I can't tell if this guy is for real or joking...

[mikeselectricstuff]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1673957641/free-energy

[suicidaleggroll]

Well he certainly likes caps lock...

[FrankBuss]

And according to his Facebook account, he likes "World's Dumbest Criminal" and cat videos.

[Richard Crowley]

Note his location (Sedona, Arizona).  Home of the "Energy Vortexes" (sic)
http://gosw.about.com/od/sedonaarizona/a/sedonavortex.htm
I think this a spoof that shows how clueless Kickstarter is.

[Corporate666]

Sounds like a great deal.  I always like investing with entrepreneurs who tell me they are letting me have a piece of a trillion dollar business for only $10-100 million.

I mean, who entrepreneur doesn't leave 99.999% of the money on the table?  Those are the guys I like to invest in!

[coppice]

Looks like a good illustration of Poe's law.

[Cside]

Of course its real Didn't you look at the pictures? They're so colourfull

[EEVblog]

The video is hilarious!

[EEVblog]

I think this a spoof that shows how clueless Kickstarter is.

If it is, then 
But I wouldn't like to stick my neck out and say he's not for real 

[bitwelder]

At the moment there is 1 backer for $1.00, but in the list of pledges nobody has backed on the (10000 limited) batch of $1.00 pledges.
Whaat? Does he also have a over-unity pledge counter? 

[Kean]

At the moment there is 1 backer for $1.00, but in the list of pledges nobody has backed on the (10000 limited) batch of $1.00 pledges.
Whaat? Does he also have a over-unity pledge counter? 

It is possible to pledge money to a KS project without selecting a reward.
The video won't play for me for some reason.

[jancumps]

So here's my dilemma:

If I pledge 1$, it's not FREE ENERGY for me any more.
If I don't pledge, I'm not entitled to get some of that FREE ENERGY.

 

[Refrigerator]

Must be one of those people who haven't been slapped in the face by reality yet.
I mean, his goal is stupid, why make a whole KS campaign if all you need is 100 bucks.

[Richard Crowley]

I mean, his goal is stupid, why make a whole KS campaign if all you need is 100 bucks.

Which is exactly why I think it is a spoof.  He is sitting back laughing at all of us.

[Dongulus]

$5000 pledge gets you kit to build 10 generators that can power 20W continuously.
$250/Watt makes solar look "free".

[mamalala]

$5000 pledge gets you kit to build 10 generators that can power 20W continuously.
$250/Watt makes solar look "free".

You may want to re-check the numbers you have presented. Or put a set of new batteries in your calculator...

Greetings,

Chris

[Dongulus]

$5000 pledge gets you kit to build 10 generators that can power 20W continuously.
$250/Watt makes solar look "free".

You may want to re-check the numbers you have presented. Or put a set of new batteries in your calculator...

Greetings,

Chris

The description seems to suggest that the combined power generated by the 10 generators is 20W, not individually. 

[mamalala]

The description seems to suggest that the combined power generated by the 10 generators is 20W, not individually. 

Oh, OK, sorry then. I was under the impression that you meant 20W per "generator". Didn't get far in reading the description, all-caps makes me stop reading after a line or two...

Greetings,

Chris

[Winston]

The video is hilarious!

What video?

He's a real estate agent. That automatically qualifies him to invent a perpetual motion device:

http://www.reachfactor.com/real-estate-agents/nicholas-calvano-sedona-arizona-13704

Same "project" on Kicktraq, which I've never heard of before:

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1673957641/free-energy/

No takers there, either.

[marcan]

Same "project" on Kicktraq, which I've never heard of before:

http://www.kicktraq.com/projects/1673957641/free-energy/

No takers there, either.

Kicktraq is just an analytics frontend for Kickstarter, not a separate crowdfunding platform. You can view any KS project on Kicktraq. It literally is the same project.

[Richard Crowley]

Only 20 days to go. But he has FOUR "backers" and has raised a total of $32! (of a goal of $100)   

[Dave]

Copied from the KickStarter's FAQ:
-Have you ever heard of entropy or the first law of thermodynamics?
-Yes, I am familiar with entropy and the laws of thermodynamics, however as my invention is a continuous motion machine it produces very little heat.

[Refrigerator]

And what if at the end it turned out that this thing does actually work ?





( it won't )

[Richard Crowley]

And what if at the end it turned out that this thing does actually work ?

So, when was the last time an unskilled, dilletente experimenter broke major laws of physics and upstaged big business and big government reasearchers with practically unlimited budgets to invent something like this?  I can't remember any.

[Refrigerator]

I know one guy, wait what was his name.......Bruce Wayne or something similar .......

Ps: i think it was that iron man guy.

[tggzzz]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1673957641/free-energy

There's an old saying about poker games. If you look around the table and can't tell who the "mark" is, then you are the "mark"

[Richard Crowley]

The campaign ended with Mr. Calvano raising $33 of his $100 goal(!) from 5 backers.
Zero updates, and two frivolous comments.  Just another stupid Kickstarter joke from all appearances.

Can anyone cite a successful Kickstarter project that actually violated fundamental principles of physics?
By "successful", I mean a project where they actually shipped product that worked as advertised.

Do people get excited about these things because they actually think some random bloke without scientific knowledge can perform miracles?
Or are they willing to throw some insignificant sum of $$ at one of thse in the same way they buy lottery tickets?

[hamster_nz]

Do people get excited about these things because they actually think some random bloke without scientific knowledge can perform miracles?
Or are they willing to throw some insignificant sum of $$ at one of thse in the same way they buy lottery tickets?

For me it is neither of those reasons.

1. Cheap entertainment - watching doomed projects fail trying to make funding
1. Cheap entertainment - watching doomed projects make funding and then fail to deliver
3. Cheap entertainment - seeing if technically achievable projects can make funding and then deliver (these are the most interesting!)
4. My own amusement - I enjoy getting bespoke trinkets that I don't really need, to play with and experiment on
5. My own education - having a tiny bit of skin in the game makes it more interesting to watch projects in case I ever want to run one