int3rnaut

The biggest reason why I believe movie revenue is dropping is the ability for anyone to pick up a camera (high tech low cost now), create a movie, and upload it to the eyes of many people (like on youtube). Because of this, there are just so many more options to catch ones visceral media experience. I really like Science fiction and while there were certainly some good Sci-Fi movies (and television) out in the past year or so, there were many more interesting and thought provoking movies and shorts (going back to the previously brought up idea of short attention spans) on youtube than there were movies I would actually want to go to a theatre and pay for--and to be quite honest, I am sure that some of the things I saw on youtube recently were far more enjoyable than some of the things tossed at me by Hollywood. It's not so much a money thing for me, it's a time thing, and I want to spend it wisely.

Continue to better your programming skills, it's a challenging but worthwhile endevour.

Being as though I was in the same boat as you (and my programming skills are still laughable!), what I found to be really helpful is while you're learning how to program, using other skills (maybe you know how to make a webpage, or animate)to create a mock-up to more quickly and easily translate your idea into something concrete and more understandable that could attract people (read: potential co-founders) into at least looking at your idea--at the very worst they can see that you've put some time and effort into your raw idea and as I'm sure any technical co-founder here would say, that's a good start. Good luck Meng. :)

I totally agree with you. The real story here is that a large player in the internet (self proclaimed "World's #1 Domain registrar") crossed the line--to the "good side", therein lending more power to the cause of stopping this thing.

I can't believe all the hate going on. They publicly admitted they were wrong and changed their stance. I don't care if you are a gigantic corporation or not, that takes guts and I can at least respect that.

There's no doubt they did it to stop the bleeding, but they still did it. And that's what we want right? For SOPA to lose traction, and for it not to pass. Yet it seems like this has almost become a dump on godaddy festival. Please don't lose sight of the reasons as to why we as rational internet using human beings did this in the first place.

"but no one who still has a domain at GoDaddy will be entitled to complain about SOPA if it passes."

I was going to complain about this sentiment from someone not that rich and who can't afford the fanciest red polo shirts money can buy ha ha, but then I said forget it, for what it truly costs to move a domain it's far less then the cost on our liberties if SOPA passes, so I went outside shoveled a few driveways and earned enough money to move over the domains I have without cutting into my budget. There really isn't a reason for people not to do this.

I think one way to look at the issue of piracy is to think of it like smoking in that it affects the utility of society--it's a cultural issue that has to be handled by the law but more importantly the newer generations. You can't just "stop it", it has to be grandfathered out because just like smoking was (or even is), the problem is systemic.

People started weighing the utility of smoking--and most rational people came to the conclusion that collectively it probably wasn't something we should be doing so they started picking away at the issue one cig at a time through legislation, programming, education, and taxation. And there was huge opposition too, especially by the people puffing away. It's taken years, and generations, but smoking is in a definite decline--hell, teenagers in my country (Canada) have stopped smoking twofold in the past 10 years as we're down from 24% to 12%--that's a big leap, but again it's a slow process. It's gotten to the point where smoking isn't cool.

What I'm trying to get at here is that the goal shouldn't be to stop piracy right this instant, that's an impossible task because it is so ingrained into our culture (especially young people like me, and yes, "shifty eyes" I said like me) it should be to systemically weed out the issue over time--and what the OP is doing, challenging the status-quo, and offering suggestions on how to help fix the problem is a step in the right direction (there are flaws, but he noted that); one cig at a time. You might think that piracy doesn't affect the greater utility of the world like say smoking does--there aren't health risks, but there are risks of losing our liberties (look at this madness!), risks of penalty and persecution, risk of moral degredation--not to mention the risks we don't even know about. And when I think of what the internet could potentially be because of SOPA I wonder if it's worth the few songs, or movies, or whatever each of us takes from the pile. I am sure there was a time when parents sitting in a crowded restaurant with young kids all around, smoke just filled in the air, wondered if that tiny bit of enjoyment they got from that lit object was worth it at that time too. And just like those parents then, I don't want newer generations to have to deal with long term consequences of my bits of joy.

Anyways Mr. Flores thanks for posting this, I like it when people try to honestly work towards a better future. Your idea probably won't get traction, but think about it as continuing that slow and daunting process of removing one bit at a time.

-signed a dumb kid who's never smoked

Hey Pradeep,

I know this is not super constructive, but I really dig this new app. It's quite useful and it looks great. This might be a dumb question, but why did you cap the "large batch" of photo files at 20? 5 times the Apple default is a huge improvement, I'm just curious as to why you guys didn't take it further. I'm always interested in finding out if these caps are arbitrary or if there's some method to the madness haha.

I wonder if there's an age and cultural divide when assessing trolls on the internet.

I say this in that reading the post, and then the comments from you all-- I see a bit of disparity between philosophies. I mean, for the most part I think from it's very root, trolls are trouble makers, and we can all sort of agree on that. But, there are people here who revel in that, see a symbiotic nature (good needs evil), people who think trolls are important, and that they keep things interesting--people who've even been trolls (full disclosure, when I was younger and immature I partook in such acts...nothing malicious, but acts none the less). When I read things like this I wonder where and at what time these people were introduced to the internet and forums and the like. A lot of younger people (at least the ones I know) are familiar with the trolling culture, and share many of the same previously mentioned opinions, however when I think of my Dad who was introduced to things much earlier when the internet was much more "pure", he loathes such things, "there's no place for that".

As a non-formal study, purely for my curiousity would anyone interested write down their age, the time when they were introduced (ballpark it) to the internet and forums, and their stance on trolls.

This attitude also exists in other industries[1], and while it is shifty, it's relatively common to the degree where it's not even given a second thought or whimper. This to me is quite unfortunate, especially considering where I am in my life and my economic standing and I can't help but think of all the other people in my position. Really though, the best you can do is hope that there's good people out there that are willing to GIVE you a few minutes of their time, and not charge for it--and then when you're in that position you remember where you came from.

[1]Sundance Film festival charges $75 to submit a feature length film for consideration. I've come across many film festivals, writing contests, art shows and the like that charge you to "pitch your work". People are always trying to pick on the starving artist eh? (Callback to PG's Hackers and Painters).

I think an idea might be worthless, but a good idea holds tremendous value. Maybe not monetarily, but in the sense that one good idea can rally other people around you to join the cause and spend their precious time and money (along side you--as others have pointed out, an ideas man work is not done after he merely lays an idea egg on the carpet like some golden idea laying goose) working towards making this thing trapped in the aether of space a reality. I think everyone is aware that startups and businesses and everything in life takes a lot of sweat, blood, and tears, but as cliche as it sounds, it all starts with that one good idea.

This is off topic but people are discussing Amazon and shipping so I figured I'd ask this here, because it's always confused me. Why do so many American based companies refuse to ship to Canada or limit what they do ship to Canada (Amazon, has Amazon.ca, but the selection is nothing compared to the .com, which does not ship to Canada)? It seems strange with things like NAFTA in place that companies would restrict their market power by eliminating a potential buying supply that for all intents and purposes is very similar (in terms of shipping costs, dollar value etc). So HN, what am I missing here?

Here's an interesting question, how much have load times changed since the introduction of these bars (I know they've been present for a while) including this new iteration? Wasn't it always one of the major points of concern for Google to provide users with the quickest possible experience ? If I recall they used to have it down to a science. I don't think such changes can be noticed by the human brain but one would think it has risen and it would be interesting to know if it makes a difference and if they've abandoned that thought process in favour of the social sphere.

For me, design needs to be taken into consideration from all sides. Technical, creative, everything needs to be put together just right for a project to take off--being good in all fields is a competitive advantage. Design in the sense that this article writes about is important (and as a not very technical founder I appreciate vb pumping my tires) but never forget the other parts of the machine that help make it run.

From the lens of a role-playing gamer (big fan of Bioware games), I think this realization can best be described by the distribution of attribute points. You can drop all your points into strength, and sure enough there will be times that you excel as you bash things with swords, but there will be times when you think, boy it would be nice to have a bit of magic or better charisma or whatever to solve this problem (usually bad guys) and then you start going all magic... usually the best builds that provide the best overall advantage are the ones that are balanced. So again, as much hype as these Design people might be getting now, don't forget about the other "attributes" as it were.

You mentioned Toronto, do you think the immigration policy has had a gigantic boon for the country, or for Toronto? I'm really just curious.

As a young Albertan, still living and breathing here, I question how well the 'cultural mosaic' has stood the test of time. Granted, I do see some good like you mentioned, but looking at some of the recent economic impact data (I'm not an expert in this field and have merely googled and wikapedia'd for my research) it does look like there are systemic struggles that have developed over the last 25 years and that good you mentioned, is fewer and far between. It's a really interesting point of discussion though, so thank you.

Don't you think a bigger problem is that it's too much of a psychological hurdle for non-technical adopters? Try explaining the concept of bitcoins to most people and they'll become more hesitant, confused or even fearful than interested. Even if the technical concerns are addressed I don't think this gap can be overcome in our lifetime for such a concept to be widely adopted; the current system is too far entrenched.

I'm against crazy government control as much as the next guy, but is creating a decentralized system in this manner really the answer to this problem? I'm not agreeing or disagreeing, I am just really curious.

There seems to be a big decentralization movement in recent times (bitcoins!) but even as a person against the extremes of SOPA, I can at least appreciate the securities and benefits of a "traditional" governing body, no matter how ridiculous some members of government are--I'm just speaking as a not so tech savvy person, but to me one of the biggest psychological hurdles for a project like this is giving control to a group of people I am unfamiliar with--there is some sense of a rapport (even if there is some lack of trust) with the traditional government (just like with banks as I allude to bitcoins) that to me is a big obstacle for the meshnet growing to a degree where it becomes a true meshnet.

Either way, I love the hustle, and admire the project immensely.

This is quite off topic but because of how well known 'The Game' is, it should never be used as a how-to as it once was but more of an inside look at what such a life entails. Quite a few girls have read such books, and actually look out for such tells to identify frustrated chumps--and well the "chessyness" and the hyper convoluted dating approach of that time just doesn't cut it anymore (I've seen some old techniques done, and successfully, but it's not advisable haha--but again a lot of these things are built upon psychological understandings), and it's a big reason why that field has really had to evolve in the past few years. Simple common sense and psychological and biological foundations seem to be the way to go.

I have to agree with you in a sense that this is a social problem (but of course that's what's interesting with graph integration and social media now). As a guy who took Attraction classes (or PUA training as some might know it) and created a much higher success rate for myself by negating the traditional online dating sphere I do believe time is probably better spent offline--however, I still think the computing angle of this and the way in which society is already headed, this is one of those holy grails of the internet.

The fall of the iconic SF Yahoo billboard seems to have done some major foreshadowing-- it really does look like it's an end of an era for Yahoo.

Selection is a big reason for this. There are so many good games popping out each and every week, and I have certainly found myself unable to keep up with the supply--I think a lot of people get that, "I've got to play this game because it's hot right now and everybody's talking about" itch, and then drop whatever they are currently playing and never actually revisit it--it's the same with a lot of things not just games.

Book scanning is actually a great tool for University students. I know that a lot of the actual University libraries are trying to go digital, but in the mean time being able to quickly find specific passages by utilizing the find function makes for a much easier day at the old study hall. This sort of idea could certainly pick up traction around schools for the next few years.

"Video games of any type are not good for kids. Not because of violence, sex and other things. It is because they don't go out to socialize. My theory is that instead of limiting "what to watch / play", parents should more focus on limiting "how much to watch / play"."

I have to disagree here. Many video games are very social and a great way to bring people together. I remember when I was little N64 sleepover parties were all the rage and something to look forward to. Video games are great for kids but parents have to be there and assessing things as they go--it's not a cut and dry thing, there's a ton of different video games and every kids different. At the end of the day it's about ensuring these are good kids that will become good adults.

This is not directly correlated to PicPlum, which sounds like a really cool idea by the way, but from my perspective and what I'm seeing in terms of internet privacy--It wouldn't surprise me if people started taking a step back in terms of what they share on the internet and that includes photos. If that does happen I could see print copies coming back and speaking as a person who really doesn't have any prints of my own, there's something truly amazing about sitting around a home and passing around old pictures--you don't get that with facebook.

The Patent system isn't that bad, it's just a little broken; the issue is the application. If the main requirements were more thoroughly followed and processed (the idea of inventing something new, useful, etc) there wouldn't be a problem.

Abolishing the system would in my opinion do a lot of harm--as right now it is not beyond repair.

Just spit-balling here but I'd like to see (and I encourage others to do the same because that's how answers are found, so even if they are a bit dumb (just look at mine haha) share them because maybe they'll lead to something):

- Tech specialists/historians should be more entrenched within the patent office

- Shorter patent terms

- Jury/Panel of peers? Haha, sounds dumb but maybe in the process everyday people are put through a short explanation of the product and if at the end of the explanation someone goes, "that kind of sounds like such and such" the process is stopped and investigated.

Mark Cuban had some interesting ideas on blogmaverick too, http://blogmaverick.com/2011/08/07/my-suggestion-on-patent-l...

I guess the good thing about this situation is that it has people talking.

I'm still in the dark here so I can't check, but will Games for Google+ be using the same business models as most facebook games?

Maybe he learned to mix a mean shirley temple.

Damn our Canadian transportation system! My friend and I are planning on sleddogging down. Haha, we're actually planning a road trip for this if you don't mind driving with strangers and are in the lower AB/BC province we might be able to drive you--if you don't carry around an axe and stuff that is.

Imagine how many keyboards you'd mash if you used this while hacking in your old age haha. There are so many great applications for this, I just hope humanity, like Tony Stark uses this for good.

While I think it's great to stay in the rhythm of things and really get your interview skills down pat, to me the idea of applying for a job when you don't need one is a bit arrogant and selfish. In the grand scheme of things you took a potential interview and maybe a job away from someone else who might have really needed it. It's great that people want to help themselves but doing the right thing and being nice can go a long way--if you really want to brush up on your interviewing or just not lose touch of the corporate game there are a lot of career centers out there just itching to give you tips and encouragement. I'm not taking away from your message about companies and their hiring practices in general but don't forget about what really matters.

It would be interesting to find out how other coupon sites with similar business models are fairing--as much as the land grab theory makes sense, I actually wonder about the current system of offering stuff I normally wouldn't want for cheap being a viable business.

A little off topic but I've been noticing a lot of "TeamBuy" ads on TV (I live in Canada)--one can't help but think that until competition like that is settled there will continue to be tremendous growing pains for Groupon and company.