This is an updated submission for my friend's site, WhatTheFuckIsEthereum.com
Imagine the Ethereum Network like a giant, global dispensary and farmer's co-op that nobody owns. Instead, members of the network pitch in the occasional bud (computer resources) when someone about to have a much bigger party (C++ developers, wizards, etc.) needs to borrow from the stash. These “parties” could be all kinds of things from distributed movie renderings to web applications.
Unlike bumming your friend smokes, however, or central banks, user of your “bud” is backed by "smart contracts" which ensure that participants of the Ethereum Network are compensated even if the party really sucked. This means more parties, bigger parties and better yet, parties which can't leave everyone broke.
The Dude abides...