[Kosh]

a currency redesign that would help blind people.   


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16185142/

[Nuclear1]

Yes, because the Administration currently has the money to pay for the redesign of vending machines to accept bills with entirely new textures and make the necessary changes for this. 

Sorry, it's all going to Iraq right now.  Check back in another few years.

[Rictor]

If they've lived with it for 300 years they can live with it for another few. I don't see why billions should be spent to accomodate a tiny demographic who has been getting along fine without the changes.

[Nix]

I thought we already did this, with that plain-jane number on the back of the bills, a big 5, a big 10, 20, 50, in the bottom right hand corner on the back.... or am I blind too? 

I guess men will have to get a new wallet too, due to the different sizes of bills we'd have to futz around with now. Yay.

[Ford Prefect]

I thought we already did this, with that plain-jane number on the back of the bills, a big 5, a big 10, 20, 50, in the bottom right hand corner on the back.... or am I blind too?

That's a really good point, because if you were blind, you wouldn't be able to see the big numbers.

[Bobboau]

I think he meant we've redesigned our money recentl;y for very little good reason and the vending machines and whatnot have gotten along fine.

[Hippo]

His argument involving vending machines lacks basis seeing as they do not currently accept such denominations as pennies, 1 dollar coins, 50 cent coins, and two dollar bills (those being the most relevant, but they also rarely take 5's, 10's, etc). They do however often accept bills upside down and in orientations different to that pictured above the slot.

In addition, typical brail is less than 1/8th of an inch in height off of a page, placement on edges or corners would only have an effect on folding and compacting of bills. The paper bills are made of now could easily support a pressed mark in them decently.

It's a few bumps, not a new shape.

[Quest_techie]

I can feel the emboss, and don't blind people keep telling me that other senses get heightened when you don't depend on sight?

why yes they do

even a number of blind people think this fol de rol is idiotic

edit: also, brail would be difficult to maintain on bills that are handled so much, they would have to be recirculated at a MUCH faster rate

[Rictor]

If Daredevil can swing around the city, fight crime and take on The Kingpin, why can't these people use normal money? They should look up to Matt Murdoch's good example and get their ass in gear. No more exuses, blind people.

[aldo_14]

I've heard Stevie Wonder can smell a $5 bill from two city blocks away and use the power of his ears to summon it through the air to his presence.

[Maxwell]

I understand blind people normally get someone to fold their money in specific ways.

It might not seem like it, but paper money takes of abuse as its being used.  Even after they've found way to make the brail stick up after its been run through hundreds of money counting machines and ATM's, and built the machinery to create these bills in large numbers, they'll have to methodically replace every note in the nation (again, cuz we just had a big change of several bills) to conform with this new system.  Then comes the changes to all money counting machines and training cashiers. Its not so simple as a brail stamp.
...Or maybe it is. Just have the bank teller use a paper punch on cash they know is going to a blind person.

I'm sure theres a cheap workaround for the mean time, but not if your going the road of altering every bill in the nation ahead of schedule.

[aldo_14]

I understand blind people normally get someone to fold their money in specific ways.

It might not seem like it, but paper money takes of abuse as its being used.  Even after they've found way to make the brail stick up after its been run through hundreds of money counting machines and ATM's, and built the machinery to create these bills in large numbers, they'll have to methodically replace every note in the nation (again, cuz we just had a big change of several bills) to conform with this new system.  Then comes the changes to all money counting machines and training cashiers. Its not so simple as a brail stamp.
...Or maybe it is. Just have the bank teller use a paper punch on cash they know is going to a blind person.

I'm sure theres a cheap workaround for the mean time, but not if your going the road of altering every bill in the nation ahead of schedule.

Isn't there some bizarre law (re: punching it) that makes 'defacing' a dollar bill treason or similar?

[vyper]

I thought it was just the UK that had that due to the Queen's face?

[Turey]

Isn't there some bizarre law (re: punching it) that makes 'defacing' a dollar bill treason or similar?

No, otherwise those "Where's George" people would be in big trouble.

[Quest_techie]

defacing any denomination greater than three cents is a crime, but it doesn't get enforced

salutory neglect ftw

edit: although if you started melting down pennies\nickels en masse the secret servie <part of treasury> might start hunting you down,m nickels and pennies materials are worth more than their face value, so people have been melting them down and selling the scrap, do it enough and folk will start enforcing

[Nix]

Thank god, or there'd no more mythbusters!  One episode they used a quarter as a shooting target of some sort...

[Maxwell]

One episode they used a quarter as a shooting target of some sort...

Ho ho, its federal soap on a rope for the lot of them.
DISPATCH THE PARTY VANS!


...In light of the situation they'd most likely bend that rule if you had a realistic solution that would be fair to the blind AND keep us from having to pay millions for a full money redesign right away.

This is of good intention gone bad. The mints barely keep supply up with demand as it is, and there are many factors in making reliable paper money that would have to be tested for the new bills.
Its not a case of just snapping your fingers to make this change happen. Not without spending an unreasonable sum to do it.

[Unknown Target]

As nice as this would be to have, this is totally the wrong time to do it, and it's honestly not that big a deal. The blind have managed so far with the current bills, I'm sure they can wait two or three more years until the country stabilizes and stops hemorrhaging money.
On top of that, have you seen some dollar bills? They've been so worn out they're almost like printer paper. Imagine trying to keep small bumps on them while they're in constant circulation. I'm for the idea of the blind-enabled bills, but I'm afraid the execution will prove to be too difficult.

[Quest_techie]

anyone want to make the well educated fiat currency rant that needs to be made?

I've used all my fiat currency rants this week on my family from the educated ones to the raving lunatic ones <which are surprisingly fun>, so I disqualify myself...

[Ulala]

FLAT CURRENCY FTW!

Yep, that's my rant.