In article <3fmknn$5fj@planchet.rutgers.edu>,
Chris Thomas <cthomas@checfs1.ucsd.edu> wrote:
:and resources, I can't see the cost of items dropping enormously in an
:everyday sense. Things like a loaf of bread will probably cost the same
:as a loaf today; marketed items and vanity items will still be priced
:according to what somebody perceives the value to be; patent rights will
:still be around to prevent somebody's original use of a nanoassebler from
:being ripped off by others, ...
I think most things will be much cheaper except for the things you mention: "Designer" items and things that are extremely cheap already. A house will cost the price of the land plus about $100 in materials plus the competitive design cost. Anything mass produced will have a very low design cost.
:Instead, wouldn't it be nice so envison a better world where populations
:that starve today would benefit from the efficient reoganization of
:matter that nanotech affords. Imagine a world where manufacturing isn't
:limited to the home shores of very industrialized nations;
The argument over NAFTA seems to imply that many people don't like this idea!
I try to imagine what the economy would be like in a nanoworld. The US economy has moved away from manufacturing towards service, nanotech will complete this. Will everyone be in a service/design job? Or will there be high unemployment? The best solution would probably be cutting working hours to a minimum (1 day per week?). Some people talk about a socialist utopia where people are given whatever they need to do what they want, but I dislike the idea of a central government who does the "giving" (and therefore has all the power).
:...it will become possible to sustain large
:ecosystems in space for very long amounts of time
It would take a very large amount of energy to transport many people from the surface.
:Some plots of land would
:have greater value than others, but with the opportunities of an entire
:galaxy at our disposal
Brian