What if 10,000 people want 2,000 phones?

[Alan C.]

In a market-based economy, the ratio of supply to demand manifests as prices. Prices 1) inform entrepreneuers that greater profit awaits building 'X' vs. building 'Y' and 2) permit cost accounting so that consumers can quantify a particular act of consumption (as a numerical expression) and reorient behavior and plans based upon available resources (ie. economize).In an economy without prices (or faux prices), Soviet bread lines and Venezuelan toilet paper shortages occur.The caller didn't explain from where resources will come to produce 3D printed phones, who will procure those resources, how they'll be stored and transported, or how people will know if those resources could've been put to better use in another way. Moreover, who is going to design and maintain the communications infrastructure?The caller envisions a society in which neighborhoods can share lawn mowers (and other things). Well, people can do that now, so why don't they? The problem is, who is going to buy it, store it, and maintain it? What if somebody stores it improperly and it rusts? The reason why people may not want to share things in that way is because they can calculate the costs involved and decide that it's not worth their time. People who want to share lawn mowers (and other things) have no lawn mower of their own to share.Resources, supply-chains, and goods/services are inextricably linked by prices (see Murray Rothbard's parable of the ham sandwich or Leonard Read's I, Pencil) and, as Joe Salerno pointed out, it's not possible to jump from 'here' to the efficient state. These are extremely complex processes, far too vast in scope, for any group of people to coordinate without prices (even with a computer).

[Kevin Beal]

The central computer will ponder all these questions and sit and think and reflect and bounce ideas back and forth and get to know all of the people who want these goods, and it will figure out the best way. It's much smarter than all the economists because it has like quantum chips and stuff. It will not only have solved the problem of artificial intelligence itself, but it will be able to predict like a weather machine what everybody's wants and needs are, based on surveys, an understanding of human psychology and being really super smart.

 

We don't need price calculation or a science of economics because we've got iPhones now, and all that economics is is a way for evil rich corporations to steal the souls of the poor turning them into amoral consumers.

 

Price calculation? Isn't there an app for that?

[wdiaz03]

The central computer will ponder all these questions and sit and think and reflect ...

 

and the answer would be 42.

[PhilosophicalGuru]

10,000 people would be given access to 2000 phones on rotating timeslots, like a timeshare for phones. Problem solved.

[Rob_Ilir]

A time-share is the equivalent of a 2nd or 3rd extra phone. Try again.

[PhilosophicalGuru]

It can be equivalent to 5, 1 phone per person every 5 days, rotating.

[Wesley]

Cell phones must be equipped with teleportation devices. This allows phone to (in essence) be able to exist in all 10,000 people's locations whenever they may need the phones. There obviously are the resources to be able to do this and the supercomputer overlord will figure our how to be able to use quantum mechanics in order to allow larger teleportation than the single particles that can currently be done. It is not magic, it is science. Proper allocation of limited resources to be able to satisfy everyone.

 

Of course, this also allows teleportation between uses to the "Maintenance and Gracious Improvement Computer" which would allow perfect resource maintenance and upgrade.

[PhilosophicalGuru]

8,000 people will be killed, then 2000 people will be given 2000 phones to support the communist utopia.

[Rob_Ilir]

 That escalated quick.  

[Cosmin]

2000 phones for 10000 people is a problem only if you have a narrow and truncated view of telecomunications.

[nathanm]

Will there be five separate phone numbers for each phone which change to reflect the person using it at the time, or just one phone number and you have a 1 in 5 chance of calling the person you wanted?  Or maybe the five groups of 2000 users can only call each other?  What if my wife isn't in the same group as me?  Then I'll never know the right groceries to get!

[PhilosophicalGuru]

2000 phones for 10000 people is easy if you dont have a truncated and simplistic little box of reasoning

[Elias]

10,000 people would be given access to 2000 phones on rotating timeslots, like a timeshare for phones. Problem solved.

What if someone needs to call you (1st in the rotation) when Bob (3rd in the rotation) has the phone?

[wdiaz03]

All joking aside, The odvious answer is that the phones would be 1/5 the size of the average phone of that time. Which is not an issue given the speed in which phone sizes are increasing, by that time a phone would be the zise of a 42" TV, 1/5 that would be a 10" tablet. inconvinient but stil usable until the resources are mined. When the resources become available you can 3D print yourself a regular size phone.

[Josh F]

Just a little update........

 

I am the head programmer for the Venus Project Super Computer, and we just reached a new milestone after spending all the money we made publishing videos on youtube, we've finally finished counting all the blades of grass.  Next we'll be writing an equation to account for the methane produced by cow's farts.  One step at a time guys, don't be such negative nancys.  And whatever you do, DO NOT PLANT MORE GRASS!