Future Mailings

[Asperion]

As people move around (especially off planet) people are still going to need to ship things from point A to B. However addresses as they exist today will need greater uniformity than they currently have. Each country has developed its own method of addressing, some even have more than one (like the U.S. does). This will need to be systemized into one method that works for everyone everywhere.

 

My questions here are:

1 - In such a mobile society, how would the mail/parcel service be able to keep track of everyone?

2 - What would people use for their address?

3 - Anything else that you would like to comment on.

[Greywind]

Watch The Message ep of Firefly

[freakboy6117]

largely it will depend on the technology of the universe you are in  is communication FTL or does it rely on FTL courier ships how long does it take to travel is it insaneous , as fast as air travel or like an ocean journey? can a ship carry its own Ansible or is it something that needs a space station. is distance and issue

 

for example  

 

instantaneous FTL comms but ships take weeks to travel between systems.

 

in this scenario everyone would have a Universal address basically an email address with attached routing info log into the ansible network and all the nodes will start directing packets of data to you expect to get a large back log of mail when ever your ship comes out of FTL.

 

Physical packages are both easier and harder most planets will have either a postal service one of the major multi system package delivery companies or local sub-contractor. for most people its just a question of listing there planetary address. the sender enters the details (probably on an RFID chip but also probably still written on the front if it ain't broke don't fix it) they deliver the package to a courier or it gets picked up. after that its just routing im guessing a lot of processing power to work out the least time route package is shipped which may be on the companies own ships in sealed cargo containers on other ships or for really remote locations handed to a trust worthy captain of a tramp trader going the right way. when It arrives its delivered to a central depot most starship crews will probably collect there items from there unless they prefer to have it held by for example a local shipping agent friends or family. for every one else it gets sorted loaded into an in system shuttle shuttled down to your planet or station then sent to a local sorting office then to a local delivery agent.

 

one thing that is probably prevalent in this system will be local offices trade associations and the equivalent of gentleman clubs(not the modern meaning but the traditional kind where you could get a room a meal talk business etc)

where  people can have packages and mail sent care of rather than having to wait for them to be routed to them (Elizabeth Moon's Vatta stories are a great example).

[BlueCloud2k2]

I would think some mega-corps would have factories and distributors on multiple worlds, so even though you are ordering your 2190 Honda Fit Hover-car from a company based on Earth, your hover car would be built and shipped to you from their plant on Epsilon Eradani (which is where you live).