Have some fun. Some low tech fun at that. While thinking about the interweb tubes, facebook, twitter, texting and all the other neato stuff out there, I stared at my rotary dial phone(yes it’s true, and there‘s a reason) and thought about a new way to connect ala old school.
I’d like to share my idea and I would hope that readers would help spread the word and add your own twist to it.
Starting today, I’m going to start writing memes on my paper money. At first I thought about how cool it would be if each blogger wrote down their blog address on the front and see how many new readers we could gather out of the sheer randomness of how far and wide our money travels. But, with my luck there’s probably some stupid law against using cash itself as an advertising medium so I’m going a little safer.
Right now I’ve got $83 in my pocket and I’m going to write something familiar to us all on each of the four $20 bills and the three $1 bills.
$20 #1...PSH’er
$20 #2...Sad Panda
$20 #3...Reasoned Discourse
$20 #4...EBR
$1 #1...Unpossible
$1 #2...Kiss my GritsJr
$1 #3...DOOT
My hope is that if enough people start doing this, we could have a sort of contest to see who comes across them and how often. I encourage everyone to customize the concept to their liking yet keep it simple enough that most of us, when we see it, will recognize it immediately. Also, a certain percentage of people will be curious enough to google the term and find us.
I always smile when I see another car on the road with an NRA decal on the back window. I think I just might laugh out loud when I see a message from my Brothers in Arms on a greenback…and then I’ll sign it “kaveman found this” and head down to the coffee shop to spend it.
I’ll be looking at my change from Starbucks very closely from now on.
4 comments:
You're right, there is a stupid law.
18 U.S.C. §331:
Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled or lightened - shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
One of the local GOOOH members bought a stamp and started stamping bills with "GOOOH.com". I don't know who it was but I got them back in change all over the state.
For the longest time back a few years ago, I had a rubber stamp with the operative portion of the Second Amendment on it. Every bill I got hold of got stamped front and back and spent. Never saw one come back, but living in the Chicago suburbs, maybe that's not unexpected. At least a few thousand bills got stamped in red and black. Black works best - better contrast.
There used to be a movement to stamp bills with an AIDS message - the Concealed Carry people around Chicago were using "GUN OWNER" stamps - never saw one of those in my change, either.
You have basically described the http://www.wheresgeorge.com/ project.
I have seen bills stamped with the website as well as an image of the eye. I haven't see the feds shut down where's george yet.
Also, as jinksto pointed out, there is a law, but read the law. It clearly says coins made by the mint. That does not say federal reserve notes made by the federal reserve.
BIG DIFFERENCE! Though I would caution I am not a lawyer, and this does not constitute legal advice. Additionally, considering laws are only mere suggestions for which the government can manipulate and charge common man, proceed with caution.
I've been writing "Liberty or Death" on dollar bills for a year.
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