I have completely lost faith in humanity.

[skywalker]

Edit: Ok, i suppose that's one plan, though I'm now about $350 in debt from buying gifts in the first place so I can't put anything towards it. But my second question still stands.

Dude. This is one of those times where you say "sorry guys, can't buy you presents without going into debt, so nobody's getting anything from me this year. Wish it could be another way."

Seriously speaking, I am going to laugh so hard when the bottom falls out of the jewelry market in about 50 years. I mean, you can already grow your own diamonds in a vat, and it's not hard to recalibrate a fusion device to give you gold from water when you know what you're doing.

Righto, I'll just grab my fusion device and start making gold, eh? We'll be rich!

[golentan]

O rly?

Jah rly. Course, Mercury production is easier (HG 198 + gamma = HG 197 with half life of 2.7 days = gold), but then you're limited by mercury stocks.

Fusion you need to take water, use electrolysis to separate out the hydrogen, and run it through your fusion generator. Gold is energy intensive to produce, so you grab another one and pipe in energy. It's all a matter of calibration, though, and containment.

[snoopy13a]

But gold is just worthless shinny metal.

You can eat chocolate. @.@

Gold has practical uses. However, it is so rare that it is used for jewelry instead of for practical uses.

As for synthesizing gold in a laboratory using fusion, while it is theorectically possible (and for all I know, actually possible), I'd think it would be much more expensive to synthesize gold than to buy it, thus making synthesis impractical.

Supposely, natural diamonds look much nicer than industrial diamonds.

[Escef]

The jewelry market will not "bottom out". Jewelry is a crafted item. The raw materials may get cheaper, but that just means that they will start charging more for the skill and labor put into the item. And it will be a long time before we will be able to cheaply create a heavy element like gold in a fusion reactor. (In fact, it will likely be more economical to continue mining.)

[golentan]

Gold has practical uses. However, it is so rare that it is used for jewelry instead of for practical uses.

As for synthesizing gold in a laboratory using fusion, while it is theorectically possible (and for all I know, actually possible), I'd think it would be much more expensive to synthesize gold than to buy it, thus making synthesis impractical.

Oh, I didn't say it was available now. But once you get out of the dark ages it's way cheaper.

@escef: Anyway, the materials have a huuuuge influence on the cost. If you doubt me, my personally handcrafted cubic zirconia necklace for 10 bucks wishes to point and laugh.

[Flickerdart]

I once bought a Rise of Legends game, but the disc inside was a promotional trailer disc, and contained no game. Same thing happened with a copy of SOCOM for the PSP.

[Escef]

@escef: Anyway, the materials have a huuuuge influence on the cost. If you doubt me, my personally handcrafted cubic zirconia necklace for 10 bucks wishes to point and laugh.

Once again, when the cost of the materials goes down the prices won't change because they will justify it by increasing the cost of the workmanship. How does this change the cost of the workmanship in the here and now? It doesn't. Do you truly believe the industry will allow itself to take a hit like that?

[Pika...]

Supposely, natural diamonds look much nicer than industrial diamonds.

Actually, you know how the VERY carefully controlled diamond industry checks to see if a diamond is manufactured? According to a documentary I saw about this, which showed the process being performed followed by the diamond being laser branded, is that they are "too perfect". Yes, they are worth significantly less according to the diamond industry because they are far more flawless and perfect than a "real" diamond.

Considering that diamonds are only valuable right now due to the companies hoarding them away (they really are not rare folks) what does that tell you?

[Syka]

I like moissanite. Significantly cheaper than diamonds (yay for the pocketbook!), artificially made (so no blood diamonds there), and otherwise indistinguishable from natural diamonds.

But yeah...DeBeers has a long history of jacking up diamond prices.

[RandomNPC]

on the gamestop topic, i've never been in there without being insulted by the employes, except one who i was friends with before he got the job there.

On the gold topic, there was a scientist who turned a few thousand atoms of bismuth (the pink stuf in pepto bismol) into gold by ripping away the extra protons. The time and rescources required make the process so expensive that for the time being, digging gold out of the dirt is much cheaper. Also buying diamonds is like giving your money to people who need it less than you. ya know most retail gem and precious metal prices are over 300% markup on material costs?

[Misery Esquire]

Mineral discussion aside, which is an aside in itself as you may note, this is a rather meager thing to lose faith in one's race about. Even with the mess of the world today, I believe there is a touch of hope. Ha. Only making a joking statement to pass the time, but truely, a mixup of game discs is a rather silly thing to become distraught about, yes?

[Inhuman Bot]

>Coolface
I c wat u did thar

Regardless; it would've been more fitting if you'd bought a copy of Fable 2 and Fable 1 was in there.

That sorta happend to me, though I had bought KH 2 and gotten KH 1 instead.

It was about the same price, and I didn't own either, so I wasn't too upset though.

[Mewtarthio]

But gold is just worthless shinny metal.

You can eat chocolate. @.@

Why not both at once?

[MethosH]

There there

[BizzaroStormy]

Family Circus Sucks

[Calanais]

piratejesus: I hope 2 pages of concern and advice (with only a little snarking) has gone some way towards restoring a little faith in humanity.
MethosHazara: your Hug (TM) present is so cool, I plan to steal it and sell it on the interweb for many euroyen (Its like diamonds! you just have to persuade people that only ones that are made in a "special" way are worth lots of money)