Awesome Stuff: Sometimes It's The Simple Stuff

from the perhaps-too-simple dept

Sat, Jan 18th 2014 9:00am — Mike Masnick

Going through Kickstarter, looking for interesting projects, I've noticed that there are more than a few times I completely skip over certain projects because they just look too simple. For this week's awesome stuff post, I thought it might be fun to check out three such projects.

First up, we have the project that inspired this post: the Bergaffe tube. The subhed here really undersells it: "a simple tube with lots of possibilities." Actually, I've noticed that most of these "overly simple" projects all talk about how many "possibilities" there are concerning their offerings. And, in this case, they may actually have a point. I didn't check out this project for weeks, because, really, what good is a tube? But, there's much more to the idea. The tube is basically a platform off of which they're building a bunch of tools that become modular and interchangeable. It's actually pretty neat: It really feels like the initial description -- as well as that photo of just a basic tube -- completely underplays the actual benefit and value of what these guys are trying to sell. If you have to expect that people need to "imagine the possibilities" they're not going to. So even though this does seem like it could be cool, the project is just under its £25,000 goal with a week to go. It'll get there, but just barely. Also... for a "simple" tube, it's pretty pricey.
Next up... we've got The Puck -- another simple plastic thing that asks you to imagine the possibilities. In this case, it's a simple wall mount for PVC pipe, so that you can build a towel rack or some other kind of rack out of PVC pipe. Now, if you were to ask me why you might want to build such a thing out of PVC pipe, you might have a very good point. For something so simple... and where you have to "imagine the possibilities" yourself, it seems incredibly pricey. When I saw these, my first thought was that it looked like something I could pick up at the local Home Depot for less than $1 each. But... these guys are trying to sell them for $20 per pair. Damn. That probably explains why, a week or so into the project, they've only got 13 backers and less than $500 committed. There's still a month to go, but I can't see this one reaching the $25,000 goal at all.
And then we've got Bigmouth Funnels, which are basically what the name says: little strips of plastic that fold into funnels. I've seen something similar for years, so I was a bit surprised to see it on Kickstarter, and it seems odd that they're pitching it as some amazing bit of product design. It actually looks nearly identical to a little "sports cone" that I've seen on the fields near where I live. Just inverted. Also, whenever I've needed something like this, usually... a piece of paper has done the trick. Here's another one where I was a bit surprised at the price. $10 (AUD) gets you one big and one small funnel. But, it seems that I can find basic wide mouth funnels online for less than $2, so not sure I see the appeal. But, ~150 or so backers have bought into this one already, and it's nearing its $2,200 goal with over a month to go, so apparently it's got more appeal than I expected.

That's it for this week. Keep it simple.

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Filed Under: awesome stuff, funnels, pvc, simple, tubes

11 Comments

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Paul Renault (profile), 18 Jan 2014 @ 10:18am

The Puck and the Bigmouth already exist
The former, as a PVC flange (if you don't like the industrial look, paint it); the latter, as a...piece of plastic - y'know, like an old cut-up place mat or something. (Y'know, the reuse part of 'refuse, reuse, recycle'?)
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2014 @ 10:41am

The Bergaffe tube is great until you need to use it for two or more applications at the same time. It also looks like you'd need to pack a decent amount of extra tubes. I suppose it would make for a cool episode of Survivor if a team had to pack various pieces to complete an obstacle course.
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Jan 2014 @ 11:15am

Nothing that hasn't been already done with previously owned materials ..I've been using an old soda bottle for years as a funnel , $2 flange or a block of wood with a few holes in it , the bergaffe tube is kind of nifty but ultimately depends on the craftsmanship and durability..
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2014 @ 4:14am

Thailand update
The police released CCTV footage of Fridays bomb blast and are seeking two of the people involved in the protests, a man in a white cap seen walking with the pickup truck, and the driver of the truck.

White cap man was seen walking quickly away from the bomb location to behind a concrete pole / telephone junction box just before the bomb goes off. The driver was seen exiting the truck on the bomb side, going to the man, and together they go pick something up off the ground and calmly walk away together, ignoring injured people nearby.

This, coupled to the fake room of evidence found by PDRC in the next door derelict building (including the pin from a hand-grenade, guns, red shirts and police emblems), and a last minute route change by PDRC to go past this building, indicates a strong likelihood of a PDRC involvement. Since nobody else could have diverted the route, and the people seen in the video are part of the lead pickup trucks in the procession.

My opinion: Smells like coup mongering!

According to unverified reports on Pantip:

Soldiers have been camping since army day and have not returned to barracks. Their phones and electronics have been taken off them, and they've been told to get up at 4am. They haven't been told what for. They woke up at 4am this morning and there was no order, so they believe it is today.

***

A second bomb was thrown, in daylight, against a press tent at the PDRC stand at Victory Monument, hitting a reporter and 28 bystanders. A PDRC leader called Thaworn claims he was the target but the bomb hit a tree instead.

Either the bombers are brazen, attacking in daylight, or perhaps desperate. It's reported to be the same type of grenade as Fridays attack.

It is Sunday, protestors are leaving, numbers are way down as people see the evidence of Friday. There aren't many protestors left anyway.

IMHO, protest leaders are really desperate. We don't yet know if PDRC are involved in the second bomb, or some third party is involved. But to be safe, please get your loved ones away from PDRC rallys!

If you want to protest elections, fine, write letters to newspapers, hold placards outside town halls, but *please* stay away from official PDRC protest sites because someone is bombing them, and that someone may well be PDRC themselves!

Do not let yourself be cannon fodder to justify a coup!
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  Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2014 @ 5:36am
  
  Re: Thailand update
  Maybe the police have found the guy behind Sundays bomb! They've got a clear shot of his face and a possible id card match, but they're not releasing details yet:
  
  http://news.sanook.com/1396190/%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%A7%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E 0%B8%99-%E0%B8%A0%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%9A%E 0%B8%B4%E0%B8%94%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%87%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B5%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%99%E0 %B8%B8%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%8C%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A2%E0% B8%AA%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A0%E0%B8%B9%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B4/
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    Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2014 @ 6:49am
    
    Re: Re: Thailand update
    A commenter on pantip points to these Navy Seals, top left is the suspected thrower.
    
    http://pantip.com/topic/31539105
    
    3 Navy seals were caught moonlighting as security guards for the PDRC a few days back. They were arrested by police, since they had rifles and 76 bullets and VIP Passes from the PDRC. Also they had a Navy Seals number plate in the car and a fake one on the outside of the car.
    
    Their boss came and bailed them out claiming they were investigating drugs. Which seems unlikely. CAPO (head of the police/civilian security) said they believed they were moonlighting as PDRC guards and commenters pointed out they often do security detail for the Democrats.
    
    Not proven yet. But if its true, it's PDRC's own guards throwing the bombs.
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      Anonymous Coward, 19 Jan 2014 @ 9:06pm
      
      Re: Re: Re: Thailand update
      We did not have a coup last night. However the army remains camped out at the military compound at Bang Khen in northern bangkok. You can't miss their compound, it's the big area of land with the private army golf course in it!
      
      The Navy deny that the Sunday bomber is the same man as their man pictured in the id cards, and threaten to arrest anyone who says otherwise.
      
      We still do not have an explanation from them as to the 3 Navy Seals arrested with weapons and PDRC VIP passes. They promised to investigate but we've heard nothing.
      
      Suthep had the driver (from fridays bombing) on stage denying any involvement in the bomb, but he did not identify the white capped man believed to be the bomber, or explain what he was doing with him picking something up off the ground, and walking away shortly after the bomb explosion.
      
      Elections continue, although the EC has ensured the result will be voided afterwards by *continuing* to fail to register any candidates in the 8 southern provinces. Another day with zero attempt to register candidates in those (Suthep controlled) regions.
      
      So many games to defeat democracy in Thailand. Some of them more deadly than others.
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        Anonymous Coward, 20 Jan 2014 @ 6:11pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Thailand update
        The mayor of Suthep province 'Surat Thani' has said he cannot organize elections. Which is handy for Suthep because it stops a different opposition member being elected in his place.
        
        Surat and Sonkhla province (also controlled by Suthep's party) have asked the Election Judges to 'do something'.
        
        Suthep told his supporters that national elections are cancelled, but we wait to hear what the 'something' the judges will do.
        
        ****
        
        THAILAND IS NOT DIVIDED.
        
        Thailand is set to vote Yingluk back in by a bigger number of votes than before, a big fuck-you to the dictators.
        
        Normally they pretend Thailand is divided and they grabbed power as 'moderators' between sides. But one of the sides is their own people, the Democrats and the new PDRC offshoot.
        
        To keep this perception we get agent-provocateur bomb attacks, a stream of bile and lies in the media and so on. So an election that returns a majority, is a real problem for that perception.
        
        It is expected they will block elections, but we don't yet know the game that will be used.
        
        The bombs have stopped, The army General has asked people not to speculate, so please don't speculate about this man:
        
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUtrrlyNU_Y
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        Anonymous Coward, 20 Jan 2014 @ 8:28pm
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thailand update
        It looks confirmed, the vote will be stopped before the count. Bangkok post is quoting a source in the Electoral Commission as saying :
        
        "According to a source in the Office of the EC, the commission will let the poll run its course but once it becomes clear the process is not in compliance with the charter, the agency will ask the Constitution Court to intervene"
        
        Of course the EC can then stop any future election on the same basis. "It won't run smoothly so the vote can't go ahead"!
        
        By preventing the vote count, they prevent any embarrassing high-turnout pro-democracy vote.
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        Anonymous Coward, 21 Jan 2014 @ 4:39am
        
        Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Thailand update
        Non-suspect bomber denies being bomber.
        
        Weird, a Suthep youtube channel has put a video of a soldier from the South denying he is the man in the bomber video. Saying he was at the doctors on Sunday.
        
        Youtube video xgcDQEoNwYU
        
        But who ever accused him?
        
        The PDRC guard we suspect (loaned from the ****), the 'id card man' spreading around the internet in Thailand is a completely *different* soldier! Different lips, different mouth shape.
        
        So suddenly a completely different soldier is denying involvement?? Sounds like disinformation!
        
        And Pantip.com has censored any comment regarding the **** man, after the **** threatened to arrest anyone that pointed to their man as the likely suspect.
        
        If you check the pantip link again above, you'll see the id cards are gone, but one of that group of **** men has been spotted acting as a PDRC guard, the picture is still up, but for how much long we don't know.
        
        How did that old Village People song go? Ah yes,
        "In the **** you can sail the seven seas,
        In the ****, you can put your mind at ease".
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Rekrul, 20 Jan 2014 @ 2:06pm

The makers of that tube better check to make sure they're not violating any of the Miracle Stick patents;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RbFPO1APOg
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