Idea generation is theorised to follow a S shaped curve. At the beginning of the HalfBakery (usually referred to as the Big Switchon) there was a slow rate of idea growth (the existence of ideas from before the HalfBakery started is held up by some people as evidence for the existence of [Jutta] but this is disputed)
Of course as ideas fornicated with each other and had baby ideas, the population of ideas grew more and more rapidly until the inflexion point of the S shaped curve was reached (the inflexion point of a S shaped curve is where the middle section of the S turns so far that it goes back towards the left axis and therefore means there are three points on the curve for each x value)
Anyway due to various factors including Brexit, Trump, the death of notable HalfBakers (RIP) and the gradual filling of ideas-space, the rate of new generation of ideas is theorised to slow down.
Gradually, more and more putative ideas are never posted because a quick search finds them already existing on the halfbakery. Those that do survive get deleted because someone links to a very similar idea from 20 years ago.
Posters get disillusioned and turn to alternative platforms such as TikTok and OnlyFans in an attempt to make their inventions relevant to the modern world.
The ultimate end point is that the HalfBakery becomes entirely full. Every possible idea or invention has been invented. Every user has bunned every possible idea (except for the crap ideas which have been boned to hell). The HalfBakery enters a kind of stasis where no new idea can be thought, no existing idea can be bunned or boned.
The ever shrinking pool of users degenerate into arguing about whether a discussion of punctuation on a certain other idea was justified or not.
This is so dull that it acts as a counterweight to the Technological Singularity. Future historians will be amazed at the perfect balance of grumpiness and progress that ensures the universe continues to be habitable.-- pocmloc, Feb 18 2023 Start from here ... https://questionabl...view.php?comic=4977... and follow along the next few comics. [pertinax, Feb 19 2023] Those zoom meetings Halfbakery_20Zoom_20virtual_20Meetup [pertinax, Feb 23 2023] What you are proposing is The Death Of The Imagination, which itself is not a new idea. Indeed, although "there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy" (Hamlet Act1 Scene5), "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
In addition to your s-curve law of diminishing returns singularity bottleneck theory, I propose an equal and opposite generative big bang explosion of ideas theory, to complete the s-curve and create the sideways figure-8 of infinity that must surely be the fate of such a whacky and wonderfully-outfitted establishment as this, ye olde Halfe-Bakerye!-- Sgt Teacup, Feb 18 2023 So are you proposing a N shaped curve? Are we now on the descending middle section? Do we have to wait for the end of time for the final increase?
There must be scope here for a physics and mathematics which is based entirely on functions that can be represented by ASCII letter shaped graphs.-- pocmloc, Feb 18 2023 I have been devoting more time to the slow construction of an actual thing, inspired in part by interactions on the half-bakery. Being obscure, difficult and probably unprofitable, I feel it carries the spirit of this place in it.-- pertinax, Feb 19 2023 Mad ideas are simply not much valued on the HB any more. Most of what appears now is derivative of earlier postings or not worth engaging with. All I ask is for Bungston, Frosty, Dr Curry and Wagster to come back. I find this place to be quite unwelcoming now, and no longer filled with kindred idea generators of a certain genre. Then we have the new phenomena of The Trumpsters who's presence would deter any creative person.-- xenzag, Feb 19 2023 Maybe it's hate filled rants like that that have driven people away.
That, and you bringing up your obsession with Donald Trump every chance you get. You're the only "Trumpster" here. Let it go.
And as a tip of the hat to this idea, it's spelled "whose presence" not "who's presence".-- doctorremulac3, Feb 19 2023 Gentlemen, please-- Voice, Feb 19 2023 [pertinax] details please!-- Voice, Feb 19 2023 Yea pert, what are you up to? Don't tease, fill us in.-- doctorremulac3, Feb 19 2023 You're making a showtune-singing robot dinosaur skull?-- Voice, Feb 19 2023 On one of those 'bakery zoom calls during covid I showed a precursor-program to the people who turned up. When I've finished the next stage, I'll probably try to organize another one of those. I have to be a bit careful about what I show and tell, because, at some future point, I *might* look for funding, at which point I need to be able to demonstrate that I've got some IP not already shared with the whole internet.
The thing I'm working on has nothing to do with the linked comic. I just put that in to show that the spirit of the half-bakery can be found echoing around in other forms. It's a pity that the character in the lab coat is fictitious, because otherwise she'd be *exactly* the sort of person we'd want to join us.-- pertinax, Feb 19 2023 // Being obscure, difficult and probably unprofitable, I feel...// enough about you, tell us more about what you are working on.-- pocmloc, Feb 19 2023 //at which point I need to be able to demonstrate that I've got some IP not already shared with the whole internet.//
Do a cheapo provisional patent. Establishes priority and gives you 12 months to work on crazy stuff that may or may not be worth taking to the next level. Cost a hundred bucks last time I did one. Probably more expensive now but still pretty cheap.-- doctorremulac3, Feb 19 2023 "On one of those 'bakery zoom calls during covid"
I wasn't invited, and this makes me feel invisible.
That is why I come here, to feel heard.
Now I feel like a dope.-- blissmiss, Feb 23 2023 Don't feel bad blissy, neither was I.
And I hear you.-- doctorremulac3, Feb 23 2023 Me neither...
<looks suspiciously round> Does [Pertinax] realise that a zoom call is supposed to have someone else at the other end?-- pocmloc, Feb 23 2023 //a zoom call is supposed to have someone else at the other end// Me neither too.
Well now we need to know...who WAS on that call? If the call was 'cameras off/avatars on', [pert] could've been chatting with ChatGPT, Siri, Alexa and similar.-- Sgt Teacup, Feb 23 2023 //I wasn't invited //
Everyone was invited. There were two calls that I hosted*, and you came to the other one. Don't you remember? See link.
*and, of course, the original call, that I think [Ray] hosted, but I couldn't make it to that one.-- pertinax, Feb 23 2023 //who WAS on that call?//
[jutta], [mindey] and [neut], apparently.
[mindey] has a project which is different, but sort-of tangentially related to mine. You can see some discussion about it towards the bottom of the linked page.-- pertinax, Feb 23 2023 OMG, no I don't remember 3 years ago. I don't recall 3 days ago. Now I feel like a dope.-- blissmiss, Feb 23 2023 Group hug for [blissy].-- pertinax, Feb 24 2023 (hugs)-- doctorremulac3, Feb 24 2023 Anyway, [dr3], if you see that linked idea surface again in future, it might contain an invitation to you (and all other 'bakers), so don't miss out next time!-- pertinax, Feb 25 2023 Very good, I’ll not miss the next one!-- doctorremulac3, Feb 25 2023 (hugs)-- Voice, Feb 25 2023 Please send me a smoke signal or something if you find out, Dr. I'm not here enough to read an invitation.-- blissmiss, Feb 25 2023 I’ll try the Vulcan mind link. Let me know if it works.
In the meantime, sending good vibes your way.-- doctorremulac3, Feb 26 2023 If anyone would like to be notified individually, they should get in touch via the poorly obfuscated address on my profile page. If you do that, and don't get an acknowledgement within a few days, then tell me, here, and I'll check my spam filter.-- pertinax, Feb 27 2023 random, halfbakery