Going Postal, Regular Mail Options

[FlakJacket]

With the matrix being so widespread and advanced in Shadowrun, do we know what's happened to the regular old fashioned mail service? Would people still use it, is it still in effect or would it have died off to leave only parcel companies and the like? IIRC, a couple of the books mentioned that newspapers had basically gone electronic with your having to print it out if you wanted hard copy. What do people think?

[Kagetenshi]

It certainly exists. The providers are probably more focused on parcels and the like, but physical mail will without a doubt continue.

Though with the US/UCAS changeover it may no longer be mandated in the constitution.

~J

[the_dunner]

If current trends are any indicator, I'd imagine that there'd be a number of delivery companies that would compete for physical deliveries. IE, UPS, FedEx, etc. In a game setting with such a weak government, I'd think that the postal service would've been sold off to a corp. Hell, NASA was sold. The USPS would probably have gone before that.

[Kagetenshi]

Depends on how much the UCAS constitution resembles the US constitution. As I said above, a governmental postal service is mandated in the US constitution.

~J

[Sargasso]

Not only that, but US aw lists interfereing with the mail as a felony, which can be tantamount to treason, since at the time, the Postal Sercive was how the government kept running. I imagine fierce laws on the subject might keep the good old UCAS postal service alive. Interfering with Hermes (a subsidiary of Ares) might land you a stiff fine, but interfering with the UCAs postal service might land you in prison.

[Guest_Crimsondude 2.0_*]

According to the timeline (which in the instance I shall mention, was from SR1 or SR2 BBB), the USPS was sold off in the 90s to alleviate the massive deficit/national debt.

However, contracting out the USPS would still be considered "establishing post offices," since they are just hiring some corp to staff them. I mean, privatization isn't a novel idea.

As for using the USPS, um... Why? Use a AAA-owned shipping company and get the benefits of (say) Ares' extraterritorial status.

[Kagetenshi]

Only while on their property. Furthermore, no corp would want to ship via another corp's services if they could avoid it, same as why most corps of any significance don't contract their Matrix hosts and facilities out to other corps.

~J

[FlakJacket]

This was more a question of if people would use the mail for regular letters. The matrix/e-mail and things like mobiles or pocket secretary's that can access it would make it seem pretty archaic. So excepting special things like packages or recorded delivery, would the average person use it any more. Question came up when I was considering investigations into people and the old trick of forwarded mail, and if it'd still be useable/relevant.

[Kagetenshi]

Given how trivial it is to ship letters if you're already shipping packages, I'd say the ability is still there. Some things (especially any physically stamped or authenticated document) would still travel by mail, and it makes a great poor man's security. Use will continue to decline, but it will still see use IMO.

~J

[Guest_Crimsondude 2.0_*]

There is something romantic about snail-mail postcards from abroad, and handwritten letters.

[Kanada Ten]

[lokugh]

Although, it seems people in SR are becoming more and more functionally illiterate, so I suspect there would be a drastic decline. And, I doubt there are postal runs being made to places like Class Z zones.

Although, it does bring up the movie Demolition Man. Simon Phoenix's quote about the "damned busdrivers". Soemthing about "even the postmen listened" when he told them to stay out, but the buses kept running.