You didn't think the world was a mad place before?!?
And, DPS, while I empathise completely with your thoughts about buying some of these blatantly useless domains names, you have to factor in the business side of things.
It may seem useless to you, but, just like houses, a domain is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. Therefore, if you COULD pay just a penny for some rubbish domain name, but someone else (whose initials it spelt or who had set up a company of the same name) was willing to pay several grand for it...well, I know what I'd do with my shiny penny.
Like so many things, a domain's worth is down to perception. You and I may well agree that domain name completerefuse.com is total rubbish (still available...snap it up quick
) but to the overnight corporate success story, the Complete Refuse company, that domain is vital to the massive continued growth of that firm.
Some of us get lucky, sometimes we buy a dog. Top domainers don't earn mega bucks
by buying three-letter domains, they earn by foresight and anticipating markets, by recognising fashionable trends in words and by clever word association. Most people who try to earn by buying and selling domains lose money - just look at those domains going for a song on ebay. These people thought they'd make tens of thousands of pounds with their 'clever' names: instead, they're lucky if they make just tens of pounds. Often, they sell below their registry values.
But, like you guys, I like to spend a few minutes here and there trying out word combos, and I have more domains than I could realistically use on anything but some crappy MFA
website hosting. Never mind: maybe I, too, will get lucky (sighs wistfully)...