I know I know – it is like poking a rattle snake with your foot. But I am feeling feisty this morning. Now that Esther Dyson doesn’t really have anything to say about anything (smart guy in her company is doing his own thing), she has decided that comedy is the next big thing.

bq. Dyson got the biggest laugh by suggesting a business model for Sunnyvale-based Friendster, the popular social networking service and a company that has yet to collect any revenue from its users. Populated by lonely singles looking to line up dates, Friendster should start a personal gift registry, Dyson said. The bottom line would be: “If you want to date me, this is what you’ve got to buy me.” (San Jose Mercury News)

Yup, that’s a new business model, so new that every generation has been doing the same since Adam and …