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Comment by smoyer | Hacker News Reader

I think the problem is pretty clear ... Kickstarter optimizes reach so that the teams that are best at marketing win ... A team that's brilliant with engineering and design but can't produce slick photos and catchy videos doesn't stand a chance.

I tend to think that kickstarter is a fad and that if it survives at all, it will be in a much reduced and much more controlled form. How long will it be before the authorities decide they're complicit in a fraud?

EDIT: The ScanBox project looks like something I could make for $5 in parts and have fun doing over in an hour or so.

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I can't believe ScanBox raised almost $200,000. People will throw their money at goddamn empty cardboard boxes if you make a nice marketing video.

Do we know if the ScanBoxes have shipped?

Edit: The shipping date is October 12[1].

[1]: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/limemouse/scanbox-turn-y...

October 12 according to the last kick starter update.

What scares me is that they are starting a new kickstarter project when they didn't even finish the first one. I was backing this project but just ask for refund.

This actually makes me wonder: If one would want to scam Kickstarters, one could just create new project and PR their way into millions of dollars without having to deliver a single thing.

I can well believe that the scanbox is at a stage where there's simply not that much left for the guys to do except wait for the manufacturing to turn around. Why not start another project if they've got the time for it?

Shipping isn't a small task, and since it will only begins in a month, it's a fair assumption to think that they still have much to do.

If the shipping was 50% done, I would agree but this isn't the case here

Well, yes. That's the point. In a month's time, they might be snowed, but until then, they're kicking their heels. If they get the timing right, they can be dealing with the shipping for scanbox while waiting for Lifx to get funded.

It's unfortunate that him saying "scanbox" on the lifx video sounds very much like "scambox".

Re your edit - I just saw this and it's the ideal thing for me to adapt for my camera to do document images. Here's me thinking of making it out of wood or metal wire ... why didn't I think of cardboard first. Silly me!

I didn't say that the ScanBox wasn't a cool idea ... but it looks more like something you'd find as a DIY article.

Verily. I'm agreeing and intending to use this as a template for a DIY project too.

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