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Show HN: Hacker Hall - Virtual Coworking

147 points by malcolmocean 10y ago

malcolmocean 10y ago
I got a ton of signups to Complice yesterday via the IndieHackers HN launch (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12269425 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12269425) so I thought it would be cool to see if we could coalesce a new little community of people doing pomodoros (25/5 work/break periods) together online. One of my favorite features of HN is that it lets you limit how much time you spend on it per day. I love systems that work with the users' interests in mind, and I think that this coworking chat does so more than almost any other chat app, because it has clear work periods where people can be productive.
- asimuvPR 10y ago
  I was skeptical but its seems like a tool worth trying. Bookmarked the page and will share it with the rest of my team. We tend to use Zoom todo the same thing. This might turn out to be better.
  - malcolmocean 10y ago
    Awesome! Yeah I find it can work very well with teams, including in-person (you don't use the video or chat as much, but it's still cool to be in sync and see what each other is working on.)
- andersonmvd 10y ago
  I've found a security bug and mailed malcolm $at@ malcolmocean and you know the rest of the email. Make sure to check it and fix, because it's severe. That aside, cool idea. I really enjoyed.
  - malcolmocean 10y ago
    Fixed! Thanks muchly.
rckclmbr 10y ago
Cool idea, hope it gets traction. Somewhat related: I think VR is going to be huge for coworking. If you've used BigScreen (http://store.steampowered.com/app/457550/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/457550/) you'll know what I'm talking about. While you can't see peoples faces yet, and resolution in VR is still low, it really does feel like you're working right next to somebody, and I could see it be a thing.
- malcolmocean 10y ago
  Totally agreed. I think I have a few years at least before I need to worry about VR market saturation crowding me out though :P It's an interesting question of whether it might make sense for me to get into that space with Complice (which is mostly a productivity app—the rooms are just one feature). I can see reasons why that might make sense but I think it's ultimately pretty far from my central value proposition and it would make more sense to partner with BigScreen or something instead.
- skinnymuch 10y ago
  I enjoy using Complice with the silent cams sometimes right now so thinking of how virtual coworking could be with VR is really cool. Can't wait!
stcredzero 10y ago
I tried some experiments like this between hackerspaces in Austin and Houston. What I found is that there is little engagement, unless images are "eye level" and at the apparent size of a present person. I'm not sure how well this would work with video chat on the desktop.
- JCzynski 10y ago
  When actually interacting directly is not the point, it's pretty effective.
  - stcredzero 10y ago
    In that case, let's save some bandwidth and just synthesize the facial expressions. Mostly, it would be work/concentration, with occasional glances of affection towards the "viewer." Of course, we'd probably get this slightly wrong, fall into the uncanny valley, and everyone would be left with the subconscious impression that everyone else hates them, and furthermore is actually an alien doppelganger posing as a an actual human. (Or that everyone else is a grievously defective human who needs to be shunned/euthanized for the good of the species.)
    - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
      Sounds like an accurate description of a few places I've worked.
    - XorNot 10y ago
      I've been curious about what the bandwidth would be like to image recognize my facial expression, encode it and then just send the event stream to a virtual avatar.
      - moe 10y ago
        :)
tootie 10y ago
What exactly is a "pomo"?
- evolve2k 10y ago
  This might help https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique
- mklim 10y ago
  Term taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique meaning a short period where you're working hard. The basic idea of the technique is that you dedicate 25 minutes to strictly working, and then explicitly give yourself a 5 minute break to do whatever. The idea is if you carve out frequent break time you'll be more efficient and focused than if you're trying to sustain 8 hours of solid focus.
  - themartorana 10y ago
    We've found these to be extremely effective. We don't do them all the time but if we feel like we're losing productivity we'll do a few days of them and we're back on track.
  - jacobsenscott 10y ago
    It's never worked for me. It takes me 15 minutes to get into a flow. Then the timer rings in 10 minutes and breaks it. An hour of solid work before a break might make more sense for programming.
    - ycombinatorMan 10y ago
      these techniques are generally so much worse than just using ur brain tbh
    - tootie 10y ago
      I think there's something to be said for breaking perseveration. I frequently find myself repeating the same wrong solution to a problem, then breaking for the day and solving it in 5 minutes when I start the next day. I don't think a timer is necessarily helpful. Rubber Ducking, pair programming or the venerated technique of asking for help work pretty well too.
filvdg 10y ago
i think it works better with people you know than looking at strangers working ...
- JCzynski 10y ago
  Ah, but what if instead strangers are looking at YOU?
- malcolmocean 10y ago
  Strangers has worked in some of the earlier rooms I've worked with... I think the issue here is that it's basically all strangers to start. It's easy to add a few new people to some who already know each other, but harder to just throw a bunch of strangers (some of whom are more in troll-mode) into a room together.
quicksnap 10y ago
This is a fun app! I love the restrictions of no audio and disabling chat during work periods. Good work! A nice excuse to try out pomodoros again, too.
cocktailpeanuts 10y ago
I first read it as "Don’t talk during pornos."
steffoz 10y ago
two years ago we built something similar during the rails rumble: http://www.higuys.io http://www.higuys.io
fsavard 10y ago
Some time ago I saw this similar project posted on HN: http://lapface.com/ http://lapface.com/ Here's the thread I saw: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9764241 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9764241
- skinnymuch 10y ago
  Interesting concept! Too bad lapface isn't working for me. Webcam won't connect.
skinnymuch 10y ago
Like someone else said, I enjoy the silent cams and any chatting occurring only during the breaks. Even if you don't care for the pomodoro technique, it can still be nice to sometimes use the breaks of the app as your own breaks.

147 points by malcolmocean 10y ago

I got a ton of signups to Complice yesterday via the IndieHackers HN launch (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12269425 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12269425) so I thought it would be cool to see if we could coalesce a new little community of people doing pomodoros (25/5 work/break periods) together online. One of my favorite features of HN is that it lets you limit how much time you spend on it per day. I love systems that work with the users' interests in mind, and I think that this coworking chat does so more than almost any other chat app, because it has clear work periods where people can be productive.

asimuvPR 10y ago
I was skeptical but its seems like a tool worth trying. Bookmarked the page and will share it with the rest of my team. We tend to use Zoom todo the same thing. This might turn out to be better.
- malcolmocean 10y ago
  Awesome! Yeah I find it can work very well with teams, including in-person (you don't use the video or chat as much, but it's still cool to be in sync and see what each other is working on.)
andersonmvd 10y ago
I've found a security bug and mailed malcolm $at@ malcolmocean and you know the rest of the email. Make sure to check it and fix, because it's severe. That aside, cool idea. I really enjoyed.
- malcolmocean 10y ago
  Fixed! Thanks muchly.

rckclmbr 10y ago

Cool idea, hope it gets traction. Somewhat related: I think VR is going to be huge for coworking. If you've used BigScreen (http://store.steampowered.com/app/457550/ http://store.steampowered.com/app/457550/) you'll know what I'm talking about. While you can't see peoples faces yet, and resolution in VR is still low, it really does feel like you're working right next to somebody, and I could see it be a thing.

malcolmocean 10y ago
Totally agreed. I think I have a few years at least before I need to worry about VR market saturation crowding me out though :P It's an interesting question of whether it might make sense for me to get into that space with Complice (which is mostly a productivity app—the rooms are just one feature). I can see reasons why that might make sense but I think it's ultimately pretty far from my central value proposition and it would make more sense to partner with BigScreen or something instead.
skinnymuch 10y ago
I enjoy using Complice with the silent cams sometimes right now so thinking of how virtual coworking could be with VR is really cool. Can't wait!

stcredzero 10y ago

I tried some experiments like this between hackerspaces in Austin and Houston. What I found is that there is little engagement, unless images are "eye level" and at the apparent size of a present person. I'm not sure how well this would work with video chat on the desktop.

JCzynski 10y ago
When actually interacting directly is not the point, it's pretty effective.
- stcredzero 10y ago
  In that case, let's save some bandwidth and just synthesize the facial expressions. Mostly, it would be work/concentration, with occasional glances of affection towards the "viewer." Of course, we'd probably get this slightly wrong, fall into the uncanny valley, and everyone would be left with the subconscious impression that everyone else hates them, and furthermore is actually an alien doppelganger posing as a an actual human. (Or that everyone else is a grievously defective human who needs to be shunned/euthanized for the good of the species.)
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    Sounds like an accurate description of a few places I've worked.
  - XorNot 10y ago
    I've been curious about what the bandwidth would be like to image recognize my facial expression, encode it and then just send the event stream to a virtual avatar.
    - moe 10y ago
      :)

tootie 10y ago

What exactly is a "pomo"?

evolve2k 10y ago
This might help https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique
mklim 10y ago
Term taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomodoro_Technique meaning a short period where you're working hard. The basic idea of the technique is that you dedicate 25 minutes to strictly working, and then explicitly give yourself a 5 minute break to do whatever. The idea is if you carve out frequent break time you'll be more efficient and focused than if you're trying to sustain 8 hours of solid focus.
- themartorana 10y ago
  We've found these to be extremely effective. We don't do them all the time but if we feel like we're losing productivity we'll do a few days of them and we're back on track.
- jacobsenscott 10y ago
  It's never worked for me. It takes me 15 minutes to get into a flow. Then the timer rings in 10 minutes and breaks it. An hour of solid work before a break might make more sense for programming.
  - ycombinatorMan 10y ago
    these techniques are generally so much worse than just using ur brain tbh
  - tootie 10y ago
    I think there's something to be said for breaking perseveration. I frequently find myself repeating the same wrong solution to a problem, then breaking for the day and solving it in 5 minutes when I start the next day. I don't think a timer is necessarily helpful. Rubber Ducking, pair programming or the venerated technique of asking for help work pretty well too.

filvdg 10y ago

i think it works better with people you know than looking at strangers working ...

JCzynski 10y ago
Ah, but what if instead strangers are looking at YOU?
malcolmocean 10y ago
Strangers has worked in some of the earlier rooms I've worked with... I think the issue here is that it's basically all strangers to start. It's easy to add a few new people to some who already know each other, but harder to just throw a bunch of strangers (some of whom are more in troll-mode) into a room together.

quicksnap 10y ago

This is a fun app! I love the restrictions of no audio and disabling chat during work periods. Good work! A nice excuse to try out pomodoros again, too.

cocktailpeanuts 10y ago

I first read it as "Don’t talk during pornos."

steffoz 10y ago

two years ago we built something similar during the rails rumble: http://www.higuys.io http://www.higuys.io

fsavard 10y ago

Some time ago I saw this similar project posted on HN: http://lapface.com/ http://lapface.com/ Here's the thread I saw: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9764241 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9764241

skinnymuch 10y ago
Interesting concept! Too bad lapface isn't working for me. Webcam won't connect.

skinnymuch 10y ago

Like someone else said, I enjoy the silent cams and any chatting occurring only during the breaks. Even if you don't care for the pomodoro technique, it can still be nice to sometimes use the breaks of the app as your own breaks.