<< Technically, it should be feasible. The paperwork to keep track of who owes how many minutes to whom would be humongous, though. >>
But wouldn't it be possible with computers, wireless networks, and "smart cards" to do all that electronically? Granted, the programming to set up the system would be extensive - and the testing and debugging even more so - but it should be possible, in theory, to establish something that would seem transparent to users. Whether it would be economically viable to do so is another question. In the simplest iteration, you wouldn't owe minutes to any particular person. You'd contribute minutes to a big pot, in return for which you could withdraw minutes from the same pot. You would have to agree, though, that someone who put in minutes could call upon you for your minutes (subject to certain common-sense criteria; e.g., a person in Kuala Lumpur, no matter how many minutes he had contributed, could not demand equivalent minutes from someone in Rejkjavik). Although, if he did, that might make for the basis of an interesting science fiction short story... Tom Beck www.prydonians.org "I always knew I'd see the first man on the Moon. I didn't realize I'd also see the last." - Jerry Pournelle
