kickstarter

Unique Lumio lamp disguises itself as a book

There are two meanings for illumination: light and knowledge. As such, a lamp that looks like a book seems apropos -- and Lumio by San Francisco architect and industrial designer Max Gunawan immediately appeals.

When you open its cover, a concertina crafted to resemble the pages acts as a filter for the bright LEDs inside.

It's not just a pretty face, though. Like a book, it's portable, its lithium ion rechargeable with a discreet charging port hidden in the spine. Because it's lit with LEDs, its power consumption is low, lasting up to 8 hours. Neodymium magnets in the cover mean you can stick it to metal surfaces, and the wooden cover is flexible for a variety of configurations. … Read more

'Veronica Mars' movie is fastest-growing Kickstarter film campaign

A "Veronica Mars" movie is nearly a reality, thanks to the Kickstarter campaign's rabid fans.

The TV show's creator, Rob Thomas, with the blessing of Warner Bros., opened a crowdsourcing campaign today and asked for $2 million dollars to shoot a "Veronica Mars" movie. Four-and-a-half hours later, the project hit the $1 million mark, and now it's a few hundred thousand shy of its goal.

It's the fastest-growing film campaign on the crowdsourcing site, and this is the first time a major movie studio has been connected to a Kickstarter project like this. Warner Bros., a studio that normally makes big budget films costing tens of millions of dollars, wasn't going to foot the bill for a lower budget film like "Veronica Mars," based on a canceled TV series focused on a high school girl who is also a private investigator. So, Thomas suggested Kickstarter and Warner Bros. gave him the green light. If the fans would help pay for production, the studio would take care of the costs associated with distributing the movie. … Read more

The 404 1,226: Where the faces don't match the voices (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Bonobos opens stores that don't sell anything.

- The Smithsonian gets Warner Bros. movie props no one else wants.

- Moving Image art fair sells first ever "Vine art" for $200.… Read more

Building a better hand-crank smartphone charger

Most of us live our lives in blissful proximity to power outlets. We can charge up our phones when needed, without worry. But sometimes you're stuck in no-man's land, or you've forgotten your power cable, or you're out camping, or the zombie apocalypse has begun. That's when a gadget like the SOSCharger could come in handy.

The SOSCharger has a 1,500mAh Lithium Polymer battery built into it. You can charge it up through cranking or by plugging it into a standard outlet using the same USB charger cable that came with your phone. That way, it also acts as a battery backup option. You'll only have to crank it if absolutely necessary.… Read more

Lord British seeks $1 million for Shroud of the Avatar

Open your wallets, Ultima fans. Lord British needs cash.

The RPG pioneer and space tourist has a Kickstarter campaign to raise $1 million for an Ultima-style game called Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues and he's well on his way to that goal.

Lord British, whose real name is Richard Garriott, says Shroud will be "a fantasy role-playing game that will focus more on player choices and discovery than on level grinding." … Read more

Kickstarter blockbusters

Over the past few years, Kickstarter has become a force to be reckoned with. Some of the coolest and weirdest gadgets I saw at this year's CES didn't come from big corporations or even small ones -- they came from independent inventors who found funding and encouragement through Kickstarter.

Which isn't to say that every Kickstarter project is a hit. The site is also a graveyard of hackneyed ideas, indie records, and films that no one wants to see. But when a Kickstarter campaign hits the right nerve, it's an exhilarating flip of the supply-and-demand model … Read more

You got game? Prove it with electronic basketball

So you've got the LED-lit Tron basketball court. Now you need an electronic ball.

94Fifty is a sensor-laden ball that's designed to give you feedback on your court athletics. It has wireless links to your iOS or Android smartphone and a Qi charging pad.

Part of a Kickstarter campaign by InfoMotion Sports Technologies, 94Fifty is a regulation-size ball that gathers data on everything from dribbling to shot arcs, backspin, and speed. … Read more

Snowballs undies want to help men (and their sperm) chill out

In journalism, there's a phrase you'll often hear that refers to the paragraph toward the beginning of a story that sums it all up in a nutshell. We call it the "nut graph," and as you're about to read, it's a term that's never been more appropriate than in the case of Joshua Shoemake's current project on Kickstarter.

Shoemake is looking to crowdfund $20,000 for the first production run of Snowballs, a specially designed pair of men's underwear loaded with ice packs that cool down the scrotum and testes in hopes of increasing sperm count and mobility (and ergo, fertility)… Read more

Mind your manners with LinkMe SMS bracelet

You've played that "no phones at dinner" game and lost. You can't bear ignoring your messages. Well, this bit of bling could be your new best friend.

LinkMe is a digital bracelet that displays the messages, Facebook updates, and tweets that you need most.

Billed as a world first on its Kickstarter page, LinkMe will "display the messages and alerts you choose, making your entire social life available to you with just a glance at your wrist." … Read more

Bartendro robot mixologist crafts cocktails with Raspberry Pi

Some tasks are better left up to computers, like playing "Jeopardy," calculating pi, and mixing cocktails. Wait ... mixing cocktails? If you don't think a computer can whip up a compelling cocktail, then you haven't met Bartendro.

A creation of the awesomely named company Party Robotics, Bartendro is a robot mixologist crafted from peristaltic pumps, Raspberry Pi, custom electronic dispenser boards, and food-grade tubing. It may simultaneously be the least-necessary and most-desirable robot in the world.