In contemplating the recurring cable debates philosophically, Hobbes doesn't offer much comfort - “Hell is truth seen too lateâ€Â. And what are we to make of this passage from “Leviathanâ€Â? “For the Schooles find in meere Appetite to go, or move, no actuall Motion at all: but because some Motion they must acknowledge, they call it Metaphoricall Motion; which is but an absurd speech; for though Words may by called metaphoricall; Bodies and Motions cannot.†So, is that pro- or anti-cable? As a cable non-believer, I would tend to read it one way and a cable believer another. However, it then occurred to me that the way out is easy – we replace “cable†in my title with “Calvinâ€Â. Everything then becomes crystal clear. Calvin has a stuffed tiger called Hobbes. At least, to everyone else, Hobbes is a stuffed tiger. But not to Calvin. To Calvin, Hobbes is alive and (all too frequently) kicking. Readers of the strip will notice that artist Bill Watterson never resolved (and indeed took good care never to resolve) the central dilemma of the strip – whether Hobbes comes magically alive when Calvin alone is around, or whether Hobbes's life is purely a figment of Calvin's vastly overheated and overactive imagination. The answer is simply; it depends on who's doing the observing. To each participant, his or her particular version is real. Thus it is with cables, interconnects, tweaks and all the rest. There are those, like myself, who believe that they make no difference whatsoever – and that is based not only on my scientific background and prejudices but also on my having tried most of these things and found them wanting. On the other hand, many knowledgeable people on this forum do hear differences when they use different cables, etc., and I respect the opinions of such people. It matters not at all whether the difference is there in reality and I'm simply lacking the hearing or perception to hear it (and I appreciate that I'm not getting any younger or my hearing better), or whether it exists only in the heads of the believers. It therefore saddens me that we go to war too frequently over such a subjective issue. Because it all comes back to Calvin and Hobbes – the central dilemma will NEVER be resolved, no matter how much single, double, triple blind testing we do. Such tests will inform, but will probably never change anyone's mind. And on the C&H principle, they perhaps shouldn't. We should remain happy and secure in our own world, and if someone wants to spend a squillion whatever on ICs, power cords and cables, why not? If it makes them happy, fine by me. (I'm merely jealous, because I don't have a squillion whatever to spend on anything!). And as Calvin's long-suffering parents will never be convinced that Hobbes is other than an inanimate object, Calvin can't believe that they can't see a live tiger. And that's how it will stay. I hereby propose that we all accept the Calvin and Hobbes School of Cable Philosophy.