5 ms·

If only there were a means of processing a transaction with little pieces of paper that hold value.

phil21 9y ago
I wouldn't expect that to even last in our lifetimes - as a practical matter at least. The war on cash is real, and if you pay attention on HN and other places the social zeitgeist sees this as a good thing.
- tritium 9y ago
  If you don't think bartering doesn't work, I have a shiny diamond ring for you, if you're willing to change your mind.
  - sambe 9y ago
    Sure, I'll take your $10K diamond ring for my $1K gun. Or did you want to chop off the corner? (more seriously: I think people are going for a substantial reduction in practical feasibility more than anything. The inefficiency of barter is unlikely to affect that.)
    - tritium 9y ago
      While we’re kidding around, once I have your gun, all I need to do is trade a $1 bullet to get my ring back! Given the fanaticism of the gun debate, if laws don’t prohibit the medium of exchange, you can bet that anything from scrap copper plumbing and wire, to lumber, to livestock would be accepted in some circles, in order to breathe life into a market with enough demand.
- airstrike 9y ago
  This may be hard to believe, but there are people out there who have never heard of HN or similar forums and still love cash.
  - phil21 9y ago
    Yes, I tend to be one of those people and know many. The difference is they have very little political power. When both the "elites" and suburban America is against you - you likely are not going to have a good time.
  - cgb223 9y ago
    Wait, theres a life outside of HN? Next thing you're going to tell me that not everyone is a programmer...
  - gremlinsinc 9y ago
    People I don't think inherently 'love' cash... I mean think of all the germs on the money you get from a convenience store or McDonalds? I guess a cc can still have germs, but it's also more convenient to not have to step foot near a bank to get it. I know plenty of people who've never heard of HN who use CC and Debit Cards religiously. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to someday completely move away from physical cash. From a waste standpoint it makes sense, why waste money/physical resources just to create fiat currency when it can all be digitized?
    - airstrike 9y ago
      Cash is harder to hack (but perhaps easier to steal?). Each person will have their own level of comfort with such risks.
- dexterdog 9y ago
  Meanwhile the war on the war on cash is also real.
- manicdee 9y ago
  I am on HN and use cash where possible simply because a set amount of cash in my pocket each pay period is a budgeting system that works for me. My tin foil millinery habit is entirely unrelated.

I wouldn't expect that to even last in our lifetimes - as a practical matter at least. The war on cash is real, and if you pay attention on HN and other places the social zeitgeist sees this as a good thing.

tritium 9y ago
If you don't think bartering doesn't work, I have a shiny diamond ring for you, if you're willing to change your mind.
- sambe 9y ago
  Sure, I'll take your $10K diamond ring for my $1K gun. Or did you want to chop off the corner? (more seriously: I think people are going for a substantial reduction in practical feasibility more than anything. The inefficiency of barter is unlikely to affect that.)
  - tritium 9y ago
    While we’re kidding around, once I have your gun, all I need to do is trade a $1 bullet to get my ring back! Given the fanaticism of the gun debate, if laws don’t prohibit the medium of exchange, you can bet that anything from scrap copper plumbing and wire, to lumber, to livestock would be accepted in some circles, in order to breathe life into a market with enough demand.
airstrike 9y ago
This may be hard to believe, but there are people out there who have never heard of HN or similar forums and still love cash.
- phil21 9y ago
  Yes, I tend to be one of those people and know many. The difference is they have very little political power. When both the "elites" and suburban America is against you - you likely are not going to have a good time.
- cgb223 9y ago
  Wait, theres a life outside of HN? Next thing you're going to tell me that not everyone is a programmer...
- gremlinsinc 9y ago
  People I don't think inherently 'love' cash... I mean think of all the germs on the money you get from a convenience store or McDonalds? I guess a cc can still have germs, but it's also more convenient to not have to step foot near a bank to get it. I know plenty of people who've never heard of HN who use CC and Debit Cards religiously. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to someday completely move away from physical cash. From a waste standpoint it makes sense, why waste money/physical resources just to create fiat currency when it can all be digitized?
  - airstrike 9y ago
    Cash is harder to hack (but perhaps easier to steal?). Each person will have their own level of comfort with such risks.
dexterdog 9y ago
Meanwhile the war on the war on cash is also real.
manicdee 9y ago
I am on HN and use cash where possible simply because a set amount of cash in my pocket each pay period is a budgeting system that works for me. My tin foil millinery habit is entirely unrelated.