Alchemy :
For centuries , there have been research to find the magic formula to convert ordinary metal into gold. Many a life had been spend in vein finding the elusive formula.
But ever wonder what could be the implications if the quest for the ultimate alchemy comes true ?
Before we think about it lets go through certain facts :
- All gold, in fact, remains immensely valuable in the views of all governments. That is why every central bank of any significance buys and holds gold in reserve in a world of almost universal paper money.
- History tells us that only gold retains its value during wars and upheavals, changes of empires and governments, and times of crisis.
- In May, China said it had increased its gold reserves by 454 tonnes to 1,054 tonnes, the first such disclosure in six years.China is the world’s fifth-biggest gold holder, following the United States, Germany, France and Italy.
- In 2006, it was estimated that all the gold ever mined totaled 158,000 tonnes. One tonne of gold equated to a value of US$ 30.27 million as of February 14 , 2009 ($941.35/troy ounces). The total value of all gold ever mined would be US$4.78 trillion at that price
- The IMF ( International Monetary Fund) holds 103.4 million ounces (3,217 metric tons) of gold at designated depositories.
- 78.9 % of total forex reserves of US is in the form of 8,133 tonnes of gold.
- Euro countries have 11,065 tonnes of gold making it 76.5 % of their forex reserves.
- Indians love Gold and God. No doubt , India is the world’s largest consumers of Gold.
So now you can imagine the importance of Gold in world economy. So what happens when a genius alchemist finds the magic formula of converting an ordinary piece of metal into a precious Gold ? Imagine the worth of tonnes and tonnes of gold that sits in the government treasury and the savings of gold in common man . The world economy will collapse overnight. I am sure , even if someone invents a magic formula , the world governments will make sure it is suppressed and the formula killed for the sake of the world economy. Its frightening to imagine such a scenario.
Star trek Transporter :
All those who have watched Star Trek would have sure not missed the Star Trek Transporter.
A transporter is a fictional teleportation machine used in the Star Trek universe. Transporters convert a person or object into an energy pattern (a process called dematerialization), then "beam" it to a target, where it is reconverted into matter (rematerialization)
Source : Wikipedia.
Ok now lets think about the real estate scenario in the world and in particular cities. 50 percent of the world population lives in urban areas. Every square feet is precious in urban areas.
Lets see some statistics :
- Monte Carlo boasts the expensive housing market with average prices of $4,420 per square foot.
- Moscow ($1,937 per square foot) and London ($1,928 per square foot) ranked second and third in most expensive housing market index.
- Mumbai, India, rounds out the top 10, with prices averaging $851 per square feet.
Source : Forbes’s Priciest cities
Why do people want to live in cities ? When given a chance most would like to live a life free of air pollution , noise pollution , traffic snarls , congestion. The answer is the opportunities the urban areas provide , the job market and money. So everyday thousands of people move to cities in search of opportunities.
Now imagine how it would be if you could wake up from bed in your quiet,calm ,serene native village and still able to reach your office in Tokyo or Mumbai or New York on time ! Incredible right ? That is what an affordable Star Trek Transporter kind of transportation can provide. In that case , what would happen to the expensive square feet areas in mega cities to small towns ? A big unprecedented crash in real estate market . There would be not much differences in real estate price across the world . No mad rush for space. No mad premiums.
Bed Coffee in Himalayan home , Breakfast in Bangalore office !
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nice creative thinking.
gold-gold!- then what would Bappi lahiri wear, what would Amma and Maya take as gifts…the magic formulae…
Transporter – with real estate, the auto industry would also crash obviously. There would be condition of jams somewhere mid air betwwn the earth and the upper space!!!
would love if some director/writer read the imagination of ur’s and dole out some science fiction…
Well, we are creating diamonds in labs, but has that in anyway affected the price of original mined diamonds? No it has not. First creating gold isnt going to be easy(same as diamond) and plus even if it is created the value of original mined gold will hold on.
Same with transporter, I dont think it is going to be a cheaper option to dematerialize yourself in your village and rematerialize in city on daily basis. So people will still like to stay at cities. But yes, may be Air travel will become obselete.
Hi Johnny ,
You point is right but then there is a difference to the artificial diamonds and original diamonds. Alchemy is bringing the original composition of gold as it is.
and about the transporters , my hypothesis is based on the cheaper option of it. I know we are far behind in it but it is not imposible. Michio Kaku , the Japanese American theoretical physicist have said the high possibilty of such transporters to be a reality in 100 years. Wel , may in 150 years it could be cheaper too .
Ever since the Gold Standard was scrapped, gold is no longer as important to the global economy as it was. If ultimate alchemy does exist, governments and individuals will just use silver instead.
I’ll take a pass on the transporter. Even if such device does exist, who would take such a chance? Accidents are bound to happen.