XPost: rec.arts.sf.written, rec.arts.sf.science   
   From: robban@clubtelco.com   
      
   On 17/01/2014 3:22 am, Doc O'Leary wrote:   
   > In article , "2671" <2671@gmail.com>   
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >> "J. Clarke"  wrote in message   
   >> news:MPG.2d40fa317eaa4e5498a3b6@news.newsguy.com...   
   >>> In article ,   
   >>> droleary@8usenet2013.subsume.com says...   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Only a fool would imagine that's a good idea in the first place.  Part   
   >>>> of the beauty of a "pod" system is that it can not only abstract a   
   >>>> transporter, but a replicator as well.  You need groceries?  You push a   
   >>>> few buttons and it all gets sent *to* you!   
   >>>   
   >>> When I'm out of milk I need it tonight, not whenever the grocer gets   
   >>> around to delivering it to me.   
   >>   
   >> Most of those situations would be covered by a system that monitors   
   >> the milk supply and automatically orders some more when it sees that   
   >> there is a need to do that, in plenty of time so that you never run out.   
   >   
   > This J. Clarke person clearly has no ability to imagine how things work   
   > in such a hypothetical world.  The entire supply chain gets   
   > revolutionized once the technology is sufficiently advanced.   
   >   
   >>> The thing that is stopping progress is shipping charges.   
   >>   
   >> I get plenty of stuff from China for quite literally $1 with   
   >> postage included, delivered half way around the world.   
   >   
   > And the costs only decrease once you really start to exploit the   
   > efficiencies of scale, containerization, driver-less transport, etc.   
   >   
   >> It's cheaper   
   >>> for me to go a half mile out of the way on the way home than it is for   
   >>> the grocer to deliver.   
   >>   
   >> But that isnt true of the stuff I get from china.   
   >>   
   >> The only reason to get it in person is because that is faster.   
   >   
   > And it's only faster because the supply chain stops at the store,   
   > requiring you to make a round trip to cover the last mile.  And round   
   > trips are wasteful on top of it.  Everything would be faster and cheaper   
   > if the logistics were improved.  Instead, we get a world full of J.   
   > Clarkes who think that everyone driving on paved roads everywhere in a   
   > car to do everything is somehow cheap.   
   >   
      
   The problems I see are that one thing you nearly forgot, but when you   
   saw it in the supermarket, you remembered. Then, from the retailer's   
   point of view, many people impulse buy stuff they see when shopping on   
   top of what they need. None of this with online buying. I know when I am   
   buying online I do notice things that I would like, but I am more   
   conscious of how much money I am spending. In the supermarket, since I   
   am only buying for one and I shop almost every day, I get a shock if my   
   bill comes to over $50, but I more or less expect to pay that much even   
   if I only went in for a carton of milk.   
      
   --   
   Robert Bannister - 1940-71 SE England   
                       1972-now W Australia   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)