Ask HN: What moonshots do you wish were being attempted?
38 comments
Sam Zeloof's new company Atomic Semi might be up your alley: https://twitter.com/atomic_semi
I am sure this company will help advance technology. But not sure if they will ever release anything publicly, which is what is needed - open source designs for the "chip printer" and for the actual chips as well.
These guys had the right idea https://libresilicon.com/ Though it looks like work has paused for quite a while now.
These guys had the right idea https://libresilicon.com/ Though it looks like work has paused for quite a while now.
Admittedly a half baked idea, but I wish someone was attempting to design an ornithopter as an alternative to drones for things like short-distance deliveries. Given higher power density batteries and advances in RL to find efficient flight control policies it seems plausibly possible, and it'd eliminate noise pollution concerns almost entirely. Plus, the mental image of a mechanical harpy eagle (payload capacity greater than body weight) perched on your window sill with your doordash is just too appealing to pass up.
"moonshot" is conservative for the following, but still:
- YOLO and let the economy crash fully for once
- Tempering the "line always goes up" attitude in computing tech that has mostly destroyed enrollments for other hard science / engineering courses
- Some sort of global communal breakthrough to render the lack of community participation / "I have friends but they're over there in the good guy lands" obsolete
- Successful, affordable DIY modular robotic assembly line
- Banning all aerated / carbonated / flavored drinks
- Robust, transparent, privacy-respecting media fingerprinting BEFORE AI content vomit takes over the internet
- Good-faith online shamanism (the truth is out there!)
- Transitioning the Earth and its inhabitants away from water-based energy sources (we split atoms to heat water to make electricity to heat water, etc). It's easy because it's THE universal solvent, but changing the input material makes all the other steps alien and (hopefully) less challenging for the environment / other humans to assimilate to.
- YOLO and let the economy crash fully for once
- Tempering the "line always goes up" attitude in computing tech that has mostly destroyed enrollments for other hard science / engineering courses
- Some sort of global communal breakthrough to render the lack of community participation / "I have friends but they're over there in the good guy lands" obsolete
- Successful, affordable DIY modular robotic assembly line
- Banning all aerated / carbonated / flavored drinks
- Robust, transparent, privacy-respecting media fingerprinting BEFORE AI content vomit takes over the internet
- Good-faith online shamanism (the truth is out there!)
- Transitioning the Earth and its inhabitants away from water-based energy sources (we split atoms to heat water to make electricity to heat water, etc). It's easy because it's THE universal solvent, but changing the input material makes all the other steps alien and (hopefully) less challenging for the environment / other humans to assimilate to.
"Banning all aerated / carbonated / flavored drinks"
All the people who homebrew are chuckling at this.
All the people who homebrew are chuckling at this.
How to write correct software. With software eating the world, it might be a good idea that the software eats correctly, without bugs.
I'm very hopeful that AI will be able to bridge this gap. Even if 100% correctness is too difficult to describe for most projects, being able to stand up 99%+ coverage in a matter of minutes with AI test generation would be game changing.
This is one of my favorite moonshots.
The problem is that it is hard to monetize, so it should in principle be funded by grants and not by VC.
The problem is that it is hard to monetize, so it should in principle be funded by grants and not by VC.
Massive voter engagement. Like 90% voter participation.
Can we add a caveat for knowledgeable/responsible voter participation? Many of the people I know who don't vote are completely unaware of stuff that's going on in the world. And many people who do vote don't do so in the primaries and just vote party line in the general election. This limits the variety and balance of viewpoints since it's mostly controlled by the party leadership and extremist views are more represented in primaries due to motivation.
Education without loan. One approach is documented here: https://loan-free-ed.neocities.org
"Education without loan"
GI Bill?
GI Bill?
Career alignment tools based on aptitude and interest.
It seems there's a very small number of people who like their job. All the aptitude stuff today doesn't seem very helpful. I wish I knew what I would be good at so I could stop hating my job and be successful.
It seems there's a very small number of people who like their job. All the aptitude stuff today doesn't seem very helpful. I wish I knew what I would be good at so I could stop hating my job and be successful.
Usable operating systems.
Automated mathematics, including the ability to read math papers and translate to formal proofs.
Fair tax. Today rich people/corps have many loop holes for avoiding tax. If that was fixed globally, individuals could pay less.
I think we can all agree we want fair taxes. What that looks like varies by perspective. It would be interesting to see a system or tool that makes everyone think it's fair.
Build an insane amount of nuclear fission and renewable power: enough to power all energy needs with some left over for sequestration.
Affordable housing
Minor personal pet peeve: I really hate the term affordable housing. Yes, housing can and should be less expensive. But there's a lot of stuff surrounding housing that needs to be addressed beyond just the actual cost.
To me, the way homes are designed is often backwards. For instance, they're often designed from the outside-in rather than from the inside-out. Instead of starting with a room you want to build and making it the best possible layout for a specific function (say watching movies, or hanging out with friends and talking) houses are often built from the outside-in: they'll usually start with the shell first and then roughly pencil in an area that can be called a "living room" but there's no real care in designing spaces for optimum functionality.
And the way that homes can be laid out relative to other homes can be improved. What about concepts like pocket neighborhoods? Would they work everywhere? I don't know, but they seem like they would be transformative to a lot of peoples' lives.
To me, the way homes are designed is often backwards. For instance, they're often designed from the outside-in rather than from the inside-out. Instead of starting with a room you want to build and making it the best possible layout for a specific function (say watching movies, or hanging out with friends and talking) houses are often built from the outside-in: they'll usually start with the shell first and then roughly pencil in an area that can be called a "living room" but there's no real care in designing spaces for optimum functionality.
And the way that homes can be laid out relative to other homes can be improved. What about concepts like pocket neighborhoods? Would they work everywhere? I don't know, but they seem like they would be transformative to a lot of peoples' lives.
Non market housing.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sKudSeqHSJk
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sKudSeqHSJk
Check out this modular self build system from the 70s
https://youtu.be/0JbqJNAUOR8
https://youtu.be/0JbqJNAUOR8
Isn't this one of the more funded "moonshots" that exists today? Or is this mostly commentary? (Or are there specific untested kinds of affordable housing you'd want to see developed?)
There's plenty of affordable housing. It just might not be in the perferred location or with preferred attributes.
A system addressing population distribution to adequately balance areas with an excess and deficit of housing would be good. As would something to influence housing preferences, like size and amenities.
A system addressing population distribution to adequately balance areas with an excess and deficit of housing would be good. As would something to influence housing preferences, like size and amenities.
Supersonic jets. Australia still has a bit more to overcome the tyranny of distance.
Government funded trips to Mars and Europa.
Space based gravitational wave sensor.
Fusion (this one has actually had fairly good progress lately).
Space based gravitational wave sensor.
Fusion (this one has actually had fairly good progress lately).
A big coop at the FAANG level in tech.
Real time Google maps satellite view
We're building something pretty close to what you're thinking of https://www.grassland.network/
Looking at using drone seed bombs to imitate natural farming from one straw revolution.
Worldwide automated government auditory
I'm trying to do it locally on a very tight budget and goodwill
I'm trying to do it locally on a very tight budget and goodwill
Smart roads that commute locations of cars on then.
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Space elevators.
Space elevators aren't compatible with existing and planned satellites.
Edit: let me explain. The space elevator necessarily goes to the height of the geostationary orbit, ~36000 km above Earth surface, and placed on equator on the Earth. It will intersect all orbital planes of satellites, and vast majority of satellites flies below GEO. Satellites orbits are not quite predictable in practice, due to fluctuations of forces acting on satellites, so without active avoidance system - which almost all existing satellites lack and new satellites aren't planning to have - eventually satellite will collide with the elevator, at speed which seems to be rather catastrophic to both satellite and the elevator. There were many attempts to solve this problem, but I haven't seen an adequate one so far, and I rather doubt the humanity will replace the satellites with the space elevator (which won't be able to launch long-term satellites for the same reason). So, space elevator won't actually work as intended.
Edit: let me explain. The space elevator necessarily goes to the height of the geostationary orbit, ~36000 km above Earth surface, and placed on equator on the Earth. It will intersect all orbital planes of satellites, and vast majority of satellites flies below GEO. Satellites orbits are not quite predictable in practice, due to fluctuations of forces acting on satellites, so without active avoidance system - which almost all existing satellites lack and new satellites aren't planning to have - eventually satellite will collide with the elevator, at speed which seems to be rather catastrophic to both satellite and the elevator. There were many attempts to solve this problem, but I haven't seen an adequate one so far, and I rather doubt the humanity will replace the satellites with the space elevator (which won't be able to launch long-term satellites for the same reason). So, space elevator won't actually work as intended.
Cheap mass production of carbon fiber.
A non-shitty e-bike
Democratizing chip manufacturing technology where one could print something at even 10x the cost would be tremendously helpful, for activists and those who speak truth to power.