Leo Laporte Disappoints the Brick Suckers Who Gave Him Money

Haha, brick suckers.
Haha, brick suckers.

We’ve previously reported that Leo Laporte plans to move the studio after being priced out of his crown jewel of a studio.

Could TWiT soon broadcast from a run-down abandoned church in the woods?
Could TWiT soon broadcast from a run-down abandoned church in the woods?

TWiT’s genius CEO, Lisa Kentzell Laporte, failed to negotiate a long-term lease or purchase the building when given a chance, and now “The Brickhouse” will be a “brewpub” — to borrow Leo’s term for it.

Leo has his eye on a property at 800 Lindberg Lane (PDF). Petaluma Market’s investors will be happy to know that it’s closer than the property beside The Hummus Guy.

Brickhouse 800 Lindberg Ln
Total Sqft 18,400 5,544
Ground Level Sqft 9,400 5,544
Basement Sqft 9,000 0
Has walls Yes No
Has a bathroom Yes No

Will TWiT still be as good in a studio less than one-third the size? Just kidding — it sucks now.

It won’t stop Leo from complaining about actually spending money for legitimate business expenses on a studio build. It certainly won’t stop Leo from telling the brick suckers who gave him money for the current studio that they can buy back pieces of their broken bricks, as seen in the video above.

86 thoughts on “Leo Laporte Disappoints the Brick Suckers Who Gave Him Money”

  1. “It’s a half a million dollars of MY money.” It’s never the company’s money. Or OUR money. Or anything but MY money.

    I hope he spend the half million and moves because we know that the costs will double and maybe triple.

    And why can’t he take the bricks?

    Douche.

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  2. I am curious about the statement he made at 3:03 that “we’ve sold 7 million dollars of advertising for next year.”

    1. They do not sell, and advertisers do not buy) more than a quarter in advance and they don’t make 28M a year!
    2. According to his GizWiz interview, they made 15M over 5 -6 years, and now he says he is making 7M for a part-year?
    3. Sales are based on downloads so he has no idea what the actual amount of sales will be!
    4 The Brickhouse that lasted 5 years cost over a million dollars for the construction and they paid 10K rent (net after Alex.) If they are doing well why cant he afford a 500K construction and lower rent for 10 years?

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      1. Not being able to move the brick wall is a total bullshit LIE. My dad’s company moves giant statues, large museum pcs and entire historical buildings and can take ANYTHING apart and reassemble at the new location. He’s been doing this for well over two decades and rarely has a mishap. Careful assessment and planning is all it takes. Yes…Leo this might cause you 10 to 15 grand to do but don’t you owe this to the people who financially supported your enterprise? An image just doesn’t cut it pal and you know this.

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        1. Mark said:
          Not being able to move the brick wall is a total bullshit LIE. My dad’s company moves giant statues, large museum pcs and entire historical buildings and can take ANYTHING apart and reassemble at the new location. He’s been doing this for well over two decades and rarely has a mishap. Careful assessment and planning is all it takes. Yes…Leo this might cause you 10 to 15 grand to do but don’t you owe this to the people who financially supported your enterprise? An image just doesn’t cut it pal and you know this.

          Anyone that knows about construction knows they can be recovered. Time, money and effort is what it takes. Much cheaper is a nice picture. Leo should stop twisting up those California fatties and do some work.

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        2. Mark said: Leo this might cause you 10 to 15 grand

          But they already cashed the checks long ago, so the “bricks” have no value to them anymore. Why spend the money on moving bricks when it could be spent on half of a cruise?

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  3. What kind of dip s*** moron fungus crab can’t do the math on paying rent and build out cost versus buying. Your finance costs billed out and eventual building ownership would amortize nicely on the books over the next five years with plenty of deductions to make it worthwhile. And then when you decide to retire earlier you could easily have some residual income by renting the building or sell it yourself its really moronic that you don’t see the value of ownership and thus that’s why the bricks are fake

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  4. They can’t take the bricks? I think that they’re gonna hit up their dwindling audience to buy more bricks for the new brick house, just you wait and see. I also saw the part where stated he banked 7 million in sales, if that’s true why doesn’t he just make the “brew pub” owners an offer they can’t refuse and just buy the building out right from them, lol it sound like more b.s. to me. Just one man’s opinion.

    TYFYC

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  5. I see there is a Mountain MIke’s Pizza across the street from the purported “New not-brick but just as good TWiT (not sure what to say here)”

    good move Leo. Although to be honest he would be better getting a warehouse space and making an actual studio. With lots of space for Padre to fly drones and Megan to prep for whatever the ‘We read the news because you can’t” show is.

    Or just broadcast from his house. Have the editor(s) in some office block somewhere. Or have them work from home. And spend the extra loot cruising.

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  6. I thought in 2015 they were quoted as making 8 million a year? They have lost a few sponsors so I’m betting it’s about half or less than what is being said. Does soup buy anything besides tech gadgets? It seems anything important, He leases instead of buying out right.

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    1. Soupslurper said:
      I thought in 2015 they were quoted as making 8 million a year?They have lost a few sponsors so I’m betting it’s about half or less than what is being said.Does soup buy anything besides tech gadgets?It seems anything important,He leases instead of buying out right.

      Wait…the Wall Street Journal states that podcasting is expected to generate $34 million in revenue this year. Leo has 20% of that? Here is the article for those interested in facts and not rhetoric. http://www.wsj.com/articles/podcasts-face-advertising-hurdles-1455745492

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    2. Yes, he buys cars and cruises and apparently a lot of $10K OLED TV screens for his home. At least two Audi’s, a Tesla, a dumb Segway with balloon tires. Who knows what else he squanders cash on. A gym?

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  7. Notice at the end how Leo says “that would be a lot less expensive”, inotherwords, they can take the bricks, they just don’t want to pay the cost.

    Leo is a liar.

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  8. It’s fine, the TWiT fans who bought bricks will just take it on the chin, and they will have a nice picture of their brick. No, they won’t feel ripped off at all.

    #Shmucks

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    1. IIRC the people who bought bricks got a replica sent to them?

      I didn’t buy one personally, since even back then Leo smelt a little fishy to me. Must have been Lisa’s vag stank but either way I lucked out!

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      1. I think it would cost them too much to send out the persons brick to them in shipping costs – assuming they can even get them out.

        Memory fails me, but didn’t JammerB buy a few bricks? Some shit about the Diamond Club logo?

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  9. Since we’re talking about TWiT revenues and advertisers, how is it good business that you’ve had more or less the same half a dozen sponsors for years?

    Look at network TV, the commercials are rotated often and you don’t see the same one for more than a few months. Then look at TWiT, they’ve been pushing Harry’s razors for years now. If we were going to switch to Harry’s we already would have done that. Is TWiT growing by leaps and bounds? I don’t think there’s enough new viewers, so it’s the same people hearing the same ad copy for years on end.

    Personally I believe Lisa’s ad sales are bullshit. Every podcast has the same advertisers, even YouTube channels and shit websites advertise things like Harry’s and Audible.

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    1. I listen to a lot of gaming podcasts, and honestly, even they have the same sponsors as TWiT. Harry’s, Square Space, Stamps etc.

      These sponsors are no good if you’re outside the U.S. in most cases too.

      Same with the Audible advertiser too, how many people do you think just got their free book and cancelled it? They’re hoping and banking on people signing up to Audible, and just forget about cancelling it.

      What irritates me most about TWiT advertisements is, you know Leo and the other staff don’t use them themselves.

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      1. Fuck you, how do you like that? said:
        I listen to a lot of gaming podcasts, and honestly, even they have the same sponsors as TWiT. Harry’s, Square Space, Stamps etc.

        These sponsors are no good if you’re outside the U.S. in most cases too.

        Same with the Audible advertiser too, how many people do you think just got their free book and cancelled it? They’re hoping and banking on people signing up to Audible, and just forget about cancelling it.

        What irritates me most about TWiT advertisements is, you know Leo and the other staff don’t use them themselves.

        Lately I have been hearing some of these advertisers on Sirius/XM, namely Howard and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s show. Audible, Harry’s and Casper. I am betting Audible is paying A LOT more for a live Howard read than a live Leo and Company read.

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        1. ChrisFitz said: Lately I have been hearing some of these advertisers on Sirius/XM, namely Howard and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s show. Audible, Harry’s and Casper. I am betting Audible is payingA LOT more for a live Howard read than a live Leo and Company read.

          There’s one advertiser I don’t hear on TWiT, but do on the Giant Bombast. Leesa – a mattress company. Casper probably offered TWiT more money/a better deal.

          Leesa was news to me, I didn’t even know the U.S had 2 of these types of companies.

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    2. Jimmy Jam said:
      Personally I believe Lisa’s ad sales are bullshit. Every podcast has the same advertisers, even YouTube channels and shit websites advertise things like Harry’s and Audible.

      Exactly. Even Afterbuzz TV has the blue apron ads that Ron so eloquently touts on AAA. There’s just not that many companies advertising on podcasts. Here’s the thing though, if those same crappy ads can pay for the entire TWiT enterprise (rent, salaries, equipment, tables that Leo breaks every so often, cruises, new phones every week apparently), then I got into the wrong business and advertising is where I should be.

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  10. When the bricks were installed, they were probably installed directly to the actual wall of the building and not to some mounted wall, like plywood secured to the real wall.

    If they attached them to the real wall (morons), then there’s really no way they can take the bricks without destroying most of them, especially if they are basically wall tiles and not bricks in the traditional sense.

    We all knew they weren’t going to take these bricks, it was just a matter of time before the subject finally came up on their end.

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        1. Esch said: Well even if it’s an interior wall that can be removed, you know they won’t do it out of the inconvenience of it all.

          Their are pictures of the wall and the tiles being set. Most likely the wall was 2×6 or 2×8 bolted and strapped to the floor. Then plywood and a thin backer board screwed onto the studs. Pictures show the tiles being set in thinset, that’s the part Leo’s talking about not being able to remove the tiles from. I’m sure the tiles are thin, not like a quarry tile, even trying to move the wall in one piece would probably cause cracks. Plus, the wall may be to tall/large to fit out a building opening. I’m sure it was discussed when the wall was built that it couldn’t be moved, knowing Leo and his then business partner/bookkeeper/ home wrecker/ sex toy/ skank, Lisa, they probably said: screw the brick holders, they’re stupid and will forget they gave us a collective $250,000.

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  11. How much you want to bet the new brewery will bring in a skip and trash those bricks in order to open up the place
    If you bought a brick wait till LaFuck and LaCunt move out, watch for the demo crew to come in and retrieve the pieces to your brick..
    LMFAO

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    1. The brewery should save them and if you come in and can show them its your brick (e.g. receipt, your name, you have so little shame you will admit to buying one, etc) you get a free beer to drown your sorrows.

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  12. If Leo really wanted to be decent all he had to do was to get new bricks made up to replace the bricks he left behind but I guess he can’t be bothered to waste the money.

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  13. Pictures of the bricks? Ah a chance for revisionist history, time to remove anyone that was stupid enough to buy a brick and then call him out for his BS (goodbye diamond club).

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  14. This is all nothing different than what John Poz did with his big project in Dallas. He suckered people into giving money to pay for the total remodel of a building for Geek Beat, bricks and all, then the minute the thing was opened, it all fell apart. Cali Lewis left to do tech programming with her new boyfriends, a Geek Beat employee, John shut down the studio and walked away. These things never turn out well.

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    1. Clearly Luria(Callie) has stability issues. I stopped watching when she reinvented herself the first time, also, she stopped wearing those listener supplied, slightly tight, tee shirts… Those were the days one looked forward to a new Geek Brief post up.

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      1. Luria is looking rough these days… And her hipster neckbeard asshole boyfriend and her are barely holding things together… Super disorganized and very amateur. They aren’t meeting their show schedules and the paywall they put on their website is so un-thoughtout. I’m sure the subscribers can be counted on one hand.

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  15. Leo the Con Artist.
    I was just waiting until he breaks the news that the bricks can’t be moved and made up reasons why.
    To raise money for the new location I could imagine him selling autographed closeup shots of individual bricks for a substantial donation.
    Since the bricks are on an interior wall you could cut the wall in sections and move it. ( If you wanted )
    But this would be spending money for silly memories. It shows how much he values his fans who bought the overpriced pieces of sun dried clay with an inscription.
    Maybe this is going to wake up some of them.

    Just as a brick reminder :
    Original in Studio : 8×8 logo $640 , 8×8 $512 , 4×8 $128
    Replicas you can keep : 8×8 logo $256 , 8×8 $128 , 4×8 $64
    If you look at the wall space that’s roughly $220000 in bricks ( conservative ). I think Leo mentioned once $250000.

    Brick Sale :
    http://static.squarespace.com/static/5493c0c3e4b0496d8273a18c/5494d36fe4b01ce0b479aef6/5494d371e4b01ce0b479b2c4/1308044482000/View-Bricks.gif

    Want to check on the bricks ?
    http://www.gigapan.com/profiles/jammerb

    The Bricks location :
    https://meador.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/twit-studio-plan.jpg

    Twit definition :
    to taunt, tease, ridicule , an insignificant, silly, or bothersome person.
    The Urban one :
    The kind of person that makes a retarded chimp look smart
    A moron with absolutely no sense.
    Someone with the rare ability to suck their own cock
    something that you call someone who is annoying or a complete asshole
    someone who is a pompous idiot
    Bird brained; of low intelligence

    I see a few matching ones who describe this NetCast and it’s players

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    1. Joe Shoe said: Just as a brick reminder :
      Original in Studio : 8×8 logo $640 , 8×8 $512 , 4×8 $128
      Replicas you can keep : 8×8 logo $256 , 8×8 $128 , 4×8 $64
      If you look at the wall space that’s roughly $220000 in bricks ( conservative ). I think Leo mentioned once $250000.

      Holy shit, that’s way more than I remembered… and replicas are extra, what a surprise.

      At those prices, I gotta say, you must have been a sucker to buy a brick even if Leo was more tolerable in 2011.

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    2. Why is he selling bricks or asking for donations in the first place? He’s doing $7 million? Send your donations to the No Agenda Show instead. They have no advertising scams. (Or bricks).

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  16. When will the fuck Leo learn they want to move into a place with no plumbing and no electric or AC and whats to stop the landlord from selling the place or telling them oh I am not renewing your lease after its over haha I got free upgrades on a place thats been empty for 15 years?

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  17. His hair looks better in the picture, than how it looks now.

    I just said something nice about him.

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  18. Only a fucking moron would do the plumbing and AC work. Why do these douched baggies think the place was vacant for so long.

    I liked listening to #soup saying he was taking the bricks the last few months knowing this day would come.

    Viva la soup

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  19. Wow. I wonder what those poor suckers that bought bricks think when they see Leo going on his extravagant vacations and buying all the latest tech toys? I can’t believe you fools donated even one penny to TWIT.

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  20. Could it be Leo is being spoon fed financial information by a CEO that he trusts far too much? Why such a large space? Movable walls and sets is a novel idea. He has no staff..

    He’s not building because he’s at the end of his career.

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    1. Harkonnen Mentat said: Could it be Leo is being spoon fed financial information by a CEO that he trusts far too much?

      I actually thought this myself. I wonder if he’s being played with and given false financial info from Lisa and then he passes onto viewers without knowing. It would make sense because it’s in her best interest to hide the truth from him.

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      1. Esch said: I actually thought this myself. I wonder if he’s being played with and given false financial info from Lisa and then he passes onto viewers without knowing. It would make sense because it’s in her best interest to hide the truth from him.

        Lisa was running TWiT when the shithouse was constructed, way back when Leo and Lisa were sheltering their rabid affair from listeners and employees. Her management skills were brought into full play which lead to a 4 month completion delay and a several hundred thousand dollar cost overrun. Leo seemed to go along with Lisa’s lies then and since becoming Mrs. Laporte III, she actually owns 1/2 of TWiT, Leo truly is screwing his future.

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      2. Years ago, when Leo would respond to chat room questions before and after shows, (like Iyaz did), I asked him if he reviewed/approved all the payables and if he signed the cheques and he said he did not and he was not much of a business man. WOW…

        He has no idea of how his company is really doing.

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        1. JungleBunnyJim said:
          He has no idea of how his company is really doing.

          TwiT Fans,

          Leo plays that game for the fans. He is in no way unfamiliar with his business and in no way is Lisa able to hide anything from him even if she tried.

          He is well aware of every contract signed and every personnel change and every decision. He is more than capable of reading financial statements.

          If you think his concubine is able to fool him then you are suckered into the lie of ‘Lisa runs TWiT.’ Lisa is encouraged to sign checks, call in payroll and order supplies, she makes charts and plays on a white board.

          Leo is aware the fans like him as a lovable tech guy who does not understand business. It makes him more human. The fans enjoy the character of Lisa the CEO/wife and how they are a great team.

          It is a lie like everything else at TWiT. Do you think the popular LouMM will be on TWIT again? It is all a lie.

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  21. If the bricks get destroyed/can’t be taken, or what not, maybe they could get a partial refund, or some TWiT merchandise (if they want said things). Who am I kidding though, they won’t be offered that.

    Surely an email will also go out to all people who purchased a brick informing them of the move, and the bricks can’t be taken…..? TWiT is a professional organisation, this has to happen :sarcasm:

    “If you buy a brick, it’s like you’re a part of TWiT” he says. Yeah, I bet the people who bought a brick REALLY feel apart of TWiT now. I’m glad i didn’t buy one, I honestly had no intensions of buying one because nothing lasts forever, and I think they made it clear from the start, they are going to be leasing that building they’re in now.

    Hopefully, the bricks can be salvaged. Otherwise, there’s going to be a few more people on the TD comments, I look forward to seeing your comments, new comers/cummers.

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      1. That was great, I wish this site had Facebook reactions.

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    1. Don’t feel rough about it, we all do things we regret.

      Let us know if you’re offered a partial refund, TWiT junk, or a hand job from Lisa.

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    2. Its ok, Jeff. You’re not alone. I … bought the mugs….

      Perhaps TD should host a support t group:

      Hello, My name is “Vous” and I’m a reformed TWiT listener….

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  22. Leo is a Psychopath. Psychopaths use people for material gain as long as they can get away with it. Sadly, Leo has enough foolish idiotic simple minded fans who actually think Leo gives a fuck.

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    1. Her legs are nasty and I suspect full of varicose veins. She should do everyone a favor and adopt a pants-only policy, it would improve the air quality in the Bay Area too.

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  23. I love Leo. I will buy big brick to help Leo. I pay thousands for big brick and help Leo. I love Leo. He make me cum in my pants when I hear his voice. I send Leo money now for new place.

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  24. Getting off this topic for a sec

    News just in that Google has blocked 9to5Google for name infringement,
    Thinking maybe if we all send Google a note informing them that LeLafatfuck is also infringing on Google with
    “This Week In Google” it would save Google some time locating fatfucks TWIG infringement

    LMFAO

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  25. Shit, Sarah Lanes going to go up to San Fran for another hormon…deto…. Visit with Mom…..
    (+5 points for ducking liable) . Shes gonna wander into the brickhouse naked and mumbling wondering where Leo is.

    Too bad even incompasitated in a bar she ‘d still have to pay for it.

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    1. Tom Merritt said:
      Shit,Sarah Lanes going to go up to San Fran for another hormon…deto….Visit with Mom…..
      (+5 points for ducking liable) . Shes gonna wander into the brickhouse naked and mumbling wondering where Leo is.

      Too bad even incompasitated in a bar she ‘d still have to pay for it.

      huh?

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  26. People who donated money for a brick helped fund the studio build out. That happened. You sound like babies complaining now they won’t be moved to a new studio.

    That said, Leo should make the effort to move them. Just to be nice.

    I’d rather look at how terrible twit is at negotiating their new space. Sign a long enough lease, and a building owner/developer will pay for a custom renovation to your specs. They could get a brand new building for free, and keep the 100% write off a lease gives them. That is pretty standard. All twit would have to do is the studio gear and sets.

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  27. The bricks were about advertising your company or feeding your ego, I have no sympathy for those that bought brick wall space.
    You just purchased a classified ad that lasted for quite a long time really. Pretty good value.
    I doubt most purchasers (other than the TWiT chat butt hurt sycophants) even remember the bloody things anyway and have moved on.

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    1. NicoRudy said: You just purchased a classified ad that lasted for quite a long time really. Pretty good value.

      WTF? Advertised to who? Who, exactly, ever looked at the bricks? The visitors to the shithouse never roamed around the place. Nobody got to see these “advertisements” except the staff.

      It was dumb, period.

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