Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Recalculations place it at 0.4999.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


                                         

Genetic Engineering Idea Moratorium

 Stop posting ideas for using genetic engineering until they're at least half-way feasible.
  (+8, -9)
(+8, -9) 		  [vote for,
against]

Please.
—-alx, Aug 26 2001

[link]






       Baked: Its just that, despite this rule being pointed out as an annotation to every single relevant 'idea', it doesnt seem to be sinking in. I vote for tracking them down violators via IP address and breaking their legs.
—Hans, Aug 26 2001
   

       Just realised this is a WIBNI.   

       Never mind.
—-alx, Aug 26 2001
   

       tea with your cloned croissant?
—thumbwax, Aug 26 2001
   

       Why stop posting ideas which rely on genetic engineering?   

       Granted, they're fancyful, but as long as they're useful, unique, funny, and or thought provoking why abandon them.   

       I'd vote for a ban on pizza ideas...
—phoenix, Aug 27 2001
   

       yeah, down with pizza it has too much fat anyway.
—futurebird, Aug 27 2001
   

       Croissant for reminding me of Nevermind's 10th anniversary before Rolling Stone. Thank you, [-alx].
—The Military, Aug 27 2001
   

       I'd like to propose a ban on all ideas for banning certain types of ideas from the HalfBakery. In part because they annoy me, in a greater part because it creates an amusing logical impossibility.
—nick_n_uit, Aug 27 2001
   

       I think the Halfbakery is for ideas that might be possible, not totally impossible things like 'Let's genetically engineer nanite custard so that it acts as a bluetooth controlled exploding superhero!'. That's just dumb.   

       Genetic engineering is, on the scale constantly referenced here, impossible. And since it often involves 'Let's make changes to this specific person/object/pet', rather than 'let's make changes so that in 500 generations...' it's likely to stay impossible.   

       Phoenix, I have yet to see any of the multitude of GE ideas that was useful or unique, and the only thoughts they provoke are the kind that don't belong here. Very occasionally, they might be funny, but they still don't fit.
—StarChaser, Aug 27 2001
   

       Let's genetically engineeer humans that are incapable of posting genetic engineering ideas.
—PotatoStew, Aug 28 2001
   

       chortle chortle
—sdm, Aug 28 2001
   

       speaking of which, any 1/2bakers in Birmingham UK are welcome to my Trailer Trash/Jerry Springer party in September. Will be working up a Polaroid photo storyboard of the convolutions of the JS theme throughout the night. Unfortunately my trailer trash friends *will* be able to discuss GE because they all seem to be bioscience/chem eng researchers. Maybe that's part of the irony.
—lewisgirl, Aug 28 2001
   

       So! Ban all ideas that use GE? Then, months later, keep on beating up on the newbies who don't know you're tired of 'em? Without telling us why? And after all of you had your fun and posted your favorite GE ideas? Well, I want my fun too! I'm gonna have to think up a bunch more GE ideas for that. Am definitely fishboning this.
—ThotMouser, May 05 2002
   

       Huh? I live in Birmingham, and I'm a bioscience researcher.   

       Joined up a bit late for the party, though. :-)   

       Actually, I should vote for this idea, because stupid impossible GM suggestions really annoy me.
—Loris, Aug 14 2002
   

       Bioengineering is the magic of the millenium, like nuclear radiation, electricity, mangetism and shamanism before it.   

       What would a world without magic be but boring?   

       Shouldn't GM ideas just be restricted to plausible ones rather than hocus-pocus-wouldn't-it-be-nice fantasies that I understand is the guiding principal in the help-file?
—FloridaManatee, Dec 31 2002
   

       "G.E. we bring bad things to life..."
—RayfordSteele, Jan 14 2003
   

       >>Shouldn't GM ideas just be restricted to plausible ones rather than hocus-pocus-wouldn't-it-be-nice fantasies that I understand is the guiding principal in the help-file?   

       But wheres the fun in that?   

       Trouble is that too few people on the b/2 would appreciate a really clever GM-type idea, at least without significant explanation. And then most would fail to care.   

       And if its too doable it is probably patentable, so wouldn't be posted on here anyway.   

       Consider what might happen if someone had suggested this (genius) idea which is incredibly baked and in use all over the world for many purposes:   

       [title]Polymerase Chain Reaction
[by-line]Create millions of copies of your chosen short fragment of DNA.
[explanation]Design a pair of facing primers for the ends of the sequence you want, then use a thermostable DNA polymerase to extend the sequence of these on a small amount of template DNA. Repeated cycles of annealing and extension will geometrically increase a fragment of DNA of the sequence between the two primers.		   

       [votes] +1,-5   

       [comments]
Stop posting GM WIBNI magic ideas {m_f_d}		   

       What use is this?   

       5x This wouldn't work because {spurious reason}   

       Would this work for cloning custard?   

       And so on...   

       Lets face it, this just isn't the forum for plausible but very technical ideas.   

       Just to extend this rant a little further:
>>Bioengineering is the magic of the millenium, like nuclear radiation, electricity, mangetism and shamanism before it.		   

       Right. what possible use is electricity or magnetism? I can honestly say I've never used either of these. And I strongly suspect that radiation doesn't exist, and even if it did it wouldn't have any uses. Now I'm off to check my horoscope.
—Loris, Jan 14 2003
   

       I have found myself irritated by the "magic" label pasted onto plausible genetic engineering ideas presented on this forum. I think the problem is that many folks are not aware of the state to which this technology has advanced.   

       Rather than condemn as magic, perhaps skeptics could ask for links to sites or abstracts which show that similar projects have been done or that the technology exists to carry out the proposed idea. Thus halfbakers would be held to a standard (as should be the case for ideas which are not purely comedy) and skeptics might learn about genetic technology.
—bungston, Jan 14 2003
   

       I think Genetic Engineering ideas deserve a separate category. No idea should ever be refused unless it promotes aggression ? So what if they are impossible right now? Ever read "The Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition" - this book postulates that if it can be thought of, then a way can, and will be found to do it. I don't like censorship and this is what this is. Don't like GM ideas? Fine - file them under GM and don't read them - but is it ok if I read them? I'm fairly new to this site, but there is a depressing, pedantic elitism to many of the comments. Anyone want to buy a soon to be deleted barking zebra rat? I can hear it whimpering in a corner right now.
—xenzag, Sep 29 2005
   

       That is a truly fantastic book, Mambo Chicken. You are quite correct [xenzag], there is both pedantry and elitism here, but this is at heart an inventors site (with a side order of mad) for inventions. The rules aren't there to stifle creativity but to stop this place becoming a joke site, chat room, or place to be silly. The scope is fairly wide already, you won't find it hard to stay within it. My 2c.
—wagster, Sep 29 2005
   

       Also, [xentag], it is useful to read the date of the posting. A lot of things were different on the HB in 2001.
—bungston, Sep 30 2005
   
      
[annotate]
   


 

back: main index
business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle