I had to bring this up. I was watching one of those tabloidish shows and reported on this guy who legally changed his name to “Dot Com Guy”
The report stated he will not leave his house and yard for the entire year of 2000. He apparently has emptied his house of everything (except the cabinets and kitchen sink)
He plans on living completely off the internet, buying everything he needs on line.
Okay, what about human contact? Will the UPS man start looking sexy to him? What about the average human need to venture out in the world? Wouldn’t he get cabin fever from living such a confined lifestyle for 366 days? Can you buy beer on line? (I did see a liquor delivery truck this morning)
He apparently left his $50,000 a year job to do this, but in the end will make $98,000 from sponsors if he successfully completes the year without leaving his home.
I read stories like this and it makes me cry when I think of all the time I spent in college cramming for tests. I have got to come up with something like this. If so, I will make sure to publicize the SDMB thoroughly, pointing out and praising specific individuals for a small fee.
Well, shut my mouth. It’s also illegal to put squirrels down your pants for the purposes of gambling.
I am pretty much a hermit too, but the idea of an entire year in one house and yard would drive me bonkers. I do enjoy the simple greetings with store clerks and although I only work part-time outside the home I get a sense of human companionship from those people.
Mullinator,
This guy has sponsorships from big players like Gateway and UPS. Maybe we can think of a way for you to make that kind of money while basically doing nothing. I have to laugh because it’s a hair-brained idea but it putting him a financially well-off situation.
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What if he gets sick? Like violently ill, does this mean he has to find an online emergency center…an on line doctor that makes house calls?
I often go weeks at a time without leaving my house at all…not even to get the mail (hubby will get it, or something). I never really notice or care. I have no outside friends in this state, all my face-to-face friends are 2300 miles away…so…? No biggie.
Yikes! Sunny and 70 degrees? WHat a ripoff for winter weather! (personally, I’d be hiding inside trying to pretent that REALLY it was cold and snowing out there).
I think we should try to get this guy to join our little community. I’d love to hear daily updates on how he is doing, and maybe we could help him ward off lonliness.
No thanks, Opal. I grew up near Chicago and just moved back here (San Diego)from western Pennsylvania where about seven months of the year I didn’t have to pretend it was cold and snowing. Snow’s pretty, but it’s not that pretty. Give me ocean breezes any day.
It just dawned on me, you can buy beer on line…in fact there are a couple of places. How they check your ID is beyond me, but the beer of the month club comes to mind.
Is there anything anyone can think of (outside of medical and dental care) that you can’t get on line?
I spose they have concocted (sp?) some way that his primary physician (if he can’t make phone calls which I would assume he can’t) has a web based pager to email him if he’s sick.
Maybe they even have a dentist lined up to come in for his regular check up…but can they xray his jaw? I spose they could.
The web site states “friends, family, delivery people, celebrities and other special guests will regularly visit DotComGuy”. He is not being cut off from human contact.
Personally, I would not do it; I can’t just stay home. But there are a fair number of people whose work requires a long time in one place: submarine crews, Antartica reseach staff, Soviet cosmonauts.
At least this guy can plan and have parties. He can have people over whenever he wants and they can stay as long as he wants. Or he can just spend time alone.
He probably will read a lot and get very good at video games.
With the sponsors paying, he probably could get instructors to come over to teach him anything: pool, darts, dancing, cooking, etc.
He can take “classes” at most major universities. He would be foolish not to learn something.
Well, I think its a stupid idea because you don’t need the net to order everything. Just pick up the phone and order just about anything you need. Stores bring food, pizza can be ordered with beer, etc., Office Depot, Circuit City bring things to your house if you call them.
So, pretty stupid, if you ask me to do it all through the net, but maybe some day he recognize that.
You make a good point. Its possible to do everything he plans on doing without the internet. Mail order catalogs have been around for years. Call a company and ask for their catalog. Call back, place and order and they will deliver.
As for food, I tried to order a pizza over the net. [I live in Houston, they do offer it.] It’s such a hassle filling out the survey forms, I gave up and phoned in the order.
I order a number of non food items over the Internet and I do like it as I do not like telephones. I would rather order off the Internet than call. I get my wife to do the calling.
But as for staying in the house all the time, if I stay indoors for more than a day or so, I start to go stir crazy. I have to go out if to do nothing more than walk the dog or get the mail.
And do not even get me started about not driving for a year.
I love human contact. (Especially that of my wife).
