Here’s an idea I’ll probably never do. But it’s one that has long intrigued me. Some people have amazing laughs. Shrill. Staccato. Lilts. Snorts. Wouldn’t it be cool to sample great laughs and compile them into a song? Hey, email me a clip of a wild laugh from your family or office, and I’ll start Read More …
Seriously. Think about it. Does it makes sense to measure cholesterol after you’ve fasted? OK, sure, gotta establish a baseline, see how high it always is. But think. Some people with high cholesterol never have heart attacks, while some with low cholesterol do. Uh, could it be because some low-baseline people chomp on Dorito and, Read More …
Think an old person could be on Apprentice? Hah! But lots of people start new careers in middle-age. So how about a challenge? The Geezer Throwdown. Team of aging characters against a young, buff, cocky crew. For the right to form a new business and get it bankrolled.
I have a dream. I go to schools, conduct creativity workshops. Help kids learn to invent. As individuals, or as a group, they keep all the rights. And hopes. Wouldn’t it be great, as part of this dream, if poor kids could get patents for free? America’s slipping, some say. People worry about future generations, Read More …
One reason we go crazy is that we’re taught to be of one mind. I mean, don’t we always have multiple reactions? Self-interest says, Darn, I’m disappointed, I wanted that job. Some higher side, your heart says, I’m happy that my friend got it. Everything is a mixed blessing, someone said. I think it was Read More …
New line item on federal income-tax returns: Number of $1 chances you’d like to buy to have all of your income taxes refunded. Bet 50 million people would buy at least a single chance. You’d keep drawing tickets till half the pot is awarded. Profit for feds: $25 million or more. Earmark for a worthy Read More …
Here’s my nightmare: I’ll buy a winning lottery ticket but forget to ever check it. Here’s my solution: Lottery ticket subscriptions. It’s like having season tickets to a sporting event. Every game, or every so often, you get the same numbers. If they ever hit, this computerized system automatically contacts you. No waiting in line, Read More …
Gotta love Peeps, those marshmallow chicks and bunnies from Just Born. Assorted permutations appear for various holidays: ghosts, pumpkins, hearts, snowmen and Christmas trees. But departing from the holiday idea, how about this: Hot chocolate duckies! Instead of regular marshmallows, you float cute little creatures. Ducks are archetypal floaters, but swans and whales and octopi Read More …
Lots of American adults need more education. Could a kind of home schooling be an answer? Grants or government funding could set up a service or registry that would help students form groups taught by volunteers or family members. Perhaps parents who home-school high schoolers could invite an adult or two into their sessions, maybe Read More …
Hot grapes, mmm. Try it.
Elementary schools don’t really teach science, which is a system of thinking, not a set of facts. Suppose, for example, in kindergarten, a running endeavor is to list observations about water: It’s wet. It’s sticky. It freezes. It flows. Ice floats. Snow has little crystals. Steam is hot. It forms drops. It splashes. Fog is Read More …
Gasp. I can’t believe I’m posting this idea, since it could encourage smoking. But (a) I’d be surprised if it hasn’t been thought of already, and (b) if not, it might actually reduce smoking or some of the risks. Simple thought: Instead of cancer sticks as long as a pack’s longest dimension, make them only Read More …
Could charities parlay tax breaks into bigger donations? Scenario: Generous Jill is in a 15 percent tax bracket. If she donates $1,000 directly to her favorite charity, she saves $150 on her taxes, right? But say the charity is also supported by Benefactor Bob, who is in a 30 percent bracket. He could give the Read More …
Imagine if our currency had a little “Brought to you by” section. Sell enough sponsorships, and voila, free money! Blasphemous! Sacrilegous! Tacky! you say. But this could be an ideal form of welfare. Free money for the poor, at no cost to taxpayers. Couldn’t possibly raise a dollar per dollar-bill? OK, how ads on coins. Read More …
Imagine every day your newspaper had on its front page a little box labeled “Know News.” In that box, you’d find a single timely word, term or name with a simple definition. Could be old: Arraignment. Concerto. Insurgency. Or relatively new: Stem cells. Keylogging. Podcast. Finish with a quick teaser or page number to a Read More …