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发表于 2008-6-18 20:02
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5167388.stm
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Man turns paper clip into house
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See the trades
6 ?/ Z- V, h: ^1 _( g; }, h, T If you dream of owning your own house, then trading a red paper clip over the internet might not be the obvious way of doing it. [/SIZE] But Canadian Kyle MacDonald has achieved exactly that and will see his new home for the first time on Wednesday. [/SIZE]5 z! n5 D% B* O0 B
It took Kyle exactly a year of 14 internet trades to move from the paper clip to a house on Main Street in the tiny town of Kipling in Saskatchewan province - a place he has never been to before. [/SIZE]* a+ k9 q7 d Q
Now the 26-year-old is planning to write a book about the venture which saw him trade up through a novelty doorknob, a camping stove, a snowmobile, a recording contract, and an afternoon with rock star Alice Cooper. [/SIZE]6 k1 X/ N9 v" c# w& p% E
\"I knew it was possible,\" he said on the BBC\'s Today programme. \"You can do anything if you put your mind to it.\" [/SIZE]
2 T: Q0 f* j, I, V6 @/ c( t3 d Kyle MacDonald started with just one paper clip x' M2 O, K% l9 j" }( w) _5 s
He got the idea from a child\'s game called bigger and better, but created a website devoted to the project and promised to visit potential traders wherever they were. [/SIZE]3 R4 d% e a' p3 K
\"My girlfriend and I paid rent for an apartment in Montreal and I\'d always wanted to own my own house and this is how I decided to go about it. I think I may be the first to try it online,\" he told AFP news agency. [/SIZE]; W3 L$ ]' @( s7 n
Originally from Belcarra, British Columbia, Kyle describes himself as having planted more than 100,000 trees, delivered more than 1,000 pizzas but \"eaten only one scorpion\". [/SIZE]* f, w& b8 B" _, o& [* k
Two Vancouver women first took on the challenge, snapping up the paper clip and swapping it for a pen shaped like a fish which had been found on a camping trip. [/SIZE]
: ^) [* k3 f9 s7 @. A" g7 zTHOSE TRADES IN FULL
6 y2 x! o5 ]* ]7 B+ K One red paper clip! P* ?, z% b0 W3 V7 j" G% M
Novelty pen q# _, g4 V: L; u) ?1 Z Y2 P
Ceramic doorknob. t7 A ~( H# W P X
Camping stove% A! N: F$ q' B/ } s" |
1,000-watt generator
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A large van
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Afternoon with Alice Cooper: i% [+ q; k4 e! g
Snow globe
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[/SIZE] A sculptor in Seattle wanted the pen and gave him a humorous, hand-made ceramic doorknob in return. [/SIZE]
8 }0 _2 E4 k: i6 n/ \ The doorknob became a camping stove, which turned into a 1,000-watt generator that was swapped for a beer keg, which in turn was traded for a snow mobile. [/SIZE]9 E2 g# u9 I/ a: Z: K
The website started to attract a loyal following, with one reader delighted by the trade for a snow mobile prompted to comment: \"Woaa dude, nice trade. If I had something bigger or more pricey I would exchange.\" [/SIZE]' u# m9 p0 y: K0 l
Film role [/SIZE]& n2 `2 a: \# q& @$ i% c1 K, f
But glee turned to astonished concern when Kyle opted to trade an afternoon with rock star Alice Cooper for a snow globe. [/SIZE]
" t; \/ w, |/ ]5 J: gOne typical comment on the website said: \"Kyle, man, what were you thinking? I personally think this is the craziest thing you have done.\" [/SIZE]
, K) X {2 K. c4 M But his fans need not have worried. Hollywood director Corbin Bernsen collects snow globes and wanted it so much that he offered a paid, credited, speaking role in his next film Donna on Demand. [/SIZE]. q! K( E# Q9 o3 j7 `3 s. r
Hey, what a neat planet. We\'re thinking of staying to see what happens next, ?/ A5 o$ q5 w, U9 s
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Heather and Dan5 i2 t4 m' [1 G/ W
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Finally, the town of Kipling - population 1,140 - decided they would like a resident to get the part, so offered to trade a 1920s house for the movie role. [/SIZE]& u, m; \6 B# E7 I! m
Kyle told the BBC that the town would be holding auditions in the first week of September, which would coincide with a house party to celebrate the success of the mission. [/SIZE]. d! T7 F2 O8 X# M3 S/ N
But he is still surprised by the level of interest the idea has sparked, saying on his website: \"A lot of people have been asking how I\'ve stirred up so much publicity around the project, and my simple answer is: \'I have no idea.\'\" [/SIZE]+ \. X U/ M! Q& I. a
The project has demonstrated the power of the internet and won an army of fans, including Heather and Dan who left a comment on Kyle\'s website saying: \"Hey, what a neat planet. We\'re thinking of staying to see what happens next.\" [/SIZE] |
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