6 Over-Funded Kickstarters That Should Have Failed

Encaen

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6 Over-Funded Kickstarters That Should Have Failed

Then again, some folks'll.

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Gutsripper

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"6 Over-Funded Kickstarters That Should Have Failed"

First thing that sprung to mind was "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games by Anita Sarkeesian" she asked for $6,000 and got $150,000 or something.
Not that I'm against her point or feminism but asking $6,000 for a series of Youtube vids is just ridiculous and she's barely made those even.
 

SnowyGamester

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Oct 18, 2009
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I'm not saying that screen protector is genius, but that screen protector is totally genius. Now there's a fix for one of the problems I have with the iPhone. It doesn't fix all the other problems but I imagine it would be useful for the people stuck in that ecosystem so little surprise that funded.

The rest would all have their uses but the Bodibelt does seem redundant.
 

moose7

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The head phone one seems useful since it will allow you to talk to co workers with out taking off your headphones.

My USB hub has an off switch of each connection and it is very useful. Some computer peripherals done work well together like controllers. Being able to discontent one controller will using the other without unplugging it is great.
 

The Enquirer

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moose7 said:
The head phone one seems useful since it will allow you to talk to co workers with out taking off your headphones.

My USB hub has an off switch of each connection and it is very useful. Some computer peripherals done work well together like controllers. Being able to discontent one controller will using the other without unplugging it is great.
Not only that but open ear and closed ear headphones (noise cancelling ones) have different sounds. It actually doesn't seem like a completely terrible idea. It'll certainly have a niche market among serious audiophiles, but a use nonetheless to many others. Especially for people like runners who may want to listen to music but need to be aware of their surroundings.

I really ought to make a kickstarter with some ridiculous ideas or something and just see what sticks.
 

Scow2

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Aug 3, 2009
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A screen protector that provides a decent QoL improvement to cover an engineering shortcoming.

Headphones that allow you to listen to music/audio while still maintaining situational aural awareness of the world around you. I'm tempted to get these, but I'm also looking at bone vibration headphones to serve the same purpose.

Socks that prevent stinky feet, reduce chances of foot infections, and comes with amusing marketing.

Something to assist with maintaining healthy posture. I think it's a gateway to better augmented reality innovations.

The convenience of unplugging a device to save power/lifespan without the inconvenience of having cords end up scattered.

And the sweat band thing looks like it's actually damn useful. Conventional undershirts add another heat-trapping layer of air and cloth under a normal shirt - the absolute WORST thing you want when going through a strenuous workout or working in high-temperature environments.
 

Hero in a half shell

It's not easy being green
Dec 30, 2009
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Good old socks. A man can never have enough socks, and if he does, then half an hour with some glue and googly eyes and he's right back to having a sensible number of socks, and some dashingly handsome sock puppets.

Win win as far as I'm concerned!
 

AzrealMaximillion

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Gutsripper said:
"6 Over-Funded Kickstarters That Should Have Failed"

First thing that sprung to mind was "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games by Anita Sarkeesian" she asked for $6,000 and got $150,000 or something.
Not that I'm against her point or feminism but asking $6,000 for a series of Youtube vids is just ridiculous and she's barely made those even.
Technically it did fail as the series still isn't complete.
 

loa

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Wow, that's mean-spirited for no reason.
Nice article. Keep going and run this site into the ground.
 

THM

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Gutsripper said:
First thing that sprung to mind was "Tropes vs. Women in Video Games by Anita Sarkeesian" she asked for $6,000 and got $150,000 or something.
Huh; only the third response. I guess people are starting to forget her now that she's sca- er, I mean fundraising for something not related to games. :) (Maybe if we keep at it, she'll get forgotten entirely.)


OT: I have to admit, I'm surprised myself that the potato salad didn't make the list. Wasn't there something about a burrito as well?
 

Solbasa

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May 3, 2014
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This article seems needlessly mean and poorly researched, like you just vaguely skimmed the Kickstarter pages rather than actually reading them thoroughly. Lots of reductio ad absurdum (oversimplifying and rewording someone's argument with the intent to make it appear ridiculous) going on here. It's almost like 15 minutes isn't enough time to get a full sense for the content and value of 6 different Kickstarter campaigns. What a shock! Even as a throwaway joke article, there are surely better ideas you could've come up with than mocking some actually decent-looking projects.

The first one seems like it fixes something that the iPhone is severely lacking, and one of the biggest things I like about Android phones over the iPhone. Adding a dedicated "back" button adds an extra element of user-friendliness to the device, and at the very least can't be a bad thing.

I actually quite like the idea of the headphones. They seem to address the main problem with using headphones - that is the way they compromise your situational awareness - while at the same time fixing a secondary problem I have as a glasses-wearer of my ears getting squished against the arms, meaning it can be kind of painful for me to wear headphones for extended periods of time. By having a wider point of contact with the user's head and going over the ears, these headphones look like they'll help with that too. As for people around you being able to hear what you're listening to, they posted a video addressing that concern. If it's accurate, it seems like (at least from the front) the noise leakage will be comparable to conventional headphones. The demonstration they posted wasn't exactly exhaustive, but it looks like that won't be an issue.

Those socks look like a nice idea. Seems like they'll prevent your feet from smelling bad after a day of wearing shoes, which would be nice. Cute marketing, too.

The back thing isn't a bad idea. Bad posture is unhealthy and can lead to back problems, and as someone with bad posture myself, I can see how it could be helpful.

There are probably uses for the USB on/off switch. None come immediately to my mind, but I can imagine how other people could find some for it. Considering it's only about $5, it's not bad.

I don't have any particular use for the sweatband thing either. I don't work out or spend time in high-temperature environments, so it doesn't appeal to me personally, plus I don't sweat as much as most people. However, for people who do, and for whom sweat under their clothes can be a common problem, I can see this being more appealing than an undershirt, which would trap the heat and ultimately make your problems worse, this would absorb it without the added layer of an undershirt. Again, not useful to me personally, but I can see the value in it.
 

Rack

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There are also some classic inventions that seem similarly over popular.

A walking stick. So what if for some reason I'm too lazy to use my legs to walk around I'm supposed to use an arm? What kind of sense does that make?

Kettle. A device that boils water? Hadn't the inventor ever heard of a pan?

Windows. Oh I know, instead of leaving a hole in my house to let light in I'll add a sheet of glass for the exact same effect only now I have to wash it?

Central heating. Something to make my house hotter when I go through whatever arcane nonsense needed to make it work? My house is already way too hot, what's the point of it?