Take that, FDR — Astute readers of Backslash will recall our coverage of Toby, the poor rabbit who was destined to a fate on the dinner table if his owner didn’t collect enough cash via his Web site, savetoby.com. Some people actually fell for it, and others were just appalled. One blogger decided to steal the basic concept and start his own site in retaliation — which is how ihatedimes.com was born.
From the site’s creator:
"Several months ago I saw Save Toby. It enraged me that someone could use the Internet to hold a bunny hostage and actually get money for it. I promised myself that day that the VERY NEXT STUPID IDEA I came up with, I would make a Web site out of it and throw in some cheesy gimmick to make money."
And that he did. At ihatedimes.com, visitors are encouraged to send the webmaster envelopes full of dimes, to assist him in eradicating the maddening coin from circulation. The site also provides an interactive demonstration of how dimes do, in fact, eat babies (you just have to see it for yourself).
But not all were laughing. In soliciting dimes, the webmaster actually posted his home address on the original version; after the site was picked up by word of mouth, his landlady began receiving calls, and subsequently evicted her tenant for posting his address on the Internet.
Which brings us back to Golden Rule No. 1 of the Internet, boys and girls: never post your address or phone number on the Web. Ever. Duh!
Know of an interesting, bizarre or educational Web site you’d like to see featured here? Send it to [email protected]
