06-13-2013, 07:22 PM
As has been noted by such people as Drexler, some things are intrinsically rare and are going to stay that way. An example is this: In a carbon-based nanotech age it might well be that computing devices are essentially free for the asking. However, if for some peculiar reason you want a hundred kilos of gold that's quite another matter.
OK, so some of the higher-tech polities in OA might be able to make gold to order. Then one runs into the requirement for energy to make the gold, as gold is on the slope of the binding-energy curve. In a case like that - iron would be the cheapest resource of all.
OK, so some of the higher-tech polities in OA might be able to make gold to order. Then one runs into the requirement for energy to make the gold, as gold is on the slope of the binding-energy curve. In a case like that - iron would be the cheapest resource of all.