The most successful fully funded crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo is not for a new smartwatch, video game, or 3D printer. It is for a new way to harvest honey, a potential breakthrough in a practice that has not seen a significant technological advance since 1852, when the Rev. Lorenzo Langstroth [1] patented America's first movable frame beehive.
The Flow hive [2] has amassed $8.9 million from more than 25,000 backers in one month (the goal was just $70,000), a possible sign that the urban-hipster revival of beekeeping is still alive, even as the U.S. honeybee population continues to die off. (The USDA has sounded the alarm, estimating that a third of all honeybees have died since 2006. The main suspect is a class of neuro-active insecticides called Neonicotinoids.)
Via Instapundit [3], “This 'Honey on Tap' Beehive Design Just Raised $9 Million on Indiegogo [4]”
I've heard of this, but this is the first time I've seen how the Flow™ Hive works [5], and it's pretty ingenious. I know T, my fellow cow-orker, might be interested in this as he keeps bees as a hobby.
[1] http://americasbeekeeper.org/Father_of_American_Beekeeping.htm
[2] https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/flow-hive-
[3] http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/205017/
[4] http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/a15011/beekeepers