Some entries were obviously unrealistic (e.g. I can be bought... but not for a mere 1/2 million).
Some entries were.. um.. different. I'm not sure I mean that in a good way.
Many entries were, perhaps, original for everyday people, but not for the sort of warped person who frequents the Archive.
Using these broad and arbitrary judgements, I got it down to 10 entries, more or less.
Then it started getting tough. I eliminated those entries which matched what I'd do (if I'd do it, it's not original!) That got it down to three entries. All three entries are, perhaps, questionable in their feasibility. But while I had doubts about whether they could be accomplished, I didn't feel comfortable saying that they obviously could not be.
As an aside, I actually stopped to figure out whether it was feasible to roll around in $500,000 USD. Figuring that six bills was roughly the size of an 8.5x11 inch piece of paper, I figured that $3,000 worth of $1 bills would take up the space of a ream of paper. That meant (roughly) 160 reams of paper (volume) would be needed. Since a ream is 8.5" x 11" x 2" more or less, a closely-stacked pile of $500,000 USD could be about 6' long, by 4' wide, by 10" deep. I'd expect "fluffing" of the bills to expand the volume by about a factor of 3-4, giving plenty of volume to roll about it.
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The second runner up is OlafR.
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I would quit my job and learn how to build vikingboats. Then I would build a vikingship. Gather some friends and give them enough money to take a year off from their work. And then we would go on a viking journey visiting markets and viking groups and live the life of a viking for a whole year. What a dream </i></font>
I wouldn't have thought of doing this, but it struck a chord with me. It also appears to be at least somewhat feasible, depending on how much he and his friends make.
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The first runner up is ScottC
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How much of a movie could you make with $500,000? I mean, if you didn't have to pay star prices for lead actors? Maybe do a real "Knights Tale", but titled "Life and Times of William Marshall". Have his squire plyed by Super Squire (forgot who wrote that. Sorry) Have Clay write the script, with his flair for the dramatic. (No skinny folks at the bottom of the hill though.) Have our authenticity guys edit the script for accuracy. Get the AA guys to make authentic pieces (No nike swooshes, no Gothic plate on Vikings). Get SCA and Adrian people as extras. I suspect most of us would jump at a chance to do something like that, even without pay, leaving more money for the set and costumes. Really go all out to make an Authentic, Period- costume piece of film, even if it is only 30 minutes long and set for the Discovery, or History Channel. Then when people ask, "what was life like?" we could direct them to the nearest video center and say, "Here, watch this."
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I'm not certain this is feasible either. Blair Witch Project was made for a lot less, but it didn't have the props, scenary, and costume needs that this would. On the other hand, Scott is probably right that people would jump at the chance to make such a movie. Extra points for the oblique reference to skinny guys being smart enough to not be trapped in the bottom of a gravity well.
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And the winner is....
drumroll please
Bartok for his desire to build a Hobbit Hole.
It's too long to paste here. Look for it here instead, at the very bottom of the page: http://www.armourarchive.org/ubb/Forum1/HTML/005451-2.html
Descriptive. Original (others built houses, castles, or villages, but only Bartok built a HobbitHole). Feasible (well, probably).
I think it would be best to build the home (at least major parts of it) and then put the hill on top, but you could probably do it the "right" way too.
Like Olaf's entry, it struck a chord with me. I wouldn't have thought to do it, but I'd've kicked myself when I saw Bartok's round door put in place.
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Congratulations to all the entrants, and especially to Bartok!
Bartok -- send me an e-mail with your name, address, and whatnot, and I'll get the book on its way. Are there any special incantations to ensure that it gets through CA customs safely?
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-- jt --
Editor and part-time cook: The Armour Archive
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