To put a value on the digital world by only tallying the money that changes hands is a little like trying to place a value on sex by simply measuring the amount spent on prostitution

As Stewart Brand pointed out, in what would soon become a famous formulation, information-based products embodied an economic paradox. "On the one hand," he said, "information wants to be expensive, because it's so valuable. The right information in the right place just changes your life. On the other hand, information wants to be free, because the