The Game Commences
 Eugene and his magic change jar. |
I brought my shiny new dime home and set it on my desk. How to double a single dime? You can’t really buy much of anything for a dime anymore. Double Your Way to a Million suggests a solution for dealing with really tiny amounts of seed money like this: Go up to someone and say, “Hey, I’m trying an experiment. If I give you a dime, will you give me two dimes?” If they ask why, just insist that it’s an experiment, and you’re not allowed to say why.
Now this may seem a bit lame, but I couldn’t think of any other way to double a single dime. So, when my roommate Eugene got home, I asked him, feeling extremely silly. He gave me an odd look, but of course he pulled out his change jar and gave me a dime. “Great,” I said, “Now, if I give you these two dimes, will you give me four dimes?”
 Four dimes, and my dog Daisy. She’s such a princess. |
Eugene’s look became more suspicious, but he gave me two more dimes from the jar. “Ok, so now…” I began.
“I’m putting my change jar away, now.” Eugene said.
So I’ve learned that Eugene’s patience runs out after about 30¢. More importantly, I’ve completed the first two steps of the game! Only 22 more doubles to go…
Post Scriptum: While I was trying to take a closeup photograph my new four-dime stake, my dog kept nudging my hand and messing up the shot. She seemed content when I leaned back, however, so I shot the photo with her in it. I guess she just wanted to be in the picture. We all know who’s the real boss around here, now don’t we?