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PayPal Spaces Out With Paypal Galactic

Posted by samzenpus on from the in-space-no-one-can-take-your-payment dept.

sl4shd0rk writes "Presuming aliens won't have terrible Ebay experiences, PayPal means to position themselves to take on payments in the cosmos: 'With our fifteen years of experience in global online payments, PayPal has a unique perspective to speak to the possibilities of an interplanetary economy.' Apparently, Paypal is taking up bedmates with Virgin Galatic along with Buzz Aldrin and the SETI Institute to allow you to 'explore the possibilities of travel' as well as tourism and commerce."

60 comments

  1. Is it April 1st again? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    eom

  2. Good luck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I hope they don't get their account limited in mid flight... that would make returning to home planet quite difficult since getting your account out of limited mode is near impossible.

    1. Re:Good luck by Shark · · Score: 1

      They might make an exception... Given how much they screw you over per transaction (especially with the exchange rate), doing so on a $70M space-tourist invoice sure would net them a neat bundle.

      --
      Mind the frickin' laser...
    2. Re:Good luck by Jonah+Hex · · Score: 2

      They will outsource their customer service to an exoplanet, meaning several light years between contact and response. - HEX

      --
      Horror & SciFi Erotic Nudes
    3. Re:Good luck by plover · · Score: 1

      "He'lloo. Mi na'ame izzz Brian. Havv yyeww *click click* t'reied t'urning it ovv ant b'ack on a'gain?"

      --
      John
    4. Re:Good luck by z0idberg · · Score: 1

      I believe light years is a measure of distance not time.

      Perhaps you meant parsecs?

    5. Re:Good luck by Hognoxious · · Score: 2

      I saw what you did there. In fact, I saw it first.

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
    6. Re:Good luck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe light years is a measure of distance not time.

      A distance that light travels in a period of time.. If your processing center is on Alpha Proxima, which is 4 light years away, it will take four years from when the creditor sends the bill until you get it.

    7. Re:Good luck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (Source: Encylopedia Obviosa, 3rd Edition)

  3. Great ... by ackthpt · · Score: 1

    This will mean even more spam from them. They already relentlessly spam me about some approval for pay later (i.e. my charges are a loan), next they'll be bugging me about how and where I can spend my SpaceBucks (and borrow from them, in the form of a loan).

    --

    A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
    1. Re:Great ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This might be a great thing. Companies that offer loans (by ANY name they want to call them) are subject to very specific financial rules. Rules that Paypal has been careful about skirting around what classifies as a bank because they pull shit that would have everyone else arrested for theft and fraud.

    2. Re:Great ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Spam filter. Learn it. Use it. Wear it out.

  4. Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by Paul+Fernhout · · Score: 3, Insightful

    via Gift economies, Star Trek subsistence via 3D printing, democratic participatory planning, and more things perhaps. See also Ian Banks' Culture series, and Marshall Brain's Manna, and James P. Hogan's Voyage from Yesteryear. Still, I guess some might move towards that via a "basic income",

    --
    A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
    1. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "I hate hippies!" - Eric Cartman

    2. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      You're going to be in for a rude awakening when you finally grow up.

      "Star Trek subsistence via 3D printing"

      Really???

    3. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by kwbauer · · Score: 2

      And people make fun of Christians for believing in prophecy?

    4. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by khallow · · Score: 1

      via Gift economies, Star Trek subsistence via 3D printing, democratic participatory planning, and more things perhaps.

      Where's the superior system over money? Money is in wide use because it expedites trade of all sorts. Even a crazily inflating currency can still do that, though you have to spend it fast. These other things have substantial trade issues.

    5. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by lxs · · Score: 1

      Nah. banking laws on Aldebaran are notoriously lax compared to those of the rest of the Western Spiral arm.

    6. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pretty much. Resources would become the new gold, no matter what the resource is.

      As long as it could be broken down for use in replication, either through the typical Star Trek method, or just through the very possible system of 3D printing we know of right now.
      We've created table-top systems capable of breaking down a good deal of materials to base elements, admittedly for use on missions to other planets to measure chemical compositions, but the same system with a few things stripped out can be useful for that.

      Only things that wouldn't be possible to break down to any useful materials would become highly prized goods (such as Latinum in Star Trek)
      Whether this could even exist, however, is another question. Everything is made of atoms or at least the sub-atomic particles.
      Breaking those down and forming new atoms could be done regardless if it were uranium or hydrogen that was used to begin with.
      Might take slight increase in energy needed to break them down, but in a society that likely mastered fusion by the time it came to such an age of resource-richness, not a problem.
      In many hundreds of years, we could be mining the oort cloud, never mind the pitiful little asteroid belt between here and Mars.

      I just hope we don't end up blowing ourselves up by then.
      Most countries seem keen on financial and commercial domination rather than military these days.
      But you never know, even the calmest of people can snap and suddenly mass-death. Hopefully that day never comes again.
      One nuclear war was enough.

    7. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The two are not exclusive. You're both insane.

    8. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by mlosh · · Score: 1

      Ha! I first read your post as starting out "via Git economies, ..."

    9. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 1

      Probably making fun of Christians for believing in property. Our property laws are quite Roman and Christianity may be the means that has spread them.

      --
      Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
    10. Re:Advanced civilizations may move beyond money by Paul+Fernhout · · Score: 1

      Why would you need money to trade for most things if you had a Star Trek replicator that could print out Mr. Fusion devices or solar panels or robot miners? Why would you need money to trade for software if, like with Debian GNU/Linux, production was planned by exchange of emails and IRC messages? Or why would you need money in a Native American Potlach gift economy?

      By the way, on the intentional destruction of Potlach in America:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potlatch
      "At potlatch gatherings, a family or hereditary leader hosts guests in their family's house and holds a feast for their guests. The main purpose of the potlatch is the redistribution and reciprocity of wealth. ... Within it, hierarchical relations within and between clans, villages, and nations, are observed and reinforced through the distribution or sometimes destruction of wealth, dance performances, and other ceremonies. ...
          Potlatching was made illegal in Canada in 1884 in an amendment to the Indian Act[8] and the United States in the late 19th century, largely at the urging of missionaries and government agents who considered it "a worse than useless custom" that was seen as wasteful, unproductive, and contrary to civilized values.[9]
          The potlatch was seen as a key target in assimilation policies and agendas. Missionary William Duncan wrote in 1875 that the potlatch was "by far the most formidable of all obstacles in the way of Indians becoming Christians, or even civilized."[10] Thus in 1884, the Indian Act was revised to include clauses banning the Potlatch and making it illegal to practice."

      Money may be useful in an economy based mostly on exchange. My point is that other types of economies are possible -- and indeed have even existed in the past. Examples:
      http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Dictionary_of_Alternatives.html?id=IKZVKMPEQCEC

      But if we do use money, then a "basic income" is a way to make the system work better, given every human's moral claim on the fruits of the commons they are otherwise usually excluded from in various legal ways.

      --
      A 21st century issue: the irony of technologies of abundance in the hands of those still thinking in terms of scarcity.
  5. Just a matter of time... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 5, Funny

    How long before advanced aliens experience Paypal's "customer service" and decide to annihilate us all? It'd be hard to blame them.

    1. Re:Just a matter of time... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I wish I had mod points. Would mod this up.

    2. Re:Just a matter of time... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 1

      ...annihilate us all

      Before that happens we can dispatch Jeff Goldblum with a Sony CD to install a rootkit in their mothership. If that fails, we can have AT&T add executive bonus recovery charges to their wireless bills so they can't afford dark matter pellets to power their planet killer. Corporate excess saves humanity!

    3. Re:Just a matter of time... by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 1

      "How long before advanced aliens experience Paypal's "customer service" and decide to annihilate us all?"

      Hahaha! It would indeed be hard to blame them.

      In all honesty, this just seems to me like an excuse of a way to get their paws on really big-ticket payments.

    4. Re:Just a matter of time... by moderatorrater · · Score: 1

      Are you kidding me? Just imagine what advances will come to mankind when one alien orders from another alien on ebay and paypal keeps both the item and money when there's a "dispute".

  6. It's about time by multiben · · Score: 5, Funny

    Finally. I'm fairly sure that the only thing holding us back from colonising space is a means of buying things over the internet.

  7. How will it work? by hawguy · · Score: 5, Funny

    This raises more question than it answers. If I sell a Superman Collectible action figure on eBay to someone on Exoplanet Kepler-74 b, will I earn any interest on the money during the 4300 years it will take for his payment to reach me? Will Paypal freeze the funds for the 4300+ years it will take for me to ship it to him (it could even be a few days longer if I don't use express shipping). What kind of transaction fees will there be for interstellar payments?

    These are the questions I want to see answered before I get excited about this... this has the potential to really open up the interstellar market since securing payment has been the biggest stumbling block.

    1. Re:How will it work? by shmageggy · · Score: 5, Informative

      Paul Krugman wrote an interesting paper about this very topic in 1978. http://www.standupeconomist.com/pdf/misc/interstellar.pdf

    2. Re:How will it work? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Posting AC to preserve mods.

      Nice find. Thanks!

  8. spaces out... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    True, they really must be spaced out on this one.

  9. Ha! by SammyRenard · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It takes paypal nearly two weeks to transfer money from a bank account in canada to my paypal account, sometimes three weeks. If they think they'll suddenly do better in space...

    1. Re:Ha! by osu-neko · · Score: 1

      It takes paypal nearly two weeks to transfer money from a bank account in canada to my paypal account, sometimes three weeks. If they think they'll suddenly do better in space...

      Well, they're obviously envisioning a future in which space is populated by humans. Unlike Canada...

      --
      "Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies."
    2. Re:Ha! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Canada hasn't even grown in over 15 years but the space industry sure has. To transfer money from my bank to paypal it takes about a day or two which is standard even between banks. I'd say it's a Canadian bank issue (or border thing) rather than paypal. There's no real border between the ground and the sky at least I think there isn't.

  10. ....until you violate the ToS by atari2600a · · Score: 2

    You wanted to take your family to space? Aww too bad it appears that in 2004 you made too much money so we locked your account'

  11. A little late... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    for April Fools day, isn't it? Or just perhaps a little early for 2014?

  12. Bitcoins in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Using bitcoins in this kind of situation would work fine. The high latency to well connected nodes means you might need to wait a bit longer for verification to avoid double spend attacks, but there is no surprise there. There is no getting around the problem of someone trying to spend the same digital currency in 1 places at the same time other than waiting a bit.

    1. Re:Bitcoins in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      +1

  13. They're here ... by PPH · · Score: 1

    ... the Ferengi.

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
  14. the more thing change... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That tower of babel story comes to mind. And I'm not a christian.

  15. Shipping charges astronomical by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This raises more question than it answers. If I sell a Superman Collectible action figure on eBay to someone on Exoplanet Kepler-74 b, will I earn any interest on the money during the 4300 years it will take for his payment to reach me?

    It won't matter because the shipping charges will exceed the value of our entire planet ;-)

  16. Sure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And maybe we can pick out the tiles to our Mars condos, or the color scheme for the kitchen, or maybe get Coke machines in the lobby? Maybe we can also find the official breakfast cereal for Mars?

  17. Energy As Currency by Macchendra · · Score: 1

    Space travel will require very dense energy sources. So, it is logical that when we get to the point of space currency being a real issue, the equivalent of a barrel of oil will probably fit in your pocket. Seriously, though, when we've got robots designing and building even better robots, energy will be the only thing that matters... especially if we are flooding the market with whole new planets of real estate.

    1. Re:Energy As Currency by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What about the mental health care issues? You know, when not a single one of the delusional space fantasies becomes real?

  18. Galatic Monetary Units by Macgrrl · · Score: 1

    In fact there are three freely convertible currencies in the Galaxy, but none of them count. The Altairian Dollar has recently collapsed, the Flainian Pobble Bead is only exchangeable for other Flainian Pobble Beads, and the Triganic Pu has its own very special problems. Its exchange rate of eight Ningis to one Pu is simple enough, but since a Ningi is a triangular rubber coin six thousand eight hundred miles along each side, no one has ever collected enough to own one Pu. Ningis are not negotiable currency, because the Galactibanks refuse to deal in fiddling small change. From this basic premise it is very simple to prove that the Galactibanks are also the product of a deranged imagination.

    Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

    --
    Sara
    Designer, Gamer, Macgrrl in an XP World
    1. Re:Galatic Monetary Units by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 1

      the Flainian Pobble Bead is only exchangeable for other Flainian Pobble Beads

      Just like the Dollar after Nixon "forgot" the Bretton Woods agreement, and, in its wake all the other currencies based on the gold value of the Dollar.

      --
      Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
  19. Nothing adds class like a live Twitter feed by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 1

    Highlights from the bottom of the PayPal Galactic page:

    @Stratocumulus: RT @lbillin: #paypalgalactic Incur debt in space! Paypal wants to help http://t.co/cqVsVyCy0B

    @JodyYeoh: I visited space and all I got was a probe. #PayPalGalactic

    --
    Bio questions? Ask me to start a Q&A journal. Computer analogies available for most topics!
  20. Creds by strudslev · · Score: 1

    I'll be looking forward to paying my eBay purchases with Galatic Credits :)

    1. Re:Creds by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll be buying that laser cutter attachment with galactic creds and feel boss until i realize a laser cutter cost $5000 or something.

  21. Scams in space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They need aliens, the whole human race knows they are scammers by now.

  22. Try putting your comment in the body instead... by Dogtanian · · Score: 1

    Is it April 1st again?

    On the contrary, *every* day of the year is a potential day for contrived attention-grabbing publicity stunts.

    --
    "Slashdot - News and Chat Sites Deviant". (Click "homepage" link above for details).
  23. Let's not forget when Paypal closed down Wikileaks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is just a PR stunt.

    Let's not forget when they froze Wikileak's donation account:
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/04/paypal-shuts-down-wikileaks-account

  24. Used Disentegrator L@@K RARE! by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    Used only once on Omicron Persie 8, Reactor still holds 80% charge, rarely tries to go critical. Scratches from holster on the sides.

    AS-IS only ships to verified Paypal planets.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  25. in space noone can hear paypal freeze your account by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    n/t

  26. Seticoin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or Alicoin ... or ...

  27. I don't understand by Brucelet · · Score: 2

    I have no idea what this is doing once you strip out all the buzzwords

  28. Space-based project rule of thumb by AdamWill · · Score: 1

    "Apparently, Paypal is taking up bedmates with Virgin Galatic along with Buzz Aldrin and the SETI Institute"

    Adam's Rule of Thumb for judging space based projects: "If it's backed by Neil Armstrong it's probably an important and desirable project. If it's backed by Buzz Aldrin it's probably garbage."

  29. video by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q93u7gwGPY