• captcha [any]
    ·
    4 years ago

    Sci-Fi authors: Currency will be measured in Joules stored.

    Present: Currency is being replaced with energy wasted.

    • ennuid [he/him]
      ·
      edit-2
      4 years ago

      That scifi premise is also questionable, seems conducive to carrying around highly radioactive isotopes

      • Liberalism [he/him,they/them]
        ·
        edit-2
        4 years ago

        Maybe I haven't read enough sci fi but wouldn't it act more like the gold standard, where currency represents an amount of energy as opposed to literally carrying around physical batteries or something on your person.

        • Segorinder [any]
          ·
          edit-2
          4 years ago

          [Aoish credits] were just about the only universally acceptable medium of exchange in existence, and each one entitled the holder to convert a coin into either a given weight of any stable element, an area on a free Orbital, or a computer of a given speed and capacity.

          Found the main example that was sticking in my head. From Consider Phlebas.
          It's talking about the theoretical ability to trade them in, but generally they're just used as currency.

            • Segorinder [any]
              ·
              edit-2
              4 years ago

              Basically, although I thought it was interesting that the list included materials, and also ownership of a computer, rather than a specific amount of processing time. Made me think about the difference between how proles generally can only trade currency for a specific amount of value, but the bourgeoisie can trade currency for assets that yield profit at a constant rate. I wonder if there are effects that replicate that in this universe.

              • Liberalism [he/him,they/them]
                ·
                4 years ago

                Working class people can buy stocks though, just not enough for a sizeable investment income unless you get really lucky playing the market

            • ennuid [he/him]
              ·
              4 years ago

              I feel like capitalism could produce a system that stupid so it could totally belong in dystopian scifi lol

              • Liberalism [he/him,they/them]
                ·
                4 years ago

                This particular thing seems unlikely though, trading actual energy would be pretty impractical so even in the worst ancap dystopia corporations would probably at least come up with some kind of currency that represented energy. Unless things are so bad that there's not enough stability for currency to be worth anything, in that case people could trade actual energy but that would really just be barter since there's no real reason they wouldn't trade other valuable shit too.

                So I feel like a sci fi world where people pay for stuff in unexploded bombs is kinda just bad worldbuilding.

                • ennuid [he/him]
                  ·
                  4 years ago

                  Definitely not good worldbuilding. I was picturing it being used more as a spoof or gag.

      • gammison [none/use name]
        ·
        4 years ago

        Gonna keep my life savings stored in a flywheel I keep in the back of a U-Haul.