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A Startup That Gives You Free WiFi Whenever You Throw Garbage in a Bin (thebetterindia.com)
16 points by dhimant 3933 days ago
3 comments
confiscate 3933 days ago
Won't this just encourage users to create more garbage?

If I am in need of wifi, and I have no garbage, I would need to create garbage (buy a juice, snack etc) to get the wifi, even if I wasn't thirsty or hungry

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jackcarter 3932 days ago
Dolphins found a way to con a similar system:

"When people drop paper into the water she hides it under a rock at the bottom of the pool. The next time a trainer passes, she goes down to the rock and tears off a piece of paper to give to the trainer. After a fish reward, she goes back down, tears off another piece of paper, gets another fish, and so on."

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2003/jul/03/research.scie...

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ealize 3933 days ago
I think what you are describing is called the Cobra Effect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobra_effect
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wololo_ 3933 days ago
there's an effect for everything these days eh
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stephengillie 3933 days ago
They could probably pivot into recycling and compost bins without much difficulty.
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greggman 3932 days ago
Reminds me of Disneyland where all the trashcans say "Waste Please".
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gojomo 3933 days ago
If the WiFi drops out, can you retrieve your trash and throw it back in the street?
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yitchelle 3933 days ago
Can't you just stick your hand or a stick inside it and wave it about until the access code pops up?
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svckr 3933 days ago
Can't we just use the stick to smack the kids (and grownups, unfortunately) when they litter these places? :/

Edit: Look, I'm all for non-violent education but does everything have to be a game rewarding people for not being jackasses?

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jschwartzi 3933 days ago
Considering that positive reinforcement is way more effective than positive punishment, yes.
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greggman 3932 days ago
Why do you think it is that some cultures trash the commons (Paris, Berlin, Antwerp, Brussels) and others don't (London, Tokyo, Singapore)?
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prawn 3933 days ago
Aren't you just describing a game with a discouraging action rather than an encouraging one?
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jessaustin 3933 days ago
I agree, but all that means is that we are both privileged enough to live in places that are not already buried in garbage.
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yitchelle 3932 days ago
Since we are doing kinda root cause analysis, why don't we just ask the companies to use materials that are environmentally degradable and disposable?
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lolrbawhat 3933 days ago
I firmly believe that wifi should be free on a country level and everywhere. Cleaning garbage is a good way to crowdsourcing a clean city
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