Standards

If you go to a movie theater and the power keeps blinking out, meaning that they have to try to start up their fancy digital projector from scratch with every blink (and the process isn't a short one), they'll offer you a pass to see a movie anytime if you get tired of waiting around.

If you ask, "What about the ten bucks I spent on snacks that I for darn sure wouldn't have paid that much for anyplace under the sun that wasn't a movie theater?" then they're not nearly as accommodating (for the record, I didn't expect anything like a full refund there and I'd have been happy with a gesture as small as a one-dollar gift certificate).

I really wish I could figure out why people wait for DVDs or video-on-demand to watch movies in their homes instead of at the theater. It seems like there's an answer there someplace, but I just can't seem to make it all fit together.