521. Bright Idea: Dynamic Ambience (@ Club Twentyfour) September 17, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Service.add a comment
The walls of London’s club TwentyFour are covered with computer-controlled projections (which can provide various scenery, vistas, and images) and LEDs (to provide various light combinations). The variations in ambiance are infinite, and the images can also be controlled by the patrons. Like in these photos, it never has to look like the same place twice.
Check out their website HERE; via Geeksugar.
*
500. IdeaSpark: Graduated Brake Lights September 7, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Service, Transportation.2 comments
This is a Bright IdeaSpark that several folks have come up with (including Lesley, who just told me about it…Thanks!): car brake lights that indicate how hard the brake pedal is being pushed. In other words, the brake lights would be most bright when someone slams on their brakes; less bright when they are being tapped or gently pushed. This IdeaSpark is also the top-rated submission at the idea website WhyNot (see HERE). So why doesn’t it exist yet?
*
494. Bright Idea: the Pedal-powered Pub Crawler September 5, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Service, Transportation.add a comment
Go from bar to bar in style on this one-of-a-kind vehicle. No driving drunk (you have 2 designated steerpersons), you get some exercise, meet new people, cause a scene, and have a unique experience. Read more about it HERE; via UniqueDaily.
*
487. Bright Idea: Bumptop Desktop September 2, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Computer, Service, Video.add a comment
Bumptop is a new and interactive way to manage and declutter your computer’s desktop. You can watch a quick 20-second rap video that gives you a glimpse of it in action (via PopMech), or a longer (7 minute), more serious demonstration video below that. Bumptop’s website HERE.
Cheesy, tongue-in-cheek rap video:
Longer Demo video:
*
480. Bright Idea?: Automated Waitstaff August 31, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Food and Drink, Service, Video.add a comment
At the restaurant Baggers, in Nuremberg, Germany, you order your food via computer (which will also tell you how long it will take for your food to arrive), and then the food is delivered to you via gravity and a rail system. Watch the homemade video below to see the system in action (jump to 1 minute in to see food arrive at their table). Read more about it HERE; via SciFiTech.
*
470. Quickie Web: Music Maker: JamStudio August 28, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Audio, Plaything, Service, Website.add a comment
This amazing website is for the musician and novice alike. Simply and instantly make your own songs, which you can sing or jam along with. Get inspired.
For example, here is the quick ditty I composed in 30 seconds: choose chords D, G, A, then G; pick Guitar1, Drums1, and Bass 11; change tempo to 112; then hit play. Rock on, my fellow composers. Make up your own lyrics, and play along with your guitar, if you have one. Shnickity-shnaps! Please try it out HERE; Via RGS.
*
465. Bright Idea: Vertical Farming August 27, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Service.2 comments
Pictured on the right are two levels of an imagined circular greenhouse. Build 15 vertical farms with 30 levels each, and you can feed 1 million people, according to the man with the idea, Dickson Despommier.
Rooftop solar panels will power 24-hr grow lights; evaporating water is captured for irrigation; since the building requires only a small footprint, build one near a city-center to drastically decrease delivery costs. A 21-level farm is predicted to cost $84 million, with operating costs at $5 mil a year, with a revenue of $18 mil a year. Via Business2.0.
*
446. Bright Idea: Hello Kitty Armband August 18, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Service.add a comment
Having lived in Bangkok as a teenager, I appreciated this Bright Idea even more. Thai cops who are late or litter are forced to wear this Hello Kitty armband as a badge of shame. So far, the cops have been behaving, so it seems to be working. Read the NYTimes article HERE; via Velocity.
*
444. Bright Idea: Renting Baby Clothes August 17, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Baby, Service.1 comment so far
My wife always wants to buy clothes as gifts for all our friends’ babies. But I don’t like the idea, since infants grow out of the outfits in a month or two. I would rather buy the baby a gadget, or a stuffed rabbit.
For a fixed fee, the German service Lutte-Leihen will allow you to exchange the organic cotton clothes they provide via mail. Like Netflix. Great Idea, and they should do it for baby toys, as well, which quickly lose their novelty.
Since the clothes and toys are clean and disinfected, why not? Their website here; via Springwise.
*
436. Bright IdeaSpark: Lunar-Resonant Streetlights August 15, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Service.2 comments
Moonlight can provide a significant amount of illumination, depending on the particular phase. The Civil Twilight Design Collective proposes this Bright IdeaSpark: streetlights that detect the amount of moonlight present, and then dim themselves accordingly. This concept, along with using LEDs, will be 90% more energy efficient than regular streetlights. The CTDC website here; via SciFiTech.
*
426. Bright Idea: GetFreshMinds.com’s Creativity Challenge August 6, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Person, Service.add a comment
Over at GetFreshMinds.com, Katie Konrath presented a creativity competition aimed at stimulating connection making. With the goal of finding a way to improve a car, you are given a random word as inspiration. I was given “Carousel.” Read the post below to see what I did with it.
With her master’s degree in Creativity and Innovation, Katie knows how to get ideas sparking. Check out her blog HERE.
*
405. Bright Idea: Car Breathalyzer July 26, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Service, Transportation.1 comment so far
Nissan has come up with this breathalyser that won’t allow the car to start unless the driver is blowing under the legal limit. Toyota is working on a similar system that analyzes the sweat of your hands.
Though I doubt it will be included in most cars as a standard feature, it could/should be installed for teenagers, people with a DUI history, and Mel Gibson. Via GadgetVenue.
*.
342. Bright Idea: RePlating June 13, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Service.add a comment
Don’t let your restaurant leftovers go to waste; feed the hungry with them instead. Just place your doggie bag/box on top of any trash can (especially those designated as a Replate area with the sticker).
This idea will work until more homeless folk start congregating outside fancy restaurants. At that point, those very restaurants may start having concerns. Until then, I say why not share your food. Via Core77.
*
339. Bright Idea: The Falkirk Wheel June 11, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Service, Video.2 comments
This rotating boat lift is found in Scotland, and can lift a boat 24 meters high in 4-minutes using minimal power. Read more about it here. Check out the 1-minute clip below to see it in action; via FreshCreation.
*
337. IdeaSpark*: The Grill Food Truck June 6, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, IdeaSpark*, Service.6 comments
Ice Cream Trucks are great, bringing a jingle and joy to US neighborhoods on warm summer evenings.
IdeaSpark*: Imagine a similar truck, but for adults, as it brings the perfect foods for grilling to your block. Meat, veggies, sides, and booze ready to go on that surprise beautiful evening. No need to waste precious time in the car and grocery. Also have a chance to see your neighbors again, and perhaps join-up for a spontaneous cook-out.
*
297. Bright Idea: the Bicycle Lift (Norway) April 24, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Service, Video.add a comment
This Bright Idea simply and mechanically assists bicyclists up steep hills, whilst still on their bikes. Found in the little Norwegian town of Trondheim (Norway’s 3rd largest city), this system should be installed everywhere around the world, me thinks. Watch this short (1 minute) documentary video clip of Trampe, the Bicycle Lift.
*
It reminds me of the US version: the shopping cart escalator.
*
276. Bright Idea: EarthFriendlyMoving April 16, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Service.add a comment
As I was packing and moving the past two weeks, I first had to pay about $100 for cardboard boxes. Then, when the boxes were packed, some of them got crushed when stacked. Then when I unpacked them, I felt obligated to find someone to give them to for reuse (since they did cost me $100).
Because of this experience, I came up with an IdeaSpark*. But, it turns out someone already came up with this business idea (in California).
EarthFriendlyMoving has sturdy, stackable, recycled-plastic boxes that they rent for $1/week. They come in 5 different sizes, and still will be cheaper to rent than buying cardboard boxes. EFM will deliver and pick them up for you. They also have eco-friendly pallets, packing paper, and packing pellets. Pretty practical and positively prudent.
More convenient, cheaper, and better for the environment. How can you beat that? Quite a Bright Idea. Check out their website HERE. Via Springwise.com.
*
237. IdeaSpark: On-Hold Party Line March 19, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Service.add a comment
This IdeaSpark was via Idea-a-Day, by Chas Bayfield (#2405): Customers who have been put on hold when calling a large corporation can chat with one another while they all wait.
If this were optional, I may try this while on hold. Sounds a little fun and exciting. However, I doubt that many companies would provide this service because customers may then just vent to each other about their complaints, the long hold times, and other examples of the company’s poor customer service.
Still, I thought it was a pretty creative idea.
*
220. Bright Idea: Automatic Toilet Paper Dispenser March 14, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Service.1 comment so far
Because I fold, rather than bunch, I am particularly fond of this device. However, the second piece seems like too much paper (a waste of trees). This is a 32-second clip of a gadget made by UC Berkeley college students, out of Lego Mindstorms, scissors, and some scrap metal.
*
213. IdeaSpark*: Phone-calling Alarm March 12, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in IdeaSpark*, Product, Service.add a comment
This weekend, as my wife and I were going through the inspection of our (hopefully) new home, we were told that the water heater could break at any moment, causing a small flood. We could get an alarm to detect the flooding water, but that will only help if we are around to hear it go off.
IdeaSpark*: an alarm that calls your cell phone when it goes off. This would be especially helpful when you are on vacation. So when you get a call indicating your house is flooding, on fire, or being burgled, you can call your neighbor or emergency personnel to check it out.
Also: Install this product in your car, so when your car alarm is activated, it alerts You (in addition to annoying everyone within earshot of your car).
*
209. Not So Bright Idea: Fatfingers.com March 9, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Service, Website.1 comment so far
Striving for obsolescence: here is a website service that will become less appealing to visitors the more popular it becomes. Fatfingers.com directs you to items up for sale on eBay that are spelled wrong. The idea is that because of a mispelling, less people will find, and thus bid, on that particular item, so you can get it really cheap. Nice Idea.
However, the more people use Fatfingers, the worse the deals become as more people, via Fathfingers, find and bid on the same items. Bonk. I guess the # of visitors to Fatfingers will grow until soon reaching some sort of equilibrium, then stay there. That is, until eBay comes up with a simple spell checking and product name recognition program.
via CoolHunting.com.
*
204. Bright Idea: Pizza Vending Machine March 8, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Food and Drink, Product, Service.add a comment
For $5-6, you can get one of 3 different 9-inch pizzas in under 2 minutes. This is gonna be huge on college campuses. And in my kitchen. Their website HERE (via TrendHunter.com).
*
199. IdeaSpark*: Cellphone Car Starter March 7, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in IdeaSpark*, Product, Service.5 comments
After work today, I thought of this IdeaSpark* as I entered my freezing cold car. Wouldn’t it be great if you could speed dial a number on your cell phone to start your car from a remote location? Get your parked car to cool down, or warm up (depending on the weather), before you head to it.
There are remote car starters that already exist (like here), but the range is limited, and can they transmit through buildings and parking garages? Also, this device will call you back in 10 minutes to remind you that your car is still on, just in case you forgot.
*
195. Quickie Web: Service: 1Time Timer March 5, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Product, Quickie Web, Service.2 comments
From Time Magazine (2/26/07): “3 – the number of half-hour naps a person should take at work each week in order to lower the risk of heart-related death, according to a new study.” Who cares if the study was probably correlational and not causal: now I can nap at work guilt-free! Who needs exercise?
I use this handy countdown timer. If I need a 30-minute nap at work, I close my door, set the timer, double-check the volume, take off my shoes, and kick back. Ahhh…off to NapLand.
You can use any MP3 as an alarm. I use a quietly crescendoing (i.e. non-jarring) ditty to gently coax me out of my slumber.
Download the free “1Time Timer” HERE.
*
194. Bright Idea: uWink Bistro March 5, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Food and Drink, Service, Video.add a comment
The Idea: a techified dining experience where patrons can order food, play quick games (also with other tables), and get educated on wine tasting via computer monitors on their table. Created by Nolan Bushnell (Father of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese’s), the first uWink Bistro opened in LA in 2006.
Here is a quick video clip to give you an idea of the place (18 seconds):
With a monitor at the table, the potential is huge: hosting dating events; watch how your dish is cooked; learn more about your food and health; corporate team building; instant rating of dishes (see my IdeaSpark*: #41 Restaurant Menus 2.0).
Though the wait staff has been removed from the equation (thus, no tips?), the challenge for uWink will be to continue to encourage more human-to-human interaction at the table, and not replace it.
Their website (HERE) has the layout of various activity zones (including the Party Table), menus, press coverage and releases, and more information (though not many photos). Via Springwise.com.
*
192. IdeaSpark*: Appetizing Aroma Candles March 4, 2007
Posted by Matt Fleming, PsyD in Experience, Food and Drink, IdeaSpark*, Product, Service.1 comment so far
I really love the smell of delicious food: sizzling garlic, roasting meat, baking treats, cooking spices. I love these smells more than those of lavender and summer rain.
IdeaSpark*: Produce candles that smell like certain savory dishes.
Imagine: At your dinner party, you are about to serve your meal of garlic bread and spaghetti (some of which you may have prepared and cooked earlier that evening). Before serving your guests, you light up your Garlic Lovers candle and the Basil/Oregano Italian candle. Your guests will be appetized and your dishes will be enhanced.
Dessert candles, of course, would be just as welcome (chocolate, vanilla, baked cookies, apple pie, etc), along with the Java candle to accompany the after-dinner coffee.
And to push this idea to its limits: sommeliers would develop certain candles that would accentuate the Merlot or Pinot Grigio your guests sip on before dinner.
If these products already exist on the market, here is a business IdeaSpark*: sell each tiny candle type with an accompanying and matching recipe, so people can mix, match, and arrange an aromatic multiple-course dining experience.
*
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.
*
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)
*
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.
*
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.
*
SparkBugg.com 