Peter Thiel Helps Fund an App That Tells You What to Do (bbc.com) 152
"How would you feel about being able to pay to control multiple aspects of another person's life?" asks the BBC.
"A new app is offering you the chance to do just that." When writer Brandon Wong recently couldn't decide what takeaway to order one evening, he asked his followers on social media app NewNew to choose for him. Those that wanted to get involved in the 24-year-old's dinner dilemma paid $5 (£3.50) to vote in a poll, and the majority verdict was that he should go for Korean food, so that was what he bought...
NewNew is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Courtne Smith. The app, which is still in its "beta" or pre-full release stage, describes itself as "a human stock market where you buy shares in the lives of real people, in order to control their decisions and watch the outcome". For many of us that sounds a bit ominous, but the reality is actually far less alarming. It is aimed at what it calls "creators" — writers, painters, musicians, fashion designers, bloggers etc. It is designed as a way for them to connect far more closely with their fans or followers than on other social media services and, importantly, monetise that connection...
Whenever a vote is cast the creator gets the money minus NewNew's undisclosed commission... In addition to voting, followers can also pay extra — from $20 — to ask a NewNew creator to do something of their choosing, such as naming a character in a book after them. But the creator can reject all of these "bids", and if they do so then the follower doesn't have to part with the money...
Co-founder and chief executive Ms Smith, a 33-year-old Canadian, has big plans for NewNew, and has some heavyweight backers. Investors include Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, and the first outside person to put money into Facebook. Others with a stake in the business include leading US tech investment fund Andreessen Horowitz, and Hollywood actor Will Smith (no relation to Courtne). Snapchat has also given technical support.
"A new app is offering you the chance to do just that." When writer Brandon Wong recently couldn't decide what takeaway to order one evening, he asked his followers on social media app NewNew to choose for him. Those that wanted to get involved in the 24-year-old's dinner dilemma paid $5 (£3.50) to vote in a poll, and the majority verdict was that he should go for Korean food, so that was what he bought...
NewNew is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Courtne Smith. The app, which is still in its "beta" or pre-full release stage, describes itself as "a human stock market where you buy shares in the lives of real people, in order to control their decisions and watch the outcome". For many of us that sounds a bit ominous, but the reality is actually far less alarming. It is aimed at what it calls "creators" — writers, painters, musicians, fashion designers, bloggers etc. It is designed as a way for them to connect far more closely with their fans or followers than on other social media services and, importantly, monetise that connection...
Whenever a vote is cast the creator gets the money minus NewNew's undisclosed commission... In addition to voting, followers can also pay extra — from $20 — to ask a NewNew creator to do something of their choosing, such as naming a character in a book after them. But the creator can reject all of these "bids", and if they do so then the follower doesn't have to part with the money...
Co-founder and chief executive Ms Smith, a 33-year-old Canadian, has big plans for NewNew, and has some heavyweight backers. Investors include Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, and the first outside person to put money into Facebook. Others with a stake in the business include leading US tech investment fund Andreessen Horowitz, and Hollywood actor Will Smith (no relation to Courtne). Snapchat has also given technical support.
Monetizing insecurity (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Monetizing insecurity (Score:5, Insightful)
The cash cows for this app will be neurotic, indecisive, weak, dithery, insecure people who'll pay other people to validate their choices.
The real cash cow will be the captured data. Just imagine what this list of names will be worth. These are neurotic people with money to squander and no rational filter on their judgment. They are a marketer's wet dream.
Re: Monetizing insecurity (Score:2)
Re: Monetizing insecurity (Score:4, Funny)
I recall the "Pet Rock" of the 1970's because I had one. It was just a rock in a box, with instructions. The guy who was selling them became a multi-millionaire, and this was *before* the web/internet as we know it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
There's a lesson about humans in all this, but I'm not sure what it is.. maybe I need someone to tell me.
Re: Monetizing insecurity (Score:5, Funny)
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Well played, sir, and Funny mod well earned. (But I wonder about the "mat" reference.)
What I was looking for in the FP branch, and predictably not finding, was the hypocrisy of the so-called Libertarians. If Thiel goes into politics I hope he uses an honest campaign slogan like "Liberty for me! You stupid peasants just shut up do as you're told!"
From that "honest" perspective, this software is quite clever. Of course he doesn't have time to boss everyone else around, but it's what he really wants. The EVIL
Thiel is behind Palantir (Score:5, Insightful)
Anyone who installs software backed by Thiel must be insane.
Re:Thiel is behind Palantir (Score:5, Interesting)
I've always wondered about the naming on Palantir. It's the name of the seeing stones from the Lord of the Rings that were used once upon a time for communication and observation of distant things. Sauron has one and Saruman has one, and Sauron completely corrupted the whole network of them and uses them to spy on people and uses it to corrupt Saruman. When people talk about the Eye of Sauron, in a lot of ways they're talking about Sauron's use of the Palantir. So, basically, they named their company after a device of corruption and spying in the hands of great evil. I would guess it's probably apt, but it's kind of creepy that they're so up front about it.
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Hear, hear.
Re:Monetizing insecurity (Score:5, Informative)
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For instance, I could buy GME then direct a few tens of thousands of strangers to buy GME also. As long as the profit from the profit from the GME price increase was more than the cost of handing down the order it would be a good business move.
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I can see "Interesting" as a justified mod, but "Informative" or even "Insightful"?
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You just don't realize how many stupid people aren't really any smarter then a 5th grader. It's not hard to manipulate people, just most of us have a conscience. The whole "call in 15 minutes" is a good one. You instill a sense of urgency and FOMO.
Re:Monetizing insecurity (Score:5, Interesting)
The cash cows for this app will be neurotic, indecisive, weak, dithery, insecure people who'll pay other people to validate their choices.
Mass narcissism is so rampant in society that Attention Whore is now a valid career. I feel those that use and abuse this app, want the attention.
This is just another tool, for tools.
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Makes sense. When your choices are less important that getting attention, you have a severe problem though. And the ones paying to vote are probably living some (at this time still soft-core) BDSM-style control-porn fantasy.
I am waiting with anticipation for the case where somebody puts up a vote on whether they should kill themselves.
Re:Monetizing insecurity (Score:4, Insightful)
the ones paying to vote are probably living some (at this time still soft-core) BDSM-style control-porn fantasy.
You say that as if the first (and possibly only) adopters of this won't be independent sex performers who are looking for a way to stop giving cam sites a chunk of their profits.
As long as they don't get greedy and try to take a higher percentage than the cam sites, it'll work until the accusations of human trafficking start and the credit card companies block transactions.
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I am waiting with anticipation for the case where somebody puts up a vote on whether they should kill themselves.
Or pretends to do so, as a honeypot designed to nail online bullies.
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Can a person be punished for inciting or assisting suicide? This depends on the jurisdiction:
https://www.law.georgetown.edu... [georgetown.edu]
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Mass narcissism is so rampant in society that Attention Whore is now a valid career.
I prefer Attention Courtesan, it pays better.
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Mass narcissism is so rampant in society that Attention Whore is now a valid career.
When automation takes away all meaningful jobs, what is left other than professional computer gaming, professional attention whoring, and professional trolling?
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We fall back to artisan work. I've gradually started taking up building furniture. It started out with just a basic stand that my wife could set on a table and then paint rocks on top of. The stand made it so she could stand straight up while painting. Her friend saw it and thought it was a great idea so I made another.
I built a small multi-tiered shelf that sits next to my computer and holds various tech toys, ie spare router, raspberry pies, keyboard, mouse, spare flat screen on top.
The latest think I bui
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More insightful and funny mod points needed. You really have it all in this one.
I especially admire your punchline, though perhaps without the comma. I think it would be tricky to deliver the punchline if you were using it for standup...
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Any chance that they meant programming using the facebook API? Asking out of a desire to preserve hope in humanity.
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There is a clip from an interview that went viral a few years ago. Some comedian I forget was on NBC or the like and made a comment to the interviewers that the people behind him were noisy. The camera panned around and there were several rows of desks where maybe 30 people were working. The host said something like "They are Facebooking and Tweeting, that is our social media team".
Right now a large portion of the content of television news consists of pointi
Avoiding Respsonsibilty (Score:2)
I think there are people who want to avoid responsibility for their own decisions.
This is why people go to "Spiritualists" to talk to folks Beyond the Dead for advice. Then they can say, "I had no choice, the Spirits decided for me."
Or in group therapy sessions, where a participant asks the others, "What should I do?!?!?"
Now they can say, "But the app and users told me it was the right thing to do!"
Insecurity, hell yeah. But I'm guessing that fear of making the wrong decision is also an important fact
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In most cases, the only really wrong decision is to not make a decision yourself. The only way to improve decision making is by doing it.
Then there are those that want to control others.
This thing is monetizing quote a pathology on both sides. On could call the business model deeply evil.
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Re: Monetizing insecurity (Score:5, Insightful)
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Yes, financially incentivizing people to do what people that are not personally invested in their wellbeing tell them to do outside of some regulated framework like a tv show is going to result in a lot of very unhealthy things.
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Yes, financially incentivizing people to do what people that are not personally invested in their wellbeing tell them to do outside of some regulated framework like a tv show is going to result in a lot of very unhealthy things.
e.g. onlyfans?
(Just one of a billion examples, including person-to-person cash transactions. For that matter, your sentence is a decent definition of "job", though there are some regulations around formal employment in most places.)
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They already do; this will just make it easier.
Re:Monetizing insecurity (Score:4, Interesting)
There is a reason why a lot of Big Wigs wear the same clothing every day. Jobs Turtle necks, Zuckerberg hoodie, Every Modern Presidents Suite and Tie... It isn't always about making a statement, or even branding, but reducing the number of choices they need to make for that day. We are all normal humans, a decision actually takes a lot of energy and time, if you are tasked with making big decisions, you are often given a servant, to help make many of your daily choices for you, so one can focus more on big decisions, then getting distracted with what should I eat for dinner, when you are asked what to do about the middle east.
I have found as I slowly work my up the career ladder, and given more responsibility and having to make bigger and more impactful decisions, things like what should I have for lunch, or what should I wear today gets really bothersome. This isn't really from a case of entitlement, but a case of lack of my resources (which is just as limited as everyone else's, but given decisions that have more impact), so I would need more help. I am still really far away from needing a servant, or even this app which I need to pay for, however I found that I am less adventurous in foods that I get for the week, and follow a much stricter schedule so I don't need to think about as much things during the day.
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No it does not. Certainly not the kinds you've described. I was responsible for ensuring the advice system at a bank. Critical system with lots of money hanging. Dressing - grab a shirt, pants, socks and get dressed. Eat lunch? Are you kidding? Order what I liked and yes, it varied.
Both of those activities *combined* amounted to no more than ten minutes (including the getting dressed and telling the server the order).
Re: Monetizing insecurity (Score:2)
Umm... you and the OP are both saying the same thing.
Treat trivial decisions as trivial and use some hack to make them - whether you wear same kind of dress every day or one out of a few that u probably just cycle through with no preference; whether you eat same thing for lunch every monday or cycle through the 4 options you have setup;
In all these cases you have reduced the umpteen options to a few or one and you decide amongst them without much thinking.
Compared to someone more normal who chooses from a h
That's most of humanity (Score:2)
Especially in the "modern" cultures whose collective moral panic so degenerately fetishises weakness. (They will be those offended by this comment.)
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Nice FP.
What could possibly go wrong? (Score:5, Interesting)
This sounds like the setup for an episode of Black Mirror. Or Outer Limits. Or Twilight Zone.
OMG I feel so confused and insecure! Can you please choose for me which example I should use?
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Since this is technology-related, I'm voting for "Black Mirror".
Re: What could possibly go wrong? (Score:2)
Do I have to pay or do I just get to boss you around for free? Also, have you seen Avenue 5?
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OMG I feel so confused and insecure! Can you please choose for me which example I should use?
Only if you pay me for it. Hourly rate is $250, you have to take at least one hour and you have to pay in advance.
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It's more like OnlyFans. The only people getting paid will be the ones who are already famous or who let people control aspects of their sexuality. What panties should I wear today, what will $famous_on_instagram eat for lunch, that kind of thing.
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I thought this was definitely going to flop until you came up with the panties example.
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Sure it could be and probably will be used that way, but my first thought was a prolific artist that could use this to gauge serious interest in future projects. Should I continue writing XYZ series, or pursue the new ideas I outlined in my last blog.... If you leave it up to a random internet pole they will probably tell you to write about Booky McBookface.
Now you can turn peoples lifes into a chain story (Score:2)
Is it too early to apply the term "murder simulator"?
Re:Now you can turn peoples lifes into a chain sto (Score:4, Interesting)
In Gamer (2009), it's real murder. Think Death Race (2008), (or Death Race 2000, 1975) plus pay to play.
We've already seen this in the USA. A teenager saw her friend being grievously assaulted and asked Twitter what to do. She was sent to prison.
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Onlyfans with voting, sort of. (Score:5, Interesting)
Also, Peter Thiel is involved. PayPal is by far the least evil company he's ever set up.
Anyway, what do I know. All of the above is probably why this will be a huge success. Who is dumb enough? Everybody, that's who.
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Already exists in various forms. But "cam girls" (and guys) put limits on what you can ask them for and everybody knows this is just an act.
This thing here is about real choices and hence far more sinister IMO.
When Do You Sell the Shares? (Score:2)
The app, which is still in its "beta" or pre-full release stage, describes itself as "a human stock market where you buy shares in the lives of real people, in order to control their decisions and watch the outcome".
But from the third paragraph, the "creator" gets the money or doesn't, and then New2 takes a cut of that. I guess this is marketing meant to work on people who believe that kickstarter/indiegogo/gofundme donations are "investments."
Soooo... (Score:5, Funny)
"How would you feel about being able to pay to control multiple aspects of another person's life?"
We already have that, its called employment.
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But to be employed you must have a useful skill you can apply to create value. Clearly not the idea here.
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We already have that, its called employment.
No, it's called marriage. Except you pay your wife to make decisions for you.
Tax the rich, now! Beats eating them. (Score:5, Insightful)
There's the movie "Nerve [imdb.com]", for anyone wondering how something like this can go wrong. People forget that this isn't going to be a bunch of helpful people making some innocent decisions. This is going to be a tool of harassment and control, used by people who will delight in orchestrating events to harm people. People with enough money to make you an offer you can't refuse, just like that rich asshole funding the tools of oppression. You're going to let people on the internet decide what you do. WTF do you expect, Boaty McBoatface?
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Reminds me of a scene from "Personal Services" (Score:2)
https://youtu.be/nZLcw1Nbd3I [youtu.be]
Stupidity just got an upgrade (Score:5, Interesting)
On the surface of it, this is just stupid. Why would anybody sane pay just to be allowed to vote what somebody else orders for dinner?
On a deeper level, this is somewhat sinister: There are always plenty of defectives that deeply desire to tell others what do think and do and how to live. On the other hand, this may give them an outlet for that desire. So in a way this can be regarded as a really bizarre form of interactive porn.
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Why would anybody sane pay just to be allowed to vote what somebody else orders for dinner?
On a deeper level, this is somewhat sinister: There are always plenty of defectives that deeply desire to tell others what do think and do and how to live. On the other hand, this may give them an outlet for that desire.
I'd gladly pay for an account for my wife so she can boss someone else around for a change.
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I'd gladly pay for an account for my wife so she can boss someone else around for a change.
Hmm. Maybe this is a good business model after all.
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... just how many neurotic bedwetters there are in society who were only too keen to wear facemasks and not go out in case they catch a 99.5% non fatal virus (99.999% non fatal to healthy people under 30)?
The level of selfishness inherent in this comment is very sad.
Re: Haven't you noticed... (Score:2)
Have you ever driven/willingly travelled in a car going faster than 20mph/32kph? Congratulations asshole, you have just as little regard for human life as what you're criticizing that guy for.
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Have you ever driven/willingly travelled in a car going faster than 20mph/32kph? Congratulations asshole, you have just as little regard for human life as what you're criticizing that guy for.
Nonsense. First COVID is objectively much more dangerous than automobile travel. If there were a 0.5% chance of dying (and a much larger chance of being significantly injured) from getting in a car, or walking near a road, you wouldn't do it. Second, there's actual value in most automobile trips, whether it's getting to work, or buying food or whatever. There is no benefit to refusing to wear a mask during a deadly pandemic, other than avoidance of a very small amount of discomfort.
Re: Haven't you noticed... (Score:2)
Really? You've only driven once then? Or do you drive year after year? If you've driven more than 17 years, you've participated in an activity that has caused as much death as Covid. What's more, for the vast majority of people, the only use a vehicle travelling more than 20mph has is convenience. You can afford to take longer to make a trip.
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Pretty much. But some people are too weak or to egoistical to tolerate that small amount of discomfort, even when it is about saving lives. Hence they invent the most outrageous lies and fantasies.
WTF? (Score:3)
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For the love of Big Brother (Score:2)
This has the advantage of being much more portable.
I'd like to tell certain people what to do (Score:4, Insightful)
Bezillionaires - pay your taxes, and pay your factory works and give them rest breaks.
huh ? (Score:2)
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Have you seen SuperChats?
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Lawsuit incoming? (Score:2)
Perhaps some people here remember The Subservient Chicken - an early viral marketing gimmick which included a website where you could send in "commands" and a guy in a chicken suit would perform them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Of course the actions were all pre-recorded so the commands did nothing in reality, but it gave the impression that it did, which is all that mattered...
=Smidge=
Sure! (Score:2)
I've ALWAYS wanted to join The Borg, and now I can take that first crucial step!
Nothing new (Score:2)
Streamers already take donations to do specific things in game during live streams. This concept isn't particularly new . . . it just takes it outside of specific sets of actions (e.g. what do I do next in this game?) and applies it to potentially anything.
Book plug (Score:2)
The stupidity continues (Score:2)
Can't Wait Until They Accidentally Break the Law (Score:2)
Ah!!! (Score:2)
Panic!
Oh, wait ... so, this is a fancy tech way to pay "creatives" to, er, do stuff? Kinda like ... people already do?
Interesting spin (Score:4, Informative)
OK there's a few things to unpack in the OP. /. readers tend to read the summary ONLY and then lose-their-collective-shit over that without RTFA but in this case I don't think they managed even that.
Granted, I understand
So now we don't even faintly bother to read the summaries?
1) many posts here are spinning about the "control someone's life" thing. It's NOTHING LIKE THAT. It's a stupid little app that you set up an account for, that ASKS other users to vote on your choices. There's no *control*, it's 'crowdsourcing' your trivial daily decisions. VOLUNTARILY.
That said, it's curious the summary chose to use the word 'control' and present it in the way it did. Although I guess it isn't anymore; social media wins when they can throw emotionalist chum in the water whether it's legitimate or fake, I guess.
2) curious that Peter Thiel's name weighs so heavily in the summary. "Peter Thiel Helps Fund an App That Tells You What to Do" is crazy misleading clickbait. Some of his money is going to it to because he's a VC. He has money and invests in things. As the summary states clearly "NewNew is the brainchild of Los Angeles-based entrepreneur Courtne Smith." - this isn't Peter Thiel doing this. It's some of his money supporting something that he thinks will make him some money back. That's it.
Are we still supposed to have our "2 minute hate" for Peter Thiel over Gizmodo? Is that why he's misleadingly connected to a misrepresented product?
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Maybe it’s because he’s an asshole and people don’t want to support things assholes are involved with.
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There's no *control*
So they lie in their own description?
The app [...] describes itself as "a human stock market where you buy shares in the lives of real people, in order to control their decisions and watch the outcome"
And it doesn't do this either?
In addition to voting, followers can also pay extra [...] to ask a NewNew creator to do something of their choosing
And if you think Peter Thiel can fund something and people will ignore his involvement, you're high as a kite.
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As far as Peter Thiel being evil, my answer is yes, absolutely that should be discussed. There's far more than the Gizmodo story.
There's the fact that he's weighed heavily on Facebook's structure and management decisions (growth above all, truth and real world consequences be damned).
There's the shameless market manipulation against Bitcoin to promote his own crypto startups.
There's the supporting and funding of Trump and his minions general coziness with right wing conspiracy hacks.
There's dark money fundi
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Granted, I understand /. readers tend to read the summary ONLY and then lose-their-collective-shit over that without RTFA but in this case I don't think they managed even that.
I only read the headline,
Peter Thiel Helps Fund an App That Tells You What to Do
and can tell you that I already had that years ago. My wife was named Sue. :-)
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With investment comes influence and control over the thing invested in. How much is open to question and debate... But you're delusional if you think Big Money just hands out checks and hopes for the best.
App version of your mother (Score:2)
Is this new at all? (Score:2)
It seems just like Patreon with more frequent polling... I'm not sure what benefit it adds to add more constraints around the patronage of an artist.
"he asked his followers ... to choose for him" (Score:2)
Oh no! (Score:2)
It is aimed at what it calls "creators" — writers, painters, musicians, fashion designers, bloggers etc.
Oh no! This might get people in those groups to ... do something weird!! Unprecedented!
Indecisiveness (Score:2)
When she says "Where do you want to go to dinner?" don't reply "Wherever you'd like is fine with me!" (in some desperate bid to curry favor by appearing to always "love what she loves.").
Reply by saying "I'd like to go to Gino's, or Wong's would also be good."
Ditto movies, "which dress do you like more?" or anything else.
Indecisiveness is not an attractive quality in men. Always h
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And never, never, never, answer her question of "do you think my breasts are too small/large/saggy" with anything other than "They're perfect!". I told the truth once or twice. Did not end well.
Only (Score:2)
DON'T hook it up to reddit or 4chan.
The Dark Side (Score:2)
This will do wonders for those contemplating suicide.
Wait (Score:2)
Those that wanted to get involved in the 24-year-old's dinner dilemma paid $5 (£3.50) to vote in a poll
Wait... I'm supposed to pay for the privilege of telling someone else what I think they should have for dinner?
Seriously? This such a stupid idea that'll it'll probably be a multi-million dollar company within a year.
Trolls will cream their jeans over this (Score:2)
Wife 2.0 (Score:2)
No thanks!
Lulz will be had when (Score:2)
/b puts this to work on the deserving (everyone who cedes personal choice).