Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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HB Divining

 Figuring out which is the next idea to post
  (-1)
(-1) 		  [vote for,
against]

For people who already have a few ideas under their belts, this works best individually. Look at the number of good ideas you have, and the bad ideas. You will notice that some ideas beginning with some letters have all croissants and some ideas starting with other letters have a few fishbones. That is what you have to remember. Your ideas starting with that letter aren't as likely to succeed.

So post carefully, you may be able to bring up your HB-chi in that area. If you can, change the name to something starting with a stronger letter.

If you absolutely must post an idea with a weaker letter you must do everything to bring up your HB-chi for that post, including...

1. Shortening up your posts. 2. Use technology that exists. 3. Spell check your ideas. 4. Avoid posting an idea that punishes other people. 5. Move away from a theory and towards your idea. 6. Use patience and understand people understand your idea and nothing more. 7. Refrain from flaming others. 8. Do not expoit others' weaknesses for humor.

Using these HB-chi building rules will help you have a stronger idea even if your letter is weaker. Use these rules as well to fortify your stronger letters against weaker ideas.

—sartep, Jun 18 2003

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       [sartep], that's alphabet abuse. There's no gaurantee that a letter "A" idea for me will have the same 'je ne sais quoi' that someone else's letter "A" idea has. Hence, it seems to be futile letter-dropping for you to insist that a good idea in one part of the alphabet is better than an idea in another.
In terms of marketing, I think you've missed the boat. What's important for people with fishy ideas is not "knowing" how to start a good idea, but simply WISHING to have a good idea. Sell to their superstitions, ie, a twenty-six sided cube, a tiny divining rod that they can hold over their computer screen to see if it dips on their new idea, or a bag of tea leaves or squirrel bones or feathers accompanied by a how-to manual.
Superstitions, like a stopped clock, are right twice a day. And people with detached ideas on HB would probably go for those odds. I know I would...
—k_sra, Jun 18 2003
   

       Ah, vacation!   

       What I mean by that [blissful], is that if superstitions were never right (and I extrapolate that they are right twice a day) then no one would be superstitious. And what makes superstitions so enticing is their irregularity, which to us is interpreted as "magical."
So in one day, a mirror breaking really does begin seven years bad luck and a rabbit's foot actually gets someone a good job.
—k_sra, Jun 18 2003
   

       "You will meet a tall, bald stranger. He will say 'Baked!'"
—DrCurry, Jun 18 2003
   

       In a south African, tinged with Manhattan, accent.
—bristolz, Jun 18 2003
   

       Then he will attempt to bite you.
—waugsqueke, Jun 18 2003
   

       Hint: post ideas about tortoise shell modifications. People seem to love those.
—Worldgineer, Jun 18 2003
   

       world is held up on the back of a turtle.
—po, Jun 18 2003
   

       [po] ;-) Then what holds up the turtle?
—Worldgineer, Jun 18 2003
   

       Bad chi: Bluetooth, genetic modification, magic, WIBNI. - all in the help file,   

       Good chi: Custard, pro-cat (if you want the [blissmiss] vote), anti-cat (if you want the [8th of 7] vote) and sometimes wordplay games (disguised as inventions). - from noticing trends in ideas and annos.
—Jinbish, Jun 18 2003
   

       ? its turtles all the way down.
—po, Jun 18 2003
   

       That one was a funny quote.
—sartep, Jun 18 2003
   

       when I get to z, my monitor may blow up and I will get custard all over my face (especially if its Friday 13th and there is an R in the month)
—po, Jun 18 2003
   

       // You will notice that some ideas beginning with some letters have all croissants and some ideas starting with other letters have a few fishbones. //   

       This is nae the case for my ideas, nor about a few others whose idea list I just perused. So apparently no, I will not notice this. "Tis what they call a load of hooey and probably should be mfd'd, but I can't be arsed as they say.   

       sartep, I'm thinking maybe you need to do a little less halfbakery navel gazing.   

       Once, I believe it was Rods_ who created an idea just because it started with the only letter left unrepresented on his idea list. He got in trubble for it. Shame too, as I recall I liked the idea.
—waugsqueke, Jun 18 2003
   

       That would be true if you were actually fooling anyone. Don't flatter yourself.
—waugsqueke, Jun 18 2003
   

       Well, [sartep], you are more than welcome to study my list of ideas and tell me my alphabetic horoscope if you like. Your eight rules are representative of a certain personality, and if they represent your personality then congratulations, because you seem to be a nice person.
And quite frankly, I would still rather have a little box of chicken bones from the HB.		   

       And by the by, if you remove the alphabet bit then all you really have is a paraphrased version of the help file... which, I believe is baked.
—k_sra, Jun 18 2003
   

       I will look at your ideas and see what I can devine from it. K_sra. Sorry I threw out all the chicken bones after I ate the chicken.   

       Ideas starting with P and D are your weakest ones. Careful of that for the future, post only your strongest ideas that begin with those letters. I saw the strength in your drum circle idea. +   

       You are very strong in the ideas starting with a Q and W.   

       Lemme respond to your first comment, K_sra. I like the way you think. :) 'Tis a pitty about the tea leaves I threw them out too, but the tea was yummy.
—sartep, Jun 18 2003
   

       I think the essence of the idea has little to do with the name but I also think many bakers don't try hard enough to pick the right names for their ideas.   

       Mine is a supersticious contry, and supersticions are not good. Three days ago I was traveling in Chiapas (a Mexican state with a really high indigenous population) and some religious leader surrounded me with other 20 male members of the community. They wanted me to give them my video tape because the supersticion says that pictures and videos take their souls away from them, and in order for them to go back to their owner, the video tape and film roll has to be burned. Of course, they got what they wanted and my documentary doesn't exist anymore.   

       I don't know if the point of my story is clear enough. Anyways, being supersticious is not good. Thinking that the inicial letter in an idea will dictate its success is as absurd as thinking that a picture takes your soul away from you.
—Pericles, Jun 18 2003
   

       "D" is bad?  Uhoh.   

       Sorry about the demise of your footage [Pericles]. That's really too bad.
—bristolz, Jun 18 2003
   

       Yes, Chiapas has a rich history. It is a pity about the footage.   

       If they were scared of the camera, it wouldn't be too close to daily life. Perhaps a camera that transmits data to your truck wirelessly while you have a fake tape in the camera to burn. But again, speak to the spiritual leader first. Perhaps there is a way of making the camera so people don't think it catches souls.   

       No bris, D is strong with you. You are a strong poster.
—sartep, Jun 18 2003
   

       [Pericles], a blessing on your head: May your films grow famous and bring knowledge to many!
Obviously people who mock superstitions do not live near them day to day. Just as people who have never lost a loved one to an alligator may joke about alligator attacks. I am one of those people (the first not the last).
Superstitions have wreaked havoc on mankind and on the cameras of countless hardy souls such as yourself. I sympathize with your frustration, and from one camera wielder to another I say, keep up the good work! En cada cosa que pierden es una historia a decir.
—k_sra, Jun 19 2003
   

       bris: "In a south African, tinged with Manhattan, accent" - boy, are you in for a surprise one of these days.
pericles: you need to do what war photographers do, and carry half your film in your underwear. That way, the villagers get some film to burn to feel good about themselves, and you get to sneak some footage out. (I always split up my film when travelling anyway, just in case I lose a bag.)
—DrCurry, Jun 19 2003
   

       Unless you're shooting for IMAX. That would be uncomfortable.
—Worldgineer, Jun 19 2003
   

       Thanks [bris],[sartep],[k_sra]. I know that diversity is beauty, and that's why I have to respect other people's perspectives of things. These indigenous people may not be right about a camera stealing your soul just as some of our commonly accepted beliefs are based on wrong or misinterpreted ideas. That's what makes documentary making so hard, the camera sees things through the author's perspective. He/she puts the camera where he wants the audience to put the eye, excluding a big important part of the context.   

       Oh well... maybe this will be a good excuse to create an idea for a device to make a camera not look so "harmful", or to be hidden inside a fake-baby.
—Pericles, Jun 19 2003
   

       BTW, [sartep], if my next idea entitled "Quibley's Whimsical Bedtime Stories Breakfast Cereal" doesn't go over well on the Halfbakery, I will be forced to expose you for the charlatan that you are!
—k_sra, Jun 19 2003
   

       deux-chet! - [blissmiss]
—Tiger Lily, Jun 19 2003
   

       If K_sra posts "Quibley's Whimsical Bedtime Stories Breakfast Cereal" a great idea will get a croissant. -Oracle of Sartep
—sartep, Jun 20 2003
   

       //These indigenous people may not be right about a camera stealing your soul//
On the other hand, they may not be wrong; would you want that responsibility?
—angel, Jun 20 2003
   

       Sex is like a broken clock.
—FarmerJohn, Jun 20 2003
   

       CAMRA stole my soul!

//7. Refrain from flaming others. 8. Do not expoit others' weaknesses for humor.//

Now you're just being silly.
—DrBob, Jun 20 2003
   

       FJ, except that the broken clock is right *only* twice a day.   

       sartep, can you divine from my idea list which stocks I should buy now?
—beauxeault, Jun 20 2003
   

       Clearly a baking company specializing in french breakfast rolls.
—Worldgineer, Jun 20 2003
   

       Beaux, divining HB ideas is the small crock of shit that I deal with, if you want to hand over money to an individual to be invested in stocks, you would be asking for a much larger crock of shit than I am willing to dole out.   

       However, if you would like your ideas divined for you to know where your next great idea should come from, I would be more than happy to help you.
—sartep, Jun 21 2003
   


 

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