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Date: 2024-12-10 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00004537

Peter Burgess Dialog
Tobias Eigen

Catching up ... and thinking about the future

Dear Tobias

Our paths have crossed a little bit ... and I am wondering to what extent I am on the same wavelength, but maybe with a slightly different skill-set and experience.

You are clearly trying to 'make the world a better place' which I argue is about the best possible way to conduct oneself professionally.

But why is this so difficult to fund ... and why is this so inconsequential compared to making millions organizing soft drink sales or hamburgers or designing some really trivial Internet app.

I argue we absolutely have to change the metrics and get away from the tyranny of the terrible trio: (1) money profit for business; (2) stock prices in capital markets for investors; and (3) GDP growth for politicians and pundits.

I call my initiative in the area of metrics TrueValueMetrics (TVM) and aim to push this into the area presently occupied by money profit accounting. TVM is not only about accounting for money flows and measuring money profit, but also accounting for value flows and measuring state, progress and performance with quantification of value.

With the IT now available, it should be possible to do this ... and indeed do it on top of a mobile platform. Can I do it? Probably not. I go back to the days of vacuum tubes and mainframes with huge air conditioning systems ... but have some understanding of what is now possible, including the potential to analyze 'big data' in meaningful ways.

Maybe metrics on their own is not enough. What else might be useful?

I am looking into complementary currency as a way to decouple the real economy from the money economy. I am encouraged at the activity there is in this space ... but not sure yet which of the various IT platforms will turn out to be the most appropriate.

I think that TVM may be able to help solve the problem of 'backing' for the currency ... a problem that seems to hang up a lot of the people engaged in this space. If TVM quantifies the state of the community, organization or individual in terms of value, then it is this value that is the backing for the complementary currency. This is different from the money wealth of the community, organization or individual being the backing ... or time hours ... or some other formula. The natural value of society is surely the backing that makes the most sense.

I have a feeling you might be able to push me in some useful directions ... or stop me doing something quite stupid. Maybe what I am trying to do resonates with you in some useful way.

All the best

Peter Burgess

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