Octopus Overlords

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Mon Jul 19, 2021 3:59 pm Obscure Chinese firearms history? OK, they got me.

Ah, the gun Jesus book. Yes, it's interesting. No, not $100 bucks interesting, IMHO, but YMMV.

A new ShortBox is coming. These are always an insta-back for me, and I'd recommend them for anyone who likes indie comics.

Is it me or is Kickstarter full of also-runs, like the umpteenth version of tarot cards or regular playing cards?

Finally, an e-scooter for... overweight people? Claimed capacity of 350 lb...

A Bugatti Smartwatch for $1000+ USD? Too rich for my blood...

How about a true retrofit for your deadbolt into a smartlock WITHOUT removing your old deadbolt... for $150 USD?

3D printers are really coming down in price. Here's a pretty darn large hi-temp 3D printer for $229 (SEB/Super Early Bird).

Imagine turning your digital SLR into an automated image robot by adding an app-controlled remote trigger... Price is a bit high at $169 (SEB) but I'd imagine it's VERY useful for people who do time-lapse stuff.

For people who travel a lot, would you consider a luggage alarm? Available in one zipper and 2 zipper versions, they basically mate via magnets. If they are separated, they go off. Works on any handbag, backpack, or such that uses zippers with a place to add a zipper-pull.

So this showed up in the mail today. Apparently my wife backed it a while back.



It's a rowing machine that folds up small, which is good, because we don't have room for a rowing machine. As rowing machines go, it's... fine? I guess? I probably haven't used a rowing machine since I was in college, so I have no basis for comparison. Seems sturdy enough.

If I end up using it on a regular basis I'll post some real impressions, but honestly I am not good about exercising so I probably won't.

I backed a book back in July. Due to material/labor issues, they had to move printing to China. The book includes several maps. Apparently the Chinese government has to approve everything printed there and they didn't approve of the historic maps. So they're printing the book without the maps and shipping with separate folio maps printed in the US since they are able to source one-sided maps here.

Weird stuff.

I like a good multi-use pack, but not at $100 for super earlybird price... even if it can be worn 3 ways...

Same with an emergency windbreaker jacket... it's light as heck, but $200 USD...

If you travel, the Compact Wallet may be worth $62 as it fits passports and more. But as an EDC wallet, it is overpriced.

Who the heck pays $68 for a pocket magnifier?

I saw an interview with Brandon Sanderson where he discussed his motivation in going kickstarter for his latest series. A few key points:

Amazon is getting too greedy. He knows KS is not a viable alternative for many authors, but he wants to send a message that they are not the only game in town.

At one point Amazon refused to sell one of his traditionally published books over some dispute.

He will continue to use Amazon, just not exclusively.

It is a major pain in the ass to distribute books bought through a kickstarter. He had to start another whole business. Kindle distribution is much better.

Here's a viable alternative to Elgato Streamdeck: Loupedeck Live S with buttons and 2 rotating knobs in addition to 15 configurable buttons.

Still working with electronics all day? Would you need this set of almost indestructible pocket reference cards? Codes for resistors, footprints, schematic symbols, measurements, and more...

A proper BT5.2 wireless mic that you can clip to yourself for $99USD, 8 hours battery, 15 meter range, noise reduction...

A "directional audio" BT5.2 wireless headset that claims to be open-ear, yet NOT bone-conduction, and no audio leakage, with detachable heads so it can attach onto helmets as well (helmet mount optional), and comes with for under $100, with claimed 50% more battery life and LIGHTER than current leaders on the market. (optional remote?)

This book was written by a friend of mine, if you like poetry, or spiritual healing, this may be up your ally.

Not cheap, but awfully nice, blankets. I've gotten a couple of fancy books from this company before, as gifts. Love their aesthetics.

The Critical Drinker is taking a break from his scathing criticism of current media to write his own movie:

Want to support my first ever short film? Link to the Kickstarter page for ROGUE ELEMENTS:


Anyway, that's all he's got, go away now.

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 3:56 pm I backed a book back in July [2021]. Due to material/labor issues, they had to move printing to China. The book includes several maps. Apparently the Chinese government has to approve everything printed there and they didn't approve of the historic maps. So they're printing the book without the maps and shipping with separate folio maps printed in the US since they are able to source one-sided maps here.

Weird stuff.

Finally received this on Friday. Beautiful, but man it took a while.

Kraken wrote: ↑Thu Jul 08, 2021 12:31 am

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 6:19 am I don't think I would pay $79 for a hands-free automatic eyeglasses lens cleaner...

I might, if the reviews of the finished product are great. I can't abide smears or dust so I clean my glasses nearly every day with soap and water and a microfiber cloth, or with lens spray and a disposable "Sight Savers" moistened tissue. They already blew away their goal so we'll see what happens with their device.

I backed it. It's failed. No updates since April.

It looks more like a scam than a failure. I've seen a few Kickstarters like that. They have a prototype or something they found somewhere (one was a 3d printed organizer lifted straight from Thingverse), and put it up for crowdfunding, usually on multiple sites at once. Luckily, that was the only one I actually backed, and people figured out what was going on before the end of the project and I was able to back out.

The truly pathetic thing is that 50+ people contacted Kickstarter directly about that one, provided very, very detailed evidence (using stock pictures, stolen assets, fake addresses, fake companies, etc), and Kickstarter... did nothing. The scammers got away with more than $50,000 that Kickstarter was warned that they were in the process of stealing. A few people backed their pledge down to $1 in order to warn other people with regular posts citing what was going on. The scammers were allowed to delete all of those posts to draw in more victims, and even had Kickstarter ban one person for posting them. Yeah, people warned Kickstarter about a scam directed at their customers (with evidence), and the only two actions Kickstarter took in the entire thing was 1) punishing the whistleblowers, and 2) collecting their cut.

Kickstarter started out as a way for independent creators and designers to find a market. They've become yet another company eating people alive under the creed of caveat emptor.

Pinocchio, by Mike Mignola and Lemony Snicket.



It looks amazing, but if I'm being honest with myself, I'm not that into the Pinocchio story.

There were a couple interesting items, but not interesting enough to really get my money. Like... a $70 ruler/pen combo, really? Sure, it folds apart, it's also a screwdriver (why?), it can act as a protractor (meh).

Then there's the "too late" guys, like "wireless charger and a Bluetooth speaker" which already exists.

This EDC Pen is SLIGHTLY more palatable as it has compass, alarm, flashlight, small screwdriver, bottle opener, and a glassbreaker for $29 as super early bird. Though I think it should be more like $20.

Now this keyboard is interesting. And it better be for 350 or more. All the keys are hall effect switches, so other than mechanical wear the switches electrically should last BILLIONS of operations, well beyond the current 100 million ops of mechanical switches. And there's an LCD screen under all the keys (the keys are transparent), which means ALL the keys are software relegendable (i.e. every key can say anything you want, and creating a new look is as easy as creating a proper sized pix and add labels to each key in whatever font you can. And you have templates to create animation for each key. They also have modules that'll let you add large dial and button, 3 smaller dials, 1 large key and 2 small keys, or nothing (display only). For those who want tactile vs linear, you can swap the entire key frame. You can even load animations, add system displays and more. If this works as designed this really is keyboard reinvented.

Vacuum bags are nothing new, but we generally see it as storage bags. So someone made travel vacuum bags in both carryon size and check-in size. So now you really can go carry-on only and carry more than just bare minimum clothes. It also serves as a wetbag for gym or beach, and they can go on a hangar. And the prices are reasonable.

I have tried solid fragrances before, but fragrances don't seem to work on me. I like the idea of an indestructible case, and you just replace the inserts of the solids, but if the only solids are coming from Europe, how much will they cost?

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Sun Mar 26, 2023 1:19 am I have tried solid fragrances before, but fragrances don't seem to work on me.

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Jan 03, 2023 4:38 am A while back I said my hand seems to exude some oil that messes up rubber-type products, and it's affected the rubber ring Logitech put on the mousewheel on my G500s mouse.

When Professor X finds out your mutant powers:

A combination webcam / book scanner with a built-in arm capable of 12 megapixel still, 4K webcam at 60 fps, auto-flatten bulging books as a 330 dpi scanner. $149 is actually is not a bad price.

This looks fun: a collection of cuttings from old newspapers.

Someone is relaunching the "Whitefox" keyboard, a classic that went out of stock a long time ago, as the "Whitefox Eclipse". I like the idea, but I don't have $110 bucks lying around and I want function keys.

Someone is reinventing the monitor-top (or TV top) shelf with two very sensical (and simple) additions: a lip, so nothing falls off easily, and holes, for cables to run through. It's just called... shelf. I think it should be priced more like $15, but $19 is not too bad. I'd imagine I see it on Temu for $10 pretty soon.

Finally, someone is reinventing the portable "camping" chair called the Campster 2. They claim 300 pound capacity, but packs up to size of a large bottle of water and weighs only 3.23 lbs. Pretty decent at $69 early bird.

Programmable macropads are all the rage, esp those with rotary encoders (i.e. rotating knobs) and here's one on Kickstarter called Samicon MKPro for $59, with 3 knobs, 11 buttons, both wired and Bluetooth connection, RGB. It can be used for... anything! Price is not bad at $59 + $10 delivery to US. Expected delivery is October 2023. I'm backing this one, even though I have a couple similar items I've.. .shelved.

There's a larger version with 5 knobs and like 20 buttons called DaptKey, but it wants like $189 for super-early bird. Sure, individual buttons have tiny OLED screens, the switches behind each button is replaceable, but $200 for "not a keyboard" is still a bit stiff, when there are proven things on the market like StreamDeck plus (8 buttons with bajillion layers and 4 knobs)

Interesting new exercise toy... a sliding exerciser, basically a smooth pad so you slide side to side (you wear shoe with slightly slippery shoe cover) and there are sensors in the pad and supposedly, apps to guide your exercise. It can be used for simulated skiing and other exercises. The only problem I have is the price... The slide board comes in 3 sizes, S, M, and L (implied children, female, male) and the L version is $139, and that's super early bird price.

LoopIt is simple, multipurpose straps you can use to tie things to other things. Link them to extend them, and they're elastic. Tie something to your backpack strap like glasses, jacket, even a water bottle. Tie your bag strap to the table to prevent someone just taking off with your bag. Tie your tablet to your books and whatnot. IMHO the price is a little stiff for a 5-pack, but it's versatile enough I'm backing it.

Chorda is one of those new hybrid instruments that is a cross between a piano keyboard and a guitar-type string instrument... with no strings. 12 capacitive keys layout out with a bridge allow you play it as a very narrow piano if you play it flat, or pick it up and play and strut it like a ukulele or guitar. And it's also a full MIDI controller, so with sampled sounds and synthesizer, and layering, you can make some very interesting music with it. But at $199 for SEB, it's still a lot to pay, though it seems to do quite a bit more than something like Jamstik Guitar Trainer (which is $150 by itself)

MetaKeys wants to sell you a TKL metal chassis mechanical keyboard, but with TTC switches, not the famous cherry, gateron, or custom switches, for somewhat premium prices at $150 (plus how much shipping?) The knob is actually a mode switch, not a rotary encoder.

I understand fancy metal wallets was appealing, but one piece of metal with a rubber band and they want 65 on Kickstarter? Really?

Ecobound Wallet claims to be a modular wallet and it has a good premise: a bifold with two snap-button sets inside and outside, with 3 optional modules: card holder, coin holder, or IDholder+card holder. However, while the price is reasonable ($28USD for base, $62 for fullset), shipping is more than 50% of the price(!!) to the US!

SpeedyBox theM2 drive external enclosure turns any M2 "stick-type" SSD into an external drive with both USB and TypeC connectors that can be plugged into any computing device, from digital camera to phones and tablets to laptops and desktops... but at $40 without the actual SSD, it's a bit on the expensive side, IMHO.

Vault 2.0 is a very simple concept. 3 bag sizes, each with room for "boards", basically elastic or other organizer panels, so you can customize each to ANY needs. The small, known as MiniLite goes for $21 USD, is 15x10x3.5 cm, and has two velcro attached boards with different pockets and elastic holders. This is your typical waist-size pack. The medium, called FlexPro, goes for $50 USD, is 24x19x8 cm, with hooks and carry handle that can turn it into shoulder bag or backpack, AND has front laser-cut MOLLE-style cutouts so it can be hooked externally to MOLLE harnesses and such. Inside comes with 3 boards with pockets and elastic holders, with a "mapcase" type board, with optional grid-it type 2-way elastic board and board with wider elastic for more flexibility for larger tools. Finally, the big daddy, the Maxhaul goes for $88 USD, which measures 35x15x25, but the middle is expandable (with a zipper that you can unzip for max size) and can accomodate 4 organizer boards, with optional mapboard and folding tray. The boards have velcro tags and can be hung on pegboards for rapid kitting.

The problem basically is, the shipping, as even the mini costs 10-12 USD to ship to the US. The big ones can cost $20+ to ship to the US. Does that flexibility warrant he cost?

This is technically Indiegogo, not Kickstarter, but I'll lump them in here.

LeMat 2.0 is WAY overpriced for what it does. It's basically a USB hub, a light, desk organizer, some magnets, a large mousepad, a wireless charger, and an NFC tag combined into one unit. Separately, they are, let's see, $10, + $10 + $10 + $10, $10 + novelty surcharge, maybe $60 for a large one, but they want $100 Yikes. I can make something like this with what's on my desk, plus some magnets from Temu for a lot less.

Speaking of which... I received one of the Kickstarter items, the Characorder X. This is a keyboard passthrough that turns any regular USB keyboard into a chorded keyboard. I'm still learning the intricacies of it, but they promise vastly improved input speed, not just making you type faster, by through use of chorded input, improve your typing speed multi-fold. One thing I noticed... It does NOT want you to type slowly. Wish there's a way to turn it off when you just want to hunt and peck.

I looked at their KS page and I still don't get it.
Can you dumb it down for me and explain what it does?

You, too, can be a court reporter.

Punisher wrote: ↑Tue Aug 15, 2023 6:17 pm I looked at their KS page and I still don't get it.
Can you dumb it down for me and explain what it does?

Isgrimnur is basically correct. you can map words to 3 letter combos, so you end up typing things much much faster.

This is not quite the normal chording. It's basically mapping 3 keys typed quickly as sort of a substitution macro. Have you used stuff like PhraseExpress that when you type something like !adr it expands that into your full address? Now imagine mapping lots of combos for that, and remembering them, so you can type much faster.

It sounds like that would be something better handled via software.

If it's a unique system and you spend the time learning it, what happens when your passthrough dies and the company isn't around anymore?

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Fri Aug 18, 2023 10:21 pm

Punisher wrote: ↑Tue Aug 15, 2023 6:17 pm I looked at their KS page and I still don't get it.
Can you dumb it down for me and explain what it does?

Isgrimnur is basically correct. you can map words to 3 letter combos, so you end up typing things much much faster.

This is not quite the normal chording. It's basically mapping 3 keys typed quickly as sort of a substitution macro. Have you used stuff like PhraseExpress that when you type something like !adr it expands that into your full address? Now imagine mapping lots of combos for that, and remembering them, so you can type much faster.

Ok. I think I understand now.
Definitely not for me as my memory is shot and no way I'm basically learning a new language.

The Mihogo Mini ebike claims to be foldable, capable of holding 440 lb, weighs ONLY 42 lb, has 100km range, 350W motor, IP65 water resistance, disc brakes, up to 22 mph, for $450 USD.

But Electrek's ebike guy call it "bad idea"

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 12:27 pm The Mihogo Mini ebike claims to be foldable, capable of holding 440 lb, weighs ONLY 42 lb, has 100km range, 350W motor, IP65 water resistance, disc brakes, up to 22 mph, for $450 USD.

But Electrek's ebike guy call it "bad idea"

I believe he is referring to loading it up with 440 pounds and not the bike, itself. He's already bought a cheaper Xiaomi bike. I don't think he's saying backing the bike, itself, is a bad idea.

EvilHomer3k wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 1:02 pm

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 12:27 pm The Mihogo Mini ebike claims to be foldable, capable of holding 440 lb, weighs ONLY 42 lb, has 100km range, 350W motor, IP65 water resistance, disc brakes, up to 22 mph, for $450 USD.

But Electrek's ebike guy call it "bad idea"

I believe he is referring to loading it up with 440 pounds and not the bike, itself. He's already bought a cheaper Xiaomi bike. I don't think he's saying backing the bike, itself, is a bad idea.

You might want to read further down the article. He does say that. Pretty clearly.

Just kidding. Please don’t buy this bike. Seriously. If you’re reading this and you’re like, “Hmmm, I have a spare $397 burning a hole in my pocket…” then please put your phone down, splash some water on your face, and go for a walk outside. I don’t want anyone reading this right now to do what I’m doing here. It’s not a good idea. I’m not even linking to the page. I can’t stop you from finding it on your own, but I’m not going to make it any easier for someone to risk their money.

Granted, he is saying to avoid backing it because Indiegogo is itself risky, not necessarily because he thinks this particular company is shady.

To be fair, yes, he did call it risky, as a lot of the claims are a bit... weird. Namely...

• The 440 lb claim was based on a computer analysis prediction
• It supposedly has a German certification that shouldn't be possible for an eBike
• The price includes free shipping(?!)

Punisher wrote: ↑Sat Aug 19, 2023 1:03 pm Definitely not for me as my memory is shot and no way I'm basically learning a new language.

It does take a bit of getting used to, as generally, in typing, the idea is NOT to hit keys together.

But imagine learning chorded combo, like instead if typing b-e-c-a-u-s-e, you hit b and c together, then release together. And the keyboard suddenly typed "because" for you.

Also, it is intelligent enough to know if you jam t-h-e together, you want "the", even if there is just slight order hiccup. Like if you hit "e-t-h" together, it will guess you're actually typing "the".

if you hit it like three times in a row, and the first two are messed up, it can guess you hit it wrong and will go back and correct it for you.

Some of those chords are almost impossible, like I+M+P for important. Maybe I can impulse map them to LEFTSHIFT+I+M?

It's NOT simple to learn, that's for sure, but there's enough potential here that it may be worth learning.

CopGain H3, a better Streamdeck than.. Stream Deck. 12 buttons... on a single 3.5" touchscreen, instead of 15 little screens like the Elgato version. It can be posed with a built-in stand, it claims to have third-party plug-in support, and it's also a basically USB-C dock that connects SD card, type C port, power deliver port, HDMI, Ethernet, AND 2 x USB3 ports. all ly a docking station. Super early bird is gone, but the current Early bird price is $100 is "not bad", but do we REALLY want to support no-name vendor when we can get Elgato's name brand for not that much more?

Wokpad is cute, but would you really pay for this... It's a voice recorder, sdCard adapter/mp3 player, a laser pointer, a flash light, a touchpad/presenter mouse (BT). You're probably wondering, don't I have most of that in my phone already? Still, $39 ain't bad.

The Clarii Mini looks very interesting... It's basically a digital clarinet. but $199?

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Fri Aug 25, 2023 12:11 am CopGain H3, a better Streamdeck than.. Stream Deck. 12 buttons... on a single 3.5" touchscreen, instead of 15 little screens like the Elgato version. It can be posed with a built-in stand, it claims to have third-party plug-in support, and it's also a basically USB-C dock that connects SD card, type C port, power deliver port, HDMI, Ethernet, AND 2 x USB3 ports. all ly a docking station. Super early bird is gone, but the current Early bird price is $100 is "not bad", but do we REALLY want to support no-name vendor when we can get Elgato's name brand for not that much more?

Not to mention the wide adoption, resulting in tons of third-party utilities to go with it.