What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
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Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#2I tend to agree with the article that mobile payments and such don't feel like they provide much value.
If there are system allowed people to walk into stores and just take stuff without waiting in line, the time savings would be huge. But the time spent in actually physically swiping a credit card is minimal so even once the glitches are gone, the payoff in convenience is mediocre at best.
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#3This is a very fascinating story for me. I remember as a child my ( conservative, christian ) parents having long, serious discussions about credit cards and banking. They were wrestling with the same section of scripture that the writer quoted, Revelations 13:16-17:
"It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name."
They ended up concluding that there was no way to avoid plastic credit cards, but if technology ever advanced to the point where payments via subcutaneous microchip that they would reject it. I remember thinking how futuristic and far-off that sounded, but now this is a procedure that can be done today. I personally have left a lot of those beliefs behind, but I don't know if I could ever feel comfortable getting a chip implanted in my hand like the writer did.
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#4This is a very fascinating story for me. I remember as a child my ( conservative, christian ) parents having long, serious discussions about credit cards and banking. They were wrestling with the same section of scripture that the writer quoted, Revelations 13:16-17: "It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,so that they co…
I don't understand why Christians get anxious about applying events in Revelations to the current day. Do they not believe that they aren't going to be here for it?
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#5Does any one have a guess as to how future-proof these current chips are? Just like other new tech products, I can't imagine that they will be fully compatible with the majority of the payment ecosystem in 10 years.
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#6Cash is not going away anytime soon for at least a couple of reasons: Trust (Account Overloards say I have 100 USD in my account when I actually have 1,000), and cash is a very handy debt instrument for the issuer.
(and)
FDR did not take the US off the gold standard, he outlawed private ownership of gold. Nixon took the US off the gold standard in the early 70s.
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#7I tend to agree with the article that mobile payments and such don't feel like they provide much value. If there are system allowed people to walk into stores and just take stuff without waiting in line, the time savings would be huge. But the time spent in actually physically swiping a credit card is minimal so even once the glitches are gone, the payoff in convenience is mediocre at best.
Why can't we have this:
Mobile phones + barcode scanners + CCTV + object/facial recognition = convenient shopping experience where you can pick up what you need, scan it, and walk out having paid by phone. CCTV algorithms can flag potential shoplifters or shoppers who forgot to scan certain items. If it can be pulled off then it could mean fewer people working checkout and less spending on bags.
But, on the other hand, even "automated" checkout isn't terribly convenient: the exciting game of multiple scales slows your scanning process to a crawl compared to the checkout line and they still have people standing over and watching to watch for shoplifting and process alcohol purchases.
I worked in a grocery store a while ago and while I understand some needs I still don't get why there hasn't been any real innovation since the adoption of barcode readers. Could anyone please explain why in-store automation is always one step forward two steps back?
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#8This is a very fascinating story for me. I remember as a child my ( conservative, christian ) parents having long, serious discussions about credit cards and banking. They were wrestling with the same section of scripture that the writer quoted, Revelations 13:16-17: "It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,so that they co…
Serious question: What is the difference between having a card and having a chip? I mean, theologically, and what is your particular hesitation? Growing up in a conservative, christian household myself, there were rumblings that the Mark of the Beast had already arrived in the form of a Social Security Number.
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#9Does any one have a guess as to how future-proof these current chips are? Just like other new tech products, I can't imagine that they will be fully compatible with the majority of the payment ecosystem in 10 years.
I imagine every few years you'll go in for a checkup with your iDoctor.
Re: What the Mark of the Beast Taught Me About the Future of Money
#10This is a very fascinating story for me. I remember as a child my ( conservative, christian ) parents having long, serious discussions about credit cards and banking. They were wrestling with the same section of scripture that the writer quoted, Revelations 13:16-17: "It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,so that they co…
I don't understand why Christians get anxious about applying events in Revelations to the current day. Do they not believe that they aren't going to be here for it?
>Do they not believe that they aren't going to be here for it?
There are three main beliefs within Christianity:
Some believe that the rapture will occur before the rise of the Antichrist and the events described in Revelation (note the singular).
Some believe that Christ will call home the faithful midway through the strife.
Some believe that only those who are faithful for the complete event will be called up.
I haven't read the book myself in a while, but I do remember being told about these three schools of thought, as it were.