Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool • Hacker News Board

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#21

Post by davidw » Sun, May 10, 2009, 9:50 PM UTC

anigbrowl wrote: post #13

vaksel wrote: post #9

A washer/dryer combo that works as a single unit, so that you don't have to move things manually from one to the other. I see it as a 2 story contraption, washer on top, dryer on the bottom. After the washer is done, a trap door opens and the clothes fall into the dryer, which then auto-starts. As you can guess, I was doing laundry recently

Already exists. These are the norm in Europe, I have no idea why they're not popular in the US. We Europeans enjoy mocking antiquated American home appliances and can't believe you still use stovetop kettles and blenders from the 1950s. http://www.gelighting.com/apo/products/appliances/clothes_ca... It looks like a regular washing machine, you just put your clothes in the front, set the buttons, and 2 hours later the…

Here in Italy, people mostly use solar power to dry clothes, rather than a dryer, which very few people possess.

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#22

Post by alexkearns » Sun, May 10, 2009, 9:54 PM UTC

Glasses that make everyone look attractive.

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#23

Post by ram1024 » Sun, May 10, 2009, 9:56 PM UTC

Steam/iTunes type deal where you have the movies you own hosted online, except work it to where licenced/purchased movies are p2p shared off the computers logged into the network so you don't have to pay too much to funnel the movies down the pipe.

say i buy ID4. it starts downloading P2P onto my system at home. once it's downloaded i can watch it there, of course. but any time i'm on the network that particular movie is also shared P2P to other people who want to purchase it.

i can go to a friend or family member's house, download the software, log into my account, and watch my home movies from that remote location if i want (barring the download time).

i would also push to get theatre releases on the release date for this service if made. if you don't want pirates stealing screenercam shit, create an avenue where they can legitimately purchase and view movies the day they're released. at least you'll make some of that money back :|

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#24

Post by RiderOfGiraffes » Sun, May 10, 2009, 9:58 PM UTC

alexkearns wrote: post #22

Glasses that make everyone look attractive.

Glasses filled with beer seem to work.

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#25

Post by qw » Sun, May 10, 2009, 9:58 PM UTC

davidw wrote: post #21

anigbrowl wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Already exists. These are the norm in Europe, I have no idea why they're not popular in the US. We Europeans enjoy mocking antiquated American home appliances and can't believe you still use stovetop kettles and blenders from the 1950s. http://www.gelighting.com/apo/products/appliances/clothes_ca... It looks like a regular washing machine, you just put your clothes in the front, set the buttons, and 2 hours later the…

Here in Italy, people mostly use solar power to dry clothes, rather than a dryer, which very few people possess.

That wouldn't work in northern Europe for large parts of the year, because of the climate.

There are both advantages and disadvantages by air drying. By drying them outside, you get a more "fresh" smell. But if you use a dryer, the clothes are often "softer".

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#26

Post by myoung8 » Sun, May 10, 2009, 10:01 PM UTC

staticshock wrote: post #19

Cars that drive without a human at the wheel. This is the norm for sci-fi movies, and we still don't have it.

We do: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_(vehicle)

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#27

Post by deutronium » Sun, May 10, 2009, 10:02 PM UTC

Nuclear powered laptop never needs recharging

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#28

Post by noamsml » Sun, May 10, 2009, 10:03 PM UTC

diego wrote: post #17

A search engine for your house. Tag every object that you care about with a tiny electronic label (could be an rfid chip). Some objects could come pre-tagged and added to your library the first time they cross your door. When you can't find something, find the object on your computer and start walking around the house with a wand that beeps louder as you get closer to the object. Would also work when you lose somethi…

Alternatively, just sell matching pairs of electronic tags (sticky) that both have buttons and beep when the other one is pressed.

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#29

Post by asnyder » Sun, May 10, 2009, 10:03 PM UTC

anigbrowl wrote: post #13

vaksel wrote: post #9

A washer/dryer combo that works as a single unit, so that you don't have to move things manually from one to the other. I see it as a 2 story contraption, washer on top, dryer on the bottom. After the washer is done, a trap door opens and the clothes fall into the dryer, which then auto-starts. As you can guess, I was doing laundry recently

Already exists. These are the norm in Europe, I have no idea why they're not popular in the US. We Europeans enjoy mocking antiquated American home appliances and can't believe you still use stovetop kettles and blenders from the 1950s. http://www.gelighting.com/apo/products/appliances/clothes_ca... It looks like a regular washing machine, you just put your clothes in the front, set the buttons, and 2 hours later the…

I hope these links are somewhat more helpful, though the blenders aren't much different than those in the states.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_w_h_?url=search-alias%3D...

Re: Brainstorm HN: Outlandish Startup Ideas Pool

#30

Post by bbuffone » Sun, May 10, 2009, 10:04 PM UTC

I have three great ideas for startups that fit this request.

1.) scambledporn.com - If you can remember tv before it went digital, porn used to be scambled by varying the horizontal sync of the tv signal for that channel. This made it unwatchable, unless you were really really patience. My idea is to create a website that has porn that works on the same concept; it would be scrambled until people pay to have it unscrambled. The more you pay the more unscambled it would be.

2.) Fire Energy Convertor (FEC) these are self contained devices that can be dropped into wildfires. Once placed into the fire; the device would convert the heat of the fire into electricity. After the fire subsided, the device would be placed into a grid that would provide electricity. Let's stop wasting all the energy that is release by forest fires. Eventually the device (FEC 2.0) could be placed into active volcano as well.

3.) An exercise device that can be used while you shower. It would be like killing two birds with one stone. People wouldn't have to worry about having to take a shower after working out, because they would already be in the shower and can soap up when done. The marketing plan for this device is a 30 minute infomercial that walks people through its use, with several nice looking and in good shape people. When you purchased the device, you will also receive a instructional video of your choosing (Male, Female).