Share your ideas

A version of social discussion site optimized for continuous discussion around a topic. One of my biggest complaints about HN is that it is very reactionary and every discussion ends in 24-48 hours. One of the reasons we have less "Hacker News" is that we've exhausted superficial discussions of a lot of topics and don't have a way to go more in-depth.<p>I have some ideas about how to implement this but I don't want to spam the comments with a long essay.

- Twitter digest. A Web tool that makes it easy for me to select a bunch of tweets (such as those in response to a question I raised, or just some I find on a search) and then have them repackaged into images or nice HTML I can put on my blog. Sorta like <a href="http://twictur.es" rel="nofollow">http://twictur.es</a> but on speed.<p>- Better niche content aggregator. Like a "Planet" site but not pulling everything from the sources.. I don't wanna see non-Ruby related stuff on PlanetRubyonRails, for example.<p>- A site that lets you put in a URL and then a day/hour/whatever later e-mails you a link to a ZIP archive of that site for you to download for safe keeping. (I think I saw something like this a few days ago, but it's been on my list a while.)<p>- A blog like LifeHacker but just for coders/developers.<p>- A blog called something like "Lifeform A Day" that has a basic post about a different type of life/animal each day.<p>- A Web app dedicated to helping you make headlines or titles for blog posts, pages, etc. Has a giant swipe file of headlines from throughout the ages and will switch in and out terms of your selection automatically and let you scroll through until you find something that works for you.

- a "proof of posting" service for email. You send emails via the service which keeps hold of a copy for x years, accessible by the sender or recipient. Useful for mailing assignments and other important documents

Okay, there's been enough threads about sharing ideas on HN, but let me post the one I thought about tonight.<p>I was thinking about eBook readers. About how convenient they could be for reading not only books, but blogs, rss feeds, mail. How nice would it be if they could also work as gps navigators, if they could play some video and post to twitter. Now I know some of these devices already have these features, but how about having a platform (like iPhone) and an application store for it? Wouldn't it be great to open these devices for developers? Because, to think about it, I spend about 1-1,5 reading rss headers and blogs a day and it's really not that fun to sit in front of my desktop or notebook for that. I'd like something more mobile, but not as small as a cellphone. And, I assume, this could be one of the trends of the industry: we don't need to have these large shiny screens anymore for something as trivial as reading.

- chat rooms based on TV channels. Users can chat live via IM/sms/tweet about the show currently being viewed.

something to reduce the waiting time while making customer service calls. may be an iphone app. I specify the service (PSEG), time I would be available (4 pm to 9pm), expiry date (3 days). It would call the damn service on my behalf, and connect me once a human is on the other side, without disrupting any of the other phone tasks. no clue how it is technically possible, or if something like this already exists.

- an online log/journal for numeric information. You IM, tweet or email the info to the service where it gets logged for later review and analysis. Useful for keeping track of calories, exercise, mileage e.t.c

I love this thread.<p>While considering what I could add - all I could think of was an old Neighborhood comic that pictured a guy in a suit and tie slumped against a building holding a tin cup in his hand. Around his neck is a sign that reads "My mind is a hodge-podge of half-baked ideas."<p>My biorhythm must be off today. Yeah, that must be it.

1. An URL shortening service for online stores. Online stores embed some JS into their store templates. Every page that displays a product now has an option to "share this product" (sort of like the UserVoice/GetSatisfaction "Feedback" tab). Clicking the tab/button gives the visitor a short URL for the product and options to share on Twitter/Facebook. Charge based on number of products. I actually think this could work (1 big customer and you're ramen profitable). If anyone is interested in teaming up on it, let me know.<p>2. A small .5-2TB hard drive or SSD array with a small cable. At the end of the cable is a memory-card shaped connector. The drive attaches to your digital camera's via the tripod screw. The cable goes into your memory card slot. Device acts like a high-capacity memory card. Perhaps even works as a RAID to prevent corruption.

- an online noticeboard. When I was at uni, notices relevant to my group of students were either emailed out to everyone or uploaded as a word document to a shared drive. The former flooded my inbox with irrelevant notices, the latter was a pain to have to keep checking. Instead, I can imagine an online noticeboard with tags/directories and expiration dates set by the authors. Users would get a ping when a new notice went up for the tags/directories they had subscribed to.

A small device embedded in a car's dashboard that monitors events such as: - Anti-lock brakes or traction control kicking in (slippery road conditions) - Drastic changes in temperature/humidity (potential for ice, fog, or whatever) - Current speed (traffic flow)<p>and uploads this data, along with GPS coordinates, to a central server via cell phone data link or WiMax or something. Aggregate data about traffic speed and weather conditions nearby could be sent out to subscribers for display on an in-dash device:<p>"Hey, I see that 1.3 miles ahead on Hwy 494 three cars reported traction control kicking in within the last 20 minutes. Be careful!"<p>Getting manufacturers' cooperation for hooking into the cars' computers would be really tough. But the technology is perfectly feasible.

A realistic yet inexpensive robot hand that can curl its fingers in response to a remote wearer (wearing a glove). Would enable physical handshakes over the internet. And probably other things as well, people being as creative as they are...

- a site making it easy for people to share their photo essays. There are plenty of photo sharing sites and plenty of photo essay sites from the big boys but I've yet to find a site that makes it easy for people to share their photo essays.

Single sender email addresses -- The idea is that a subscriber to the service gives out a separate email address to each friend or associate that he's willing to hear from (maybe from serialized business cards or whatever). The mail server accepts and records the first sender to any previously unused address, and subsequently performs a policy dependent action (e.g., blocking) when mail to that address is received from any other sender. Return addresses on outoging mail also have to be handled consistently. Not sure if there's a market but I know I'd use it myself.<p>Any non-obvious flaws?

I think there's some good new communication tools around at the moment but it's an area I think that's difficult to monetize. (Facebook and Twitter IMO will have to look at something in addition to advertising.)<p>I would say there's plenty of opportunities for online marketplaces.<p>Internet growth in Asia right now, and potentially Africa in the future, will open up tonnes and the need to exchange goods and services.<p>Developing economies will want the same consumer goods as we do, and offcourse the enterprise will need the tools in order to provide these.

A microfinance or charity site (ala Kiva.com) that lets you skype with the recipient of the charity at the moment of giving.<p>Translation and synchronicity would be major obstacles to this.

A tablet-like touchscreen computer designed specifically for use in the kitchen, designed to mount on a fridge or cabinet. Inventories fridge and pantry, possibly with the aid of a barcode reader or camera to read UPCs. Connects via Wi-Fi to a recipe database, and attempts to find recipes based on fridge inventory, with full health statistics for each meal. (Oh, and a media player wouldn't hurt either.)<p>If the UI/UX was polished right, I think it could go very mainstream.

A portable camera/audio system transmits what the wearer is seeing and hearing to an online audience in real-time. The wearer would be a "remote virtual tourist" and would respond to directions from the online viewers and would walk around allowing the online viewers to travel to places virtually.

Yet another:<p>- Online business cards: <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=725195" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=725195</a><p>I have a few more, but I don't want to spam. I guess I should setup a blog for this.

A discussion site with a page for every wikipedia article. The discussion would be focused on general consideration of the subject, not the content of the article. You could discuss anything from your favorite band to Bernoulli's principle.

I have a few ideas I commented on an old post in HN. Here's the first one:<p>- Payments management system: <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=725232" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=725232</a>

Second idea:<p>- Customer help crowdsourced by customers: <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=725217" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=725217</a>

Someday I want to make websites to run experiments on subliminal perception.

Better health care.

A python console in the web. maybe this exist