The Zero Marginal Cost Society

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-iDUcETjvo

Comments

• The argument for zero marginal cost has significant limitations for hardware-intensive enterprises - such as roads. They cost $1M/mile to build, and $500k/mile to maintain per year!!! See Cost of Building Highways. How to reconcile? Maybe with better design, or transition to other technologies (such as non-contact highways with drones) - then the argument for zero marginal cost could hold. So this may be reconciled only via lifetime design technologies.
  • This is an opportunity: how to translate zero marginal cost to the world of 'capital intensive physical goods'
• Did the book publishing industry get destroyed with the zero marginal cost of internet publishing? Certainly in Japan - [1], but can't find similar data for the USA.
• Music sales - [2]
• Open Source Ecology is mentioned on p. ____________

Critique=

MJ sez - at present, the zero marginal cost society concept is an utter failure. While specif tech becomes cheaper, and indeed comes close to zero marginal cost (microprocessors, PV cells, solar electricity at 1 cent per kwhr if used locally, many materials (wheat costs 13 cents per pound, crude oil at 25 cents per pound) - the Cost of Living is constantly increasing. Savings from powerful technology do not translate to reduced cost of living, in general. The culprit is Aggregate Productivity and Centralization.