The way it is now, looking at the "best" ideas of halfbakery, is like opening a movie guide and seeing "Gone with the wind" as the most recommended movie. Wake up there, an idea should be rated by the stream of voting and not by votes accumulated from the begining of time. A reasonable measure can be for example: votes during the past month ( for - against ). That way ideas which are discussed lately get a chance to reach the top ten list, and let the discussion be exhausted before they exhaust us by staying months on the top 10 list. In order to do this the database of halfbakery has to keep additional history of votes summary (just 4 samples of weeks back) and the "best" is ranked by the level of positive votes during the past month (if the counting method is not clear I'll be happy to elaborate).
-- gamb, Aug 01 2004

Something like this? http://www.halfbake...0last_2012_20months
editable. [RayfordSteele, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

Or make your own... http://www.halfbakery.com/view
The custom view filter page [RayfordSteele, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]

All the views around here are configurable. The "best" is just one such view.
-- bristolz, Aug 01 2004


Thanks for reminding me how useless this is; I've done away with the (eternal) "best" list in the default menu entirely.
-- jutta, Aug 01 2004


Not yet you haven't. Panic PIN is still waaaay ahead. I think the best list is self-fulfilling anyway. One of the first things people will do on finding the halfbakery for the first time is go to the 'best' link, read the ideas and vote for them. As they're all fairly decent they'll all get a croissant, propelling them even further away from the less visited ideas. I'm with you [jutta] - best scrapped.
-- wagster, Aug 01 2004


With "best" gone, "view" can take its place.
-- bungston, Aug 01 2004


I like the Best list...(now that I have an idea in the top 30...;)
-- simonj, Aug 01 2004


Isn't this a bit like teaching your canary to say, "I'm a canary"?
-- Ander, Aug 02 2004


I dunno. I still find Tails For All a reminder of a kinder, gentler Halfbakery...
-- DrCurry, Aug 02 2004


I think the best list serves a good purpose. Sometimes we can go for days here without a really good idea. Newcomers during a dry spell like this may not be inclined to stick around and join in the fun if all they see is crap. Having the best link gives them a glimpse of what can actually come around every once in a while.
-- luecke, Aug 02 2004


I propose a test of this "momentum" effect. Someone with access to the HB accounts should go in to one of the "best" ideas and alter it to unrecognizability. Perhaps replace it with a custard-powered perpetual motion machine that spews racist slogans and genetically engineers nanomachines. That you saw in a movie.

Then see how it fares, still being on the top ten.
-- GutPunchLullabies, Aug 02 2004


Let's all do what GutPunch said!
-- Ichthus, Aug 02 2004


I agree with [luecke]. With the exception that my two personal favourites, 'The Hundred Thousand Gallon' Restaurant and 'Goth Crunch' are bubbling under in the teens.
But then I *have* saved a view for myself of top 25. Not for my own pathetic witterings, obviously.
-- gnomethang, Aug 02 2004


I still like the 'best' list
-- hippo, Aug 02 2004


I reckon many of the votes from the best list are from users who don't visit here often anymore. So I doubt that hacking apart a 'best' would do much.
-- RayfordSteele, Aug 02 2004



random, halfbakery