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Ask HN: If you had 100 talented people for 100 days, what would you work on?

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Re: Ask HN: If you had 100 talented people for 100 days, what would you work on?

#61

Post by rustler »

l0b0 wrote: post #54
rustler wrote: post #24

A portable personal Internet server that runs as a turnkey no-user-maintenance image on AWS, Digital Ocean, and OpenStack. It hosts your email, federated social networking and chat, file sharing and ad-blocking web proxy. The user experience is pure Internet with no ads, surveillance or vendor lock-in, all for $6/mo (hosting + DNS).

This is an idea I've been toying with several times, but it never gets beyond the thinking stage because of the obstacles interacting with the rest of the world: getting at least two cloud provider accounts (one for regular operations and one for secure off-site backups, ideally with a different provider), estimating costs (because good luck actually calculating them), buying a domain and transferring it to the cloud…

Maybe we could get it "mostly" turnkey just for email, and charge $10/mo to fund 2-3 full-time devops to maintain and extend it.

Re: Ask HN: If you had 100 talented people for 100 days, what would you work on?

#64

Post by stevekemp »

anoncoward111 wrote: post #16

Instead of worrying about the practicality of this, I'll answer your question directly. I would aim to create as many blueprints as possible for tools that can help more people live and work remotely and sustainably. There is no greater threat to human health, human happiness, and human productivity, than there is in meaningless desk work and commuting.

You think the ability to work remotely is a more significant health-benefit than tackling water-shortages, obesity, drugs, and climate change?

It is OK to have a niche, and to use hyperbole, but when it comes to human health and happiness I'm certain there are more significant issues which are real, and growing, than where somebody works (if they can, must, or even do have a job).

Re: Ask HN: If you had 100 talented people for 100 days, what would you work on?

#66

Post by raverbashing »

frozenport wrote: post #38
raverbashing wrote: post #28

I would have them prototype a new computer language + ide for it This language would have usability in mind as well as throwing out established assumptions. For example, that source code should be ascii text. Or that anyone should decide between tabs/spaces.

Assuming that syntax is the hardest part of programming?

No, it would be only one of the aspects.

Re: Ask HN: If you had 100 talented people for 100 days, what would you work on?

#67

Post by raverbashing »

adamnemecek wrote: post #29
raverbashing wrote: post #28

I would have them prototype a new computer language + ide for it This language would have usability in mind as well as throwing out established assumptions. For example, that source code should be ascii text. Or that anyone should decide between tabs/spaces.

Not enough people. Languages are hard as well as bad for making money. 100 days is too few.

You're right about the making money part

Re: Ask HN: If you had 100 talented people for 100 days, what would you work on?

#68

Post by anoncoward111 »

stevekemp wrote: post #64
anoncoward111 wrote: post #16

Instead of worrying about the practicality of this, I'll answer your question directly. I would aim to create as many blueprints as possible for tools that can help more people live and work remotely and sustainably. There is no greater threat to human health, human happiness, and human productivity, than there is in meaningless desk work and commuting.

You think the ability to work remotely is a more significant health-benefit than tackling water-shortages, obesity, drugs, and climate change? It is OK to have a niche, and to use hyperbole, but when it comes to human health and happiness I'm certain there are more significant issues which are real, and growing, than where somebody works (if they can, must, or even do have a job).

The problems you have listed would immediately cease if US and Chinese corporations had any ethics whatsoever.

Obesity is caused by stress eating, cheap junk food, marketing, and a sedentary lifestyle due to a desk job. 2 billion people in South/East/SouthEast Asia live long lives because they are outside the influence of the Western diet.

When you say drugs, I dont know if you mean medicine or heroin. Most medicine is cheap. Pharmaceutical companies and insurance companies hold a cartel over its pricing. As for illegal drugs, decriminalize it like portugal and your problems will cease.

Climate change should be obvious. If everyone stopped consuming the wasteful products US corps market as disposable (gas, cars, meat, etc), we would cut our greenhouse emissions overnight.

All of these problems would end if corporations were somehow forced to stop. I doubt anyone will ever acquire the political momentum to do that.

Re: Ask HN: If you had 100 talented people for 100 days, what would you work on?

#69

Post by slimshady94 »

A decentralized ecosystem for government and finances. It would be a good fit as the domain is B2B, working and partnering with governments and banking institutions (with a focus towards developing/third-world countries to jumpstart their standards of living). The ICO would ensure their salaries later.
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