Well, you called it!

As an occasional eBay seller I was pleased when Ebay sent a notice that we could link a Skype ID to our eBay ID for communicating between buyer and seller. I generally sell collectible books, first editions, etc. and there is a real opportunity, if you can show the condition of the book visually to a buyer, to close a sale. That notice came about a year ago and I immediately created a separate Skype ID to match my eBay ID. Dutifully I set the appropriate preferences. eBay said that a Skype button would appear in my ad for communications with prospects. It has not yet ever worked. I'm about to put a few more things on eBay and I'll let you know if that Skype button ever appears and does something.

I hope you don't give up on Ricardo. There is room for more than one player.

I commend Ian on this article. Five stars.

If you were going to write one more paragraph at the end, would you write further, about the ever tightening capture of money exchange, the ever-improving software and telecom systems? The likelihood that banksters and national currencies continue forever?

Would you write about the need for open standards, for example so that independent software and hardware could use the skype protocols?

I don't think so. I would go in the direction that we need to get away from not only the fiat currencies, but money itself. Economic reform so profound that it leaves money behind. I think we need multiparty contracts denominated in the native resources without denomination in money. If humanity invested the mental time, effort and sophistication into non monetized multiparty barter as we presently invest in our endless games around money, derivatives, financial investment, tax laws and regulations etc., the multiparty barter is certainly feasible and in my opinion better.