Monty Harper / Kickstarter

Sounds like a Billy Joel rhyme, doesn't it?

Nope, it's just the latest volley in kids music crowd-funding, this time from Oklahoma musician (and longtime friend of Zooglobble) Monty Harper, who's looking to raise $9,000 for his latest project, Songs from the Science Frontier. Harper promises songs about "phototaxic bacteria, stress hormones, wheat genomics, bacterial biofilms, bat taxonomy, wind energy, acrocanthosaurus neural spines, x-ray crystallography, and luminescence dating!" (Take that, TMBG! You pikers!)

For those who don't know what half those things are [raises hand], you may also be interested to note that fellow Oklahoman Sugar Free Allstars' Chris Wiser is slated to produce.

The prize levels are fairly standard (though I love the cheap joke of the $160 level), but perhaps the most innovative promise is the final one.

The fundraising deadline for this project, August 21, also happens to be my birthday! If we reach the $9,000 goal before that date, I will throw an online birthday bash for all my backers via live video feed, during which my wife, Lisa, has promised to smoosh a chocolate cake in my face! You want to see that! You know you do!