XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, alt.books.arthur-clarke   
   From: g@crcomp.net   
      
   a425couple  wrote:   
   > On 4/22/2020 9:54 AM, Alan Baker wrote:   
   >> On 2020-04-22 8:54 a.m., a425couple wrote:   
   >>> On 4/20/2020 12:13 PM, Alan Baker wrote:   
   >>>> On 2020-04-20 11:29 a.m., a425couple wrote:   
   >>>>> On 4/20/2020 10:46 AM, James Nicoll wrote:   
   >>>>>> In article ,   
   >>>>>> a425couple?  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> "There's a lot of wealth in space. A 79-foot-wide asteroid   
   >>>>>>> could hold 33.000 tons of extractable material, including   
   >>>>>>> $50 million worth of platinum. The 2-mile-wide asteroid   
   >>>>>>> 1986 DA could be worth $7 trillion.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I wonder if increasing supply by a large amount affects price?   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Of course.   
   >>>>> And I'll propose it will be several strange pricing curves.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> I'd bet, the first 10 pounds of gold, or platinum recovered   
   >>>>> from an asteroid (or where ever) will, when they hit the   
   >>>>> market as 'one of a kind' jewelry, bring a real special   
   >>>>> high premium price for the super rich.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> And what will prevent people from simply scamming you by claiming   
   >>>> that their gold and platinum is from an asteroid?   
   >>>>   
   >>> There are many areas of investment, that depend upon   
   >>> expert appraisers and examiners of provenance.   
   >>>   
   >>> "Provenance is the chronology of the ownership, custody or location   
   >>> of a historical object. The term was originally mostly used in   
   >>> relation to works of art but is now used in similar senses in a   
   >>> wide range of fields, including archaeology, paleontology, archives,   
   >>> ??manuscripts, printed books and science and computing."   
   >>>   
   >>> Some gold and silver coins have special value because it can   
   >>> be documented they came from a 400 year old famous shipwreck.   
   >>>   
   >>> Same with some old race cars, or works of art.   
   >>   
   >> Yes, L, I know what "provenance" means.   
   >> How are you going to show the provenance of a base element?   
   >   
   > Seriously Alan, you are failing to understand the many   
   > things that a forensic examination of an object (jewelry etc.)   
   > can produce.  No item made, could be a pure "base element".   
   >   
   > I am too lazy to fully explain, but about 35 years ago,   
   > a Canadian was hanging out in a skeezy Vancouver bar,   
   > and looking for a profitable exchange.  He obtained   
   > a yellowish gold object of over 5 ounces, but felt   
   > because of the overall environment, that it was probably   
   > stolen goods.  So he had a bright idea, and decided   
   > he would be safe bringing it down to Seattle area to   
   > sell.  Well,,, sadly for him I had for a couple months   
   > been pestering all business's in the area with information   
   > to be on the lookout for someone selling over 4 ounces   
   > of gold.  Bingo, I got it.  It was unique, and quite a few   
   > scientific types were happy to examine it to further   
   > establish exactly what it was and where it came from.   
   > No 'base element' is simply, an untraceable 'base element'.   
      
   As an aside and OT to boot, this seems like an excellent denouement for   
   a _Columbo_ episode. Beings _Columbo_'s as formulaic as anything on TV,   
   it doesn't seem that it should be all that difficult to cook up a DIY   
   script...   
      
   ☮   
      
   Thank you,   
      
   --   
   Don.......My cat's  )\._.,--....,'``.   
   telltale tall tail /,   _.. \   _\  (`._ ,.   
   tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.'   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
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