Conversation

Replying to
18/ Last block also is economy in its own right: from unlocking smart-contract rental cars to power outlets in cafes that charge for charge
1
3
Replying to
19/ A lot is low-value/high volume so online micropayments arguments ("just make it free"/"not worth financializing") apply. But not all.
1
3
Replying to
10/ I'm going to shrug off pennies worth of electric power or wifi used for free as community goodwill. Stolen package, not so much.
2
6
Replying to
21/ F. Pohl said "job of the sci-fi writer is to predict not the automobile but the traffic jam." Traffic jam is ALWAYS at leaves of tree
3
44
Replying to
22/ Literal traffic jams happen near cities. As s/w eats a network-provisioned service, traffic jam moves further down into capillaries.
1
5
Replying to
24/ I once pitched feature on last-mile to a mag; editor rejected it as too esoteric :D But if you get tech, it's where ALL action is
1
9
Replying to
25/ With VR, NFC, payments... It's not even the last block or last yard by your doorstep, it's the last inch from your face wherever you are
1
7
Replying to
26/ General topological theory why this happens. A more informationally powerful tech induces a higher resolution network structure
1
7
Replying to
27/ Resolution "delta" (tens of miles for trains/planes, miles for cars, blocks for foot/electricity, inches for wireless) extends network
1
5
Replying to
29/ Every tech stops being organized by econ, starts being organized by social norms at its transaction resolution limit, set by tx costs
1
11
Replying to
30/ So sociologically, the last mile/block/inch is where the market stops and priceless values etc. start to kick in.
3
11
Show replies