Reply to: Rip off Britannica....

[Lucifer Box]

I've gone all nostagic, Zeity. In honour of those happy time I have hereby decided to only do a three day week this week and will turn my domestic power supply off at 19:30.

Where did it all go wrong with our socialist utopia?

[Lucifer Box]

Sounds like soviet union

It was like the Soviet Union for the period of that government. Fortunately, unlike the Soviet Union, we could choose to change the government at the end of their term and Margaret Thatcher arrived.

So, when you see Benn0 and the like going all nostalgic for those days of socialist utopia "before Thatcher destroyed Britain", you can see they are talking from here

[AtW]

Sounds like soviet union

[Lucifer Box]

Squeezing until the pips squeak

I think income tax was over 90% too at some point here?

98% at one stage.

Along with the 75% tax on gifts to make sure you didn't give it away.

Oh yes, and not being able to take more than £25 out of the country in case you got any funny ideas about leaving for better economic climes.

Oh yes, and the the £6/month statutory limit on pay rises.

Those were the days of good old Labour Britain. Not that long ago.

[EternalOptimist]

BGG
I want to play WOW online but I dont think the price is fair.
Sell me your £34 copy for 5p and smash the system NOW.

[Bagpuss]

US prices often exclude taxes, so like for like comparisons are often not being made.

[AtW]

I think income tax was over 90% too at some point here?

[Bagpuss]

17.5% VAT is the main reason this country is a rip off. The move from direct to indirect taxes just mean't you could have more money in your pocket but buy comparitively less with it. I believe it was called an economic miracle

[Board Game Geek]

It's just a bag that can hold 14 slots.

Thottbot (World of Warcraft Database)

[EternalOptimist]

whats a runecloth bag for ??

[madhippy]

Same product. Produced in the same way. More expensive if you live in the country it is produced in.

It's american now ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittanica

[AtW]

But if enough people can participate

People (on average) generally make rather selfish and very short-sighted (which makes them foolish) choices.

[Sysman]

I was considering getting the DVD version of the Encylopedia Britannica for a friend who has a kid who is at school.. until I saw the US price versus the UK price...

US price: $39.95 (about £22).
UK price: £32.99.

Any more examples of how we are being ripped off....?

That's nowt - try pricing up the OED, either for the "CD-ROM" or for the online subscription:

"CD-ROM" - 250 quid + VAT,
North and South America $295

WTF? not even a DVD at that price?

1 year online subscription - 195 + VAT, American price $295.
¨
Guess what? Same company, OUP.

[Board Game Geek]

AtW,

I agree to a point.

The game is a safe environment to practice our ideas and manipulate the market to the detriment of more greedy players.

I agree real life would be a lot more "dangerous". You are absolutely right.

But if enough people can participate, and perhaps 1 in 10 of those people starts to form ideas outside of the game, then perhaps we have been successful beyond the game.

We have taken a humano-centric economy and modified it, and even though it exists virtually, we have shown what people can do, when motivated, to the whole of the world.

The step between the virtual world and the real one, is but a blink of the eye.

[AtW]

BBG - if you were in real life and you tried to dump product on a market like this then you'd get beaten up by other traders, probably killed even - above all you'd just join the gravy train to rip off others too and just count profits: its all easy to do it in the game where no real money lost, but in real life you would have never acted like that.