tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post5386246622143892979..comments2024-03-28T08:34:43.846-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Transparency 2013: Good and bad news about banking, guns, freedom and all thatDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-59158771521026234812013-01-18T09:13:40.843-08:002013-01-18T09:13:40.843-08:00http://www.metafilter.com/123969/The-Origins-of-Ne...http://www.metafilter.com/123969/The-Origins-of-NeoliberalismHank Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07521410755553979665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-30867093503997099002013-01-14T13:49:53.805-08:002013-01-14T13:49:53.805-08:00GUYS! go vote at: http://scifilists.sffjazz.com/li...GUYS! go vote at: http://scifilists.sffjazz.com/lists_books_rank1.html<br /><br />But it is more important that you join the San Antonio worldcon and nominate for the Hugos!<br /><br />;-)David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-43781554152093002522013-01-14T13:47:59.952-08:002013-01-14T13:47:59.952-08:00The Prisoner's Dilemma is actually pretty brok...The Prisoner's Dilemma is actually pretty broken.<br /><br />Real, guilty criminals plan for exactly this sort of situation in advance, skewing the outcomes in their favor.<br /><br />Innocent pairs generally won't accuse each other either, so again the outcomes are skewed in their favor.<br /><br />Of course, if one is innocent and one is guilty, the guilty can always expect to benefit most by lying and accusing the innocent one. But the fact that the dilemma is only likely to "work" as claimed when it would put an innocent person in jail, indicates that it is broken in a deeper sense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-5803521675275216922013-01-14T13:11:44.266-08:002013-01-14T13:11:44.266-08:00COMETS. Ison appears to have many of the traits ...COMETS. Ison appears to have many of the traits that MIGHT turn very gaudy. We certainly are overdue for a gaudy comet show. But frankly... most of them fizzle. Don't blame me!<br /><br />The Aron Swartz case is sad. Tho somewhat unsurprising -- he was a hothouse depressive type -- I am also very angry that prosecutors tried to high-ball their preliminary plea charges at 35 year... for what was in effect a civil offense that should have been dealt with in civil court. <br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-61221298029325877762013-01-14T06:27:41.043-08:002013-01-14T06:27:41.043-08:00Randy,
Pizza's have the same problem (plus the...Randy,<br />Pizza's have the same problem (plus the whole spoilage issue). What's a standard pizza, a unit of pizza? Gold (or silver or uranium) is completely exchangeable. Every ounce of gold is, sans fraud or debasement, the same as every other ounce. The form is irrelevant, it's just weight and purity. But with Pizzas and Guns, the form is the heart of their value. An anchovy pizza is not a vegetarian pizza is not a super supreme is not a deep dish Chicago-style "pie". Ray's Original pepperoni pizza isn't even the same as Original Ray's pepperoni pizza.<br /><br />And a handgun is not rifle is not a shotgun, a Ruger is not a Colt is not a S&W. A gun (or pizza) based "currency" is really just a barter system. Every transaction will still have to involve individually assessing whether the payment item is worth the same as the trade item. And putting a denomination on them doesn't fix the problem, a 20 year old gun is not the same as a brand-new one, you've just created clumsy and expensive banknotes for your existing fiat currency, you haven't actually fixed the value of the currency to anything.<br /><br />Oh wait... damn. A bank note in a "gold" currency is not actual gold... it's a promissory note by the government that they'll give you a set amount of gold in exchange for that piece of paper. An golden IOU signed by the government.<br /><br />So you could fix the value of the US dollar to the National Rifle, a standardised rifle <i>manufactured and stockpiled</i> by the US Treasury (and Armory). If the note is worth less than the resale value of a National Rifle, people go to their bank/armory and convert, leaving less bank notes in circulation. If the government prints too much paper currency, the value of the dollar drops, but the value of the Rifle increases, so people stock up on Rifles, pulling currency out of circulation. (Likewise if people don't trust the government, and switch their savings to National Rifles, reducing the currency in circulation, increasing its value. And reducing the value of the Rifle.) If the Rifle is worth less than the official value, people trade them back to the government for their standard value in notes.<br /><br />So right wing panic increases the value of the US dollar. While trusting the government causes inflation. W00t! And David gets to get people to accept his Jefferson Rifle <i>before</i> he asks them to vote on swapping out the Second Amendment for a better version.<br /><br />[Too much Internet today, I actually read that spam as "most popular and famous hot grits".]Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-37161362160302197422013-01-14T03:08:27.416-08:002013-01-14T03:08:27.416-08:00As it is related to the problems of transparency a...As it is related to the problems of transparency and open information, I would be interested in reading Dr.Brin take on the recent and unluckily final development of Aaron Swartz case: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/13/anger_death_aaron_swartz/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-23199151413831953122013-01-13T22:36:53.235-08:002013-01-13T22:36:53.235-08:00So, Dr. Brin, does the resident comet expert have ...So, Dr. Brin, does the resident comet expert have a prediction for the registry regarding how bright that highly-anticipated one will get? I've heard a few astronomers telling me not to get my hopes up.<br /><br />Also, are you reaching out to the local cults to see if any of them need good information about this one? Because . . . you know.sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63755374554246036112013-01-13T21:24:45.333-08:002013-01-13T21:24:45.333-08:00People would switch to flame-based and acid-based ...People would switch to flame-based and acid-based attacks. Though in India (I believe) it's already commonplace for Indian males to assault young women with thrown acid meant to disfigure the young women. Personally I think the punishment for such actions is for said people to be forced to bathe in high-strength acid until THEY are scarred irrevocably. <br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20917847986795335212013-01-13T19:56:57.463-08:002013-01-13T19:56:57.463-08:00I've occasionally thought an interesting idea ...I've occasionally thought an interesting idea for a story would be the social effects of an invention that stopped projectiles cold.<br /><br />The idea's been used in SF stories before (Anderson's 'Shield', and the personal screens used in Dune... except when sandworms are about!) I'm thinking of what happens as the technology becomes increasingly available.<br /><br />It would probably screw the economic systems being discussed here!Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-54709263816999180632013-01-13T18:45:44.695-08:002013-01-13T18:45:44.695-08:00Amusingly enough, in the Kate Daniels line of urba...Amusingly enough, in the Kate Daniels line of urban fantasy books, bullets are referred to as "plug nickles" and are used as currency in some rural regions (despite the fact that during magic waves, bullets don't work).<br /><br />Rob H.Acacia H.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07678539067303911329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31992186435212571652013-01-13T15:38:40.817-08:002013-01-13T15:38:40.817-08:00I'd rather discuss the pizza-based economy, bu...I'd rather discuss the pizza-based economy, but if we need a "unit of gun", a couple of ideas:<br /><br />1. The DPS (damage per second, from videogaming) Standard: projectiles per minute times projectile weight (assume solid projectiles/no explosives) times muzzle velocity.<br />2. Simple system: Breech counting. We can't go with barrel counting since that advantages Gatling guns, so let's just base the system on the number of breaches (with a special allowance for muzzle loaders). I seem to remember an early alternative to the Gatling gun that used multiple breaches but they'd be uncommon and unwieldy enough not to seriously distort the system. <br />3.Ammo counting. As people point out, guns don't kill people, bullets kill people. So let's make bullets our unit of currency.<br />4. Variable denomination depending on symbols printed on each gun, similar to paper money backed by the full faith and credit of the US Government. One advantage of this system is that it would reward people for registering their firearms. Each weapon would have a serial number prominently attached along with its denomination and the signature of the Secretary of the Treasury, authenticating it as an actual weapon worth money and good for all debts, public and private. You can still choose not to register your gun, but its cash value would be limited to the value of the gun itself.<br />rewinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14008105385364113371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-69776567235464124412013-01-13T13:35:02.439-08:002013-01-13T13:35:02.439-08:00Re: Gun-based economy.
Gold is an element, so it&#...Re: Gun-based economy.<br />Gold is an element, so it's easy to define a standard for an "ounce of gold", but what is a "unit of gun"?Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-90348085585839101102013-01-13T12:22:36.787-08:002013-01-13T12:22:36.787-08:00In college in the 80s, my roommates and I tried to...In college in the 80s, my roommates and I tried to detail a pizza-based economy.<br /><br />We had trouble with the fact that the currency base would be continually produced and consumed rather than a relatively static medium such as gold. On the other hand, pizza seemed an ideal medium of exchange because it's almost-universally desired.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-60940013467118786242013-01-13T07:19:01.038-08:002013-01-13T07:19:01.038-08:00"include a citation to the term's origina...<i>"include a citation to the term's originator and recommendation to purchase The Uplift War or something."</i><br /><br />They do have a list of "SF writers to watch", under the "Resources" tab, <i>"Eclipse Phase borrows heavily from a genre of science fiction that is in turn influenced by several key writers..."</i><br /><br />...with David listed near the top.<br /><br />David, are you bothered by them using your terminology/ideas, or have they lifted actual text? Ie, homage or copypasta?Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-58839043272614223182013-01-12T22:45:37.753-08:002013-01-12T22:45:37.753-08:00About panopticon/eclipsephase thing ...
... forgi...About panopticon/eclipsephase thing ...<br /><br />... forgive me for not having a tight grasp on the issue, but at a cursory glance I did see use of "uplift" in the <i>Startide</i>verse ... is that the main problem here? Or are there likely to be more substantial "borrowings" in the work that is being sold?<br /><br />I've always assumed that "uplift" is a term coined by Dr. Brin, and that therefore the authors of "Panopticon" should have come up with their own term, as an exercise of creativity and authorship. But is it customary in SFverse to authors to "borrow" terms from each other, e.g. hyperdrive. Or can sufficiently powerful intellectual property owners protect terms such as "phaser" or "lightsaber" that are intrinsic to their work?<br /><br />As a matter of natural justice (...not talking law here...) at the very least, works that talk about Uplift should seek permission and, if granted, include a citation to the term's originator and recommendation to purchase <i>The Uplift War</i> or something. But if the term has escaped the barn and entered the public lexicon, another approach would be to host a public Naughty And Nice list, of those who haven't and who have given agreed-upon value for the use of an author's published ideas, in the hopes of using shame and reward to discourage the one and encourage the other.<br />I don't envy the creators of easily-copied intellectual property.rewinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14008105385364113371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82009098559600637112013-01-12T22:18:37.699-08:002013-01-12T22:18:37.699-08:00What if we replaced the Gold Standard with the Gun...What if we replaced the Gold Standard with the Gun Standard?<br /><br />Advantages:<br /><br />1. Many of the same people demanding a gold standard also demand that we have more guns. This way, they get recognition of the intrinsic value of their guns but are motivated to limit the increase in the number of guns, lest they devalue the currency.<br /><br />2. In the event of currency collapse due to an overwhelming number of guns, hey no worries ... you've got guns - ever so much more useful than gold ingots!111111rewinnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14008105385364113371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-67956321525670747552013-01-12T15:30:01.663-08:002013-01-12T15:30:01.663-08:00Heh, I posted a link to that on your blog last yea...Heh, I posted a link to that on your blog last year. You must have missed it.<br /><br />I have the core book. It's fun.sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-74770093428455596192013-01-12T14:13:44.575-08:002013-01-12T14:13:44.575-08:00Can you believe this?
http://www.eclipsephase.com...Can you believe this?<br /><br />http://www.eclipsephase.com/releases/panopticon<br /><br />I generally shrug off minor cases of borrowing, but this one gives me real pause.<br /><br />I seriously need to consider my options.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-63695669086632162372013-01-12T13:19:56.969-08:002013-01-12T13:19:56.969-08:00Jumper very interesting and thought inducing.Jumper very interesting and thought inducing.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82930611050678701752013-01-12T11:53:34.628-08:002013-01-12T11:53:34.628-08:00David, your emphasis on anger addiction has been q...David, your emphasis on anger addiction has been quite rewarding on several levels, for which I thank you. Both for understanding of human psychology in general, and in self-improvement, for once the concept is scrutinized, I think many will find it easier to root out as a bad habit.<br /><br />Having thought about it for a couple of years now, I ineluctably am led to also thinking about the concept of victimhood. The movie Dead Man Walking, as I remember it anyway, homed in on a moment when the Sean Penn character vented his anger at those who thought of themselves as victims in this world. In the telling he then confesses that he himself considers himself a victim of "them."<br /><br />It seems to me this phenomenon goes hand in glove with anger addiction.<br /><br />This is the part of the equation which deals with the "righteous" part of indignation.<br /><br />I suspect in all manner of criminality, and we can confine ourselves to common law of the sort which exists for centuries for definitions if we must, although I think the broadest of sets might be used, the criminals may almost always consider themselves victims, in order to justify themselves. Indeed, that might be the departure point for technical psychopaths, who might not even need such justification, although I have not really determined that hypothesis's validity much at this point.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-20442278854952388102013-01-12T09:17:13.166-08:002013-01-12T09:17:13.166-08:00Re: Death Star response.
The response wasn't t...Re: Death Star response.<br />The response wasn't too bad. But I was hoping they'd critiqued it as if it was a serious proposal, a la Dante & Randal. For example, pointing out the limited strategic value of a single orbital laser platform, due to the horizon problem. It's likely vulnerability to a variety of relatively inexpensive counter-measures, due to our lack of force fields to protect it. Or just the risk of an arms race in space. Or the danger of orbital debris to other space users following the destruction of either the Death Star or an enemy fleet sent to destroy it.<br /><br />Locumranch,<br />The examples you give were economic collapses followed by political unrest. You still haven't provided an example of where the reverse happens, where disillusionment with some aspect of a still functional system results in such a loss of confidence that it <i>causes</i> "descent into chaos and economic collapse".<br /><br />Bank runs are the only case I can think of. Where a rumour of a bank in crisis becomes a panic and causes the bank to fail. But that's a fairly limited case.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-82969806931834257472013-01-12T03:26:16.687-08:002013-01-12T03:26:16.687-08:00Amusing response. With what tone was the petition ...Amusing response. With what tone was the petition presented in the first place? I'd like to think that question didn't need asking, but we've been seeing quite a bit of the dark side, these past few months, and it aint pretty.Tony Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14578160528746657971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-65419818673078058732013-01-11T22:37:52.034-08:002013-01-11T22:37:52.034-08:00The White House has turned down the petition to bu...The White House has turned down the petition to build a death star! Partly tongue in cheek but also with some sober bits and rah rah for science.<br /><br />https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/isnt-petition-response-youre-lookingDavid Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-57608620110249811082013-01-11T16:26:19.494-08:002013-01-11T16:26:19.494-08:00It's the ability to manufacture diamonds that ...It's the ability to manufacture diamonds that makes them attractive as currency, the value of the currency is never going to rise much above the manufacturing cost and if it falls below it currency will be diverted back to the industrial market.Ian Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04352147295160200128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-40171140556964423012013-01-11T16:17:41.241-08:002013-01-11T16:17:41.241-08:00A warehouse full of high grade tungsten tool steel...A warehouse full of high grade tungsten tool steel ingots is nothing to sneeze at, either, and is a lot closer to my sense of "wealth" than a lot of other foofaraw.<br />BTW the diamond market is very manipulated and it's now possible too to make gem diamonds artificially at profitable rates.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.com