Back to manufacturing in space.

> From: dougt0g0
> A certain TV that they really like from company X costs $1000
> on Earth. By the time you rocket it up to the settlement, it
> costs say $10,000. The sales rep at the multi factory says this is
> the only TV we can build. I can sell it to you for $7500, or
> you can order one from Earth if you don't like it.

Or the sales Rep says, "TV? What's one of those? Oh, an antiquated analouge
cathod ray visual display system for watching radio broardcast audio vissual
programmes. What do you want a lump of junk like that for? You into
historical recreation? Tell you what, let me show you our computer range.
They can do everything a TV can do and more - and because we use computers
everywhere there's a much larger selection..."

When this came up before I posed a simple challange for people:

Look round the room you're in and list the items that CANNOT be easily
replaced with similar on the spot material, or replaced by modest increases
in technology, or which you never actualy use. Flatpacck furnaure might be
an example of the first, since there will be plenty of space material lying
around after you build your first colony. My vast one ton book collection is
an example of the latter. And I suppose I really could do without my
penny-jar, especially if UK pounds and pence aren't valid on the colony.

The list I came up with was very short. Mostly orrigonal art or first
edition books.