The Zero Marginal Cost Society

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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. As a result, Wealth Distribution and War persist as issues related to the Artificial Scarcity of zero marginal cost - ie, lack of good execution in delivering Integrated Zero Marginal Cost.

Therefore, i

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