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.
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 Read More …
I once thought about doing a comic strip, Signs of the Times. It would have been all sorts of jokes based on signs … ideographic signs (I have some old cartoons I’ll post, some I already have) … signs enterprising panhandlers might display … labels on bottles … bumper stickers … advertising signs … any printed messages. Read More …
At the risk (no, certainly) of possibly being tasteless, the Minneapolis bridge collapse made me think: Could cars be designed to be bridge-collapse-resistant? It was amazing how many motorists survived. Does that mean cars, unintentionally, are made to withstand falls? If so, what could enhancements do? Have bigger tires, better shocks, ceiling airbags, sunroofs that Read More …
Instead of Yosemite Sam and “Back Off!” you’d see Yosemite Samsonite and “Half Off.” Instead of “How’s my driving?” you’d see “What’s in your wallet?” Instead of silver silhouettes of Playboy bunnies, you’d see an ad for the return of the Volkswagen Rabbit. Yeah, but who wants to see this? Especially since, sooner or later, every static Read More …
Here’s a copy of my second post for inventorspot.com, “Biking for Better Biceps: Brain Rep 2.” Although hill-climbing can be a workout for your arms, most bike-riding does little for your upper bod. I realized this while lugging a watermelon in a bag back from a parking-lot produce market. Really added to the exercise. Could there Read More …
What if … you had a very light spacecraft … OK, maybe it’s just a satellite with microchips … and suppose (yeah sure) they reallly could build a buckytube-walled space tube that’s 100 miles high … following me so far? … OK, we’ve got the outer part of our space elevator, but what’s to lift Read More …
One surefire way to come up with a good invention: Make life simpler. Make things easier, more convenient. But wouldn’t life be poorer without … peanuts in the shell? Leaves to rake? Snow to shovel? Novels and TV shows and sporting events that lead you on to the very end? Sudoku puzzles and Rubik’s Cubes? Sometimes Read More …
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 …
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 Read More …
Rush-hour gridlock is as much fun as doing taxes. Especially peeving are those drivers who slide into the intersection before there’s room on the other side. “Don’t block the box,” say signs. But drivers do it anyway. Then the cars don’t move because of block-boxers at the next intersection, so everybody’s jammed. Here’s my solution: Sensors Read More …
Philadelphia’s Roosevelt Boulevard is one of the most dangerous roads in the country. In recent months, several people have died trying to cross the road at night. Apparently they’re tempted to try to dodge speeders because multiple medians break up the perilous path. The big-budget fix of installing overhead walkways doesn’t seem likely, despite a nifty legislative Read More …
There’s a National Smoke-Out Day, where people try not to smoke. How about one for driving cars? Sure it’s impossibly impractical (not enough mass transit to handle the crowds). But just the call for considering the sacrifice might help us all realize how demoralizingly dependent we all are on cars … and foster creative efforts Read More …
Say an upscale mall wants to distinguish itself, attract visitors lost to megamarts and the Internet. Provide a way for shoppers to try and use Segways for free. Maybe there’s a track or strip just for Segways. Maybe it goes out to parking as well as inside. Read an interesting post about this at segwaychat.com that Read More …
Those Segway Human Transporters have yet to revolutionize the world. Maybe one reason is that the joy of riding them can’t be shared. So make one so two people can ride. Standing. (Not expecting it’d work with one on the handlebars.) Even more economical. Fun on dates. And one person could hold the umbrella. Hey, look there already is Read More …