It's all BALLS, BALLS, BALLS, BALLS really

Alphane · 1 Mar 2009 at 13:15

Fear not comrades the day will come when the computer will rule the world
<.<
>.>
Ok I'll get my coat

Basher · 1 Mar 2009 at 13:16

ljt said:
it probably wouldnt now, as we are all used to how things are now, that i agree with.
I was just imagining it if we'd had never known the concept of money that was all.

I don't think it would have ever worked, human nature is to be better than the next guy. Think about evolution - survival of the fittest, we want to make sure we (singularly) are in the best position to survive.

Chimerical · 1 Mar 2009 at 13:45

Nitefly said:
I have a degree in biology from the University of Bristol, so I do happen to know the odd bit and bob about most animals. It's nice to have a degree that so many people are interested in and that people can relate to!

Beats arguing about the economy I guess.

More trivia: although sharks and rays certainly detect prey through their electroreception (this is how they find the sneaky clams etc in the sand hidden away - their detect the electricity from them), it is hypothesised sharks can actually detect the magnetism from the north and south poles through the same mechnanism. This means they potentially can use this extra sense as a compass, explaining why some sharks are so good at navigating.

Alas, I miss my biology.

Don't fish have iron particles in their brains? Which is supposed to explain 'how' they "detect the magnetism from the north and south poles", as you've said. I don't really know the exact terms or anything.

Thorien · 1 Mar 2009 at 14:11

This is a mad-up thread!
Discussions have ranged from the economy to fish, from drugs to WW1, and almost everything in between.
My 2p worth:
We will eventually move into a world where we live on our wits to survive, bartering will be the only means of purchase and tina turner will rule!
Mad up - Mad max!

lumpeh · 1 Mar 2009 at 15:02

ljt said:
I've often wondered what the human race would have turned out like, if we had never invented currency.

Ever since two tribes met and traded skins for spears or whatever, we've had 'money'. Its in our deepest culture and will stay that way till we have replicator'esque technology.

Kol · 1 Mar 2009 at 17:44

semi-pro waster said:
You just had to remind him didn't you? I bet you secretly love that Moses99 starts his posts with "Hi there".

As for the Venus Project, there's really not that much to be said, a few half-truths packaged up as something new and groundbreaking which doesn't really achieve much.

Sadly not. It ****s me off. Which is why I was glad to see he had forgotten his trick. Shocked, however, to learn he is 21 and still sees it as something 'neat' to be doing...

rypt · 1 Mar 2009 at 19:14

lumpeh said:
Ever since two tribes met and traded skins for spears or whatever, we've had 'money'. Its in our deepest culture and will stay that way till we have replicator'esque technology.

Trading skins is not akin to money. A barter or trade culture is very different from a money driven culture.
For instance, with a barter culture we would not have the current crisis.

Basher · 1 Mar 2009 at 19:27

rypt said:
For instance, with a barter culture we would not have the current crisis.

Explain how that is true

Mr^B · 1 Mar 2009 at 19:46

rypt said:
Trading skins is not akin to money. A barter or trade culture is very different from a money driven culture.
For instance, with a barter culture we would not have the current crisis.

lol

semi-pro waster · 1 Mar 2009 at 20:34

Basher said:
Explain how that is true

Could you have sub-prime loans based on trading skins or short selling based on bartering with goods you don't actually own yet? I suspect not but I'm now trying to imagine it and it's quite a surreal idea.

Basher · 1 Mar 2009 at 20:43

semi-pro waster said:
Could you have sub-prime loans based on trading skins or short selling based on bartering with goods you don't actually own yet? I suspect not but I'm now trying to imagine it and it's quite a surreal idea.

Yes. Trading skins is no different than trading money. Ultimately this is where money came from (i.e. we were sick of having to calculate the value difference between what we had/what we were trying to get so we wanted something of common value).

Mr^B · 1 Mar 2009 at 20:47

semi-pro waster said:
Could you have sub-prime loans based on trading skins or short selling based on bartering with goods you don't actually own yet? I suspect not but I'm now trying to imagine it and it's quite a surreal idea.

Surreal or not, it's possible and has probably already happened to some degree. You can certainly barter with goods you don't yet own, but expect to:

"I'll give you 12 eggs, you just have to wait for the chickens to lay them..."

Certainly the concept of a "loan" isn't outside the remit of the bartering system, nor is the concept of a "bad borrower" either. Presumably someone who is loaned a coat and doesn't give it back...

Money is just the abstraction of goods/services to make them more portable/exchangeable and therefore deals with some of the inefficiencies of a pure bartering system.

Look up "medium of exchange" for more information - and read "Making Money" by Terry Pratchett.

semi-pro waster · 1 Mar 2009 at 22:03

Thanks guys, I do already have some concept of what money is and what a pure barter system entails compared with our current system, I was just enjoying the idea of Wall Street Traders as hunter gatherers collecting a big pile of skins and trading them for housing loans.