Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 5, 2020 4:09:21 GMT
|Hoboken Terminal || lt. Sven Aune|
"I didn't realize there was so much involved. I mean having to dig under the entire island. It makes sense that it wouldn't be that useful given that there are already existing transit systems." he mused listening to Judy. Her comparison of a new system to that of a treadmill helped him to understand the implications on a much larger scale. "It doesn't really matter, so long as she is getting out and jogging. I guess the same goes for a transit system. So long as people are being moved." he said to Anna.
He looked about the station. "You know, a view of the city might be nice. I have time. If you do, how about the ferry?" he suggested. It would be nice to get on the water even for a short bit. New York really was a spectacularlooking city from the distance with its skyscrapers reaching up and kissing the clouds surrounded by the frothing shores and waves of the bay and Atlantic ocean.
|
|
Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
|
Post by Judith Eastman on Apr 5, 2020 17:33:12 GMT
[Hoboken Terminal]
"Ferry it is, then," Judy proclaimed. "It's such an archaic form of transport, but it's almost stunningly efficient. The setup costs are low, especially when you have bodies of water right there."
She led them through the centuries-old railway terminal, devoid of commuters at this weekend midday hour, and to the ferry docks.
"In the 19th century, this was the peak of luxury. They had built this station, and 4 others like it, so that when you got off the train, you'd be able to just walk, inside, to the ferry piers, as we're doing now. Every step of the trip, the trains, the boats, the stations, was meant to be opulent and magnificent. Now, the peak of luxury is beaming from your living room to someone else's doorstep, without having to so much as get dressed. Incredible how things change," the older woman philosophized.
Anna wasn't amused by this dissertation, as she often was when her mother started lecturing.
A sleek ferry, powered along by small propellers using hydrogen fuel cells, made its way in. With its main waste product being water, the boat was minimally impactful towards the Hudson river on which it moved, and it was relatively quiet, too.
|
|
Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 22, 2020 16:12:49 GMT
|Hoboken Terminal || lt. Sven Aune|
Sven marveled at the luxury of the 19th century. There was quaint aesthetic to it that he enjoyed. He listened to Judy relate what it was all about as he watched the ferry approached.
"I suppose this was a time where money also had more meaning in the daily lives of people. When you have almost anything at your disposal now, it's hard to think about what it would be like to be lacking. The have's versus the have-nots."
The ferry docked and the passengers began to disembark.
|
|
Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
|
Post by Judith Eastman on Apr 22, 2020 20:33:56 GMT
[Hoboken Terminal -> Ferry]
Judy chuckled.
"You and I both know we don't have everything we could want. Every generation comes up with some new luxuries that only the rich can have, but as we do that, we bring the production of the old luxuries to a level of efficiency and scale where most, and then all, of our society can afford them. Think about what a 19th-century Captain of Industry would give for a replicator, or just how powerful a flush toilet would be to Julius Caesar," she explained.
As the boat was cleared out, the sign above it was illuminated with its next destination: "Pier 11".
"That's your stop, right?" Max asked his beloved, and she nodded. They then headed onto the vessel, and Judy continued talking.
"The change, I suppose, between our society and what came before, which makes it seem like we don't lack or want so much, is how committed we are to elevating our have-nots ever closer to the super-wealthy, in terms of luxuries. Well, that, and our decision to convince ourselves and everyone else that we are beyond Capitalism and beyond money, when that's really only half-true," the distinguished older woman noted.
|
|
Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 23, 2020 16:15:49 GMT
|Ferry ->Pier 11 || lt. Sven Aune |
Sven listened. It made some sense. But it did rather weight a question on his mind. There seemed to a period in the recent past. Kirk's era, where it seemed society was beyond the use of money. But then the Ferangi showed up with there hyper-capitalism. This left Sven with a perplexing puzzle and his brows furrowed.
"Was there ever a time in human history where money wasn't something sought after? And how does GPL fit into all this now." he asked
|
|
Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
|
Post by Judith Eastman on Apr 23, 2020 18:23:18 GMT
[Ferry towards Pier 11]Judy thought briefly on how she'd phrase this answer as she walked over to the upper-deck seating on the ferry. This area offered a good view of Manhattan on the other side. "Well, that requires us to cover what money is," she commented. "The original possessions were the ones that met our basic needs, food, clothes, tools. We evolved to covet those, because we couldn't survive without them. For a time, we could just barter to exchange these - I'll give you these berries in return for this little axe - but when we developed farming, there were suddenly too many goods for that to work, so we started developing money as a way to facilitate trade. We accepted that whatever thing - barrel of whiskey, wheat, whatever - is a standard of value, and we can measure what each thing is worth in units of it. From these proto-currencies, we went to using substances without intrinsic value - gold, silver, Latinum, wampum beads - as currency, and then to abstract currencies, like the dollar and the Credit, that mostly only exist as bits on a computer. So really, we've almost always had money. It's just grown more abstract."From her seat, Judy motioned at the Manhattan skyline, as the ferry maneuvered around it, towards Pier 11 on the east side of the Financial District. "Money built all that, as well as our Starships. It's given us progress and innovation. It's also given us poverty. In partnership with testosterone, money gave us war. And as long as we can't create matter and energy from nothing, we're stuck with it," she remarked.
|
|
Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 24, 2020 0:19:18 GMT
| Ferry toward pier 11 || lt. Sven Aune |
Sven watched the skyline as the ferry passed by. He thought about what Judy shared. Money was abstract. And that is why he was seeking more professional help. He had already made a number of investments and they were growing. Along with some sponserships. But that was a whole different story.
"And needed to secure my retirement. I'd like to live comfortably late in life." He felt he earned it having served in the dominion war. He was lucky. He came out relatively unscathed despite the hazardous work he had done. Some of his friends were not so lucky. He became pensive.
|
|
Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
|
Post by Judith Eastman on Apr 24, 2020 3:13:06 GMT
[Ferry]
Max raised a brow
"It's funny, Judy and I had a conversation about that the other day," he said. "A comfortable retirement doesn't have a lot to do with means. A lot of the people who mentored us, the ones who were our age when we were yours, are retired now, and we've noticed that it's not always the well-off ones who are the happiest."
In sync as they usually were, Judy then effortlessly picked up Max's point.
"The thing we've noticed, and it starts up closer to 35 than 85, is that there are two kinds of moneyed folks - there's the ones who control their wealth, and the ones who are controlled by it. The are the folks who go out and take grand tours of the farthest reaches of the Federation, and then there are those who sit in their living room poring over an actuarial table, trying to make sure they'll have a million Credits in their savings account when they die. I'd rather be sitting on just my Commander's pension than a pot of gold that keeps me up at night," she added.
"That sounds impressive only until you check how much is in a Starfleet Commander's pension," Max pointed out, gently elbowing his beloved.
"He's just jealous is all," Judy replied, leaning her head on Max's shoulder. "But that does bring up a point - if you're going to hang around Starfleet, certainly if you'll build up 20 or more years of service like I have, then that's a serious bit of retirement savings already. It's not everything, but we don't give it the credit it deserves as a foundation."
|
|
Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 29, 2020 2:33:40 GMT
|Ferry || lt. Sven Aune |
Sven thought about that as he gazed out over the rippling water. A mental image formed in his head. Calm waters where he can actually enjoy all that is around him and under the surface, or a tempest where, sure it might be a wild ride in the moment; but in the end, leaves you helpless.
"I've recognized that I could live off my star-fleet salary. And I live off very little of it. The rest goes into investments. And the sponsorship that I have also help. I guess I could blow that on hookers and booze. But I don't want that. I want to take grand adventures to the furthest reaches of the Federation. That's why I'm asking for help in this."
He continued to gaze out into the city skyline. "My father had nothing. And he died with almost nothing. Including relationships. It wasn't until he was on his death bed that he realized that he had been a horrible person and wanted to rebuild a relationship. I was skeptical at first, but when I learned that he was sincere, we had an amazing time. I wish I had more of a means at the time to help him travel to places that he had dreamed about."
|
|
Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
|
Post by Judith Eastman on Apr 29, 2020 3:03:13 GMT
[Ferry -> Pier 11]
Judy nodded. They'd talked about the matter of the father in the past, and she understood the sentiment. However, she was displeased with the particularities of the wording Sven used, especially when Anna reacted.
"Booze and hookers?" the sheltered 12-year-old asked. "Not good things," the mother replied, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder in a manner that signalled "that's all.
"Yeah, traveling around is the sort of thing a lot of the happy retirees we know do with their savings. I think the point we were getting at, in between all the muddled storytelling that folks our age are prone to, is that it's okay to spend on that sort of thing, on trips," Judy then said to Sven, as the ferry hooked around Lower Manhattan and reached its pier.
|
|
Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 29, 2020 4:52:30 GMT
|Ferry || lt. Sven Aune |
Sven's pensive stare was broken. He hadn't meant to say those things in front of Anna and he went a bit pink behind his beard. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to say those things. I know a lot of people my age, even in the fleet are wistful with their salaries. Making really poor choices. And even more poor choices given some of the activities. Your mother is right. Both those things are not good. Ever."
He looked down at his hands and sighed. "Do you think there is something wrong with me. That I desire a future and not the entertainments of today?"
|
|
Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
|
Post by Judith Eastman on Apr 29, 2020 15:09:37 GMT
[Ferry -> Lower Manhattan]
The answer to this question was yes... and no... and maybe. Judy had to think for a moment.
"Well, I think the best way to answer that question is a long, winding story from my youth," she said at last, as she pushed off to stand up and lead the group off the ferry.
"Allow me to take you back about 40 years, to a stuffy computer lab at the University of California, Berkeley. Young Judy Eastman - no pips, no wrinkles, no hyphen - is enrolled in a Structures class. We're given a structural drawing, for a footbridge, and it's a truss bridge with this whole patchwork of members. It turns out, this bridge is so over-engineered you could land a shuttle on it, and our assignment was to make it a little more efficient," Judy recalled, as they walked off into the city. "Now, the problem with an over-engineered bridge is that it's expensive to use that much steel when you don't need it. It costs you, and then you can't use those resources for something more useful. However, it's better to be over-engineered than under-engineered, because a bridge that's not strong enough will collapse, and then people die."
Judy led them into the city, expertly weaving around groups of tourists as she talked.
|
|
Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 29, 2020 15:47:10 GMT
|Lower Manhattan || lt. Sven Aune |
Sven listened as he followed the Eastman-William's off the ferry and onto the pier. He wasn't sure where this story was going so he nodded to indicate that he was listening. It obviously had a point, and he knew that Judy and Max will both make it apparent. He also wondered if this story was as much to his benefit as it was for Anna's.
|
|
Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
|
Post by Judith Eastman on Apr 29, 2020 18:59:11 GMT
[Lower Manhattan -> Pier 16]Judy noticed the silence, and decided to explain her anecdote more directly. "Financial planning, and just about anything else you do, is like designing a bridge. Failing to take into account your future needs is irresponsible, like building a bridge that can't support the loads it'll carry, but go too far in the opposite direction and that's a mistake as well," she explained. "That is to say, you should absolutely save for the future, but slashing present luxury out entirely is like the over-engineered bridge. It's healthy to indulge a little, now and then."Judy led them to a pier with a handful of antique sailing vessels. First up was a portable lighthouse of sorts.
|
|
Sven Aune
Security & Tactical
[TI23]
Posts: 378 Likes: 23
Rank: Lieutenant Commander
Position: Chief of Security. Combat Engineer
Species: Human
|
Post by Sven Aune on Apr 30, 2020 18:10:17 GMT
| Pier 16 || lt. Sven Aune |
The explanation that Judy gave was helpful. Endulge in a bit of luxury here and now, but making retirment and planning for the future was the priority. "I think I understand. So, put like 80% extra into the retirement and the future, and 20% now for fun?" he asked.
The smell of the ocean and the pier was slightly nauseating. He was farm boy, not a fisherman and his nose wrinkled. "I've been thinking about a trip to Hawaii." he admitted. "I know, I know, Risa is better. Or so they say. But I have to disagree. I don't like being around all those.... Needy advertisers." he said. "Besides, I kinda want to see Kilauea. And as weird as this sounds, a pineapple plantation. Oh, and sugarcane..."
Once a farm boy always a farm-boy.
|
|