Measuring Worth: Calculating Inflation and other stuff

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Measuring Worth: Calculating Inflation and other stuff

Postby Kurt » Sat Nov 20, 2010 4:56 pm

I first stumbled upon it while trying to figure out why The Baker Street Irregulars in Sherlock Holmes swarmed the city gathering information for just a Shilling reward.

So I entered 1 shilling into the slot for 1890 and 2008 for the value now.

It doesn't give just a straight answer, it gives you price index (that shows how much automation has saved us money) and relative income. I would go by relative income to calculate urchin enthusiasm in the Victorian era and one shilling was then worth 24 pounds 60p today.

That explained the urchin swarm nicely.

Plus it is one of those sites that is quite fun to dick around on.

If I was writing a Vampire novel to get money from teenage girls who long to have their neck sucked by an immortal, I would use this site to calculate my undead heart-throb's net worth:

So my Teen-pire came to the United States in 1798. His powdered wig business did well that year so he socked away $100.00. He then did teen vampire things like fight werewolves and help native Americans for the next 212 years when he enrolled in a high school, fell in love with a 16 year old girl and remembered his savings account...

That had grown to be worth over $15 million dollars. That means he can buy his own Hot Topic franchise and focus on the love of his life who is 230 years his junior.

http://www.measuringworth.com/index.php
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Re: Measuring Worth: Calculating Inflation and other stuff

Postby Rhah » Sun Nov 21, 2010 11:56 pm

Kurt wrote:I first stumbled upon it while trying to figure out why The Baker Street Irregulars in Sherlock Holmes swarmed the city gathering information for just a Shilling reward.


I think the variable in this is that Holmes would also pay a guinea for a vital clue. That's what, 1 pound? So if I used the site right that is another $118.00 (aprox) in Wiggins pocket to divide up among the other Irregulars. Good coin. Think there were a few opium addicts in the ranks?
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Re: Measuring Worth: Calculating Inflation and other stuff

Postby Kurt » Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:12 am

Rhah wrote:
Kurt wrote:I first stumbled upon it while trying to figure out why The Baker Street Irregulars in Sherlock Holmes swarmed the city gathering information for just a Shilling reward.


I think the variable in this is that Holmes would also pay a guinea for a vital clue. That's what, 1 pound? So if I used the site right that is another $118.00 (aprox) in Wiggins pocket to divide up among the other Irregulars. Good coin. Think there were a few opium addicts in the ranks?


I have often thought the Irregulars would be a good non cannon Holmes spin-off books / tv for kids. One is never to young to learn the powers of deduction.
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Re: Measuring Worth: Calculating Inflation and other stuff

Postby Caliban » Tue Nov 23, 2010 6:36 pm

Kurt wrote:
Rhah wrote:
Kurt wrote:I first stumbled upon it while trying to figure out why The Baker Street Irregulars in Sherlock Holmes swarmed the city gathering information for just a Shilling reward.


I think the variable in this is that Holmes would also pay a guinea for a vital clue. That's what, 1 pound? So if I used the site right that is another $118.00 (aprox) in Wiggins pocket to divide up among the other Irregulars. Good coin. Think there were a few opium addicts in the ranks?


I have often thought the Irregulars would be a good non cannon Holmes spin-off books / tv for kids. One is never to young to learn the powers of deduction.


But nowadays they would be called the Baker Street CHISes (Covert Huma Itelligece Sources) and Holmes would have to have a Dedicated source handling unit with handlers for each CHIS ; a Confidential source unit to deal with the results obtained and a strategic intelligence unit to analyse and tasking team to disseminate the intelligence for action as part of an Intelligence cycle. Then Inspector La Strade and Watson would have to go on courses on how to use the intel to develop it further to complete the Intel cycle . Someone would then have to introduce a national briefing model for LeStrade's men. That would cost Holmes a hell of a lot more than a shilling and a Guinea (21 shillings) whether at the Victorian or at the modern rate.

Hardly seems worth it as the Crown Prosecution service would throw out any of Holmes' cases on the balance of probabilities to suceed at court. THAT's why Holmes really threw Moriarty off the top of the Reichenbach falls !
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Re: Measuring Worth: Calculating Inflation and other stuff

Postby Bronco » Sat Nov 27, 2010 2:10 am

Years ago Robert A. Heinlein deposited $1 in a bank with interest to be compounded annually for the next few hundred years and the total sum to be delivered to his heirs. He figured that the total would be some astronomical sum that would allow his descendants to be the rulers of the known universe. Unfortunately, banks tend to confiscate funds in accounts that do not have activity after just a few years. I do now know what rule or law allows this, but I do know of one case where a prepaid safe deposit box was confiscated and another case where a savings account was confiscated because there was no indication of any recent activity and it was assumed the owner was deceased. The contents of the safe deposit box were returned, but the savings account funds were not. Miraculously, all records of the account were "lost". The owner of the account suspects that this is why banks seem to close and reopen under new ownership every so often. It gives the bank the opportunity to lay claim to inactive accounts.
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Re: Measuring Worth: Calculating Inflation and other stuff

Postby lok8 » Mon Dec 13, 2010 2:13 pm

But nowadays they would be called the Baker Street CHISes (Covert Huma Itelligece Sources) and Holmes would have to have a Dedicated source handling unit with handlers for each CHIS ; a Confidential source unit to deal with the results obtained and a strategic intelligence unit to analyse and tasking team to disseminate the intelligence for action as part of an Intelligence cycle. Then Inspector La Strade and Watson would have to go on courses on how to use the intel to develop it further to complete the Intel cycle . Someone would then have to introduce a national briefing model for LeStrade's men. That would cost Holmes a hell of a lot more than a shilling and a Guinea (21 shillings) whether at the Victorian or at the modern rate.


You nicely summed up organizational progression through the ages. Flowcharts can suffice for talent.
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