Newton the Alchemist
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Newton the Alchemist
1–10 of 24 posts
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#2Alchemy was their String Theory. A long shot, but not obviously false at the time.
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#3I'm just wrapping up reading The Confusion by Neal Stephenson. The collection, the Baroque Cycle, dramatizes much of Newton's alchemikal endeavours. It's a brilliant read.
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#4The interesting question to me is why people in earlier times valued gold at all (i.e. before understanding its uses in electrical circuits, etc.). Why would people care for it? I mean, OK it doesn't rust, but why's it so special?
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#5The interesting question to me is why people in earlier times valued gold at all (i.e. before understanding its uses in electrical circuits, etc.). Why would people care for it? I mean, OK it doesn't rust, but why's it so special?
Essentially for the same reason people value Bitcoin today.
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#6The interesting question to me is why people in earlier times valued gold at all (i.e. before understanding its uses in electrical circuits, etc.). Why would people care for it? I mean, OK it doesn't rust, but why's it so special?
> it doesn't rust, but why's it so special?
"Power resides where men believe it resides" - Varys, Game Of Thrones
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#7Alchemy was their String Theory. A long shot, but not obviously false at the time.
It was also their internet currency. If only it worked, it'd be as big as Bitcoin if not bigger. But they could only come up with Flooz.
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#8Alchemy was their String Theory. A long shot, but not obviously false at the time.
It was also their internet currency. If only it worked, it'd be as big as Bitcoin if not bigger. But they could only come up with Flooz.
The funny thing is - we now CAN transmute lead to gold :) It's just not profitable :)
Re: Newton the Alchemist
#9Re: Newton the Alchemist
#10The interesting question to me is why people in earlier times valued gold at all (i.e. before understanding its uses in electrical circuits, etc.). Why would people care for it? I mean, OK it doesn't rust, but why's it so special?
You could trade gold for almost anything.
So, anyone who had enough gold could afford most of things - without worrying about the reason the gold is valued.
Many smart people work for Google and Facebook and a lot of them do not care about negative effect of ad economy on the society because the wages which they pay enables them to afford a house in a good locality and good enough lifestyle and probably interesting work.
Most people don't look at things from fundamental level.