Containment Random Thoughts & Questions

Tragi-Chan said:
Apparently he was actually quite proud of Chris for having created a successful webcomic. He wasn't exactly web-savvy, so basically his only source for the "success" of Sonichu was Chris himself.
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Being a retired engineer (what kind of engineer?) Bob probably knew more about the Internet than most other people over 80
 
asperhes said:
Today I found out that Molvania was not the brainchild of a few trolls, but a pre-existing parody. This makes it even more absurd that Bob and Chris believed in this ruse. They couldn't find this information on the internet? Unbelievable.
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In fairness, it sounds like a reasonably plausible name for a country (compare Moldova). Chris is too lazy to look something like that up, and Bob probably didn't think to Google it (plenty of people who are a lot younger than Bob aren't familiar with the wonders of Google). Plus Chris had that email explaining that the parody was invented to cover up the existence of the real country. Tie all this in with Chris' refusal to believe anything that gives him prickly-wicklies, and there you have it.

Incidentally, if you can get hold of the book, it's pretty funny in its own right.
 
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normankrasner said:
Being a retired engineer (what kind of engineer?) Bob probably knew more about the Internet than most other people over 80
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I doubt the internet of 2009 (or whenever this all started) is the same internet Bob was used to though. He may have known more than most 80 year olds but the worlds of webcomics and trolling? I doubt he knew beyond what Chris told him.
 
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DrChristianTroy said:
He may have known more than most 80 year olds but the worlds of webcomics and trolling? I doubt he knew beyond what Chris told him.
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Do we have any specifics of what Bob used the computer for durring the brief time before it was lost to the horde?
 
In general, older people (60+ especially) experience the internet very differently. They use it to correspond with people you already know. They use it to read stuff from publications they are already aware of and have read in print form. They use it to access web sites recommended by friends and family. For them the internet is a quick and convenient way of accessing the things they already know about, rather than discovering new things.

I think that is a lot of the reason Bob believed Chris had fans.

The absurdity of the Chris' trolling must be hard to wrap your mind around if you are elderly. A random selection of people scattered around the world are dedicated to mocking some insignificant unemployed chump in rural Virginia? How? Why? That is why he assumed it must have its roots in the local game store Chris feuded with.

Chris was also into some stuff he probably thought was weird and juvenile. Chris loves watching cartoons and playing card games and video games that had the same cartoon characters in them. That sounds like the stuff 10 year olds do, no? But then he takes him to some TCG event and see that although there are some kids there, there are also other people in their late teens/early 20's.

Lastly, it is understandable if Bob viewed Chris through rosier glasses than average. He is his son. You can go over the top (like Barb tends to do), but I think we can excuse a father thinking his son is a little smarter and likeable than most people do.

So now we have a guy who puts together a) weird stuff happens on the internet and b) there is a moderately sized community of young adults who are into stuff that seems to be kids stuff. We take Sonichu, which Bob probably sees as a little juvenile, but likes it more than average because he is his father. Is it really that surprising that he is willing to believe there is a community of people who like it?
 
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timtommy said:
The absurdity of the Chris' trolling must be hard to wrap your mind around if you are elderly. A random selection of people scattered around the world are dedicated to mocking some insignificant unemployed chump in rural Virginia? How? Why?
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Yeah, exactly. Chris attracts stalkers and paparazzi, wouldn't that be pretty convincing evidence that he really was "famous" if you didn't look into it too hard? Bob and Barb probably never heard of that sort of thing happening to a non-celebrity.
 
Bob was skeptical of Molvania. They were then convinced by trolls that it was part of Georgia; as this was during the time of the South Ossetian war, this was more believable. Chris was told that the Wikipedia article was lies and slander by the Georgian government.
 
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Ravenor said:
In the smug thread some one said he has hit the eBay sales wall for the month which is $6k if that's any help.
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That's just listings, not actual sales. He's putting up 100 medallions at $30 a pop in one go, so that's why he's hitting the limits.
 
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Marvin said:
That's just listings, not actual sales. He's putting up 100 medallions at $30 a pop in one go, so that's why he's hitting the limits.
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Thanks for that I thought it was sales not listings alone.
 
How much was Bob's record collection worth? I assume it didn't survive the fire since Chris isn't hawking any of it on ebay
 
Maybe he got a job as an insurance salesman.
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(This just showed up in my email inbox by coincidence, I figured might as well post it.):lol:
 
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Holdek said:
No, this guy:

John-Bradley-as-Samwell-Tarly.jpg
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Samwell is supposed to be pretty intelligent and not as much of a useless coward as he thinks he is. So basically Chris is the opposite, in that his self-estimation is considerably higher than it should be. And I don't know how far along the TV series is compared to the books, but
when it came to losing his virginity, Sam didn't have to pay for it.
 
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Sweet and Savoury said:
Anyone keeping a running total of Fattys eBay earnings?

I'm curious to know how much he's made so far.
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Here is my best guess

Medallions: He relisted it, and has 4 sold. I think he had sold about 45 before that, so say around 50x$30-$1500
Photos 94x$20= $1880
BxW commissions 18x$50=$900
Colour comissions 7x$100=$700
He sold at least one non-comission drawing for $200

Add this up, and we get $5180. I am not 100% confident in that number, but I am fairly confident it is somewhere between $5000 and $5500. I think eBay would have taken 9% and Paypal would have taken 3%, so he probably actually received something a little above $4500.

In terms of a per month income. He tried to get his business going on June 1st, but trolls and stupidity foiled him for a month. On July 1st he really got things going. So he is making about $1500 a month so far. I think he made about $2500 in July,$500 in August, and $1500 in September, but those are guesses at best.

Edit: This was revenue, and not profit. He sent/will send around 165 things, so he probably spent 6 or 7 hundred in shipping. And maybe a couple hundred for materials? A bunch of model magic, higher quality paper for the photos, lamination for the certificates of authenticity, various packing materials, etc. If we are looking at profit and not revenue, he is probably in the neighbourhood of $3500, maybe a little more.

In terms of hourly wage: Suppose we allow 10 minutes a photo, 30 minutes a medallion, and 1 hour for a drawing. These are complete guesses, and I am trying to include a few minutes of shipping and admin work. Including a couple hours for making the original listing, I get around 60 hours of work, for a wage of about $60 an hour (based on $3600 profits). But that is largely made up. If you think my time estimates are low, lower the hourly wage, if you think they are high, raise it.

Hope that helps!
 
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About this whole business with listing limits: It's hilarious that Chris's hoarded imaginary money is crowding out real money. 14BC never really died, it just moved online.
 
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