Request for Site Support Donations and...

[daniel_reetz]

I am writing this post to solicit some support for two upcoming expenses.

The first is the renewal of my Dreamhost account. Dreamhost is the hosting provider for DIYBookScanner.org. I would like to renew this site for two years. The cost of this renewal will be $214.80 ($8.95 per month), plus $15 for the domain registration for two years. Total is ~$230.00. As you can see, if each member donated a little more than $1 we would have it covered.

Dreamhost allows you to donate directly to hosting charges, which I cannot use any other way or withdraw, so the money goes exactly and only to paying for this site. Here is a link to the Dreamhost donation system for DIYBookScanner.org: http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=12633

The second is paying the taxes on the laser cutter that I won with the first book scanner. Normally, I would not ask for help with such a thing. After all, I get to keep the laser, and though I have used it to further the production of book scanners, it is not exactly a public resource. However, my financial situation is such that I will not be able to pay taxes on it without selling something. I would use the laser to make money directly, but with my upcoming (unpaid) talks about the project, the recent collapse of my building at work, the total depletion of my savings and recent homelessness due to a jaw infection, multiplied by the time-sucking thesis and coursework I am supposed to to this spring, equals essentially failure. I would ask my parents for help, but my Dad was just diagnosed with cancer and is incurring major medical expenses.

The stated value of the laser cutter on the 1099 form is $4999.00. I am sure this was done so that I would not have to pay taxes on it immediately. A fair estimate of taxes, according to my accountant friend, is 10%, or $500. I used some online tax calculators and this seems to be a conservative estimate on the low end.

I want to stress that this is just a friendly request, and one that I find rather wretched to make. I state my situation above (and below) not to induce any guilty feelings or pity (after all, I chose to be a graduate student, accepted this crappy stipend), but rather to make it clear that I have run the numbers and that I have looked at many alternative avenues to make money.

If you choose to give some money to pay for the laser, please send this money to my personal Paypal account. The account is danreetz {at} gmail [dot] com.

In a funny way, the DIYBookScanner thing is indebted to my poverty -- after all, if I wasn't so poor at this time last year, I might not have scrambled to make that first trashy scanner. Life is strange.

Thank you for your support so far -- as members of the site, scanner builders, and contributors to the wealth of knowledge and ideas we have here, you've already done your part in full.

Daniel


Here are the numbers. I am a graduate student, and my before-taxes stipend is $16,000/year.

After taxes, I take home a bit less than $1,100/month. That amounts to $13,200/year.

Student fees cost $360/semester, times three semesters/year, totaling $1080.

Health insurance costs me $85/month, totaling $1020/year.

$13,200 - 1,080 - 1,020 = 11,100 = $925/month to live on. Rent is $400. I buy internet, food, books, and utilities after that. This summer, my jaw infection cost me $1,600, worsening my situation such that I was forced to leave my apartment, unable to pay rent, and lived in my workshop for a few weeks while I sold personal property to make enough to rent somewhere else. Stupid grad school.

[Rabbitroo]

I'll chip in the $50 I offered against when you do new handles (over and above the cost of the handles, of course.)
-K

[Navter]

Hi Daniel. I wanted to publicly thank you for all you have done with this project. Commercial scanners are completely out of range for many average people looking to scan books etc.. The DIYScanner will help many people achieve their goal of scanning books, at a reasonable cost. My "project" has been on hold for over a year, because it wasnt financially possible for me to purchase a commercial scanner. I am now reviewing different scanner models on the website, and will hopefully begin building a scanner in the near future.

Thank you for all the hard work you have put into this website, and the project as a whole.

In closing, I urge all users to support Daniel as he puts in hours and hours of time, and is obviously very dedicated to the community, and remember, every bit helps.

[dbmoura]

Being a member or non member, even frequent visitor, I invite all to support the request of Daniel. I've never met him, but his donation of time, knowledge and mediation is truly remarkable. And of course many others that joined and keep this community going. I thanks all of them, the guys that help develop and improve Scantailor, all the members that had shown his ideas and tests, whatever possible means they had encountered to build book scanners. Also the important failures that are commented here. It makes me so happy to see and keep this community.
I visited it for months before becoming a member and start collaborating. Helping Daniel directly or through the site hosting is very important, it is a mirror for all of us. I am 6.000 miles away from Fargo, I've never lived in a place that can have -22 ºC in the middle of the day, but it all makes us live together, apart.
I believe this site have thousands of frequent anonymous visitors that could support with USD 1 - 5 or more, if you could. There is no freedom bigger them donation, when you believe in what is happening. That's why I am sending my support this week.

[GoDigital]

Dan:

$100 Paypal sent. Best regards,

-GoDigital

[daniel_reetz]

Yoram,

My sincere thanks.

To everyone that donated: the laser taxes are now paid in full. Please direct future donations (if any) directly to the site, instead of to me.



I really, really appreciate everyone's support. I've been back and forth to Bismarck this week due to some health problems in my family, heading there again soon, actually. I hope to resume normal activities here soon. And I have a news article to post; a surprise that dbmoura and myself have been developing, and more. Looking forward to getting back to business.

[StevePoling]

hey, Dan, I've had cancer. If your fam needs anybody who's been there to talk to, i'm not Gilda's club, but I might help 'em see around some corners.

[daniel_reetz]

Thanks, Steve, I'll let you know.

FYI everyone, the hosting and registration of DIYBookScanner.org is now covered for the next two years.


THANK YOU!!