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For school, we have to think about entrepreneur projects related to blockchain. Every single time we find a nice idea, either it has already be done, or the blockchain technology is irrelevant for that idea (which can be done without). Our group hasn’t advanced for 2 months now.
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I wrote an article on finding ideas. Essentially, it is important to find problems and treat them as opportunities, rather than finding solutions first and the problems they solve later.
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Maybe start from problems: look for markets for lemons, adverse selection, agency costs. As a rough rule of thumb, any market in which someone can earn a commission. And focus really tightly - rather than land titles on the blockchain, attack mineral or oil rights. Look up what people are suing each other over and you know what corner cases to handle.
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Things that might be useful:
- Many companies start from open-source projects aiming a niche, enhance them a bit/lot so it can be useful for companies.
- Others are just something that already exist but can be better/interesting on the blockchain. For example, several softwares to track authenticity of painting/sculpture transactions exist, but blockchain ones emerged and it’s a super neat application (imho).
- You probably do this already, but if you shift your view of the blockchain to either tokens or just a more realistic representation of the world, it might be easier.
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That’s actually a good point. YC often says don’t worry if someone has thought of your idea already. Just beat them in execution. Tech history is littered with better ideas or bad implementations of similar ones that lost to better executed and/or marketed ideas.
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Although I warn it might be unpopular, you might want to try something similar in concept but not quite blockchain. The benefits of the blockchain without necessarily being one. Here’s a few I’ve heard or was pushing that may or may not be implemented by a startup by now:
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Transactions are done with traditional databases that use a distributed ledger to tally up final results. This is similar to what banks already do where most transactions are hidden in their databases with some big chunks of money moved between banks. It works.
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Instead of just a coin in the ether, Clive Robinson on Schneier’s blog suggested creating a financial instrument that is tied to a number of commodities or other currencies in such a way that it remains really stable. As in, not a speculator’s tool like Bitcoin. I found one company that did this with several currencies plus carbon credits. I just can’t remember name.
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Instead of miners, might again use a low-cost technology for transactions but people need an account with the service to participate that costs about a dollar or so a month (or yearly). Kind of like with texts, they buy blocks of transactions. The providers are non-profits with chartered protections with the provisions or exchange being where the new tech comes in to provide accountability.
I’d do a combination of these if I entered the market. I’m not planning to right now. So, sharing the ideas with others in case someone wants to have a try at it while money is raining from the sky on those that utter the words “blockchain” or “decentralized.” ;)
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Quite interesting and we’ll written article
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I’m starting a multi-part series on how to build your own christmas lights, using RGB LED strings, an ATTiny85 microcontroller and combinations of sensors, bluetooth and other doodads to control your christmas lights from the Internet. As it goes up, it’ll be here. I have the prototype set up already, it’s really nice but I need to get the tree out!
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As I mentioned in my message, I done goofed and thought this wasn’t going to be doable until next year. Thanks to you, I was wrong :) I’ve shot some video today, writeup coming soon, I need to go through and edit. I’d probably say some time thursday for the initial post and vid. In the meantime, how about this?
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It suddenly made a lot of sense how this app generates $80,000 a month. At $400/month per subscriber, it only needs to scam 200 people to make $80,000/month […]
Basically an click baiting article about scam apps.
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Using uMatrix is somehow the attempt of getting both performance and a working webexperience
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I wonder how a site like google maps is supposed to work w/o javascript. I mean, I get the criticism towards news sites, but a mapping application needs logic written in a language, and since there is only 1 that works in the browser I do not see where the problem is.
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A high-performance extension in NaCl maybe? Or a cross-platform app given its market share?
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From Bacteria to Bach and Back - The Evolution of Minds To me this (philosophical) AI discussion ist really fascinating and it was recommended from a class reading list
This looks superb. Thanks for the pointer!
Another would be Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom
“I highly recommend this book” –Bill Gates
“Nick Bostrom makes a persuasive case that the future impact of AI is perhaps the most important issue the human race has ever faced. Instead of passively drifting, we need to steer a course. Superintelligence charts the submerged rocks of the future with unprecedented detail. It marks the beginning of a new era.” –Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science, University of California, Berkley
What a fantastic find! I hope it is not too dense.