A growing number of leftist thinkers and academics argue that 21st-century tech revolutions could lead us to a classless political and economic model.

The founders of Napster probably weren’t thinking about communism in 1999 when they made peer-to-peer sharing of digital audio files possible. But in doing so, they undermined one of the core elements of capitalism: scarcity. Without scarcity, prices drop to zero and markets stop working. So when people started duplicating and sharing songs for free, they destroyed the business model of record companies, one download at a time.

Eventually, Napster was shut down by legal threats. But to British author and activist Aaron Bastani, it showed us a glimpse of our communist future. In his new book, Fully Automated Luxury Communism, he argues that new technologies, from solar energy and asteroid mining to CRISPR/Cas9 and satellite internet, could massively lower prices for all kinds of goods and services. Bastani is among a growing number of left-leaning researchers, writers and academics who are eyeing technology not as the job-stealing threat — but as an ally.

If the past is any guide … don’t hold your breath for a quick or easy fix.

How will the federal government react to the next recession? The safest answer to this question since 1929 has been: “It’ll make it worse, deeper, longer.” But that wasn’t always the case.

Remember the Great Recession of 1921? Between 1920 and 1921, gross national product fell by 24 percent, unemployment topped 15 percent, industrial production fell nearly 32 percent and wholesale prices fell by 20 percent.

Compare this to the milder but hysterically named “Great Recession” of 2007–09, when gross domestic product dropped by 2.4 percent (not 24 percent as in 1921). Unemployment reached 10 percent in 2009, nowhere near 15 percent, and prices fell 2.4 percent (not 20 percent).

The Raiders wideout showed up to camp Monday, but the helmet issue looms large.

We’re talkin’ ’bout helmets?

Capping a bizarre offseason for the ages, Antonio Brown has the sports world channeling its inner Allen Iverson, asking themselves why helmets — or Brown’s unwillingness to wear the helmet the NFL is mandating he dons — continue to dominate the headlines, just a week after we were all talking about the temperature settings in cryogenic chambers.

Brown, who with six 100-plus reception seasons in nine years is arguably the league’s best wide receiver, continues to fight the NFL policy that requires “helmet certification” according to industry standards. The 31-year-old seven-time Pro Bowler lost a grievance against the NFL in which he sought an exception to wear his Schutt Air Advantage, a helmet he has worn throughout his career that was available on the market between 2002 and 2009. (NBC Sports reported Monday night that Brown was preparing to file a new grievance against the NFL asking for a one-year grace period.)