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A House For One Red Paperclip
Tim_F writes to mention the news that Kyle MacDonald (the guy trying to trade a red paperclip for a house) has succeeded in his quest. His recently traded a KISS Snowglobe in exchange for one afternoon with Alice Cooper. He in turn traded the snowglobe to an enthusiastic snowglobe collector, for a role in a movie. From the article: "Now, the town of Kipling, Sask., located about two hours east of Regina with a population of 1,100, has offered MacDonald a farmhouse in exchange for the role in the movie. MacDonald and his girlfriend will fly to the town next Wednesday. 'We are going to show them the house, give them the keys to the house and give them the key to the town and just have some fun,' said Pat Jackson, mayor of Kipling."
Wouldn't he have accomplished his goal quicker if he started with a red stapler? ...or would have have had to burn the house down when he finally got it?
So what?
He has a farmhouse in the town of Kipling, Sask.? So...? Why stop now? If he could trade that for two red paperclips, doubling his original investment, I'd be impressed.
I'll probably be modded down for this...
It would be ironic if he died of a paper cut that could have been prevented by a paperclip.
It's not offtopic, dumbass. It's orthogonal.
Announcer: Kyle MacDonald - come on down! You've been selected to be the latest contestant on...
Audience: Gimmicky Human Interest Story! [Wild Applause]
Announcer: That's right! You've managed to amuse us with your heartwarming tale of despiration. You managed to stumble into a kindly corporate sponsor for your story of using ebay, and gotten that radio station to softball you into a whole lot of pain advertisement! And now, latching onto the story, everyone and their brother are selling the hype to eachother that a paper clip can buy a house!
Audience: Paper clip! Paper clip! [Wild Applause]
Announcer: It's a great day for you, and a wonderful day to sell shiney new hopes in pretty packaging! That's right folks - the system works - you too can become mega-rich if you're just clever enough to get a radio station to give you prizes!
Audience: Rich! Rich! Rich! [Wild Applause]
Now he can try to trade his house for the world!
-- Cheers!
Who gets to be in the movie? How can a town have a "creditied, speaking" role in a movie?!?!? More importantly, who is actually giving the house away, and why would they want to trade it on behalf of a small Canadian town?!?!? The hilarity of the interweb these days ?!?!?!? (a few more ?!?!?!?'s for effect)
you've heard all the stories about guys in the military during WWII trading whiskey for bullets or other such things, well, my buddy and i came upon a huge spool of single mode fiber optic cable - Like, dining room table sized. Anyhow, our plan was to trade up the spool of fiber to an F-15 that we could share since we were in the Air Force.
we got as far as finding a guy that would take the spool from us after we used all the fiber... oh well.
Best laid plans and all....
guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat.
Congratulations Kyle MacDonald, whereever you are
This story, more than anything else I've seen, shows the amazing powers of the internet. Simply by connecting so many people in almost-real-time, stuff like this has become a possibility. Admittedly, I'm sure many of the trades only came about via the publicity and novelty of the idea, but before we had the world literally at our fingertips, such ideas wouldn't have been even remotely possible.
I applaud this guy simply for trying something new and having it work out for him nicely.
-William Brendel
'caus it's a story on the intraweb!!!11oneoneone
H.
When VCR's are outlawed, only outlaws will have VCR's.
Seriously, what the fuck?
I believe a number of users have to apply the same tag for it to take effect.
I think he should keep on trading up. I'm sure someone somewhere would be willing to trade this house for something better. There seems to be no limit now...
News from the future:
"This just in. We have learned today that Mr. Kyle MacDonald has just acquired the entirety of the United States of America."
"I, for one, welcome our barter-trading overlord."
Because it's an opportunity for people to write Funny +5 comments.
Apparently, on Slashdot, that is reason enough...
Houses in Saskatchewan are only worth one paperclip? I'm going down to Office Depot to get a case of red paperclips and then I'm buying the whole province.
Because it's quirky, and appeals to geek culture.
Sorry for spamming up your Slashdot, I know all of these stories can be hard to follow all the time.
"Quoting yourself is stupid." -Me
I've watched both the videos on the site a number of times and I still have to say Canadian accents are impossible to understand. I can only barely pick out the names, the rest might as well be in french for all I could make of it.
Because it's stupid and merely a hyped advertisement for Cintas.
The Carl Barks story "Maharajah Donald" contains a similar premise, when Donald's nephews barter their way from a used pencil to a steamer ticket to India. (summary)
pfft, that is nothing, it would take a real stroke of genious to somehow trade a house for a paperclip! Then i would be impressed.
It's the stuff of legends !
What legend, you ask?
I seem to remember the legend of one old macdonald having a farm(house)
So yeah, one might have been able to trade up a single red paperclip into a house without publicity, but it would have taken longer and been a much more impressive feat.
Just to make sure everyone knows, this man's (still impressive) accomplishment was fueled not by being able to make smart trades, but by the publicity of the stunt. Clearly, the people trading with him were giving him items of far greater value than what he was providing. The balance of the transaction can be measured in publicity.
Web 2.0 == Giant Blogspam Circle Jerk
...the only one who has never heard of any of this before now?
$x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
$x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
Sorry can't help you. Tagging apparently still isn't available for me yet.
Mod Parent Flamebait please!!!!! j/k
He traded the KISS Snowglobe for a role in a movie. He then traded the role in the movie for the farmhouse. Nowhere in the article, in his bio, or anywhere else you could have yanked it did it say he was a filmmaker.
-----
jonathan barket
I'm still getting a hang on this irony thing. Alanis Morissette didn't help matters. Now if he got a papercut from the paperwork for the house, would that then be ironic?
Considering you can get a 48 acre farm complete with structures and a home for $140,000 out there, I guess a ratty old farm house isn't too much to part with. Although, I doubt they will sign over the land underneath it, and will essentially let him live there rent free, at least until the novelty wears out.
-R
Saskatchewan is one of those places where you can watch your dog run away for a couple of weeks. This is not so with cats or hamsters (too disorganized and buffalo food respectively). Fish still refuse to live in the province.
It clearly encapsulates how utterly powerful the internet as a medium for interaction on a world-wide scale has become over the last few decades. From such humble DARPA beginnings to an entity capable of brokering amazingly complicated details (hundreds of thousands of times a day, for that matter), the internet is THE technological advancement of our lifetime.
How isn't that news for nerds / stuff that matters?
In such an eloquent post, I managed to prove that I am an idiot.
"details" = "deals"
most of the trades occurred because of the publicity and novelty of the thing.
I'd be much more impressed by the second person to do this, or the fourth.
Zonk: Just because everyone else dugg it, that doesn't mean you have to.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
I think the first post on "ironic" had it right.
The paper clip bartering should have led to his happily every after, but in actuality the paperclip (or lack thereof) was his undoing.
irony3 a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result
Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.
Edward Everett (1794 - 1865)
I suppose this just reinforces that one man's trash is another man's treasure. You just have to be in the right place (website) at the right time with the right trash.
If you like what I've said here, and want to read more, go to http://www.krillrblog.com
I don't think you can do that.
:)
One red paperclip costs about 10 cents and a house cost much more... maybe 1000$
It doesn't make sense!
BUT, if you start a Blog, write some insightful post, get some traffic and ads, you might be able to buy a house without giving up your red paperclip.
I hope this post will be moded insightful
Omgili - Find out what people are saying.
I have just poured hot grits down my pants. Thank you.
Oh, a "red" paperclip, is it?
Do I detect a not-so-subtle anticapitalist polemic at work here??
best response i could have come up with, wtf?
"Alcohol, cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems" -Homer Simpson
:(){
[Two guys on the porch of a rickety farmhouse]
Knock Knock Knock. "I don't think he's answering." KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Creak, crack, stomp stomp stomp, squeeeeeeeeek, "Oh, hello guys! What can I do for you?"
Well, Old MacDonald, it's about your farm. We're from the Canadian Revenue Agency and we have a few questions to ask you regarding the taxes you did or did not pay on the transactions you made from paperclip to farm house. Would you please put these handcuffs on so we can converse in a calm environment?"
E Proelio Veritas.
eof
There's no reason to suppose any great overlap between the group of people who know the answer to your question and the group of people with mod points. The moderators are likely to mod you offtopic (since you are), whether they know the answer to your question or not.
Well, I dunno, but something says to me that he didn't got his home just yet: http://oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com/2006/07/intere sting.html
... if he indeed has successfully traded his paperclip for a house, somebody forgot to inform the guy himself.
Or
Cheers,
Tristan
Am I the only one happy that this whole thing will finally come to an end so I can stop hearing about the stupid trades that are only happening so people can get publicity?
First off, I don't know how the tax laws are in Canada, but since he was originally unemployed and making no money, I hope he doesn't have to pay income taxes on that house! He would if he was in the States (someone correct me if I am wrong)..... If he does owe taxes, he is on the hook for big $$$! Might want to trade down!
You're messin' with my Zen Thing, man.....
Here's the official guidelines for story requirements handed out to all /. staff.
I hope they can all remember it. ;P
GLaDOS for President 2016! "Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure." -- GLaDOS, 2011
1. Trade red paperclip until you get house.
2. ???
3. Profit!!
Creative misinterpretation is your friend.
Personally, I like Kipling.
And this is appropriate material for a /. story... How exactly?
Step 1: Trade up from paperclip to house
Step 2: Move out of parents' basement
He is moving from Montreal, an urban metropolis with lots of things to do (movies, restaurants, concerts, etc.) to "middle of nowhere" Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan, where God lost his shoe.
nice house.... but did the paperclip run Linux?
Not much of a deal, getting a house in Kipling. I've been there as many of my mom's aunts live in or around Kipling. Just a small, quiet farming town in the praries. At least it's better than Eatonia, SK where my grandparents live, where you can buy one of the lots from the town for $1 plus however much taxes are owing.
Well, I guess that's what you get for only wanting to spend a paperclip!
Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
It's weird... all of a sudden all of those crazy trading circles in the Zelda games are now legitimized to me. Now, if I can just find a Yoshi Doll, I too might be able to finally get that spiffy boomerang one day!
I don't understand how a role in a movie came into play here. That's usually something you get PAID to do; it's not an asset you buy. Extras typically get $150 per day for movie work. So essentially this farmhouse owner traded his farmhouse for a JOB that pays HIM $150. Wow, what a DUMB trade.
And here's a complete map of Kipling.
Duct tape is like the Force. It has a light side, a dark side, and it holds the universe together.
Well, if you'd bothered to RTFA, you'd discover that a guy who makes movies also is an enthusiastic snowglobe collector. So, the Red Paperclip Guy (whom I shall call Milton, for obvious reasons) traded the snowglobe for a part in a move the guy was making.
Basically, a lot of people helped him on his quest.
Microsoft is to software what Budweiser is to beer.
I've read your post 5 times and all I have to say is that American accents are impossible to understand. I could barely make the score; the rest could have just as well been in Bushian.
Kyle MacDonald: "One Red Paperclip" - NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
See! the hit comic action adventure drama, starring Will Smith as Kyle MacDonald, Uma Thurman as his long suffering girlfriend, and Lindsay Lohan as the paperclip.
Hear! Will Smith's amusing remarks as he trades pieces of junk for larger, more profitable junk!
Cry! when Will Smith unwittingly trades a van for a piece of paper, almos losing long-time girlfriend Uma Thurman.
Laugh! when it turns out the piece of paper was a recording contract!
Based on a true life story! (Some liberties taken; various items replaced by famous celebrities and the internet replaced by word-of-mouth of the quirky inhabitants of Will Smith's home town in Northern California).
Sample the from riveting novelization:
"CHAPTER 1. It started with this paperclip. Then he trades it in for a pen. Then, like, he trades it in again, but for a doorknob... Then he goes and trades it for a coleman stove. Then he trades the stove for James Woods. 'Hey, buddy.' Says James Woods, 'I'm James Woods.' 'Beleeve dat,' says Will Smith - his catchphrase for the film."
Red Paperclip --> Fish Pen
Fish Pen --> Doorknob
Doorknob --> Coleman Stove
Coleman Stove --> Generator
Generator --> "Instant Party" (Beer Keg, Neon Sign, I.O.U. for Keg's worth of Beer)
"Instant Party" --> Skidoo
Skidoo --> Trip to Yahk
Trip to Yahk --> Cube Van (Box Truck)
Cube Van --> Recording Contract
Recording Contract --> Year in Phoenix (Airfare to Phoenix and use of house rent free for one year)
Year in Phoenix --> Afternoon with Alice Cooper
Afternoon with Alice Cooper --> KISS Snowglobe
KISS Snowglobe --> Movie Role
Movie Role --> House
I've been inspired! I'm starting with a paper model of a Piper Cub and trading up to the real thing!
There's an easy way to remember irony: It's ironic that the most famous song on irony, from Alanis Morissette, contains absolutely no irony(in the song itself)
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
Let that be a lesson to you trading n00bs!
~REZ~ #43301. Who'd fake being me anyway?
This one's a real nail biter. Newsworthy in every way...
It's gay and appeals to sewing circles. This story is shit.
I'd say the town of Kipling is the biggest winner in all of this.... For a the price of a house they probably took over from unpaid taxes they have gained international attention. I'm amazed a thousand other towns didn't jump on this first.
This guy got burnt on the deal, big time! Should've traded the snowglobe for a yellow paperclip.
If this guy was flying from Montreal to Vancouver to Seattle and so forth, staying in hotels, paying for internet access, and eating food, for a whole year, how much money did he start out with?! I mean, is it not reasonable to assume that if he actually worked he could have easily bought a house on the Canadian countryside withing a year?
Sendou Wave Kick!!
Besides, I am pretty sure you can't mod a thread you post in on Slashdot. If that is incorrect, I KNOW I will be corrected with the quickness!
...a real-life Katamari.
Thats an idea that a TV show in my country (Argentina) has been implementing for about 2 years now. The show is CQC (Caiga quien caiga). The idea is to help someone who really need anything (maybe a rural hospital or school) and provide them by asking people to trade things until they get what they want. Eventually they ask some famous people to make some efforts trading in their expense, so they can climb up the ladder to the real prize.
Its like some movies... (Nueve Reinas -> Criminals), we make the good thing, you just steal it and make it worse.
Mr. Leinad
Hey, are you a prophet? I got my first -1 Troll on that comment.
This is getting off-topic, but since you brought this up, I have to ask the question. Does anyone know for sure what Alanis had in mind when she wrote that song (I have to assume this has come up in interviews or something at some point)? Because I have always seen two possibilities. One is that she genuinely thought everything in the song was an example of irony, which makes her come across as kind of stupid. However, if she specifically wrote a song called Ironic and intentionally used a bunch of examples that weren't actually irony, that would make her a genius, I think. Does anyone know for sure?
Do I detect a not-so-subtle anticapitalist polemic at work here??
There is no cabal.
She has said that when she wrote the song she didn't know what irony was.
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
... you don't measure your purchase by dollars/square meter, you should do it by dollars/oportunities.
The quality of life in a big town comes from the posibilities of having an interesting life.
I may be pretty peaceful and green in Saskachewathever, but you don't have great movies, food, orchestras and sport minutes from where you live.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Users are asses.
You can mod your friends, you can mod your nose, but you can't mod your friend's nose.
The Straw Millionaire ?
Redundant?...Mind if I ask how? Last I checked posting was offering an opinion about the article, and in being first...HOW IS IT REDUNDANT?!
" i r 1337. j00 a l0z3r "
That talk kinda makes you cry, doesn't it?
That's right..cry those nerdly tears
But I'm in love with simple ideas that with the use of Internet and geeks all around the world could take of and become reality. Yeah, sort of like the million dollar homepage and now One red paper clip. So what's coming next guys? I know I have one simple idea with one hell out of wild goal and soon I'll tell you all about it, until then, watch the countdown over at http://www.andrehedetoft.com/ André Hedetoft Becoming the obvious geek movie director Blogging geek porn over at http://www.andrehedetoft.com/geekporn