ChallengePost Blog

Non-Tech Computer Encyclopedia - Solve ASAP!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 19:22:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

If you are tech savvy and have a knack for explaining terms concisely in a way that anyone can understand, then you could win $100 in RecoEngine’s Non-Technical Computer Encyclopedia challenge. The challenge closes tomorrow, March 9th, but there are no solutions posted yet; if you’re quick, you could snatch up that prize!

The challenge is to define the following terms in one or two sentences “as if you were explaining it to your non-technical mother”: processor, RAM, CDRW, DVDRW, Blu-ray ROM, Blu-ray RW, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB flash drive, operating system, magnetic hard drive, solid state hard drive, video card, wireless card (A, B, G, N), LCD screen, and LED screen.

This encyclopedia is going to help all of us non-techies (yes, that includes me) come to grips with the endlessly baffling world of computer lingo.

Interview with NYC BigApps Champs

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:13:34 -0500

Posted by Merrin

On February 4th, Victor Sima and Steven Lao took home the Best Overall Application Grand Prize ($5,000) and the Data Visualization Award Grand Prize ($2,500) in the NYC BigApps competition. Their app, WayFinder NYC, will give you the nearest and best directions to NYC subway and NJ Path stations on your Android phone.

Victor (a programmer and developer who has been living in NYC for seven years) and Steven (a Hong Kong-born, Texas-raised graphic designer who has been living in NYC for five years) have helped each other out on past projects, but this was their first full-on collaboration. The app, Victor says, “started out as a tech demo for augmented reality.” Once that basic functionality was working, “we kept building on it to become a full featured application.”

Just a few weeks after their big win, these two took some time to answer a few questions for me.

M: How did you conceive of this particular application?

S: Most of my friends, even seasoned New Yorkers, have some sort of subway map app on their phone. It just seemed like a new and innovative method, something that could be useful to people living in and visiting the city.

M: What did you each contribute to the project?

V: I wrote all of the code, and Steven created all the graphics and user interface. It’s a small team, but we both stick to what we are good at and it worked out.

S: As a graphic designer, I focused on the visuals and overall graphic look of the app. I think our separate roles and ways of thinking helped give an outsider’s feedback on what the other was working on. Vic would tell me if graphics and menu layouts weren’t intuitive, and I would give him comments on the usability and overflow.

M: What was the biggest developmental challenge?

V: Probably creating the augmented reality software from scratch. Also learning how to make the app as fast and responsible as possible. You can only fit so much data and processing power on a phone.

M: Were there any aspects of the application that changed significantly during development?

S: I’m extremely proud of how the app turned out. There have been some major updates as we’ve learned things along the way. Changing the main navigation from text to icons was an example of us working out how to make the app more accessible to non-English speaking users.

M: Do you have any plans to expand development?

V: We released the Vancouver version on February 12th just in time for the winter Olympics.

S: There’s also been requests for an iPhone and Blackberry version, which we’re discussing.

M: Do you both now have an encyclopedic knowledge of the New York subway system?

V: I do a lot of freelance work from my home in Brooklyn, so I don’t travel out to Manhattan as much as I should. I admit, I do end up using my app to navigate areas I’m not familiar with.

S: If I didn’t know the subway system before, I do now!

ChaCha Challenge

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:22:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

ChaCha, the free mobile answers service, is offering $17,000 in prizes to the three developers who create the most creative and useful app in their Developer Challenge. The solution deadline is March 31^st.

With its database of over 400 million questions and answers, ChaCha can solve all of your head-scratchers – from a list of herbs that complement sweet potatoes to the total amount that the United States has donated to Haiti since the earthquake – within minutes, either over the telephone or via text messages. The successful developers will be recognized on Chacha.com, which is visited by over 35 million unique visitors per month.

Applications must be developed using either the Quick ChaCha Answers API or the Top ChaCha Answers API. Solutions will be judged according to three criteria: creativity and strength of the idea, quality of the implementation, and reach of the application as judged by the number of legitimate API calls. The Grand Prize is $10,000, the Second Prize is $5,000, and the Third Prize is $2,000. All competitors should read the full and official list of rules, and the winners will be announced on April 9^th.

NYC BigApps Winners Announced

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 12:56:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

The big event has come and gone! Last night, at the IAC building in New York, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the NYC BigApps winners. $20,000 will be shared among the 13 prize-winners as follows:

Best Overall Application

Grand Prize ($5,000): WayFinder NYC (provides nearest and best directions to NYC subway and NJ PATH stations)

Second Prize ($2,500): Taxihack (allows users to post live comments about NYC taxis and drivers)

Third Prize ($1,000): Big Apple Ed (provides detailed information about NYC schools)

Honorable Mentions ($500 each):

Actuatr (simplifies opening up data to developers)

NYC Way: 30+ NYC iPhone Apps in One (bundles various useful, location-aware resources)

PushpinWeb (provides platform for public data to thrive)

Trees Near You (helps you learn about trees on NYC sidewalks)

UpNext 3D NYC (provides an interactive 3D map)

Investor’s Choice Award – Grand Prize ($2,500): NYC Way: 30+ NYC iPhone Apps in One

Data Visualization Award – Grand Prize ($2,500): WayFinder NYC

City Talent Award: New York City Parks and Recreation Online (lets you discover parks and recreational opportunities)

Popular Choice Award

Grand Prize ($2,500): NYC Way: 30+ iPhone Apps in One

Second Prize ($1,500): Bookzee (provides a location-based library book search)

To read about these apps and to find links to their websites and video demonstrations, you can visit the Application Gallery. The New York Times coverage of the event notes that San Francisco and Washington are now also trying to “tap into local talent and encourage city specific app development.” Some NY1 video coverage can be viewed here.

Congratulations to all of the winners, who will be invited to dinner with Mayor Bloomberg. Even so, the real winners are NYC residents and visitors who may benefit from these terrific innovations.

GeoCities Limerick Winner

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:49:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

Congratulations to Toby Daniels, who wrote the winning ode to GeoCities and is now $10 richer for it! Of the seven very worthy limericks submitted (all of which are available for your reading pleasure at the link above), Greg Galant judged this one to be the best:

“Once there was a site called geocity,

that became the darling of the internet despite looking shitty.

Alas, along came web 2.0

which sang a different tune

and now we enjoy sites such as bit.ly.”

In related news, stay tuned for the announcement of the NYC BigApps winners this week!

Not for the yellow-bellied

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 07:21:35 -0500

Posted by Merrin

And now, a challenge to really turn your stomach! Mike Miller dares you to post a YouTube video of yourself chugging 26.2 oz of mustard. For your madness, you will be rewarded with $25 (which may or may not be spent on the cab ride to the hospital).

Far from being mere fun and games, this challenge has some very particular rules to be followed by competitors, all of which can be found at the link above. Mike – who has never consumed 26.2 oz of mustard in the space of a minute and has no future plans to do so – recommends French’s, but it is ultimately the chugger’s choice.

The effects of rapid and excessive mustard consumption have yet to be tested in the laboratory. For this reason, Mike usefully discourages competitors from choking or asphyxiating themselves and disclaims that “if something bad happens, it’s not our fault.”

Stay tuned for links to videos of these crazy and courageous folks in their valiant attempts to cut the mustard. If you’re excited by the imminent intestinal anarchy but are unwilling to put your own digestive system to the test, show your support (and sympathy) by adding a pledge.

OneRiot Challenge Closes January 28th!

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 10:41:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

OneRiot has updated its Realtime Search Data Visualization challenge to include a deadline. Submit the most compelling visualization of realtime data by January 28^th and win $1,500!

True to its belief that some of the most interesting web content is inaccessible via standard search engines, this realtime search engine is looking for someone to depict the invisible transfer of data. Potential solvers can access the API here. For a bit of inspiration, have a look at webdesignerdepot.com’s 50 Great Examples of Data Visualization.

The Key Ingredient for a Healthy Diet

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:12:44 -0500

Posted by Merrin

Try as we might to eat a healthy, balanced diet, it can be difficult to ensure that we’re getting our recommended quantities of nutrients. To this end, Julie Baron wants someone to create a weekly nutrition requirements calculator to help us mantain the health and welfare of ourselves and our families. The successful developer will win a total of $85.

Users should be able to enter recipes and other available foodstuffs to be consumed over the course of the week. The calculator should then determine any nutrients that are lacking and suggest supplemental items that will fulfill nutritional requirements. The program must be able to process various kinds of input, including web links, manual input, and manufacturer details.

The winning solution will improve upon existing calculators by addressing specific nutrients (such as copper, folate, and DHA) that are increasingly recognized for their importance in our daily diets.

Solver Spotlight: Alvaro Videla

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:32:01 -0500

Posted by Merrin

The holidays came early for Alvaro Videla in Shanghai, who won a $2000 Amazon gift certificate when he solved the Collecta XMPP API Real-Time Challenge two weeks ago.

Collecta invited developers to create plugins, webapps, or applications based on their XMPP API. Alvaro’s submission was the most successful across three significant dimensions: creativity, user adoption potential, and “real-timey-ness”. He describes the solution as a “Dashboard Widget for Mac OS X that allows you to search for terms using the Collecta XMPP API.” When the user submits a search term, the widget contacts the API to retrieve the archive and displays results in a scrolling list while simultaneously providing real-time information via XMPP. Users can pause/resume the flow of information, and specify the length of articles and a preference for images.

You can find more details about usage, see screenshots, and download the widget here. Congratulations to Alvaro, and Happy New Year to the entire ChallengePost community!

An Elegant Pair of Legs

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:38:39 -0500

Posted by Merrin

Rod Furlan has posted a challenge for someone to create a complete design for high-performance prosthetic legs that will last for at least five years and cost less than $1,000 to build. $100 has been pledged to the successful designer.

The CEO of Quarternix Research Inc. in Vancouver, Rod devotes his life to solving complicated problems and building “wondrous things that inspire and drive change.” He describes himself as being “humbled by the elegant complexity of the universe we live in” every day, and now he is seeking an elegant solution to the problems with existing prosthetic models, which are expensive and last only three to four years.

In addition to cost and durability requirements, the legs must allow users to stand still, jog, and sprint unassisted, and the transitions must be automatic. It is not a requirement, however, that they look like natural legs, so designers are encouraged to be creative!

So Many Fantastic Apps, So Hard to Judge!

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:43:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

It’s a very exciting time in the life of the NYC BigApps competition! 85 eligible applications have been processed and added to the Application Gallery. The judges are going to have their hands full between now and January 7^th, when the winners will be named.

The submissions are absolutely astounding in their variety and creativity. The apps cover the full range of the New York experience, including information about eating, events, politics, living in the city, and helpful tools for explorers and developers alike.

Join in the fun and let us know what you think by voting for the Popular Choice Awards between December 15^th (starting at 12pm EST) and January 7^th (ending at 5pm EST) at nycbigapps.com.

Earn $7,500 This Month with Sponsored Tweets

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:32:09 -0500

Posted by Merrin

The leader in social media monetization, IZEA, has pledged a total of $7,500 to the developer who is best able to integrate the new Sponsored Tweets API into a Twitter-focused platform. All solutions must be submitted by December 18^th, and the lucky winner can use the cash to jet off for the holidays (or at least to offset their holiday credit card bills).

IZEA created the platform for sponsored conversations in 2006, and they launched Sponsored Tweets – designed to help developers monetize their Twitter applications by referring Tweeters and advertisers to their platform – just a few months ago. Details about the new API (including use cases) can be found here.

Developers should aim to integrate the API into new or existing Twitter-focused platforms keeping creativity, user adoption potential, and revenue generation potential in mind. The winner will receive $5,000 cash and $2,500 in advertising credit on Sponsored Tweets. All solution-generated referrals and revenue will remain with the developer, which means that participating in this challenge could generate income whether you win or not!

Your Ticket to Paris!

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:48:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

In preparation for their upcoming participation in the startup competition at the LeWeb tech event in Paris next month, Superfeedr has launched a competition to create “the coolest app” using their Comet API. All contending applications must be submitted by December 4^th, and the winner will be awarded a free ticket to LeWeb on December 9^th and 10^th (worth $2,230).

The theme for this year’s LeWeb program is real-time web, and Superfeedr is one among 16 startups that will have the opportunity to present themselves to the jury. This competition is based around one of their rivers (freely accessible streams of data) – a global stream that you can get to from here.

According to Superfeeder, there is “no rule other than cool!” They are looking for an app that’s fun, profitable, useful, downloadable, open-source, and web-based. All apps must be visible by December 4^th at midnight PST, and must be accompanied by a blog post or doc page explaining how it works.

Realtime Data Visualization

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:23:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

Get those creative juices flowing! OneRiot – a realtime Internet search engine – is offering $1,500 to the person who can deliver the most compelling data visualization of the transfer of realtime data.

The relevance of realtime information expands with the use of Twitter, Digg, and other social sharing services. OneRiot believes that some of the most interesting web content is inaccessible via standard search engines, and has developed a service capable of indexing realtime content within seconds. But how can we visualize this process? How can we wrap our minds around “the (currently) invisible travels of realtime data?”

OneRiot is looking for a creative and captivating depiction of this process, and there is currently no deadline set. Potential solvers can gain API access here. For a bit of inspiration, have a look at webdesignerdepot.com’s 50 Great Examples of Data Visualization.

There once was a site called GeoCities...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:39:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

Three people have already submitted limericks to mark and honor the passing of GeoCities, which was shut down by Yahoo on October 26th. Greg Galant has pledged $10 to the person who devises the best poetic testament to one of the Internet’s most significant (historical) hosting services.

The Los Angeles Times has described GeoCities as “perhaps the first mainstream example of an open, participatory and personal Internet.” It was the platform that most people chose for creating personal websites and documenting myriad facets of cultural life. The site was bought by Yahoo for $3 billion in 1999 (at a time when it was a top-five player on the Web) from creators David Bohnett and John Rezner, but it proved an unprofitable – even costly – purchase, and its shutdown is representative of Yahoo’s large-scale efforts to prioritize their product and service portfolios.

All submissions must adhere to the structural criteria of a limerick, as outlined here. The winning ode, Greg hopes, will appropriately celebrate one of the “first sites to show us the power of enabling the creativity of millions of people.”

Build Apps for New 80legs Store!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:16:00 -0500

Posted by Merrin

80legs – a fantastic web-crawling and processing service – has pledged over $6,500 in prizes to the developers who build the best applications for their soon-to-be-launched online application store. The challenge will close on November 9^th.

A low-cost, customizable service platform with a network of over 50,000 computers, 80legs is committed to helping developers monetize their technology. Toward this end, their 80Apps Store will be launched this fall, allowing developers to sell web content processing applications directly to 80legs users. All submitted apps will be offered through the store, and developers will be able to set their own prices and keep 100% of the revenue.

First, second, and third place awards will be offered with a selection of prizes for developers to choose from (including a Herman Miller Embody Chair, a Platinum Pass to the SXSW 2010 Interactive, Music, and Film Festival, an Amazon Kindle, giftcards to ThinkGeek.com, and a donation to the winner’s charity of choice).

Contestants should submit a text description of their 80App to ChallengePost. The challenge will be judged by a five-person panel including Nova Spivack and Shion Deysarker (the 80legs CEO). All applications must be submitted by December 11^th and the winners will be announced on December 15^th. But remember, all submitted applications will be available for sale at the 80Apps store!

Support Government Transparency with NYC BigApps

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:17:00 -0400

Posted by Merrin

We’re thrilled to power the NYC BigApps competition launched last Tuesday at the New York Tech Meetup. This initiative challenges developers to create software applications to deliver information from the NYC.gov Data Mine to interested users. All applications must be submitted by December 8^th, 2009. A total of $20,000 will be offered in awards, plus dinner with the Mayor and tons of public appreciation from supporters like you.

Regardless of whether you’re a software developer, you can add your support and share it with your friends on the competition home page. Thousands of people from all over the world have already done so. When the winners are chosen, they’ll get credit on their ChallengePost pages for having helped all of the supporters.

As part of a larger effort to increase government transparency, innovation, accessibility, and accountability, the City has provided contestants with over 170 municipal data sets from approximately 30 city agencies, including schedules of citywide events, weekly traffic updates, restaurant inspections, property sales and geographic locations of all sidewalk cafés, laundry facilities, playgrounds, dog runs, and city landmarks. It’s one of the largest competitions any city has ever put together.

The competition was first announced in June by Mayor Bloomberg, who stresses the competition’s encouragement of local entrepreneurship and ability to inject even more vitality into the vibrant NY startup culture.

Submissions will be judged by a panel of leaders in the tech field, including representatives from Union Square Ventures, FirstMark Capital, EDVentures, NY Tech Meetup, Betaworks, Mahalo, AlleyCorp, and DFJ Gotham Ventures. The competition is open to individuals and small organizations. Apps will be judged based on their potential benefit to residents, visitors, and the government; originality; visual appeal; effect on data accessibility and government transparency; and commercial potential. If interested, you should read the full listing of official rules.

The awards ceremony will take place in January 2010, where a total of 13 awards and $20,000 will be presented to the winners. You can show your support of this initiative by clicking here!

Calling All App Masters: Win a MacBook Pro!

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:56:36 -0400

Posted by Merrin

Collecta.com, a real-time search engine, is calling for developers to create plug-ins or web applications based on its Result Set API. Collecta has pledged a 15” MacBook Pro (retail value: $1699) to the successful solver. The AppMaster Challenge closes on October 8^th.

As a search engine, Collecta is unique because it monitors up-to-date streams of news sites, popular blogs, and social media, showing results as they happen rather than compiling a stale archive. Accordingly, its API (Application Programming Interface) provides the ability to query a real-time stream of information from a wide array of sources. Because the company is interested in exploring the API’s usage potential, it is currently being released free of charge and can be requested via email. (An API overview and details about requesting the key can be found on the developer section of the Collecta website.)

The winner of the AppMaster challenge will be the developer who delivers the best implementation across three dimensions: creativity, user adoption potential, and what Collecta has termed “real-timey-ness” (the extent to which the application makes use of real-time information). The challenge post offers a few examples, including a brand-tracker app that monitors a company and its products, and a fantasy sports team app that stays up to date with player news. The scope for creativity is vast, and the challenge closes soon!

Opening the Door to Foreign Business

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:24:32 -0400

Posted by Merrin

The challenge to create content for a website providing an overview of labor and employment practices in the U.S. is set to close on September 30^th, so send in your solutions quickly! Posted by CT Johnson, the challenge aims to benefit foreign investors and businesses that might be concerned about expanding to the U.S. without easy access to this crucial information. The successful solver will win $200.

Content should address several issues, including unions, discrimination and equal opportunity, sexual harassment, employee benefits, social security, termination and layoffs, and many others. Common practices in the specified fields should be of primary concern, but the content should also address other important laws as necessary. Because the website will be geared toward businesspeople who are not native English speakers, the content should be written in simple business language with clarity, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.

With relevant information presented effectively, this website will address some of the greatest concerns of foreign businesses considering expansion in the U.S. This could potentially benefit both the companies in question and the American economy. Help solve this challenge before the end of the month!

Filtering Twitter To Just The URLs - Solved!

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:34:00 -0400

Posted by Merrin

Bibhas Acharya just solved a challenge that was posted by Anthony Townsend only a couple of days before to build a web application that filters Twitter down to just the URLs. The application – for which Bibhas was awarded $100 – is called Twit-URLs and can be found at http://768654.appspot.com. Bibhas not only gets $100 but gets public credit for helping Anthony.

Anthony posted this challenge in the hope that someone would be able to help filter the “noise” on Twitter. He wanted a simple three-column display featuring the Twitter handle of the poster, the domain of the URL (linking to the full URL), and the title of the destination URL page.

The solution runs on the Google App Engine and makes use of various open source frameworks, including GAEUtilities and Python-Twitter. Anthony is so happy he’s using it as his homepage. Nice work guys!