News You Can Bruise for 2012 July 6

Damn, everyone clearly decided to hold off launching their Kickstarter project until after the Fourth, because yesterday saw about 230 launches, compared to 50 the day before. So today I had no problem finding two thematically consistent projects I wanted to back. How often does that happen?

• First off, Moon Intern, a very ambitious pixel-art game for "PC/Mac and Linux computers." Why are PC and Mac grouped together but Linux is separate? Anyway, if there's a Linux version, I'm in.
• If a pixel moon isn't enough for you, there's Student Built Lunar Rover Prototype for Google Lunar X PRIZE. "We need to purchase a CNC milling machine in order to complete construction of our flight-like lunar rover prototype." Lunar rovers and CNC milling machines! It's like they started that project just for me!

Today's Month of Kickstarter Platinum is also the lunar rover one, only at the $10,000 level. At those lofty heights of backing, instead of a T-shirt or a 5-gallon tub of duck sauce, you get to send your DNA to the moon. Yield to the panspermia urge!