5 ms·

Hi HN! I'm happy to answer any questions. I'm also open to feedback if there are suggestions. I was inspired to try this experiment by Nadia Eghbal's grant pro

Hi HN! I'm happy to answer any questions. I'm also open to feedback if there are suggestions. I was inspired to try this experiment by Nadia Eghbal's grant program: https://medium.com/@nayafia/5-000-no-strings-attached-9e7b95d33e50 https://medium.com/@nayafia/5-000-no-strings-attached-9e7b95...

mks40 10y ago
This sounds great! Any particular reason only the MIT license is supported and not Apache 2.0? I am aware there are some differences with regard to patent rights, just genuinely curious, because there might be ambitious projects with the goal to incubate with Apache.
- natfriedman 10y ago
  I don't have a strong opinion about this, so I changed it to be either MIT or Apache 2.0. Thanks for the feedback!
  - mks40 10y ago
    Great, thanks!
  - lcall 10y ago
    How about GPL/AGPL? (for staying free longer-term... :) I have an existing project which could use this help, but is related more to taking human knowledge management to a new level globally, removing some of our current limitations. Is that close enough to AI to apply? ( http://onemodel.org http://onemodel.org has details)
  - dragandj 10y ago
    Is it possible to also accept EPL? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Public_License https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Public_License
jorgemf 10y ago
Is there any reason you haven't set a date to complete the project (an MVP)? I think it is a good idea to set a date so you reduce the scope of the project to something feasible and applicants don't spend a lot of time pursuing a project that doesn't get enough traction. I think 6-8 months would be ok for an AI project.
- natfriedman 10y ago
  Good question! I thought about doing that, and maybe I should, but I'm not sure what the right timeframe is, and I didn't want to pre-filter interesting projects that might not fit my preconceptions. For example, I could imagine funding a project that a student might do in 8 weeks over the summer working full-time, or a project that someone might pursue part-time over the course of a year. My guess is that the first type will dominate the applications (and therefore the grantees), but I don't know yet.
EternalData 10y ago
Very cool initiative! The more support that comes to recognizing the open source projects and research that go into so many useful tools -- the better.
TTPrograms 10y ago
How many winners do you intend to select?
- natfriedman 10y ago
  Five. If there are a lot more deserving applications, I'll try to find more funding.
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    Are you open to outside contributors to your project (uncredited)?
    - natfriedman 10y ago
      Very much so. Email me: nat@nat.org
      - jacquesm 10y ago
        Mail sent.
saltenhav 10y ago
Say an applicant pursues something more along the lines of research that might not immediately lead to an implementation - what do you expect of an 'open source' project of this variety?
- natfriedman 10y ago
  I'm open-minded about this. If the project has a believable path to a useful open source contribution in the future, then I think it's fundable. This could even include high variance experiments that might end up totally failing.
kunaltyagi 10y ago
Could you put like-minded people in touch who submit similar projects?
- natfriedman 10y ago
  This is a great idea. Maybe I'll create a slack for everyone who applies.

mks40 10y ago

This sounds great! Any particular reason only the MIT license is supported and not Apache 2.0? I am aware there are some differences with regard to patent rights, just genuinely curious, because there might be ambitious projects with the goal to incubate with Apache.

natfriedman 10y ago
I don't have a strong opinion about this, so I changed it to be either MIT or Apache 2.0. Thanks for the feedback!
- mks40 10y ago
  Great, thanks!
- lcall 10y ago
  How about GPL/AGPL? (for staying free longer-term... :) I have an existing project which could use this help, but is related more to taking human knowledge management to a new level globally, removing some of our current limitations. Is that close enough to AI to apply? ( http://onemodel.org http://onemodel.org has details)
- dragandj 10y ago
  Is it possible to also accept EPL? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Public_License https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Public_License

jorgemf 10y ago

Is there any reason you haven't set a date to complete the project (an MVP)? I think it is a good idea to set a date so you reduce the scope of the project to something feasible and applicants don't spend a lot of time pursuing a project that doesn't get enough traction. I think 6-8 months would be ok for an AI project.

natfriedman 10y ago
Good question! I thought about doing that, and maybe I should, but I'm not sure what the right timeframe is, and I didn't want to pre-filter interesting projects that might not fit my preconceptions. For example, I could imagine funding a project that a student might do in 8 weeks over the summer working full-time, or a project that someone might pursue part-time over the course of a year. My guess is that the first type will dominate the applications (and therefore the grantees), but I don't know yet.

EternalData 10y ago

Very cool initiative! The more support that comes to recognizing the open source projects and research that go into so many useful tools -- the better.

TTPrograms 10y ago

How many winners do you intend to select?

natfriedman 10y ago
Five. If there are a lot more deserving applications, I'll try to find more funding.
- jacquesm 10y ago
  Are you open to outside contributors to your project (uncredited)?
  - natfriedman 10y ago
    Very much so. Email me: nat@nat.org
    - jacquesm 10y ago
      Mail sent.

saltenhav 10y ago

Say an applicant pursues something more along the lines of research that might not immediately lead to an implementation - what do you expect of an 'open source' project of this variety?

natfriedman 10y ago
I'm open-minded about this. If the project has a believable path to a useful open source contribution in the future, then I think it's fundable. This could even include high variance experiments that might end up totally failing.

kunaltyagi 10y ago

Could you put like-minded people in touch who submit similar projects?

natfriedman 10y ago
This is a great idea. Maybe I'll create a slack for everyone who applies.