Re: Optimal location of world capital

On Mar 1, 6:40 pm, John Schilling <schil...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 09:31:50 -0800 (PST), DJensen <i_m...@[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?

I'm aware YouTube isn't a government, and I wasn't proposing that
government could be grafted to it. YouTube is, however, a highly-
trafficked and fully participatory distribution model without the
drawbacks and limitations of brick and mortar, because it's entirely
virtual. Putting the decision-makers online wouldn't prevent decisions
from being made.

I know I've had more luck contacting my Member of Parliament via email
than I could face to face (particularly since she spends half the year
a 4 hour drive away in the capital), so we may already be heading in
this direction anyway.

--
DJensen