Free Ideas
As a writer and technologist who spends a fair amount of time thinking about the future, I have periodic brainstorms (some of which are more like trickles than downpours). A number of these ideas, I just put into one of my novels for interested readers to happen upon. Some of the ideas, though, just don't fit any project I'm working on. Rather than let them go idle, I'm going to put some of them here.
These ideas are just to get the ball rolling. I'll be adding others periodically, so check back.
Anti-Bookmark
Program. (18 July 2001) Ever run across a supremely annoying website while
surfing (for instance one with pop up ads that keep opening)? Instead of
adding it to your favorites or bookmarks, add it to your anti-bookmark list with
the aid if an explorer add-on. In the future, if you ever make a mistake and
forget how awful that site was and you click on a link to take you back, the
browser brings up a dialogue box that says "You added this list to you
un-favorites. Do you want to (a) go there anyway and take the site off your
un-favorite list, (b) go there anyway but keep this warning active, or (c) don't
bother returning to this site." If you can't imagine a market for this
program, you've never seen some of the ultra-annoying computer wallpaper sites
that alienate the very people they're trying to draw to their site. (By
the way, to visit my own free computer wallpaper site, one that contains
absolutely no pop-up advertising of any kind, click here.)
Family Home Page.
(1 July 2001) In the future, as more and more
homes are networked, and most family members have their own computers, or
there's a central display someplace like the kitchen, I can see a market for a
family home Page. It might include things like these:
- Current local weather conditions and forecast.
- Recent Caller ID information, with comments added from a local database; e.g. "JOHNSON H" is "Probably Suzy calling for Jenny."
- A message board or an in/out board to make it easy to add entries like "Bob will be back from hockey practice at 8."
- A planning calendar that shows birthdays, holidays, family events, trips, meetings, etc.
- Any common information that would be handy for everyone in the family to know; e.g. "We're out of bread and peanut butter."
- A to-get list; e.g. "Need straws and clay for school project due on the 15th."
- The latest pictures of the family members.
- Emegency contact information. Links to pages for other members of the extended family.
- Any other commonly shared family info.
Single
Power Supply with Multiple Outputs for the Home. (1 July 2001) After you plug in a modem, a
USB hub or two, a high-intensity lamp with an external power supply, powered
speakers, a scanner, and a variety of other low-power devices, you can wind up
with a huge farm of boxy power supply modules. How about an alternative, where a
single multi-voltage power supply (6v, 9v, 12v, 15v) has multiple jacks for
individual cords (with a variety of connector styles) that would allow
connecting any conbination of devices. And isn't it time the existing manufacturers adopted a standard connector style and polarity for each of the
main voltages and stuck with a system.
Wall Molding That Accepts
Wiring. (1 July 2001) Want to route speaker wire or cat 5 cables from one point to another
in your house? How about wall-base molding that consists of a faceplate that
secures to the wall, and a hinged, flip-out front panel that conceals a cavity
that runs the length of the molding. Make it so each one-foot section swings out
separately so you can let wires enter or exit the molding at any joint.
Highway Signs Visible Even
When Backlit by the Sun. (1 July 2001) Punch holes outlining the speed limt numbers (or
other message) so the sun shining through the holes illuminates the message when
it would otherwise be impossible to make out.
Venetian Blinds With
Mirrored Surface. (1 July 2001) When the sun is in the right position, the blinds could be
adjusted to reflect light to the ceiling, resulting in even, free lighting.
Safety Lamp.
(1 July 2001) A pair of
mercury switches in the base turns off the current when the lamp isn't upright,
so if the lamp falls and breaks the bulb, there's only danger from the broken
glass, not from the exposed wires, too.
If you take one of these ideas and implement it, it would certainly be a nice gesture if you acknowledged the source. If one of these ideas winds up making you a lot of money, it would be generous if you were to give a tiny bonus to the guy who gave you the idea.