Kickstarter: Cool Stuff

[clockworkjoe]

musings on potential 'dangers'/subversiveness of Kickstarter and like http://hive.slate.com/hive/10-rules-starting-small-business/article/the-kickstarter-recession

They couldn't be more wrong. First of all, Kickstarter isn't going to replace big business, if anything it's going to ease the burden of unemployment on the economy (although of course, big business likes a certain level of unemployment, as Tom's tagline says, to scare the shit out of the middle class wage slaves).

And secondly, he makes the ridiculous argument that Kickstarter will reduce government tax revenue. If you have a single bank that makes a billion dollars a year and you have a billion dollars a year spread out among thousands of Kickstarters and IndieGoGoers and other small crowdfunded or donation-based production models, which one's going to generate more tax revenue for the government, the one that spends nearly 100% of its income on cost of living, employees, and production, all of which is taxed at normal rates including sales taxes, or the one that puts hundreds of millions of dollars to fester in the executives' bank accounts taxed at 15% for capital gains, if they're paying anything at all after the loopholes they purchased from the politicians? I think the answer is obvious.

Because banks have billions of dollars, they can afford to hire teams of experts (accountants and lawyers) to mitigate the amount of tax they will have to pay. How many Fortune 500 companies even pay taxes at all? Hell, we subsidize 'too big to fail' institutions all the time.

[Tadanori Oyama]

I have a difficult time taking the theory seriously. Does the guy think the money is just going to disappear? That people will intentionally hang onto their money, not give it to banks, and instead "invest" in Kickstarters? Would the Kickstarter people eat this theoretical money?

Amazon gets a cut from Kickstarter. That (might) be taxed as income.

And, from what I understand, many of the larger Kickstarters also have external funding, they don't just use crowd sourcing.

[Teapot]

musings on potential 'dangers'/subversiveness of Kickstarter and like http://hive.slate.com/hive/10-rules-starting-small-business/article/the-kickstarter-recession

There are many words in that article. They seem to follow the rules of grammar. I cannot understand where the conclusion comes from or how it gets there. But it is important to note that the article is not in gibberish, it seems much more like a very advanced chatbot perhaps? Something that has all the rules of language and idea of an outline of X is bad because it is new programmed in but nothing more maybe? I am intrigued by the idea of a whole society working on crowdfunding, from the army down to garbage trucks. But that's sci-fi and ideaspace, not functional reality.

I wonder if pre-ordering video games also was going to doom the west?

[Capitalocracy]

Well, Western society may be doomed anyway. But then the people like this guy who doomed it can look back to this article and say see? I told you so. It was Kickstarter, video game preorders, illegal downloads, and teh gay. Brought down society, just like we said.

[Tadanori Oyama]

I'm waiting for the self-aware ironic blog about how blogging will be the doom of Western civilization. It's probably out there but I'm too lazy to look for it.

[QuickreleasePersonalitY]

Because banks have billions of dollars, they can afford to hire teams of experts (accountants and lawyers) to mitigate the amount of tax they will have to pay. How many Fortune 500 companies even pay taxes at all? Hell, we subsidize 'too big to fail' institutions all the time.

just doing their little part in helping keep the state in check ;3

[SageNytell]

I have a difficult time taking the theory seriously. Does the guy think the money is just going to disappear? That people will intentionally hang onto their money, not give it to banks, and instead "invest" in Kickstarters? Would the Kickstarter people eat this theoretical money?

Amazon gets a cut from Kickstarter. That (might) be taxed as income.

And, from what I understand, many of the larger Kickstarters also have external funding, they don't just use crowd sourcing.

That cut is absolutely taxed as income, as are the creators taxed based on what they receive.
Whether or not large corporations are paying taxes on what they are getting is not the fault of Kickstarter. This dude is seriously fucked if he believes the shit he wrote.

Also I'm a bit confused about why the spambot went in and edited Ross's screenname in the quote. Weird.

[Setherick]

I ran across this by accident. The Kickstarter has already made, and the time is up, but it's still worth looking at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/massoudhassani/mine-kafon

[Tadanori Oyama]

Not like this needs advertising since it's been up less than a day and it's 85% funded but check it out: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/torment-tides-of-numenera

Remember how Monte Cook did that thing? Now they want to do a video game with his thing.

[Gorkamorka]

A Planescape Torment inspired thing with his game.  I'm considering giving this money.

[Kemlin Dragos]

Sorry meant to post earlier.


If you enjoy comics, especially if you enjoy comics and some of the major themes in Eclipse Phase, you should check out Aaron Diaz's comic, Dresden Codak. His whole archive is free to read and it is as fantastic as it is beautiful. He is having a Kickstarter to collect his first five years of Dresden Codak into well made hardback books. The Kickstarter has already made and as of this writing it only has 17 hours left, but you should do yourself a favor and check out the comic and if you really love it, give to the Kickstarter.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/156287353/the-tomorrow-girl-dresden-codak-volume-1?ref=home_popular

http://dresdencodak.com/

[Kemlin Dragos]

To wet your whistle on Dresden Codak, you should really just start with this.

Dungeons and Discourse: The Premiere Philosophy Roleplaying Game.

http://dresdencodak.com/2009/01/27/advanced-dungeons-and-discourse/

[QuickreleasePersonalitY]

To wet your whistle on Dresden Codak, you should really just start with this.

Dungeons and Discourse: The Premiere Philosophy Roleplaying Game.

http://dresdencodak.com/2009/01/27/advanced-dungeons-and-discourse/

by Arneson's codpiece don't scare me!like that :3

[Gorkamorka]

I just threw to much money at Achtung Cthulu.  But for my 50$+ I'll be getting the base setting in 4 game systems, 4 splat books, a campaign and whatever else they promise in the last few days. (All PDFs)

So I'm biting the bullet.

[Wooberman]

I just threw to much money at Achtung Cthulu.  But for my 50$+ I'll be getting the base setting in 4 game systems, 4 splat books, a campaign and whatever else they promise in the last few days. (All PDFs)

So I'm biting the bullet.

I'm doing the same, you're not alone buddy. Between our gaming group we're going for the £140 ($200) bundle that includes all the books in print. Of course we get get the campaign books and splat books in PDF but an e-reader would cost about that much anyway so we figure why not go for them in print. After all you get that "straight from the printer" smell.

The only concern I have with the kickstarter is that they're spreading themselves thinner with each stretch goal. So far they only have the main keepers book about 50% written and some of the work done on the Investigators book and they're promising the release of the PDFs in August 2013 which seems a little close to me. I could be wrong of course and I'm still backing it regardless, it just means that I won't be surprised if my pledge rewards are delayed.