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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "J.W.Thomas" <cm5323@***.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: Dicoating and diamond
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 11:30:24 +0000
Diamond shouldn't be THAT expensive in SR, as it can be made
quite easily today.
DeBeers have a process that uses Methane under high pressure and
temperature to produce 100% pure diamond.
They claim that it is 'Industrial grade' as it doesn't have the
impuritys that make it sparkle, and they are looking for
industrial applications.
(Conductors of heat, hostile enviroment windows, fighter
cockpits, heatsinks for chips etc)
Bets are they'll supress any doping process to add the impuritys
to the diamond, so no one can build jewelery quality diamonds.
(or maybe they can already, and are saving it till there mines
run low)
as this would devalue diamond worldwide.

So dikoting weapons, windows, computer chips etc would be
widespread...
=)

CHOPPER
Message no. 2
From: Todd James Gillespie <toddg@****.ACS.UNT.EDU>
Subject: Re: Dicoating and diamond
Date: Mon, 27 Feb 1995 16:56:29 -0600
On Mon, 27 Feb 1995, J.W.Thomas wrote:

> DeBeers have a process that uses Methane under high pressure and
> temperature to produce 100% pure diamond.
> Bets are they'll supress any doping process to add the impuritys
> to the diamond, so no one can build jewelery quality diamonds.
> (or maybe they can already, and are saving it till there mines
> run low)
> as this would devalue diamond worldwide.
One last snippet on DeBeers. There's a snowball's chance in hell that
their diamond mines will run low anytime soon. They effectively control
the close to 100% of the entire diamond production of the world, via
political control and suppression and outright ownership. Diamonds, in
all reality, are quite common. They'd be cheap as hell if DeBeers wasn't
holding down production to a percentage countable on one hand. A few
examples: A corporation in America a few years ago refined the process of
making industrial diamonds, so they could now mass produce gem-quality
diamonds. When this achievment was announced, that branch was closed
by the end of the week. Political pressure. Anytime a mine is found in
Africa, it's closed as soon as turning profitable. Straight buyout. Zaire
produces an immense number of diamonds, mostly industrial. Yet DeBeers
controls almost all of their mines. Both of the above methods apply, and
Zaire has been trying to get their mines back for years. After the USSR
collapsed, people were speculating a mass influx of industrial diamonds
from Siberia. We've seen nought but a trickle. The US has been trying to
nail DeBeers for numerous charges for years. DeBeers may as well stamp
all diamonds with "Copyrighted by DeBeers"
Message no. 3
From: Robert Watkins <bob@**.NTU.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: Dicoating and diamond
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 13:09:12 +0930
J.W.Thomas wrote:
>
> as this would devalue diamond worldwide.
>

Only if they can sell it... there are large diamond (gemstone kind)
stockpiles currently, but only small amounts are released to keep prices
artificially high.

And yes, Dikoting is fairly well spread around.

--
Robert Watkins bob@**.ntu.edu.au
Real Programmers never work 9 to 5. If any real programmers
are around at 9 am, it's because they were up all night.
Finger me for my geek code

Further Reading

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Thwap!