tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63831360769385732442024-03-13T13:35:43.881-05:00Free Idea BlogAll ideas welcome. All ideas free.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-8829872362894963432011-09-23T13:15:00.003-05:002011-09-23T13:20:14.415-05:00IDEA: Consumer electronics with open personalizationOkay, I have to do a quick post since I am at work.<br /><br />I have mentioned before that I love the idea of people customizing their experience with the electronics they use each day. I have seen anime and other creative stories that have interesting UIs in cell phones and the like.<br /><br />My idea is to have a company that makes consumer electronics such as cell phones. The primary goal is to add software to these devices that allows the user to personalize their experience.<br /><br />You could say that Android systems allow this, but customization for each person does not seem to be an easy task from the little research I've done. Feel free to chime in in the comments if you know otherwise.<br /><br />For this company, their software would allow users to personalize their device easily and quickly, perhaps even on the fly. One obvious example is font for various phone functions. The user could design their own font for use throughout the phone. Other possibilities for customization include background, animations, and so on.<br /><br />This came up after I was thinking how cool it would be to use some of the LED displays I had obtained in watches, and then I thought "Well it would be easier to just do it with a single matrix-type display using software.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-25421641506862476232011-09-19T15:34:00.003-05:002011-09-19T15:37:26.439-05:00IDEA: Binary clock in a ringJust a free idea off the top of my head. I was thinking it would be neat to have a binary clock on a ring. <br /><br />After a little experiment with a small sheet of paper, it looks like it would be idea if the "digits" were all on one side (one quarter) of the ring. It would be readable for both right and left with the correct orientation.<br /><br />The lights would have to be very small, e.g. 1mm in diameter, and with decent vertical spacing, only the hours and minutes could be shown. For the paranoid that wonder whether it's actually ticking, you could add one more led that blinks for each tick.<br /><br />If anyone out there sees this and makes it a reality, I would be very interested in pictures!jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-13813792589476644072011-09-19T14:04:00.002-05:002011-09-19T14:07:53.554-05:00CODING: Observations on coding big projectsSo, I am currently doing a big coding project, codenamed "Joe", and I have an observation I wanted to share.<br /><br />I seem to be going through three steps in my development process:<br /><br />- General planning<br />- Coding to deliver functionality<br />- Unit testing and optimization<br /><br />Now, part of this is due to my impatient nature. I want the results as soon as possible. In theory, I could do more of the optimization during the planning stage, and more of the unit testing during coding.<br /><br />However, I think there is also a valid point that not all code requirements can be planned out. Some obstacles or "inspiration" may occur during coding, and then we still need the optimization step at the end.<br /><br />Incidentally, I liken the optimization step to taking the parts of a machine out, cleaning them and going over them, then putting them back in.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-64719777648006395372011-08-17T10:31:00.002-05:002011-08-17T10:33:14.912-05:00IDEA: Coffee expiration indicatorI was just looking at some coffee pots at work thinking "It would be nice to know how old the coffee is."
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<br />And then I went into problem solving mode. Practicality be damned! I went through a few ideas, and came up with what I think is most feasible.
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<br />What I envision is a very simple "good/bad" indicator light for the coffee pot. It is based on the temperature of the coffee (or other liquid) in the pot. If the temperature falls below a certain level, the indicator goes from "good" to "bad"
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<br />Obviously, you would need to find a good point where good coffee goes bad. You can do this manually or automatically. For example, take the temperature of a coffee pot after sitting for 4 hours and after some general use.
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<br />The amount of coffee left would affect the temperature, so you could take temperatures with a full pot, 3/4 full pot, 1/2 full pot, and 1/4 full pot. If the pot is below an acceptable level, you could make it automatically trip the indicator.
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<br />You could rig a data logger to note the temperature and liquid level over time to help with the calibration.
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<br />I do love brainstorming solutions to a problem. The exercise is good, even if it doesn't produce useful results.
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<br />Feel free to add comments and discussion! I welcome feedback of all kinds, as long as it's civil :-)
<br />jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-49228084457453412602011-03-30T12:32:00.002-05:002011-03-30T12:37:30.324-05:00RANDOM: Quick observations regarding humansI just wanted to share a couple of random observations around humans and their behavior.<br /><br />First, I noted that you gain respect for how something is built if you attempt to build it yourself.<br /><br />For example, I am always thinking about how to artificially reproduce human senses such as sight, and after I try to figure out how to process images instantly over and over and provide a comprehensive picture than can be parsed for information, I am in awe of the processing power of just our sense of vision.<br /><br />Second, I observed that to truly reproduce instinctual behavior, one needs to employ the fight or flight tendency, along with some memory.<br /><br />For example, think of an animal you are trying to befriend, such as a stray cat. At first, they immediately run from you, because you are an unknown quantity and much bigger than them (flight). Then after observing you a few times and noting there doesn't seem to be an immediate danger, they investigate to see if there is a latent danger, and if so, they run away (flight again).<br /><br />There's a lot more to the theory on this second point, but it was an observation I wanted to share.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-10804657840454889512011-03-28T12:21:00.002-05:002011-03-28T12:26:22.923-05:00EDUCATION: Calculating battery lifeJust a quick note on battery life.<br /><br />When putting together a circuit where you need to know how long it will run on a battery, you need to know how many amps the circuit draws. Once you have that, you need to know how many amp-hours a battery is rated for.<br /><br />For example, if your circuit draws 1 amp of power and you have a battery that is rated for 1 amp-hour, that battery will run the circuit for about one hour.<br /><br />Wikipedia has a list of batteries and their typical amp-hour ratings at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battery_sizes</a><br /><br />What I found surprising was that a typical 9-volt battery is rated for 565 mA/hr (milliamps, not amps), while a typical alkaline AA battery is rated for 2.7 A/hr.<br /><br />However, a word of caution: circuits also require VOLTS. Therefore, if your circuit pulls 270 mA/hr but requires 3 volts, you will still need two AA batteries, as each battery is roughly 1.5 volts.<br /><br />At this point, I am assuming batteries in series have the same A/hr rating, but that's a wild guess at this pointjeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-85645016019894178352011-03-28T12:20:00.000-05:002011-03-28T12:21:48.108-05:00OSCAR: DelayedBrief note: I was not able to complete the Oscar project by Dorkbot on March 11. I did not set aside enough time to work on the project, especially given the compact timeline and my inexperience with microelectronics. I hope to have more on this soon.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-58697079528120866412011-03-08T10:45:00.000-06:002011-03-08T10:46:27.887-06:00OSCAR: The AnnouncementI've decided I will at least take a shot at building a robot for Dorkbot 28 which is being held at Austin Music Hall in Austin on March 11. I will be building a robot codenamed "Oscar" to show off and get feedback on.<br /><br />I plan on documenting various pieces of the build on this blog, so stay tuned for interesting stuff!jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-83188827898407018092010-03-29T10:31:00.002-05:002010-03-29T10:37:48.980-05:00RANDOM: How Progress HappensRandom train of thought as I was driving in to work today.<br /><br />I've said before that I think profit is the enemy of innovation. Companies invent, but want to hog all the profit for themselves, so they apply for patents and copyrights, preventing other people from copying and possibly improving on their product.<br /><br />However, I took that thinking a step further. If you want to invent and innovate, you need funding. Where do you get that funding?<br /><br />Off the top of my head, there are three possibilities:<br /><br />- Donations<br />- Profit from unrelated product(s)<br />- Profit from previous innovation<br /><br />So it looks like profit is a necessary evil when it comes to innovation.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-84294287181097919632010-03-22T13:37:00.004-05:002010-03-22T13:42:44.231-05:00IDEA: Sample StoreOne thing that irks me about grocery shopping is the temptation to try something new. To do so, you usually need to buy a lot of the product, as that's the smallest size it comes in, and if it's not to your liking, are you going to return it?<br /><br />Additionally, I sometimes want to compare flavors or varieties of products side-by-side to see which one I prefer more. However, the only available option is usually to buy a box of each flavor and take your changes.<br /><br />Hence, the Sample Store. A store that encompasses both of these ideas in mind. It allows for samples of anything requested, and allows for side-by-side comparison.<br /><br />Now, funding for such a venture may not be simple. More popular items could be cost-effective in that you buy a pack and quickly go through it in the course of sampling. However, some new and/or exotic products would likely be negative ROI, so those would need to be specially ordered, likely at a premium cost.<br /><br />Then there's how to charge the customers.<br /><br />A quick thought on this branch of thinking. It might be worth it just to have a bank of snack machines with individual packages of more popular products for people to sample as they wish.<br /><br />Other ideas for funding this kind of venture are beyond my knowledge and experience, but the main goal would be to make the experience less painful than having to buy a large amount of food that you end up not eating due to a difference of opinion on tastejeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-56426809932525495122008-12-03T10:48:00.003-06:002008-12-03T10:51:44.678-06:00CODING: Add "compare" to "get" and "set"For the coders out there, you may be familiar with C#, and how it includes "get" and "set" functions. I was thinking there should be a third function called "compare". Many times in code, I need to know if a value matches what an object has in a property. Rather than using "get" and writing extraneous code over and over, why not a simple "compare"?<br /><br />Example:<br /><br />tempvar = object.property.get()<br />if (tempvar = comparevar) ...<br /><br />if (object.property.compare(comparevar)) ...<br /><br />It probably gets more complicated than that, but you get the ideajeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-17354222099803645332008-12-01T15:37:00.003-06:002008-12-01T15:40:04.512-06:00IDEA: Simpler interconnectivity for easier communicationIt occurred to me that half of the mess of development of technology has to do with interfacing with legacy or proprietary systems. In light of this, I think it would be optimal for everyone to come to a consensus on what is the more efficient way to communicate (a la World Wide Web Consortium), and everyone develop around that. Legacy and proprietary interfaces would come at a premium to work with.<br /><br />Some parts of this have already come to fruition, including XML.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-69479942904769127172008-12-01T15:22:00.001-06:002008-12-01T15:23:34.337-06:00IDEA: Humans as brain cellsLet me quickly guide you through my thinking before I start in. I was pondering Leonardo da Vinci, and how he created while cutoff from outside influences(1). Then I moved forward to today, where the Internet connects a lot of the world (if not most). Yet innovation proceeds, almost at an equal pace with da Vinci.<br /><br />That's when I thought of something. What if humans with a connection to each other could mimic a human brain? Imagine a brain as diverse as or more diverse than our own. This might be the next leap in evolution.<br /><br />(1) I don't know if he was actually mostly cut off from outside influences; I have yet to do actual research. My sources are Wikipedia and a video game with a rendering of one of his studios.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-15851946708331563882008-11-06T09:45:00.002-06:002008-11-06T09:52:16.533-06:00CODING: Modular coding techniquesTotally unnecessary disclaimer: I do not claim to be any kind of authority when it comes to programming. The following are just observations.<br /><br />For more modular coding, I would like to mention two techniques.<br /><br />First: code for unit testing. This means to write your methods in such a way that it is easy to test each method in an "offline" setting to make sure the method produces expected values given certain input. In this way, if you make changes to the method, you can test the method before and after to make sure the output is the same for both instances.<br /><br />The trick in this case is to develop methods so that they do indeed work offline. For example. I was just editing a method that creates a SQL query using arguments passed to the method, executes the query, then returns the results. For unit testing, the part where the query is build should be in its own method (separated from the database part), so that you can test it with input when you change the method of building the query.<br /><br />Second: modularize everything (sorry for making a verb by adding "ize"). Every part of an application should be modularized so that changing one part does not require changing other parts. For example, I have an application that accepts input from an excel spreadsheet and produces PHP code. However, many methods in the application contribute to the final output. What I should do is have all of those methods call a common output method, and have that write to the final output. In this way, if I decide to output in different mediums, I only have to change the output method, rather than the multiple methods.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-66634223048803798392008-10-22T11:44:00.004-05:002008-10-22T12:01:56.857-05:00IDEA: From Desktop to PMPI think in the whirlpool of mobile computing, we're missing the big picture of what the desired goal is, so I'll map it out.<br /><br />- Desktop for home computing and organization.<br />- Laptop for mobile computing and organization.<br />- PDA for mobile organization.<br />- Phone for communication.<br />- Mobile phone for mobile communication.<br />- Media playing software for home entertainment.<br />- Portable media player for mobile entertainment.<br /><br />My idea is that as we go from home to mobile, we should be able to carry our data and preferences with us. An example of the implementation of my idea is the following: when moving from desktop to laptop, there is some common bridge that allows us to transfer our computer preferences and necessary files over to the laptop with no fuss or muss.<br /><br />Taken a step further, the desktop and laptop could be combined into one, and the PDA, phone, and media player could also be combined into one. In this scenario, I envision two docking devices. The dock has the big hardware that drives the more powerful requirements needed at home, while the detatchable mobile parts carry the preferences, data, and necessary mobile applications to manipulate those items. When changes are made to any one device, it transfers to the rest of the devices upon docking. You could even have a single dock at home that has a detatchable laptop and mobile device.<br /><br />Going even further, a degree of customization for shells is possible for the mobile devices.<br /><br />This all loops back to my underlying premise of allowing the user as much control over their environment as possible, rather than being locked in to the company's software interface.<br /><br />See also <a href="http://www.modumobile.com">http://www.modumobile.com</a>jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-82849640969847737402008-10-21T19:17:00.004-05:002008-10-23T14:01:23.330-05:00IDEA: Programming consolidation through primitive AI[Neo] AI? You mean Artificial Intelligence?<br />[Morpheus] No, I mean Angsty Incompetent. You're a f***ing geek and you have to ask what AI means? Here's the blue pill, get the f*** outta here.<br /><br />Ahem.<br /><br />The idea is that a primitive AI system could simplify a lot of programming required of hardware systems. It's similar to teaching a pet to do a trick. You show the desired result, and the primitive intelligence learns. You could teach a visual identification system to allow a certain person in, and their built-in facial recognition software and hardware takes care of the rest.<br /><br />This builds on another theory of mine: programs are essentially beings of primitive intelligence. I saw a bird circling over the same spot, and imagined it similar to an anti-burglar sensor. It takes a snapshot of the area, and if anything changes, act upon that change.<br /><br />To expand a bit, the AI would require the needed hardware and software to observe objects as desired. Going back to the visual identification system example, it would first need the proper hardware and software required to make distinctions between faces. Once this is accomplished, then the learning may take place.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-2853710101170616272008-10-21T16:40:00.002-05:002008-10-21T16:43:52.329-05:00IDEA: Simple vs. complex processesThe idea running through my head is that I may, at some point, release software to the public that a company I work for deems as their own property. This brings up the idea regarding copyrighting and/or patenting software, which extends into the idea of copyrighting and/or patenting a simple idea.<br /><br />Consider the following situations:<br /><br />- Two people write books about a wizard that comes of age and defeats a wizard seeking a legendary "Philosopher's Stone". One writes a story that is marginally interesting and acquires little notice. The other story is written by J. K. Rowling.<br /><br />- A coder writes a piece of code that is determined to be very useful. The company he is working for uses this code extensively, and it is a central part of their product. Said coder releases this code to the world in a package that in no way reflects the company product. Said company claims the coder violated a non-disclosure agreement, and is liable for damage in an attempt to thwart a copyright or patent on the software.<br /><br />- You eat a bowl of cereal by pouring cereal into a bowl, pouring in some milk, then using a spoon to eat it. Then someone patents this process, and demands money in some way to compensate for use of their proprietary process<br /><br />You see how silly this gets?<br /><br />The worst part is that it is hard to determine the dividing line between a "commonly reachable" idea, and one that has a unique structure that should be protected. With human language, complexity increases with each word used. With constructs, the "parts" tend to be much larger, and therefore do not constitute a "complex" object until the object becomes quite large.<br /><br />Food for thought.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-34203050560821252542008-10-21T16:15:00.002-05:002008-10-21T16:20:05.481-05:00MISSING: Try-before-you-buy storesThis is my first entry in the MISSING category, and it encompasses any kind of try-before-you-buy store. Here are the most prominent categories:<br /><br />- video games (more specifically the games themselves, not the systems<br />- headphones<br />- "consumer electronics" (e.g. mp3 player)<br /><br />I understand that it's likely you can ask a sales associate to demonstrate some of these, but that's a lot of hassle for something you may not buy, and then you have to deal with the social pressure of having the salesperson right in front of you to refuse.<br /><br />I'm the kind of shopper that wants to be left alone. If I have a pressing question, then I will seek out assistance. Therefore, I'm very interested in having the ability to try things like these before buying them.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-40345930423053649712008-10-21T15:33:00.008-05:002008-10-21T19:44:31.362-05:00CODING: Getting computers to understand human speechOne bit of coding I have in mind to develop (public license of course) is a kind of language interpreter.<br /><br />The premise: why can't we tell our computers what to do instead of moving around a mouse and typing on a keyboard?<br /><br />As far as simple sentences go, it shouldn't be hard. The only difficult piece will be code that converts spoken words to text that the computer can parse, e.g. ANSI (or ASCII?)<br /><br />After that, it comes down to linguistic rules. Here is an example, using two languages to show versatility.<br /><br />Rule for identifying the weekday:<br /><br />English: <code>"Today is {weekday}"</code><br />Japanese: <code>"Kyou wa {weekday} desu"</code><br /><br /><br />Rule for {weekday} (with a pipe "|" indiciating "or"):<br /><br /><code><br />"{sunday}|{monday}|..."<br /></code><br /><br />Rule for {sunday}:<br /><br />English: <code>"sunday"</code><br />Japanese: <code>"nichiyoubi"</code><br /><br />Same for the other days of the week.<br /><br />For possible mis-translations, the pattern would be something like this:<br /><br /><code><br />"sunday|(sunny day)|..."<br /></code><br /><br />When the rule matches something said by the user, you could use logic like the following:<br /><br /><pre><br />if ({Today rule hit})<br /> if ({weekday} = {sunday})<br /> {code for sunday}<br /></pre><br /><br />And it would follow for the rest of the weekdays.<br /><br />This somewhat mimics human memory recall. If a person asked what day it was, upon hearing an answer, their mind would search through their memory for things to remember on that particular day.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-37679095741944626042008-08-20T10:01:00.004-05:002008-10-21T16:21:03.525-05:00USER FRIENDLY: Make ALL non-critical dialog boxes optionalJust a quick comment after being "warned" by Excel about something for the umpteenth time, it would be great to have non-critical dialog boxes be optional.<br /><br />For implementation, when the warning comes up the first time, have a checkbox to indicate that it should/should not be shown the next time. To turn a dialog box back on, the options would have a list of possible dialog box messages, with a help link to show what the popup looks like.<br /><br />I realize there could be an issue where a person remembers where a popup was, but not what it said, and that searching through a large list for the message would be difficult. Just wanted to relate the ideajeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-77778504705554471632008-04-24T10:13:00.003-05:002008-10-21T16:20:39.537-05:00IDEA: Teaching web sites how to ask for informationQuick idea, since I'm at work and supposed to be "working". Also, this is kind of more than a concept than a well-thought-out plan.<br /><br />The idea is this: rather than spending time coding web site forms and the server code to process the information, is it a better idea to "teach" the server how to ask for information in a general sense?<br /><br />For example, you teach the server how to ask for a simple text answer, like a name. Then you tell the server "OK, I need some text answers from the user, with the labels "Name", "Address" and "Email". Then the server takes that information, and handles everything by itself. No need to code HTML forms or write code to process the information once submitted.<br /><br />As I said, I haven't had time to flesh out the details, but I'm hoping it would make things easier. For those in the industry, it's similar to how phpMyAdmin seems to work (for all I know, it doesn't teach the server anything), just in a more user-friendly format.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-15772820205603260812007-12-17T16:48:00.000-06:002007-12-17T16:51:26.432-06:00IDEA: Why don't computers do what we want?Today, I was working on something for my job, and encountered a quirk with an application I was using, where the application did something I didn't want it to do. As I grumbled in my mind about the small frustration, something occurred to me.<br /><br />Are we working toward designing applications so that they either know exactly what we're trying to do, are smart enough to figure out what we're trying to do, and will accept help to figure out what we're trying to do?<br /><br />I will try to remember to add more to this post later, but feel free to comment in the meantime.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-40125524529140249052007-10-12T12:46:00.000-05:002007-12-10T17:00:36.394-06:00IDEA: Making adventure games less linearFirst, a caveat: I don't possess a lot of knowledge about video games with non-linear play, so there may be plenty of video games using this idea. However, I wanted to post it, in case it had not been conceived or used yet.<br /><br />The issue in some adventure games is that the plot that revolves around the game action is often linear, i.e. the plot events never or rarely change when you play the game more than once. One prime example is the Metal Gear Solid series of video games. While minor events may be changed depending on circumstances, the major plot events never change, thus making the game pretty repetitive on replay. Not to spoil anything, but such plot points include: the revelation of a new type of weapon; the revelation of a secret identity; and so on.<br /><br />The idea I came up with is somewhat similar to real-life situations: the major players have "cards" of information that they choose to play at the most damaging, profitable, or dramatic times. Said times can be analogous to a list of prerequisites that must be met before said card is played.<br /><br />I suppose one could argue that games like the Metal Gear Solid games already follow this formula, but that's a fallacy. The player has no choice but to complete tasks given by the game in order to progress, and in fulfilling those tasks, you could say that prerequisites for playing these "cards" are fulfilled.<br /><br />What would be interesting is if a game is constructed so that a player can explore just about everything in the game without triggering major plot events, or triggering the events in a different order, or any other combination.<br /><br />A further extension of this idea would be to have different endings based on how many "cards" were played, in what order were they played, and what is the combined effect.<br /><br />At this point, I wonder how complex the idea is getting in terms of implementation, but I'll set that aside for future discussion.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-47384867713461525612007-10-03T10:23:00.001-05:002007-12-10T16:58:46.446-06:00BUSINESS: The balance between brainstorming and feasibilityOne thing I've encountered recently with my ideas regarding technology is a simple question.<br /><br />"Is there a need for this?"<br /><br />Satisfying my own needs is one thing. Satisfying the needs of more people than me is something else. It's easy enough to develop things to satisfy my own needs and desires, but I'm a person that tends to feel "rewarded" when I create something that other people can use as well.<br /><br />I imagine this is an important business precept as well; a concept that may have brought down more than one company. Smart businesspeople know that if there is no need, or "demand", then the product, or "supply" will never be sold at the desired rate.<br /><br />Hence, market research is born.<br /><br />I also think that it's important to have "focused freedom" in coming up with product ideas. A good brainstorming session is one that is as free of bounds and preconceptions as possible. However, simply going off on tangents will get you nowhere. Some focus on the subject at hand is needed to keep things working on the right track. It may even save some time, where a completely free session would wander down roads that simply waste time.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6383136076938573244.post-11136742371195555842007-09-25T17:47:00.000-05:002007-12-10T17:00:23.697-06:00IDEA: More do-it-yourself stuff!Maybe I'm unaware of some large body of evidence that people don't enjoy do-it-yourself kits, but I would think that the do-it-yourself industry would be great for increasing the general public's knowledge and know-how regarding products.<br /><br />Oh wait, you want to charge for service and parts. Proprietary. Right.<br /><br />For example, I think it would be cool to be able to create my own wristwatch. This is a step down from my "create your own PDA" idea, and could possibly be more feasible, in that most parts wouldn't be that expensive. The may be some overhead in making small parts, but that's a wild guess.jeffkunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14043067078837041458noreply@blogger.com0