Free

IMHO, Wired is one of the best publications out there. Not everything in Wired will appeal to everyone (it gets a little techie at times) but they do manage to identify and explain many important trends shaping our society and economy.

Back in 2004, Editor Chris Anderson coined the phrase The Long Tail with a cover story that later became a book and is now a fact of life in the Web economy. He's proved it wasn't a fluke with his latest essay on the intersection of technology, economics, and society: Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business.

There is no catch phrase in Anderson's latest doctrine but it's just as insightful as his first. Why? Because he deftly explains how the cost of computing has changed the economics of the web, which in turn is changing the way companies (and individuals) make money. In a nutshell, there are more free lunches than ever and it's helpful to understand how you are getting your free lunch. In a very "practice what you preach" fashion, Wired is giving away free copies of the print version.

Anderson doesn't provide an exhaustingly detailed analysis in his essay but I'm sure he'll provide more examples on his blog as he works on his next book. This is exactly what he did for The Long Tail and it's probably one of the greatest things an author can do for himself (and his readers). For another example of an author blogging around the themes of a book while working on ideas for another, check out Freakonomics.