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Time is the only real currency we have

blog.theboringtech.io

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Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#41

Post by keiferski »

t0mislav wrote: post #35
keiferski wrote: post #11

I’ve often wondered what society would look like if optimized for saving people time. Just some quick thoughts: - Crosswalks and traffic lights would become non-existent and replaced with more pedestrian overpasses, turning/merging lanes, and other designs. Waiting for the light to change is a huge waste of time for both pedestrians and drivers. It seems like we might get this eventually with self-driving cars. - Min…

We could optimize (probably we will) lot of things like you mentioned. But then, we will still waste 20 times more looking at stupid things on internet.

Probably. But at least I try and spend some of my phone time doing Anki cards.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#42

Post by kator »

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…

The only currency you're born with is time. The rest are acquired by the application of time.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#43

Post by lucb1e »

Andrew_nenakhov wrote: post #25
lucb1e wrote: post #8

The movie "in time" (2011) kind of explores this. At the time, I wrote: > it gets you thinking. What prevents time from being used as currency? Or are we really doing the same by paying people an hourly rate instead of based on their accomplishments? Not to mention how many lives that million years capsule must have cost.

This explores it in a rather poor way. Once you and all your friends have a hundred year on your accounts, why not just stop working in this society and just go build a new civilization using bottle caps as means of exchange? Why being slaves to people who fix prices for everything all the time? Also. Economy there had no sense. Every person is passively using 24h worth of 'money' every day by simply existing. That m…

Yes sure, it's a mainstream movie and meant as entertainment rather than educatively. But for being a mainstream movie, I liked that it made me think about this.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#44

Post by rational_indian »

julienreszka wrote: post #13
naggreg wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that equivalent to giving time to someone?

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?

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#45

Post by ezoe »

keiferski wrote: post #11

I’ve often wondered what society would look like if optimized for saving people time. Just some quick thoughts: - Crosswalks and traffic lights would become non-existent and replaced with more pedestrian overpasses, turning/merging lanes, and other designs. Waiting for the light to change is a huge waste of time for both pedestrians and drivers. It seems like we might get this eventually with self-driving cars. - Min…

- Most of the regulation of prior permission paperwork submit is abolished. Whether somebody meets the regulation standard will be evaluated after it was done.

- Customer service is not free of charge after used the up free quota.

- Telephone, video/voice chat are deprecated because these communication require people to use time at specific point rather than in the convenient time they choose.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#46

Post by IggleSniggle »

nemetroid wrote: post #31
keiferski wrote: post #11

I’ve often wondered what society would look like if optimized for saving people time. Just some quick thoughts: - Crosswalks and traffic lights would become non-existent and replaced with more pedestrian overpasses, turning/merging lanes, and other designs. Waiting for the light to change is a huge waste of time for both pedestrians and drivers. It seems like we might get this eventually with self-driving cars. - Min…

> - Purchase and checkout items while you shop, rather than waiting in line at a cash register. In Sweden, this has been a thing in most larger grocery stores for more than 10 years, e.g. https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https...

This has also been a thing at many US grocery stores for many years now, but inexplicably, many people don't use them.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#47

Post by keiferski »

ciconia wrote: post #36

Somehow the idea that time is our only currency is conflated with efficiency. Yes, time is the most limited resources we have, and therefore the most precious, but does this mean we have to squeeze every last bit of productivity from our time? Do we really have to keep running all the time, always optimising for more efficiency? I would say the exact opposite. If time is our most precious asset, let's rather spend it…

I don’t think these are separate things at all. Being efficient with your work time is great because it lets you spend more time with family, friends, and so on.

Long commutes are really the killer here: it’s super difficult to cook a family dinner if you get off work at 6:00, spend 30-60 minutes commuting home, 30 minutes buying groceries, another 30 minutes cooking, etc. Working from home and then cooking dinner with delivered groceries gives you an extra hour+ with your family.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#48

Post by ct520 »

toomuchtodo wrote: post #33
ct520 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is pretty much my life to the extent of how much I can control it in society. I never do any singular thing with the exception of work. I won’t leave the house unless I can divide and group that time into multiple objectives thus spreading the overhead of time lost against many achievements. If not in a meeting I have my pleasureable conversations via car phone when I commute some where. If I’m not in a meeting…

Make sure to stop and smell the roses. Research shows people on their death bed always regret working too much and not enough time with loved ones (if you’re a data driven sort of person).

Thanks for the comment. I do have a large family I take care of them as single source of income. I found I have to make a conscious effort to ensure I spend time with them. Since I have done that my quality of life improved greatly while still maintaining a hefty work schedule. A couple years back I audited how much time I was spending with my family/kids. It was embarrassing. Besides our normal routines I made the effort to take them to each of their extra curricular activities. 6 days a week 3 kids. I spend individual time with them each week and we go on vacation 3-5 times a year. I’m learning to have my cake and eat it too. But the family life is a conscious effort I have to make to avoid the (I wish I slowed down). Not a day that goes by I don’t love what I do and my life. Given the above I hope I don’t regret it. Time will tell.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#49

Post by jandrese »

kator wrote: post #42
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…

The only currency you're born with is time. The rest are acquired by the application of time.

Lots of people are born with wealth. In fact that biggest factor in how much wealth you have is how much you are born with.

Re: Time is the only real currency we have

#50

Post by bitcurious »

ReactiveJelly wrote: post #21
naringas wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there are many pedestrian overpasses in some big cities (like the one I live in) but it's not so simple, because then you have to climb up stairs, which takes more time... you walk more steps add some heavy duty sun and people rather wait in the shade down below rather than climb up. Also pedestrian overpasses tend to be really narrow (read: uncomfortable) Also, why should we be so stingy with time? it's better (IMHO…

> why should we be so stingy with time? Because it's fungible. If I save 10 seconds, maybe I get to keep those for myself.

The idea that time is fungible is misleading. I can only drink coffee using my before noon time, or else I take away from the utility of my night time. I’m less productive in the time immediately after a big meal. I can only smell the roses for 30 or so consecutive seconds, and then need a break.
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