I have no education, no college etc... and I created software that generates meal plans according to my Crohn's symptoms (made it from my hospital bed at SF General) and now I am off all my meds.
Made an app for a friend that helped her identify that she had a Gluten allergy (later verified by doctor)
And right now I am working on a way to help match patients and doctors based on case histories.
My passion is helping people, so that is what I do. I am not smart, funded etc... I just really really really give a fuck and refuse to quit.
You dont need education, funding or any of those things. You just need drive, passion and google. I cant take these products to market myself and have been turned down by all Incubators, Angels etc... but that does not matter because like i said; I wont quit.
Your problem is not lack of intelligence or funding, your problem is lack of passion. You dont work on these things because you dont give a fuck.
[edit]
http://hackingcrohns.com - (took down meal plan because I cant afford the machines for the ABM Sim)
http://cvchk.com - going to have this ready for HN Whose hiring (job applipicaion only) but you can see how structured search for a job w/ resume is same as structured search for doc w/ case histroy.
Note: legally I cant "launch" these because I am just some guy but if you would like to see full working versions or my entire portfolio please email me. email is on profile.
[edit] "Why can't you launch them as some guy? I see people giving diet advice all the time"
I am dealing with medical records not just diet recommendations, I take this very seriously and refuse to take a cavalier attitude toward the health and medical information of other people.
2) Your successes are commendable, but they do not prove that any John Doe can solve the "Big Problems" your parent spoke of. Historically speaking, at least in physics the "Big Problems" have been solved by extremely smart people. Not just people who refuse to quit.
We may be talking about different "Big Problems" though. I'm thinking of DNA, e=mc^2, the cure for cancer, etc. I don't want to be rude, but I don't think the "Big Problems" of our day will be solved by apps.
When I mean big I am referring to problems that will help lots of people when solved. Things of a much more practical nature than Physics.
The Diet Crisis, Diabetes (which he mentioned directly) etc... are not Physics problems.
Not to be rude but your type of thinking is where part of the problem lies. A mother that wants her child to be healthy or a person that has diabetes does not give a damn about the God Particle or any other big physics issue. The statement that started this whole thread was directly related to diabetes, so with all due respect I believe that my "Apps and software" are a lot more applicable here than Physics research. If we were speaking about energy then you may have a point but we aren't.
BTW: w/ Hacking Crohn's a user can upload their 23 and Me data and generate a meal plan that helps them combat any genetic predispositions they may have to one or more illnesses (not cancer yet but give me time, i'll get there).
[edit] I see your point, but i think that you assume all "big problems" will be solved with a pill or a shot and i disagree. I think that we need a fundamentally different approach to solve some of these issues but I do understand and respect your position.
"Solving" diabetes implies acting on the biological root of the problem. This makes it a biology/chemistry problem, which is certainly not physics, but also not really the sort of thing apps are good at solving.
Now, an app might be able to help guide people to avoid or handle diabetes, but that is not "solve".
I'm not blowing off diabetes in the slightest, in fact I am saying it belongs with the other "Big Problems" which is why I discussed physics.
I was considering trying to make custom pro-biotics but the cost are extreme, with that said; this is still an area I am very interested in. I have reason to believe that probiotics custom tailored to the patient could be an order of magnitude more effective.
I have no education, no college etc... and I created software that generates meal plans according to my Crohn's symptoms (made it from my hospital bed at SF General) and now I am off all my meds.
Made an app for a friend that helped her identify that she had a Gluten allergy (later verified by doctor)
And right now I am working on a way to help match patients and doctors based on case histories.
My passion is helping people, so that is what I do. I am not smart, funded etc... I just really really really give a fuck and refuse to quit.
You dont need education, funding or any of those things. You just need drive, passion and google. I cant take these products to market myself and have been turned down by all Incubators, Angels etc... but that does not matter because like i said; I wont quit.
Your problem is not lack of intelligence or funding, your problem is lack of passion. You dont work on these things because you dont give a fuck.
[edit]
http://hackingcrohns.com - (took down meal plan because I cant afford the machines for the ABM Sim)
http://trackxvsy.com - Site not active but if you want the app email me
http://cvchk.com - going to have this ready for HN Whose hiring (job applipicaion only) but you can see how structured search for a job w/ resume is same as structured search for doc w/ case histroy.