Found Wealth: The Urban Slippage Experiment

Another day another cache

2009-05-13T10:44:00.002-04:00

I found David Hasselhoff today! Unfortunately, a bunch of suits came by before I could return him to his place. I'll be dropping him back off either at lunch or after work.

Why the silence

2009-05-13T10:42:00.001-04:00

Due to the marital discord caused by my constant scanning whenever my partner and I went on a walk, I was forced to end this experiment.

What can I say? I love J. and I care for his piece of mind more than all the wealth lining the streets of Portland.

December 23rd Found Wealth Log

2008-12-23T12:34:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.01
Location: Zone 5

December 22nd Found Wealth Log

2008-12-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.01
Location: Zone 5

December 20th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-22T16:01:00.001-05:00

Found: $0.01
Location: Zone 1

December 19th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-22T16:00:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.02
Location: Zone 5

December 18th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-22T15:57:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.10
Location: Zone 5

December 17th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-22T15:53:00.001-05:00

Found: $0.01
Location: Zone 1

December 15th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-22T15:51:00.001-05:00

Found: $0.11
Location: Zone 5

December 14th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-14T10:44:00.003-05:00

Found: $0.15
Location: Zone 1

Found: $0.47
Location: Zone 5

Found: $0.04
Location: Zone 7

December 13th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-14T10:39:00.002-05:00

Found: $0.45 - Redeemables
Location: Zone 1

Found: $0.02
Location: Zone 5

December 12th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-12T14:04:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.11
Location: Zone 5

December 11th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-11T17:44:00.002-05:00

Found: $.017
Location: Zone 5

December 10th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-10T07:45:00.002-05:00

Found: $0.25
Location: Zone 1

Found: $0.19
Location: Zone 5

December 9th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-09T17:55:00.001-05:00

Found: $0.02
Location: Zone 5

Found: $0.25
Location: Zone 7

December 8th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-09T17:54:00.004-05:00

Found: $0.25
Location: Zone 4

Found: $0.01
Location: Zone 5

December 7th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-09T17:54:00.001-05:00

Found: $0.05
Location: Zone 5

December 6th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-09T17:53:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.10 - Redeemables
Location: Zone 1

December 5th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-05T09:05:00.001-05:00

Found: $20.03
Location: Zone 5

Found: $0.10 - Redeemables
Location: Zone 5

December 4th Found Wealth Log

2008-12-04T23:04:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.01
Location: Zone 1

Found: $0.01
Location: Zone 5

December 3rd Found Wealth Log

2008-12-03T23:49:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.32
Location: Zone 5

December 2nd Found Wealth Log

2008-12-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

Found: $0.02
Location: Zone 1

Found: $0.25
Location: Zone 8

Found: $0.70 - Redeemables
Location: Zone 8

Found: 22' of 1/2" Three Strand Twisted White Nylon Rope
Retail Value: $10.12
Captured Value: [Unrealized as of yet]
Location: Zone 8

Zone Map - How I will record the locations

2008-12-02T10:48:00.002-05:00

How this experiment will work

2008-12-01T12:04:00.005-05:00

Problem: In terms of American dollars, how much Urban Slippage do I walk by on an average day and how much of that value can be reclaimed?

Hypothesis: Based upon past experiences, I believe I walk past at least $100.00 in goods, $30.00 in cash, and $40.00 in unreturned bottles and cans through out the day. The value of cash and the deposit on bottles and cans can be recovered at 100%. Goods on the other hand depreciate swiftly on the curb. It may be possible to recover up to an aggregate 20% of their value.

Methodology: Over the next year (from 1 December 2008 until 1 December 2009) I will collect all monies, durable goods, bottles and cans that I find on the street while walking. I will record the location and value of all monies, bottles and cans. I will record the location, retail value and recovered value of all durable goods.

Money will be saved as cash.
Bottles and cans will be redeemed and the money saved as cash.
Durable goods will be photographed, appraised and then sold via Craigslist. The resulting money will be saved as cash.
The value of illegal drugs will be recorded and then the drugs discarded.
Records will be regularly updated on this blog.

Should saved cash pass $100.00 at anytime, the money will be invested in the stock market.

Recognizing Urban Slippage

2008-12-01T11:32:00.000-05:00

I walk everywhere and everyday. In the morning I walk with my dog from the Marginal Way commuter parking lot 1.5 miles back to my home. After I arrive home I walk another half mile back to work. In the evenings I usually walk my dog an additional half mile. That’s a base of 2 ½ miles a day. It doesn’t count the walks to the movies, coffee shop, art galleries, stores, etc. What I see on these walks amazes me. The streets of Portland are covered with wealth that is composting in to garbage.

Yeah, yeah, I hear you think. We all find change on the streets and maybe the occasional bill. I’ve found much more than that. Here’s a short list of what I’ve found walking in Portland, Maine over the past 10 years (with retail or street value):

Estwing 20-Oz. Smooth Hammer with Straight Handle ($29.68)
(two separate occasions)eighth schwag weed brick packed ($25.00 ea)
Kobalt 6" Long Nose Pliers (8.98)
(two separate occasions) Task Force #3 x 6"L Phillips Screwdriver with Acetate Handle (4.94 ea)
FatMax 2" Striking Chisel ($13.48)

This list alone represents over $100.00 worth of lost items or what I like to refer to as Urban Slippage. It doesn’t take into account the actual cash (over $100.00 worth) and change (about $30.00/year) that I’ve found as well as other tools, paraphernalia, pocket knives and general stuff that I’ve stumbled over.

This urban slippage amazes me. We have a large, visible homeless population in Portland. At the same time our streets are lined with lost value. The juxtaposition of these two facets of my city raise several questions:

Why do we have this disconnect?
Just how much slippage is there?
Is it possible to convert some of this urban slippage back into value?
How can this be done?

I propose an experiment to explore this phenomenon. Perhaps by quantifying the amount of urban slippage I walk past in my daily life, I can answer some of these questions. Maybe the slippage can be converted back into value and maybe not.