I just tweaked the site into (hopefully) better shape. Had lots of comments that the site was "smearing" or generally not working. Usually these comments came from people using weird things like a Mac or Firefox or something weird like that. Real weirdos. Everything should still be easy to find - but if you can't find it, use the search box in the top left hand corner of the site. (Yeah, that blue thing up top that looks like it's part of the address bar thingy.) So, I think it looks pretty decent, except whenever I use an accent or Japanese characters it turns into things like this: ês or this: ドナルド - yeah, some pretty far out stuff. For some creepy irony-laden reason, now the site only comes out clean on a mac using Firefox. Even beyond weird, hardcore alternative browsers like Safari make it look like junk. I really have no idea what I'm doing as far as website design goes. I guess I just won't use accents anymore around here or something...if you have any suggestions on how I can improve the site, please feel free to drop me a line.
In other new website news, despite not using a single ounce of aliteration to entice viewers, it looks like www.peoplefallingdown.com is a rip-roaring success. More than 15 000 visitors in its first few days of existence. Nice. I guess it's true then: There ain't nothing funnier than people falling down.
Have fun - Kyle
Spinning my wheels
I just watched Office Space the other day. Great movie. Makes you wanna pick up a shovel or lift things. Whatever. As long as it's physical work. I've never really had a "desk job" before, and I'm sure it seems like my life involves prancing around the world doing things. (which it sometimes does, well sorta, but I'm not much of a 'prancer'.) The reality is that I spend a lot of time in front of a computer. Too much really. I just calculated how much time I've spent inside over the last couple of years, eyes glued to a computer screen. It scared me. I was thinking of calling this post "Go play outside", but then I thought it might throw down too much of a unlikley-to-ever-get-used-for-the-purpose kayak-clad yellow Nissan Xterra vibe. And I definitely don't want to do that sort of thing.
I've received lots of emails/comments lately from people asking when the next trade's gonna happen or if there's a deadline or if I'm just trying to stretch this thing out etc... I can assure you that "stretching it out" is the farthest thing from my mind. But I am taking a bit of time 'away from the desk right' now. I'm at the point where one red paperclip is more than a project - it's an absolute obsession. And by obsession I mean the not-sleeping, not-eating, not going outside kind of thing. Caffeine is a dangerous substance when combined with an internet connection and a worldwide audience of people egging you on to trade a red paperclip for a house. A very dangerous substance. When I started this last July, I had no idea it was going to take off like it has, and I was/am more than ill prepared to deal with all the stuff that it takes to keep this thing going. I get to the point where it feels like I'm living in a bubble of cyber-reality.
Yesterday I walked out into the street and thought to myself how it's odd that some people don't spend 10+ hours a day online, every day.
The internet seriously scares me. The fact that the technology exists where we can never leave our home and still lead a somewhat normal existence is mind-blowingly weird. It's kinda like in The Matrix, where people just plug their brains into a computer and exist in a form of digital reality - sometimes I actually feel like that. Well, less of those needles in the brain, and less of the slo-mo bullets and kung fu and crazy camera angles, but pretty close. I also don't really hang out with Keanu Reeves either, but then again, that could always change. The internet is amazing, and I pretty much owe the entire success of this project to the good old www, but sometimes you just gotta force yourself away from the computer and go do some other stuff.
Despite not owning a flashy-colored all terain vehicle nor a light portable watercraft, I decided it was to unplug for a bit and go outside.
The end of June is always the best time of the year in Montreal - kinda like the official start of summer. There's always huge events around town: St. Jean Baptiste day, the F1 is in town, and World Cup's going on. Jazz fest is just about to start and then there's Canada day and Fourth of July next week, and Just for Laughs after that. But best of all, it's really, really hot. It's like the perfect storm of fun, and the worst possible time to hang out at home.
So I've been hanging out with friends and taking it easy. Sometimes you just gotta spin your wheels - take a holiday in your own town, you know. We went camping at our roommate Marie-Claude's mom's house just outside of Montreal. Well, we drank around a campfire all night then passed out in the back of our car. But as long as you don't sleep in a house or a hotel, and do wake up to sun in your eyes and a dry mouth, that's camping in my books.
This is one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile:
The guy takes scrap pieces of wood and then burns designs into them with sunlight and a magnifying glass. He was just sitting on the sidewalk downtown, but he says that his designs/paintings are all over the world in art galleries and some people from China flew him in to teach the art form to them. He doesn't have a website and I forget his name (and can't really be bothered to go into the next room to dig it out), but I do have his phone number, so email me if you wanna track him down and score one of his wood/magnifying glass/burny things.
Yesterday on rue Ste Catherine (the main drag of Montreal) there were about 30 Dodge Vipers all lined up two by two at a stop light waiting for the light to go green, Grand Prix starting grid style. Some guys were doing huge burnouts. Others were just revving their engines. Everyone was loving it. There were literally hundreds of people standing on the sidewalks cheering on the scene. It was rad. People were actually punching the air in excitement. Seeing an opportunity for fun, I ran out into the middle of the street, between the two rows of cars and snapped this picture. As soon as the pic was taken the light went green and I dropped my arms in one of those classic "drag race start" gestures. The cars took of and I found myself in between two rows of approaching horsepower. It felt like a scene out of Grease or something. I'm sure everybody would've been much more stoked if I was a scantily clad "racing girl", but I did my best - at least my sleeves were cut off my shirt. Then a guy in a greeen Cavalier pulled into the Viper parade and got boo'd by about 300 people. That was the best - he got boo'd for driving a green Cavalier. Finally.
Anyhow, I can assure you that I'm not spinning my wheels or dragging things out. The offers for the movie role continue to roll in, and I haven't made up my mind who i'm going to trade with or when the trade's going to happen - let's just say it could happen at any moment, so if you're thinking of making an offer, the sooner the better. (I'm a bit behind in updating the current offers page too...) I'm just here in Montreal hanging out and getting a much needed breath of fresh air. The next month or so is going to be crazy. I can feel it. Besides, it's summer, get out there and do some stuff! You don't want to be a weirdo, do you?
Kyle
PS - I set this up too - because we all know it needed to be done: www.peoplefallingdown.com
I've received lots of emails/comments lately from people asking when the next trade's gonna happen or if there's a deadline or if I'm just trying to stretch this thing out etc... I can assure you that "stretching it out" is the farthest thing from my mind. But I am taking a bit of time 'away from the desk right' now. I'm at the point where one red paperclip is more than a project - it's an absolute obsession. And by obsession I mean the not-sleeping, not-eating, not going outside kind of thing. Caffeine is a dangerous substance when combined with an internet connection and a worldwide audience of people egging you on to trade a red paperclip for a house. A very dangerous substance. When I started this last July, I had no idea it was going to take off like it has, and I was/am more than ill prepared to deal with all the stuff that it takes to keep this thing going. I get to the point where it feels like I'm living in a bubble of cyber-reality.
Yesterday I walked out into the street and thought to myself how it's odd that some people don't spend 10+ hours a day online, every day.
The internet seriously scares me. The fact that the technology exists where we can never leave our home and still lead a somewhat normal existence is mind-blowingly weird. It's kinda like in The Matrix, where people just plug their brains into a computer and exist in a form of digital reality - sometimes I actually feel like that. Well, less of those needles in the brain, and less of the slo-mo bullets and kung fu and crazy camera angles, but pretty close. I also don't really hang out with Keanu Reeves either, but then again, that could always change. The internet is amazing, and I pretty much owe the entire success of this project to the good old www, but sometimes you just gotta force yourself away from the computer and go do some other stuff.
Despite not owning a flashy-colored all terain vehicle nor a light portable watercraft, I decided it was to unplug for a bit and go outside.
The end of June is always the best time of the year in Montreal - kinda like the official start of summer. There's always huge events around town: St. Jean Baptiste day, the F1 is in town, and World Cup's going on. Jazz fest is just about to start and then there's Canada day and Fourth of July next week, and Just for Laughs after that. But best of all, it's really, really hot. It's like the perfect storm of fun, and the worst possible time to hang out at home.
So I've been hanging out with friends and taking it easy. Sometimes you just gotta spin your wheels - take a holiday in your own town, you know. We went camping at our roommate Marie-Claude's mom's house just outside of Montreal. Well, we drank around a campfire all night then passed out in the back of our car. But as long as you don't sleep in a house or a hotel, and do wake up to sun in your eyes and a dry mouth, that's camping in my books.
This is one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile:
The guy takes scrap pieces of wood and then burns designs into them with sunlight and a magnifying glass. He was just sitting on the sidewalk downtown, but he says that his designs/paintings are all over the world in art galleries and some people from China flew him in to teach the art form to them. He doesn't have a website and I forget his name (and can't really be bothered to go into the next room to dig it out), but I do have his phone number, so email me if you wanna track him down and score one of his wood/magnifying glass/burny things.Yesterday on rue Ste Catherine (the main drag of Montreal) there were about 30 Dodge Vipers all lined up two by two at a stop light waiting for the light to go green, Grand Prix starting grid style. Some guys were doing huge burnouts. Others were just revving their engines. Everyone was loving it. There were literally hundreds of people standing on the sidewalks cheering on the scene. It was rad. People were actually punching the air in excitement. Seeing an opportunity for fun, I ran out into the middle of the street, between the two rows of cars and snapped this picture. As soon as the pic was taken the light went green and I dropped my arms in one of those classic "drag race start" gestures. The cars took of and I found myself in between two rows of approaching horsepower. It felt like a scene out of Grease or something. I'm sure everybody would've been much more stoked if I was a scantily clad "racing girl", but I did my best - at least my sleeves were cut off my shirt. Then a guy in a greeen Cavalier pulled into the Viper parade and got boo'd by about 300 people. That was the best - he got boo'd for driving a green Cavalier. Finally.
Anyhow, I can assure you that I'm not spinning my wheels or dragging things out. The offers for the movie role continue to roll in, and I haven't made up my mind who i'm going to trade with or when the trade's going to happen - let's just say it could happen at any moment, so if you're thinking of making an offer, the sooner the better. (I'm a bit behind in updating the current offers page too...) I'm just here in Montreal hanging out and getting a much needed breath of fresh air. The next month or so is going to be crazy. I can feel it. Besides, it's summer, get out there and do some stuff! You don't want to be a weirdo, do you?
Kyle
PS - I set this up too - because we all know it needed to be done: www.peoplefallingdown.com
Forty Media
I just realized that I've done dozens of email interviews and never really talked about them on the site. Most are linked from the press section of this website. They're usually fun because I have a chance to write about different things than the run-of-the-mill stuff I usually get asked. Just did another email interview today with Forty Media. You can scope it out here.
If you want to interview me about one red paperclip, or anything else for that matter, I'll be more than happy to oblige and can probably score you an interview with Corbin Bernsen or any other people related to the project. My contact info is here. I'm in Montreal at the moment, so the best way to get me is on my 514 cell phone.
And in case you were wondering, Alice Cooper still isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we still don't know who these guys are.
have fun - Kyle
If you want to interview me about one red paperclip, or anything else for that matter, I'll be more than happy to oblige and can probably score you an interview with Corbin Bernsen or any other people related to the project. My contact info is here. I'm in Montreal at the moment, so the best way to get me is on my 514 cell phone.
And in case you were wondering, Alice Cooper still isn't in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and we still don't know who these guys are.
have fun - Kyle
Whooooa Bayside!
My mom said she didn't like that last post about Screech, and I'm sure she's not alone in that department. I guess to fully get the absurdity/genius of the "dilmena" Mr. Diamond "faces", it helps to have been weaned on years of Saved by the Bell and know the truth behind things like the time Jerry the King Lawler "fought" Andy Kaufman on Letterman. Did you know Dustin Diamond was a comedian before today? Me neither. Genius publicity stunt. Unless he came up with the "save Dustin Diamond's house" angle, I'm pretty sure Howard Stern would've never had him on the show.
If it's for real, then the amount of free publicity he just scored to re-brand himself as a "comedian" far outweighs whatever (if any) equity he owns in the house, thus giving us every reason to cheer when he goes down in flames.
But who's to say what's real and what's not? I think we should ask Tony Clifton and Neil Hamburger what they think on the matter.
Getting back to the one red paperclip madness, which I can assure you is 100% real and continues to blow my mind, I have a few conversations going on with various parties concerning the offers for the movie role. I actually just got off the phone with a DJ from ABC Radio in Toowoomba Australia who wanted the contact info for person who offered me the cows. (near the bottom of the offers page) So maybe I'll go to Australia and trade the movie role with some cows. You never know. I can assure you that progress is happening on many other fronts as well and I'm trying my darndest to trade up to the house by July 12th. The house has to transpire this summer so we can throw a housewarming party that will re-define the term "housewarming party".
Sorry to be evasive and to hint and to generally talk about things in mysterious ways, but that's all I can really do right now, because behind the scenes that's all there is - a lot of talk. Everything could change on a dime, like for instance, Mr. Belding might call me up in five minutes and offer up a house. You never know, he could probably use the work, and I know for a fact that stranger things have happened before.
Kyle
If it's for real, then the amount of free publicity he just scored to re-brand himself as a "comedian" far outweighs whatever (if any) equity he owns in the house, thus giving us every reason to cheer when he goes down in flames.
But who's to say what's real and what's not? I think we should ask Tony Clifton and Neil Hamburger what they think on the matter.
Getting back to the one red paperclip madness, which I can assure you is 100% real and continues to blow my mind, I have a few conversations going on with various parties concerning the offers for the movie role. I actually just got off the phone with a DJ from ABC Radio in Toowoomba Australia who wanted the contact info for person who offered me the cows. (near the bottom of the offers page) So maybe I'll go to Australia and trade the movie role with some cows. You never know. I can assure you that progress is happening on many other fronts as well and I'm trying my darndest to trade up to the house by July 12th. The house has to transpire this summer so we can throw a housewarming party that will re-define the term "housewarming party".
Sorry to be evasive and to hint and to generally talk about things in mysterious ways, but that's all I can really do right now, because behind the scenes that's all there is - a lot of talk. Everything could change on a dime, like for instance, Mr. Belding might call me up in five minutes and offer up a house. You never know, he could probably use the work, and I know for a fact that stranger things have happened before.
Kyle
Rock Bottom
This is one of those things that we should either loathe or love - there's no middle ground on something like this:
www.getdshirts.com
Vital news clippings here and here - (read the comments on that last one. Epic.)
Half of me wants to watch Screech go down in flames, the other half wants to see a storytale miraculous "It Could Happen to You" type ending to the saga. I'm sitting on the fence right now. Big time.
But personally, I think Screech screwed up by going the negative route with his idea. He's all about "sticking it to the man" and wants to prove somebody wrong. He blames everybody else. There's no fun involved. Sorry bro, but a $15 shirt with your unshaven mug on it ain't gonna cut the mustard - what's in it for us?
And that's where I think where the fine line is drawn between a "getting a house project" like mine and Screech's. He's using his celeb status to ask people to bail him out for his own personal mistakes, while I'm trying to build something from scratch. (Or as close to scratch as possible - hence the red paperclip.)
I personally guarantee I will never ask for anything or use whatever psuedo celeb status I might/might not have to try and get something for free. I've worked my ass off to get this far and I won't let any of you down in the "trading up to a house" department.
A lot of reporters have asked me if they can do an interview about one red paperclip for their story about 'cyber begging' - you know those websites where people screw up and max out their credit cards on clothes then realize they're screwed and ask the public at large to bail them out for free? I said yes to all of the interviews on the condition that the one red paperclip project is not cyber begging - it's a trading project. Cyber begging, in my mind, is a pitiful example of trying to get something for free. It's the online equivalent of panhandling instead of busking. It's what seperates uninspired greed-driven sites like this from magical sky-is-the-limit sites like this.
Now, I don't have a guitar in my hand and my music aptitude starts and stops with the keyboard bassline to My Perogative by Bobby Brown, but I truly feel like I'm busking around here instead of begging.
I really think Screech should set up a "Buy Screech a Guitar Fund", or better still, the "Buy Screech a Keytar fund." Now's that's something I'd toss a buck into.
Rock on - Kyle
www.getdshirts.com
Vital news clippings here and here - (read the comments on that last one. Epic.)
Half of me wants to watch Screech go down in flames, the other half wants to see a storytale miraculous "It Could Happen to You" type ending to the saga. I'm sitting on the fence right now. Big time.
But personally, I think Screech screwed up by going the negative route with his idea. He's all about "sticking it to the man" and wants to prove somebody wrong. He blames everybody else. There's no fun involved. Sorry bro, but a $15 shirt with your unshaven mug on it ain't gonna cut the mustard - what's in it for us?
And that's where I think where the fine line is drawn between a "getting a house project" like mine and Screech's. He's using his celeb status to ask people to bail him out for his own personal mistakes, while I'm trying to build something from scratch. (Or as close to scratch as possible - hence the red paperclip.)
I personally guarantee I will never ask for anything or use whatever psuedo celeb status I might/might not have to try and get something for free. I've worked my ass off to get this far and I won't let any of you down in the "trading up to a house" department.
A lot of reporters have asked me if they can do an interview about one red paperclip for their story about 'cyber begging' - you know those websites where people screw up and max out their credit cards on clothes then realize they're screwed and ask the public at large to bail them out for free? I said yes to all of the interviews on the condition that the one red paperclip project is not cyber begging - it's a trading project. Cyber begging, in my mind, is a pitiful example of trying to get something for free. It's the online equivalent of panhandling instead of busking. It's what seperates uninspired greed-driven sites like this from magical sky-is-the-limit sites like this.
Now, I don't have a guitar in my hand and my music aptitude starts and stops with the keyboard bassline to My Perogative by Bobby Brown, but I truly feel like I'm busking around here instead of begging.
I really think Screech should set up a "Buy Screech a Guitar Fund", or better still, the "Buy Screech a Keytar fund." Now's that's something I'd toss a buck into.
Rock on - Kyle
Hats Off
I'd like to personally say a big, public, juicy, blogified "hats off" to Colin Pearson, who just won the Prince George Folkquest Competition. Colin landed the opening slot for Matthew Good at Prince George Folkfest as well as some studio time, which he's already used to record his latest single, Jimmy the Hat, a more-than-catchy tune with raised lighters written all over it. Download it for free here. (right click - save as)
Keep it up man! Nice to see a creative writer/performer/guy tearing it up.
Kyle
Keep it up man! Nice to see a creative writer/performer/guy tearing it up.
Kyle
Watch My Loss
I'm constantly being bombarded with requests to link to other people's websites, but because of the mass-asking, it's something I've ruled out entirely for people I don't actually meet in person. No offence, it's never anything personal - I'd love to shoot all your links up here, and spread the good cheer, but once the flood gate is opened, I think I'll spend my entire day adding links and not giving you the action you really want, namely, trading one red paperclip for a house.
That said, I've come across something amazing I simply have to tell you about.
Sean Perkey lives in Sacramento California.
Sean Perkey weighs 527 pounds.
Sean perkey is trying to lose half his body weight.
Sean Perkey is an amazing dude.
This is his website: www.watchmyloss.com
That's right, he's trying to lose half his body weight, or about 250 pounds. I'm about 5'10" and weigh 162 pounds soaking wet. I simply cannot even begin to understand what it must be like to lose 250 pounds. That's almost twice my blody weight. This isn't some tacky publicity stunt inspired by "Jarod the Subway guy" or quest for vanity - this is the real deal. If you're in a situation where you can lose half your body weight and arrive at a healthier place, it's going to take more than getting roped into a fad lo-carb diet or a switch to Diet Coke. To lose half your body weight you need to change the way you think and the way you live your life. Sean Perkey is doing exactly that. He is openly baring his soul and daily life to the entire world on his ultra well-written blog www.watchmyloss.com, in not only an attempt to lose half his body weight, but also educate people what it's like to weigh 500+ pounds. He openly talks about what caused him to get where he is now and what potential solutions will be. Above all that, he's trying to raise $50 000 for diebetes research. I think this is an amazing look into a situation most of us will never find ourselves in, but one that has major crossovers to other psychological and physical addictions that effect many people. This is an amazing story and a totally inspiring undertaking.
Now I'm a pretty positive blue-sky kinda guy who says words like "fun" or "why not?" whenever possible and I just love it when somebody openly admits to a problem they have and then goes out and fixes it. You'll see right away when you read his blog, that it's not really about his weight, but his attitude. My mom always says "Attitude is everything", and as far as Sean Perkey goes, he's proving her very right indeed. Way to go Sean! We'll be watching you.
Kyle
That said, I've come across something amazing I simply have to tell you about.
Sean Perkey lives in Sacramento California.
Sean Perkey weighs 527 pounds.
Sean perkey is trying to lose half his body weight.
Sean Perkey is an amazing dude.
This is his website: www.watchmyloss.com
That's right, he's trying to lose half his body weight, or about 250 pounds. I'm about 5'10" and weigh 162 pounds soaking wet. I simply cannot even begin to understand what it must be like to lose 250 pounds. That's almost twice my blody weight. This isn't some tacky publicity stunt inspired by "Jarod the Subway guy" or quest for vanity - this is the real deal. If you're in a situation where you can lose half your body weight and arrive at a healthier place, it's going to take more than getting roped into a fad lo-carb diet or a switch to Diet Coke. To lose half your body weight you need to change the way you think and the way you live your life. Sean Perkey is doing exactly that. He is openly baring his soul and daily life to the entire world on his ultra well-written blog www.watchmyloss.com, in not only an attempt to lose half his body weight, but also educate people what it's like to weigh 500+ pounds. He openly talks about what caused him to get where he is now and what potential solutions will be. Above all that, he's trying to raise $50 000 for diebetes research. I think this is an amazing look into a situation most of us will never find ourselves in, but one that has major crossovers to other psychological and physical addictions that effect many people. This is an amazing story and a totally inspiring undertaking.
Now I'm a pretty positive blue-sky kinda guy who says words like "fun" or "why not?" whenever possible and I just love it when somebody openly admits to a problem they have and then goes out and fixes it. You'll see right away when you read his blog, that it's not really about his weight, but his attitude. My mom always says "Attitude is everything", and as far as Sean Perkey goes, he's proving her very right indeed. Way to go Sean! We'll be watching you.
Kyle
Anywhere
I probably answer this question more than any other, so I'll just state it again for the record. My girlfriend and I will move ANYWHERE for a house. That's right, anywhere. That means anywhere you can imagine. We're not expecting the house to be in Montreal, or Canada, or anywhere in particular for that matter, and we're certainly not holding out for a place in Beverly Hills or something like that. I don't particularly expect somebody to trade a house for the role in the movie, but if you're interested in trading a house for whatever my current item is, just keep it in mind that we will re-locate anywhere for the right offer. As far as the house goes, there's pretty much only one criteria: it has to be a house. Any size/shape/dimension/style is fair game. As long as it's in decent condition, there's a place to sleep and no mortgage, we'll probably be up for the trade. The whole goal of the one red paperclip project is to see if it's possible to trade from one red paperclip to a house, and then move on in! We have no idea where we're going to live and actually can't wait to find out!
Kyle
Kyle
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