Because this guy is damn close.
He started with a red paperclip, and has turned that into free rent for a year for a home in Phoenix.
Should this sort of thing be encouraged?
Will the world be better off when everyone is trying to make a buck off one another?
Geez, I sound like a hippy. Don’t get me started on property flipping.
Notice that the trade action didn’t take off until someone gave him a snowmobile for a keg of beer. That’s one thirsty dude.
I still say it could have happened without the snowmobile deal…it just would’ve taken longer.
I love this whole thing. I’d like to try it and actually know people who will probably attempt it.
I’m terribly disappointed by this thread. I was hoping it’d about the paperclip equivalent of origame. Now that’d display truly impressive manual dexterity, but alas, no, it was not to be…sigh…
I thought someone used a paperclip to pick the lock of a house door. =P
I can’t wait until he reaches his goal and writes the book. That’ll be interesting to read.
A I understand, the keg was empty. It was a promotional “party kit” with signs and an empty keg.
Well unless you live in a world where you are totally self sufficient, you will have to trade for goods and services.
And what’s wrong with flipping properties? Is there something wrong with buying a shitbox, fixing it up and making a bit of a profit?
What world do you live in?
When asked if he had heros, ZebraShaSha looked far off in the distance, somewhere far beyond the break in the trees. “Yes,” he muttered, “there is this one guy…”
“Turkistan, of course. Sorry, I would of replied earlier, but I was too busy reading His book.”
The Bible?
Hell no! The next thing you know, people will want freedom of speech.
If he gets the house and then sells it, then he’s made a buck or two. Otherwise, he’s bartering. Nobody is being forced to trade with this guy.
Get a haircut, you danged hippy!
i have this lovely dark blue metalic paper clip…
i saw the fellow on gma sunday. very interesting.
Hey, I applaud his ingenuity, and I don’t think he’s wrong for exploting America’s desire for bizarre entertainment. If some people are willing to play along, how’s he harming anyone?
Much like that “She Bangs” guy, he’ll have his fifteen minutes, and come out of the experience a little bit more well-off. More power to him, I say.
Wish I’d thought of it myself.
Well, in reality, didn’t he get it for the paper clip plus all of the travel expenses?
So a guy is convincing people to give up things that they obviously didn’t value all that much personally, for things that he has currently. This is called “capitalism”. If you offer people something they want, they will give you something in exchange for it, even if one of those things you’re offering is something goofy like “participating in a geeky and fun social experiment.”
Wow. And I used to be impressed by the guy who started with a single Magic: the Gathering booster pack and traded his way up to a complete set of The Dark. This, though… Wow.