

Post short messages to people nearby (anonymously). - johnrob
http://www.minipost.me/
Tossing this prototype out there to see if people find it useful.
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grannyg00se
Firefox asked me to share my location and then I got this in the browser:

Traceback (most recent call last): File "/home/johnrob/server/tornado/web.py",
line 988, in _execute getattr(self, self.request.method.lower())( _args,_
*kwargs) File "chat.py", line 30, in get self.do_get() File "chat.py", line
47, in do_get address = placefinder.lat_lon_to_zip(lat, lon) File
"/home/johnrob/server/placefinder.py", line 20, in lat_lon_to_zip raise
Exception("error looking up address for lat-lon: %s,%s" % (str(lat),
str(lon))) Exception: error looking up address for lat-lon: 43.6525,-79.381667

~~~
johnrob
Thanks for the stacktrace. Using yahoo for geocoding... need to investigate.

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rokhayakebe
What I really want is to drop a message anywhere (long&lat). Anyone who ever
comes to that location, or close to it, can read it. I can drop a message for
the next guy who will come to my house, or the next gal about to hike this
trail... Get it? ... Edit: Forgot to say, Awesome :).

~~~
johnrob
Click the change link on the top right - you can put any address. Thanks!

------
johnrob
Tossing this prototype out there to see if people find it useful. Feedback
appreciated!

~~~
lcusack
For me the utility of something like this would be based around flirting...
with that said, I think it has a lot of potential.

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alt_
Entering a faulty address manually throws:

    
    
      Traceback (most recent call last):
      File "/home/johnrob/server/tornado/web.py", line 988, in _execute
        getattr(self, self.request.method.lower())(*args, **kwargs)
      File "chat.py", line 33, in post
        self.do_post()
      File "chat.py", line 104, in do_post
        lat, lon, zip = placefinder.address_to_lat_lon(address)
      File "/home/johnrob/server/placefinder.py", line 9, in address_to_lat_lon
        lat = dom.getElementsByTagName('latitude')[0].childNodes[0].nodeValue
      IndexError: list index out of range
    

GeoIP would be a nice addition for browsers that don't share the location.

~~~
johnrob
Needs a better error page. IP location is an obvious addition as well.

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sossles
I had this same idea but was way too lazy to implement it. Well done. :-)

How hard are the borders of each locality? For example, if I exchange messages
with someone a few miles away, a third party might only be able to see half
the conversation if they're too far from one of us.

Or is it like a thousand chatrooms, and if I travel a short distance then I
suddenly flip to a new chatroom?

~~~
johnrob
In theory, each user could see a different set of posts. The posts are sorted
by proximity to you. So, there are no locality borders (actually there may be
some due to implementation details, but it's no the intention).

~~~
sossles
Sorted by proximity, that's interesting. That seems like it would make it very
hard to follow/have a conversation or post a reply to any other post.

I always thought something like this would be good for answering questions
like "hey there's lots of cars here, what are they all here for?". But even
for that, I would have thought time was a more accurate indicator of relevance
than (approximate) location.

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lcusack
How long do the posts last? I think it could become an interesting repository
of local knowledge. Probably should have a voting system so best content goes
to the top.

~~~
johnrob
Not sure yet. Right now they last forever, although newer stuff will
eventually supplant older stuff (and there's no way to 'see older posts' yet).

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glenbo
Have you thought about touching up the UI? Seems like a more refined aesthetic
might attract more repeat visits... PM if you are interested in help.

~~~
johnrob
Definitely a todo item in the near term. Will let you know.

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dcaranda
it's funny - a few people are opting to state their general area (Union
Sqaure, Richmond, Downtown Brooklyn). And it seems like the most responses are
from posts that are location-specific.

I know you're leaving it open ended - but if the general area is generating
responses - maybe it could be included with the time stamp? "2 minutes ago,
Union Square"

~~~
johnrob
That's a very good idea. It would be nice to have some sense of where a post
came from.

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silkuze
" Exception: error looking up address for lat-lon: 54.xxxxxx,24.xxxxxx"

Also, have you seen Squarechan? Does pretty much the same thing :-)

~~~
johnrob
Wow, that is very similar! Will check that out later on.

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alexhaefner
These forms are open to injection. Not sanitized at all. Even for a prototype
this is not good practice.

~~~
johnrob
working on that... thanks.

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sachingulaya
Enter should press 'reply'. I love it, although my chat partner does not seem
too interested in me =[.

~~~
johnrob
I can easily fix issue 1 ;) Thanks!

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0x5a177
Cool. I wanted to do something just like this, except the messages would decay
over time.

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baby
wow it is so buggy, messages disappear, if you enter your adress manually it
doesn't work, sometimes a <br> appears from nowhere in clear.

I like the idea though.

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kuinak
It thinks Beverly Hills, 90210 is near North Bay (SF).

~~~
johnrob
Hmmm, your browser may not be finding your location properly. You can type in
an address manually using the 'change' link in the upper right.

~~~
kuinak
That was with manual entry (<http://i.imgur.com/4gI5b.jpg>). Several LA area
zip codes seem to resolve to the North Bay - 90025, 90404.

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dustywusty
What is the definition of "nearby"?

~~~
johnrob
As far as a few miles away.

