For the last few years, a group of crazy awesome people have been playing several day marathons of Penn & Teller’s Desert Bus to benefit Child’s Play. They’ve essentially created the internet telethon. People can follow along via blog posts, tweets, and a live video feed as they play the most boring and pointless video game ever created. They keep playing (and being, as they say, “your monkey” for large donations with special requests) as long as the money comes in, up to the preset limit of 103 hours. I like that it’s a reversal of the traditional TV telethon: instead of viewers being tortured until they give in and donate, here, viewers get to torture the telethon players and decide the length of their torment.
What is your favorite charity event? Do you have an idea for an unusual benefit? Have you ever played Desert Bus?
The Afternoon Inquisition (or AI) is a question posed to you, the Skepchick community. Look for it to appear daily at 3pm ET.
for Tim3P0: Crazy Mel says, “I have your son!” Hope you’re happy :p
Hey, thanks for the mention! I hope this gives us the Skepchick bump.
I have had the opportunity to play Desert Bus several times over the past few years, since on occasion the official driver will need a bathroom break, and the desert bus stops for no one. I can confirm that it is, in fact, at least as soul-crushing as advertised, if not more so.
I participate in Donors Choose Challenge each year–it’s a program that lets people fund interesting projects in the public schools. There are still some buggy projects that need funding…..
http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?id=23782&category=132
Ironic that this topic was posted today. I had my head shaved for children’s pediatric cancer research this morning.
Ironic that this was posted today on my end, as well. I was introduced to “No Shave November” last year as a Facebook thing to raise testicular cancer awareness. However, I’ve been sick this past week, and so I shaved everything off, simply because it makes me feel better to have a shaved face (well, a goatee).
I don’t really do charity events or benefits at all (mostly because I embarrass too easily), I just give people money. But a couple of my friends grow mustaches for kids for DonorsChoose.org, so I give them money because, you know, children are the future of tomorrow and all that.