# asking gabe for 420m status: unsent the time big gabe (newell) was kindly asked to share £420m with robert what via email a personal letter between gentlemen pertaining to artistic patronage and the opportunity to shine like a buddna note: probably about as bafflingly harebrained as physically possible beyond one day near future beloved internet icon robert was sitting alone in ir freezing rented flat / 'research lab' feeling cold and miserable and decided to (/pretend to) send friendly big gabe a letter in / regarding ir request for a credible act of charitable generosity to occur === dear mr. newell greetings from the uk i am a perpetually skint amateur postmodern internet philosopher called robert what for over thirty years i've been developing open source shared artistic universe and imagination engine 'republic of bob' i'm writing today to ask if you'd please share £42m with me as i'm in need of financial aid it's a lot of money but it will not be idly wasted the reason i'm asking is that with such a sum i can finally rescue my one true love from ir lousy soul-destroying job in publishing - see ir happy again riding horses through the shaded woods of ir youth with such money i can also **+** help fellow struggling artists whose art i admir **+** afford a warm home instead of forever renting freezing overpriced shoeboxes **+** fully venture into 'the republic' for good; develop my own odd projects for the rest of my days this is not a begging letter big gabe nor am i trying to pluck any heart strings. should you agree to generously share a little of your wealth i will keep your involvement quiet as this is matter between gentlemen some context for you. i'm almost 60 and my health is bad: diabetic eye damage and bad rsi both of which have required hospital care - ironically from making (unpaid) art for so long without adequate rest born into working class poverty and part of the working poor according to my bank account my total fortune is (no lie) less than £5. my partner has saved me from total ruin and kept me under ir wing for over twenty five years and i'd love to give back in return oh for the opportunity to enjoy some ease comfort some small moment of respite from unceasing toil! ir work burden is often borderline unbearable ir work environment toxic and deeply unsatisfying and ir job prospects uncertain like yourself and everyone at valve i also work hard - only art happens to be _my_ full time job and there's no money in it. not unless one is _already_ rich and famous. despite considerable efforts expended over many years my unusual artwork (ie. art-as-work) has so far gained zero traction. (this could of course just be because it's bad :-) i guess what i'm really hoping for gabe is an opportunity to shine. yet to do that in today's ruthless attention economy one needs serious cash flow from the outset; _then_ one can be taken seriously in modern society - attempt grand things. not having the capability to realize one's full potential is frustrating; i'm often deeply unhappy thing is it's impossible to 'make bread without dough' - without inherited wealth and social capital - and being poor is expensive. rent and the forever rising cost of living eats everything so saving for a brighter tomorrow becomes a joke. so one's current relative cycle of poverty stays unbroken you see mr. newell from my viewpoint it's a matter of basic plain practicalities. you are rich - and right now my wallet contains only hungry moths. i've chosen you specifically to ask for help as you appear approachable are admired by millions of garmers (like me) so today i thought hey - why not try giving big gabe a call? it's not naïvete which led me to pen this letter. i secretly believe in people; i honestly believe you will help out. no matter the background we're all dreaming under the same distant stars after all while i'm not exactly starving day to day i am slowly dying of terminal existential boredom - forever waiting and desperately yearning for a better more interesting existence filled with art and beauty. with exciting collaborative possibilities. (there's only so much one can do on one's own - which is partially why i'm developing 'republic of bob.' sharing the joy of creation. this is also hopefully in accordance with the buddhist principle of dāna - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/d%c4%81na) i've many good strange ideas - they just need a quick financial kickstart to get going a monetary wedge in the often closed art door. please feel free to browse my site mr. newell - see for yourself if any ideas there are worth your generosity and charity ok sir thank you for listening. take it easy; whether or not you agree to my (bold complex extroverted yet friendly and direct) request for £420m in artist aid i hope these words reach you in good health and spirits on the high seas. good luck with your cool new line of valve hardware (the gabe cube looks awesome. '#hl3'!) feel free to hang out with me anytime and talk garmedev; i've a keen interest in garmes-as-art / art garmes. may the winds of good fortune continue to fill your sails site: https://publish.obsidian.md/republicofbob/about+this+site email: robertwhat at proton dot me remember love is _always_ the message https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwvtipeyieq - yussef dayes x alfa mist love is the message (live @ abbey road) ft. mansur brown & rocco palladino.) most sincerely robert what update: there's a small chance i could be utterly delusional. comedian jimmy carr was recently talking about toxic masculinity and said "stop asking what you want. start asking what you have to offer" which unfortunately i found very interesting and made me reconsider my ongoing mis-relationship to billionaires // republic of bob