On Wed, Oct 29, 2014 at 12:36 AM, Kelly St. Clair <kellys@efn.org> wrote:

On 10/28/2014 8:53 PM, Phil Pugliese (via tml list) wrote:

For myself, I see them as filling a niche, 'tramp-steamer' style, where they service worlds where the volume of trade (remember, the way I see it, the TU has the lower volumes associated w/ CT rather than the much higher ones from MT)

Problem is, as we've been over a couple of times, that sort of trade volume has nothing to do with reality (even in the 70s) and everything to do with Marc et al not having any idea what the hell they were talking about.

How do you fix that?

Cite market forces which are not - strictly speaking - economic ones.

Like with those sailing ships I just found.

SOMEBODY - e.g. businesses or private individuals more concerned with reducing their carbon footprints than with getting their cargos to their destinations this week . . . or this month . . . - is paying enough to keep them going.

In the TU, the non-economic reasons probably won't have anything to do with carbon footprints . . . but might have a lot to do with flying beneath some government or other's notice . . .

Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident." Robert A. Heinlein

"A word to the wise ain't necessary -- it's the stupid ones that need the advice." - Bill Cosby

"We know a little about a lot of things; just enough to make us dangerous." Dean Winchester