

Show HN: Fqwiki - Qwiki cloned with a single HTML file - banksy
http://banksytheluckystiff.github.com/fqwiki/

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abi
Check out the source:

"This code is not pretty, but it doesn't need to be. It's only been 6 hours,
but based on funding patterns I should be able to raise a few million off of
this ;).

Yours, Banksy The Lucky Stiff"

I concur, hard to see how a product that isn't particularly innovative and
that I often find quite annoying merits an 8 million dollar investment.

~~~
shantanubala
The issue I see with Qwiki isn't necessarily that the product is poorly
executed or annoying, but that it quite literally useless. It makes research
less efficient and more difficult.

If I actually want to learn about something, I either want a truly cinematic
experience (like BBC's Planet Earth or Carl Sagan's Cosmos) or I want to get
the raw details (Wikipedia, books, etc.). Generating a video of already-
existing content that's neither truly cinematic nor efficient makes very
little sense to me.

EDIT: A good example is the Khan Academy or Open Courseware actually. Qwiki is
great for summarizing information you already know (why would I need a web
site for that?), while human-generated content can actually disseminate topics
to an extent that fosters learning.

~~~
briandoll
Agreed. Another problem is that the experience is rather set in stone.

I thought this might be a cool way for my kids to learn about stuff. When I
got into the beta, I noticed that not only can you not change the voice, but
you also can't change the speed of reading. Pretty useless for younger kids,
and I can't possibly imagine using it as an adult.

I submitted that feedback (several months ago now) and never heard back. Oh
well.

~~~
paul9290
I dont understand the negativity towards this product.

Qwiki service built into my xbox 360, internet connected TV and other
internet/tv set top boxes would be a better search experience then what
currently is found on Google TV and overall search on my TV doesnt exist yet.
Also, qwiki in my car would be useful too!

Would i use qwiki over google on my laptop, desktop, smartphone or tablet ...
no, but on things mentioned above i definitely would.

~~~
briandoll
I'll admit I don't "get" internet TV beyond watching video on-demand. I have
no first-hand experience with an internet connected TV, but the input devices
must be just awful. I can barely stand searching for YouTube videos on my
AppleTV.

As far as accessibility goes, the Wikipedia mobile web layout is awesome. It's
a very slimmed down page where you can expand any section within the page, and
functions very well on every mobile device I've ever tried.

And that brings up another point... when I want to read up on something, I'm
coming in looking for a specific angle. One or two of those sections contain
exactly what I'm looking for. No matter how great the computer voice is at
reading the content, it's never going to automatically know what sections I'm
most interested in.

So in summary: this is clumsy to navigate on devices most people don't care
about (internet TVs?), slow and awkward on laptops, slower and more awkward on
a mobile device, demands full attention to listen carefully for the piece of
info you actually care about, and takes longer to actually deliver that info
vs. skimming text on your own.

That's my opinion, anyway.

~~~
paul9290
Cool .. ive had a computer connected to various TVs for a long while now. I
havent had or paid for cable TV in years as the net provides me entertainment
I seek for a ton less. Recently, I began using my xbox 360 more and have
wished there was an elegant way to search and have it displayed on my tv.
Especially when discussing things with friends while were sitting in front of
the TV.

I think people really want a great Internet TV experience(see a video i made
showing one of my INternet TV set ups
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-IryK4wsUM> has 175K views)... we just havent
gotten there yet. Qwiki is new and better suited for platforms we dont consume
net on currently(the TV .. the car, etc...).

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dstein
Qwiki is certainly getting way more attention and hype than their "disruptive
technology" deserves. You can't just add a screenreader to Wikipedia and call
it innovation.

~~~
yuvadam
I concur.

Besides, _disruptive technology_ running on Flash? meh.

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rwaliany
I completely agree. It is absolutely absurd.

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g0atbutt
Banksy, how can I contact you? Nice username catch by the way.

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gojomo
I did not get the voice in FF4.0b9/Mac, but did in Chrome.

In any event, impressive as both a compact bit of functionality and as
commentary on Qwiki. Looking forward to more 'Banksy The Lucky Stiff'
projects!

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alnayyir
You are my personal savior and Jesus Christ.

The pointed artistic personification of what I've been trying to tell this
community.

Nothing but <3

