#ideaseries

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I have a confession to make.. 

I'm addicted to mahjong! 

No not the solitaire type game where you match mahjong tiles. ACTUAL mahjong. And no I'm not very good at it, but yes I am addicted. 

I almost never give up on an opportunity to play. Sadly, that opportunity comes rarely because you need 4 people to play, and a single round of mahjong is typically 2 hours. At least. (Some of my friends probably hold the record at 5 hours *ehem*.) And why play one round when you could play two! :D Problem: Organizing a mahjong game is typically a nightmare.  It usually involves me whatsapp-ing a dozen people, and after several dozen messages an hour later, ending up with 3 people who are able to play at 8 pm, and 1 who lives on the other side of the island and is able to play only at 10 pm.  90% of the time, the games don't happen.  And this is not even taking into account the skill level / speed of each player. Playing with the odd beginner at the table means 3 people are going to get terribly impatient.   Solution: The Mahjong Matchmaker app! Bored on a Saturday afternoon? Fire up the mahjong matchmaker, and find other mahjong enthusiasts around you. Mahjong Matchmaker allows you to host or join a mahjong game. Rules are specified upfront (since there are a gazillion variations), and players are matched by availability, proximity and speed/skill level.   "But what about online mahjong sites?"   NO! Just. Not. The. Same.  Similarly to poker, you're missing a lot of visual cues when playing online vs at a table. Not to mention the awesome feel of the tiles at your fingertips (which imo, is half the fun of the game).   Monetization: Freemium model 3 free games + in-app purchases for additional games.  Free download, search games for free, buy credits to "book" a spot in a game. Or sell an unlimited monthly subscription.  Just some ideas, but I think there are plenty of other ways to monetize Mahjong Matchamaker. And guess what..  It works for poker too!  With a few tweaks you could probably re-brand the same app for poker. The Poker Pith? (we need a better name.) 

TL;DR :-  

Organizing mahjong games is painful.

Mahjong Matchmaker matches players by availability, proximity and speed/skill level. 

Works for 2 of the most popular games in the world - mahjong and poker.

You're shopping with your girlfriends at Orchard Road and it's time to break for lunch, and rest your poor pretty feet. Of the gazillion restaurants in the vicinity, where do you go eat? 

Fire up the app.

It tells you that your UOB Ladies card gives you a 20% discount at Marmalade Pantry in the next building. And your Citibank platinum visa card is offering a 1-for-1 main course at PS Cafe just a block away. Complete with Yelp / hungrygowhere reviews. 

You have a great lunch, and save some money for more shopping later. Yay. :)

Anyone wants to start / build this? 

I'm gonna start posting about business ideas that occur to me. Some could be good, most will likely be silly. You tell me. 

":o Aren't you afraid someone might steal your idea?!"  

No not really. Because I have more ideas than I know what to do with. So by all means, go ahead and start them (I'd love to know though!) It'll be cool to watch my our ideas turn into reality.

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Have you ever shopped for an iPhone case? How painful / painless was it? 

I dropped my 'aiPhone' lately and had to spend $170 on a new screen (ouch). I've since been slightly paranoid about wanting to find a good cover for my phone.  

My ideal case should:  (1) protect my phone well, and  (2) (being asian and female) look good / different / "me" 

And then throw in the cost factor.. Mission friggin' Impossible. 

IDEA: A durable iPhone case + customisable skins sold with a printer-and-cartridge model. 

Provide at cost - a case that is durable, protects well, and provides good ventilation for the phone (the printer).

Monetize - affordable skins that go easily over the case, of any design that the user so desires (the cartridges).

So we Asian girls, can change the look of our phone as often as we like without paying an arm and a leg, all the whilst knowing our precious iDevices are well-protected. ;)