Post: #1

So I come from a technological background and I feel that we are a bit behind the times here on this forum. We have a large army of eager and passionate test subjects here that we could be using to open-source pheromone formulation. It's time to open-source pheromone technology and crowdsource the human and financial resources to make it happen.

I was very disappointed when I went into the members formulations section. It seems to be all about mixing different consumer blends, which we all already do anyway and report all over the forum. There should be a section that exists specifically for us to formulate and test fully transparent formulas, led by our most knowledgeable members, free of all this propriety BS that comes along with designer products. Projects could be forked and taken in any direction, similar to the way Thundr handles Core variants. This will lead to incredibly effective and versatile formulations at affordable prices.

The power of the community (THIS community!) is more powerful than any individual entity, whether John or Garry or SteveO or Thundr or whoever. These guys are pillars and leaders in our community, but because of the nature of the business they feel the need to market and protect their products, and they must therefore keep us in the dark. This makes it hard to know exactly what we are mixing and applying in a scientific way, only leaving our subjective experience. This presents a problem for those of us who simply want the most effective formula in the most cost-effective way, and leads us to view pheromones through a market perspective instead of a scientific one.

So, what do you guys think? Should we join the 21st century and start doing it ourselves?

Post: #2

Problems I see. Everyone would have to use the same vendor for single molecules. Unless everyone started with a basic formula , everyone would be heading in different directions.

Post: #3

(11-01-2015 8:54 PM)Blacky Chan Wrote:  Problems I see. Everyone would have to use the same vendor for single molecules. Unless everyone started with a basic formula , everyone would be heading in different directions.

What's wrong with that? We shop around and buy from whichever respectable supplier has the best deal. Still people could try it with molecules from other vendors, it should be comparable but even better it will show us if some vendors actually carry superior molecules. This is the nature of open-source philosophy and why it's so needed here.

Post: #4

Big thinker, I like that. And where there are problems, there are solutions.

Post: #5

I just don't see it going anywhere. Most people would prefer to buy a product that works and then tailor it to their liking. Over the years many people have created mixes but usually end up going back to a consumer line product.

Post: #6

(11-01-2015 9:54 PM)Blacky Chan Wrote:  I just don't see it going anywhere. Most people would prefer to buy a product that works and then tailor it to their liking. Over the years many people have created mixes but usually end up going back to a consumer line product.

I agree. Very few in this community have the skill or dedication to develop a mix, let alone the funds to begin and sustain production. I may do something similar to what's suggested here in the future, except that I have a plan that will make this project far more sustainable. Without some significant source of funding beyond that of this community, I don't see this idea going anywhere.

Post: #7

(11-01-2015 10:21 PM)Ekscentra Wrote:  I agree. Very few in this community have the skill or dedication to develop a mix, let alone the funds to begin and sustain production. I may do something similar to what's suggested here in the future, except that I have a plan that will make this project far more sustainable. Without some significant source of funding beyond that of this community, I don't see this idea going anywhere.

I don't see why funding would such an issue. We would be collaborating by volunteering our time here like we already do and purchasing our own ingredients, which individually cost less than proprietary formulas, formulas that we are already paying for. I would see it working with an option of someone mixing the formulas and taking a small fee for their time, or just doing it on our own.

Still, it only works if you guys are into it. Without the experienced testers and well-read users we wouldn't be able to get anything off the ground.

Post: #8

Some of those ingredients can get incredibly expensive. Unless you're just going to stick with the basics, which doesn't seem worth it to me, you're looking at a very high price.

Normally I'd support this idea. The only reason I won't is that I'm already working on something similar. If you'd like to discuss this and possibly work together here, PM me and I'm sure we can figure something. I'm in a position to get a lot further than most members in this community, and if both of us were to do this, I'm sure this project could generate far more support.

Post: #9

Another problem is just the population of regular posters atm. I think that most people are more interested in starting another l2kv1 thread than pushing the boundaries of pheromone knowledge. Also there's a lot of shady business, cloak-and-dagger kind of politics in this industry, so it would be tough to trust someone with ingredients that come at a few k$/gm anyway.

But if anything could get started, I would support it.

Post: #10

It's a great idea and one that Dbot, Dexter, wiseard and others pioneered.

As this site grows and changes different aspects may emerge but it is up to it's members

Do the members just use and review products? Do the members push the boundaries of pheromone research by contributing to an ongoing research imitative? Or do they do both?

Member funded research here has in the past lead to the discovery of new molecules.