Chris Anderson's article on the economics of abundance reinforces the idea that stuff is cheap, plentiful and ours for the taking. Of course it isn't, but sometimes it's hard to reconcile the endless potential of the internet with the limits of your immediate surroundings (especially when you've gone from store to store looking for a #$%*@*! robe when you could've just clicked here and saved a lot of time, money and aggravation). The availability of information is a great thing for the masses, but it also represents a lo$$ of control for those who were in charge.

So what does a displaced gatekeeper do to regain a semblance of control? Adapt or become irrelevant. Depending on where you sit on the food chain, the concept of free can be seen as either a benevolent act or trickery. Kevin Kelly's article identified eight generatives to create profit in a free economy. It requires tapping into certain traits that can be cultivated and become valuable commodities, but never copied.