I'd rather pay for my space latte with ...
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Should be "gold pressed latinum" (Score:5, Interesting)
I thought "gold pressed latinum" was the preferred currency of moneyed-types in the alpha quadrant? I couldn't imagine Quark dealing in any other kind, certainly not the ordinary non-gold pressed variety.
Re:Should be "gold pressed latinum" (Score:5, Insightful)
"Latinum" as short for "gold pressed latinum" is acceptible. As in the Fortieth Rule of Acquisition: "She can touch your lobes but never your latinum".
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Latinum is encased in the gold. The gold is actually pretty worthless in the Star Trek Universe. It's just a container.
Re:Should be "gold pressed latinum" (Score:5, Interesting)
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There's also the fact that pure latinum is a liquid, which makes it somewhat inconvenient to handle. Suspending it in gold makes it handier and easy to split into predefined amounts (slips, strips, bars and bricks).
Not all bad... (Score:5, Funny)
Also... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Also... (Score:5, Funny)
And a new meaning to "golden shower".
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"I wonder who came up with the idea of suspending liquid latinum inside worthless bits of gold."
"Probably someone who got tired of making change with an eyedropper."
Re:Should be "gold pressed latinum" (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Should be "gold pressed latinum" (Score:5, Informative)
The Federation clearly had an economy of sorts. Joseph Sisko had a restaurant in high demand, the Picard family had a traditional vineyard, so luxury goods and services still attracted a premium, but I don't think they traded with money. Voyager was probably the best illustration of the economy of the Federation - replicator use was rationed because energy became a scarce resource due to the need to run the engines at full tilt without stopping to refuel with antimatter.
The economy would be based on energy, given that starship travel makes obtaining most previously rare materials a question of spending energy. Given the ubiquitous manufacturing capability combined with fusion generators as small as a trash can, it would be impossible to restrict the means of production to a ruling class of capitalists, so status becomes the main indicator of success. This is emphasised heavily within Star Trek plots - high status scientists, sportsmen, and of course, starship officers are plentiful. But none of them are notable for merely owning things - all of them are accomplished in some way.
In a starship economy, money as a means of exchange would be ridiculous - although the sequence of barter trades you mention from DS9 also seems ridiculous to me, because so many of the goods concerned just seem like something you'd just squeeze out of a replicator.
Energy would be cheap, because if you needed more of it, you'd just construct more generators / harvesters.
Your supply of material goods would only be limited by the supply of energy and mass. If you need uncommon or non-replicable elements (let's presume that using the replicator for transmutation is prohibitively expensive), you dispatch a starship to find some. This costs energy. See point 1.
It makes no sense to move any matter cargo that isn't a rare element via a starship, because common elements are everywhere, even if transmutation is expensive.
So money would be a bit pointless
* Because the price for anything common is "really cheap".
* You can't pay for rare things with common things, because everyone has the common things already.
* A common exchange rate is going to be impossible to keep stable because the only things worth trading are rare
I think the Ferengi economy is actually the curiosity in this setting ; it seems to depend on artificial scarcity (and repression of entire social groups, from the way they treat their women).
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I was always under the impression that starfleet had a some what military structure and while serving aboard a star ship they would have little need for money as their basic needs were all provided. There were also some references to credits as if there was also an electronic currency in use that was not valued outside the federation.
Latinum of course (Score:5, Interesting)
Primarily because it comes from a universe where there is a relatively high living standard for Earth humans. Pretty much every other "future" envisioned that I've ever read was rather bleak and depressing compared to Star Trek's.
I rather like the idea of a world where all your needs are taken care of automatically, and all you have to work for are perks and extras.
Then again, I live in such a world today -- I'm on disability. My needs are taken care of without working, but I have the option of earning up to $200 a month without penalty for perks and spending money. Maybe Star Trek isn't so much fantasy after all, at least in Canada.
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I wouldn't brag about being on disability. I mean you must have to build yourself up to keep going along being disabled, but bragging I think crosses some social taboo.
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His actual point is pretty good though.
Take natural resources for instance, lots of companies profit from them, nature is ruined forever. Should it be private profit?
What about land and things like farming?
Banks/lending generate money for people for nothing too.
For whatever reason it's ok if someone get billions for not doing much but not if someone get thousands.
In a society where the basics can be done by a few or robots or whatever would it be all that wrong if people would be more free to do what they w
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I could post on /. AND have a girlfriend.
Re:Latinum of course (Score:4, Insightful)
Usury (lending with interest) isn't the best example since the interest is more than an economic rent - as you say, it is a consideration for the risk, and credit funding is critical for regular business operations in our economy.
However, there are many forms of true economic rents, which do constitute money earned for no (productive) work. To name a few, there are monopoly rents, copyright and patent trolling, corruption (e.g. bribes, lobbying), inappropriate subsidies, etc.
Going to back to banks and lending, harmful rents are extracted by bank officers who engage in looting, the practice of knowingly making bad, high-interest loans to meet short term profit goals while ultimately ensuring losses because of the inevitable defaults. This practice is unfortunately commonplace in the modern banking sector and has played a major role in multiple financial crises.
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Yeah, arguably that is and would be the case.
Yet everyone is pissing their pants at mere idea that anyone would have to take big losses.
In the case of Greece lenders have "had to voluntary" take a loss but in general it seem to be believed that debt should always be paid in full and still interest rates are set aggressively against what supposedly is more risky.
But yeah, maybe it works, and the price of the lent money is indeed priced vs the risk and what the money otherwise could be used for. And it may on
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Sounds like he's bragging about Canadian social support, not about being disabled.
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Much more fun to go to the other end of the spectrum - something as ludicrously grim and dark as possible. Say... Warhammer 40k?
In which case, your Space Latte will cost you 30,000 eternally tortured souls of the damned. Or if you have a loyalty card, you can get it discounted to 15,000 litres of blood for the blood god and 3,000 skulls for the skull throne.
Re:Latinum of course (Score:5, Insightful)
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Farius_Prime [memory-alpha.org]
http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Demilitarized_Zone [memory-alpha.org]
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Unless you have to get it from Quark.
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You're probably a Starfleet officer or a trader if you're buying in Quark's, in which case you either get a latinum stipend from the Federation or have trading profits. In either case you voluntarily adopted an unusual, high-risk lifestyle and represent something of an oddity.
You could probably get something at the replimat for for free* as well. In Quark's you're mostly paying for the atmosphere and the Dabo girls.
* in an environment like DS9 with a limited supply of energy and mass there are probably rati
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Primarily because it comes from a universe where there is a relatively high living standard for Earth humans.
Not to mention the holodeck, obviously a lot of untapped (pun intended) potential. Including every fantasy you couldn't or wouldn't do in real life, I guess a space latte might become involved but it's not exactly at the top of my list.
Re:Latinum of course (Score:4, Insightful)
Adjust your expectations to fit your reality and you'll be much happier than those who always want more.
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Yes, why work when others can work for you? I do believe in help for the truly disabled however.
Cubits (Score:3, Insightful)
Because Battlestar Galactica 2003 is the best sci-fi, and possibly the best TV show of all time.
Re:Cubits (Score:4, Funny)
Because Battlestar Galactica 2003 is the best sci-fi, and possibly the best TV show of all time.
Those of us that remember the late seventies know cubits from the original BG. The rest is opinion.
Each currency, explained: (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.tidbitsfortechs.com/2013/12/fictional-currencies-popular-scifi-tv-movies-literature/ [tidbitsfortechs.com]
I looked up the ones I didn't know, thought I'd share (link).
Jedi ruin everything. (Score:4, Funny)
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Ah, but how will the Force size up against my psychic paper telling the Jedi that his powers were eaten by a small dog?
Multipass! (Score:2)
How is Multipass [youtube.com] not an option?
Re:Multipass! (Score:4, Insightful)
How is Multipass [youtube.com] not an option?
Why would it be? A multipass is a piece of ID, not a credit/debit card.
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I pay with the three seashells.
Again, we are talking about currency here. The three seashells were a method for ... well let's not get into that.
Units of currency and sources (Score:5, Informative)
As I would assume a few other people are or have encountered, I didn't know from what source the currency choices came from. So, here's a short reference:
Galactic credits standard: Star Wars
Kalganids: Second Foundation
Agatean rhinus: Discworld
Flanian Pobble Beads: Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy
Latinum: Star Trek (Ferengi)
Dollarpounds: Red Dwarf
Brandar tiles: Farscape
Spacebucks: Spaceballs
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_currencies
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The Ferengi loves anything with a persistent value.
Spice Melange (Score:3)
From what I understand, with this, you can have pretty much have anything you want from anyone. An insignificant latte: Gratis; no payment required.
Re:Spice Melange (Score:5, Funny)
Indeed, I get my drinks from a replicator so I don't pay, you insensitive clods! But I don't drink lattes, I drink raktajinos! Only the Klingons know how to make coffee.
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Indeed, I get my drinks from a replicator so I don't pay, you insensitive clods!
Share and enjoy!
Re:Spice Melange (Score:4, Funny)
Indeed, I get my drinks from a replicator so I don't pay, you insensitive clods! But I don't drink lattes, I drink raktajinos! Only the Klingons know how to make coffee.
Lucky you, I get my drinks from a Nutri-Matic, which makes a concoction that is almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.
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But if you go to Arrakis, you can buy your spice with water
soo-soo-sook
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This latte will literally open your mind to a whole new plane of existence. And I literally mean literally.
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You will taste the bending and fluctuation of space and view the foldings made by the guild members.
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From what I understand, with this, you can have pretty much have anything you want from anyone.
The problem with commodity based currencies is that they assume an essentially static society where scarce and valuable commodities will always remain scarce and valuable.
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No kidding, a backpack or two of melange can pretty much buy a whole planet. When it comes to universal exchanges, space drugs might be the way to go.
What's the rate between melange and thionite?
Anyhow, my guess is that you'd have to pay in slow money.
Magic Internet Money (Score:4, Funny)
Bitcoins obviously.
Space Lattes should be free! (Score:2)
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Only information wants to be free. Brownian motion generators are random, thus devoid of information.
You forgot the obvious one.... (Score:5, Funny)
Starbucks
Dogecoin (Score:2)
Wow. So crypto. Much currency.
Quatloos! (Score:5, Funny)
Best Star Trek currency ever . . . plus you get to see Kirk battle a chick with funky hair in a tinfoil bikini wielding an over-sized can opener.
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What is this? (Score:2)
Sorry, I only carry crindar.
Sam
Buckazoids (Score:3)
Buckazoids...for those of us Space Quest fans out there.
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I was wondering whether this currency would pop up. It was certainly the first thing on my mind.
It's also telling of the diversity of possible answers, that I had to Google most of these, even though I consider myself a scifi fan.
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I certainly would have picked Buckazoids.
And for more taste...
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spaceventure/two-guys-spaceventure-by-the-creators-of-space-que [kickstarter.com]
Hey, waitaminute... (Score:2)
I wanna pay with nuyen! Or woolongs! Or Barrayaran marks!
Where the hell is Quatloos? (Score:3)
I'll wager $400 on the newcomers.
I'm tea drinker (Score:2)
... you insensitive clod!
Latte, space, iced. (Score:2)
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Of course, you're right. And fuel is in such short supply that the Federation is only able to send its Galaxy class flagship (a 42 deck behemoth with science labs, a gymnasium, an arboretum, schoolrooms and childcare facilities, racquetball court, onboard live action theatre, and a crew between one and three thousand people) on the most minor diplomatic or scientific missions, rather than a whole fleet.
TNG is premised on lack of scarcity.
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Starbucks (Score:3)
Best exchange rate (Score:2)
If you exchange your Foundation credits for kalganids you get a lot of kalganids. Sounds like a good deal to me!
What good are quatloos? All you can do is place bets with them. I'm confused.
...laura, probably showing her age
ISK (Score:2)
An American Express Credit Card (Score:2)
I'd rather make my own latte (Score:2)
...using one of my own fab-drones, from raw atoms freshly mined out of one of my asteroid belt claims.
Missing option... (Score:2)
Buckazoids.
What, no Solar? (Score:2)
Thanks for ignoring the most successful science fiction book series ever written [wikipedia.org]...
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Well er...not to say that by the numbers that it might be up there, even #1 by some metric. But really? I've never even heard of the thing!
Further that the ubiquitous "credits" is not on the list is kinda more silly IMO. My main man Harry Harrison should have had some reps!
Snowcrash reference (Score:2)
Seriously? It's gotta be Kongbucks....
The Triganic Pu (Score:2)
Ok, so getting enough Ningis to make up one Pu is kind of a challenge, which means your average mutl-pu space-latte is liable to take quite some time to afford.
What's the difference? (Score:2)
As long as the currency is widely used, and if it does not require that I carry around large quantities of paper or valuable metal/minerals, I don't care. It seems to me that our current monetary system (mostly electronic) is just as practical as most sci-fi systems, and far superior to any fantasy system which still uses lots of valuable metals carried around in bags, just waiting to be stolen in The Shades or some other part of a fantasy universe with a particular high density of alleyways.
For the rest, t
Missing option (Score:2)
QUIDs [wikipedia.org]
Great. Just great. (Score:2)
What am I going to do with all these bottlecaps now?
Unfortunately... (Score:2)
I prefer Pobble Beads, but you can't pay for a latte with Pobble Beads so I went with Spacebucks.
Buckazoids! (Score:2)
Space Quest reference, thank you.
I can't believe this isn't on the poll (Score:2)
Surely, they have bitcoins in space!
I will pay in Mesetas (Score:2)
Missing option (Score:2)
Where are the quatloos?
Re:No Triganic Pu? (Score:4, Funny)
They just didn't want to deal in fiddling small change.
I've got some Flanian Pobble Beads here. If you also happen to have some Flanian Pobble Beads, we could probably work something out.
scam me, scam you ltd. (Score:5, Funny)
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It's not the Pu thats the problem, it's the Ningis
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Good thing for asteroid miners that space travel is dirt cheap.
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So far that's 227 voters who don't realize that flanian pobble beads can only be exchanged for other flanian pobble beads.
I had never read the books .. I prefer my HHGTG in the original radio play format with Peter Jones as "The Book".
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Seconded, Mr. AC!
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Actually, I thought Kalganids sounded like a periodic meteor shower. Derailing reality entirely and assuming that to be true, currency that falls from the sky at regular intervals sounds like a pretty good deal. I'll pay with those.
But I don' wan' none o' yo' fancy-ass lah-tay. No, no, no. Make mine a flat white!