And it’s one of the few forms of magic where explaining how it works makes it seem even more improbable rather than less.
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“OK check it: a local affiliate of BigCo convinced this shopkeeper to put out a reader. He trusts that anything the reader says is good will actually be paid at end of month. His bank trusts a network which trusts an issuing bank. Most of these parties don’t know each other.”
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“How does the bank trust you?” “Oh a computer made a judgement call on me at 3 AM.” “But but but!” “Yeah all the reasons you’re thinking this can’t work are in fact true AND they’re priced in AND it’s still cheap enough to run on a few percentage points of a $8 ticket.”
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I'm most consistently amazed by the "interest free loan for 25-55 days" aspect.
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That's pretty easy to explain, it's subsidized by those who don't pay on time, a loss leader and way to get customers who think they will pay.
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It’s also amazing that they - have an anti-fraud component to getting money back - use them across the internet - the sheer volume of global payments that they must route across a distributed banking network
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It really is amazing. Heck, even cash is amazing. I remember getting pesetas out of a Spanish ATM circa 2001 and buying stuff, then thinking, "wait, this Spanish street vendor just gave me ice cream because I scrubbed vats in a pharma plant across the ocean?!"
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They absolutely are amazed. However, I think you have to add a time element to your story. What you describe happens absolutely for the first 30 days. Then their soul is then crushed when the bill comes through, and they are no longer amazed.
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What is equally amazing, is to hail an Uber with your phone in a country you have never been in and cannot speak the language. To be taken to your destination and arrive with no words exchanged.
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We need a hashtag for these sorts of observations. Maybe something like
#dailymagic. -
Nope, that one’s already used. Maybe
#unnoticedmagic.
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