Sure, that Braille Rubik's Cube was fun when you first got it, but now you're blind to its thrills. Your Tamagotchi's pleas go unanswered and your Troll dolls are in hiding. Life seems all-too normal again.
You know what you need, my friend?
Listen! Here it comes!
The FadMobile!
Eagerly you go outside and wave at the FadMobile. FadMan pulls over and you step inside. Five minutes later you leave with a stamp collection. Or maybe a Sudoku puzzle book. Perhaps even a unicycle. And now you can happily become addicted to a new hobby! And when it becomes frustrating or boring, as is the fate of all fads, don't worry, the FadMobile is never far away!
How it works: The FadMobile is like a games library, and a toy library, but focusing on fads: the games, toys and hobbies that you'll be addicted to at first, but then cast aside like a warped hula hoop.
The fads inside are rated by AQ - addictiveness quotient (1 = yawn, 5 = insanely addictive). Their frustratability index and longevity are also listed, in case you want a particularly challenging hobby or a long-lasting one. (These ratings are averages based on feedback from borrowers.)
You can rent a fad for up to $5 per fortnight. (The rental fee is tied to the AQ score: $1 per AQ point.) You can also loan your old fads to the library. Each time your item gets hired, you earn borrowing points (your item's AQ score + 1) - you can use your points to borrow other items for free.
The FadMobile Library has an associated website, where you can suggest new items, or book a fad - this will be delivered to you on the FadMobile's next journey. (And if you're hiring a particularly adult hobby, you have to book it on the website, as these aren't displayed in the FadMobile, you know, to prevent little kiddlies' minds getting warped and suchlike.)
The FadMobile would also contain a selection of items first suggested in the halfbakery. Get your David Hasselhoff - The Board Game here!
All told, the FadMobile will provide days, weeks and even (if you're lucky) months of fun and obsession. Good luck with your unicycle riding!-- imaginality, Apr 17 2006 Fads http://www.crazyfads.comExamples of fads [imaginality, Apr 17 2006] They have sporadic versions of these coming to a neighborhood near you. See: Garage Sale.-- Letsbuildafort, Apr 17 2006 True, and garage sales can definitely be fun, but fad-wise, they involve wading through piles of old clothes, communist-era electrical appliances, and assorted junk, in the hope of getting lucky and finding a new hobby that's cool, cheap and complete. And then when you get bored of it, you have to have a garage sale yourself. *All* the items in the FadMobile are cool, cheap and complete, and when you get bored of it, you just return it!-- imaginality, Apr 17 2006 Ah - I gotcha. Kind of like a "Game Exchange" for Rubiks cubes and Skip-its.-- Letsbuildafort, Apr 18 2006 I need this.-- jutta, Apr 18 2006 Wanna borrow my unicycle?-- half, Apr 18 2006 Sure! I think every single one of these libraries should have a unicycle. It could be incorporated into its logo.
Your unicycle earns you 5 AQ points. Wanna borrow some poi and a set of rhythm sticks?-- imaginality, Apr 19 2006 ah, so not a competitor. Good-- theircompetitor, Apr 19 2006 random, halfbakery