Labels

Free ideas for the taking!

When I was a child, I used to keep my ideas secret so I could one day patent them and reap the wealth. Now, I'm more realistic (and perhaps lazy). Here are nine ideas I hope are in development somewhere. If anyone has seen these in use or wants to add to them, feel free to comment.


1. Electronic music with coded variables: Instead of words, lyrics would be written in computer code. Thus, the lyrics would change depending on environmental variables. Each and every time the song was played, it would be different. Not only could lyrics change, but tone, rhythm, and other characteristics. Possible variables include time (day, season, time, daylight level, month) place (city, building, country, gps coords, nearby attracts), and characteristics of listeners (number of listeners, names, other info). The music would require some type of app that reads computer or profile information to be played. People in an audience could be required to activate the app on their phone before admission.

2. Urban zip line for transportation: You take the elevator to the top of your high-rise and whooooosh! Flying over the heads of traffic and busy crowds to the nearest transit center. What better way to wake up? And talk about energy efficient.Plenty of ideas involving gravity and transportation, but someone needs to use this, at least as a gimmick for a new apartment complex. What spirited person wouldn't love this?

3. Interactive television: I already wrote about this here. Why isn't it in use, yet!? A television experience that the viewer controls from home. A viewer can switch from one live camera to another during a sporting game or reality show. Eventually, a device measuring the movements of the viewers head and eyes links to the perspective and focus of a shot being filmed in a wider angle and higher resolution (to eliminate the need for every viewer to have an individual camera at the live event). The view then zooms in or moves to give the viewer control of their experience.

4. A store that buys used lottery tickets: The chances of someone incorrectly reading lottery ticket numbers, or messing up the dates are so much higher than actually winning the lottery
that the chances of winning the lottery from a used lottery ticket can't be that much lower than winning on one you buy. Nearly a billion dollars a year goes unclaimed. [Update: this doesn't really seem like a practical idea to me and would take money from the schools that lottery money often goes towards. However, it's definitely a reason to double check lottery tickets you find laying around. They can't be much dirtier than most money, just wash your hands after.]

5. The Candy Shop: A club called "The Candy Shop" that offers all the legal indulgences that can be imagined. Like the old 50 Cent song. It sells chocolate and candy behind the bar, coffee, and dancers in the back. With class. This isn't a hipsster bar.

6. Chic tracts FOR Christians: No explanation necessary unless you don't know what Chic tract is.

7. Reality Museum: For example, a slavery museum where they steal your kids when you enter and separate you from your spouse. Then you're whipped and beaten when you ask for a refund.

8. Subscription coffee shop: I had this idea in Philadelphia where there is a coffee shop almost every two blocks in the main parts of the city and it's often still hard to find a seat. Why not pay a subscription fee and be guaranteed certain things like seating, free standard coffee, and other features. You could buy points and make seating reservations before you left home. Why don't Kinkos and FedX stores have coffee shops in them for that matter? We found something similar in Dallas but it was up to $400 a month and was more of an executive lounge with games and meeting rooms than a coffee shop.

9. Nearby-Auto Communications System (NACS): Not my favorite idea, I probably wouldn't even use it. But, in a healthy, ideal society it could be great so I'm going to share anyway. Car to car communication via the steering wheel which lights up to tell you about an incoming message from.
 a nearby driver. Position of light on the steering wheel corresponds to position of car wanting to communicate. Push to listen/talk, or just ignore it. Just like on the street when people have the option of communicating with others, it could bring more humanity to the roadway. It could be used to let someone go in front of you, to warn someone about an unseen road hazard, to chat with people during a boring drive.

If these weren't enough for you, here are more ideas from James Altucher in a similar type post.