It doesn't actually remove any CO2, so things like ocean acidification will continue to get worse,

The ocean is getting more neutral if anything, but absolutely not "more acidic".

And whatever changes come from CO2 are far less than natural variance over the course of a month (read article)...

I despair that alarmists can't understand even the most basic aspects of material science.

Kind of makes you sweat that people who can't even understand the pH scale are casually fine messing with the atmosphere for the entire Earth because "volcanoes already do it". Well if a volcano jumped off a cliff would you do that too?

Honestly your loss, as I have got some great stuff from Kickstarter and supported people I really like.

I have been a small part of making some things possible that would not otherwise have existed.

Are you guys non-ironically really trying to re-create the Matrix?

Nothing like purposefully re-creating conditions that have nearly killed off all life on earth before. What could go wrong?

relies almost entirely on emotional response and belief

Funny you mention that, because it sounds a LOT like the reaction you get from the Warming Alarmists when you point out that the rates of warming are not nearly as high as they thought (and are not going anywhere at the moment) and that simply by observing what has happened when know the models of runaway warming are very wrong. That's not emotion, that is observation based on fact, but you point that out wand what you get back generally "relies almost entirely on emotional response and belief". Usually they will bring up "what about the future generations", etc. etc.

Global Warming Alarmism long ago passed into cult status based wholly on keeping people in line through fear. Or at least that's the attempt anyway, they tighter they squeeze the more free thinkers and rational scientists slip through their grasp...

...coming from a guy who was worse in every way at science education than a guy with big hair and a partner in a rat suit.

Anyone who says you couldn't possibly understand is either selling something or trying to direct your attention away from something they don't want you to see, because you would understand quite well.

That is a great response, I wanted to add one more point to your observations.

Although I did not fund this Kickstarter, I would have if I had found it in time. The reason I would fund it is as you say " funding the experience I expect to get from the people making the game which have quite a pedigree in creating experiences.".

But more than that, even if I don't enjoy this particular experience I wold not care because I also consider whatever money I would put in as funding past enjoyment that was free on my part.

I funded an Order Of the Stick Kickstarter for this exact reason. I would either get something great or at the very least deliver a reward to someone who made something I loved.

I actually dislike when known and established creators use Kickstarter.

Kickstarter is not a zero sum gain. Exploding Kittens getting $8 million does not mean that any of that $8m would have gone to any other Kickstarter campaign. I contribute to Kickstarter stuff off and on, my contributions are not limited by finances but by interest in the project.

Why do they need it?

They need it for the same reason as anyone else - to be sure there's a market before they spend money on production. That's the awesome thing about Kickstarter, is that it takes the risk out of going beyond a prototype stage. Even a well known and creative guy like Matt could easily produce a card game that went no-where at all and no-one would buy - a terrible waste not only of his time but the resources used to print the cards and produce packaging.

With Kickstarter you eliminate a ton of waste because you are producing what people want instead of what they might want... it's the ultimate definition of win/win.

I think people who don't understand Kickstarter should go back to the Muppet movie and watch Kermit's speech on dreams (jump to 45 seconds in) and listen carefully to Rainbow Connection... Kickstarter allows any of us to be muppets on the bus to an uncertain but interesting future. I for one don't care who is driving.

Uber is deliberately mis-classifying its drivers as independent contractors

I can certainly see how you would think people working entirely on a schedule of their own choosing and without any direction from Uber as to when and where they should work should be full employees...

Oh wait.

if you want to play the money card... George Soros.

Only Soros spends a LOT more. And is wholly partisan in a way the Koch Brothers are not.

More than anything, the Koch Brothers seem to be some kind of hallucinogen, the way Democrats react to any mention of them.

I'd be careful of throwing that rock too hard from your ivory tower made of frosted glass...

You are confusing "labor laws" with "regulations", read the article as it discusses all this.

Yes Uber breaks regulations - until the laws are passed that let them operate, as is happening all over.

Uber has already won

I love the smell of smoldering luddites in the dawn of a new age.

All that remains is Ruins.

It's a private plan with regulations to keep the price reasonable because it wouldn't be otherwise.

Right, that's why a lot of middle class families are now paying more for worse insurance than they were before Obamacare...

Nice revisionist history there.

You mean, like Tesla already did?

In what way? All Tesla has done is make a car like the other kinds of cars already around, just using an all electric engine. It does not drive itself for example, it does not have an interior substantially different from any other luxury sedan.

An "end run" implies whatever company making it is utterly dominating the market with a totally unique product. Tesla has built some impressive cars but they are far from doing anything like that.

But someone needs to find a way to make the composites competitive in a mass-manufacturing, non-niche environment.

Right, I cant imagine how Apple could possibly manage figuring out mass production of exotic materials...

Every credit card I have has been converted to a chip card already, some because I got a new card recently, but some of them the credit card just saying "hey we're sending you a new card" and the new card has a chip...

I would say in very short order existing credit cards will be converted.

On the terminal side that is indeed slower but the merchants have powerful incentive to do so to meet the new regulations taking effect this October (as others pointed out). But for sure at least, the cards are moving/have moved.

Add into the mix that a number of retailers are eager to back ApplePay and you have a lot of merchants moving quickly now also. It's a matter of spending a little to potentially earn much more, and if nothing else reduce fraud by a significant amount.