Ever notice how many current and once-popular brands sound like baby talk or nonsense? Google. Barbie. Madonna. Sudoku. Bambi. Yahoo. Howdy Doody. Coca-Cola. Pokemon. Pop-Eye. Wham-O. Oreo. Goobers. iPod. eBay. Frisbee. Gumby. ABBA. Barbra. Pizza. The Doobie Brothers. Dydie Diapers. Tutti frutti. The Bee Gees. BVDs. Jeep. Fuji. Hula Hoop. Uma. Oprah. Subaru. OK I’m exaggerating, but simple nonsense is (a) simple, (b) Read More …
What if stores had PhoneZones where customers could tap into all kinds of customer service options through their cellphones? Rohit Bhargava starts a discussion on his Influential Interactive Marketing blog, saying a photograph of a barcode could give shoppers immediate access to all sorts of price and product information. I’d like to see it do even more, like fetch a salesperson, tell what’s in Read More …
Seems so obvious this either already exists (Doh!) or will soon. In casual use, you could record a call to share later with a spouse or friend. There are all sorts of business and legal reasons to record a call, too. Worried about violating laws? Maybe, when you push “record,” the phone automatically asks, “Is it Read More …
“Perhaps we could work together on something one of these days,” said a kind note from Drew Anderson of MoHDI, another ideas blog. Which gave me an idea: How about a game of Idea Tennis? You know how one idea can inspire another? Why couldn’t I lob one up, and then the ball’s in Andy’s court, to come Read More …
Inspired by an idea at ShouldExist.org, calling for a free or very cheap online college. Now some colleges do offer online degrees, but how about getting one from Wikipedia? It’d work like this: People add comprehension tests at the end of Wikipedia items. Each time you pass one, you’re get a score that’s stored in a database. Attain a designated Read More …
Let’s call this program / utility “Blank Paper.” Using a mouse or graphics pen, not only can I write or draw on it, but so can you. Even at the same time. Let’s play Tic-Tac-Toe or Hangman, for starters. Let’s just have fun doing a sketch together. It could be a great teaching tool for Read More …
Why not a do-it-yourself life-coach web site? You answer a questionnaire about your medical health, mental health, financial health, career (hours worked, stress, respect), religion, relationships, worries, hopes and dreams. You get back a priority list of suggestions and references. OK, at most it’s a cursory overview, and it could be a ballpark guess, but sometimes we all miss the obvious: Read More …
You start out as fly, and have to avoid fly swatters and bug sprays for like 15 minutes. Then you die of old age, and get reincarnated as a roach. Nothing can kill you, except for feet, so after like 20 minutes you die of old age, and get reincarnated as a little fish. And Read More …
My family used to play an add-a-letter game called “Ghost” on long car trips. One person says a letter, the next person adds one. The trick: There has to be a word that starts that way, and you lose if you end a word. Gets you searching those mental vaults for odd words that will Read More …
It’s a book. Or a website. Or both. Too chicken to propose? Or ask for a raise? Or ride a roller coaster? This collection has a speech for you. Thinking of getting a divorce? Quitting a job? Jumping off a bridge? There are talks to talk you out of things, too. In other cases, you face Read More …
Dear Yahoogle: I wish I could search for two things at once, so I could see at a glance which term shows up more often. Or just find something faster. Say I’m not sure if the country is Furkino Baso or Burkina Faso. I plug one into Google A, the other into Google B. Boom, Read More …
Or would it be a Wikisaurus? Ever use a Roget’s thesaurus? It’s fine if you want fine language and literary reference. Look up enormous and you’ll find colossal, immense and Brobdinagian. But you’ll find few fun, pop culture options, no gigundo, no Burger King ginormous. It’d be great if folks could add their own suggestions, Read More …