5 ms·

This reminds of this: http://www.squidi.net/three/ http://www.squidi.net/three/ which attempts to define a large number of computer game gameplay mechanics. Ma

by Erwin 13y ago

This reminds of this: http://www.squidi.net/three/ http://www.squidi.net/three/ which attempts to define a large number of computer game gameplay mechanics. Maybe we need more forwarding-reaching fiction in our world. More essays on computing futurology, grand envisioning of what we can achieve with software. Even ambitious prototypes of a new way to do something (like Lighttable) A lot of what I see are tooling details, lot of boring effort duplication on mostly-identical languages and lot of nitpicking/bikeshedding comments like: well, you may have a good idea for solving world cancer, but your article does not work in my weird mobile browser, so your credibility is shot. Where's our version of "The Mother of all Demos" ?

_random_ 13y ago
Thanks for that link!
sparkie 13y ago
The problem is most modern computing is driven by the single question: "How can I monetize this idea?" It's only hobbyists and academics that really try to improve the state of computing, rather than having a primary focus on revenue. It's unfortunate that groundbreaking ideas are usually not the moneymakers, else we'd see innovation at a quicker rate. Software patents are another hindrance to innovation too. Often the results of some publicly funded research are patented, and never actually made into end products, and the public has no rights to use the invention funded with their tax money. I'd bet a dozen or more of those hundred ideas are already covered in part by some patents that aren't used in any real products, but serve only to prevent anyone else from developing them. I can't really see most people being so open about ideas as the author of this article precisely because innovative ideas people have will also come with the idea of monetizing it, with the belief that they need a patent to do so. What's more of a shame, is a list like this 100 ideas, doesn't serve to prevent anyone from patenting an implementation of such idea, despite it already being published. Articles like these do not serve as 'prior art' when considering patent applications. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if anyone who developed an idea could patent it, but little guys, hobbyists and academics can't afford to without outside funding, whilst the wealthy corporations whose primary motive is profit can patent ideas by the dozen.
- microcolonel 13y ago
  And if we didn't have a government we wouldn't be funding: , useless research we're not allowed to use , the software patent system , massive amounts of child sexual abuse around the globe by supporting local regimes , welfare addiction , destruction of the economy which was solving poverty before we started "solve poverty" campaigns , wars with which we disagree , the wholesale destruction of personal privacy by people technologically incapable of protecting the data they gather , copyright fear mongering , government-steered news organizations etc. etc. etc...
- samsquire 13y ago
  Author of the article here. If everyone monetized everything our industry would collapse. It's a balance. Innovation and monetization are different beasts. Some ideas are so awesome they just have to be shared. Techies are smart enough to think bigger if they really wanted and make computing better. I hope my example sets a precedent. Sharing your idea may make technology better than if you kept it secret.
  - sparkie 13y ago
    I agree about the need for sharing, it's disappointing that those with profit driven motivation can ruin it for us though. Anyone with plenty of money could take one of your brief idea descriptions, implement the basic idea and apply for a patent on the idea - preventing you from using your own idea in future even. Those small descriptions do not serve as prior art in the US patent system. Putting ideas out there like you've done should automatically put them in the public domain, and void any later attempt for overly broad patents to cover the same ideas. I put many of my own ideas out there, usually in discussion threads though, as I'm not a blogger. There's some overlap between ideas I've had myself and your own ideas, such as the package-manager for package-managers, I've discussed several times and experimented with implementation. It just demonstrates further that ideas that are ready for introduction aren't "inventions" at all: they're inevitable next stages of the evolution of ideas. Yet someone who has the money can claim they invented it, and use the legal system to prevent everyone else using it.
    - 13y ago
LoganCale 13y ago
The idea of forward-reaching fiction to encourage advances in science and technology is what Neal Stephenson and others are trying to do with Project Hieroglyph. http://hieroglyph.asu.edu/ http://hieroglyph.asu.edu/
DanielRibeiro 13y ago
Where's our version of "The Mother of all Demos" ? Bret Victor, who has been inspired[1] by Doug Engelbart, has showcased plenty of innovations on his presentations/writtings: * Magic Ink[2] * Stop Drawing Dead Fish[3] * Drawing Dynamic Visualizations[4] * Media for Thinking the Unthinkable[5] * LearnableProgramming[6] * Inventing on Principle[7] [1] http://worrydream.com/Engelbart/ http://worrydream.com/Engelbart/ [2] http://worrydream.com/#!/MagicInk http://worrydream.com/#!/MagicInk [3] http://vimeo.com/64895205 http://vimeo.com/64895205 [4] Drawing Dynamic Visualizations [5] http://vimeo.com/67076984 http://vimeo.com/67076984 [6] http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/ http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/ [7] http://vimeo.com/36579366 http://vimeo.com/36579366

by Erwin 13y ago

_random_ 13y ago

Thanks for that link!

sparkie 13y ago

The problem is most modern computing is driven by the single question: "How can I monetize this idea?" It's only hobbyists and academics that really try to improve the state of computing, rather than having a primary focus on revenue. It's unfortunate that groundbreaking ideas are usually not the moneymakers, else we'd see innovation at a quicker rate. Software patents are another hindrance to innovation too. Often the results of some publicly funded research are patented, and never actually made into end products, and the public has no rights to use the invention funded with their tax money. I'd bet a dozen or more of those hundred ideas are already covered in part by some patents that aren't used in any real products, but serve only to prevent anyone else from developing them. I can't really see most people being so open about ideas as the author of this article precisely because innovative ideas people have will also come with the idea of monetizing it, with the belief that they need a patent to do so. What's more of a shame, is a list like this 100 ideas, doesn't serve to prevent anyone from patenting an implementation of such idea, despite it already being published. Articles like these do not serve as 'prior art' when considering patent applications. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if anyone who developed an idea could patent it, but little guys, hobbyists and academics can't afford to without outside funding, whilst the wealthy corporations whose primary motive is profit can patent ideas by the dozen.

microcolonel 13y ago
And if we didn't have a government we wouldn't be funding: , useless research we're not allowed to use , the software patent system , massive amounts of child sexual abuse around the globe by supporting local regimes , welfare addiction , destruction of the economy which was solving poverty before we started "solve poverty" campaigns , wars with which we disagree , the wholesale destruction of personal privacy by people technologically incapable of protecting the data they gather , copyright fear mongering , government-steered news organizations etc. etc. etc...
samsquire 13y ago
Author of the article here. If everyone monetized everything our industry would collapse. It's a balance. Innovation and monetization are different beasts. Some ideas are so awesome they just have to be shared. Techies are smart enough to think bigger if they really wanted and make computing better. I hope my example sets a precedent. Sharing your idea may make technology better than if you kept it secret.
- sparkie 13y ago
  I agree about the need for sharing, it's disappointing that those with profit driven motivation can ruin it for us though. Anyone with plenty of money could take one of your brief idea descriptions, implement the basic idea and apply for a patent on the idea - preventing you from using your own idea in future even. Those small descriptions do not serve as prior art in the US patent system. Putting ideas out there like you've done should automatically put them in the public domain, and void any later attempt for overly broad patents to cover the same ideas. I put many of my own ideas out there, usually in discussion threads though, as I'm not a blogger. There's some overlap between ideas I've had myself and your own ideas, such as the package-manager for package-managers, I've discussed several times and experimented with implementation. It just demonstrates further that ideas that are ready for introduction aren't "inventions" at all: they're inevitable next stages of the evolution of ideas. Yet someone who has the money can claim they invented it, and use the legal system to prevent everyone else using it.
  - 13y ago

LoganCale 13y ago

The idea of forward-reaching fiction to encourage advances in science and technology is what Neal Stephenson and others are trying to do with Project Hieroglyph. http://hieroglyph.asu.edu/ http://hieroglyph.asu.edu/

DanielRibeiro 13y ago

Where's our version of "The Mother of all Demos" ? Bret Victor, who has been inspired[1] by Doug Engelbart, has showcased plenty of innovations on his presentations/writtings: * Magic Ink[2] * Stop Drawing Dead Fish[3] * Drawing Dynamic Visualizations[4] * Media for Thinking the Unthinkable[5] * LearnableProgramming[6] * Inventing on Principle[7] [1] http://worrydream.com/Engelbart/ http://worrydream.com/Engelbart/ [2] http://worrydream.com/#!/MagicInk http://worrydream.com/#!/MagicInk [3] http://vimeo.com/64895205 http://vimeo.com/64895205 [4] Drawing Dynamic Visualizations [5] http://vimeo.com/67076984 http://vimeo.com/67076984 [6] http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/ http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/ [7] http://vimeo.com/36579366 http://vimeo.com/36579366