Crowd funding — some successes — some failures — some fraud

Credit: Smarty Ring/IndieGoGo

Crowd funding has had some spectacular sucesses, but it has a darker side too.

A device called Smarty Ring, for which funding ended in December 2013, was still attracting vitriolic comments from unhappy backers on IndieGoGo, just days ago:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/smarty-ring--3/x/9010251#/story

Reddit too:
https://www.reddit.com/r/smartyscam/comments/3fu76v/the_smarty_ring_scam/

Well, if you had the good fortune to miss out on throwing your money away on that thing, you may also have missed out again on an essentially identical campaign which ended in March 2014. Nothing appears to have changed, including the promises, & the IndieGoGo page address differs by only one character. Only good news: less than half as much funding raised the second time:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/smarty-ring--4/x/9010251#/story

What can we learn from this?

1. When you back a crowd-funded project on Kickstarter, IndieGoGo or anywhere else, you are not purchasing a product. Typically, you are funding its development &/or production. This is why you are referred to as a "backer", or "supporter", & anything you receive for your "support" is called a "perk", or a "reward", rather than a "purchase".

2. Any rights you would normally have as a consumer purchasing a product online are probably not applicable.

3. Even if consumer rights, or other means of legal recourse, are applicable where you live, they may not be applicable, or practical to enforce, if the project creator lives in another country.

4. Projects which have gone bad have caused crowd funding sites to recognise that they are not able to guarantee the safety of supporter's funds & any undertakings they may have given in the past have been removed from their websites.

5. When you back a crowd funded project you are taking a gamble on the honesty & competence of the project creator. Although there have been some spectacular successes, such as the Pebble smart watches, there have also been a range off lesser successes down to non-delivery of product.

How can you protect yourself?

1. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.

2. If you are interested in a project, check for:
● similar products on group funding sites — sometimes a failed project will re-appear on a different crowd-funder, or even the same one, with, or without, a name change — plus some projects have many competitors, some of which may suit you better — just check the number of wallets & watches
● other projects by the same project creator — were they successful?
● projects which are identical down to name, branding, & project description as in the Smarty Ring projects
● reviews of a prototype on recognized tech websites

3. Don't allow yourself be influenced by, "it will be $x more expensive after the project ends". Much better to pay 10% more for a product after all of the bugs have been worked out & it enters conventional production, than to lose 100% of a contribution as a backer. / crowdfunding finance crowd funding crowdfunding research development design designer develop engineer engineering fraud scam con lie lies scamming funding campaign Kobe Red Japanese beer fed jerky creator creator’s names sloppy sideshow generic stock images photos footage project founders didn’t sound right sounded weird fraud scam criminal /

Tesla’s robotic metal snake charger

Tesla has been looking at automating the charging process.



This has been in devlopment for some time. Ultimate aim is to have the Model S drop the driver at the door, park itself in the garage & then be plugged in & charged automatically.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/31/7474057/elon-musk-says-tesla-automatic-car-charger-solid-metal-snake

Others are looking at standard industrial robots.

http://hhg2tech.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/faster-charging-for-electric-vehicles.html

Which one would fit in your garage? / charge recharge LiIon lithium ion range performance Tesla Model S Elon Musk Tesla automatic charger moves like a solid metal snake Elon Musk is from the future possibly not from this planet tweeted Tesla working on automatic charging system extend from the wall connect plug in Model S like a solid metal snake work with all existing Model S vehicles designed Supercharging Supercharger station home use P85D Model S automatic electrically actuated charger port door drop its driver off automatically park itself garage automatic door part of a self-charging systemsolid metal snake automatic doors battery swaps launch /

Going off the grid — a case study

Solar collection includes 4kW of ground mounted panels, optimised for winter sun, at a slope of 45 degrees
Credit: Dr Gordon Weiss, Principal Consultant with Energetics/One Step Off The Grid

Recently on these pages I discussed some of the issues to be considered when contemplating reduced dependence on the grid, or, (a little tongue-in-cheek) going off-grid altogether.

When Dr Gordon Weiss was considering utility connection for his weekender, with grid connection priced around $270,000-$300,000, going off grid became very attractive. “That’s a lot of solar panels & batteries!” As suggested in my previous article, a fossil fueled generator (5 kVa diesel) was required to cope with extended cloudy weather.

http://onestepoffthegrid.com.au/despite-the-tesla-hype-going-off-grid-is-not-that-simple/ / Dr Gordon Weiss Principal Consultant Energetics carbon and energy management large energy users manage carbon emissions energy costs designed built off-grid system home beautiful Blue Mountains techs technology specs specifications his system Tesla PowerWall energy storage low cost batteries advantage householders widespread defection from the electricity grid building a weekender home Megalong Valley Blue Mountains, NSW property sub-divided farmland no grid connection water phone sewerage connection construct modern house utilities supply power occupied local network service provider 2 km HV power line local 25 kVa substation cost of around $300,000 solar panels batteries designing off-grid solar power supply off-grid solar PV supply photovoltaic photo voltaic typical daily electricity consumption typical consumption overnight size of both the solar panels battery capacity peak power demand of the house inverters batteries sufficiently large instantaneous peak demand expected weather patterns cloudiness trade-off between battery size likely use backup generator top up batteries graph average daily solar exposure sunlight sun light insolation Little Hartley closest weather station periods cloud cover reduced the solar exposure several days much lower solar exposure winter compared to summer placing the solar panels horizontal angle to the latitude maximise the power generated over the course of a year system design solar PV system 3kW panels roof slope of 11 degrees 4kW ground mounted panels slope of 45 degrees orientated due north purpose ground mounted panels catch maximum winter sun modelling demand house average demand during the year 15 kWh average Australian house design included extensive LED lighting no air conditioning no electrically powered space heating LEDs additional hours of darkness in winter average power demand time of year 20% greater than the summer demand performance of the system in winter inverters batteries diesel generator other elements our system Kaco Powador grid invertors Selectronic SP PRO inverter-charger 32 kWh battery storage batteries are gel-acid depth of discharge battery service life effective storage capacity 20 kWh extended cloudy days backup 5 kVa diesel generator size solar panel array capacity batteries was determined using HOMER free former US Department of Energy program optimising off-grid systems design likely hourly power demand hourly solar exposure cost system including cost of fuel perform four month period maximum instantaneous power demand 12 kW in-rush current of an electric motor other household appliances electric kettles highlight importance correctly sizing the system undersized system shut-down power demand was too high graph operation of the solar PV system several important features system design batteries fully charged state of charge equals 100% output solar panels constrained just meets the load evening peak partially discharge the batteries overnight load refrigerators aerator waste treatment system morning peak before there is any output from the solar panels significant daytime load solar panels fully recharge batteries mid-afternoon challenge of cloudy days data challenges off-grid when Sun is not shining household load greater overnight batteries just over 40% charged morning load rose system inverter-charger shut down the load protect the batteries diesel generator raise the state of charge batteries external supply graph generator tested test-run generator cloudiness recharge the batteries night time impact of cloudy days occupied unoccupied reduced power demand solar panels fully recharge batteries very cloudy days solar panels some output total generation cloudy days instantaneous outputs recharging sunny days batteries charged cloudy period 2 kW spikes small hot water heater maintain water temperature panels recharge batteries cloudy days more panels installed better the system can deal morning power demand reduces probability generator will be required trade-off size panels storage capacity experience going off-grid conclusions understand daily seasonal power demand properly size the system smaller demand solar array batteries capacity average daily demand house adequate except very cloudy days solar panels run house recharge batteries larger array morning power demand alternative spending $270,000 grid connection watching the system in action comes out on paper go off-grid install as many batteries as they can afford minimise use back-up generator /

Best Android camera apps — 2015

Credit: Android Central

In most cases, the camera app supplied with your phone will be completely adequate for your photographic needs. On the other hand, there are many other camera apps available which add a range of features, including panorama, a range of filters & effects, the ability to set ISO, & exposure compensation.

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Best-Android-camera-apps-camera-replacement-2015-edition_id41120#6rKlRoLMZuOqI7wr.99

http://www.androidcentral.com/best-photography-apps-android

http://www.androidauthority.com/best-camera-apps-for-android-188148/ / Camu Google Camera Camera Zoom FX IgCameraPro Camera FV-5 Perfectly Clear ProCapture Camera Awesome Vignette Google Photos Instagram VSCO Cam Camera 2 Snapseed Pixlr Camera MX Camera360 Ultimate Camera Fun Pro Camera JB+ Cymera DSLR Camera Pro GIF Camera HD Camera Ultra Line Camera Open Camera Otaku Camera Paper Camera Snap Camera HD amateur photography taking photos iPhone camera stock camera apps access to exclusive features phone HTC Zoe Samsung’s Drama Shot little different unique take a look at the best camera apps Android our list of best camera apps Android Camera MX feature set professional hobbyist sharing pictures via Google+ Instagram Camera MX best camera apps Android Camera Zoom FX filters effects applying pre-made filters effects choose multiple effects create their own filter pre-made highly functional popular. in app purchases among the most popular camera apps Android one of the best go-to camera replacement app Camera360 Ultimate packed full of features updated it recently more settings better camera experience all the standard features filters and effects niche market filters available fun theme more serious artistic filters effects taking the picture adding the effects got the shot take the picture professional filters fun pictures popular camera AOSP Jelly Bean camera three camera modes regular shot video capture panorama mode lightweight image editor built in minor adjustments images stock Android camera recommend KitKat Camera KK app free in app purchases camera apps for Android popular downloads Cymera most popular camera apps camera apps focuses faces standard features filters effects editing face shots set of features and filters camera application software DSLR camera change ISO exposure compensation white balance grids gama contrast HDR high dynamic range color effects geotagging features hardware app supports features device camera Internet GIF open source software /

A new kind of masking tape will save the aerospace industry millions

That’s not a typo. But how is it possible? Mainly by avoiding clean up after the the tape is removed, which minimises damage to parts & saves time.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/08/a-new-kind-of-masking-tape-will-save-the-aerospace-industry-millions/ / engineers build planes use heavy aluminium masking tape cover up surfaces during production engineers BAE Systems created new kind of tape leaves surface clean peeled away save $US70 million masking tape aerospace engineers heavy masking tape made of aluminium protect working surfaces during production industrialgrade material tough removal leaves tough sticky residue damaging material beneath sharp tools used to remove it BAE Systems developed new kind of tape doesn’t leave behind a residue peeled off light pre-cut vinyl tape adhesive tape make easier to remove peeled off by hand cuts processing process time component hours production F-35 Lightning II aircraft used during assembly Hawk Typhoon aircraft save $US23,000 production of each plane total saving of $US70 million over the next 20 years /

Classic 1966 VW bus with a solar powered drivetrain

A common idea is: “Put solar panels on top of an electric vehicle & drive without recharging.” The vast majority of vehicles which do this with any degree of success have just one seat & look something like this:


Solar racers
Credit: University of California Irvine

Pictured below is a Volkswagen van (a.k.a. bus, micro bus, Microbus, Kombi Van etc.) which has been fitted with a solar electric drivetrain. Although it has a roof area much larger than a sedan, in order to have enough solar collection area, the solar panels have extreme overhangs, particularly at the rear, to power, "short trips within the city", (Cambridge, Massachusetts).


Credit: Green Car Reports

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1099382_classic-1966-vw-bus-with-green-drivetrain-solar-powered-electric-motor / solar-powered cars custom-built prioritize function over form aerodynamics placement of solar panels solar powered vehicle style 1966 Volkswagen bus converted electric power solar panel roof conversion Daniel Theobald CTO healthcare IT company Vecna Technologies Cambridge, Massachusetts electric vehicle EV VW Volkswagen modifications solar panel bus roof building plug-in electric car onboard solar power carbon footprint emissions grid electricity electric Volkswagen Bus VW solar panel energy VW's battery pack plugged in modifications Volkswagen Beetle convert solar power Volkswagen bus classic styling 1960s '70s pop culture electric-car converters VW urban runabout /

Faster charging for electric vehicles

Credit: Jack Bowers/Charged EVs

Volkswagen anticipates that they will have electric vehicles with 500 km range in the foreseeable future. Charging the large capacity batteries required, in a practical time frame, will require fast chargers. VW is considering charging rates of 80 to 150 kW, possibly higher. They anticipate that such charging rates will require thick cables, & liquid cooling may be necessary. Liquid cooled cables will dissipate heat more effectively & so allow faster charging, but will be thicker, heavier, & less flexible. Just one more reason to use a robot to automate the process.

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/volkswagen-working-on-automated-dc-charging/

News flash: Tesla has already solved fast charging, with its Supercharger network charging at up to 135 kW. Liquid cooled cables? Tesla has found they can be thinner & more flexible. They have one installed at their Mountain View Supercharger location. See image above.

https://chargedevs.com/newswire/teslas-liquid-cooled-supercharger-cable-could-enable-faster-charge-times/

Tesla has a prototype robotic metal snake charger.

All of which adds a bit of perspective to this article:

http://blog.caranddriver.com/the-continental-cracks-form-in-the-tesla-story-as-germans-assemble-luxury-ev-assault/

“They don’t even know what they don’t know ...”? Maybe because they haven't invented it yet. / Volkswagen automated DC charging EV drivers more range new set of challenges batteries hold more energy consumers longer charging times higher charging power levels thicker water liquid-cooled charging cables Volkswagen range of more than 500 km foreseeable future charging quick convenient Wolfsburg automated DC charging system e-smartConnect next generation higher-capacity batteries charging levels 80 to 150 kW even higher rapid DC charging technology use of thick cables press release weight and stiffness cables difficult to handle research goal e-smartConnect project automatically couple a DC connector automated parking feature Kuka industrial robot hook up DC connector profile data charging station vehicle’s automated parking system where it should park recharging charge recharge range LiIon lithium ion Tesla’s liquid-cooled Supercharger cable enable faster charge times Tesla liquid-cooled cable Supercharger system liquid cooling cable thinner more flexible /