MetaFilter posts tagged with Auction

Name That Newly Found Species, for Charity

filthy light thief — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:28:05 -0800

In 2005, the first comprehensive characterisation of decapod fauna of the continental margin of southwestern Australia was performed. 524 provisional species were identified, including 175 species (33%) that were new to science, each needing to be named. Earlier this year the naming rights for one particular unnamed spotted shrimp went up for auction to support the Australian Marine Conservation Society. Bob Rosenberry, journalist and publisher of Shrimp News International was an enthusiastic bidder, with plans to name the species Lebbeus shrimpnewsii, until he learned he couldn't name it after a commercial entity. The winner was a surprise to all involved: Lucien James "Luc" Longley, retired NBA player. (via) Longley, the first Australian to play in the NBA, was not new to conservation efforts, and had gotten involved with ocean conservation in an earlier effort to preserve Ningaloo Reef. The full report on the 2005 comprehensive characterisation of decapod fauna is available with other Museum Victoria Science Reports (Science Report No. 11 - HTML abstract, 108 pg, 7541 kb PDF) As noted in the Wired (via) article, Lebbeus clarehanna wasn't the first species named as a charity fund-raiser. In 2007, an auction of rights to name 10 newly discovered species of fish efforts raised more than $2 million for conservation in eastern Indonesia, and in 2005 an internet casino paid $650,000 for the right to name the foot-high primate (common name: GoldenPalace.com Monkey; scientific name: Callicebus aureipalatii - Latin for "golden palace"). Last year, you could have won the rights to name a new species of bats. And if you're wondering about the rules for naming newly found fauna, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature has the International Code Of Zoological Nomenclature hosted online. Botanicals have their own rules.

So what?

carsonb — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:28:39 -0800

STEP 1 Buy 100 pieces of crap from thrift stores and garage sales.
STEP 2 Get 100 authors to write a fiction about pieces of crap.
STEP 3 ???
STEP 4 Profit!
Significant Objects hosts the stories for all 100 pieces of crap/art, but the last six are still available for bidding: Blue Vase by Lauren Mechling, Umbrella Trinket by Bruce Holland Rogers, Lighter Shaped Like a Small Pool Ball by Rob Agredo, Bar Mitzvah Bookends by Stacey Levine, Geisha Bobblehead by Edward "ed" Champion, and Missouri Shotglass by Jonathan Lethem.

This art is no good, attack the radical!

dubold — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:45:42 -0800

Tom Sanford, a NY based artist, has created paintings depicting pop-culture icons before, but none have created a "regular trickle of hate mail/criticism" like this one. The 2005 painting - a depiction of the 2004 shooting of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by ex-Marine Nathan Gale (previously) - is being auctioned in November. Some fans of Dimebag are a little worked up (see comments). Other interviews with Tom Sanford. Other art (quicktime movie) inspired by Dimebag Darrell (previously)

Do I Hear Five?

mattdidthat — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:45:52 -0800

Got a link got a link got a link here link link link do I hear a click do I hear a click got a link got a link got a link here you want to learn want to learn want to learn learn learn from John Korrey John Korrey one of the greatest one of the greatest it's an art it's an art it's not just talking fast not just talking fast thank you sir show him the door! It involves a balance of rhythm, pace, and style--you need to keep track of the count, engage the audience, and fetch the highest price for the product. Here's a close look at the art of auctioneering.

Peter Carl Fabergé

Joe Beese — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:00:51 -0800

Between 1885 and 1917, Peter Carl Fabergé and his assistants created 105 jeweled eggs, only 69 of which survive. They are regarded as masterpieces of the jeweler's art. The Rothschild egg is the most expensive timepiece ever sold at auction.

When it rains it pours...

starfyr — Thu, 14 May 2009 12:01:16 -0800

This is Bridget . Three things happened to Bridget in February : 1. She got an agent for her young adult novel. 2. She got married. 3. She found out she has Stage Four colon cancer. Local librarian and writing community help organize an auction to defray some of Bridget's costs. Donations include autographed books and illustrations. Check out the interviews with some of the contributors.

The holy grail of Sci-Fi weapons

P.o.B. — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:52:17 -0800

Perhaps the test didn't work out and you need to retire the replicant. Or you could always terminate them. I would suggest sending in a Hunter Killer. Screamers also work well, not as good as facehuggers though. Need help from a Starfighter, or perhaps the Bene Gesserit or maybe even a Spartan? Tons of good stuff here folks, like the definitive proof of who shot first that you can shove in Lucas' face! The Sci-Fi stuff starts around 670ish, but don't miss out on some of the good stuff before that!

For Sale: King of Pop

Ugh — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 22:20:56 -0800

In April, an extraordinary auction will provide an unprecedented look into the private world of Michael Jackson. More than 2,000 items, ranging from personal effects and costumes to pieces from Jackson's private art collection as well as fittings and furnishings from his Neverland ranch, will be up for sale. The auction is so extensive, a six-volume book was printed just to detail every lot. If you're so inclined, you can register to bid (pdf).

Howzat!?! Is this cricket?

Grrlscout — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:31:53 -0800

The player auctions and trades for the Indian Premier League are underway, with some players signing contracts for record sums. This is the first year that ECB-registered players can play in the IPL, and the ECB and county cricket clubs are watching the auctions closely. Tensions between players on the England team and county clubs with IPL players have been noted. With the growth of Twenty20 and concerns about its impact on playing style, the injection of so much money and spectacle, it might be fair to ask is this cricket?

I'll take Lots 1 through 800 pz

troy — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:24:49 -0800

Battlestar Galactica Auction Catalog Available for Download.

WWIII is upon us!

yiftach — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:04:59 -0800

The warm and fuzzy one, not the end of civilization as we know it. For the third year in a row, a whole gaggle of artists have donated original art for a silent auction to benefit domestic violence shelters and a crisis line in Portland, OR and Fleminton, NJ. One (prolific and admittedly talented) guy's obsession turned to good. The art varies widely in style and inspiration, but is almost universally interesting to see, if only to marvel (yes, you geeks, I know WW is a DC property) at how different people visualize the same character.

Ebay Art

chakalakasp — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:15:52 -0800

"What would you say if I told you that I filled my entire living room with completely original works of art for less than $300?" Andrea Dickson from Wise Bread has found an unlikely -- though, the more you think about it, almost obvious -- place to find original art from new artists: Ebay. If you can filter through the crapload of "artistic nudes", there are plenty of gems, and usually at buyers' market prices. And, as Andrea's mother mused, when it comes to decorating the house, it beats buying mass-produced art from Costco, which is about as original as a Big Mac.

The Dollar Auction and Swoopo

Zarkonnen — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:10:53 -0800

An online auction site called Swoopo, once called TeleBid, has hit upon an ingenious way to make money. They are an auction site not entirely unlike Ebay - but using a different auction scheme. Where EBay uses a slightly modified Vickrey auction system, Swoopo uses an auction system based on the "Dollar Auction" game - with interesting results. Their system is an open auction with a very tight time limit, where each bid made increases the price by seven pence, costs the bidder fifty pence to make and increases the time limit by a couple of seconds. This might seem benign at first, until you do the maths: For example, a camera worth £679.99 was recently sold for £189.49 to someone who had made 81 bids. This particular bidder paid a mere £229.99 for the camera. But to drive up the camera's price to £189.49, some 2706 bids had to be made, at a total cost of £1353. Hence, Swoopo ended up receiving £1542.49 for a camera valued at less than half that. It's a good deal for the winner - but an even better one for the company. An even stranger kind of auction takes place on the site - a "100% off" auction, where the final price does not have to be paid. Whoever makes the final bid before the timer runs out gets the object of the auction for no additional cost beyond the bidding fees. The object of the auction is five hundred pounds. So the deal is this: keep on giving money to Swoopo in 50p increments, hoping to be the one to get the money at the end. Whenever that is. At the time of writing, there was a £500 auction that has climbed to £738.08. If it ended at that point, one of the parties would walk away with £500 in exchange for however much it cost them to bid. And the company would end up with £5272 in fees in exchange for that £500. Is this auctioning or entertainment? A clever application of game theory? Gambling? A scam? It's probably not illegal, as far as anyone can tell. The decision on its morality is left up to the reader... Previously on Everything2 and TechCrunch, including a comment from (apparently) the CEO of Swoopo.

your own little piece of rock history... and a grape.

flapjax at midnite — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:24:22 -0800

Surely one of the most memorable musician photos ever is this one: Johnny Cash, making his feelings known with customary aplomb. But did you ever notice he was wearing a jumpsuit in that photo, and not his more standard black shirt/trousers ensemble? Well, that very jumpsuit just went for a handsome $120,000 at auction. Someone else just paid $300,000 for one of Elvis' peacock-emblazoned jumpsuits. And remember that little necklace John Lennon wore on the cover of Two Virgins? Yep, the only thing he wore. Fetched a cool $528,000. Meanwhile, in Japan, a bunch of grapes just went for $910. What a bargain! I recommend perusing the just-auctioned rock memorabilia here, there's tons of stuff, it's like a museum.

Christie's breaks out in a cold sweat.

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:46:33 -0800

Coming in at just under $860,000, the take for the recently auctioned estate of James Brown fell well short of the two million that Christie's had hoped for. You'll want to browse the collection for yourself, of course. If I had the extra scratch, I'd have sure bought this.

Re-Pet, LLC

psmealey — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:18:06 -0800

BestFriendsAgain.com The Best Friends Again program, sponsored by BioArts International, is a limited commercial dog cloning program. BioArts is the only entity in the world with both the know-how and the legal right to practice commercial dog and cat cloning. We are auctioning off 5 dog cloning service slots to the general public. We may or may not perform any additional commercial dog cloning services after this auction.

She don't... What now?

ThePinkSuperhero — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:57:49 -0800

You talked to her father, prepared a YouTube worthy proposal, gathered all your courage.... and she said no. How will your life go on? And what are you going to do with the ring? Enter I Do... Now I Don't, an auction site that caters to broken-hearted lovers such as you. Started by a fellow who has been there. Buy if you dare. Via

"World's Greatest Music Collection" being auctioned

anathema — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:30:12 -0800

Do you love music? Do you have at least 3 million dollars? If you answered "yes" to these questions then you may be interested in bidding on "The World's Greatest Music Collection." (single link to ebay auction)

feedback.

gman — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 04:38:50 -0800

Invest wisely. End poverty.

You = 13 cents

parmanparman — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:58:40 -0800

The Facebook Apps Top 30. Opening their source code to application developers, facebook won a strategic gamble. Now, these developers are making their own deals. The I am Hungry application went for just over $20,000, or around 13 cents for data of every user who signed up. But don't worry, you have a chance to bid for yourself.

eBay Arctic Ale Ouchy

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 08:12:40 -0800

Man buys Allsop, relists it as Allsopp - proving that on eBay, presentation is everything. via b3ta

there's gold in them there barns!

jessamyn — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 03:56:46 -0800

The A.K. Miller Auction "This is one of those stories that begins at the end. This was the end of A.K. Miller’s Stutz collection." Miller was a reclusive eccentric living on a ramshackle farm in Vermont. When he and his wife died, his estate was prepared for a tax sale. Sheriffs found a treasure trove of old cars, some wrapped in burlap to avoid prying eyes, stashed in a collection of dilapidated outbuildings. The auction (pdf) was eventually handled by Christie's and netted over two million dollars. [via]

The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe

RMD — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 14:40:55 -0800

The Most Curatorial Biennial of the Universe has nearly 450 local, national and international artists and curators (pdf) participating. Individuals place bids on the works of art in increments of $10. Online art auction to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation of NYC.

Game theory, for money

imperium — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 03:53:02 -0800

Humraz is an auction site with a twist. Pay to bid, then once enough fees have been received, the lowest unmatched bid wins. Shall we play for £500? Or a house?

"I originally set out to try and save the world, but now I’m not sure I like it enough."

dead_ — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:32:26 -0800

Pinning down the elusive Banksy. "The art world is the biggest joke going," he has said. "It’s a rest home for the overprivileged, the pretentious, and the weak." Yet the stencilist/graffiti writer's pieces regularly sell for hundreds of thousands of pounds at places like Sotheby's--not bad for a man who still remains cloaked in complete anonymity. The New Yorker gets a rare e-mail interview. [Previously: 1, 2, 3]