Comments on: When it comes to making iPhone apps, if you snooze, you lose

By: krstlic

krstlic — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:09:46 +0000

I just can’t believe how primitive and paranoid you people are…
Let the witch hunt begin!
Doc, I have an idea for your next iPhone app. A CommieLocator. Oooohhh, I have a better one, GayLocator. That’s it! It must be useful. That way you can know how many gays are in your area so you can call your redneck, hillbillies friends to beat the shit out of them or better yet alert the priests in your neighborhood about the blasphemy.
And your crappy excuses about having children or loving them is pure populism of the lowest possible kind.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:38:39 +0000

Waiting for “my” app to show up in the Appstore. Not mine in making it, but I did think it up. What will come first though, someone releasing it or me learning to code? I’d go with the former.

By: ashergrey

ashergrey — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:42:14 +0000

John Doe, you’re one seriously misguided lawyer. If you did any research at all into the the majority of these registry laws are written, you’d see that they’ve been refined in recent years to avoid such pitfalls you describe. And as Dr. Macenstein pointed out, registry entries in most states are listed with the date of the offense and the actual charge on which the offender was convicted.

Your comparison of sex crimes to murder is disingenuous. When there’s a homicide, there’s most often a body and a clear chain of evidence which lead back to a suspect. But the very nature of sex crimes mean that they often go unreported, making your recidivism argument moot. Date rape, child molestation and other “minor” felonies don’t rise to the same level, legally, as first degree murder. That means many sex offenders serve shorter prison sentences and are released far before most people convicted of murder.

By: Walker

Walker — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:56:58 +0000

It’s a shame you couldn’t get your idea out there on time. Just to offer up an idea, if you happen to have a concept for an iPhone app but can’t find any programmers willing to do it – why not talk to some students, such as the ones that have taken cs193p at Standford?

It seems a good fit – students need experience to get jobs after college, and would therefore may even work for free knowing they could get something to put on their resume.

By: Ted Wood

Ted Wood — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:08:36 +0000

I agree with John Doe, being registered on one of those lists myself. Now I must live with the choices I made that landed me there. The idea that anybody can push a button and see a marker for my address scares me since it increases the threat to my safety, even though I’ve been living an honorable, productive life for years, have a happy, healthy family now. But I must still live with that shadow over my head and report in every year.

Luckily the offenders lists here are private, not public, and can only be used by police in very specific situations.

By: John Doe

John Doe — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:53:11 +0000

No I am not in any way a criminal, sex crime or otherwise. Rather, I am a lawyer. I do not do criminal work at all, just boring corporate stuff. However, taking it back to basic Constitutional Law, the whole registration thing is unjust and most such offenders do not reoffend. The rate of murder reoffenders is higher and we don’t register them! Moreover, if there was a child rapist, by all means they should STILL be in prison. But what if a girlfriend or exspouse makes false report and the guy can’t defend himself and just pleads guilty to a lessor charge just to get the matter and the lady out of his life without realizing the new law would label him for life. It happens. Or the 18 male who’s 17 girlfriend’s parents turn him in for consensual sex for statutory rape…his life is ruined. An 18 year old girl never gets prosecuted for sex with a 16 year old male. The laws are unjust and the people are REALLY a danger, they should still be in prison. Once you have done the time and repaid society, that should be the end of it, punishment over and let the person live a reformed life. Do you really know how many false reports happen to men??? Again, if they are still a danger, they should be in prison.

By: Dick Applebaum

Dick Applebaum — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:13:16 +0000

@Jonro

The app is not an AR app. The camera is not used. The compass is not used. GPS is not required– you can key in any address.

It is a specialized geocoded database, with a andy and easy to use UI.

By: Jonro

Jonro — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:45:59 +0000

Just saw a more useful and interesting augmented reality app that shows you how to get to the correct subway line in NYC. It uses your current location and points the way to the various lines, showing you where they go. All you have to do is point your iPhone in the direction you’re walking and watch the display. Very cool. No offense, Doc. Your idea is excellent, but a lot of people have been working on augmented reality apps (not just for the iPhone) for years. The iPhone may be the first device that makes augmented reality practical for you and me.

By: Dr. Macenstein

Dr. Macenstein — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:33:41 +0000

John Doe,

Well, perhaps you don’t have kids,or don’t like them, but if you were out driving around looking for a house to buy every weekend with kids to look after, you might find it useful. Are you saying you would feel just as happy hitting the “offender button” and seeing 50 pins drop around your house as you would if 0 or 1 landed?

As for vigilantism of innocent public urinators, if you click on any of the results it tells you what the crime was that was committed, and when.

- The Doc

By: Dick Applebaum

Dick Applebaum — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:21:37 +0000

@John Doe

Do you lock your front door, car, locker, bike? Is that paranoid or just using common sense to be proactive protecting yourself, your property and your loved ones.

@Danny C

some things aren’t funny.