NoNeedForAKey wrote:Sorry I don't have much of a back story here so can someone tell me who this guy is and why he is getting so much hate?
Condensed version:
Schuyler Towne somehow became one of the most public faces of locksport, he started a Kickstart project asking for $6000 to make lock picks, supposedly better ones than your run of the mill punch press variety. Larger donations received practice locks, pick templates, larger sets, Skype time with him, all the way up to a personal appearance (and don't forget temporary tattoos!?!).
Instead of $6k, he received $87,407 on
September 24, 2010.He updated
August 20, 2011 talking about "production woes". Basically he outsourced the designs to somebody who gave him the runaround for a year or so.
A couple nearly non-related updates later he says he's taking time off to deal with family
December 16, 2011 he mentions his grandpa has a punch press. This pretty much confirms he blew most the money. Also that these are no longer the "quality" picks that he promised.
Today he posts another update explaining how he's spent the money, most was on personal crap since he quit his job. My favorites are vacation, health insurance, rent and flying around to do conferences and donating to hackerspaces. One of the backers made a
spreadsheet showing where he said everything went. He posted a video update last April stating that none of this money was going to personal expenses, turns out the majority of it did. Project expenses: $29,000. Personal expenses: $42,500.
The real kicker is, some of the backers had to file a claim with the MA Attorney General just to get this update out of him.
I didn't back this project so I don't have a legitimate right to be pissed at him, but I am anyways because like it or not he's the public face of locksport and is a total douchenozzle. This hobby relies on a strict code of ethics. Schuyler has probably heard of ethics, but never paid much attention to what they are or their importance.
Oh, another business "expense" is apparently backing 36 other Kickstarter projects after he received his funding.
I'm sure there is plenty I'm forgetting, but this was supposed to be condensed, sorry for the rant.