h a l f b a k e r yThere goes my teleportation concept.
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I often obsess over possible new half-baked ideas to post, but sometimes I just want to put away quarter-baked ideas for later, when I have more time. (I think I've forgotten about three different ideas I had since yesterday. Anyone know how I can hold on to ideas that come about while driving or showering
or in the bathroom?)
I propose the HalfBakery provide each user with a private text box of his or her very own where all entered is only visible to the user him- or herself. Users would be able to jot notes about future ideas or brainstorms that need further researching before posting.
If possible, I'll go so far as to propose that HalfBakery provide users with the ability to write ideas, but not have them published right away. Allow a feature, such as a "Save Draft" button, for private holding - like a draft area for unfinished thoughts. This fancy option would be nice and help users organize their ideas better, but if it's too complicated to implement, I think a private text box will suffice.
[XSarenkaX]'s profile page
http://www.halfbakery.com/user/XSarenkaX At hand and a handy place to keep immature ideas with no extra coding on [jutta]'s part. [phoenix, Oct 21 2004]
(?) Everything2 Scratch Pad
http://www.everythi...=E2%20Scratch%20Pad Another site which already provides this feature; however it is needed, because of the complex formatting available, to allow users to preview their ideas. [pottedstu]
Notepad
http://notepad.yahoo.com/ Yahoo [thumbwax, Oct 21 2004]
[link]
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Or use Yahoo's free online notepad tool if you want to access your notes from different computers. |
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TextPad32 is by far my favorite. Shareware, and comes with all sorts of awesome text editing tricks for formatting and indenting, easy to use macros, a spell-check, as well as a binary file editor. Notepad doesn't even come close. |
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I keep a good old fashioned paper and pencil near my computer. Low tech, but the user interface is better than an Etch-A-Sketch. |
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//Anyone know how I can hold on to ideas that come about while driving or showering or in the bathroom?//
Are the military version Palm computers waterproof? |
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...so no one's with me on this? |
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I'm aware of the idea-jotting devices available: pen & paper, Yahoo! Notepad, Windows Notepad, PalmPilots, Etch-A-Sketch, Magic Wand. But I want my ideas where they belong - I want them in the goddamned bakery! |
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I also want them attached to my username there, so only my spying eyes may view them until I'm ready to share. I know some of the methods you mentioned are protected under a password, but it ain't what I want. I WANT my half-baked half-baked goods in the halfbakery. I want them conveniently located, wrapped in tin foil, on the counter, between the fridge and the oven. |
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sctld, you do real programming in notepad? I hate to sound like a commercial, but once you've switched over to the dark side of TextPad, there's no return. |
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Back-on-topic: I imagine some of the smart home features in the Film Noir House could be used for temporary idea storage. |
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I think a good way of making sure an idea was ready would be to email it to a friend. If they send it back, it's ready. You can then pick it up from your mail account the next time you are online (and therefore on the HB), and post it. If you still want to. |
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I have to admit, I've never done it that way. I either post it straight away with little thought and let it evolve, or obsess over whether or not it's 'worthy' for a few days... |
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It's not necessarily a bad idea. I "got it" no problem. Yes, it would be simple to implement and I envsioned a simple "Private" checkbox. But, just as [waugs] said, I don't think I'd use it. |
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In my experience, such a thing would likely result in support issues from people complaining that they posted an idea but no one can see it. One of the things I like about this site is its simplicty. (Disclaimer: The "simplicity" refers to the format of the site not to the 'bakers) |
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I use Wordpad for my HTML once my website got too big for Notepad... |
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I don't really see the point of this idea. Until the idea is finished, why does it 'belong' on the Bakery? And what is wrong with using *pad and saving it locally? |
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....then why is it not [m-f-d] ? (altered later to invalid shortened version: reasons elsewhere) |
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The only grounds for deletion would be as a "me too"/"you too": wanting a facility that already exists elsewhere. But it seems from experience that rule does not apply so much within the halfbakery category (indeed most rules don't apply so rigidly in this category). |
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Marked for deletion, eh? I thought I was allowed to post valid ideas. This is not an insane idea, just because many of you don't see the need for it. A lot of things in this world are not "broke" and "don't need fixing" but that doesn't mean that people still can't discuss possibilities of improvement, like adults. |
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Anyway, that's all I have to say. Like it, hate it, whatever. Everyone has their say (I hope) at the HalfBakery. |
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(I guess I should go cook up something completely different next time.) |
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I don't expect the HB to host my scribbles or anyone elses when I have plenty of other resources - pen and paper being the most basic. OK so its an idea but it is also a WIBNI - infinite resources. |
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I am very proud to own a Bob the Builder Scribbler, thank you bliss. |
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ugh...I think I'm going to just delete this idea and forget the whole thing ever happened. |
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yup. it's all part of the halfbakery, uglybeautiful as it is. just leave it to settle. |
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waugs, I think po has a point. Let's finish the sentence....
"Wouldn't it be neat if Jutta had unlimited server space and could let us all have our own little part of the 1/2 B that only we can see?" |
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Frankly, I think jutta may just be missing a golden opportunity to "upgrade" XSX's membership to a platinum membership for only $14.99 per month which includes the user's own halfbaked scratchpad.... |
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thank you runfy for explaining what I meant in your first paragraph v. nicely. |
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If you really want to get nit-picky about WIBNI, you could say it about everything on the HB. "Wouldn't it be neat if I had a suitcase that I could ride like a bike? Wouldn't it be neat if I had a windscreen that automatically knew where the sun was so that the glare wouldn't get in my eyes? Wouldn't it be neat if my home computer had special extensions for my cat? Wouldn't it be neat if I had see through socks?" etc etc etc. |
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[po]//it is also a WIBNI - infinite resources// |
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I don't think you can say that just because I want to add a button that temporarily hides my idea from public view, this one change is going to require infinite resources. It will require time and effort to implement, but a finite amount of it. |
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This has been done. I am a member of epinions.com where users write reviews of real products, and those reviews are rated by other members. Epinions.com has implemented a similar feature allowing users to save a draft of their reviews, unpublished, until ready to unveil. Phoenix has been gracious enough to provide a link to my profile page, where you will find a direct link to my epinions.com page, if you'd like to browse around. |
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And before you say this idea is already baked, remember that my idea is about having this feature available at the Halfbakery, where it is currently not (and is meeting with apparently fierce opposition). |
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All I suggest is that jutta toy around with this idea. I do not wish to sabotage her lovely site - I am using it, too, you know. I like it here. Even with all the sticks and stones flying around. |
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Some people should read the help-file: a WIBNI is a specific sort of "wouldn't it be nice if" idea, where the goal/end-product is well-known but there is no explanation of how it could be done: |
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// The idea describes something widely known as desirable, but unobtainable, without giving any new clues as to how it could be done. Ideas that already occur in existing science fiction usually belong here - time travel, stopping time, flying cars, infinite resources. // (Help file) |
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//me too - the author has seen something in one place and wants it to be available to everybody, or at least to him or her, or free. // |
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According to the author of this idea:
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//This has been done....And before you say this idea is already baked, remember that my idea is about having this feature available at the Halfbakery, where it is currently not (and is meeting with apparently fierce opposition). // |
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So, if it's not a WIBNI, it is very obviously a "me too" (by the author's own words and admission), and, as such, it has earned the [m-f-d] bestowed upon it. |
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isn't logic a beautiful thing....I rest my case, your honour.... |
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Alright, logic wins out, but at least I didn't bone the idea. XSX, I still like it and I would like to see it come to be one day. |
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Also, is it possible to see some numbers of visitors/members/active members compared to ideas? I've always wondered about how many people come here and sign up, post 1 or 2 ideas, annote and then never come back. |
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I don't think that this is what was meant by a 'me too.' It's certainly not in that spirit. Otherwise taking the radio-controlled aspect of a kid's car and adding it to a lawn-mower would be a me-too. (it's baked, of course, but would have been worthy of the HB otherwise, I feel). |
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I have awarded a croissant, not because the idea is good (i don't think it is), but in protest to some of the attitudes displayed in the annos. |
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I double-checked so as not to misspeak, so I can safely say that I have not voted for any idea posted by XSX at this point. I remain neutral. I save my "yes" votes for the ideas I find myself nodding along with on the initial read and my "no" votes for those that I have a gut feeling are just wrong or offensive in some manner. I generally remain neutral on most ideas and, quite frankly, I am neutral on this. Don't need it, wouldn't use it. It's up to jutta to decide and I'm sure she is very aware of all features that *could* be incorporated into the 1/2 B. They'll be here if she takes a hankering toward them at some point. Until then, it is what it is. |
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I'm sorry to but in here folks but this idea is already baked. You've all got a private login page and you can stick anything you want on it. How much more of a scratchpad do you need? |
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Yeah, what DrBob said
//No one is right, everyone is wrong, and the only opinion that really matters is the admins, and the webmaster//
When it is accepted as Universal Truth that my opinion is the only one that matters, there will be Peace on Earth, forever and ever. Amen. |
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A -very- good point, DrBob. Wish I'd thought of it... |
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I should have changed the words "Private Idea Scratchpad" in the title of this idea to "Private Unfinished Idea Draft" or something to that effect. There, does that clear things up for those who want me to start publishing my thoughts in other areas of the public domain? |
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Now, regarding the "me, too" thing: this is not necessarily a feature that I want available to everyone for free. I am suggesting this feature as an option for HalfBakers to use. The feature would most practically be free (if it is to be used on this site), but the example I gave where it is already being used is also a free service. |
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I interpret the "me, too" rule to be a childish wish for getting something for nothing when it's not likely because it must necessarily be a pay-service. For example, if someone posted an idea that all car washing should be free, just because they are sick of spending the money for that service, THAT would be an example of a "me, too" idea, and one that is not likely to be considered because the resources cost money. |
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Now, I'm sure jutta's resources also cost money (and time) and it's always easier to do nothing than something, but depending on how much she cares about adding features that may be useful to some, many, or all HB users, she may or may not invest the resources to do it. |
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Jutta put in a hell of a lot of resources into just having the HB up at all, and users currently do not pay to come in and use it, so I don't see what harm there is in suggesting an additional feature that may become useful if implemented. |
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Again, the idea is posted for consideration. I would use it, but perhaps not many of you seem to think you would. It's possible you don't see it as useful because you have never tried it. I probably would not have posted this idea here if I had not been given the oppportunity to try out a similar feature elsewhere. In fact, I'd known about the feature (on epinions.com) long before I ever started to use it. |
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As one last selling point, imagine this scenario: You, as a HalfBaker, just got a brainstorm for a fantastic idea you must share with the HB one afternoon, so you click "new" and start typing away frantically. You just finished typing in half of your thoughts when suddenly you realize you're about to be late for, say, a flight out of town. Your idea is not close to being done, but a significant amount has been typed. |
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Here's when I know the opposition will get clever and give me alternative solutions (like copy and paste into another application that can be saved, etc.) but it would be convenient to be able to leave everything you've done on this idea so far, including selection of your categories, and save it for a more convenient time, rather than take extra steps and possibly miss your flight. |
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No, it is not a ncessary feature. No, not everyone will care if it's ever implemented. And yes, this is a convenience feature suggestion. I think many good ideas posted are mere convenience or time-saver suggestions and ones about which only a select group would actually care. |
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Anyway, I think I've written enough here. I'm sure you'll all have fun tearing this annotation apart... |
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Thank you, jutta. All I wanted was your brief consideration. |
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[ sctld ], in essence, that is what the feature would have provided me - more time to put finishing touches on my ideas before they are publicized. |
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I would like to offer XSarenkaX my compliments on a title that seems to riff on *My Own Private Idaho*. |
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No one else mentioned it, so I thought I would. |
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Keep your grubby little hands off My Own Private Idaho Potato
//...in something as small as the halfbakery, it's overkill - jutta//
XSarenkaX, hope you realize some good did come of this as odds of ' b a k e r s who've seen this thread will be ever-so-slightly more prone to hash out their ideas in advance in some format, thereby elevating the quality of ideas (to the level slightly below that of mine, which are in and of themselves, brilliant, heh) |
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Thanks. We are all here to strive for your level of excellence, thumbwax. |
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the word is *pinnacle*, Excess. |
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I'd thought about that earlier today while wondering if there was an app I could write to solve that dilemna. Was wondering about it as I logged into My Yahoo! for first time in eons. Behold! Yahoo! Notepad is accessible from "anywhere". See link |
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Or if he doesn't like Y!, GTR could just email the idea to himself. |
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no attatchments necessary - write email to self, send it. |
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No harder than writing half an idea into the halfbakery. And much simpler. |
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Especially for the bakesmistress. |
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why cut and paste into hotmail (or whatever prog u use)? Just write it straight in there. And if you're in the internet cafe, you should have both windows logged in all the time, so really the only difference is the final cut and paste. And you missed out the steps where you get back to the half-finished idea, which is a few extra clicks/waiting period for pages to load.. |
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//.... on arriving to next internet cafe// |
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Does GTR have a complex route that he follows every day/week? Perhaps to confuse IP addies; a trolling route ;op |
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You know, for once I actually agree with George. It would be more convenient, and the 'you could do it this way' arguments all seem to me to be missing the point. If a customer asks a programming company for added functionality in their bespoke software it doesn't really matter if you could get that functionality from another off-the-shelf application. The customer wants it as part of the interface the way, I'm sure, most of us have inside toilets rather than outside toilets these days.
"But you could go outside for a piss."
"No, see, I'd like an _indoor_ toilet."
"But you could go outside for a piss."
"Yes, but it would be more convenient to have an indoor toilet."
"But you could go outside for a piss." |
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That said, I have to weigh this up against my antipathy for most, if not all, ideas in the Halfbakery:More Work For Jutta category (aka Halfbakery:Gimme Gimme Gimme category, similar to the Halfbakery:Here's How It _Should_ Be Done category). These ideas are basically feedback to jutta, requests rather than concepts, so they better be bloody good ideas or I fishbone on the "Quit yer pestering" principle (which, I sometimes think, should be grounds for m-f-d). On balance, it's not a bad idea; it's just not good enough. |
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[edited, since annotation was removed] |
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I never claimed that any suggested alternatives would be easier, just simpler to implement. I'll stand by that claim. I would certainly disagree with your "much" in the previous [deleted] anno. Whilst you are willing to debate such matters, I will happily continue to argue the case. |
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It may be one-click to save, but It's got to be at least two or three more to retrieve, bearing in mind you may have more than one draft idea. |
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Agreed (on both the reform course and previous anno), but I don't think it's really worth about only one HFI at a time: it's the halfbakery, not the half-assery. |
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As for logging in and out, as I said above, wouldn't you have one window open for mail all the time whilst you are on the computer? It's certainly how I woik. Given that, I don't think locating the text and copy/pasting is *that* much of an inconvenience: as I said, perhaps not quite as convenient, but certainly simple.
Another advantage to the email idea is that you can cc the HFI to a trusted friend, if you felt like it, to get his/her feedback on it - is it worthy? etc. |
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In a more complete collaboration tool, I'd almost expect to find this. But in something as small as the halfbakery, it's overkill. Thus sayeth jutta Jun 10 2002 |
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GTR, thanks for the valiant effort. I had surrendered this idea days ago and clicked back in today out of curiosity, to find that at least you understand where I'm coming from. |
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It's apparently not grabbing jutta as worth the effort to create this feature, though. I don't pretend to know how much work would be required to implement a code to allow users the option to publish or not publish their ideas. |
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Silly me, I thought this idea would get a warm welcome from the other HalfBakers. Truth is, if only two of us look forward to such a feature, why should jutta devote hours of coding to develop it? I don't expect her to. I...(sigh)...admit defeat. :( |
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"Save as draft" ... what a good idea. |
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I admit I didn't read the whole discussion. It got sidetracked right at the start when people started talking about text editors when the idea has nothing to do with having a place to take notes but rather to, as [8th] has put it, save the drafts of your Halfbakery ideas that for whatever reason you don't think are in publishable form. This is not even that revolutionary an idea. Blogs have it because it makes sense. If I want to publish the idea in HB, but it's just not ready, why store it somewhere else? [+] |
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Blog hosting sites generate revenue through various means
and can pay people to program features like post editors.
For [jutta] this is a labor of love. I have no idea how
complicated or time-consuming these things are, but she
already puts more effort into this site than most 'bakers
know, and the server space hosting it is donated and not
unlimited. |
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//"Save as draft"// how did that "r" get in there ? |
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