Business As Usual, During Alterations

[archerships]

Excerpt from an interesting Slashdot discussion:

Imagine that there was a "duplication device" that could clone whatever you put into it - a watch, a TV, a car, whatever. Imagine it only cost $.20 per use....

Interestingly enough, there was a science-fiction short story published in Analog ... exactly along those lines... some alien race dumped a matter duplicater and the plans for it on the human race, with the apparent intent of causing human society to self-destruct. Instead, the humans worked out the obvious solution: since anything could now be duplicated, the only thing that has value is unique originals, and the way to make a living is to design and create unique originals of things.

Ralph W. Slone (writing as "Ralph Williams"), "Business As Usual, During Alterations", Asounding, July, 1958. Great story.

Comments

[kittles.livejournal.com]

Very interesting concept. But makes sense: gold is only as vaulable as it is because of its rarity. And so on.

[perich.livejournal.com]

Boo! Bad economics! And in Crasch's journal of all places! Boo!

(P.S. I disagree; gold is valuable for reasons other than rarity. To steal from David Friedman: signatures of my name in orange ink are the rarest commodity in the world. How much are you willing to pay for them?)

[kittles.livejournal.com]

Touche. :) And I realize it has other value, but I suppose I should have qualified with 'why it's the backing standard for the dollar'? I'm an agriculture geek, not an economics geek. That's what I rely on you guys for. :p

[infrogmation.livejournal.com]

Hm. Reminds me of this post by Stefan Kapusniak:


I want a device that defaults to being small and wearable, and has the following features and limitations:

1. the UI and all functions are accessed and controlled by a direct connection to the mind of the user.

2. All such devices in existence throughout the universe are networked together using the spooky action at a distance InfeasibleNet.

3. Directed by the thought controlled interface, the user can capture a definition of the entire physical structure of a object along with anything else it needs for section 6, this definition is automatically stored on the InfeasibleNet.
MOST IMPORTANTLY THIS ABILITY INCLUDES BEING ABLE TO STORE A DEFINITION OF THE DEVICE ITSELF <--- IF IT CAN'T DO THIS IT IS COMPLETELY USELESS POLITICALLY.

4. Nothing stored across the InfeasibleNet can be deleted from the InfeasibleNet. The InfeasibleNet has infinite capacity.
All such devices have total access to everything stored across the InfeasibleNet.

5. The device can instantly transform any lump of matter, that isn't a person, into pure energy which it automatically stores away, probably in an orthogonal dimension for added safety, for later use. There is _no_ option for it not to be stored it away.

6. The device can take a previously stored definition, and the requisite amount of stored energy, and instantly create a copy of the original object at a place the user specifies in the immediate locality. There is an however exception however to the ability to create objects...

6.1 If the definition is that of a person, you can't create a copy of them. Instead you can use the definition as a template for section 7.

7. The device also incorporates a fully scriptable body barber facility allowing the user to transform their current body to that of any defined template body, taken from 6.1 or that of an animal, or scripted up themselves, or scripted up by the many bio-hackers out there on the InfeasibleNet. The automatic 'regenerate body on signs that it's dying' checkbox in this facility is by default always in the 'on' position for added safety. Any intelligence, or memories, of the user beyond the capacity of the selected body to hold is stored away for re-implantation when a body that does have that capacity is transformed to.

8. We also have universal socket mode, where the device transforms itself into a small black box, into which any plug can be pushed [electrical, network, tv aerial, telephone etc. etc.] and recieve the service it expects to make the thing work.
Never have another power cut. Connect your computer to the instant access InfeasibleNet. etc. etc.

I've now just destroyed all private and public property, the capitalist system, governments, and all physical methods of
enforcing authority [governmenta1l or otherwise], plus the entire laws of physics, in one easy stroke. AND I'VE ENSURED
WE'RE ALL STILL ALIVE WITH LOTS OF NEAT STUFF WHILST I'VE DONE IT.

I am open to patches to the concept.


-- Kapusniak, Stefan m <--- FREE-ANARCHO-COMMUNIST-LIBERTINE SORCEROR
...or something.

[chrysaetos.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a great story idea. So was there also then a push away from materialism? I mean, I would think that if any object could be commonplace, objects (even originals) would become less valuable as compared to experiences. I can duplicate anything you have, but not anything that you have done.