Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Non-Zero-Sum Games

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Website Design and Usability

Mixed reactions to the site's aesthetics: praised for whimsy but criticized for readability, fonts, animations, and scrolling issues.
"that website is very pretty. It's nice to see something that stands out between all the copy-and-paste AI slop." (reeeeee)
"the fonts appear to be something like comic sans, it is a chore to read." (joshribakoff)
"the text hard to read (both because of the typeface and the small size), the animations distracting during scrolling... and the background colors too dark." (optymizer)

2. Cheating vs. Cooperation in Game Theory and Society

Debate on whether defection/cheating dominates due to reputation resets and human tolerance for abusers, countered by arguments for collaboration, institutions, reputation (e.g., Japan's "infinite games"), and evolution.
"cheating is the clear winning strategy. By a mile... It's objectively a superior strategy." (cryptica)
"our current prosperity is founded on an enormous mountain of collaboration and shared beliefs... the system can only handle a certain amount of [cheating] before it collapses." (oersted)
"In their world, cheating doesn't just mean losing a job. It means 'killing the Name' for all ancestors and future generations." (578_Observer)

3. Affirmative Action as Zero-Sum vs. Coordination Problem

Critics view AA as redistributing fixed slots away from merit; defenders see it as correcting biases/historical inequities in a broader system.
"Affirmative action sets up a zero-sum game where fixed resources like university admissions... are redistributed to people with the 'correct' demographics." (skibidithink)
"AA is meant to correct historical instances of [unequal distributions]... the so-called meritocracy had/has its own unequal distributions." (aprilthird2021)


🚀 Project Ideas

ReadabilityFix Browser Extension

Summary

  • A browser extension that automatically detects and mitigates distracting web design elements like poor fonts, small text, animations, and high-contrast issues on sites like nonzerosum.games, enabling easy skimming and reading.
  • Core value: Transforms "whimsical but unreadable" sites into clean, accessible experiences without altering content.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience HN readers annoyed by poor UX (e.g., "fonts like comic sans, small size, distracting animations" per joshribakoff, optymizer, nottorp)
Core Feature One-click "fix mode" swaps fonts, disables animations, adjusts contrast, enlarges text, and smooths scrolling
Tech Stack Chrome/Firefox extension API, CSS-in-JS for overrides, ML for detecting "whimsical" elements
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • HN commenters hate "chore to read" sites (joshribakoff: "clicked off because fonts like comic sans"; optymizer: "text hard to read... animations distracting"); this would let them enjoy content like max-amb.
  • High practical utility for daily browsing; sparks discussions on web accessibility.

RepuChain Forum Reputation System

Summary

  • Open-source plugin for forums like HN that builds persistent, sybil-resistant reputation scores via blockchain-verified interactions, promoting cooperation over defection in digital prisoner's dilemmas.
  • Core value: Enables "infinite game" trust (like Japan's Shinise) online, tracking history to discourage cheating/faceless abuse.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Forum users debating game theory/trust (firejake308: "difficult to build... in modern digital world"; 578_Observer on reputation resets)
Core Feature Wallet-linked scores from comments/votes, decay for inactivity, sybil-proof via proofs; displays "trust level" badges
Tech Stack Ethereum L2/Solana for cheap txns, Discourse/HN-compatible API, React dashboard
Difficulty High
Monetization Revenue-ready: Premium badges/subscriptions

Notes

  • Addresses core frustration: "everyone is a faceless username" (firejake308); echoes cryptica/oersted on reputation resets enabling cheating.
  • HN would debate endlessly (game theory fans like jmward01 on trust-building); real utility for scaling cooperation.

Read Later