that some of these encoding stages are in a form not directly visible to the human eye, like unprocessed film. In both cases, you must follow a precise set of steps to correctly "develop" the initial recording into a visible image. Steven Desjardins Department of Chemistry Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA 24450 (540) 458-8873 FAX: (540) 458-8878 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
