arbitraryperson

I'm wondering if I could get some broad input my site. It's still a work in progress, but it is functional.

It has a few cool features, like the ability to save playlists w/HTML5's localStorage and a discovery/radio mode that builds upon the current playlist.

I was kind of surprised that for more recent stuff, they included some throwaway material that just mimicked old propaganda rather than the well-known image of Obama and HOPE.

"bright ideas that just didn't work out"

I'm pretty sure foursquare, farmville, hydrogenated oils, auto-tune, tanning beds, plastic grocery bags, and some other stuff on that list are still 'work[ing] out.'

But they gave me their word!

We don't just "trust" anyone to drive a car properly nor do we trust that people will not shoplift. There are laws in effect that intend to prevent underaged people from driving without consequence (as well as anyone who has demonstrated they can't be trusted to drive properly in the past). And stores often use some sort of system to detect when people walk away with things they did not purchase.

I agree that on a certain level, we operate in a way where we assume people are trustworthy. As far as I know, there are no strict laws on how bank queues work, and there probably don't need to be.

But crowdsourcing? I see it as having plenty of problems, and I can't agree that we just trust people or corporations to accept what is more of an investment under the guise of a donation in a responsible manner. They need to be held accountable for the money they accept.

On the other hand, I feel little sympathy for people who throw their money at projects like this. I wouldn't invest in a flying car if it was just an idea presented to me with no working progress.

Google TV's developer page notes the importance of the user being able to navigate with only five buttons (up, down, left, right and enter) here http://www.google.com/tv/developer/#navigation-is-critical.

So this post seems a bit uninformed to me. I think google knows what they're doing.

"When a voice is so strong and distinct in 140 characters, you can see great potential for what it could be in a 22-minute episode."

Not sure I agree with this logic.

Same here. I was kind of confused as to why anyone would start a project and think, first, "Well, we need a user registration system."

Of course, I also become bored by these little details. So I wouldn't say it's any better, but it is certainly more fun to work on the interesting bits first.

Why even have a word for it? I understand the emotional idea that programming can be an art, but it doesn't change the generally understood definition of art.

I could just as well be melodramatic like that kid in American Beauty and go on about how a plastic bag being blown about by the wind is the most beautiful thing ever. I could suggest the same about the way some skillful janitor moves his mop about the floor. Just because I get emotional about it doesn't change the definition of art.