craschworks

Excerpt from an interesting Slashdot discussion:

Imagine that there was a “duplication device” that could clone whatever you put into it – a watch, a TV, a car, whatever. Imagine it only cost $.20 per use….

Interestingly enough, there was a science-fiction short story published in Analog … exactly along those lines… some alien race dumped a matter duplicater and the plans for it on the human race, with the apparent intent of causing human society to self-destruct. Instead, the humans worked out the obvious solution: since anything could now be duplicated, the only thing that has value is unique originals, and the way to make a living is to design and create unique originals of things.

Ralph W. Slone (writing as “Ralph Williams”), “Business As Usual, During Alterations”, Asounding, July, 1958. Great story.