Ubiquitous P2P networking.
how was that supposed to work, in your view?
Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
241–250 of 1001 posts
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#242Earlier quoted context omitted.
It will be. When we're able to manufacture them in large quantities and with few imperfections. Give it time.
Yup, it hasn't gone away or stopped growing. It might be taking too long for journalists to find interest in it right now, but that has low correlation to the research effort.
mind explaining a little more in terms of how far away we might be able to mass produce these things?
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#243I'm disappointed none of the various constructed "universal" languages (like Esperanto) ever took off. Having a single common language spoken by everyone would be enormously useful. As it is, the closest we have is English, but it's a natural language and therefore complicated and difficult to learn.
English is a surprisingly versatile language. You can get your point across with pidgin english just fine, and it's the most spoken language in the world. On the other hand you have people who master the language on a whole new level, like Douglas Adams.
Chinese is #1 according to Wikipedia.
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#244Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#245CRISPR. My naivete surrounded me. I didn't realize that even though there was a high output of genetic marker tests that very few if of them would result in viable CRISPR targets. There's 60K genetic marker tests on the market. 8 to 10 new ones come out each day. Humanity has little hope of figuring out the sort of "druggable targets." Genome Wide Association Studies aren't like websites or apps waiting to be optimiz…
A close mentor of mine has been working on private cancer research for close to three decades and just recently retired. He was both incredibly hopeful and positively terrified of CRISPR.
He explained CRISPR as "one of the crucial technologies we don't yet have the wisdom to wield"
I recently learned (I believe on here, in the past week), CRISPR was used to develop a genetic treatment on the first human patient to solve an inherently genetic disorder.
I'm honestly terrified we're accelerating our technology faster than our societies can adapt to the potential threats they may pose.
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#246The blockchain. A strange thing to say when Bitcoin is nearing $8k each, but I'm not interested in cryptocurrencies as an abstract store of value based on the fever of the market. By now, however, I really thought someone would have found a use for the blockchain as the underpinning of some kind of new app or tech that would be able to create real value for bitcoin or whichever crypto they built it on. However, we ju…
yep. Haven't seen a single application that isn't primarily aimed at raising investment money. It's Ponzi's all the way down as far as I can tell. That may change, of course.
The only application I've seen other than raising money is gambling, e.g. SatoshiDice
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#247Interactive computer simulations of complex adaptive systems, i.e. flight simulators for decision makers.
i remember the Scorpion guy claimed to have built something like that and somehow applied it to war scenario modeling in Afghanistan? Smelled like a crock of b.s. but then again I don't have a 200 IQ
for those who dont know about it: its this thing: https://scorpioncomputerservices.com/scengen
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#248Fractal image compression.
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#249Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is because VISA/AMEX have an oligarchy, and VISA is backed by the banks, i.e. the entities that issue credit. So, the financial system is 'behind' the crapy payment scheme. Something would have to come along to basically offer credit without all that. I'm mostly surprised that Amazon and/or Wallmart have not simply done that. I'll bet Bezos does some day: a low-interest rate 'Amazon Card' that other merchants ca…
That is a good point, but PayPal and other services don't need to use cards at all (PayPal balance, attached to a bank routing number), so I don't think it's the reason micro-payments are not the norm. A credit card alternative from Amazon would be fantastic competitor to VISA / MasterCard to break the lack of innovation in the personal finance industry.
To use PayPal - you have to have your money in PayPal, or it will use an underlying credit card. So, it's really just like using a bank account to pay directly.
Most people don't like having to keep a separate current amount in PayPal to buy stuff.
Also - I'm not sure if the merchant fees that PayPal charges are any less, i.e. they didn't take the 'no fees' angle for the merchants.
And of course there is the consumer benefit: even if a system only charged 0% to merchants, and not 2-3%, well, consumers don't care. So getting enough consumers to sign up is hard.
VISA / AMEX prevent merchants from advertising cheaper prices for use of other cards - so even if a merchant had a 0% processor option, they're not allowed to discount by 2-3% for that card vis-a-vis VISA / AMEX.
It's a tightly controlled oligarchy. It's huge, entrenched, it's entire consumer financial system. Going after it would be economic thermonuclear war.
A disruptor will have to come from an outside angle - or - be huge and have their own base.
So I can see Amazon just 'doing it' themselves, for their own customer base, which equals a critical mass.
Or - someone does something 'online' that shakes things up, and that bleeds over into the brick and mortar. A crypto-currency ... I can see doing that in some way.
Re: Ask HN: What tech were you convinced would take the world by storm but didn't?
#250Iridium held so much promise and was such a disappointment.
the radioactive element? what was the promise you were excited about?