Inventory and scarcity for manufactured goods arise from 'long runs' manufacturing. When robotics develops to the point that long runs is no longer the most efficient production process you will have production on demand. Dell's production and books can already be done this way. Automobiles and clothing will follow. But that is a long way off. And there is inventory and scarcity produced by scheduling -- airlines, for example. There are several services that track airline prices. Perhaps I go to the wrong places but they have not been much help. It is easy to believe that real time transactions is the wave of the future. But I think it will grow out of convenience for consumers at least as much as out of inventory problems. Think of credit cards becoming ubiquitous, for example. Money is disappearing. who needs it? It is not as convenient or as safe as the card. - Bob Boynton from FriendFeed MT Plugin