Kickstarter Open Source Death Star

[DaFool]

We need to protect ourselves from threats far far away so lets build a death star.
Launched: Feb 4, 2013
Funding ends: Apr 1, 2013
Remind Me
In November 2012 the people asked for a death star. The government said NO!

In light of continuing threats we should build it ourselves.


Initial design (not for kids)
Goal

£20,000,000 for more detailed plans and enough chicken wire to protect reactor exhaust ports.

Stretch Goal

£543,000,000,000,000,00 ($850,000,000,000,000,000) to secure full funding for actual construction.

Open Source

To keep costs lower the entire project will use open source hardware and software.

RISKS AND CHALLENGES Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

The only risk is the power of the Force.

The main challenge is assuring Kickstarter that this is a joke and not a serious project. As proof, the goal has been set high enough to make successful funding almost impossible.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/461 ... death-star

[SundownKid]

I like the initial blueprint. But, it's kind of sad this made more money than any kickstarter I would try to make.

[LVUER]

Is this a spam project and just fooling around? The amount of money asked is impossible and the description is not serious anyway... Too bad since the story premise is pretty good.

[Anna]

£174,368 pledged already - HOW? You can't tell me people didn't realise this was a joke, I won't believe it. No, no, no.

[Taleweaver]

Twenty. Effing. Million. Pounds.

Still, I wouldn't bet money on them not managing to meet that goal. The question is, once they have the money, what ARE they going to do with it?

[TrickWithAKnife]

More than likely, people pledge, not expecting the goal to be met. Probably if it gets closer to reaching the goal, pledges will slow down. Still, would be interesting to see what would happen...

[Obscura]

I'm not sure how many people here realize you can cancel, lower or raise your pledge any time before the day the campaign ends. Kickstarter only charges the credit cards then, not any time before.

It's why a lot of times you're holding your breath until the campaign actually ends. You worry a couple of the pledges were joke pledges (particularly the large ones) and you won't have any way of knowing until the very end.

[PyTom]

What I find weird about this is that it's posted publicly on Kickstarter. Don't they have an approval process before they let campaigns go live?

[Obscura]

Yes but there are simple ways to game it.

In any case, I think KS generally likes to let the system correct itself (they won't intervene unless people start sending them complaints).

This (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/198 ... ost-voices) was shut down though unfortunately I think the quality control exceeded the very thing it was parodying. If you followed the original Lore project, you kind of have to wonder why that wasn't shut down...but again It seems the KS staff operate under the idea their system will take care of itself. I could very well be wrong though--But that's my take.

[Applegate]

£174,368 pledged already - HOW? You can't tell me people didn't realise this was a joke, I won't believe it. No, no, no.

Pledging money as a joke there, Anna.

I actually grinned when I saw this.

[Anna]

£174,368 pledged already - HOW? You can't tell me people didn't realise this was a joke, I won't believe it. No, no, no.

Pledging money as a joke there, Anna.

I actually grinned when I saw this.

I didn't know you could cancel and such until the last day, that makes it a lot better and returns my hope in humanity :D.

[akizakura]

LOL this is right up there with the actual White House petition that the US government responded to last year.

All we need now is a Kickstarter to fund training for a group of rebels to bring this place down if it ever gets out of line.

[leon]

Interestingly the Kickstarter ends exactly on Apr 1st...

The question is, once they have the money, what ARE they going to do with it?

They explained that in the FAQ:

Purchase at least 4m sq of high grade chicken wire. We are hoping the death star plans will have at least twice the resolution of the initial design.

[Taleweaver]

They explained that in the FAQ:

Purchase at least 4m sq of high grade chicken wire. We are hoping the death star plans will have at least twice the resolution of the initial design.

Four square meters of chicken wire are... somewhat less than twenty million GBP. And for the rest, they join Kim Dotcom in New Zealand, or what?

[Obscura]

Heh, if it's closing April 1st I wonder if this is something Kickstarter set up themselves.

It's pretty funny that it's being headed by someone in the UK.