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Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

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Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#141

Post by desigooner »

_delirium wrote: post #136
jwhitlark wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Heh, I had a CS Professor once refer to the command line as "a legacy technology that's still occasionally useful for testing." I didn't tell her that saying that at a hiring interview at my company would end the interview.

I've had more the opposite experience--- one CS professor used only a Unix command line without X installed, and his machine didn't have a mouse. Not sure which is worse.

i can relate to that .. not only did my professor use command line only, he required the finals (more like a paper) and the project reports typed up in LaTex + the presentations in .PS/PDF format .. No Word or Powerpoint

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#142

Post by jeffcoat »

ErrantX wrote: post #60
orangecat wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nah. Sure, even if you don't suffer from aging you'd still occasionally get diseases, and eventually one would be fatal, but your medical expenses per year would be far less than they are today.

Ok then, how about this. Obesity is a growing cause of illness. Removing aging is unlikely to affect that, arguably it could compound the problem.

Careful, here: this is exactly what the argument would look like if you'd decided in advance what the right answer is, and you kept casting around for reasons why that's so until you find one that seems to stick.

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#143

Post by richcollins »

edw519 wrote: post #6

Enterprise software sucks. We don't talk about it much here at hn, but think about it. Every man-made object you encounter every day was manufactured somewhere. And moved, more than once. Now add in all the sales, marketing, customer service, operations, accounting, finance, human resources, etc., etc., etc. needed to support that manufacturing and distribution. Next, add financial markets, healthcare, energy, entert…

The problem is the enterprise not the software.

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#144

Post by nlh »

logicalmind wrote: post #3

It depends on how big of a problem you want to tackle. The biggest problem I have every day is that I get tired and have to go to sleep. This time spent sleeping could be better used by doing more productive things. Finding a solution to the "sleep problem" would be a huge win in many ways.

Sleep is neither a problem nor a disease, and I really don't think you should see it as an obstacle to your productivity. Trying to fix the "sleep problem" is about on par with trying to fix the "going to the bathroom" problem or the "having to eat" problem. Lose the balance of sleep and you'll burn out faster than you can possibly imagine.

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#145

Post by PidGin128 »

mechanical_fish wrote: post #42
logicalmind wrote: post #3

It depends on how big of a problem you want to tackle. The biggest problem I have every day is that I get tired and have to go to sleep. This time spent sleeping could be better used by doing more productive things. Finding a solution to the "sleep problem" would be a huge win in many ways.

I'm looking for a solution to a much different sleep problem: How to consistently remind myself that trying to do without sleep is counterproductive and nuts and that I should be doing much more sleeping. I need the reverse of an alarm clock: A clock that somehow makes me sleep. Because otherwise not only will my brain function worse, but the additional stress may actually shorten my life , which pretty much screws u…

I don't think you need a reverse, just to reconsider what the alarm you're setting is for.

Try setting the alarm for when you should sleep, instead of wake.

I need to do this myself, and reading your thoughts made it clearer to me. (Doubt I'll actually do it though...)

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#146

Post by nlh »

I think there is a fundamental problem with the process of getting funding for a new business. I'm not sure there's a simple or even reasonable solution, but there's definitely a problem.

I know many smart, capable, enthusiastic people who have a very good business ideas, would be totally capable of launching a new product/service/etc., and would make fine entrepreneurs -- but who have absolutely no way to get their ideas/product/services off the ground.

Every time someone approaches me and asks for direction on how to fund the idea, the answer always seems to end up at "find a wealthy friend or family member to invest in you." Some people have those connections. Most do not.

We all know that VCs only go for very specific types of high-growth products / services. Places like Y Combinator have a very specific (and great!) niche. Banks are entirely useless in 95% of cases. Even the SBA -- the government's best effort in this area -- is still basically for businesses that have already gotten off the ground.

There are a ton of great ideas - great products - great services - that aren't necessarily VC-worthy but do deserve to be given an opportunity to be born.

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#147

Post by ippisl »

rokhayakebe wrote: post #10
edw519 wrote: post #6

Enterprise software sucks. We don't talk about it much here at hn, but think about it. Every man-made object you encounter every day was manufactured somewhere. And moved, more than once. Now add in all the sales, marketing, customer service, operations, accounting, finance, human resources, etc., etc., etc. needed to support that manufacturing and distribution. Next, add financial markets, healthcare, energy, entert…

A friend of mine suggested truly distributing companies. His theory is that if you can outsource payroll, then you should be able to outsource everything, everything, that is not core to your business. In a sense that is what the App Store does. You build the software (your main skill) and you do not even need a website. You could take it further and pay another company x% of revenue and they take care of marketing,…

The problem with outsourcing everything , is that you gain somethings(speed , access to talent, sometimes cost savings) , but you loose the tighter integration that a single unified company has.

This integration leads to better information sharing on projects, more aligned incentives for people in the project, and at least in some cases can lead to better products.

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#148

Post by ErrantX »

jeffcoat wrote: post #142
ErrantX wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok then, how about this. Obesity is a growing cause of illness. Removing aging is unlikely to affect that, arguably it could compound the problem.

Careful, here: this is exactly what the argument would look like if you'd decided in advance what the right answer is, and you kept casting around for reasons why that's so until you find one that seems to stick.

Not at all I'm offering reasons - all pretty solid ones - why fixing aging wouldn't remove the cost of healthcare. The point was to show there are lots of other healthcare costs unrelated to aging.

I'd argue it is the other poster who has become set on a theory. :-)

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#149

Post by SingAlong »

rokhayakebe wrote: post #10
edw519 wrote: post #6

Enterprise software sucks. We don't talk about it much here at hn, but think about it. Every man-made object you encounter every day was manufactured somewhere. And moved, more than once. Now add in all the sales, marketing, customer service, operations, accounting, finance, human resources, etc., etc., etc. needed to support that manufacturing and distribution. Next, add financial markets, healthcare, energy, entert…

A friend of mine suggested truly distributing companies. His theory is that if you can outsource payroll, then you should be able to outsource everything, everything, that is not core to your business. In a sense that is what the App Store does. You build the software (your main skill) and you do not even need a website. You could take it further and pay another company x% of revenue and they take care of marketing,…

Oh then if the X company can market it and take a share of the revenue, then that'll be fine for hackers who can build the enterprise software based on different perspective or a better idea.

Can you throw some more light on these marketing companies?

Re: Ask HN: What are problems that need to be solved?

#150

Post by pramit »

edw519 wrote: post #6

Enterprise software sucks. We don't talk about it much here at hn, but think about it. Every man-made object you encounter every day was manufactured somewhere. And moved, more than once. Now add in all the sales, marketing, customer service, operations, accounting, finance, human resources, etc., etc., etc. needed to support that manufacturing and distribution. Next, add financial markets, healthcare, energy, entert…

I agree totally, completely. The best things about this segment is that the market is already there. The worst thing about this segment is that entreched players and market conditions make it hard to sell from company to company.
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