Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

John C. Lilly on solid state intelligence and the elimination of man (1978)

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Three dominant themes

Symbiosis over competition
“Therefore: symbiosis!” – andai
Psychedelic visions shape views on consciousness & the mind
“John C. Lilly once said “there are infinities in the mind” while wearing a raccoon hat like Davy Crocket.” – cyanmoonx
Skepticism toward AI narratives and the hype surrounding them
“It's great marketing and the only proof we have is ‘trust me bro’.” – NateEag

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

Ketamine Safety Companion

Summary

A mobile/web app that educates users on ketamine dosage, tracks usage, and recommends EGCG supplementation to reduce bladder risk.
Provides personalized safety scores and alerts based on user‑entered health data.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Recreational users, clinical trial participants, mental‑health patients using ketamine therapy
Core Feature	Real‑time dosage logger + EGCG pre‑dose reminder + bladder‑health monitoring dashboard
Tech Stack	React Native (frontend), Node.js + Express (backend), PostgreSQL, Twilio for SMS reminders, FDA‑compliant data encryption
Difficulty	Medium
Monetization	Revenue-ready: Freemium with $6.99/mo premium for advanced analytics

Notes

Directly addresses augment_me’s concerns about untreatable ketamine‑induced cystitis and the need for preventative measures.
Leverages the growing acceptance of ketamine for depression and the community’s interest in supplementation hacks.
Could partner with tele‑health providers and rehabilitation clinics for referrals.

BioCom Conversation Engine

Summary

SaaS platform that lets researchers and citizen scientists decode non‑human communication (e.g., dolphin clicks, whale songs) using fine‑tuned LLMs.
Generates hypothesis‑ready transcripts and visualizations for further biological analysis.

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Marine biologists, bio‑acoustic researchers, university labs, citizen science groups
Core Feature	Upload audio files → AI predicts syntactic patterns, outputs searchable database, integrates with Project CETI & Earth Species APIs
Tech Stack	Python backend (FastAPI), Hugging Face Transformers (Gemma/DolphinGemma fine‑tuning), AWS S3 for media storage, React UI
Difficulty	High
Monetization	Revenue-ready: Tiered API usage ($0.02 per minute processed, $49/mo for dedicated instance)

Notes

Taps into the excitement around LLMs decoding animal language (DolphinGemma, Project CETI, Earth Species Project).
Solves pstuart’s observation that “LLMs would be the perfect tool to study that now.”
Opens a market for collaborative discovery, appealing to both academia and citizen scientists.

Human‑AI Symbiosis Planner

Summary

An interactive workflow builder that helps individuals design personal symbiosis projects between their cognition and AI assistants.
Offers scenario simulation, risk assessment, and integration pathways with existing tools (e.g., Notion, Obsidian, brain‑computer interfaces).

Details

Key	Value
Target Audience	Knowledge workers, creators, neuro‑tech enthusiasts, futurists interested in symbiosis
Core Feature	Drag‑and‑drop workflow canvas, AI‑generated risk/benefit analysis, export to calendar & automation scripts
Tech Stack	Vue.js frontend, GraphQL API (Node.js), SQLite DB, optional integration with Muse headband SDK
Difficulty	Low
Monetization	Revenue-ready: One‑time $149 license for Pro version + $9.99/mo for cloud sync

Notes

Directly responds to andai’s call for “symbiosis” and the need to move beyond zero‑sum thinking.
Provides concrete utility for users wanting to experiment with AI‑augmented cognition without full‑scale mind‑uploading.
Appeals to the Hacker News audience’s appetite for pragmatic, discussion‑worthy tech projects.