187. Bright Idea: IChannel on Youtube February 28, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Idea TV, Video.add a comment
I came across this brilliant work: an interactive, metafictional video blog series. There are 10 videos thus far, each averaging 5 minutes in length. Check out the first one below. Subsequent episodes are guided by, and incorporate, viewers comments (they are the text in quotes). Professionally acted, well-produced, existentially engaging, and ingeniously conceived. So inspiring, in fact, that my next video will be a video response to episode 11.
Episode 1, below, is 5 minutes long. Mild patience recommended: this is not an action flick.
Links to all the other episodes HERE.
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186. Quickie Web: Service: Restaurant.com February 28, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Quickie Web, Service, Website.add a comment
Simple: punch in your zip code, then get $25 dining certificates for $10 at local restaurants. Some restrictions apply (e.g. while supplies last, on certain nights, minimal purchases). OK, you may not recognize some, if not most, of the joints listed. But hey, not only do you get cheap food, you get a little adventure to some place new. Via Newsweek.
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185. Bright Idea: Freeze-Dried Burial February 28, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Service.add a comment
Ah, this idea is even better than one of my previous IdeaSparks* (#17: The Memorial Forest):
In Sweden, some dead bodies are flash frozen in liquid nitrogen, then shattered, then placed in a biodegradable corn starch coffin which will break down within a year. The remains are nutrient rich, and, for instance, can nourish a plant placed directly above.
To me, this idea seems better for the planet, the soul, the plant, and those left behind. Sign me up.
Read more HERE (CNN.com). (via Time Magazine)
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184. Bright Idea: Looxis 3D Photo Crystals February 25, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Product, Service, Video, Website.6 comments
I took these clips today, at the Tysons Corner Mall. Looxis makes 3D portraits in optical crystal via laser etching. These sculptural images actually seemed reasonably priced (these pieces were under $100) considering the on-site technology (the etching is done there, in a little hi-tech mall kiosk). This video clip is 42 seconds long.
Visit www.Looxis.com.au for more info.
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183. IdeaSpark*: Centralized Medical Info February 25, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in IdeaSpark*, Service, Website.1 comment so far
Here is the latest idea from Idea-a-Day: Offer free and discreet medical information tattoos which exhibit a person’s blood group, allergies, willingness to donate organs, etc. by Alex Wilson Smith.
My IdeaSpark* takes this idea a little further: during a routine doctor’s visit, you can register all your personal and medical information on a certain website, as well as your thumb prints. Emergency contact info and your Living Will can also be determined and noted.
So, if you ever arrive at any ER unconscious and with no ID, one of your thumbs can be quickly scanned to instantly access all the needed information.
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182. Bright Idea: Collapsing According Chair February 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Video.add a comment
Made from recycled paper and wood products, this $800 “FlexibleLove 16” seat weights 25 lbs, but can support over 4000 lbs and, when fully extended, 16 people. Check out this 1-min long clip of the seat in action:
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181. IdeaSpark*: Dating Services February 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, IdeaSpark*, Service.add a comment
Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Either you have a partner, and thus felt pressure to have an expensive meal, find a gift, and be loving and affectionate; or you are single, and maybe felt somewhat like an outcast in our pair-bonding-centric society. I could do without that holiday.
But, because finding love and sex can be primary human drives, here are two of my IdeaSparks* to make dating easier (they may already exist):
Click on for the IdeaSparks* (long post)…
180. Bright Idea: Perceptive Pixel February 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Video.add a comment
If you have seen the movie Minority Report, this will look familiar. This video is of an innovative, interactive computer display. Looks great for presentations, classrooms, and group projects. But, it may be too much for personal home use, and it also looks like my eyes and arms would get tired. (The clip is 3.5 minutes long, but only 30 seconds are needed to get the idea)
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179. Sparked Art: Mark Jenkins’ Street Installations February 23, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art.1 comment so far
These two photographs taken in DC. More photos HERE.
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178. Bright Idea: The Aquavista 500 February 21, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Product, Video.add a comment
The Aquavista 500 is a $300 wall-mounted freshwater aquarium. It is 6.6 gallons, 4 inches thick, and easy to maintain with a wet-dry filtration system, lights, an LCD temperature display, a heating system, and interchangable frames.
Check out the 2.5 minute video HERE (from the HGTV show I Want That!). Via Entrepreneur magazine.
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177. Bright Idea: Piaggio’s MP3 Three-wheeled Scooter February 20, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Product, Video.2 comments
Damn. What a head-turner. And it looks incredibly fun. Someone should start a franchise of brick-and-mortar stores renting these joyrides out by the hour/day. Especially in any city that gets tourists. What better way to see most of the environment then while cruising around on these beauties. Check out the short video below.
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176. Sparked Art: Andy Goldsworthy February 19, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Person, Video.add a comment
So, here is my lastest video. It is of the artist, Andy Goldsworthy. The clip is edited, with music by Dead Can Dance, and is 4.5 minutes long.
More info on Dead Can Dance HERE; Andy Goldsworthy HERE; and the documentary HERE.
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175. Bright Idea: Miniature Gardens February 19, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.1 comment so far
For the gardener in all of us: the Table Garden. For $22, this nifty set comes with a tray, bricks, gravel, small pots, grass seeds, and soil. Looks pretty calming. Buy it at Well Dressed Home (via FreshTrend.com).
But if the product above seems like too much work, try the Cactus Garden below. All that is needed is $12, water, and sunlight. Buy it at Branch Home.
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174. …metapost… February 18, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Sorry about the recent relative absence of postings. It has been a very social weekend, and my free time has been devoted to editing my next video (of an artist). I plan to post more tonight and/or tomorrow, as well as uploading the video real soon.
Also, there has been a recent spike in traffic (from an average of 60 hits/day, to 137 today thus far). Whyever and from whereever, I am grateful. Welcome.
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172. IdeaSpark*: Roulette Speed Camera Traps February 14, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in IdeaSpark*, Service.2 comments
These speed cameras are triggered to snap a photo if you cruise by it too fast. However, they can be expensive to install, and motorists soon become familiar with their specific locations, so they can just slow down at that point only.
IdeaSpark*: Imagine these boxes being placed almost everywhere there is some speeding. But, 95% of these boxes are decoys (i.e. empty and non-functioning, hence cheap), while only a few of them are real.
Every week, in the darkened cover of night, a crew comes by and exchanges random decoys with real cameras. That way, drivers won’t know which of the many ubiquitous boxes is real, so they will be inclined to drive slowly everywhere.
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171. Bright Idea: Cardboard Cop Car February 14, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Service.add a comment
A roading contractor in New Zealand was tired of speeding cars kicking up gravel at his crew, so he invented this Bright Idea: a $1000 cardboard cutout of a police car.
Sure, it has been successfully slowing down traffic. However, there is no word that accidents have also increased slightly as a result (as drivers do a double-take as they drive by).
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170. Bright Idea: Self-cleaning Toilet February 14, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Service, Video.add a comment
Since no one has yet manufactured my version of a urine-free toilet seat (IdeaSpark* #12), check out this high-tech version (in this amusing Swedish commercial). Via Trendhunter.com.
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169. Bright Idea: Hands-free Umbrella February 14, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.add a comment
There are times when I am in the rain and my hands are cold, or I need both hands free to hold Barkley’s leash and pick up his poopoo. At these times, I had wished for a hands-free umbrella. Looks like someone came up with a pretty decent-looking one.
However, there is no indication on the source website of what it looks like when folded (is it cumbersome?).
Very affordable (or cheap) at $8. Buy it HERE (via CoolBuzz.com).
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168. Quickie Web: Video: JetBlue February 12, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Marketing, Quickie Web, Video.add a comment
Here is a quick video clip I took today at the Tysons Corner Mall, in Fairfax, VA. A small crowd, especially kids, gathered around to check out part of this JetBlue marketing campaign. It was nothing special, but it did create slight mall-buzz and helped the brand, thanks to the advertised pun.
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167. Quickie Web: Game: Blox February 12, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Game, Plaything, Quickie Web.add a comment
This is a fun little puzzle game. The goal is to clear the board by connecting blox of the same color, requiring thought and planning. Play ten levels for free, with no downloading required, at Miniclips.com.
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166. Sparked Art: Wine Arc February 12, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Food and Drink, Product.add a comment
I am calling this Art, and not a Bright product Idea, because it looks more like sculpture, to me. It doesn’t seem very pratical: one false move, and your guests get red wine spilled on them. But it still looks pretty.
Price: $23. Buy it HERE (via FreshTrend.com).
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165. Bright Idea: MoGo Mouse February 12, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.add a comment
Look at this ingenious little bad boy: a mouse that folds up and fits in the PC card slot of your laptop. It is Bluetooth and the batteries are always charged. I never really liked the touchpad most laptops come with, so this is perfect. Buy it HERE
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164. Bright Idea: The Secret February 10, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Person, Video.2 comments
The Secret is a spiritual documentary I have been writing about on Metabugg.com, and it was just featured on Oprah. On 2/8/07, she had several guests from the documentary on her show, including the producer. Here is an 8-minute clip I made of the highlights of the show, edited with music.
If you enjoyed this clip, please go HERE, to Youtube, and rate it. Thanks much.
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163. Quickie Web: Product: Despair Demotivator Prints February 9, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Art, Product, Quickie Web, Website.1 comment so far
These hilarious and cheeky demotivational and antinspiriational quotes balance out my posting on the “The Secret.” I just got this link in the email today (thanks, R!). Check them all out HERE.
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161. Bright Idea: Jujitsu Advertising February 9, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Marketing.add a comment
Jujitsu advertising: or at least that is what The New York Time Magazine’s 6th Annual Year in Idea issue calls it. The image below depicts one split-second frame capture of a KFC commercial (and only in that split-second does the white coupon code text appear, only to be caught by the eye with a DVR or Tivo on pause).
Concieved to encourage Tivo owners to limit their commercial skipping, this bright advertising idea led to 3 million visits to the website, and 100,000 people signing on. (Click HERE to read more).
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160. Idea TV: Super Bowl Commercials February 7, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Idea TV.2 comments
For those of you who may have missed the Super Bowl, here are a few of the better commercials (at $2.5 million per 30 seconds). Still, overall, it was a pretty mediocre showing.
1. Snickers: Mechanics Kiss (This site was removed from the Snickers’ website because it was deemed homophobic. I actually think it is poking fun at homophobia).
Click on for 6 more…
159. Bright Idea: Roller Feeder February 7, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.add a comment
Squirrels are notoriously crafty animals. They can usually get to the seeds in most bird feeders. Here is a feeder that looks like it could actually prevent the shifty little buggers from pilfering the goods.
On closer inspection, I wouldn’t be surprised if one smart puppy could just hop off the lid as it rotates, directly onto the seeds, then stay there until cheeks and belly are full.
Found at Solutions (via OhGizmo!)
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158. Bright Idea: the Vulcan Cooler February 7, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Product.add a comment
For the outdoor lover: the Vulcan Rolling Cooler, with grill. For $150, you get an insulated and removable cooler, a 3-piece BBQ tool set, and a propane grill, all on wheels (I wonder if those wheels roll well on grass). Just load and go.
From PicnicTime.com (via CoolHunting.com).
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157. Bright Idea: Modoloco Doorstop February 5, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.add a comment
This doorstop will prop open your door, and then hang on a door knob or handle when not in use. Simple genius. Find it at Modoloco (via Core77.com).
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156. Bright Idea: the Underbed Lift February 5, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product.add a comment
Stash your 42-inch Plasma under your bed, and deploy it in 45 seconds with MK1 Studio’s Underbed Lift. All you need is 8 inches of clearance between the bed and the floor, and an unknown amount of cash (price is not advertised). Get a pair of wireless headphones, and you are good to go. Watch late night shows while your partner reads or sleeps. Perfect if you have this bed. Check the Lift out HERE (there is even a Quicktime video). (via OhGizmo!)
I would actually prefer to have my plasma mounted on the ceiling, above the foot of my bed. That way, I can watch TV wilst lying down.
Below is a picture of another option: The Pop-Up TV Stand, by Cabinet Tronix.
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SparkBugg.com 