Random Rants LXXVII: I'm sitting here, completely surrounded by no cookies!

[Broken_Erika]

...... I'm dreading the day when they decide to replace the $5 bill with a coin (there's already talk of doing that; it must be to push us into a cashless economy).

Would that be the foonie?

 

[Synobun]

The vending machines at work were replaced a couple months back with fancy ones that accept bills up to $20, spitting out fives through the cash slot and dollar coins in the change.

I thought it had short-changed me by $1.50 after I paid with a twenty. Only after getting home did I realize it worked correctly. It's just that two of the "quarters" were really Susan B. Anthony dollars.

Who thought that it would be a good idea to make a dollar coin just barely larger than the quarter, with the same copper-nickel clad composition and the same texture on the edges? And why did nobody at the Mint try to put a stop to this madness? I'm sure they were "just following orders", but that excuse isn't supposed to work for crimes against humanity like this.

Now I understand why Carter lost. He deserved it.

The weirdest part about this story is that they designed a new vending machine that recognizes, accepts, and distributes relatively uncommon forms of currency.

The ATMs here recently upgraded. Now you can choose if you get all your bills in $20s or in a combination of $20s and $50s! Wow!

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Rant: I knocked over a bunch of plates and some of them broke. Then I spilled all my levodopa when trying to get one out. I'm really not having a good day.

 

[r16]

today USB number 22 . Another 'ing idiot nearby who can't "contact" the web , you know as the service starts going somewhere else . There is bound to be a new Islamist Party soon , as America only waits for the Local Elections much decided in favour of A-K-P so that the transition will be limited to personal antagonists and not the whole sale state structure that has arisen since . Since the political rally gets to be followed by a warning that says leave him alone or at least do not attack or whatever . Rich guys on the Street are advised that they should not at least for the duration , only 4 guys are re-arrested from the drug runner types . So , what do we get ? I fill some USB , start re-arranging the innards of a second . Oh my , immediately , immediately . Of course , nobody can spot the guys , despite ı have been observed almost without a break since 2005 , the guys have everything saved and when there was Congregation , the Police would have bragged of how they had everything even on the days that ı couldn't . As long said , basing one's manhood on one's superiority on some idiot , even by the name of r16 , is a weak thing , as soon as something happens . These people , one of these days , indeed will not be able to forget that ı have long been claiming that ı refused to turn over a working fusion power station to Lockmart . So help me God , as them Westerners say .

 

[Manfred Belheim]

I can't parse that at all...

 

[Birdjaguar]

I think that if we collected all of r16's posts we could get them published as a book. I'm not sure if it would be fiction or non fiction, but I think it would be the next Ulysses.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

All I can get from the posts is that he keeps destroying his USB sticks and blaming it on some weird conspiracy.

 

[Takhisis]

People make fun of Canadian money, but at least our loonie coins are distinctive. I'm dreading the day when they decide to replace the $5 bill with a coin (there's already talk of doing that; it must be to push us into a cashless economy).

A cashless economy is a moronic idea.

But, well, you have politicians in charge.

 

[Lexicus]

A cashless economy is a moronic idea.

Porque?

 

[Takhisis]

I've had the privilege of living in a country where the government suddenly decided to freeze all bank accounts and deposits, stopped withdrawals from ATMs and so on.

So no, I don't want to have any government to have that level of control over me, to the point that they can arbitrarily decide what I spend my money on simply by pushing a button. They don't get to own my money.

(I hope I'm explaining myself well enough not to be lumped in with berzerker)

 

[cardgame]

Card readers can fail when the internet goes down. I see notices that EBT cards aren't working all the time as well. Every business would be obliged to permanently give away 2-3% or whatever the ratio is to the giant financiers. Lots of reasons, really.

 

[Synobun]

Taxation is theft.
- Takhisis, 2019

 

[rah]

I would prefer that not all my purchases be public. Or the chance of being so.
I probably use cash more than I should but it pleases me. so whatever.

 

[Lexicus]

I've had the privilege of living in a country where the government suddenly decided to freeze all bank accounts and deposits, stopped withdrawals from ATMs and so on.

So no, I don't want to have any government to have that level of control over me, to the point that they can arbitrarily decide what I spend my money on simply by pushing a button. They don't get to own my money.

(I hope I'm explaining myself well enough not to be lumped in with berzerker)

That makes some sense. I think it's misguided to a certain extent because we're all sort of perforce bought into the idea of state-run currencies. I also wouldn't have used the word "moronic", would have substituted some word meaning "open to abuse" or something.

 

[Takhisis]

(I hope I'm explaining myself well enough not to be lumped in with berzerker)

Taxation is theft.
- Takhisis, 2019

I FAIL POSTING FOREVER

 

[Synobun]

That's why you should get Poster's Insurance.

 

[Takhisis]

That makes some sense. I think it's misguided to a certain extent because we're all sort of perforce bought into the idea of state-run currencies. I also wouldn't have used the word "moronic", would have substituted some word meaning "open to abuse" or something.

Open to abuse by the state controlling the currency, for example. Look at the effective application of a system, in some parts of China, whereby the government forces all payments to be done through (state-approved) QR codes that give everybody a personal score. I don't want that. I've lived under deranged rulers who simply lie to an extent that makes Donald Trump look like a Prophet of Truth. I already live under a system in which all my travels using the public transport system are recorded, and that was achieved as a serendipitous side effect of intentionally inflationary (>30% year-on-year) programmes.

It is also open to abuse by hackers working for foreign and/or non-state actors as well… based on my experience, it's just a recipe for disaster.

On top of that, I think we've already over-digitalised our lives. I can't just be asked to pay for half a dozen eggs with a cellphone. It's daft. A waste of resources.

 

[Lexicus]

All that is fair. I'm not in favor of abolishing cash or anything. I assume you're aware that the world's economy is already mostly cashless though?

 

[Synobun]

On top of that, I think we've already over-digitalised our lives. I can't just be asked to pay for half a dozen eggs with a cellphone. It's daft. A waste of resources.

Is it? You already have a cellphone, and not needing paper/metal money removes the need to print/mint it. You don't need a space to contain it, either, such as a coinpurse or a bulkier wallet.

Then again, I'm sure a man 6000+ km away from me, speaking to me from a magic rock that's been digitalized, will have a stinging retort.

 

[Snerk]

Having to fiddle about with coins and notes is bloody inconvenient though, there's no getting around that.

Cashless has it's drawbacks, but so do physical currency.