X-Message-Number: 10939 Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 07:37:36 -0500 From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: CryoNet #10920 - #10924 Hi everyone! First of all, I seem to have given my other email address WRONGLY, though I set up my own computer to log on to it perfectly correctly. The new address is: Somewhere I lost the connection between my brain and my computer. Second, for Bob Ettinger on the question of money: The main trouble with barter is that you may not really have much you can barter (say) with the owner of the planet Mars if you want him to transfer it to you. With some standard form of exchange, you can sell what you may have to another person and with the income from that sale, go to the owner of Mars and offer to buy it. While I'd certainly agree that (relatively) minor things like food (though food can go through may changes, recipes, etc --- so that the recipe for some food may become at least as valuable as Mars) ought to be available very easily, I doubt that human beings will cease to want much more than they have --- ever. Pity the poor in the economy of 2400: they can dine on caviar and steak, and have their own capacious house (perhaps in orbit), and have much access to lots of things, so much that any of us watching them would think they were rich --- but, no, they cannot afford a Solar System of their own. And all those who are better off look down on them: they must be ne'erdo-wells, to fail to rise to a really decent standard of living. (But given all the changes of a very long life, I'd actually think that no one will look down much on anyone else, since everyone has gone through a ne'erdowell period themselves). In any case, if you want to contact me on dialix.com.au, please use the modified address. Best and long long life to all, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=10939