this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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I can see an argument for considering them fiat. The value of "high-value assets" (e.g. gold) comes from the assumption they'll retain their value even if things get drastic, not from being immediately useful (e.g. alcohol) or necessary to survive (e.g. water).
Zero clue what the acronym means in this context.
Precious metals. My point is, artificial scarcity means artificial value.
Ah, right. Yeah, I can see your point. If it isn't necessary to survive (e.g. food, water), or it doesn't have an immediate use case (e.g. ammunition), its probably some form of fiat.
Not exactly what I was thinking, but I can see your point, too.
Not really related but perhaps entertaining titbit, in the metro 2033 video game series they use high quality ammo as currency. Cant recall if this also happened in the book.
They certainly paid in bullets.
I stopped reading when the vibe shifted from post apocalypse to fantasy, but that was probably meant to be the madness induced by the darkness and not a genuine change in setting. I should probably go find the book and keep reading.
Edit: I really like fantasy and the dangerous outside mutants or whatever they where also fit the vibe but when the protagonist had a weird connection to the tunnel it didn't sit right with me.
Yeah it gets really weird in the end very EE (Eastern European) sf. (Which often has a bit more fantasy elements in it, compared to more western europe (ignoring psionics here, which despite being fantasy is so ingrained in our idea of SF it doesnt really feel like it) SF. Not that I mind. I read a lot of 70s SF so I found the no fantasy stance slightly odd. Also quite bleak which is also common in more EE SF I heard). I digress. The other things made more impact so I forgot if it was also in the book. Which I enjoyed so you could try going back.
I wonder how much of "the cyberpunk movement" in SF was authors getting sick and tired of "woo" psi powers etc. For me personally it really felt like a breath of fresh air.
Wonder if the big cyberpunk authors wrote about that, somebody prob knows.
Bruce Sterling is active on social media but he's pretty forward-looking. I tried complimenting his Heavy Weather from the early 90s and get a self-deprecating dismissal.
Early Gibson short stories are tinged with late 70s SF, not surprisingly.
Incidentally superhero movies are current western SF/fantasy hybrids.