Re: Optimal location of world capital

On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 09:31:50 -0800 (PST), DJensen <i_m0nk@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

>On Mar 1, 8:32 am, Matthias Warkus <War...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>wrote:
>> DJensen schrieb:

>> > But I really see no need for a fixed physical location, particularly
>> > not one meant to represent the will of billions. So why not a virtual
>> > or ad hoc capital?

>> I'd wager that a "virtual capital" would work about as well as the
>> paperless office or massive telecommuting, i.e. not at all.

>I'm not convinced of that, particularly if we were to get rid of
>representation and use a direct system of some sort. Don't look at
>real world systems being augmented by technology; look at how virtual
>systems are accessed in the real world. For example, YouTube. It seems
>to function without requiring people mail in their videos, or queue up
>at certain times of day to watch, and doesn't take weeks or months off
>at a time or close its doors at 4pm or for the weekend.

>Why couldn't a democracy, with constituents in every time zone,
>function more like that and less like your local bank or court house?

Because democracy is a form of government, and governments have to make
decisions.  What sort of decisions does YouTube have to make, and how
(and how *well*) does it make them?

Not, mind you, "what sort of decisions does an individual YouTube user
have to make?".  What happens when YouTube has to make *one* decision
that *all* users have to abide by?

My guess is, three guys get together in an office somewhere in Silicon
Valley, talk it over, and say e.g. "Hardcore ****ography would expose
the site to excessive civil and criminal liability, endangering our
ability to provide service to all users, therefore we have decided that
none of our users will post hardcore ****ography, the end".

Hooray for direct democracy, implemented in cyberspace!


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