Steal My Ideas, Please

Not surprised: This has been thought of before. If electric cars have a limited range, why not be able to pick up recharged batteries as you drive? Swap ‘em like tanks for gas grills. Freshcreation.com has a post, including a neat video of how electric car battery exchanges could work.

we’ve have more to go around.

Turn carbon-dioxide back into gasoline. The trick is that this climate-saving energy-source idea includes a road map to its achievement.

Not that this would ever happen. But one way to reduce undue influence on politicians while raising some revenues is to collect sales tax on money spent by lobbyists. An extra added tax above and beyond whatever point-of-purchase sales tax is levied by a state or local government. Want to buy a congressman or congresswoman? […]

If people won’t go to confession, take confession to them. Just another random thought I had the other day. Philly’s Wing Bowl is a spectacle of slobbering slobs gnawing chicken knuckles while the cleavagely enhanced parade and manage the paper plates. Perhaps, some might say, just the sort of thing where at least a gent […]

You rip a plastic produce bag off the roll, and darn thing refuses to let you open it. Sliding it between fingers. Even in a corner. Blowing on it. Rubbing it between my hands, or on my shirt, looking like a total idiot. Eventually it works, creating a tiny gap that takes even more time […]

Car horns bleat, the blare, they say, “Yo, brasspipe, wake up, wise up, get the pell-mell out of my way!” But sometimes you just want to nudge somebody politely, genteelly, slightly: “Uh, excuse me, but that light’s been green for several minutes.” “Sorry, but could you roll down your window, so I could ask you […]

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 […]

They say taking care of pets, especially dogs, makes people nicer. Meanwhile, every year all sorts of unadopted strays are put to death for lack of homes. What if some wise and generous benefactor paid so poor children could save some pets’ lives and have a friend to care for? Could it cut urban violence? Lessen […]

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 […]

Example of contrarian inspiration: Educating people to take insults less seriously. Lesson One: Sticks and Stones Will Break My Bones, But Names Will Never Hurt Me. OK, names can hurt, and reputations matter. So does accuracy. But a world that pretends we’re all wonderful isn’t. Isn’t accurate. Isn’t honest. Isn’t wonderful. We need to learn […]

Label reveals: “Energy used to make this product.” If A and B cost the same, would you buy the one that wasted less energy? Side benefit for jingoists: It’s probably the product made abroad that consumed the most energy, because of shipping. So home-made, local products would probably score the best. Of course, cynics might say: […]

Here’s a win-win for charities and advertisers. It’s a site where companies get good publicity in exchange for matching contributions to charities. Plus it’s a way for philanthropic, benevolent souls to get more bang for their buck. Basically, works like this: Charities and companies with existing matching-contribution programs sign up, agreeing to link to the […]

Two sides have long histories of hatred? Let the aggressions out in some kind of sporting event. Slug it out in a boxing match. Play rough-and-tumble rugby. Fencing. Wrestling. Paintball. Prime minister vs. prime minister in a fierce game of foosball. Not saying this is a cure for war, but it could defuse some of the unreasonable […]

Microwaves heat things, right? So what if you could melt snow and ice with a Microwaving Truck? Maybe add something to the roads, like capsules or metal particles, to make the microwaves more effective. Suppose, in snow country, all vehicles had them. Then, after melting their own driveways, all the cars would help with the melting. Adding particles to […]