Is this an alternate universe where it's 2012 but we have a different set of technologies or is this in a previous period on this timeline? I tend to think that geeks go where the action is: For example if this was the 70s most of the folks here would be working the PC. I started my first company in 1989 and while the internet was around there was no easy way to use it, so we launched a dial-up BBS. We weren't able to monazite that so we focused on technologies like HyperCard and CD-ROMs.
When I was in high school in 1999 I worked for a guy that drove around a motor home "fixing computers" which was basically a mobile virus scan and removal operation.
I guess there was the internet then, but it was still very, very limited. A lot of people didn't have it.
I got the first virus on my computer before it was internet connected. Instead it was from a floppy disk from a friend. It took days, and days to figure out how to remove it.
I'd start a business that would have offices in the top 20 major commercial cities in the world and would trade physical commodities taking advantages of the price differences between these locations. My business would use telephone or telegraph.
The presence of the internet and ensuing information exchange reduces these price differences to make such a business nonviable.
There wont be much change, besides chatting in #ai, #machinelearning and #lug-bremen, browsing the web for lol cats, and the like.
My startup is applying machine learning to industrial processes - and guess what - most factories, power plants, chemical plants or oil fields don't have internet.
You can search the news for them, but if you're looking to verify the anecdote: I don't have time to do anything more than pile them on, but you should know that SCADA evaluations of factories and utilities have been a mainstay of IT security for the past 6-8 years; there are hundreds of consultants who have found ridiculous exposures to insanely sensitive sites.
Anecdote: "You can do what with an email to factory-control+wethinkthispasswordissecure@example.com? What possessed you to implement that? You didn't make e.g. a web service because the corporate policy kept restricting you from operating potentially lethal machinery from outside the firewall? That wasn't a strong enough hint?"
ouch now the theme goes to 5th world war (3rd world war = cold war 1945-1990, 4th world war = unilateral war 1990-2010, 5th world war = cyberwar and arab spring)
We had at least two housebreakings, where nothing was stolen! Instead someone tried to deploy a trojan by rebooting systems from USB the first time, but reboots had been noticed by Nagios, and failed totally 2nd time, because desktop systems had been migrated to use truecrypt and server systems had been locked behind a stable metal door.
I don't think that this was related to WW5 (stuxnet/flame), but normal industrial espionage. But industrial plants are extremely vulnerable to cyberwar, because they don't have internet, and are therefore badly maintained, and often never updated after installation.
My preferred remote maintenance is to use a cell phone USB stick, that is normally locked in a safe at the customer, and only plugged in on demand after a phone call. Our system will use this stick, if its the right one, to create an internet connection and OpenVPN.
I'd figure out how to put laser beams on shark's heads and hold the world hostage for 1 million dollars!
No, really. I think I wouldn't start anything because without the internet and places like HN I'd never have found the courage to seek out new business ideas. I'd view failure as too high an obstacle and be content with climbing the corporate ladder through an established company.
I actually did a computer repair service for a bit in high school. I started with my parents recommending me for my service and word spread around quite a bit. I made a pretty nice amount fixing/replacing/upgrading hardware, backups, and recovery. Even if there was no internet, PCs still broke.
I would go door-to-door soliciting contributions to a new encyclopedia, mailing the improvements out as a "National Geographic"-style magazine/journal.
I think this could still succeed, and I would almost certainly subscribe if the magazine was well-designed and had interesting topics.
I was just looking at my parent's collection of National Geographics and the shelf of yellow spines looks beautiful as a thing in itself, not to mention that they are filled with amazing articles and photography.
Edit: This would be a good Kickstarter candidate IMO!
No change. My startup's not primarily an internet-based venture. Its the marketing plan that requires a custom server app. Operations would be much different without the cloud.
I was toying with ideas for home automation systems before I discovered that the risk/reward curve for internet based businesses is pretty neat.
I do remember that home automation systems usually are the lowest priority while building a new house, so a good entry in the market would be to make it dead-easy to fit into an existing house. One solution I thought was viable were small bluetooth enabled switches any DIY guy can install either as a socket adaptor or to be installed in an existing light switch wiring.
This could then be hooked up by bluetooth or zigbee to check which devices are on and in the case of lights, turn them off remotely.
Advanced uses can be measuring and controlling power or simulating daytime routines when you are away on vacation as an anti-burglary measure.
Obviously I never built this, nor did I invest in acquiring the skillset to build this. However, I would have made the effort to get the skillset by now if the internet wouldn't have existed.
A t-shirt printing company. I had one for a while in my basement before I moved to CA. Hand screen-printed thousands of shirts before it was over. I did take payment and orders over the internet, so I guess I would have to change that aspect.
Cheap space launch, using a cannon (Gerald Bull style). Basically being able to put a 100kg payload into LEO every hour for $50mm capex and $10-20k per launch.
Haha you guys have all missed the point! If there was no internet, I would try not create the internet and then accidentally created it (like mischievously lol ;))
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[ 4.3 ms ] story [ 153 ms ] threadI guess there was the internet then, but it was still very, very limited. A lot of people didn't have it.
I got the first virus on my computer before it was internet connected. Instead it was from a floppy disk from a friend. It took days, and days to figure out how to remove it.
The presence of the internet and ensuing information exchange reduces these price differences to make such a business nonviable.
My startup is applying machine learning to industrial processes - and guess what - most factories, power plants, chemical plants or oil fields don't have internet.
Some don't have internet. Most shouldn't have internet.
But given the number of SCADA exploits I've heard about recently... there's an awful lot of places which shouldn't have internet but do.
We had at least two housebreakings, where nothing was stolen! Instead someone tried to deploy a trojan by rebooting systems from USB the first time, but reboots had been noticed by Nagios, and failed totally 2nd time, because desktop systems had been migrated to use truecrypt and server systems had been locked behind a stable metal door.
I don't think that this was related to WW5 (stuxnet/flame), but normal industrial espionage. But industrial plants are extremely vulnerable to cyberwar, because they don't have internet, and are therefore badly maintained, and often never updated after installation.
My preferred remote maintenance is to use a cell phone USB stick, that is normally locked in a safe at the customer, and only plugged in on demand after a phone call. Our system will use this stick, if its the right one, to create an internet connection and OpenVPN.
No, really. I think I wouldn't start anything because without the internet and places like HN I'd never have found the courage to seek out new business ideas. I'd view failure as too high an obstacle and be content with climbing the corporate ladder through an established company.
Alternatively, I've always wanted to set up a fast food restaurant. Lot of work, but I think it'd be fun.
I was just looking at my parent's collection of National Geographics and the shelf of yellow spines looks beautiful as a thing in itself, not to mention that they are filled with amazing articles and photography.
Edit: This would be a good Kickstarter candidate IMO!
I do remember that home automation systems usually are the lowest priority while building a new house, so a good entry in the market would be to make it dead-easy to fit into an existing house. One solution I thought was viable were small bluetooth enabled switches any DIY guy can install either as a socket adaptor or to be installed in an existing light switch wiring. This could then be hooked up by bluetooth or zigbee to check which devices are on and in the case of lights, turn them off remotely.
Advanced uses can be measuring and controlling power or simulating daytime routines when you are away on vacation as an anti-burglary measure.
Obviously I never built this, nor did I invest in acquiring the skillset to build this. However, I would have made the effort to get the skillset by now if the internet wouldn't have existed.