Sunday, July 20, 2008

Future economies

I read science fiction a lot, and over time some things begin to pop out at you. The flying car, which I've been promised since the 40's, still isn't here yet. You read about flying cars, but you never read about the schmuck working in the flying car factory.
You see the starship captain ask for, and get, a cup of tea from the matter generator, and think;"wow, everything is free for the asking. No it's not. The matter in the form of tea, formerly existed as energy in the starship's engines. No engine, no tea.
Imagine a future in which Quai-chaing and Mei-lee are sitting in their apartment in Hei Lung somewhere, bemoaning the fact that everything on the shelves at the local Wal-Mart is marked Made in Aldebaran any more. And talk about lax border control, half the aliens on the streets are there illegally.
The possibilities here, just go on and on.

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