More than two million homes are expected to be foreclosed this year. What a waste. All because the owners can’t affort the particular payment on that house. Hmm. So what if we switched the people and the houses? Orchestrated a kind of mortgage musical chairs? Take Joe. Can’t afford his $600,000 house. But he could afford the Read More …
This a wild idea. Maybe it’s more of a stunt than a service. But with the power of the Web perhaps it’s possible: A way to ship something cross-country in just one day using almost no extra energy. Really puts the UNITED in United Parcel Service. Or maybe call it the Hand-Off Shipping Network. Basically people go to Read More …
WHEN you get stuck on a particular project, try thinking like a kid. Not stupid, but “gee whiz.” Wouldn’t it be cool if …. Tried this on one game I’ve been working on, and my inner kid said, “Gee, wouldn’t it be cool if the sharks got twice as big?” Made me laugh. Might work. Read More …
Forget math, verbal and writing skills. Before a college accepts anybody, that person should have to pass a behavioral S.A.T. A couple of recent stories, including a Penn State player accused of rape, and a Rider student who died of a heroid overdose, remind of all the dopey deeds that can mess up college students’ lives. So Read More …
Given the childhood obesity problem, perhaps schools should also have a social mandate to promote activity and healthful eating, and schools with lousy food and no phys ed would lose federal aid. Let every child stand in class, if they like, I say! Burn more calories that way. And it’s probably better for posture, and Read More …
Canned warning about formulas goes here. But, seriously, don’t most compelling classic stories boil down to something like this? Hero, who has suffered all his or her (often parentless) life, faces seemingless insurmountable obstacles, including at least one persistently present powerful villain, but ultimately gets by with pluck (not just luck), stick-to-it-iveness and a little help from friends — and Read More …
Why don’t people make “snow angels” in sand … on grass … in cornfields? (“I tell you, Marge, some aliens made flattened 40 stalks again last night.”) Make a “crop angel” … turn your body 90 degrees, and repeat — you have a “crop circle.” And what other designs could a sitting or lying person make Read More …
School’s a waste of time, many students think. Yeah, teachers can drum their sales pitches into thick skulls, but how can that succeed when so much teaching seems unessential to their lives — now or in the future. So why not do the grand experiment and find out, once and for all, how long does anybody really Read More …
Ever notice that once in a while along comes a fad or phenomenon that’s seems inexplicable because it defames something wildly popular? Example, a book from years ago: 101 Uses for a Dead Cat, which is still alive on Amazon. Now some might see the appeal as simple satire, but I think it’s more than that: Some trends get Read More …
Here’s a trick for almost instantly solving those “Can You Spot the Differences” puzzles. Do the cross-eyed “stereovision” trick! Remember those Magic Eye puzzles? You kind of looked “through” two pictures till they combined to make a 3-D image? The “differences” will pop right out at you! Obligatory warning: Always check with your eye doctor before attempting Read More …
One of J.K. Rowling’s geniuses is her gift for invention. Not real inventions, but ordinary things that become magical with a little wishful / twistful thinking. Hats that evaluate one’s brain. Portraits that move. Jelly beans that come in every flavor, even dirt. Brooms that fly, of course. It’s a child’s kind of imagining, and Read More …
When I was little, I was scared of the dark. Had to leave that night light on. Wonder if night lights could be redesigned to project a lit image on a wall or ceiling. Thoughts: Some powerful hero to scare monster away. Some harmless monster like Cookie Monster, to acclimate the kid to the whole idea. Or maybe project images Read More …
The Cosby Show was once the most popular show on TV — until the parents starting acting all-knowing and wise. It was far more fun in the earlier years when it was more truthful: Sometimes kids are right, and often kids are willful and have a point. Now, along comes Are You Smarter Than a Read More …
Oreos could make for an inspiring kind of edible construction toy. Two kinds: Premade parts and Custom Bake-ables. With Premade, you’d chocolate crisps in squares, rectangles, bricks and circles, plus a pot of creamy white filling “mortar.” Arrange in any way. Towers. Tunnels. Vehicles. Castles. Boats. In Custom Bake-ables, you could do all that using little molds, or create super sizes, like Read More …
A funny newspaper column or book would be a collection of opinions by kids about adult likes and dislikes. Kids try pate. Cigarettes. Wine. The evening news. C-Span. Shakespeare. Caviar. Business suits. The Wall Street Journal. Brie. Slim-Fast. Might make a very “emperor’s new clothes” kind of point: Maybe adults don’t really some this boring, Read More …