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Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

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Re: Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

#11
post #3

[deleted]

Let's suppose you represent the coordinates as four 8-bit values: 37deg 54', -85deg 57'.

Then these 32-bits provide the whereabouts of about $238 Billion dollars[1].

For this information to have a higher value-density, it must grant you a 0.01% chance of controlling all of the gold in Fort Knox.

Good luck getting in, getting out, and surviving the manhunt.

[1] Wikipedia

Re: Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

#14
post #7

Considering that anyone trying to sell that much bitcoin at once would pretty much crash the currency, how much is it really worth? Perhaps some kind of revolutionary mathematical fact could be worth even more? This is a very interesting question. EDIT: A lot of people responding to me seem to be trying to contradict my argument by pointing out that if it was true, it would be true for almost everything. I don't get…

Considering when you sell all the gold in Fort Knox all at once would pretty much crash gold's value. How much is the gold in Fort Knox really worth?

http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/fun_facts/?action=fun_f...

Amount of present gold holdings: 147.3 million ounces. The gold is held as an asset of the United States at book value of $42.22 per ounce.

http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/commodities/futures/metals/

COMEX Gold Value: 1,250.40/per troy ounce

1 ounce = 0.911458333 troy ounces

$167,875,968,689 USD

You are correct. Selling that much gold at once would decimate the gold market.

Re: Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

#15
post #5

Bruce Schneier once equated the security of a 256 bit private key by comparing the energy needed to brute force all possible combinations of 256 bits to the amount of energy harnessed for one year by a Dyson Sphere built around the sun. So maybe there's a correlation, in the sense of knowing the GPS coordinates of Fort Knox, and targeting it with an ICBM?

link: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/09/the_doghouse_...

Re: Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

#16

As an alternative to this, what about ICBM/Nuclear Launch codes - they have the potential to destroy a lot of value (both natural, material and psychological)? Or even a terrorist's planning information prior to an event? Or even genetic code?

According to an article from a few days ago, for about twenty years the nuclear launch codes were "00000000."

Re: Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

#17

As an alternative to this, what about ICBM/Nuclear Launch codes - they have the potential to destroy a lot of value (both natural, material and psychological)? Or even a terrorist's planning information prior to an event? Or even genetic code?

Well, incidentally Minuteman launch codes were set to 00000000 for about 20 years [1]. Can you argue that zero entropy effectively reduces the number of information bits to 0 and thus drives up the value per bit to infinity?

[1] http://www.damninteresting.com/ive-got-the-same-combination-...

Re: Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

#18

As an alternative to this, what about ICBM/Nuclear Launch codes - they have the potential to destroy a lot of value (both natural, material and psychological)? Or even a terrorist's planning information prior to an event? Or even genetic code?

Possessing the launch codes is one thing. Positioning oneself such that it is possible to extract value is something else entirely.

The difference is the private key gives the beholder power over the wallet at any time from anywhere in the world. No additional information is required.

Re: Is this the most value-dense information on Earth?

#20
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering when you sell all the gold in Fort Knox all at once would pretty much crash gold's value. How much is the gold in Fort Knox really worth?

http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/fun_facts/?action=fun_f... Amount of present gold holdings: 147.3 million ounces. The gold is held as an asset of the United States at book value of $42.22 per ounce. http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/commodities/futures/metals/ COMEX Gold Value: 1,250.40/per troy ounce 1 ounce = 0.911458333 troy ounces $167,875,968,689 USD You are correct. Selling that much gold at once would deci…

I'd find it really odd if the ounces they reference aren't troy ounces, which is the true de facto for precious metal weight quotes.

To the true matter though is that valuing things by their liquid value is problematic especially when their liquidity isn't ever really going to be utilized.

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