Whuffie

I'm pleased to read this Wikipedia article, Katie, partially because it reminds me of one of my favorite board games as a teen, Careers. I still have my set somewhere. Maybe I'll bring it to class.

One economic element of Doctorow's future that we didn't mention in class is the "post-scarcity economy." Exactly how would such an economy, in which all valuable goods and services are free or nearly free, come about? Is such an economy a purely theoretical thought experiment, or a real possibility?