As every policeman knows, external controls on people's behavior are far less effective than internal restraints such as guilt, shame and embarrassment.
Nevertheless, some governments' policymakers insist that direct controls on wages and prices, without tight monetary and fiscal policies, can succeed in decreasing inflation.
We had our first reality check at Pyongyang airport, when our mobile phones were confiscated. This evidence of total state control was immediate and shocking.
"It's not just going to be, you put the cap on, it's done. It's not like putting a cap on a tube of toothpaste," Coast Guard spokesman Capt. James McPherson said.
However, they're more cautious about sharing information with nonmembers, as the organization guards against others developing the ability to hijack and take control of their satellites.
For example, early models of high-speed railroad cars loaded with sophisticated controls were unable to operate in a snowstorm because a fan sucked snow into the electrical system.