if you read his comment you will see that his issue has nothing to do with the number of available devices at a given venue but more with the moral issue of using something that is meant for a handicapped person therefore your comment is moot.
Surely, you jest. First off, you have misrepresented Tim's statement:
The ALD's are there for people with an actual disability and we shouldn't be exploiting them so we can make tapes.
Tim makes no statement about
why we shouldn't exploit the availability of these devices, whether for moral or purely practical reasons.
Second, George made a very good practical point which you so conveniently, and inappropriately, dismissed. Your handicap ramp analogy addressing this point is fundamentally flawed. Using the handicap ramp does not prevent wheelchair bound people from using it - the person walking on the ramp can simply clear out and allow the person in the wheelchair to utilize the resource. Using an ALD device at a concert, would you post an associate at the ALD desk or leave your section and seat number so in case they ran out you may immediately return yours for someone truly in need? I suspect not.
The big arenas usually have way more than neccessary to meet demand. Once again I ask, do you ever walk up the handicapped ramp? Wear and tear have nothing to do with it, the question is are you using a service designed to be used by the handicapped?
Third, the fact that you've usually seen large arenas with a sufficient supply of ALDs on a given night doesn't mean that [1] they always will on another night during which someone improperly uses an ALD for taping, or [2] that small or mid-sized venues also will always have a surplus supply. The fact remains, that on any given night in any given venue, you have no idea whether or not people truly in need will require the ALD devices or not, and therefore have no idea whether use inappropriate usage will impact those people. Once again, I ask: Using an ALD device at a concert, would you post an associate at the ALD desk or leave your section and seat number so in case they ran out you may immediately return yours for someone truly in need? And again, I suspect not.
Fourth, tapers purchase all sorts of equipment in order to record concerts. Why not simply purchase an ALD instead of taking advantage of the pre-existing supply intended for those who are in need?
And finally, if you're unable or unwilling to acknowledge that there is a moral component to taking advantage of this situation, you've got some learning to do, it has nothing to do with taping, and there's nothing we can say here to help you.Apologies, that last bit was unnecessarily harsh and originated more from my lack of sleep than any points you're attempting to argue.
