Kickstarter Pick: 3rd Ward's Michael Zick Doherty Takes "Green Thumb" To The Next Level With Bitponics

As we've mentioned before, 3rd Ward's Michael Zick Doherty always seems to be working on innovative and inspiring projects. And today is no different. Teaming up with software engineer Amit Kumar, Doherty is currently raising funds on Kickstarter to support Bitponics, which they describe as "Your Personal Gardening Assistant." With just over a week left to go, they're raised over half of their $20,000 goal. Help them get there and you can score everything from a shout-out on the Bitponics website and a laser-etched Bitponics clay pot to a hydroponics workshop and your own Bitponics device.

We first caught wind of Bitponics when it won an Open Scholarship Scholarship last fall at the Open Hardware Summit, and that winning 26-second YouTube pitch has blossomed into an even more exciting and amazing project. In addition to automating and tracking any hydroponics system, Bitponics can help you cultivate anything that you'd like to see sprouting in your urban garden. "Once you tell it what you're trying to grow, it will use a database of knowledge built up by the community to create a 'growing plan' for you," the Bitponic Kickstarter page explains. "Bitponics will automate anything that can be controlled by a power outlet, like water pumps and lights." And for tasks that can't be automated? "We'll remind you by whatever means you choose: email, text, or in-app notifications."

The full Bitponics setup includes the sensor device, which collects readings like temperature, brightness and pH and lets you set up timers for lights and pumps, and an account on the Bitponics website, which helps you generate a growing plan, gives you recommendations if something in your system has gone awry, and lets you track all of your data and upload photos of your garden as it grows. The device will retail for $395, but you can get it for just a $250 Kickstarter pledge. You'll be able to store a year of growing data—or an unlimited amount for a higher-tiered membership. Anyone who just wants to give the website a whirl can store six months of growing data for free, and both the device and its Arduino-based firmware will be open source, making the possibilities endless.

Check out the Bitponics Kickstarter video and some photos below, then head to Kickstarter to learn more and pledge your support.

-- John Ruscher

Kickstarter Follow-Up: CitySprout Beats The Odds

Kickstarter campaigns are anything but sure bets.

Last month, CitySprout fell short of its goal to raise $25,000; aimed at starting a farm-to-city initiative, that would bridge the gap between local farmers and city folk, hosting an online marketplace for the two to connect.

Ideally: You would go to the CitySpout website, enter your zip code and see what farmers were planning to bring to your neighborhood that week, what the costs would be and where you could pick up the goods. It would be more convenient than a farmer's market or a CSA, which requires a long-term commitment and usually a down payment.  But alas, times are tough and running a start-up ain't easy.

Good news though, folks:

CitySprout is plowing ahead! Kickstarter money be damned. It might take them slightly longer to get things up and running, but it's a worthy cause and these people are determined.

So, if you want CitySprout in your neighborhood, sign up on their site and let them know. Their farmers are ready to deliver, and once a mere 100 people express an interest in one area, they'll start the shipments. Feeling ambitious? Take it upon yourself to organize a local initiative to sign 100 of your neighbors up--if you do, CitySprout will credit you with 100 "CitySprout Bucks"--that's a good amount of kale, people.

Either way, next time you're feeling beaten by the Kickstarter odds (or any shortage of funding, really), remember these particular entrepreneurs--driven enough and passionate enough to still make it happen.

Kickstarter Pick: Lisa Cifuentes Teams Up With Her Sisters For Feature Film, "After The Wedding"

You've seen her working the front desk and soon you could be seeing her producing her first feature film. 3rd Ward Member Associate Lisa Cifuentes mentioned this "little project" when we spoke with her back in March, but she was obviously being modest, as it sounds like an amazing endeavor. 

Teaming up with her sisters Claudia and Karina, Lisa is raising money via Kickstarter to begin production on After The Wedding this summer. The film, which is written and directed by Claudia and co-produced by Lisa and Karina, "follows newlywed Diego Diaz (Nick Puga) as he heads down to Miami Beach for a few weeks to finish his latest novel, but when he becomes emotionally intimate with a sexy bartender, he and his wife are left to examine the true state of their young marriage."

By pledging to the After The Wedding Kickstarter you will not only be supporting an ambitious project from a 3rd Ward staffer, but also a couple of underrepresented segments in entertainment world. As the Cifuentes sisters point out in their Kickstarter pitch, the United States' Latino population has grown significantly, but the same can't be said of the film industry. They also highlight the fact that only 5% of directors are female and only 18% of behind-the-scene film roles are held by women. With After The Wedding's Latina writer and director, producers, and a largely Latino cast, those statistics are another great reason to get behind the film.

And if you still need a little extra nudge, the Cifuentes sisters are also offering tons of enticing rewards for pledges. Lisa herself will be baking some "delicious Latin sweets" as part of a $100 "Cafe con Leche" pledge package and leading a 4-hour driving tour of Miami's best spots for a $300 "Ocean Drive" package. On top of such great Kickstarter rewards, the sisters have also started "Our Secrets to a Happy Marriage," a blog series in which they ask couples to share their marriage secrets.

For more check out the After The Wedding website and Facebook page and keep up with the Cifuentes sisters via their Dreaming of Palm Trees blog and Pink Forest Films Twitter. And, of course, hit up their Kickstarter page to help make After The Wedding a reality.

-- John Ruscher

Kickstarter Pick: Beringer Guitar Museum Aims To Share Five Decades Of Instrument Making

"I'm happy to tell anybody anything that I know," guitar maker Ted Beringer once said. "Most of what I know I got by experience...and a lot of mistakes. I'm willing to help. There should be more of that in this world. Then we wouldn't be in the shape we're in."

That's the kind of positive, collaborative spirit that we gets our motors runnin' at 3rd Ward, so naturally we love virtually everything about the Beringer Guitar Museum. Though Beringer passed away in 2006, his grandson James Bolenbaugh wants to continue sharing his legacy through an online interactive museum showcasing his instruments and the stories behind them. Bolenbaugh has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for hosting and maintaining the online museum for the next ten years, and in exchange for a pledge you can score everything from early beta testing access to the museum to a solid gold guitar pick with your name engraved on it.

Here's Bolenbaugh on what sparked his grandfather's five decades of instrument making:

My grandfather, Ted Beringer, got the idea to build his first guitar in 1950 at the Hilltop Night Club in Billings MT, where he saw a man playing a new design of guitar from Fender called the Stratocaster. He asked to see it, and upon inspection said, "I could build one of these." I imagine his interest was peaked because the instrument was an electric guitar, and his business was Ted's Electric, an electric motor and power tool repair shop.

Beringer went on to build many more guitars and other stringed instruments, never using the same design twice. A few of his creations are below. Check out more on Facebook and help make the Beringer Guitar Museum a reality.

Meanwhile, any 3rd Ward members who want their campaigns featured on our official Kickstarter page, shoot us an email at: partners[at]3rdward.com

-- John Ruscher

Kickstarter Pick: Brooklyn Grange Apiary Project

Locals might be familiar with Brooklyn Grange, a 40,000 square-foot rooftop farm (that's actually located in Long Island City, Queens) and holds open markets and supplies Brooklyn restaurants like Roberta's, Marlow & Sons, Fatty 'Cue and Juliette. Brooklyn Grange has sought funding on Kickstarter before, but this time it's for a completely new venture: bees. They already have a few apiaries on the roof to pollinate their produce, but this new initiative would add 20-30 new hives, enough to pollinate 60,000 acres. 

People get excited about bee byproducts like raw honey (anyone who's licked a fresh honeycomb knows what we're talking about), but pollination is the chief goal here--and with more frequent reports of colony collapse disorder, keeping up the bee population is a legitimate concern. As Brooklyn Grange is a community-based organization, the Kickstarter funds won't go exclusively towards buying bees and equipment--they'll also help fund an apprenticeship program training "aspiring urban beekeepers." And if these future beekeepers agree to mentor the next apprenticeship in line, they'll be given their very own hive to tend.

Furthermore, Brooklyn Grange's master beekeepers are attempting to breed a local line of bees and queens specially adapted to NYC conditions. Pledge $50 or more by Thursday, April 19th and get a jar of what we'll bet is the tastiest honey in town.

Tiny Lightbulbs: Where Crowd-funded Projects Get a Second Life

If you've ever tried to raise funds for a product on Kickstarter and been fortunate enough to succeed, you may have found that after all your backers have received their incentive gifts and that initial buzz quiets down. As a small, independent entrepreneuur, it's difficult to keep up the momentum.

This exact thing happened to Matthew McLachlan, a gent whose Kickstarter-funded iPad amplifier, SoundJaw, saw a speedy decline in sales after its initial Kickstarter hype. But instead of spending a bunch of money on advertising, McLachlan saw the bigger picture: This January he and his brother Mark launched Tiny Lightbulbs, an online marketplace for post-Kickstarter projects. If you remember a project or backed something and want to know where it is now, there's a good chance it's available on Tiny Lightbulbs. 

There's currently no listing fee for sellers, but Tiny Lightbulbs does take a 13% commission. Though the idea is to maintain your visibility until you can get your e-commerce sea legs and launch your own sales platform. Featured products right now include the iLatch, a hanging iPad case that fits over car headrest and kitchen cabinets and Frank, the clever bunny-faced coatrack. 

Meanwhile, if you want to take McLachlan's lead and go into business for yourself, you've got a few options with 3rd Ward's Professional Development classes, from making a business plan to bookkeeping to the elusive art of branding. 

Kickstarter Pick: CitySprout, A Revolution in Food Distribution

When you want local produce you have two options: You can go to a farmer's market, or grow the fruits and vegetables yourself.

While farmers' markets are a wonderful resource, many are only held on the weekends and sometimes inconvenient locations. And though most apartment dwellers we know would love to grow their own food, we're limited by a few small pots crammed onto our windowsills and fire escapes. Which brings us to our Kickstarter pick for the week:

CitySprout, a project that aims to help close the gap between local farmers and city folk by hosting an online marketplace for the two to connect. It works like this: You enter your zip code to see what farmers are going to be bringing to your neighborhood, when they'll be there and how much it will cost.

"For example, if you live in Williamsburg, you may see that there are several drop-off locations spread throughout the borough, one for each day of the week." You can see that on Monday, between 9-11am, Farmer Ned will be two blocks away with crates of carrots, apples, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, peppers, potatoes, green beans and broccoli for $25 a crate. You pay for your share ahead of time and then head over on the assigned day to pick it up. No ordering a month's supply like some produce delivery services. You pay on an as-needed basis.

CitySprout is only feasible if enough people in your zip code express an interest. You can sign up now so that by the time it launches your neighborhood will already be on the list. Better yet, back the project. Incentives include free shares you can use to order produce once the service launches.

Kickstarter Pick: SparkLab Aims to Bring the Maker Community to Underprivileged Schools

There are only a few more days left to help fund SparkLab's very deserving Kickstarter campaign, one geared towards bringing hands-on making to the children of underfunded schools. After investigating classrooms as part of their thesis at Stanford, Jason Chua, Eugene Korunskiy and Arron Peck discovered that--in addition to the commonplace pitfalls of contemporary public education ("slashed budgets, a rigid curriculum and an environment more geared towards standardized testing than student engagement")--many schools didn't have the space or resources to allow their children a place to physically make things; a proven and essential part of any truly comprehensive education.  

Driven by these findings, Chua, Korunskiy and Peck founded SparkLab to not only bring that crucial building space into schools, but also the necessary equipment and materials. Obviously these supplies cost money, but in addition, SparkLab needs wheels to even bring their mission to school systems. Funds from the Kickstarter campaign will go towards the purchase and renovation of an old delivery truck, as well as gas on which to run, 3D printers, laser cutters and hand tools. Incentives include a day in the park where you'll use a laser cutter to build your own kite.

Where was SparkLab when we were in grade school?!

Feeling inspired? Get ye to their Kickstarter page and help them make this happen.

-- Perrin Drumm

Kickstarter Pick: Afghan Box Camera Project

Last year Lukas Birk and Sean Foley's Kickstarter campaign made it possible for them to travel to Afghanistan for six weeks to document the dying art of box camera photography, a kind of instant photograph created in a handmade wooden box that acts as both a camera and a dark room. According to Foley and Birk, Afghanistan is one of the last places on earth where box camera photography is still practiced, but it's quickly dwindling. Worse, it's never been properly documented. 

Foley and Birk have made some basic information on the history and practice of box cameras available on their site, and they've even inspired more modern photographers to build box cameras of their own, but the most exciting news in their project so far is a new publishing deal to properly document Afghan box cameras and spread the word. To do this they need to go back to Afghanistan to deepen their research and cover more ground. Their new Kickstarter campaign asks for a meager $9,800 to pay for basic travel expenses like plane tickets, ground transport, translators and lodging for another six-week stint. They're very close to reaching their goal, and are offering some great incentives for you to pitch in, like signed copies of their upcoming book, original box camera photographs and even a box camera for your very own.

Meanwhile, peruse some of of 3rd Ward's photography classes, including Alternative Photographic Processes: The Four Color Gum Print and Cyanotype.

-- Perrin Drumm

Kickstarter Pick: The NewerYork Lit Mag

Anyone brave enough to start a literary magazine--especially an experimental one--knows it's a labor of love, not money. Most "established" lit mags don't even turn a profit. That's what makes the editors of The NewerYork literary magazine so deserving of our support: Because even though they've just reached their $7,000 goal, that only covers the bare minimum of printing and distribution--not the long, hard, unpaid hours of work it takes to actually put the thing together (and what makes it into something wonderful.)

NewerYork is an experiment in process. It publishes "lists, fictional glossaries, Internet forums, classified ads, post cards, love letters, aphorisms, fragments, punctuationless stories, upside down stories and other absurdities." The first issue, which was also funded on Kickstarter, made an impressive debut with distribution in Los Angeles, New York and Paris. For the next issue they promise "higher quality writing, higher quality art and twice the number of narratives."

They have some fun incentives, too. For $3,000 a minimum of two contributors will come to your house and "read from the mag/entertain you and your friends for a night with literary delights (Only US/Canada/Mexico). Flip through an excerpt from the first issue online or pledge $35 for a print copy of issues one and two.

-- Perrin Drumm