TJ, shutting gold mines is silly. We find gold very useful for getting electrons through Zenbu router antenna connections, wearing as wedding rings, putting in teeth, using as gold leaf, drinking in champagne, and myriad other purposes.
<i am in favor of shutting down all gold mines, and i have stated so many times in the past on this thread, >
There is a substantial gold mine in Waihi, a very pleasant town in NZ which derives significant income from the process. There is no environmental harm unless one thinks that CO2 from excavation equipment is a problem but that is trivial compared with the vast production of CO2 for totally pointless activities.
As I explained years ago in SI, as gold rises towards $10,000 an ounce due to financial relativity theory as $ head towards the speed of light, a gold culture will develop as larger proportions of people start scavenging for supplies in hunter-gather found-wealth mania.
Some have explained that the value of gold comes from the hard yakker of digging the stuff out of the ground. There is no reason to stop them continuing to do so, or having more and more people joining them if they wish to join the Atavistic Aztec gold culture.
It's silly, but that's people for you. Gold is just another element in the periodic table. Mere stardust spread around the crust, congealing here and there. It has a value that varies from time to time depending on gold lust King Midas mania.
You will find, and already know, that it's nowhere near as valuable as the phragmented photons of CDMA/OFDM mobile cyberspace. You clutch your little De-Vice in your hot little hand as you head off to do battle, leaving your cold-hearted gold at home or buried in some dark cave somewhere while life happens elsewhere. You drool far more over the magical processes of your De-Vice with only a wistful glance at the vices of youth.
Mqurice |
