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