[TML] [Merchant Shipping] Some ideas I came up with to make merchant shipping more interesing

[Jerry W Barrington]

On 4/14/08 10:10 PM, "Timothy Little" <tim at little-possums.net> wrote:

> On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 04:36:32AM -0400, Tom B wrote:
>> There are still scale efficiencies.
> 
> A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the cost of
> maintaining a power grid between towns (or suburbs, in a larger city)
> would probably exceed the cost of local generation even if the larger
> power plant was *free*.

Then why do we use centralized systems?  At least in part, because people
can't afford to run their own systems.  When it breaks, and it will,
replacement cost is high (as measured by the individual) and immediate.
When something breaks in a central system, the cost is amortized over *all*
the customers, over a span of years.

And if ports are going to insist that ships, with professional engineers,
must shut down their plants in port, what city is going to allow every yahoo
individual to run a plant in their home?  :)