The Million Zimbabwe Dollar Homepage

Mike says,

I created this website as a parody of the famous Million Dollar Homepage. The Zimbabwe dollar just crashed again last week and, on the black market, you can now get Z$20,000,000 for USD$1 (the official exchange rate is USD$1 = Z$33,000).

I cut prices from 3 cents per 900 pixels to 1 cent per 900 pixels because of the recent collapse. Unfortunately I have to charge an additional Z$1million (US$0.35) per purchase to cover paypal fees.

Update: responding to some of the BB reader comments, Mike adds,

Yes, I do think the currency of Zimbabwe is a joke - but the suffering of the Zimbabwean people absolutely is not. If anything, I hope that this raises awareness and helps to show how ridiculous and irresponsible the government of Zimbabwe is acting.

[#1 posted by woolie , February 26, 2008 3:39 PM]

It's kind of a mean spirited parody.

[#2 posted by pedmands , February 26, 2008 3:46 PM]

The USD ain't exactly the Schwarzenegger of currency, either.

[#3 posted by squirrelgirl , February 26, 2008 3:50 PM]

that page doesnt work at all in firefox

[#4 posted by donnamatrix , February 26, 2008 3:59 PM]

Can I pay in Zim? I've got a 10,000 zim note sitting at home somewhere from my trip there last year. It was worth about 10 cents when I got it (in change from a drink I bought -- a bottle of coke for 190,000Z) and about 3 cents when I left a month later...

Seems sort of depressing that it's currently worth a fraction of a penny. :/

[#5 posted by themindfantastic , February 26, 2008 4:22 PM]

Works fine for me in firefox. I think this is hilarious, though I can see someone saying 'screw it' and paying for the rest of the pixels in one swoop... I mean come on, its only $33 if you wanted to buy the whole set of them.

[#6 posted by Takuan , February 26, 2008 4:52 PM]

I take the whole thing if it brings the noose around Mugabe's neck one micron closer

[#7 posted by Jackasimov , February 26, 2008 5:14 PM]

It's got to be hard to count out change for a 10 billionZ note.

[#8 posted by pedmands , February 26, 2008 5:20 PM]

@#5: "the maximum purchase is 9000 pixels"

[#9 posted by daveL , February 26, 2008 5:43 PM]

Don't laugh too hard. We could be at parity in not too long. How else do we pay off this catastrophic foreign debt?

[#10 posted by john weeks , February 26, 2008 5:58 PM]

Ah, That's nothin' !
http://j-walkblog.com/index.php?/weblog/comments/congratulating_the_readers/

[#11 posted by darue , February 26, 2008 6:08 PM]

I'm sure the people of Zimbabwe will find this webpage very amusing. how kind to provide them this entertainment.

[#12 posted by Antinous , February 26, 2008 6:18 PM]

How else do we pay off this catastrophic foreign debt?

We bomb our creditors.

[#13 posted by Takuan , February 26, 2008 6:22 PM]

and don't think China is unaware of that

[#14 posted by Antinous , February 26, 2008 6:24 PM]

They weren't too happy about our little satellite 'assist', were they?

[#15 posted by ivan256 , February 26, 2008 6:45 PM]

Very funny #12.

Examples? Oh, wait. There aren't any.

[#16 posted by dfred , February 26, 2008 8:21 PM]

That is so cool :) Funny!

http://ezvancouver.com

[#17 posted by thelimopit , February 27, 2008 1:31 AM]

I don't think this is funny at all. If the money collected was donated to a charity helping Zimbabweans then it would make sense, but the guy saying he'd use the money to buy Big Macs makes this seem incredibly tasteless.

[#18 posted by Keneke , February 27, 2008 12:20 PM]

All insensitivity talk aside, I wonder if the Z$ will return someday? I mean, if you can get cheap Z$, and it bounces back at some point, wow. But if it's gone forever like the Jefferson Davis dollar, forget it.

[#19 posted by zuzu , February 27, 2008 7:04 PM]

The USD ain't exactly the Schwarzenegger of currency, either.

Apparently expanding the supply of money and credit to spend on military contractors was an elaborate money laundering scheme -- called inflation, the stealth tax -- to transfer wealth from savers and salaried employees into the hands of the politically well-connected.

Surprise!

Except that the whole reason governments converted from gold to fiat currency was to be able to continue to wage war, despite the insolvency war expense engenders.

This is why the Roman Empire collapsed.

"Official exchange rate" is just another way of saying price controls.

Market signals work, and government planning doesn't.

[#20 posted by TedJohnson , February 27, 2008 8:13 PM]

I have a 20 cent coin from Zimbabwe from my trip there in 2000. Today I reckon it's worth about $0.000006 US, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.