How would you feel about shopping all the time? That could soon be the reality as companies like Google, Amazon, and eBay compete for a dominant position in the emerging same-day delivery marketplace. In some cities, you can already order products from a local retailer which will then be delivered in a few hours. But, as Wired’s Marcus Wohlsen explains, that’s just the beginning: “The game goes deeper. As personal digital assistant apps such as Google Now become widespread, so does the idea of algorithms that can not only meet but anticipate our needs. Extend the concept from the purely digital into the realm of retail, and you have what some industry prognosticators are calling ‘ambient commerce.'” Google’s Shopping Express is now live in San Francisco. So far, the best-selling product is toilet paper.

+ In the long term, our smartphones and other connected devices might be shopping all the time. In the near term, they may be distracting us from the impulse buy. We can’t be tempted if we don’t look up.