Hacker News Reader

Comment by edw519 | Hacker News Reader

Best soft launch ever on Hacker News!

This one had everything:

  - Build something you want.
  - Build something other people would want.
  - Turn your passion into a business.
  - If you need it, build it. (Love the S-hook idea!)
  - Offer street level appeal.
  - Tiered pricing. (Love the fun pass!)
  - Instant rewards. (Tickets through slot.)
  - Organic growth: more games.
  - Secure technology (calculators).
  - Turn customers into raving evangelists.
  - Leverage others' technology (Facebook, Reddit).
  - Company t-shirt.
  - Bootstrapped with friends & family.
  - Have a customer write a song about you!

View on HN

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw the calculator security check. What an ingenious solution! It's not the most robust "hash", but it's no more than what he needs for the purpose. It really puts things into perspective when people are talking about how one technology is "better" than another. Pragmatism over pedantry.

The "checkmark" was pure genius.

It does look like he had a flash of insight about the usefulness of a digest function. And maybe the "checkmark" symbol suggested a security check to him.

It's also a lovely case of someone working out the principal of something. The hash is, as you say, lacking but the mechanism is not that different to digital signatures.

Also, unlike 90% of starups; he actually has a business model.

Hopefully all those calculators do the same sqrt calculation or else you're going to be terribly upset when Cane rejects your funpass for fraudulent use.

I'll try it out on my phone if I get a chance to check it out in a few weeks. I need closure too.

You missed perseverance. Kid never gave up.

One thing missing was the proper location.

He had no control over that of course and only by pure chance did a filmmaker walk in and make all of this happen.

This further proves why it is so important to be in the right place (physical location critical especially for any retail business).

For an internet business, a startup, located in one of the hubs where others congregate. Not in the middle of nowhere. (Not saying it isn't possible or can't be done but location matters.)

That's why I list my online business on Yahoo! Portal...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com