Hey there I wanted to drop in and say how awesome it is to have all of these project examples referenced to and described here in one place. I've learned a lot and continue to follow everything here. All in all, thanks Nathan. =)
On a second note I have a request for anyone who might be interested. I little while ago a concept for a web application appeared to me, and so I've been researching and trying to educate myself as much as I can about the subject. The project is barely in an infant stage as we're trying to get the design details together about how we might attempt this project, here is a small explanation of it:
What?
The Synergy Project aims to create a free, open-source web application used for collaborative problem solving.
Features:
For issues to be submitted within a local context, yet available globally.
Specifically and generally relating user profiles to problems submitted to the system.
To render these "issues" to users based on user concern. We would like to use various 3d models to display the population of these issues as they relate to each-other, and the concern factor they hold.
To attach real world events and source material to these issues as they evolve.
To show concern trending with each problem to give users an idea what kind of attention it is attracting.
To create a proposal system for users to submit comprehensive suggestions for fixes. This proposal system would ask the user to address as much source material as possible.
How?
Currently we're in the process of nailing down which platforms to attack. We're considering modifying MediaWiki and using it as an initial platform with which to launch development. Since we hope to integrate some more advanced visualizations compared to a standard wiki page, we're looking to figure out the best way to achieve that.
Why?
In practicality there are already models in place that are proving the proficiency of collaborative organizations. The biggest example being Wikipedia. So why not step it up and test the bounds of this type of organization? Some positive possibilities would be fast and diverse reporting of world events as they happen. Just as we see how fast Wikipedia pages manifest and update, we could see that here. We could witness open discussions that encourages users from diverse geographic areas and different fields of experience. The kind of data that could be received from such diverse input would be publicly available to anyone. And possibly, to translate any positive conclusions found within the system into the real world.
There are a ton of other little details we're contemplating, but at the moment we're just trying to figure out how it might work. I'm looking for advice on this as it is much bigger than me. I'm not a programmer(yet!) at the moment but am learning vigorously. My goals are centered around human-computer interaction, but in terms of time, I feel limited. (a little kid who wants to drive a race car) I'm humble in knowing this is bigger than me, but I want to figure it out regardless. Any advice is golden to me. Thanks for your time. =)