Libertarians and the like will enjoy this notice: there is no law preventing you from producing a private currency. One of your own issue, backed by gold. There's no guarantee that anyone would accept it. (I wouldn't.)
When I buy things, I pay with US Dollars. Either directly by handing over notes, or indirectly via a credit card, which involves a series of bank transfers. These dollars are valuable basically because the US government has a monopoly on their production, and because the government says they are. They are "legal tender," the denomination and payment instrument of debt. That is to say, if I owe someone money, they have to accept the notes as payment or the debt is void. If they demand I pay in gold bars, I can take it to court and tell them "Well, I tried to pay with these dollars, he didn't want them" and then they would rule that I don't owe money after all.
Libertarians dislike the idea of legal tender, as they want to neuter the government to the point of which it could not enforce such a decree. They perceive only things backed by metal or some other such tangible good, to be of value.
So logistically, to have your own currency, you'd need a printing press, intricate designs, some sort of anti-counterfeiting system so that it's difficult for other people to copy your notes, and a stash of gold so that people can redeem your notes at their request. They should not be confused with US Dollars, and for safety's sake, should be of a very different design and size.
As a precedent for this, Scottish-printed notes in the UK are not legal tender in Scotland. In spite of this, a number of shops will accept them anyway, as if it were a check written out to them.
In the past, currency issuing was generally done by banks, who made them as a symbolic representation of a deposit, and then people exchanged them to save themselves the trouble of retrieving the deposit to hand over to the shopkeeper, who probably planned to spend it on something else anyway. The note was lighter and more portable than the original deposit, and easier to handle commerce in. Governments got into the act later.
Now as for accepting, I think it would go over about as well as a foreign-issued currency. In theory I could pay for my groceries in British pounds, or Mexican pesos, or Chinese renminbi, but in practice the store's probably going to demand US dollars, because it can use those right away.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wallbot
Due to a recent moth infestation that we've been vigorously fighting, the walls in my house have little stains on them. This is, needless to say, annoying.
I'll probably wipe it up with cleaning sprays and towels, but I'm not the only one to have this problem. I understand that parents often have children who either inadvertently throw food at the wall, or doodle on it with crayons. So, how can I clean the walls more...automatically?
I suppose the best way I can think of is to take the "Roomba" approach and have a robot. The robot would wheel itself alone the walls, sliding up and down on metal supports, scrubbing grime from the walls, sucking the soap and absorbed dirt into a special container, and periodically leaving the walls to go dump its bin into a nearby sink.
I think people will really like this. iRobot's robotic vacuuming machine, the aformentioned Roomba, is so popular that people treat it not as an appliance, but as a pet. People will actually sweep their floors for their robot so it doesn't have to "work" as hard. Which, mind you, it is a robot. It at worst does not care, and at best could be said to actively enjoy cleaning.
You could write entire psychology books on that topic.
I'll probably wipe it up with cleaning sprays and towels, but I'm not the only one to have this problem. I understand that parents often have children who either inadvertently throw food at the wall, or doodle on it with crayons. So, how can I clean the walls more...automatically?
I suppose the best way I can think of is to take the "Roomba" approach and have a robot. The robot would wheel itself alone the walls, sliding up and down on metal supports, scrubbing grime from the walls, sucking the soap and absorbed dirt into a special container, and periodically leaving the walls to go dump its bin into a nearby sink.
I think people will really like this. iRobot's robotic vacuuming machine, the aformentioned Roomba, is so popular that people treat it not as an appliance, but as a pet. People will actually sweep their floors for their robot so it doesn't have to "work" as hard. Which, mind you, it is a robot. It at worst does not care, and at best could be said to actively enjoy cleaning.
You could write entire psychology books on that topic.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Corporations
"Are corporations a materialist or idealist entity?" asks one of my rather confused readers. Neither. Corporations are a matter of law, not philosophy. Allow me to explain.
In physical terms, I could destroy even the mightiest corporations with my bare hands. This is because they are a paper filed in a law-office somewhere. Even the richest and most powerful corporations are just a stack of papers and could be destroyed easily.
But to actually get to that paper, one would have to commit multiple crimes, not limited to breaking and entering, multiple counts of vandalism, and probably assault from the angry humans wishing to prevent this sort of thing. Most of these humans are lawyers, and I'm expecting them to be in a vindictive mood.
A 12th century legal case granted in UK law, and the US law that inherited it, all legal rights and duties of person-hood to corporations when the very slick lawyer attempted to argue that his firm, not being a person, was exempt from the statue in question. The court ruled that his firm was an "artificial person" with all that that entailed, human rights included.
However, unlike human people, corporations can easily be neutralized against any particular agenda. Buy their shares until you control 50% or more of the company, and at the next board election, fire the board, fire the CEO, and replace them with people loyal to you. The corporation now follows your agenda.
Now philosophy wise, corporations are idealist in that everything substancial about them are ideas and legal filings. The physical part of a corporation is a piece of paper on which is printed a charter. It's the abstract legal part that gives them the power that they have.
In physical terms, I could destroy even the mightiest corporations with my bare hands. This is because they are a paper filed in a law-office somewhere. Even the richest and most powerful corporations are just a stack of papers and could be destroyed easily.
But to actually get to that paper, one would have to commit multiple crimes, not limited to breaking and entering, multiple counts of vandalism, and probably assault from the angry humans wishing to prevent this sort of thing. Most of these humans are lawyers, and I'm expecting them to be in a vindictive mood.
A 12th century legal case granted in UK law, and the US law that inherited it, all legal rights and duties of person-hood to corporations when the very slick lawyer attempted to argue that his firm, not being a person, was exempt from the statue in question. The court ruled that his firm was an "artificial person" with all that that entailed, human rights included.
However, unlike human people, corporations can easily be neutralized against any particular agenda. Buy their shares until you control 50% or more of the company, and at the next board election, fire the board, fire the CEO, and replace them with people loyal to you. The corporation now follows your agenda.
Now philosophy wise, corporations are idealist in that everything substancial about them are ideas and legal filings. The physical part of a corporation is a piece of paper on which is printed a charter. It's the abstract legal part that gives them the power that they have.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Business corruption
Everyone wants less corruption -- or more opportunities to participate in it. The Economist is now reporting that corruption has many hidden costs and is therefore worth stamping out even from the bribers perspective.
Corruption hurts because it damages trust, a very valuable economic asset indeed. The article goes on to explain that contrary to expectation, it also discourages officials from acting efficiently, as instead of doing their proper jobs, they now act primarily to hit up people for money. Repeatedly. Paying one bribe encourages the demand of additional bribes in the future. In addition, it psychologically damages both parties -- the briber feeling morally filthy, the bribee becoming more entitled and obnoxious.
The article also goes on to say that even in countries with a lot of corruption, companies can prosper without paying bribes. It even gives a list of them.
In India, a country notorious for having corrupt officials, an NGO produced a zero-rupee banknote to remind officials that asking for bribes is unacceptable. One "pays" bribes with a note that explicitly proclaims itself to have no value, embarrassing the corrupt official. So far, it's working. When the official himself (or herself, but generally corrupt officials show a tendency to be male), doesn't take the hint, it becomes quite blatant to his supervisors what he's trying to do, and they order him to do the right thing. Or else. I salute the clever Indian anti-corruption NGO's solution, and wish to see it exported to other countries. Perhaps even my own -- I have yet to have a bribe demanded from me, but I'd want to be ready, just in case.
Corruption hurts because it damages trust, a very valuable economic asset indeed. The article goes on to explain that contrary to expectation, it also discourages officials from acting efficiently, as instead of doing their proper jobs, they now act primarily to hit up people for money. Repeatedly. Paying one bribe encourages the demand of additional bribes in the future. In addition, it psychologically damages both parties -- the briber feeling morally filthy, the bribee becoming more entitled and obnoxious.
The article also goes on to say that even in countries with a lot of corruption, companies can prosper without paying bribes. It even gives a list of them.
In India, a country notorious for having corrupt officials, an NGO produced a zero-rupee banknote to remind officials that asking for bribes is unacceptable. One "pays" bribes with a note that explicitly proclaims itself to have no value, embarrassing the corrupt official. So far, it's working. When the official himself (or herself, but generally corrupt officials show a tendency to be male), doesn't take the hint, it becomes quite blatant to his supervisors what he's trying to do, and they order him to do the right thing. Or else. I salute the clever Indian anti-corruption NGO's solution, and wish to see it exported to other countries. Perhaps even my own -- I have yet to have a bribe demanded from me, but I'd want to be ready, just in case.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Snake Road
Discovery News reports that snakes in the southwestern United States have a major problem: They refuse to cross roads and are becoming severely inbred as a result of this.
Rattlesnakes are a common species in the southwest, being a brown snake that eats rats, mice, and opossums, and having a collection of dried skin at the end of their tail that makes a rattling noise when shaken, hence the name. They shake their tails when they feel mildly threatened as a warning, and if that doesn't work, they have a poisonous bite. Hikers in the southwest are instructed not to provoke them, as they don't bite arbitrarily.
When more severely threatened, by loud noise or severe vibration, they lay perfectly still and hope that their camouflage will leave them undetected. This works great when hiding in the grass and the threat is a screaming hawk. This works less great on an asphalt road when the threat is a large car. The car's drivers typically never even sees the snake, and the snake's life ends with a loud thump that the driver can't tell apart from hitting a rock.
As a result, the surviving snakes have come to the conclusion that road equals squishy death, and refuse to cross them. The result of this and expanding roads have meant that snakes live in the little pockets between them and do not cross the road for any reason. Snakes will not mate with a snake a mere 500 meters away due to a road between them, and have gotten very incestuous as a result.
I know most people will just shrug. "Who cares about snakes?" To which I respond, "You like eating, don't you?" Snakes are the main rodent-control of the southwest, eating the vermin that would otherwise threaten crops. If they become too inept or sickly to eat these mice, then local farmers will need to invest in an expensive series of rodent-controls.
Discovery's biology department proposes that roads be built with periodic bridges, as snakes are perfectly willing to travel under a bridge.
Rattlesnakes are a common species in the southwest, being a brown snake that eats rats, mice, and opossums, and having a collection of dried skin at the end of their tail that makes a rattling noise when shaken, hence the name. They shake their tails when they feel mildly threatened as a warning, and if that doesn't work, they have a poisonous bite. Hikers in the southwest are instructed not to provoke them, as they don't bite arbitrarily.
When more severely threatened, by loud noise or severe vibration, they lay perfectly still and hope that their camouflage will leave them undetected. This works great when hiding in the grass and the threat is a screaming hawk. This works less great on an asphalt road when the threat is a large car. The car's drivers typically never even sees the snake, and the snake's life ends with a loud thump that the driver can't tell apart from hitting a rock.
As a result, the surviving snakes have come to the conclusion that road equals squishy death, and refuse to cross them. The result of this and expanding roads have meant that snakes live in the little pockets between them and do not cross the road for any reason. Snakes will not mate with a snake a mere 500 meters away due to a road between them, and have gotten very incestuous as a result.
I know most people will just shrug. "Who cares about snakes?" To which I respond, "You like eating, don't you?" Snakes are the main rodent-control of the southwest, eating the vermin that would otherwise threaten crops. If they become too inept or sickly to eat these mice, then local farmers will need to invest in an expensive series of rodent-controls.
Discovery's biology department proposes that roads be built with periodic bridges, as snakes are perfectly willing to travel under a bridge.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Resisty
Blog commenters have long been familiar with CAPTCHAs, small automated tests to prove the humanity of an activity. Blogs usually require them to prove that the commenter is not a posting program, as such programs usually exist purely to post spam.
Most existing ones involve reading a wavy, distorted word. There are OCR programs that could read straight, clear text, but the wavy and distorted letters are currently only comprehensible to humans. Blind users are forced to prove their humanity through other tests, such as sound-based comprehension tests. The same robot-fooling aspect of the test foils the unfortunate person's screen reader.
One group of people wrote a new CAPTCHA, Resisty, which requires users to identify the color bands on a resistor. Its value is not its CAPTCHA value, which is low because it requires not only vision, but color vision, to pass. (Color blind or completely blind people would require a different test.) Its value is that if it is cracked, as spambot writers want to do, they now have a program that can automatically identify and classify resistors. Such a program would further the automation of making electronic devices. Whereas if the conventional wavy-text program is cracked...you have a slightly slightly better OCR. "Oh joy."
Most existing ones involve reading a wavy, distorted word. There are OCR programs that could read straight, clear text, but the wavy and distorted letters are currently only comprehensible to humans. Blind users are forced to prove their humanity through other tests, such as sound-based comprehension tests. The same robot-fooling aspect of the test foils the unfortunate person's screen reader.
One group of people wrote a new CAPTCHA, Resisty, which requires users to identify the color bands on a resistor. Its value is not its CAPTCHA value, which is low because it requires not only vision, but color vision, to pass. (Color blind or completely blind people would require a different test.) Its value is that if it is cracked, as spambot writers want to do, they now have a program that can automatically identify and classify resistors. Such a program would further the automation of making electronic devices. Whereas if the conventional wavy-text program is cracked...you have a slightly slightly better OCR. "Oh joy."
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Algae plastic
Plastic is one of our favorite manufacturing materials. You can make it in so many kinds, with practically any trait imaginable, and for cheap. Only problem is, it's made of oil, which we're finding less and less of every year.
Discovery News is reporting that a California biotech company is now making plastic directly from algae.
Aside from the sustainability issue, as algae keeps going but oil has been used up faster than its been produced for the last 110 years, this is also useful for red tide issues. Too much algae on your beach? Rake it up and make it into plastic. No more will it rot in the sea, stinking it up and draining it of oxygen so hard that all the fish die. No more will it poison the oysters and clams. We'll make it into cars, keyboards, and iPods and be done with it.
It's also a great carbon sink. Algae are plants, and suck carbon and nitrogen from their environment to make their bodily structure, and we're very good at replacing the nitrogen.
Discovery News is reporting that a California biotech company is now making plastic directly from algae.
Aside from the sustainability issue, as algae keeps going but oil has been used up faster than its been produced for the last 110 years, this is also useful for red tide issues. Too much algae on your beach? Rake it up and make it into plastic. No more will it rot in the sea, stinking it up and draining it of oxygen so hard that all the fish die. No more will it poison the oysters and clams. We'll make it into cars, keyboards, and iPods and be done with it.
It's also a great carbon sink. Algae are plants, and suck carbon and nitrogen from their environment to make their bodily structure, and we're very good at replacing the nitrogen.
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