No-Bullshit Optimization/Risk Reduction, Life Extension, EA, Rationality, Startups, Film, MMA. Larry David is my spirit animal.
Read my posts or connect with me: https://www.johncgreer.com/
JohnGreer
Karma: 226
That’s a cool idea! It’d be funny to have an index fund of the top n rare species. I wonder if anyone is doing/can do this now.
That’s a cool idea! Plot of 2121′s heist movie will be about robbing the San Diego Frozen Zoo
Yes, authenticity matters so much. Original work is a good bet although I wonder where NFTs will bring things.
Re: financial fraud and art. It’s possible we will have AI that will stop that but it’s hard to say.
Yes, success stories in investing in art/collectibles seem like survivorship bias. There are probably ways to sift the wheat from the chaff but like startups, it seems really tough. You can follow the heuristics but even Y-Combinator’s success rate is still so low.
Do you think pre-NFT prints will still be a good bet?
Land is a good option. Technology would be interesting.
I appreciate your analysis! Sounds like a Stradivarius in an ivory and pearl-studded case painted by David Hockney authenticated with film by Quentin Tarantino with the reel stored inside?
Do you collect art? What kind?
I’m curious what collectibles you would actually buy today!
Semi-related: Have you seen Velvet Buzzsaw?
Yes, it’s a good point—people often ignore the storage costs.
I wonder what the future of antiques will be.
The world of limited edition cars is interesting: https://www.jamesedition.com/stories/cars/the-vip-list-question-how-to-gain-access-to-a-limited-edition-supercar-1000117/
It’s apparently discouraged to resell them: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin_Valkyrie#Resale_policy
Yes, definitely. I think rare elements are some of the safest bets.
You’d need quite the humidor to store the cigars that long, haha! I had a Cuban cigar once and couldn’t tell the difference but I probably don’t have the palette.
I wonder what the recreational drug scene will be like including tobacco and alcohol products—if they’ll still be popular. Wine is a good pick. I always think of one of my favorite Columbo episodes that features and winery owner who likes buying old and rare wines.
Horse racing will probably be outlawed by then.
Signaling post-scarcity does seem like one of the most resilient stores of wealth unless we figure out wireheading right and remove the need.
Re: value for who. It’s a great point. If I was maximizing value for others, I’d probably go with AI safety.
Re: longevity. I’m right there with you. I wrote a whole series on it: https://www.johncgreer.com/the-three-buckets/
Re: fuzzy ownership. Yes, I think of things like the controversy with the British Museum’s holdings.
The seashell joke is a good one! I’ll have to look up his stuff.
Berkshire Hathaway is another safe bet. It would be cool to get actual certificates too. Reminds me of old movies where people are robbing trains for bearer bonds.
Vanguard isn’t cheating, haha. I think it’s one of the safest bets but it is so difficult to know what kind of government/economic systems will be around and negate the wealth.
I like the out of the box answer! It’d be an interesting thought experiment of it’s own to figure out how to best store reputation. I’m not sure how valuable 100 year old data about people’s spending habits would be, though, except as a historical novelty.
What Would You Store to Maximize Value in 100 Years? A Thought Experiment
This was a fun read! Thanks for writing it!
You’re welcome, Charlie!
Yes, I would love to interview him and find out.
Notes on Robert McIntyre’s Brain Preservation Talk at the Long Now Foundation
Yes, I had the exact same experience. I was happy to see it works but it can be kind of annoying because it’s the loudest right when we’re going to eat or watch something.
Thanks for writing this up! We need more people thinking about how to defeat aging.
Curious if you’ve read Nintil’s posts? https://nintil.com/categories/aging/
Thanks for writing this out. I’m more sympathetic to Nate Soares view and wish more rationalists would take action on their beliefs and this is useful to point to the distinction that exists.
I asked a sleep doc this:
”I’ve read a lot of advice about using the bed just for sleep and sex. I’m wondering if there’s actually some special reason why sex is an exception or if it’s just to be pragmatic (you don’t think people will actually refrain from using their beds for sex)?”
He said this:
”Good question. You’re right that it’s not about sex itself. Just that sex doesn’t really seem to interfere with the bed/sleep conditioning process. It (usually) does not take hours and hours like tossing and turning. Plus, there are reasons it may enhance ability to sleep...”
Mike Johnson’s article might interest you! https://opentheory.net/2019/11/neural-annealing-toward-a-neural-theory-of-everything/
Yes, it’s really hard to predict what shifts will happen as we become more and more digital and advanced. Buying and selling human minds might be restricted, though.
I wonder what antiquities will be the most valued.