Gold has value, but the value doesn't wildly fluctuate from month-to-month. The problem with Bitcoin isn't the value itself, its the change in value that's inexplicable. BitCoin, as transfer mechanism, would have the same utility regardless of the price on an individual BitCoin.
So you freely admit that the only use is a money laundering scheme. Even your scheme isn't very good, since you still depend on local currency to pull it off. How do you buy that laptop? How do you buy pay for the internet connection?
I'm waiting for Rei to post, too. Two weeks ago, he told me to put my money where my mouth is and short Tesla. I'd like to thank him for the stock tip.
They just name dropped Elon Musk because anyone watching STD is too retarded to recognize any actual scientist in the world today. Would have been funnier if they'd picked Roger Shawyer.
The 2016 election is a massive data point against the assumption that companies can just "buy" an election. All the corporate interests were aligned with Clinton. She raised and spent twice as much as Trump. All after Trump beat out better finances candidates in the GOP primary.
Every computationally related academic discipline has this problem. When our grad students get a little bit of bioinformatics/data science experience, they get scooped up by industry. Its very hard to recruit post-docs at salaries that can be covered by grant funded budget.
Some people *claim* to know how to build a Hyperloop. Da Vinci has some pretty convincing designs for flying machines, but it was still a few hundred years later before all the details were worked out. Until you can show an operating prototype, its still just theoretical.
Why don't they build a Stargate to solve their traffic problems? I know Stargates don't exist, but neither does a hyperloop. If you're going waste money on imaginary concepts, dream big!
You're making the mistake of assuming that every gene is associated with a single phenotype. But evolution doesn't necessarily work that way. For example, one of the genes that differentiates us from Neanderthals is associated with more advanced speaking ability, but it also make us more susceptible to schizophrenia. It might well be that whatever gene or genes that make someone more prone to suicide has a similar trade off.
I go to the movies now more than ever. Alamo Drafthouse-style theaters have been a game changer. Even if the movie itself is mediocre, its still more fun than the usual bar night with friends.
In this case the separatists are outnumbered by the people who want to remain in Spain.
Prove it. Spain had their chance to negotiate terms for a fair referendum that both sides could recognize. Denying the legitimacy of any referendum, they guaranteed the secessionists would win, handing them a moral victory. The Spanish government has been so stupid in this whole matter that it lends extra justification for Catalonian independence.
There is a very large body of literature, based on cultural and economic divisions, that suggests the US would be better off dividing into 3 or more separate governments. Not only are we too culturally diverse to resolve social issues, but the US is too large and economically diverse to be a single optimal currency area. Having separate currencies, with a different monetary policy, for each of the major regions would be more efficient.
The underlying assumption of democracy is that voters are rational actors who will (usually) vote in their best interest. So the question what is smallest country allowed should be answered based on what is the smallest country that is viable. The depends a lot on the specific local economics and geography, but its probably between 500,000 and 1 million people.
As the city-state died, we're seeing the nation-state dying in favour of larger political entities.
The trend is clearly in the opposite direction The 20th century was the death of large empires. First it was the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires that failed. Then the British, Dutch and French Colonial empires. India partitioned. The Soviet Union collapsed. Yugoslavia fell apart.
The most prosperous countries in the world today are either small countries (like the Nordic states) or actual city states (like Singapore and Luxembourg). You might bring up the EU as a counter example, but that is explicitly not an political authority. Members are free to leave unilaterally. This is a tradition that goes back to the Hanseatic League. Its an economic arrangement that is more advantageous for smaller states.
I grew up in rural Nevada and there's a few kooks that have done just that. There's an unofficial policy to just leave them alone if they don't cause any trouble. Instead of fighting them over taxes, it's easier just to put a lien on their property and wait for them to die.
If the separatists outnumber the non-separatists, then that's just democracy at work; the minority get out voted and have to suck it up or leave. That happens in election. When nations separate amicably, they can negotiate for a deal that compensates the non-separatists in some way (often a land swap). But that requires a willingness to negotiate in good faith.
This is something that all modern countries are going to have to come to grips with. It's unreasonable to expect that the borders drawn up in 1945 should last in perpetuity.
Personally, I think the Union was right to fight a war to end slavery. But the resolution of the war should have been to free the slave, ensure them safe passage to a destination of their choosing and to leave the rest of the South as a separate nation. With the advantage of hindsight, readmitting the South was a mistake.
There is growing body of legitimate scientific research on the best ways to achieve happiness. This research confirms a lot of the old cliches; the strongest contributing factors to happiness are meaningful relationships with family and friends, contributing to the community and a connection with nature. It makes sense when you recognize that our brains evolved 250,000 years ago and the conditions that optimize happiness are the same ones that were available before money, fame or luxury travel were ever invented.
Slashdot Mirror
Gold has value, but the value doesn't wildly fluctuate from month-to-month. The problem with Bitcoin isn't the value itself, its the change in value that's inexplicable. BitCoin, as transfer mechanism, would have the same utility regardless of the price on an individual BitCoin.
So you freely admit that the only use is a money laundering scheme. Even your scheme isn't very good, since you still depend on local currency to pull it off. How do you buy that laptop? How do you buy pay for the internet connection?
What fundamentals? What is the underlying utility that gives an individual Bitcoin any value?
I'm waiting for Rei to post, too. Two weeks ago, he told me to put my money where my mouth is and short Tesla. I'd like to thank him for the stock tip.
https://news.slashdot.org/comm...
They just name dropped Elon Musk because anyone watching STD is too retarded to recognize any actual scientist in the world today. Would have been funnier if they'd picked Roger Shawyer.
The 2016 election is a massive data point against the assumption that companies can just "buy" an election. All the corporate interests were aligned with Clinton. She raised and spent twice as much as Trump. All after Trump beat out better finances candidates in the GOP primary.
The Chinese government uses the same excuse to censor their internet.
Every computationally related academic discipline has this problem. When our grad students get a little bit of bioinformatics/data science experience, they get scooped up by industry. Its very hard to recruit post-docs at salaries that can be covered by grant funded budget.
Why would the airlines care? There aren't even any major airlines that operate out of Ft. Collins.
Some people *claim* to know how to build a Hyperloop. Da Vinci has some pretty convincing designs for flying machines, but it was still a few hundred years later before all the details were worked out. Until you can show an operating prototype, its still just theoretical.
Why don't they build a Stargate to solve their traffic problems? I know Stargates don't exist, but neither does a hyperloop. If you're going waste money on imaginary concepts, dream big!
You're making the mistake of assuming that every gene is associated with a single phenotype. But evolution doesn't necessarily work that way. For example, one of the genes that differentiates us from Neanderthals is associated with more advanced speaking ability, but it also make us more susceptible to schizophrenia. It might well be that whatever gene or genes that make someone more prone to suicide has a similar trade off.
I go to the movies now more than ever. Alamo Drafthouse-style theaters have been a game changer. Even if the movie itself is mediocre, its still more fun than the usual bar night with friends.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/0...
Do you think that having more credit bureaus would make your personal data more secure?
All the interest in Bitcoin is based on rational market forces.
Prove it. Spain had their chance to negotiate terms for a fair referendum that both sides could recognize. Denying the legitimacy of any referendum, they guaranteed the secessionists would win, handing them a moral victory. The Spanish government has been so stupid in this whole matter that it lends extra justification for Catalonian independence.
There is a very large body of literature, based on cultural and economic divisions, that suggests the US would be better off dividing into 3 or more separate governments. Not only are we too culturally diverse to resolve social issues, but the US is too large and economically diverse to be a single optimal currency area. Having separate currencies, with a different monetary policy, for each of the major regions would be more efficient.
The underlying assumption of democracy is that voters are rational actors who will (usually) vote in their best interest. So the question what is smallest country allowed should be answered based on what is the smallest country that is viable. The depends a lot on the specific local economics and geography, but its probably between 500,000 and 1 million people.
The trend is clearly in the opposite direction The 20th century was the death of large empires. First it was the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires that failed. Then the British, Dutch and French Colonial empires. India partitioned. The Soviet Union collapsed. Yugoslavia fell apart.
The most prosperous countries in the world today are either small countries (like the Nordic states) or actual city states (like Singapore and Luxembourg). You might bring up the EU as a counter example, but that is explicitly not an political authority. Members are free to leave unilaterally. This is a tradition that goes back to the Hanseatic League. Its an economic arrangement that is more advantageous for smaller states.
I grew up in rural Nevada and there's a few kooks that have done just that. There's an unofficial policy to just leave them alone if they don't cause any trouble. Instead of fighting them over taxes, it's easier just to put a lien on their property and wait for them to die.
This is something that all modern countries are going to have to come to grips with. It's unreasonable to expect that the borders drawn up in 1945 should last in perpetuity.
Personally, I think the Union was right to fight a war to end slavery. But the resolution of the war should have been to free the slave, ensure them safe passage to a destination of their choosing and to leave the rest of the South as a separate nation. With the advantage of hindsight, readmitting the South was a mistake.
There is growing body of legitimate scientific research on the best ways to achieve happiness. This research confirms a lot of the old cliches; the strongest contributing factors to happiness are meaningful relationships with family and friends, contributing to the community and a connection with nature. It makes sense when you recognize that our brains evolved 250,000 years ago and the conditions that optimize happiness are the same ones that were available before money, fame or luxury travel were ever invented.