Raise the Hammer

Correct...

But did you know in some languages other than English, French and many other languages, the equivalent-language word they use for "trading", also applies to a piece of paper money or a coin? Sometimes only a foreign word roughly similar to "transaction" is available.

We're just nitpicking on English vagaries. Spun literally, "trading" can be applied to trading a piece of cash for a piece of consumable.

But we don't use the English language that way.

Also from another POV, "share economy" may not exist at all, if spun a different way, because we pay a bus fare, we pay admission to a stadium, we give milk in exchange for a fur pelt, we receive a chicken for a stay in our hut. We trade a piece of info for a different piece of info. We trade a map for a book. We trade cash for an item. If we view it from that perspective, the "share economy" never existed -- it's more "trading economy".

That was also, indirectly, my point too. :-)

The hipster phrase that primarily exists only in the English language, "share economy", to apply to this great technological glue of multiple now-common things to instantly provide an easy ride "transaction". The line between "share economy", "trading", "purchasing" -- has historically been really blurry.

It's great we've managed to combine a GPS, plus an electronic map, plus a pocket computer (aka "smartphones") -- and thanks to Intel/Bell Labs/Einstein/Etc that made all the tech possible -- into a disruptively much easier ride transaction which we now can enjoy. Even if ride transactions has existed forever; as long as civilization existed.

Uber drivers just has a phone that tracks their unmodified car and broadcasts it to users' Uber maps. Users have a phone to automatically attract nearest Uber drivers to their GPS location. Voila. Not just Uber, but other hailing services too, whether private or publicly owned.

It's nice to now be able to push a button and have a car almost suddenly show up at your GPS location, already pre-paid and already pre-routed to where you want to go. Eventually, Hertz, ZipCar and TTC can all do this, when self-driving cars are mature.

I expect even Toronto's TTC to do things similiar to uberPOOL, by Year 2050, once fully self-driving minibuses arrive with good safety records. Cheaper to run in low-transit suburbs where big buses run almost empty. Front door service. Good transit connectors when you're far away from a frequent bus/train route.

Comment edited by mdrejhon on 2015-07-23 12:57:09