Ask HN: Idea Sunday • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#41

Post by elij » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:45 AM UTC

michaelmior wrote: post #30

elij wrote: post #22

A site to discover content using an algorithm that ignores metrics we have begun to game (likes and viewings) and instead builds rankings based on pairwise comparisons. Would allow discovery of new good content that hasn't employed growth hacks and will also differentiate between equally rated content. https://aeolipyle.co (algorithm complete -- need to find good use for it.)

I'm curious: pairwise comparisons of what? It's not clear to me what your algorithm does.

After you view content (ideally immutable content like a film, music, books or computer games) -- when you offer to rate you are instead promoted on how it faired vs a previous experience. "You've just seen Terminator 2 -- how is it compared to The Matrix?)

In terms of algorithm it's got around issues of merging incomplete Condorcet elections (as not everyone will compare or rank every item) and clustering.

Turning these partial elections into a single order ranking.

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#42

Post by trentmb » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:46 AM UTC

Fizzer wrote: post #38

KnightHawk3 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What happens if both of them are told they are bad? (or you are just not very attractive)

Voters just select which picture is better, so the only thing being tested is the difference between the two photos.

Eating two turds is worse than eating one turd. I'd rather not eat any turds at all.

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#43

Post by Fizzer » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:47 AM UTC

minimaxir wrote: post #36

Fizzer wrote: post #27

A/B testing for the masses. Here's an example: Say a someone is deciding which shirt to wear. They whip out their smartphone, launch the A/B app, takes a picture of themselves wearing each of two shirts. Within 30 seconds, they have an answer of which shirt hundreds of people liked better. While they're waiting for the reply, they're prompted to rate other people's pictures. This is as simple as seeing two pictures a…

There was a startup that followed your example called Fashism. (yes, really) It received venture capital, but died a painful death. http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/fashism

Interesting. Sounds like it does share some ideas, but with a different goal. This blurb says it was trying to get people to complete for a spot on a leaderboard, whereas A/B testing is about helping people make every-day decisions.

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#44

Post by cheetos » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:47 AM UTC

I'd like some way to listen to Hacker News.

I know that's ambiguous, and I'm not sure how it'd be implemented. But I often listen to podcasts when working from home and often wish for a way to consume Hacker News in the same way.

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#45

Post by rcfox » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:48 AM UTC

doubt_me wrote: post #4

Hacker news 2.0 An actual tech news column with reporters and a sleek website and or maybe a podcast here and there I mean seriously why hasn't that happened yet

Aren't you just describing VentureBeat and TechCrunch, etc?

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#46

Post by goshx » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:48 AM UTC

- a "Prezi-like" software for software documentation. You can navigate, zoom out to the project specs, zoom in for the code;

- think about how google maps show you the time a given route would take in the current traffic. What I want is the possibility to see what the time would be in a future date and time, based on historical data (no, google maps does not have this);

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#47

Post by covercash » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:49 AM UTC

My idea is to make Idea Sunday and Screenshot Saturday monthly posts instead of weekly. Maybe the second weekend of each month so as not to crowd the hiring/freelance posts at the start of the month?

Also have them posted by an "official" account so it doesn't turn into a karma grab.

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#48

Post by minimaxir » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:49 AM UTC

Fizzer wrote: post #43

minimaxir wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a startup that followed your example called Fashism. (yes, really) It received venture capital, but died a painful death. http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/fashism

Interesting. Sounds like it does share some ideas, but with a different goal. This blurb says it was trying to get people to complete for a spot on a leaderboard, whereas A/B testing is about helping people make every-day decisions.

I think the leaderboard was the original idea, but then they later pivoted.

http://betabeat.com/2013/09/fashism-struts-off-to-startup-gr...

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#49

Post by JacobJans » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:52 AM UTC

Think about how many cool videos are made with the Go Pro. Snowboarding videos, skydiving videos, etc.

Now think about how cool it would be to have the type of frozen fly-around video that you see in moves like The Matrix. In fact, it should be super easy to create such a thing. Instead of just a photo, why can't we have a frozen moment in time, virtually in 3d?

In fact, I first thought of this idea in terms of wedding photography (an industry in need of a lot of innovation, btw.)

What I propose is a "string of cameras" that you can easily place anywhere, and will simultaneously shoot a photo. All of those photos are then instantly turned into a video.

Cameras have become low-cost enough that a product like this could be produced at a mass market price. Yes, it is a niche product, but so is the Go Pro. But, the best argument for this idea is that it would be really damn fun to play with one.

Someone, please steal this idea. All I ask is that you make it happen.

Re: Ask HN: Idea Sunday

#50

Post by blazespin » Sun, May 04, 2014, 5:52 AM UTC

zodiac wrote: post #21

neilxdsouza wrote: post #17

A search engine for the legal system. I had sent this idea to YC 2013 and they asked me to submit a video, but I felt I don't have the creds to apply. Take each section of a country's law and convert it into prolog clauses. Queries can then be run on the legal engine. For defendants it gives you insights on how to build a case and for prosecution it identifies relevant sections and evidence that needs to be provided…

Lots of what lawyers and judges do involve interpreting and arguing for a certain interpretation of laws - eg, whether Aero is merely renting an antenna to individual consumers or performing a work publicly to all of them as a whole. Case law also sets all sorts of legal "tests" that involve human judgement (eg proportionate force in response, what a reasonable person would believe). How will your search engine deal…

I don't think the tool is meant to be exhaustive just assisting.

I think the base idea is very inspired, but I'd avoid prescribing a technical solution at the beginning and just propose different approaches. The general goal of giving lawyers a formula for inputting a case with a certain grammar and format and getting a useful output of laws and precedence seems amazingly useful.