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 …
Actually, the more I think about it, maybe this is better. After all, it’s dishonest to pretend rogues and scoundrels and pseudo-angels don’t muck up our lives. Still, that doesn’t take you and me off the hook.
Mobile provocation: “Blame Yourself” on a bumper sticker. No offense intended, though. Not saying hate yourself or beat yourself up. Just let’s stop being two-faced. Can’t take credit for successes and blame others for our failures. Besides, what good does blaming others do? If you figure out how to fix other people (or me), please let me know. So 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 …
Ketchup tastes better warm. And sometimes you just want a little. So how to heat it? Ditto for melting butter. Often a small amount’s desired. Seems there ought to be some kind of microwaveable cutlery with a trough for smidgeons of sauce. Maybe redesign the spoon. Bend the end of the handle, so the thing lies flat. Add Read More …
Some words look like they should be opposites but really aren’t, I’ve noticed. They’re anti-antonyms. Examples: hottie and icy, inlaw and outlaw, onset and offset, upset and subset, postman and foreman, topping and bottoming, undertake and overtake, uppercut and undercut, expect and inspect, retail and detail, demote and remote. Forgive and forget are especially odd, Read More …
Visited the U.S. Mint the other day to see how the presidential dollar coins are being made. Collectors seem to be excited about new features, like four new presidential portraits a year, and writing around the rim. But will the coins wind up in cash drawers and pockets? Skeptics say there’s only one way: No more dollar Read More …
Wheat germ by itself: OK, nutritious, kind of nutty taste, not much body. Oat bran: Really blah, kind of bulky, but has cholesterol-cutting soluble fiber. So put ’em together. Get the best of both: vitamins, fibre, body and that nutty taste. Give it a nutty name: Whoat Bram. Of course, you can always make your Read More …
If the Lone Ranger got cancer, he’d need Kemo Sabe therapy. Ditto for his erroneous zones (identity problems, gun fixation, neat freakiness, trouble getting a date).
The only thing wrong with you is that you think there’s something wrong with you. I know they’d like me if only I’d stop worrying about people liking me. If can just stop trying not to try, I’ll find enlightenment.
Hmmm … how to liven up having cars go round and round in circles? I’m thinking (a) have obstacles pop up, like cardboard rocks and sheriffs and baby carriages, for mucho swerving fun (b) have “pedestrian crossing” races, where a fan can win $1 million for safely crossing the track, oh, three or four times, or (c) if Read More …
We’ve seen battles between bots with whirring blades as they roll around on wheels. But far more interesting, I think, would be to see robots that run. On two legs. It’s such a tricky bit of engineering and computer savvy to make a machine that walks. So on your mark, get set, run! Just as Read More …
OK, OK, OK, maybe the physics here won’t work. And the scale might be impossible, too. But if sea levels will rise because of melting ice sheets, how about creating some new ones? Put snow machines all over Greenland, and maybe Alaska and Siberia, too. Maybe even on icebergs at the North Pole. Pile up 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 …