From my latest essay:

Ray Kurzweil argues that the information component of goods and services is rising relative to the value of the physical resources employed in production. All of our products are becoming information-intensive. Computer software and pharmaceuticals are bellwethers of this trend. If we ever achieve true nanotechnology (including molecular assemblers), then the information share of value will approach 100 percent, while the physical resource share will approach zero.

…The cheapening of material goods is leading to another paradigm shift in military affairs. It is becoming less and less costly to assemble and deliver weapons that can cause mass casualties and major economic loss…What we need in the information age is surveillance supremacy — command of the spies, if you will.