Slashdot Mirror
Spread The Love (And Pay Us)
Digitus1337 writes "Wired has an article up about a new online service known as 'FunHi.' You sign up and join a community, and give your fellows gifts, but as Wired has reported, 'these are not ordinary gifts. They're purely digital: little flashing icons of cars, planes, diamond rings and other virtual representations of expensive items included in messages members send each other. And FunHi members don't seem to care that the real money they're spending on the gifts, at prices as high as $30 an item, is going straight into the company's coffers." This leaves just one question unanswered... why didn't I think of this?" It sounds like an April Fool's Joke, but then, so does online trading of Everquest loot.
FunHI - yet another reason capitalism should come with a warning
What about the Snobby Greedy Bitch... the one who thinks these gifts are reprsentative of real ones?
Then $30 will seem quite inexpensive.
I suppose a real diamond ring is a status symbol, as is using a $10 bill to light your cigar.
So too is throwing your money away with a virtual gift. let them who want to, do it.
I'd love you more if you just gave me the money...
... maybe the people who are prepared to pay out cash for virtual items will be so busy trading their nonexistent gifts they won't have time to breed, and the average IQ will go up. At the very least, it should keep the terminally gullible out of circulation.
Like purchasing a square on the moon. Whats the point.
A fool and their money are soon parted.
I'm training myself on the internet. It's fascinating. I'm doing pornography. It's amazing how much these suckers will pay for photographs of chicks. And it doesn't matter if they're fat or ugly or what.
Paying for crappy porn.. that's bad. But paying 30 bucks for a stupid icon? These people are dumber than that guy that loves his spam.
That you spend real life money on..
A fool and their money soon part. Capitalism seems to make this easier, and the internet makes it EVEN easier. I say good for this company, if an idiot wants to spend $30 on a picture of a ring, let him, it is no less idiotic than spending a couple grand on a real one.
A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government. -edward abbey
These sound like the charm bracelets that my little sister drooled over in the 80's. Except even more pointless.
Their buzz system (scroll down) is a direct ripoff of eBay's feedback system. Wonder how long they get sued for that?
I have blog like everyone else
From the article:
"Selman says FunHi has banked about $10,000 in the month since FunHi launched. And given that Georgiades himself has paid about 10 percent of that, it's clear that not all of the service's 6,500 active members are doing the same thing."
If two people (the article mentions one other having spent $1000) account for 20% of the $10K that this company has made in a month, this seems more like silliness on the part of a very few people, and shouldn't really be considered "newsworthy".
libertarianswag.com
It may sound silly, but little things like this are seen as validating by a lot of people who spend a significant amount of time online. You don't really 'have' anything, but you know that someone, somewhere spent money on you.
The article mentions that the most popular members are invariably attractive females whose pictures show them scantily clad and in sexy poses.
Seeing as this "buying nothing" idea is a capitalist's dream, I think it's only a matter of time before these attractive females rise up above their alleged vapidity to realize that they can control the world. As much as I hate to admit it, think about it: who would you vote for between George W. and Britney Spears?
It's good to know that there are plenty of suckers left in the world, I was getting worried that my combo hair brush, vegetable peeler and ice skate sharpener wasn't going to sell!
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
How I wish that I were unscrupulous enough to come up with such an idea. This system would be equivalent to: if Slashdot moderation were geared towards highly rating those posts that advertised for their sponsors...
Just as well there aren't 2 billion starving people in the...
Oh, wait.
Invoicing, Time Tracking, Reporting
Their domain expires 09-apr-2007. I guess the short term domain "lease" suggests this was an experiment for them, which seems to have paid off. Now I'm wondering what else they've done or had planned.
Trolling is a art,
gf: LIKEOMGWTF!!!!11
me: but it's the thought that counts, right?
The real value of diamonds is a small fraction of what they cost in the market. The reason they are expensive is because a smart cartell has established them as expensive, if valueless, tokens of affection. And there is ample precedent in biology: males are supposed to demonstrate their wealth and prowess by not having to care about expending costly resources on useless pursuits.
However, if you are going to do this, why not dispose of your resources in some socially valuable way? Demonstrate your boundless resources by making a "platinum circle" donation to your local opera house, either in your own name or in your sweetheart's name.
...of P.T. Barnum global holdings.
"never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups"
but really, this does go to show something about how we attach value to even worthless things. way back when in britain there was a fad involving flower bulbs; way back when in america there was a fad involving beanie babies. when you really think about it, does the negligible manufacturing cost of a beanie baby really make it signifigantly more valuable than a magnetic charge on a hard drive?
I just bought them some pictures of food.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
It's not like the money that's spent on this is taken out of circulation, no? It's just moved somewhere else -- a company that pays its employees and (presumably) its shareholders [via dividends], who it turn spend it on... well, whatever they spend it on, which may or may not include feeding starving people.
Indeed, if the people who spend money on this are the kind of people who aren't inclined to give money to feed the starving, then it's to the benefit of those who are starving that the money is now out of their hands and in someone else's.
It's not like there aren't a thousand other "accepted" hobbies in the world that eat up far more time and money. Let people spend their life / time / money as they see fit. If you don't like it, just don't play. If you're just knocking on other people because you can't seem to find a hobby that interests you as much, I pity you.
Of course, being a young good-looking female doesn't hurt, as the members with the most fans are all women whose pictures show them in sexy, alluring poses.
&
The service aims, according to what might be called its bylaws, to foster purely positive and friendly interactions.
Sheesh. Why not just call it "FunHo" and be done with it?
Norman Cook's Ode to Sl
See real money gets changed for fake money. I think it's like US$10=FUnHi$30. Plus some of the gifts give the recipient even more fake money. All in all, most "gifts" cost just a few cents.
The thing is that they're tapping an already existing culture- racing and souping up import cars. It serves as a fan-club kind of thing for these import models, and then expands from there.
I really have to hand it to the guys who started it. They tapped a culture well, provided a means for them to play on the internet together and found a way to make a tidy profit off of it. Besides, you don't even need to pay to use it. You don't have to buy "gifts" for people. It's just a nice way to say "I like you" or whatever that backed up by a little bit more.
I'll admit, I accidently ran into this early on in its development and started playing along for mostly 2 reasons: 1) I was newly single so having cute asian girls give me compliments boosted my ego 2) I'm horrible with internet culture (IMing and other sorts of things where you speak with abbreviations and smileys) so I thought it would be funny to see how well I do (and how well "they" do) with my paragraphs and thinking.
It was fun for a while, but now it's getting really dull. Next!
Here, let me draw a picture of a diamond ring... store it in this database here. Now, I'll have you and a few others sign up as members to this database.
You pay me $$, I will do a simple "INSERT INTO" statement and associate the diamond ring record with the recipient's user ID. You will feel good because you sent them a "gift", they will feel happy because they think they will have received a real gift.
You will think it's fun, I will think it's funny. I will be rich, you will be paying me to alter my data in my database.
At least this gives hope to people trying to make money out there.
I have an idea. I have a website filled with members and their email addresses. When you want to send a gift, YOU draw the gift using MS Paint. Upload the picture, I will email it to the recipient of your choice, and I will only charge $1.99. See, because YOU drew it and it would be from YOU! (The sad thing is, people would probably go for it)
We have secretly replaced these Slashdot mods' sense of humor with a rusty nail. Let's see if they notice!!
----
Spam subject of the moment: Offshore account secrets -nashville disrupt
I live in Norway, and here teenagers have for many years spent big money on ringtones, logos, screensavers etc for their mobile phones. Now, with the new phones, people have started paying for mms messages, games etc as well.
Also, there are tons of tv programs where you can pay for having your sms shown on the screen for a brief moment. Sort of like using IRC, but spending $1-2 each time you press enter.
My point, I guess, is that the way young people spend their money doesn't really amaze me anymore...
Anyone seen that southpark episode "raisins"? this reminds me of it so much!
"MissEvelyn: I need some virtual loot. If you want to show me you care, send me some. Your profile will show everyone you're a "Playa." I'll receive the icons and know i'm special. I'm counting on you to help me get noticed in style. Holla!"
wonder what percentage they get?
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
There's post after post on here of people saying "this is stupid", "I can't believe these people pay for stupid icons", and "why would anyone buy virtual anything".
/. crowd that thinks it is perfectly normal and acceptable to sell items or characters for an EverQuest game. Hello... Pot, you have a call on line one. It's Kettle.
Yet there's quite a bit of the
Not that this wasn't entirely predictable.
The only thing about this kind of business that really makes me angry is that I didn't think of it first...
People like to compete. We like a challenge. We also like to reciprocate. We're social animals.
FunHi, using symbols, tapped into that part of us, probably to their own surprise. It's symbols, though silly, have value - in dollars. So you can "measure" how much someone spent on you (or someone else) and ignore, thank, reciprocate, or compete appropriately.
Do I think it'll last? No. But it's worth studying.
Just my 2 cents. Or, in the future, 1/50 of a Slashdollar!
(And yes, I expect FunHi's idea to be imitated to death).
"The Sage treasures Unity and measures all things by it" - Lao Tzu
When doesn't wealth trickle down to the poor? Answer: when resources are being consumed. For instance, if gasoline is being burned in SUV's when it's needed for tractors, that could be an example of wealth not trickling down. However, I believe the problem of hunger isn't caused by insufficient food,but by bad distribution. Therefore, getting money out of the hands of those who have it will, eventually, put it in the hands of the needy. Spend it on a Porsche, the Porsche factory will pay some workers, who will pay their housemaids: that's "trickle down" for you.
My new realization is: A fool and his money are best parted. The last thing you want are bunches of fools with effective personal or political power.
--jeff++
ipv6 is my vpn
The Artificial high price of diamonds may be changing. Here is an article about quality mass produced diamonds, that I read some time back.
You have to note that the prices don't really match up - The $30 super biznatch iced out platinum plastik translates to $20 real money. Still, it's hilarious.
It seems to me they're a bunch of slashdot-style geeks blatantly milking a huge group of retards - the hint is the "Dominatrix Sub Whip +2" - I don't expect the idiots who actually use that site to have any idea what a +2 is.
I also doubt that anyone who really wrote the way they do would be able to set up a complicated website.
Tim
Omnia vestra castrorum habetur nobis.
This place is a horrific written image of pain.
I quote:
My eyes, they bleed!
My brain, it bleeds!
on the internet? That money you're wasting on yourself could be better spent feeding the hungry. I bet you have the nerve to drive a car, too.
Starvation isn't a money problem. It doesn't take money to plant a garden and grow food. The problem is the assholes in charge who prevent the food from going to people who need it that need to be overthrown.
There's plenty of food. And buying more of it isn't going to make the situation better for anyone but the assholes in charge who hoard it for themselves.
The poor will always be with you. If you feel so compelled, help the poor in far away places. I'd rather help those around me. And that involves buying crap that helps pay their wages so that they don't starve.
I don't suppose you stopped to think that if nobody bought anything they didn't need, 90%+ of the population would be out of work and unable to afford to eat. Our society functions based on the buying and selling of crap. Just like every other country.
If you go to the Mexican border at least, everybody is selling something. Buying a pot or a flower you don't need really equates to feeding the seller and his family.
Buying a stupid little icon helps keep this guy fed and with the extra money he buys more crap which puts money in a lot of people's pockets so they can eat and so on down the line.
To claim that we shouldn't buy anything frivilous is incredibly short sighted. I don't think you realize how many poor people survive selling frivilous crap working at fast food joints, restaurants and what not. You think corporations should just give people money? Where do you think their money comes from?
Ben
Work Safe Porn
YOU wouldn't pay for this.
But somebody who didn't understand technology and didn't want to MIGHT pay for it because they thought it was a cute idea. These are the same people who buy new Sims add-ons for the additional wallpaper and landscaping. These are the people keeing Pier 1, Tuesday Morning and the Christmas Tree Shop in business. These are the same people who keep buying me candles, picture frames and other tchotchkes when what I really need is a new fucking laptop.
In short, women will pay for this, because it is useless but kind of cute and not too expensive.
Hey freaks: now you're ju
Virtual accesories and avatars are a big business in Korea
Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit
FunHi seems to be an extreme manifestation of the overly materialistic culture it has emanated from (people who call themselves a "gangsta" or a "playa" or a "hunie", modern popular culture basically), it's just... too horrible for words.
People judging how popular and loved they are on the basis of how much other people have spent on them *puke*.
I guess they could all be doing it in an ironic and political fashion to show all members of capitalist societies to be whores. I'm sorta doubting that's the case, personally.
She's too obvious. Now a contest between liv tyler and George bush.... Thats got more of a dilema.
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
God I hate all that stuff.
It dosen't even register when you ask them to give money instead of some useless trinkets.
I'm trying to save up for the down payment on a motorcycle that I want very badly. I'm trying to do this without affecting my family budget. So I'm saving a portion of my weekly lunch money, carpooling to work some days, doing without excess CD's, etc. And over the last year I've saved quite a bit of money.
Before Christman I thought it'd be nice if I could transform gifts into savings. So when people called my wife to ask what I wanted, she told them that I would prefer money because I'm saving for something.
Besides my wife herself, not 1 person went 'out of their way' to give me cash. I don't get it. They think they're doing me a favor by buying me alluminum coffee mugs and gift certificates to clothing stores I don't even like.
My Mother actually told me that there's no thought in giving money. So she gives me a gift certificate to Target instead. Go figure.
wbs.
Huh?
I just bought a case of paste-on foil gold stars at Office Depot. Now I'm going to completely destroy the intellectual economy of the local kindergarten. BWAHAHAHAHA!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
The items in everquest can be re-sold and potentially for a profit. The items at FunHi (to my limited understanding) can't be regifted or sold.
It's makes all the difference in the world. It's why people will buy 'shares' in a company which are esentially vitual property too -- because they're resellable.
Since they IR network and transfer data objects, I'm working on an infectious Tamagotchi plague. It's for the children's sake.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
Next, we'll have to institute some sort of government standards agency to insure that our beautiful virtual girfriend isn't selling 200%, is really beautiful, and is really a girl!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
mod up!/ 8202diamon d1.htm
i amond.h tml
Excellent article about DeBeers scumbags
http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/82feb
Wired had an article about artificial/cultured diamonds; decent read.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/d
Also, if you care about exploited children in Africa, watch Child Soldiers. It's really depressing; Congo, Angola, Sierra Leone, etc. use diamond money to buy weapons and send kids to war.
I guess DeBeers' would defend themselves by saying that those kids would otherwise have too much free time on their hands and get in trouble hanging out at schools, playgrounds and working on their families' farms.
I got my wife a Mac Cube and flat screen. Nothing like being married to a computer geek (she's a telecom analyst and loves having Mac DTP and command line tools all together).
I drank what? -- Socrates
Here I just saved those people a ton of cash:
http://www.funhi.com//images/gifts/46.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/20.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/33.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/1.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/3.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/30.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/35.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/39.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/22.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/17.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/11.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/23.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/14.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/49.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/25.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/41.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/27.gif
http://www.funhi.com/images/gifts/51.gif
d
I'm showing my age reminding everybody about Pet Rocks.
People would complain how stupid they were as they stood in line to get one.
The inventer retired a multi-millionare.
Strap that Adonomizer to your head and while it zaps your brain repeat... I - will - not - buy - stupid - shit - for - no - reason...
What's really sad is that I bet some of the "high rollas" on this site are actually buying themselves gifts from alternate accounts, or are company shills designed to motivate a much smaller number of legitimate members to compete for more intangible crap.
Ultimately, you have to respect a venture like this, that can make a person alternate between thoughts of "WTF This is sick" and "Wow, this is genius". It's both interesting & entertaining, and profoudly sad and pathetic as well. What an eloquent microcosm of capitalism, superficiality and materialism.
But how is it rude when I'm specifically asking for this. I don't care if they want to spend $10 or $100. Just drop it in an envelope and exchange giftw with me. No problem.
It's your presumptuousness that's rude. When people give gifts, they do so because they want to, and want to express themselves through the gift. They're not signing up for some program you set up.