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swell people have supported us so far this month

In our 15+ years we’ve published 671,166 words, curated 19,250 links, and displayed zero ads.1 Advertising is gross. Instead we at Damn Interesting ask our readers and listeners for direct support.

We are one of the few surviving specimens of an endangered species: publications which research and write original material. Unfortunately, our servers, research materials, travel, and time aren’t free. Please help prevent our extinction. Send us a few dollars to help us remain in operation.

Even a small annual donation can go a long way if enough people chip in. Canceling is super easy.

Frequently Asked Questions

One-Time

Annual

Monthly

More Options $ X /year: Choose Your Own Amount Donate without bothering with a reward, or fortify your donation with ongoing support. $30/year: Clear Conscience Enjoy our writings, podcasts, bandwidth, etc. with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are not a freeloader. $50/year: E-Reader Gain access to download the up-to-date e-book version of our catalog whenever you want. $70/year: Good Listener Download the audio book version of our Greatest Hits anytime—over 16 hours and growing. $140/year: Intimate Circle Download the e-book and/or audiobook anytime, and get access to new articles/episodes 12-24 hours before the rest of the world. $ X /month: Choose Your Own Amount Donate without bothering with a reward, or fortify your donation with ongoing support. $3/month: Clear Conscience Enjoy our writings, podcasts, bandwidth, etc. with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are not a freeloader. $5/month: E-Reader Gain access to download the up-to-date e-book version of our catalog whenever you want. $7/month: Good Listener Download the audio book version of our Greatest Hits anytime—over 16 hours and growing. $14/month: Intimate Circle Download the e-book and/or audiobook anytime, and get access to new articles/episodes 12-24 hours before the rest of the world. $ X : Choose Your Own One-Time Amount Donate whatever amount you like without bothering with a reward. Or fortify your donation with a one-time amount. $17: One-Time E-Book Download an e-book version of our catalog of articles as it stands today. $32: One-Time Audio Book Download our almost-complete Greatest Hits audiobook as it stands today (14+ hours produced so far). Note: If you make a donation through one of these alternate channels, and you want to receive the same reward you would through our normal donation system, please send an email to webmaster@damninteresting.com to arrange fulfillment. Donate via Paypal Support us via Patreon You can set up a monthly contribution via our Patreon Page. Paper check If you prefer to send a paper check, please make it payable to Alan Bellows and mail it to: PO Box 16551

Salt Lake City, UT 84116 Buy a Print We get a few sweaty nickels whenever someone buys a print from our collection.

× Secure, encrypted payment handled by Stripe We don't store any of your credit card information on our servers. We only use your email address to send your receipt and rewards. We hate spam too. The audio book is almost complete--over 14 hours downloadable today. It may take a few weeks to fulfill physical rewards, but we'll get your stuff to you. Card Number

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Recent History

August 2020: 143 donors, $362 short. 😕

July 2020: 152 donors, $133 short. 😲

June 2020: 148 donors, $266 short. 😕

May 2020: 154 donors, $90 short. 😲

April 2020: 153 donors, $113 short. 😲

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cancel a recurring donation?

The easiest way is to visit this page and fill in the short form. Alternatively, you can find the automated email our Damn Robot sent you when you first donated, click reply, type “cancel,” and click send. If all else fails, you can email alan@damninteresting.com. Don’t worry, we won’t resent you for canceling⁠—far from it! We know that life gets in the way, and priorities shift. We sincerely appreciate your having supported us while you were able.

Where does the money go?

Every month we pay our operating costs, which include web hosting (Dreamhost), podcast hosting (SoundCloud), content delivery network, Slack, audio library subscriptions, music licenses, newspaper archive subscriptions, and other stars in our constellation of expenses. Anything above that pays for things like research materials, equipment, software, research-related travel, etc., and finally, whatever remains goes into our authors’ collective tip jar.

What happens if you miss your goal?

If we fall short one month, we survive. If it happens two or three months in a row, our ability to afford to stay online will be in peril. However we will never resort to advertising, so if our readers/listeners decide we are not worth supporting directly, we will shut down non-essential systems, pay the bills until we cannot, and then we will move on to something else.

Is there another way to donate?

Have a look under the “More Options” tab above to see options for Paypal, Patreon, etc.

What is the “stretch” goal?

We have two donation goals each month: the “survival” goal that pays the bills and keeps us running, and the aspirational “stretch” goal that kicks in once the survival goal is met. It’s an effort to inch our monthly contributions up to a higher level, one that might give us the opportunity to grow and increase our output eventually. It also serves to smooth out the bumps on months when we don’t meet the survival goal. We consider it a successful month if we meet the survival goal, and anything beyond that is appreciated, but not strictly required.

How can I stop the site from occasionally asking for donations?

If you have already donated, you can silence all donation-related messages on the site by going to the search box and entering !donor (that’s an exclamation point, then the word ‘donor’ with no space). When you hit Enter, this special code will suppress all donation-related messages in that browser for a long period of time. Similarly, you can enter !hush if you have resolved to never donate no matter how much of our bandwidth and brain-fruit you consume.

Why would you share your secret ‘hush’ code with everybody?

We require donations in order to survive, but we gain nothing from pestering people who can not or will not donate. Life is short and we are realists.

How can I help if I’m broke?

We appreciate the thought! If you are listener of our podcast, one of the nicest things you can do for us is to rate and review our podcast on your service of choice (iTunes, Stitcher, etc). That makes it more likely for new listeners to discover us. Also, since we aren’t fans of advertising, the best way for other potential donors to find us is for you to tell your friends, share links to our content, etc.

If you wish to lend us psychological support, simply drop us a line.

Miscellany

If you have any questions and/or suggestions, send some electrons to alan@damninteresting.com.

Damn Interesting is not a 501(c)(3) charity and donations are not tax-deductible.

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