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At noon on January 1, 2000, Mitch Maddox is going virtual. He will give up his real world life and disappear into a cyberworld to prove that he can fill all his needs via e-commerce for an entire year.
At the fateful hour, Maddox will enter a two-bedroom house in Dallas, Texas with nothing but a computer, and he will cease to be Mitch Maddox. As cameras in every room roll, and the whole world watches, Mitch Maddox will join the elite few who are known universally by one name and one name only.
Madonna. Cher. Monica. And now DotComGuy.
The E-Commerce Times asked the crucial question: "Do you have a significant other?" DotComGuy laughed and said, "No, I don't have a girlfriend." We countered by asking if he would find one online, since he can have visitors.
"No," insisted DotComGuy. "Any woman who visited me would have to keep her makeup on, since the cameras are always watching."
Well, not always. DotComGuy, who legally changed his name earlier this year, can cap the camera in his bedroom at night. He can also cap the camera in his bathroom, although we do get to watch him shave and brush his teeth. "Don't worry," DotComGuy assured us, "This is family entertainment."
Bright Idea
Maddox, a 26 year-old systems manager, came up with the idea of living la vida e-commerce 
for a year and told his childhood friend, Len Critcher, who was in Los Angeles working in the entertainment business. Critcher loved the idea and moved back to Dallas to form DotComGuy, Inc. with Maddox.
"We're two guys who love the Internet and love new technology," Critcher told the E-Commerce Times. "We want to create the ultimate forum for the future."
DotComGuy will not leave the house for one year, except for a medical emergency or a death in his immediate family. He will purchase all of his food, furniture, entertainment and clothing over the Internet. Cameras will stream the video of DotComGuy's life at the DotComGuy.com Web site.
Critcher and Maddox have lined up sponsors for the project, including Gateway Computer, Mall.com, Peapod.com and others.
Exponential Possibilities
DotComGuy will receive a salary that doubles each month that he stays in the house. January's salary will be a hefty $24 (US$), but after doubling each month, he'll rack up $98,304 for the year. He will be able to stroll outside to a backyard with a stream, but the cameras will be pointed there as well.
The DotComGuy project may be viewed as an experiment in the variety of services the Internet can deliver to support and enhance our lives. However, Critcher and Maddox stress that it is not an experiment at all -- it's a demonstration. "There's nothing experimental about this," said Critcher. "We already know he can order everything he needs to live."
"We want to demonstrate the basic public nature of e-commerce," Critcher added. "DotComGuy will set up a business online. He'll find vendors to develop products and he'll demonstrate how easy it is to start a site."
DotComGuy, Inc. will use its public attention to create a forum on e-commerce, which will include inviting industry leaders to come visit and discuss e-commerce issues. "We think our site can become a catalyst for e-commerce. As soon as there is something I can't find online, companies can come in and supply what's missing," said Mad -- DotComGuy.
Finally, we asked DotComGuy if he is apprehensive about his leap into a full year of virtual life.
"Actually, I don't have time to think about it," he said. "We've been too busy talking to the press and getting the production crew set up."
