Show HN: Anonymous messaging with a 1km radius • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: Anonymous messaging with a 1km radius

#151

Post by Xeoncross » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 4:54 PM UTC

Faaak wrote: post #86

Xeoncross wrote: post #84

How do they get wifi or bluetooth to extend to (1k/3,200ft) when standard wifi or bluetooth is less than 400ft? Are they taking control of the wifi chip and making it so the packets are allowed to take much longer to arrive to cover the greater distances?

Simply by using the phone's GPS and sending all messages to a centralized server which then broadcasts it to the "in the area" participants.

So they use paid cellar data then and it's not really limited to location other than the app enforces this.

Much less interesting now compared to actual proximity apps.

Re: Show HN: Anonymous messaging with a 1km radius

#152

Post by fatdog » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 9:09 PM UTC

narrowrail wrote: post #121

fatdog wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Authorities of all sorts love the bully narrative because it legitimizes their demands for compliance. Social media is undermining to them because people don't want to be supervised. The real reason social media sites die without moderation is not because it alienates people who take bullying, it is that when there is no way to become a moderator, people seek status and power elsewhere. Reddit survives because it is…

If any of what you claim is true, I am an idiot and you are a genius. >when there is no way to become a moderator, people seek status and power elsewhere This is such an odd way to look at the world, I would need quite a bit more explanation. Not everyone is ambitious and competitive. >HN survives because of similar aspiration to be seen as that smart person in front of a VC audience Many of us (you included) partici…

I regret to say I might have some bad news for you.

However, not everyone is ambitious and competitive, but not everyone uses social media. They do seek a sense of approval (or attention), even if it is defracted via a pseudonym. Most social studies are irreproducible bunk anyway.

Our 'real' identities are but a hash away, where you give me a place to contact you and tell you the contents of this sha1 sum: b967696ff8376ccd0feb6170b469e23588d702bd . If you wanted to get fancy, we could start by agreeing on a modulus and a base....

Re: Show HN: Anonymous messaging with a 1km radius

#153

Post by fapjacks » Fri, Oct 28, 2016, 10:44 PM UTC

I think it would be more interesting if the radius was variable and dependent upon the population density of your area. This way, your neighborhood in the city (SF) is roughly a kilometer out, but in Wyoming, you're going to talk to a relatively similar number of people. I think anyways it would be more useful for the kinds of tasks I would see myself using this app for.

Re: Show HN: Anonymous messaging with a 1km radius

#154

Post by aethertron » Sat, Oct 29, 2016, 8:58 PM UTC

witty_username wrote: post #90

aethertron wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lamp post is part of a wider local 'ecosystem' that includes ways of dealing with abusive messages attached to publicly-visible objects. Communication apps like this, not so much. This is why service and software makers are considered to have more of a responsibility to be concerned with misuse of their platforms. (ETA:I mean platforms, as in publicly-accessible stuff on the net, that's under their control.)

Maybe block the user or don't use the app if someone's bullying you?

"Block the user"--that requires the app to have a block feature. Would you say that's something to be taken for granted? Something we can rightfully expect in communication software? Something the service-provider has an obligation to provide?

If 'bullying' in a social app/service continues, then yes, there is option to stop using it.

But if that service has value, users are going to want to keep using it, but they're going to ask for a better service.

Re: Show HN: Anonymous messaging with a 1km radius

#155

Post by [deleted] » Sun, Oct 30, 2016, 5:21 AM UTC

aethertron wrote: post #154

witty_username wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe block the user or don't use the app if someone's bullying you?

"Block the user"--that requires the app to have a block feature. Would you say that's something to be taken for granted? Something we can rightfully expect in communication software? Something the service-provider has an obligation to provide? If 'bullying' in a social app/service continues, then yes, there is option to stop using it. But if that service has value, users are going to want to keep using it, but they'r…

[deleted]

Re: Show HN: Anonymous messaging with a 1km radius

#156

Post by coffeedan » Mon, Oct 31, 2016, 1:10 AM UTC

theveloped wrote: post #128

peterkshultz wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a big fan of this project. I'd love to talk if you're ever interested in making it something bigger!

As described I'm most likely not going to take this project much further on my own. I'll definitely reach out to you if I decide on growing it with a team or maybe as an open-source project.

+1 count me in as a future contributor as well