3.1240 cyberfantasies (66)
Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca)
Fri, 30 Mar 90 23:20:04 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 1240. Friday, 30 Mar 1990.
(1) Date: Fri, 30 Mar 90 14:47:44 EST (38 lines)
From: "Michael S. Hart" <HART@UIUCVMD>
Subject: Re: 3.1237 cyberhorrors; language and values (119)
(2) Date: Thu, 29 Mar 90 21:14:00 EST (7 lines)
From: KESSLER <IME9JFK@OAC.UCLA.EDU>
Subject: Re: 2.1224 Sci-fi and cyber-worries (78)
(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 90 14:47:44 EST
From: "Michael S. Hart" <HART@UIUCVMD>
Subject: Re: 3.1237 cyberhorrors; language and values (119)
re Duane Harbin <DHARBIN@YALEVM>
The analogy to paper money being replace by electronic money is invalid:
1. Paper money, or even gold coins, can be refused as legal tender.
In 1933 the US government invalidated all "goldback" currency, while
replacing it with "greenbacks." The fact that the goldbacks were in
existence did no good, as you could not spend them. In fact, arrest
was possible for those, other than numismatists, who kep them. This
act was paralleled by another which made it illegal for US citizens,
other than jewelers or numisatists, to purchase or to keep gold. Of
course, what happened, was that gold became scarce, and $100 bill in
the goldback variety my grandfather traded in ~three~ ounces of gold
to get, cannot buy back that gold today. In fact, a gold trader was
able to buy gold for the standard $35 dollars/ounce (not US citizens
as described above - at least not legally) before the devaluation of
the dollar, and then sell for $750/ounce later. Thus $35 million in
paper money could buy a rich person, with international connections,
a million ounces of gold, and later, that gold could buy back the 35
million dollars in paper PLUS 20 MORE PILES OF A MILLION IN PAPER.
This all just goes to show that we are little more advanced, stictly
economically, that the indians who sold Manhanttan Island for $24 in
beads and trinkets; because your average space-faring stranger might
wander in with a few beads and trinkets of his/her own, such as gold
asteroids, and buy up whatever they wanted, payable in our currency,
which would be nothing more than beads and trinkets, of shiny stuff,
such as precious metals and gems. The Japanese have proved the US a
great market in which to buy with their tons of cash; would it be so
different if one of Klatuu's interstellar acquaintances, of a lesser
moral fibre, might hire the Japanese or OPEC to buy up whatever they
wanted, payable in gold or platinum beads and gem quality trinkets??
Michael S. Hart
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------13----
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 90 21:14:00 EST
From: KESSLER <IME9JFK@OAC.UCLA.EDU>
Subject: Re: 2.1224 Sci-fi and cyber-worries (78)
wouldnt INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS DO? FANTASY PARANOIAK SUITABLE
FOR OUR AG E OF PARANOIA, AS METAPHOR OF COURSE, POSSESSION BY THE OTHER
WHO DUPLICATES OU RSELVES, NOT SO FAR FROM COPYING AND FORWARDING
E-MAIL? KESSLER