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Old 05-22-2019, 05:54 PM   #621
jason taylor
 
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Default Re: 'Imperial Culture' (non-canonista)

State owned shares in megacorporations:

The size of megacorporations means that they generate enough funds to provide a reasonable source of revenue for a small state. Member states and even some outside the Imperium often invest spare funds in them. The Imperial government approves of the practice as it is yet another tie of dependency in it's vassals. It is of mixed approval outside for some theoretical political commentators say that essentially moves the "power of the purse" offworld, but others note that at least taxes are less.
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Old 05-22-2019, 06:23 PM   #622
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Mail:

While the IISS allows private mail to be sent on it's couriers, Imperial government mail is it's primary use. Many prefer to send by a private packet service or a government service of their particular world.

One common feature for cultures that have a large interstellar economy is to have an office in port (sometimes connected to a consulate or a guildhall) for spacers to drop homebound mail. It is usually a service unaffordable to, say, Enos. But Glisten or Tizon or similar ports which have a lot of home-registered traffic in space at any time are among those that have such a network. It is of course impossible for spacers to receive mail while on the move but as the home port is sedentary at least loved ones can receive. Large scheduled lines can anticipate a ship's location, but certainly tramps cannot.

There are various customs for preserving privacy in such letters even when written aboard ship. One is simply to send by keyboard rather than video.
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Old 05-25-2019, 11:43 AM   #623
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TeleComics

Yes that's a steal from Mind Robber one of the best 2nd Doctor episodes.

Basically there's a company called TeleComics! They sell a service that simply sells a vast database, updated monthly, of Comics. These are of all types and in multiple languages. Complete runs of ancient comics are in the package as are the latest comics and comic strips from around the Imperium and even from some nearby Pocket Empires.

This does two things the empire approves of. First it creates another thread unifying the culture of the 3I. Secondly, certain people trying to sneakily influence the population of the 3I have to do it in public where they can be watched. Knowing your enemy is useful.

Something that the Imperium genuinely doesn't get is the simple fact that these comics are art. Just because art is sneered at and dismissed doesn't mean it is worthless or can't spread values and ideas. Just because figures like Captain America, Wonder Woman, and Superman, are dismissed as cheap jokes doesn't mean their ideals (flawed and messy as they often were) don't have a resonance. Thousands of little guys from Stubby Green to Charlie Brown to Millie the Toiler to Ella Cinders standing their ground, however absurdly, resonates as well. Champions of the oppressed from Mary Jane and Sniffles to Brenda Starr to The Eternaut to Doctor Who teach values too.

Someone might be surprised.
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Last edited by Astromancer; 05-25-2019 at 11:47 AM.
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Old 05-25-2019, 12:08 PM   #624
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Persian Cheetahs, nearly extinct this subspecies of cheetah was revived and reintroduced. It is maintained feral at hunting parks, as well as being kept domesticated by nobles and new-rich with a taste for hunting.
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Old 05-25-2019, 12:13 PM   #625
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Pigsticking: Hunting by horseback with lances. This widely spread entertainment is popular among the ruling classes. Not all pigstickers use wild boar, though the more proper consider that the most traditional. Many worlds import wild pig for their game parks. On some worlds there are scheduled events and teams and traditional rivalry often between the "new money" team, and the "old money".

Though it was originally a Solomani sport, it has been widely taken up by Aslan, being very adaptable to their preferred climate.
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Old 05-29-2019, 09:46 PM   #626
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Micro-accounts:

This is a common defensive measure in banks and other institutions keeping abstract currency. The money (or stocks, or bonds, or whatever) are deposited in an account among a multitude maintained by the same user. They are then transferred according to an algorithmic system to make what is effectively a fluid transposition cypher. Upon the entry of a pass key (or more than one) the user can stop the process, transfer the balance into a single account and make a withdrawl. The pass key can be a password, a fingerprint, a retinal scan, a literal mechanical key, or any other of the normal means used for such things down through the ages in any combination. Sometimes, especially in high profile accounts it is required to have a face to face appointment with the manager.
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Old 05-30-2019, 11:59 AM   #627
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Jason Taylor brings up something truly interesting. Changes in Banking Culture.

Different worlds will deal with money and interest by different rules. Example: Islam forbids charging interest, Christianity used to do so. Religious rules on interest and other aspects of finance could be a interesting problem to work around.

Related but different, not all legal systems have similar values. In Monaco the legal system follows an Inquisitorial System and follows, or until recently followed, standards of justice that openly weren't interested in standards of truth, but instead sought social harmony. "Social Harmony" was generally, but not always, defined as pleasing powerful and socially prominent families. Whether any of this was fair or just to outsiders was not a consideration.

Cultural variations in banking law, business law, and criminal law, is part of why most spacers stay in the star port.
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Old 05-30-2019, 11:41 PM   #628
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Astromancer View Post
Jason Taylor brings up something truly interesting. Changes in Banking Culture.

Different worlds will deal with money and interest by different rules. Example: Islam forbids charging interest, Christianity used to do so. Religious rules on interest and other aspects of finance could be a interesting problem to work around.

Related but different, not all legal systems have similar values. In Monaco the legal system follows an Inquisitorial System and follows, or until recently followed, standards of justice that openly weren't interested in standards of truth, but instead sought social harmony. "Social Harmony" was generally, but not always, defined as pleasing powerful and socially prominent families. Whether any of this was fair or just to outsiders was not a consideration.

Cultural variations in banking law, business law, and criminal law, is part of why most spacers stay in the star port.
One of the main problems will be banking without real time communication.

The last Blood and Treasure talked of "Hawala" which is a system of private banking and moneychanging. Someone makes a deposit with one moneychanger. He in turn will send what is effectively a letter of credit to a given city to be opened on a passport. Hawaladars maintain books with each other from distances away and balance by paying debts with other debts so that all the customer sees is the cash but the hawaladar sees the account book.

I wonder if some colorful thing like that could be arranged.
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Old 06-02-2019, 06:54 AM   #629
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I do not know if we already have this, but nevertheless:

Emperors Birthday

A public holiday, celebrated on many worlds, esp. on colony planets in the outer sectors on, well, the Emperors birthday (under Strephon, on 202).

The people celebrate not the Imperium, but the Emperor himself as a symbol for "the common cause" and as a protector from outer threats.

Usually, it is a rather "family-friendly" affair. Mostly, there are fairs and open-air concerts. Many schools have sports competitions, museums organize special exhibitions about the emperor and the history of the Imperium. Highlight of the day is often a parade of the local colonial forces, supported by Imperial Units, if they are present on the world. If one is lucky, there is a fly-by of fighters or SDB.
In the evening - or what passes as evening on the world -, the days ends with banquets or a ball for the local dignitaries. The Imperial Noble and the Imperial Legate of the world are usually the guests of honour.

Needless to say, not everybody celebrates the day. On Solomani Worlds, celebrating this day is viewed as high treason. And the Ine Givar have more than once tried to spoil the party.
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Old 06-19-2019, 01:51 PM   #630
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The Imperial Orthographic Congress

Basically, every twenty years the Empire issues new standards of spelling for all Official Imperial documents and schools. This keeps the spelling of Gallan, Sylean, and other languages vital to the Third Imperium both standardized and phonetic.

They also work to keep the typefaces of the 3I standardized and readable.

As agents studying the languages of the 3I can show up anywhere, it's a solid cover for other sorts of agents.
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