Slashdot Mirror
A Real Life Cryptonomicon Gold Stash?
GeHa writes "ABCnews has a story about the possible recovery of a hidden Japanese gold cache. Remember Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon?" A search on google brings up several interesting stories on this Thai gold hunt, including one to a 1996 article which includes a photo allegedly showing the entrance to the cave holding this cache. Now I have to re-read Cryptonomicon;)
Just a couple of weeks ago I submitted a poll suggestion about how long it took people to get through 'Cryptonomicon'.
1) Less than one day.
2) One to two days.
3) Three to seven days.
4) One to two weeks.
5) You mean this thing actually ends?
6) Cryptowhatnow?
'Intellectual Properties' are uncontrollable in the wild. To base an economy on them is just stupid.
The Kanchanaburi area, famous for sapphire and ruby deposits, has been dug up and overturned, and searched in great detail for a very long time. This includes every cave, nook, and crannie. They have been searched even more thoroughly since the existing deposits ran out in the early 90's. I have serious doubts about trainloads of gold in that area. Also, my experience with watching Thai politicians, says the truth is 180 degrees from what they say publicly. for example, in the weeks preceeding the devaluing of the baht, the prime minister publicly proclaimed there would be no devaluing of the baht, and made this claim daily on national TV, right up to the day the devaluation occurred.