Robert J. Bradbury wrote:
> > OK, when was the last time you slaughtered your own cow before
I anticipated this response. The average extropian doesn't eat red meat and
likes to give literal answers to rhetorical questions.
> > eating steak?
>
> I can probably count on two hands the number of times in the last 25
> years I've eaten meat (steak I could probably do on one hand),
> so I don't think this is much of a problem.
> [...]
> A little competition in providing "government" services (protection, law,
> meat inspection) would be a very interesting. But I think we may get back
> into the "too much information" problem. Are you qualified to judge
> whether U.S.D.A meat inspectors are better or worse than Elmer & Mo's
> Clean Meat Verification Services, Inc.? What about comparing in detail
> two legal systems such as the U.S. system and the French system?
You only have to compare different systems in detail if you want to make an informed decision. Most people will buy some generic brand of protection, law, meat inspection, et cetera, and market forces will see to it that they receive the kind of product that (a) keeps them in a fit state to purchase future products; and (b) keeps them happy to be in the consumer loop.
> While the idea is attractive, I think the problem is that the devil
> is in the details.
It's also not likely to happen before nanotechnology comes along and makes it a whole new ball game.
BM