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Awesome! That is a real answer rather than goldbug sales propaganda! I still don't think gold will hold value very well outside of the context of our current pr

by Rhapso 2y ago

Awesome! That is a real answer rather than goldbug sales propaganda! I still don't think gold will hold value very well outside of the context of our current prosperity though.

throwup238 2y ago
It definitely won't be anywhere near as valuable but I think it's easy to underestimate how important it would be to rebooting civilization. It's malleable, relatively chemically inert, resistant to corrosion, solders well, and can be easily used to gold plate other objects without a modern supply chain for reagents. There are lots of cheaper industrial replacements available now but once those are gone, its practical importance goes way up. Recycling all of our gold crap is going to be easier than restarting titanium mining, for instance, and that's pretty critical to getting modern industrial chemistry and biology working again.
- Rhapso 2y ago
  So stockpile actually medium term useful things and take everybody's gold and then be a gold kingpin in the post-nuclear Renaissance?
  - throwup238 2y ago
    My recommendation if you survive the apocalypse is to immediately go take control of a hydroelectric dam. They're usually easily defensible and as long as you have megawatts of power, restarting civilization is relatively easy. As long as the turbine windings haven't melted, they will last for years. Preferably find a dam that used to power a smelter on site so you can recycle all the now useless cars into new metal. That would quickly turn you into a post-apocalyptic kingpin. You can also subjugate downstream communities by threatening them with sudden water releases. Bonus points if the only approach to the dam can be washed out with a release.
    - Rhapso 2y ago
      Huh, funny that my homestead site is 3 miles away from such a dam. I'd like to keep the lake at a decent level too, I like fishing. The TVA made them good! I know what I'm up to, i just really like trolling goldbugs.
    - passwordoops 2y ago
      "to immediately go take control of a hydroelectric dam." How do you propose to accomplish the takeover and operation? What about security? What scale of dam?
      - throwup238 2y ago
        Big wooden statue of a beaver full of well equipped marines.
        passwordoops 2y ago
        I'll accept it

by Rhapso 2y ago

Awesome! That is a real answer rather than goldbug sales propaganda! I still don't think gold will hold value very well outside of the context of our current prosperity though.

throwup238 2y ago

It definitely won't be anywhere near as valuable but I think it's easy to underestimate how important it would be to rebooting civilization. It's malleable, relatively chemically inert, resistant to corrosion, solders well, and can be easily used to gold plate other objects without a modern supply chain for reagents. There are lots of cheaper industrial replacements available now but once those are gone, its practical importance goes way up. Recycling all of our gold crap is going to be easier than restarting titanium mining, for instance, and that's pretty critical to getting modern industrial chemistry and biology working again.

Rhapso 2y ago
So stockpile actually medium term useful things and take everybody's gold and then be a gold kingpin in the post-nuclear Renaissance?
- throwup238 2y ago
  My recommendation if you survive the apocalypse is to immediately go take control of a hydroelectric dam. They're usually easily defensible and as long as you have megawatts of power, restarting civilization is relatively easy. As long as the turbine windings haven't melted, they will last for years. Preferably find a dam that used to power a smelter on site so you can recycle all the now useless cars into new metal. That would quickly turn you into a post-apocalyptic kingpin. You can also subjugate downstream communities by threatening them with sudden water releases. Bonus points if the only approach to the dam can be washed out with a release.
  - Rhapso 2y ago
    Huh, funny that my homestead site is 3 miles away from such a dam. I'd like to keep the lake at a decent level too, I like fishing. The TVA made them good! I know what I'm up to, i just really like trolling goldbugs.
  - passwordoops 2y ago
    "to immediately go take control of a hydroelectric dam." How do you propose to accomplish the takeover and operation? What about security? What scale of dam?
    - throwup238 2y ago
      Big wooden statue of a beaver full of well equipped marines.
      - passwordoops 2y ago
        I'll accept it