19 ms·

What’s Better: Saving the World or Building Another Facebook app?

22 points by jasonlbaptiste 17y ago

fnid2 17y ago
Funny that they expect a contest partially judged by a gaming organization, which is also arguably one of the shadiest money makers on the web, to produce anything of social value. Not only are the people making the decisions not concerned about the planet and human welfare, but they are actually making lives worse off. It'd be like arguing for a little common courtesy in the pits of hell.
tomkinstinch 17y ago
The two needn't be mutually exclusive. The masses and networks of Facebook could be leveraged for public good.
patio11 17y ago
Yet we have the greatest minds and the deepest pool of investment capital in the world focused on building Facebook and Twitter apps. While it certainly may appear that way if one's only source of exposure to the world is Techcrunch, all venture capital in the Valley (a fraction of the ~$30 billion per year in the entire US) is, ahem, literally less than rounding error next to world investment capital. I mean, fixed income securities in the United States have face value of about $30 trillion. That's one asset class. (The biggest one, granted.) Ditto the brainpower thing, although that is less instantly measurable.
mseebach 17y ago
It's a bit of a false dichotomy. While I'm not completely familiar with the setting, a "hack-a-thon" seems to be a place where cool solutions are applied to cool problems. Using computers and the internet. Quick and fun, forgotten next year. "Saving the world" has a completely different set of challenges to be addressed. The SMS idea is a very good idea, and using one of the very few vectors in third world countries that aren't bogged down by systemic issues. I'm not at all sure that a "save-the-world-a-thon" focusing on SMS solutions in the third world wouldn't have very interesting outcomes. Maybe TechCrunch can't see the forest for their eagerness to call the youth of today shallow?
- deleted 17y ago
  [deleted]
- cfinke 17y ago
  > It's a bit of a false dichotomy. Exactly. It is just as valid to ask "What's better: Saving the world or writing for another tech blog?"
dsspence 17y ago
I've learned two things today: 1. Don't read techcrunch comments (if article insinuates humanitarianism) 2. Don't read wallstreet journal comments (if talking about the President)
nhebb 17y ago
Is there a place where people can post their ideas for software applications? I'm constantly thinking up things that I don't have the time, skills, or knowledge to implement. Reading the techcrunch piece I just thought of this one... Crop tester; An application that lets farmers and agricultural scientists share techniques to increase crop yields. Inputting crop type, soil, climate information, the farmer could get ideas to test on a small portion of the crop. Feeding the results back into the system would help create a massive, public database. Maybe the ideas is good, maybe it sucks. But it would be nice to have a site where ideas could get posted, then voted up or down.
- vinutheraj 17y ago
  Your prayers have been answered - http://wappr.com/ http://wappr.com/, surprisingly it was posted on HN just before you asked this question - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1123173 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1123173
chuhnk 17y ago
The one thing to take away from the article. The next time you decide to build an app, do something that benefits the world. Note: Social Networking does not benefit the world.
- neilk 17y ago
  Social networking is an enormous benefit to the world. Social networking companies, on the other hand...
  - corruption 17y ago
    Your definition of benefit is different to mine.
neilk 17y ago
Just a side note, my friend Andy McKay did a gig in Kenya building a Django/SMS system that helped fight malnutrition. http://djangozen.com/blog/11-days-in-kenya http://djangozen.com/blog/11-days-in-kenya http://blip.tv/file/3041374 http://blip.tv/file/3041374
mlinsey 17y ago
I think a big reason people are more focused on Facebook Apps (and consumer web apps in general) to the exclusion of more pressing world problems is because those problems are hard. I think it's well understood that one of the driving forces behind the boom in internet software entrepreneurship is that the barriers to entry are extremely low- historically low compared to other developing fields. For most of the readership of this board, "barrier to entry" does not just mean financial resources but also domain knowledge. I would find it enormously rewarding to work on many of the "grand challenges" listed here, but I lack the basic science background to do so. Maybe if I had been a physicist or a bioengineer and picked up hacking on the side. I may be able to find a scientist to collaborate with, but I would still be a little out of my depth, and they certainly don't hang out at the same startup gatherings. Or am I being too defeatist? Does anyone have success picking up biotech or solar cell design or neuroscience on your own, like some people pick up programming or sales on their own? What resources would help you do so?
- Herring 17y ago
  I think two, maybe three are within reach of a programmer - secure cyberspace, personal learning, & scientific discovery. Anyway some problems might have relatively easy solutions. I'm reminded of the mosquito-laser article on slashdot yesterday http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02/12/176220/Directed-Energy-Weapon-Downs-Mosquitos http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02/12/176220/Directed-E...
gridspy 17y ago
I believe that Gridspy is helping at least partially with 2. Make solar energy economical. It helps like this: Gridspy can measure the power usage of a building, helping you to specify a system that will satisfy that particular building's energy footprint and timing. Choices such as size of the battery bank, size of the battery array and capacity of the inverter bank depend on how power is used. The Array itself needs to generate enough power over the course of a week or so to power the building for that week. Knowing exactly how much power is used helps you to specify the correct size so you don't spend too much on panels. The Batteries need to be large enough to handle any difference between the power used when the sun is poor and the solar array's yield at that time. Knowing exactly when during the day power is used helps to specify how many batteries to install. Finally, the peak power usage of the building determines how large the bank of inverters should be. Inverters convert battery power to usable mains - if there are not enough inverters, you will need to fall back on other power sources (generators / the grid) when you need lots of power for HVAC or lighting. Gridspy can help you choose the right amount to spend on each of these different subsystems since it monitors your power usage at high resolution. Once the system is installed, Gridspy can monitor the solar yeild, the battery levels and the current demand to show you how well your solar installation is performing. This helps to prove that the investment in solar power was financially sound.
petercooper 17y ago
This brings me to the point of this post. What if we challenged these students and Silicon Valley to build businesses that do good for the planet and make a healthy profit doing so? What if the writer stopped writing utter drivel on TechCrunch and instead got out and volunteered to make the world a better place? If you're going to preach high and mighty, you should be coming from a place of height and mightiness.
anamax 17y ago
The author seems to think that saving the world is a technology problem. It isn't. Technology can make it easier to save the world, but technology is neither necessary nor sufficient for saving the world.
- thomaspaine 17y ago
  Would you mind backing up that assertion? I would argue that technological advances are a large part of what makes the west's standard of living greater. Just look at the huge leaps in GDP made by the Four Asian Tigers, China, India, etc, for examples of how technological inflows have increased standards of living. As an example, inventing a cheaper, scalable, and distributed (unhindered by corrupt central governments) way to sanitize water in the third world seems like a pretty good technological challenge to me.
  - anamax 17y ago
    > I would argue that technological advances are a large part of what makes the west's standard of living greater. While that's true, it doesn't contradict my assertion. > As an example, inventing a cheaper, scalable, and distributed (unhindered by corrupt central governments) The parenthetical comment concedes my point. The West has provided enough resources to solve those problems a couple of times, yet they're not solved. Why would solving them more efficiently make any difference next time? Yes, I realize that you're putting a lot of weight on distributed, but the relevant people mastered retail theft and corruption - that's how they got into a position to do wholesale. And yes, it's a fantastic technological challenge. My point is that solving it won't solve the problems.
deyan 17y ago
I am surprised this thread didn't grow larger.. Or perhaps I shouldn't be.. As someone who only came to the valley recently, I agree with the majority of observations in the article. I wrote a short article with my comments here: http://dvitanov.posterous.com/innovation-and-the-interdisciplinary-challeng http://dvitanov.posterous.com/innovation-and-the-interdiscip...

fnid2 17y ago

Funny that they expect a contest partially judged by a gaming organization, which is also arguably one of the shadiest money makers on the web, to produce anything of social value. Not only are the people making the decisions not concerned about the planet and human welfare, but they are actually making lives worse off. It'd be like arguing for a little common courtesy in the pits of hell.

tomkinstinch 17y ago

The two needn't be mutually exclusive. The masses and networks of Facebook could be leveraged for public good.

patio11 17y ago

Yet we have the greatest minds and the deepest pool of investment capital in the world focused on building Facebook and Twitter apps. While it certainly may appear that way if one's only source of exposure to the world is Techcrunch, all venture capital in the Valley (a fraction of the ~$30 billion per year in the entire US) is, ahem, literally less than rounding error next to world investment capital. I mean, fixed income securities in the United States have face value of about $30 trillion. That's one asset class. (The biggest one, granted.) Ditto the brainpower thing, although that is less instantly measurable.

mseebach 17y ago

It's a bit of a false dichotomy. While I'm not completely familiar with the setting, a "hack-a-thon" seems to be a place where cool solutions are applied to cool problems. Using computers and the internet. Quick and fun, forgotten next year. "Saving the world" has a completely different set of challenges to be addressed. The SMS idea is a very good idea, and using one of the very few vectors in third world countries that aren't bogged down by systemic issues. I'm not at all sure that a "save-the-world-a-thon" focusing on SMS solutions in the third world wouldn't have very interesting outcomes. Maybe TechCrunch can't see the forest for their eagerness to call the youth of today shallow?

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
cfinke 17y ago
> It's a bit of a false dichotomy. Exactly. It is just as valid to ask "What's better: Saving the world or writing for another tech blog?"

dsspence 17y ago

I've learned two things today: 1. Don't read techcrunch comments (if article insinuates humanitarianism) 2. Don't read wallstreet journal comments (if talking about the President)

nhebb 17y ago

Is there a place where people can post their ideas for software applications? I'm constantly thinking up things that I don't have the time, skills, or knowledge to implement. Reading the techcrunch piece I just thought of this one... Crop tester; An application that lets farmers and agricultural scientists share techniques to increase crop yields. Inputting crop type, soil, climate information, the farmer could get ideas to test on a small portion of the crop. Feeding the results back into the system would help create a massive, public database. Maybe the ideas is good, maybe it sucks. But it would be nice to have a site where ideas could get posted, then voted up or down.

vinutheraj 17y ago
Your prayers have been answered - http://wappr.com/ http://wappr.com/, surprisingly it was posted on HN just before you asked this question - http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1123173 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1123173

chuhnk 17y ago

The one thing to take away from the article. The next time you decide to build an app, do something that benefits the world. Note: Social Networking does not benefit the world.

neilk 17y ago
Social networking is an enormous benefit to the world. Social networking companies, on the other hand...
- corruption 17y ago
  Your definition of benefit is different to mine.

neilk 17y ago

Just a side note, my friend Andy McKay did a gig in Kenya building a Django/SMS system that helped fight malnutrition. http://djangozen.com/blog/11-days-in-kenya http://djangozen.com/blog/11-days-in-kenya http://blip.tv/file/3041374 http://blip.tv/file/3041374

mlinsey 17y ago

I think a big reason people are more focused on Facebook Apps (and consumer web apps in general) to the exclusion of more pressing world problems is because those problems are hard. I think it's well understood that one of the driving forces behind the boom in internet software entrepreneurship is that the barriers to entry are extremely low- historically low compared to other developing fields. For most of the readership of this board, "barrier to entry" does not just mean financial resources but also domain knowledge. I would find it enormously rewarding to work on many of the "grand challenges" listed here, but I lack the basic science background to do so. Maybe if I had been a physicist or a bioengineer and picked up hacking on the side. I may be able to find a scientist to collaborate with, but I would still be a little out of my depth, and they certainly don't hang out at the same startup gatherings. Or am I being too defeatist? Does anyone have success picking up biotech or solar cell design or neuroscience on your own, like some people pick up programming or sales on their own? What resources would help you do so?

Herring 17y ago
I think two, maybe three are within reach of a programmer - secure cyberspace, personal learning, & scientific discovery. Anyway some problems might have relatively easy solutions. I'm reminded of the mosquito-laser article on slashdot yesterday http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02/12/176220/Directed-Energy-Weapon-Downs-Mosquitos http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/02/12/176220/Directed-E...

gridspy 17y ago

I believe that Gridspy is helping at least partially with 2. Make solar energy economical. It helps like this: Gridspy can measure the power usage of a building, helping you to specify a system that will satisfy that particular building's energy footprint and timing. Choices such as size of the battery bank, size of the battery array and capacity of the inverter bank depend on how power is used. The Array itself needs to generate enough power over the course of a week or so to power the building for that week. Knowing exactly how much power is used helps you to specify the correct size so you don't spend too much on panels. The Batteries need to be large enough to handle any difference between the power used when the sun is poor and the solar array's yield at that time. Knowing exactly when during the day power is used helps to specify how many batteries to install. Finally, the peak power usage of the building determines how large the bank of inverters should be. Inverters convert battery power to usable mains - if there are not enough inverters, you will need to fall back on other power sources (generators / the grid) when you need lots of power for HVAC or lighting. Gridspy can help you choose the right amount to spend on each of these different subsystems since it monitors your power usage at high resolution. Once the system is installed, Gridspy can monitor the solar yeild, the battery levels and the current demand to show you how well your solar installation is performing. This helps to prove that the investment in solar power was financially sound.

petercooper 17y ago

This brings me to the point of this post. What if we challenged these students and Silicon Valley to build businesses that do good for the planet and make a healthy profit doing so? What if the writer stopped writing utter drivel on TechCrunch and instead got out and volunteered to make the world a better place? If you're going to preach high and mighty, you should be coming from a place of height and mightiness.

anamax 17y ago

The author seems to think that saving the world is a technology problem. It isn't. Technology can make it easier to save the world, but technology is neither necessary nor sufficient for saving the world.

thomaspaine 17y ago
Would you mind backing up that assertion? I would argue that technological advances are a large part of what makes the west's standard of living greater. Just look at the huge leaps in GDP made by the Four Asian Tigers, China, India, etc, for examples of how technological inflows have increased standards of living. As an example, inventing a cheaper, scalable, and distributed (unhindered by corrupt central governments) way to sanitize water in the third world seems like a pretty good technological challenge to me.
- anamax 17y ago
  > I would argue that technological advances are a large part of what makes the west's standard of living greater. While that's true, it doesn't contradict my assertion. > As an example, inventing a cheaper, scalable, and distributed (unhindered by corrupt central governments) The parenthetical comment concedes my point. The West has provided enough resources to solve those problems a couple of times, yet they're not solved. Why would solving them more efficiently make any difference next time? Yes, I realize that you're putting a lot of weight on distributed, but the relevant people mastered retail theft and corruption - that's how they got into a position to do wholesale. And yes, it's a fantastic technological challenge. My point is that solving it won't solve the problems.

deyan 17y ago

I am surprised this thread didn't grow larger.. Or perhaps I shouldn't be.. As someone who only came to the valley recently, I agree with the majority of observations in the article. I wrote a short article with my comments here: http://dvitanov.posterous.com/innovation-and-the-interdisciplinary-challeng http://dvitanov.posterous.com/innovation-and-the-interdiscip...