For the latest in “I can’t believe this is actually happening” moments, take a look at Kyle MacDonald’s site, One Red Paperclip.
His goal: trade a single red paperclip for a house. Yes, you read that correctly. Here’s a history of the trades he’s completed so far:
- Paper clip for a fish-shaped pen.
- Fish-shaped pen for a clay doorknob with a funny face on it.
- Clay doorknob for a camping stove.
- Stove for a generator.
- Generator for an “instant party”*.
- Instant party for a snowmobile.
- Snowmobile for an all-expenses-paid trip to Yahk, British Columbia.
- Yahk trip for a panel van.
- Van for a recording contract.
- Recording contract for the year of free rent in Phoenix.
While Kyle’s progress is impressive, it isn’t as rapid as the Million Dollar Home Page–that site launched in August 2005 and sold out its entire inventory by mid-January 2006.
(via News.com)
* An “instant party” consists of one beer keg, one neon Budweisier sign, and one I.O.U. for a keg’s worth of beer.
The problem with these kinds of experients are the PR they attract. At some point, some looney tune is going to give this guy a house just to gain closure on the pitch and gain some press as well.
If this truly operated in isolation, the house would never come to reality.
Left by Fortino on April 27th, 2006