Did the MBS corner the market on trade?

borders and can simply boycott the MBS, can't it?

ThinksMarkedly wrote:I'd prefer nanites that automatically prevent and cure me.

Why would you want to be prevented?

cthia wrote:Guess what the most popular field trip is on a planet for the school kids. (A field trip is why I imagined the "busload" of kids were doing in space when they were killed.)

When were a busload of kids killed in space? There was a busload that strayed over a no-fly zone (because of traffic problems on route) at one of the Verge planets, but that was still atmospheric.

Relax wrote:
Well, a 100Mton bulk carrier, would certainly have the space for a glorified large DB, or maybe small DD to dock on.

At some point the KISS principle is being broken here... and $$$ increase. Ah, economics... such a thrilling tale, everyone wishes to read. Enough of this boring space opera/battles, daring do! I say Enough! What the reader REALLY wants is a treatise on make believe economics...

Do you think a co-lab between Thomas Sowell and DW would bring in new fans?

Jonathan_S wrote:
Slippage

To some extent they probably just did what they could and accepted higher levels of heavy metals in their food that anywhere else would have considered acceptable.

The attempt to genetically engineer greater heavy metal tolerance also caused the three to one imbalance between female and male births. And the rise of polygyny at a three or four to one rate.

Until Alison discovered what the problem was and created a corrective genetic treatment.

tlb wrote:

cthia wrote:Guess what the most popular field trip is on a planet for the school kids. (A field trip is why I imagined the "busload" of kids were doing in space when they were killed.)

When were a busload of kids killed in space? There was a busload that strayed over a no-fly zone (because of traffic problems on route) at one of the Verge planets, but that was still atmospheric.

I've been meaning to reread that again since I must have been partying with Kuzak when I read that passage. But now I have my hands full with To End In Fire. It isn't that I don't trust you, but I'd like to read it again since I was obviously spaced out. LOL

Thanks!

BTW, the new book somewhat discusses the business model in some detail, but I think the author missed a certain detail. I will broach the subject after spoiler season is over. When is the hunting season safe from Duckk?

cthia wrote:BTW, the new book somewhat discusses the business model in some detail, but I think the author missed a certain detail. I will broach the subject after spoiler season is over. When is the hunting season safe from Duckk?

There are spoiler threads that would allow you to start now.

tlb wrote:

cthia wrote:BTW, the new book somewhat discusses the business model in some detail, but I think the author missed a certain detail. I will broach the subject after spoiler season is over. When is the hunting season safe from Duckk?

There are spoiler threads that would allow you to start now.

You know me, I like to keep it in the lane.

Besides, keeping it in the lane is a lot safer during spoiler season.

Something has always bothered me. In the HV, what prevents a navy from destroying an enemy's dispatch boats as a more direct way of attacking their economy?

In the case of Manticore and Haven, each of their economies were probably tied to the other in some respects. As well as the SL. But when it comes to the MA, why wouldn't the MAN target all of the GA's dispatch boats? I don't know whether there is some unspoken or written treaties where DBs are off limits, but I know the MAN would care less about either.

Wiki wrote:By this approach, the immediate impact of the 9/11 attack was to reduce real GDP growth in 2001 by 0.5%, and to increase the unemployment rate by 0.11% (reduce employment by 598,000 jobs.)

penny wrote:Something has always bothered me. In the HV, what prevents a navy from destroying an enemy's dispatch boats as a more direct way of attacking their economy?

In the case of Manticore and Haven, each of their economies were probably tied to the other in some respects. As well as the SL. But when it comes to the MA, why wouldn't the MAN target all of the GA's dispatch boats? I don't know whether there is some unspoken or written treaties where DBs are off limits, but I know the MAN would care less about either.

If the countries were already at war then (except maybe for diplomatic dispatch boats) they're free to (try to) destroy each others dispatch boats. Of course the dispatch boats (except for navy couriers) probably stay well away from the front lines and it's fairly hard to find or catch them.

If you try to hit them in a neutral system when they're carrying dispatches there you risk bringing the neutral into the war against you -- as you just committed a violation of their sovereignty.

And if you're trying to wreck an opponent's economy before declaration of war -- well, ambushing their dispatch boat is an act of war and is likely to lead to them sending their navy against your systems. And if you are willing to start a war now there are more impactful targets for your initial strikes than some scattered dispatch boats.

Now the MAlign might be a bit different, as nobody knows where they are. If they're willing to abandon any hope of convincing people that Galton was the head of the snake then sure, they can start trying to pick off dispatch boats using their spider ships and nobody would be able to retaliate (at least not until Darius was found). OTOH if they're willing to spend the time to insert spider ships into systems to ambush dispatch boats why limit their economic damage to just those? Why not blow away the orbitals, freight handling stations, merchants, and any navy vessels that they can?