idle thoughts
amazon just sent me a recommendation for a book i already own. does this indicate their recommendation system is fairly accurate? i dunno. frankly, i tend to only use them when i have a specific book i want to purchase (usually from the scientific american book reviews). but i am a sucker for geology books, so perhaps amazon does know me well. not that it matters. i far prefer wandering the stacks at used book stores.
on a completely different topic, a new dollar coin is going into circulation. with it, the accompanying voice of doom, noting that people don't want a dollar coin, people won't use a dollar coin, look at how the others have failed, and so on. bullshit. people, even those polled and saying they do care, don't really care. the problems with getting people to use dollar coins is you can't fucking get them anywhere. last time they tried this, the only place i ever recieved a dollar coin in change was from the subway pass machines in NYC. you want people to use the coin? make them available. you want people to use a dollar coin over the paper bill? remove the fucking paper from circulation. this is one of those situations where the government shouldn't listen to the people on the matter. if dollar coins will save the government money, then switch to them. that people might "like" the bill marginally more really isn't a good reason to keep them. it's the same sort of mentality that has prevented a switch to the metric system.
get rid of the penny too, while you're at it. i hate those things.
6 comments:
If the government wants to save money, then maybe they should quit making new mint molds for their coins every new damn year. A quarter for each state? Puhleeze. Pick a look, and stick to it. The old quarter was just fine. It's not like people were gonna quit using it just cuz it went outta style.
And personally, I'd rather use paper than dollar coins. I can comfortably carry 10 dollars in ones, but 10 quarter-sized coins in my pocket would annoy me.
But then, money annoys me. I'd rather barter and share. Anything to fuck up the capitalists.
i believe the savings is due to coins lasting longer. 10 dollar coins wouldn't annoy me anymore than having 10 quarters.
coin dies have to be replaced regularly. i'm not sure that varying the design costs any more than reproducing the same design over and over.
as for barter systems: i think they are effective for local, small scale stuff. but even then, the world is interconnected enough that you can still undercut people with barter. for instance, i make pottery as a hobby. i might offer two jars for a bushel of tomatoes. someone else might offer three jars for the same bushel. unless you stay local and with people you know, it becomes difficult, in my estimation.
money doesn annoy me. it's nothing but a tool. those who view it as an end, instead of a mean...those individuals, or even societies can be annoying. but disliking money is akin to being annoyed with hammers because you don't like carpenters.
and the new metrosexual accessory: change purses.
what, you don't have one already?
vcfxwrc: very fine chicks wear red clothes
interesting link, topazz, but it struck me as a bit unfair: she gives her wishlist to amazon.com and feels all warm and fuzzy when they know what she likes, then she turns around and expects her husband to know what she likes without knowing what's on her wishlist.
i tell you what though... it feels weird having $50 worth of british coinage jingling in the pocket.
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