The end of money - David Wolman

For ages, money has meant little metal disks and rectangular slips of paper. Yet the usefulness of physical money-to say nothing of its value-is coming under fire as never before. Intrigued by the distinct possibility that cash will soon disappear, author andWiredcontributing editor David Wolman sets out to investigatethe future of money…and how it will affect your wallet.

Wolman begins his journey by deciding to shun cash for an entire year-a surprisingly successful experiment (with a couple of notable exceptions). He then ventures forthto find people and technologies that illuminate the road ahead. InHonolulu, he drinks Mai Tais with Bernard von NotHaus, a convicted counterfeiterand alternative-currency evangelist whom government prosecutors have labeled a domestic terrorist. InTokyo, he sneaks a peek at the latest anti-counterfeiting wizardry, while puzzling over the fact that banknote forgers depend on society's addiction to cash. In a downtroddenOregontown, he mingles with obsessive coin collectors-the people who are supposed to love cash the most, yet don't. And in ruralGeorgia, he examines why some people feelthe end of cash is Armageddon's warm-up act.After stops at the Digital Money Forum in London and Iceland's central bank, Wolman flies to Delhi, where he sees first-hand how cash penalizes the poor more than anyone-and how mobile technologies promise to change that.

Told with verve and wit,The End of Moneyexplores an aspect of our daily lives so fundamental that we rarely stop to think about it. You'll never look at a dollar bill the same again.