Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

For land - what's to stop you building more, if you have infinite energy? Bring on the Culture Orbitals!

Can we keep some money though, since Tier Sintricate Hour Equivalents just has such a nice ring to it :-)

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 sebster wrote:


I think the idea of predicting the next 300 years of technological development is silly. You think anyone alive in 1713 would have predicted the modern world with any kind of accuracy? And given that the rate of technological advance is accelerating, prediction is only going to get harder.

I'm sure that someone from back then would have predicted that the Church would still be the large, driving force for society that it was back then, they may have predicted better rifles/muskets, but probably not anything like the AK-47 or M-16 and if they saw people walking around town, talking to no one apparently in particular, they'd be crying Heretic! and Witch! (I am, of course, referring to the use of bluetooth devices)

I don't think anyone 300 years ago would have predicted 25 megaton fusion bombs.

 Frazzled wrote:

 Easy E wrote:
For the truly geeky amongst us....

https://medium.com/editors-picks/29bab88d50

The Economics of Star Trek
The Proto-Post Scarcity Economy I promise this is about Star Trek. Sort of. Bear with me a moment.

Of course, it could also be a lesson for our own future. How long can a Capitalist model endure when people are no longer producers and are only consumers? Is there a tipping point?

The tipping point is now. Bring forth the cheetahs.

Yes, bring on the Cheetos! Oh... you said cheetahs. Not as interested now.

I'm also curious what the transition to post-scarcity would look like. It would imagine a lot of political unrest and upheaval.

What the article proposes is an excellent idea.

I'm a fan of the concept of citizen's income, a basic wage paid by default to every citizen of a country, with no strings attached, you still get it if you're working, not working etc. (ditch the whole "work doesn't pay" thing).

Capable of paying for their basic food/ shelter/ health etc. needs with a little left over.

The general idea is that you'd still want to work to acquire some additional wealth and get hold of more expensive stuff such as cars, property, wargaming man-cave of awesomeness etc.

It would simply be an effort in providing a basic level of genuine security and safety, and making it okay for a person to choose not to work, and instead contribute to society in other ways. Don't forget, people already volunteer and while their work is unpaid it still has societal value often far above and beyond a worker in an office cubicle, call center or tat-making factory ever will.

We have more than enough money in western society to make this happen, but absolutely zero social will.

Funnily, the countries that are bigger on the welfare state (Scandinavia is a perfect example) are constantly ranked right at the top of charts for happiness, health, low crime rates etc.

I think we're slowly going in this direction, but first we need to stop demonizing anyone who doesn't work and stop making work an all-or-nothing affair where a bunch of people have no work, and another bunch of people are working themselves to death.

I had a different threaed about that and it was closed.