Lost Negatives

I do wonder what happened to the negative parts of the various seasonal traditions - the kids who didn't get Christmas presents because they weren't good (or got coal, or sticks, or whatever), the ones who didn't find Easter eggs, and so on. They seem to have vanished entirely.

I was reminded of this by an overheard conversation in a supermarket today wherein two (well-dressed, well-spoken, polite) kids were discussing blackmail tactics to get the maximum possible number of Easter eggs out of their relatives. The small boy was good on the numbers, but weak on motivation (his concept of beating up his older brother seemed doomed to failure, for instance), and the small girl had them down a lot better, having already concealed pictures of "Mary and George" in safe places for a later exchange against a chocolate currency.

Lost Negatives

Originally published at Now Is A Long Time Too. You can comment here or there.

I do wonder what happened to the negative parts of the various seasonal traditions - the kids who didn’t get Christmas presents because they weren’t good (or got coal, or sticks, or whatever), the ones who didn’t find Easter eggs, and so on. They seem to have vanished entirely.

I was reminded of this by an overheard conversation in a supermarket today wherein two (well-dressed, well-spoken, polite) kids were discussing blackmail tactics to get the maximum possible number of Easter eggs out of their relatives. The small boy was good on the numbers, but weak on motivation (his concept of beating up his older brother seemed doomed to failure, for instance), and the small girl had them down a lot better, having already concealed pictures of “Mary and George” in safe places for a later exchange against a chocolate currency.

Starbound: Economics

I invite your speculations: How could an interstellar economy work? Assume FTL travel is possible, but not instantaneous.

(Given that our own economies seem, from my point of view, to work on a principle of not being examined too closely, feel free to propose outrageous possibilities.)

EDIT: To answer questions, mostly about the parameters of FTL...

FTL does not rely on a constructed infrastructure, but does rely on naturally occurring, unevenly distibuted features of space-time.

The economy is the several-kinds-meeting type.

FTL has more in common with a train than a hand-pushed cart, but sailing ships are a better analogy.

Travel is expensive, but not ludicrously so - think sun holidays now; you can't do it all the time, but once a year is ordinary. More importantly, it requires a skilled pilot. Certain routes have size limitations on traffic. Space tourism is definitely a happening thing.

Travel time is about one to four hours to a neighbouring star system at the very best (local conditions may increase that greatly, but never reduce it below a theoretical optimum) and about a year and a half to cross human-occupied space one way. [Actual numbers subject to change, but about that feel.]

Starbound: Economics

Originally published at Now Is A Long Time Too. You can comment here or there.

I invite your speculations: How could an interstellar economy work? Assume FTL travel is possible, but not instantaneous.

(Given that our own economies seem, from my point of view, to work on a principle of not being examined too closely, feel free to propose outrageous possibilities.)

EDIT: To answer questions, mostly about the parameters of FTL…

FTL does not rely on a constructed infrastructure, but does rely on naturally occurring, unevenly distibuted features of space-time.

The economy is the several-kinds-meeting type.

FTL has more in common with a train than a hand-pushed cart, but sailing ships are a better analogy.

Travel is expensive, but not ludicrously so - think sun holidays now; you can’t do it all the time, but once a year is ordinary. More importantly, it requires a skilled pilot. Certain routes have size limitations on traffic. Space tourism is definitely a happening thing.

Travel time is about one to four hours to a neighbouring star system at the very best (local conditions may increase that greatly, but never reduce it below a theoretical optimum) and about a year and a half to cross human-occupied space one way. [Actual numbers subject to change, but about that feel.]

For reading later

Glocationization

Microformats

For reading later

Originally published at Now Is A Long Time Too. You can comment here or there.

Glocationization

Microformats

Starbound: Economics Update

I've edited, adding some details to answer questions people had on the Starbound: Economics post - head along there and add your thoughts. Some excellent stuff coming in.

Starbound: Economics Update

Originally published at Now Is A Long Time Too. You can comment here or there.

I’ve edited, adding some details to answer questions people had on the Starbound: Economics post - head along there and add your thoughts. Some excellent stuff coming in.

Pimpage

the_monkey_king is carrying out an interesting experiment in adventure design. Go have a look, and consider buying in.

Pimpage

Originally published at Now Is A Long Time Too. You can comment here or there.

is carrying out an interesting experiment in adventure design. Go have a look, and consider buying in.