The value of ideas
mikecane: Ideas are useless in the sense that at any one time, many people could have the exact same idea.  Ideas do "get in the air."  So in that respect, ideas can be seen as commodities.  It's getting the idea out there as something people can buy/use that matters.  All writers understand this.  It's not the story that was never written or never published that matters -- it's the story people can read or buy.