Awesome Stuff: Everything Old Is New Again

from the re-renaissance dept

One of our most important themes here at Techdirt is the idea that the act of remixing, reimagining and recombining the creations of the past is not only natural and wonderful, it's the primary (and at a fundamental level, the only) engine of creativity in human culture. The internet era brings this to the fore and makes the cycle more immediate, because it makes the wealth of history and culture available to everyone, along with the tools to make use of it. Moreover, the sometimes-overwhelming nature of rapid change promotes a healthy degree of nostalgia in even the most forward-thinking and future-embracing among us, and it's in that spirit that this week's Awesome Stuff highlights some nostalgic offerings from Kickstarter:

One Of Those Old-Timey Cameras With A Hood (a.k.a. The Camera Obscura)

We've all seen them — if not in real life then in one of the many movies where they are used as a piece of shorthand synecdoche for "hey, it's the past!" Well, this project to resurrect the iconic camera has shot way past its goal, by staying true to the original design while also demonstrating how it can be combined with modern equipment.

Hey, Is That A Robot?

I love design and illustration work that creates contrast between content and style. I also have every former-8-year-old-boy's fondness for robots. This dinner plate, second in a series, so perfectly emulates a traditional and somewhat bland graphic style that at a glance, anyone would miss the giant robot preparing to disrupt its quaint tranquility. And it all started because the artist re-drew an image from an old plate inherited from his grandparents...

Go Fish (Through The History Books)

Kickstarter has been a boon for all sorts of creators, but there are certain very particular areas that seem to have been bolstered beyond all expectations by the crowdfunding site (the wallet has been "revolutionized" and "reinvented" at least 100 times in the last year, apparently). One of these areas is playing cards, which have a large collector community and serve as a cool way for artists to get their work out there. This extremely beautiful deck is based on the paintings of the old masters, but digitally repainted in exceptional detail (and considerable style) from scratch.

Okay, But How About Something New?

Well, it can't all be nostalgia, so here's a pointer to a project to create something that definitely didn't exist in the past: a personal indicator light that tells you whenever the ISS is overhead. Mostly pointless, perhaps, but cool, because hey, we have a space station!

Dishonorable Mention / Schadenfreude Moment

Here's something I really wish would stay in the past: a belief in ghosts. This guy wants $120,000 to produce a documentary about how ghosts are, you know, real and stuff. With science. And lazers. He promises to reveal "the truth that nobody knows about all the TV Ghost Hunting shows" which presumably is that they are fake but he is, like, totally genuine. If you pledge $1000, you'll even get one of their "devices for capturing human soul" which sounds like a good deal, actually. Just don't cross the streams.

It heartens me to see that he has only raised $5.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, camera obscura, design, ghost, nostalgia

Awesome Stuff: Hacking Your Car, Part II

from the obd-it dept

• First up, we've got the OBDLink MX WiFi. These guys keep insisting their offering is better than everyone else's, especially on speed (they claim it's 4x faster than any other competitor) though it seems like you have to trust them that it's true. It uses WiFi, which isn't as common (many, though not all, competitors use bluetooth) and it certainly looks like they've put a lot of thought into making it just work, but it really does seem a bit difficult to distinguish from the competition. Of all the projects listed here today, these guys have (by far) the most traction, already raising over $170,000, well past their $35,000 goal, and they still have nearly a month left on the project. Having seen so many of these devices out there, they tend to gravitate around $100-$150, and the OBDLink guys have made sure that they have a ton of early bird offerings, including some that were as low as $49, though they're all sold out. There are still some $79 ones left, and after that the price jumps to $119.
• Next up, we've got Freematics, which plays up the fact that it's based on Arduino and the goal is to be as open source and flexible as possible on the hardware side. This one definitely seems designed more for those who would be a lot more interested in hacking their own OBD setup. By using Arduino and some built in sensors (accelerometer and gyro) there are definitely more opportunities to do different kinds of things with the Freematics device, though it's arguable how useful those things really are. Still, for someone who wants to dig a little deeper, it's an interesting option. This project is still way below it's $50,000 goal, hovering around $17,000 with about a month to go. It still might make it, but it's going to take a lot of effort. There are a range of prices depending on what hardware you're getting, so it's pretty customizable both for features and budget. However, loading it up with everything, definitely can be a lot pricier than most of the competition. While the basic versions run closer to $100, if you want to include GPS, microSD and various development kids, it goes all the way up to well over $300.
• Next up, we've got the Clickdrive. The marketing around this one is basically all about the apps and the "app market" it will have -- but that still seems to be very much in development, which makes it a tougher sell. Others advertise a variety of apps (including the OBDLink above), but for Clickdrive that seems to be the central selling point, whereas others don't promote their apps as much. The "current" apps really look like the same basic apps pretty much everyone else offers, so focusing so heavily on the apps seems a little strange. They are also promoting it as open platform for others to develop apps, but there's a chicken and egg problem there if no one's using the devices... These guys are asking for $100,000, which is a pretty high target, and they're only around 10% of that with a little over a month to go. And even though this is on Indiegogo, they chose the option to only get the funds if it hits the target, meaning this one has a decent chance of not getting funded. Of course, the fact that the Clickdrive appears to be a lot more expensive than OBD offerings already on the market, and the software isn't as developed, seems like a tough sell. The "earlybird" is $249 and they claim retail will be $359. But that's tough to square with the OBDLink one above being less than half the price with what appear to be more developed apps, or things like Automatic Link which is already on the market for $99.
• Finally, there's the Truvolo, which, again, looks an awful lot like many of the other offerings, making it difficult to find anything that stands out as particularly different. About the only "difference" they highlight is that they have a cloud solution that comes with it to store and sync data -- but we've seen that before with the Fuse project from last year as well -- and like the Fuse, Truvolo is looking to sell premium services at a monthly fee that utilize the cloud. Most of the other devices in the market promote their lack of monthly fees. If the cloud services are worth it, it could be interesting, but Truvolo even admits that they're still figuring those out. These guys are also looking for $100,000, and are only at about 30% with a little over two weeks to go. That means it's unlikely it will get funded, and again, Truvolo only gets the money if it hits the target. Unlike the Clickdrive above, however, at least these guys are more in line with the competition on pricing, offering early birds for $89 and setting the regular price at $99.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, cars, data, hacking cars, obd

Awesome Stuff: Toys

from the go-play dept

• First up, is STRAWBEES, a simple connector system for straws or cardboard. There are tons of toys out there that let kids build things, but this is a neat, simple set of connector pieces that let you take ordinary straws or pieces of cardboard and build whatever you want with them. The fact that they have a Wes Anderson-like video doesn't hurt either. These guys are already well past their $20,000 goal already shooting past $50,000 with two and a half weeks to go. There are a bunch of different price points, so people can opt in at whatever level they want. They even have an "infinite kit" in which they give you the tool to make your own pieces, so you will never run out, no matter how many you need. Kind of a neat idea on its own.
• Next up, we've got Snaak, a funky "3D puzzle and shape maker tool." It's actually 64 cubes connected together that you can move around to form all different kinds of things. You can see how it works via the video, though I have to say it's one of the most annoying Kickstarter videos I've ever seen. We get it. The product is called Snaak -- you don't need to start every sentence by repeating the name. Also, I'm always at least a little wary of projects that highlight the fact that they're "patent pending." That has no impact at all on whether or not your product is good or useful. Your patent does nothing for me, other than make me wonder if you're going to become a patent troll at some point. There's just a few days left on this project, and it's already more than doubled its $20,000 goal, so this will definitely get funded.
• Finally, we've got Modarri Cars, which are some pretty cool toy cars, which tries to combine a few key features: cars that kids (of all ages) can really play with, with real suspensions, but which are also modular, allowing people to take them apart and change them around. My own kid loves to play with toy cars, and these are definitely a lot more advanced and look like a lot more fun than your standard toy cars. One side note: towards the end, the COO of the company claims they went to Kickstarter to get people to "invest" in the company. That's not a particularly wise thing to say, since investing means something very different than what's happening on Kickstarter (you're effectively donating/pre-buying) and there are some pretty serious laws that can get you in real trouble with the SEC if you offer to let people "invest" in your company without going through the official process (especially when what happens isn't really an investment). Clearly, he doesn't really mean invest, but I'm surprised anyone would allow that video to go out into the world like that. Just like the other two projects discussed today, these guys are seeking $20,000 (this is actually their second attempt, after a failed first attempt where they sought $80,000) and they're already well over that amount, pushing $40,000 with still nearly a month to go.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, modarri, snaak, strawbees, toys

Awesome Stuff: Nixie Tube And Oscilloscope Clocks

from the retro-steam-punk dept

• First up, we've got Blub, which is a pretty standard Nixie tube clock, but with some modern styling to the base. Not just a clock, it can also display the date and the temperature, and has a few nice features, like an alarm clock and a night time shut off. These suckers are not cheap, running between $369 and $399 Australian (~$321 to $348 US), but they seem to be selling well enough (the special limited edition black one (which does look the nicest) has already sold out. Either way, the Blub is well past its $5,000 goal, and is already well over $20,000 with three weeks to go on the campaign.
• Nixie tubes scream out retro, so of course there would be a Steampunk Nixie Tube Clock, with some astounding steampunk designs from Kyle Miller, someone who has a long history of designing amazing Steampunk pieces, though traditionally just doing custom pieces. This is his first attempt to create a line of steampunk offerings. Something like this requires a fair bit of work to make each one, so it's no surprise that they cost a bit more, running $599 Canadian (about $540 US). The project only has 10 backers so far, raising about $3,500 of the $6,000 goal, but there's nearly a month left in the project, making it likely it will hit the target (and then some).
• Okay, so that last one involved someone doing an elaborate design for you. But what if you're more the DIY kind of person? Well, then there's the Smart Nixie Tube offering, which is an expandable Nixie tube display module, with built-in Arduino Uno compatible hardware, allowing you to basically build whatever you want with Nixie tubes fairly easily. You can build your own clock, or whatever else you might want to display. The pricing here depends on how many digits you want, and if you want it assembled. But, for the most part, it's $100 per digit assembled, but for $50, you can get the basic device sans Nixie tube, or $60, you can get it with a Nixie tube that you'll need to solder into place. Looking over the current backers, it seems that $60 self-assembly model is the one that's selling. This project is right near its target of $5,000 (by the time you read this it'll probably be over it) with three and a half weeks to go.
• Finally, this last one isn't a Nixie tube clock, but rather an oscilloscope clock kit that certainly fits right in to the general feeling of the Nixie clocks. The video presentation is pretty terrible, unfortunately. Given how many examples there are of good Kickstarter videos, I'm always amazed at projects who don't seem to put any effort at all (this video is just someone just doing a video moving around the clock, with no voiceover or explanation). This one ranges in price from $145 to $345, depending on how much of the assembly you're willing to do yourself. Of course, there's only a few days left on the project, and it's sitting at only about a third of its $10,975 target, meaning it's unlikely to get funded. There may be many reasons for that, but, again, not putting any effort into making a compelling a video can't help. Too bad, as it looks like a cool project.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, crowdfunding, nixie tube clocks, nixie tubes, oscilloscope clock

Awesome Stuff: Sometimes It's The Simple Stuff

from the perhaps-too-simple dept

• 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.

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

Awesome Stuff: Getting Around On One Or Two Wheels And An Electric Motor

from the not-quite-a-hoverboard dept

• First up, we've got The Derringer Electric Bike. Calling it an electric bike seems to undersell the Derringer, which is inspired by classic board track racers, which were more like motorcycles than bikes. Think of this as more like a beautifully designed, stylish moped. Of course, with beauty and style (and effectiveness) comes a hefty price tag. There's a non-motorized one that runs $1,800, and then the actual electric bikes run between $3,500 and $6,500 depending on the model. At that price, as beautiful as they are, it seems like a tough sell. Indeed, so far it looks like only a single one (a $6,500 model) has been sold, making it quite unlikely that the Derringer will reach its $75,000 goal in about a week and a half.
• If the Derringer isn't your thing, but you still want an electric bike, you might want to check out the Riide, which looks much more like a standard every day bike, but has a fairly powerful electric motor and battery built-in. For an electric bike, it's surprisingly lightweight, and gets speeds up to 20 mph (same as the Derringer above). And, the pitch video includes some poetry. These bikes are also a hell of a lot cheaper than the Derringer, coming in at $1,799. And while only 28 have been sold at the time I'm writing this it's already enough for the Riide to have surpassed its target of $50,000, with still over a month to go.
• Okay, okay. Enough with the bikes. Let's get down to just a single wheel, and something that's a bit further along the awesome spectrum. How about the Onewheel, which is sort of a skateboard-like device with a single giant wheel, electric motor along with gyroscopic and accelerometer sensors in the middle. The folks behind it claim that it was inspired by the hoverboard from Back to the Future, and whether or not that's actually true, it certainly has a unique cool-factor to it. There are also a few comparisons to snowboarding or surfing, but on the pavement, and watching the video you can certainly see the similarities. These devices run between $1200 and $1800 depending on configuration and if you get in on various early bird deals. No matter what, they're just under the target of $100,000 with over two weeks to go, meaning it will almost certainly get funded.

Filed Under: awesome stuff, crowd funding, electric bikes, onewheel, skateboard, wheel, wheels