Re: Early reports from the Chronoguard...
Posted by:
robcraine (---.mcb.net)
Date: April 21, 2007 08:29PM
MuseSusan Wrote:
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> Eeeeeeeeee!!!!!! I shall put a penny in the bank
> with instructions for Friday to take it out in
> 1,000 years and return it to me next May so that I
> will have funds for plane tickets, hotel room, and
> souvenirs!
And lots to spare... Just leave it in your current account paying a measly 1% a year and you'll end up with about 21,000 in the currency of your choice. Chuck it in a high interest account at 5% pa and that'll be about 1.5 x 10^19 - thats 15 billion, billion, billion.
Invest it in an index tracking fund... that'll give you arround 11% pa, averaged over the long term, that takes us up to 2.1 x 10^45. 2100 billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion, billion.
But, you may ask, why isn't the country flooded with time travellers who are rich beyond the dreams of avarice?
The problem is, transporting the funds back to the current day. Modern day banks won't accept eurouble* chips issued at the turn of the next millenium. Few coins and notes from the current era survive through Blue Monday** and the price of precious metals, gems and other items that would be tradeable in the 21st century makes their purchase unfeasible.
But bear in mind, there is only about 50 million, billion dollars worth of stuff in the world, then you can afford to take a bit of a loss, and should you find the right marketable goods then I think we can safely say the drinks will be on you at the Ffiesta!
Rob
* Eurouble: most stable global country from the creation of the Eurasian Empire in 2854 to the Spencer Rebellion of September 9th 3110
** The famous date when all currency became electronic. Accounts became accessible by an implanted access chip in the palm of the hand. All hard currency had to be surrendered by Blue Monday, when it became worthless. The so-called Belgian Barter economy, the infamous Manhattan Hand Thief, and the powerful glove industry meant that this experiment was doomed to fail.
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That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather