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Time is the only real currency we have

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Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#121

Post by wainstead »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #90

Interesting premise and article. I do disagree with a lot of it since I believe more in maximizing human potential through mindfulness and tuning ourselves instead of our tools. re: “ You don’t want to be the person who thinks their problem through on a piece of paper,...” For difficult problems I think you do want to be this kind of person. Walking away from your laptop, sitting outside or anywhere relaxing with a p…

> I do disagree with a lot of it since I believe more in maximizing human potential through mindfulness and tuning ourselves instead of our tools.

Cannot one do both?

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#122

Post by kzrdude »

jessriedel wrote: post #99
seventytwo wrote: post #39

Parameters of the universe are currency. Time is one of them, space (or area on earth’s surface) is another, and energy is a third. How these three things are used is what generates value to human beings. Each of the fundamental items can be traded individually, but money is used as a proxy for value . The most common trade is when a person can trade their time and their body’s energy. They produce some level of valu…

You're using "energy" as a pseudoscientific gloss. A human being provides an extremely meager amount of energy in the physics sense of the word. That energy could be purchased much more cheaply. The economic value of human labor is more closely tied to human intelligence/dexterity. More reasons to think your comment is more about making the reader feel the insight is deep: there are other important conserved quantiti…

> You're using "energy" as a pseudoscientific gloss. A human being provides an extremely meager amount of energy in the physics sense of the word. That energy could be purchased much more cheaply. The economic value of human labor is more closely tied to human intelligence/dexterity.

Indeed humans provide very little energy. I've always used this to understand the value of oil to our society. Value, not the current price! :)

A barrel of oil fed into a machine can replace the work of hundreds of laborers. In this perspective, oil is ridiculously cheap, alternatively viewed, it provides us with a lifestyle that is luxiurious and some feats that are otherwise impossible (transoceanic flight).

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#123

Post by julienreszka »

rational_indian wrote: post #44
julienreszka wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it is not. Put idiots in a Stanford class they won't be able to do much of the time given to them by Ivy League professor since they won't be able to pay attention

I don't think this is a sound argument. How does it demonstrate attention being not equivalent to time? At best it shows the professor's attention / time / money can be wasted by dull students. Was this ever under dispute?

What was under dispute is whether time is the only real currency. I say it is not and I say it's attention that is the real currency because that's what you really allocate.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#125

Post by Balgair »

seventytwo wrote: post #39

Parameters of the universe are currency. Time is one of them, space (or area on earth’s surface) is another, and energy is a third. How these three things are used is what generates value to human beings. Each of the fundamental items can be traded individually, but money is used as a proxy for value . The most common trade is when a person can trade their time and their body’s energy. They produce some level of valu…

Yeah, and the exchange rates are terrible.

Time goes as 1/(1-V^2)^0.5 in this market. Everything is pretty good until you really want time to stop, then, blammo! The Energy goes to infinity and the Space pretty much looses a dimension. It's especially bad, because it the dimension you're walking along!

Trust me, fella, stick with dollars, at least you can print new ones.

What a racket!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorentz_factor

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#126

Post by rib3ye »

kylek wrote: post #117
elcomet wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like to think that the human work is to minimize entropy. So the currency would be entropy minimization.

Hah. You must be new to humans. Ordered destruction is a thing. (Alas, so is chaotic creation. Hail Eris!)

Usually it performed to add the concept of risk to scenarios where people think there is no consequence for squandering said currencies.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#127

Post by seanwilson »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #96
seanwilson wrote: post #84

When comparing careers, I'm amazed how little people mention free time. You see people saying things like "I did blah to move from $X thousand a year to $Y thousand a year" but it's rare anyone mentions how much free time they have like "I earn $X thousand a year and have Y days off". I understand more money now could mean you'll have more free time later, but earning a lot with no time for your own personal growth d…

Over a forty year career, I only worked full time for perhaps 30% of that time. Sure, I left a lot of money on the table but my wife and I are still financially secure and working 25 to 32 hours a week on average gave me more time with friends and family, and time to write (which I enjoy doing). Spend effort on career and job skill development, but treat jobs as transactions of time for money, and I suggest devaluing…

> Over a forty year career, I only worked full time for perhaps 30% of that time. Sure, I left a lot of money on the table but my wife and I are still financially secure and working 25 to 32 hours a week on average gave me more time with friends and family, and time to write (which I enjoy doing).

Exactly, that sounds amazing! I'd love to hear more people talk this way when they mention their earnings.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#128

Post by almost_usual »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #90

Interesting premise and article. I do disagree with a lot of it since I believe more in maximizing human potential through mindfulness and tuning ourselves instead of our tools. re: “ You don’t want to be the person who thinks their problem through on a piece of paper,...” For difficult problems I think you do want to be this kind of person. Walking away from your laptop, sitting outside or anywhere relaxing with a p…

I find myself discovering solutions to problems before falling asleep at night. Usually in some state of half awake and half asleep.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#129

Post by jessriedel »

elcomet wrote: post #112
jessriedel wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're using "energy" as a pseudoscientific gloss. A human being provides an extremely meager amount of energy in the physics sense of the word. That energy could be purchased much more cheaply. The economic value of human labor is more closely tied to human intelligence/dexterity. More reasons to think your comment is more about making the reader feel the insight is deep: there are other important conserved quantiti…

I like to think that the human work is to minimize entropy. So the currency would be entropy minimization.

You're relying your intuitive concept of entropy ("disorder"....of things people care about) rather than the actual definition of the thermodynamic concept. Entropy can not be reduced, only produced, and the work people do does not look anything like what you'd do if you were trying to minimize entropy production.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#130

Post by DavidVoid »

If you really want to take the "Learn to type fast" advice to heart you can get a Georgi keyboard [1] and spend a few months learning stenography [2]. That can get you typing at above 200 WPM! (but it does require a significant amount of time to learn)

[1] https://www.gboards.ca/product/georgi

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wpv-Qb-dB6g

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