Free Ideas

Previously On...

2012-12-06T01:09:00.001-08:00

Entire series of television show shown in a collection of Previously Ons, to a maximum of 2 hours in length.

Lost - in 2 hours.

I've seen them do it in x number of minutes on youtube and the like for Lord of the Rings, but they condense it too much. This method would allow people who have never seen the series to experience all the key moments of a series and not be left out of socially beneficial pop-culture reference use.

The Babysitter Channel

2012-10-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

A publicly funded channel designed to give children the life skills required to end up being parents that don't use television as a babysitter, meanwhile providing a channel suitable for parents using a television as a babysitter.

The Paperclip Rebender

2012-09-06T08:33:00.002-07:00

In my office, poor innocent paperclips are often stretched beyond their means, ever after deformed as a result of the misuse. This idea is for a simple machine to return paper clips to their former glory.

The user straightens the paperclip to facilitate feeding it into the machine, which then rebends it into perfect paperclip shape.

Micro Representation - An alternative for America

2012-08-18T12:07:00.003-07:00

In the US anyway, it has been my observation that the majority of the populace, responsible for electing those that elect our leaders, are insufficiently informed to do so. Their lack of information, yet equal voting power, to those that are informed have created a worsening government as a result.

My solution I call microrepresentation, which installs an additional layer to our process and requires the additional expenditure of people paid to be informed, microrepresentatives.

Micro Representatives

A microrepresentative represents a small number of current voters. I'm sure the most appropriate number can be determined when the system is seriously considered, but for the hypothetical model, that number is somewhere between 1000 and 10000 voters.

For the majority of the populace, the only voting decision they make is which microrepresentative to align themselves with. This can be done with a method similar to the one found here: http://www.isidewith.com/

Essentially, one takes a survey to match a candidate with the survey-takers own views on certain issues. With microrepresentatives, the pool of candidates grows exponentially, hopefully allowing a perfect match between the views of a majority of citizens and microrepresentative.

The microrepresentative takes two oaths
1. To communicate the truth and nothing but the truth.
2. To vote in accordance with the stances stated that match the voter stances. i.e. if for purposes of the survey a microrepresentative indicates all abortions should be illegal, his vote on matters concerning that issue must match that stance.

Informed Voters

In addition to microrepresentatives, a voter has the option to maintain the independence of his vote, but to do so must pass an 'informed voter' assessment, which is prepared by the collective of microrepresentatives once the said collective has been in place long enough to create the assessment.

An informed voter's vote is of equal weight to a single microrepresentative. While numerically 'unfair', this rewards the citizen for being an informed voter and prevents uninformed voters leading the populace including themselves to obilivion.

Micro Representative Collective

The collective of microrepresentatives are tasked to be informed on all issues pertaining to government, and do so through the formation of reporting committees. For example, X number of microrepresentatives make up the economic policy committee, and frequently (quarterly) present reports to the collective - who then is charged with preparing summaries of reports and distributing them to the individual citizens they represent. All such reports are by nature public, online, and sourced for references.

The collective is also tasked with vetting and comparing candidates for various positions at all governmental levels. Primarily for the purpose of determining a candidates ability and integrity to hold the position for which he/she is running, as opposed to their ability to run a successful campaign.

The Charity Conglomerate G+ Hybrid

2012-06-28T13:43:00.004-07:00

Feeling Generous?

Donating to charities is a giant pain in the ass, the most painful part of which is that once you give them money they always ask you for more. WTF? I gave you money, unlike millions of other people, why do you want to make me regret it.

Anyway, I don't have a lot to give, and I don't have a favorite charity. In fact, most of my charitable donations have been a result of Facebook, I hate to say.

You see, I get really aggravated with those stupid ass "set your status to this to help fight <horrible thing>" so I do some sort of rant with the gist of: Changing your status doesn't do shit, give a charity a dollar then talk!
Then, of course, I'm obligated to 'be the change in the world I want to see', so I end up finding a random charity for the cause in question and floating a little money their way.

Alright, here's the idea portion:
You log onto the Charity Conglomerate page with your G+ and enter the amount you're wanting to give - Let's say $20. Then you see a stream of appeals from various charities in a stream. If you are moved by their appeal, you click +1 (or +5, +20, +100 - they should have multiple buttons) - then your +20 indicator on the page goes down to +19. Bam.

At the end of the year, you get one statement listing all of your various charitable donations. Meanwhile, the comments under the appeals will be a good place for people to report charities misallocating or abusing funds :)

A significant portion of this idea came from Andres M. Trianon in a relatively unrelated discussion.

The Ultimate FAQ

2012-06-03T19:10:00.002-07:00

Every now and then, something comes along that changes the internet as we know it. I don't know all of them, as it's not something I've followed particularly closely, but for example:
Whatever Google Did: On the business side, I don't know what Google did that made them a success. However, as user of their product for a long time, I know that they changed everything as far as searching the internet goes. Some fancy algorithm that gave the best results perhaps, but I ultimately used Google to search for things because it was the search engine that gave me what I was looking for the fastest.
Social Networking: Personal disdain for Zuckerberg aside, Facebook changed everything. Myspace and the other predecessors probably deserve more credit than they get, but Facebook is the first-thought when mentioning Social Networking. Probably because that's the social networking site that got businesses to put its logo in their commercials - or less tastefully, instructing the American sheeple to 'like their businesses'.

At least as a small part of the next big thing to change the shape of the internet is described below as an idea to be implemented. However, I think its core is already well on its way to being established, and Google is best positioned to make it happen.

The Ultimate FAQ
Wikipedia is great, and truly the progenitor of the Ultimate FAQ. In fact, I'd say an apt description of the Ultimate FAQ is the result from Wikipedia and Google+ crossbreeding.

Wikipedia
The DNA inherited from Wikipedia that manifests in The Ultimate FAQ is best understood by the engine behind Wikipedia's content. I am not referring to how the site manages its content and its databases, but rather what provides the content itself to Wikipedia: People.

People are the fuel for Wikipedia's content, which can be (and probably was at first) troublesome to the end user. People, specifically people on the internet, don't have the best reputation. Trust Penny Arcade on this one for starters:

If anyone on the internet (including the people who want to sell you Viagra) can edit the content, how can we trust that the content isn't complete BS? For example, what's to stop this guy from being the author of what you're looking up on Wikipedia?

So with 'Internet People' as the engine of the content, how did Wikipedia end up becoming a success?
Just as John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory is funny because it's true, the answer is another amusing and truthful internet meme:

Right alongside the Internet Fuckwads are the Internet Know-It-Alls (most commonly seen performing their Spelling/Grammar Nazi role). Wikipedia tapped into the questionable resource of 'people' and by harnessing the power of Internet Know-It-Alls, and it resulted in a moderately reliable 'Sum of All Human Knowledge'.

The Ultimate FAQ is designed to not only harness the power of Internet Know-It-Alls, but also distill and perfect that power. Wikipedia offers the Internet Know-It-All a playground to correct other people, assault the validity of other's claims, and demonstrate their knowledge and fact-remembering skills. The Ultimate FAQ offers the Internet Know-It-All what is most precious to a know-it-all, and there's only one thing better than being right to an Internet Know-It-All, everyone else knowing that they are right.

Recognition and Reputation
Our modern society, at least the first world, has one driving force: Self-Interest. We all have been taught to admire the hard worker, and hold even greater admiration for those who also are able to harness the work of hard workers for personal gain (whether or not they themselves are hard workers). They amass wealth, and with it comes power, both highly desirable personal gains.

Success, however, is not necessarily tied to ridiculous sums of money. Humans also are greatly motivated by how they appear to others. It literally influences their behavior. Cosmetic surgery exists: Therefore, human behavior must be influenced by the desire to appear favorably to others. Recognition is an act that rewards behavior, and public recognition can build reputations.

The Ultimate FAQ recognizes the Internet Know-It-All for being successful at their passion: Being Right - and because the public recognition will allow for them to build a reputation, the Ultimate FAQ is where they will practice their passion.

Public Opinion and Registered Authenticators
For every question/article in The Ultimate FAQ, probably on the left sidebar, there will be two verification meters. For the gamers out there, these would be a graphic similar to a life and mana meter, one green, one blue. One will represent the verification of the answer presented according to public opinion, and the other will represent the verification of the answer according to Registered Authenticators.

Every question/article will also have Contributor and Authenticator Scoreboards, displaying the top 5 Contributors and Verifiers for the question/article. The scoreboards will display the profile pic and name of the Contributor/Verifier as well as two additional statistics: Reputation and Activity. The activity statistic will reflect how much of the answer/article displayed is a product of the efforts of the Contributor/Verifier, and the reputation statistic will reflect how often selections verified by that user have proven accurate.

So, when you pull up the Ultimate FAQ on say: What Kind of Tie Did Abraham Lincoln Wear? You can click on the various answers presented and see the source of the answer, as well as how well it has been verified and the reputation of those who verified it. There are those among us that would eat up the reputation of top-verifier like someone that really likes to eat a particular food (fat kid, cake. Cookie Monster, cookies, etc).

While some that have the means to make the Ultimate FAQ might question this, I would make sure the top-verifier status would not only come with reputation, but also a paycheck. Essentially, of the X number of top-authenticators, the best-of-the-best would be compensated for their efforts. If you're good, you get reputation. If you're awesome, you get paid.

As it turns out, being a know-it-all generally isn't particularly profitable. Meet a few Internet Know-It-Alls and you'll discover many of them are underemployed in some mundane job they loathe. Many will be drawn to the opportunity of making a living doing what they love: Being Right.

Google+
Whether it is merely the latest iteration/manifestation of it or not, Google+ is turning out to be a great playground for the Internet Know-It-All. No topic is safe. From Poverty in America to Freedom of Religion, Google+ is THE hot new place to prove other people wrong in public. As it grows and spreads, arguing on forums will be abandoned in favor of being right in front of a larger audience, like Google+.

These debates, formerly scattered hither and yon about the internet, will be gathered by the technical engine behind the Ultimate FAQ where they will be dissected and evaluated by People. They will be evaluated to measure public opinion, so those preferring to adhere to common knowledge find the answers they're looking for, as well as by Registered Authenticators putting their reputation and possible dream-job at stake when they endorse a fact as accurate.

The Ultimate FAQ will thrive by saving the time of it's users, with ever improving results as it's user base grows.

The Technicals
When a question is asked: "How do I find a good Chinese restaurant in Portland?" The Ultimate FAQ will create a word cloud from the search results for that phrase. The word cloud will be presented to the user, who will be prompted to rate the results of the word cloud. If the rating is not positive enough (the user doesn't like the results), he can either click on words to remove from the cloud, or type in phrases to either eliminate or hone his result. These actions will present a new word cloud, and the process will repeat until the user positively rates a result.

The second time the question is asked, the user will be presented with not only their own new word cloud, but the results of the rated word cloud from the first search. This user can rate the previous word cloud, as well as the one generated by the phrasing of their question.

If the user is a registered user and did not obtain satisfactory results (or faked not submitting satisfactory results) they can submit an answer to be included in the results of the next person to ask the question. For example: The owner of a Chinese restaurant in Portland might submit his restaurant's name and address as an answer. Future searchers will be able to rate it, and the answers will be displayed based on their ratings.

As a question is more and more frequently asked, the popular opinion will bubble to the top of the results based on positive ratings. There will be a tab so the user can choose to view the most popular answer or most verified answer (at least when verifiable facts in play).

Check in = Networking

2012-05-24T19:06:00.001-07:00

Restaurants love the free advertising when you check in, and (at least if you're still 3g like me) you love their free wi-fi.

Checking in to a place should automatically connect you to their wifi... At least when the GPS check proves you are there.

The Argument Solver

2012-05-14T23:43:00.001-07:00

Suitable For: Website, smartphone app, browser add on

Browser Add On
Reads the entire text of the page and inserts links to factually accurate data where it reads factually inaccurate statements. Also highlights quotes and provides author (if quote was un-cited) or correct version if misquoted, as a tool tip on mouseover.

Ad slogan -> Never be factually inaccurate in your pointless but enjoyable internet arguments again!

Social Network Notify Reminder - Mobile App

2012-03-02T10:54:00.000-08:00

Suitable for: Smartphone App, Browser App

One of the best times to remind yourself of the things you want to do is when you're screwing around on your social networking sites (Google+, Facebook, etc).

I'd really like to have an app on my smartphone that can send a short reminder to my social network page, that will show up as a notification for that page.

For example, if I wanted to remind myself not to spend so much time on Google+, using this app, I could send the reminder "Spend less time on Google+" to my Google+ page. Later, when I get on Google+ and check my red notification counter, I'll be reminded to quit screwing around.

Required Minimum Daily Balance Calendar App

2012-02-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

Suitable for: Smartphone App/Feature of existing Smartphone App

Problem: You check your available balance before making a purchase, but forget you have an autopay scheduled to pull money from your account the next day.

Most banks offer methods of seeing current available balance. Most places that bill monthly for services offer autopay (electronic fund transfer direct from your bank account on a certain day of the month). Available balances do not take scheduled autopay transactions into account.

Setup: During setup, you select your pay frequency (weekly, every two weeks, first and fifteenth, etc). You also enter scheduled withdrawals and amounts (i.e. $70 comes out for internet on the 14th of each month).

Function: A widget on one of the home screens of your phone displays the minimum balance you must have in your account between today and the next payday in order for all of your autopay withdrawals to be fully funded.

On days an autopay is scheduled to pull from your account, an asterisk appears on the widget next to the required minimum balance. Tapping the widget displays the autopay scheduled to come out and allows you to confirm the autopay has been funded from your account (i.e. on the 14th, it shows the minimum balance required to include the $70 until you confirm the $70 has been removed from your account).

Example: You get paid on the first and fifteenth of each month. $70 is set to autopay from your account on the 14th of each month. On the 13th of the month, when you want to pull $20 from the ATM, you check your account balance and see $86. The widget for the app shows you that in order not to overdraft your account, $70 needs to remain inside. You cry on the inside and do not use the ATM.

On the 14th, you see the asterisk on the widget next to $70. You check your recent transactions and available balance. You see $16 available, and the autopay funded in recent transactions. You tap the widget, let it know that the autopay has been paid. It then displays the required minimum balance is $0 until next payday. You go on a $16 spending spree.

ApptApp: Smartphone Appointment Integration

2012-01-27T15:46:00.000-08:00

Suitable for: Smartphone App/Businesses that schedule appointments with customers

Problem: You go to a business that you make an appointment with - doctor, hair stylist, whatever. They give you a card with the time and date of your next appointment written on it. You then have to manually add it to your smartphone or internet-based calendar. If you fail to do so and lose the card, chances of missing your appointment and being charged for doing so dramatically increase.

#1: Smartphone App using QR codes: Rather than a card with an appointment time and date, the creation of the appointment generates a QR code that can be printed for the patient/client or presented for immediate scan with their smartphone.

Scanning the QR code automatically adds the appointment event to the calendar you've selected within the app - i.e. your phone's calendar, Google calendar for android app, etc.

#2: Calendar event/appointment object via e-mail: When registering at a participating appointment-based business, you include your digital calendar of choice and your e-mail address in the information you provide to them. When you make a followup appointment, an e-mail is dispatched to your specified address containing a small file/appointment object. Double-clicking the object within your e-mail automatically imports the appointment/event into your digital calendar of choice (selected on first attempt to open said file-type).

The Blog Hive

2012-01-27T02:25:00.000-08:00

Suitable for: New author revenue-generator for blog content without ads
Note: If something like this exists, I'm unaware of it. This idea generated organically via discussion on google+ here

The Blog Hive
A subscription-based website with open enrollment for bloggers.

A visitor to the site initially gets a carefully determined number/free time-based trial of reads - to view any of the content though (including the free trial), the visitor must sign in via social network plug-in or site registration (this so the free portion comes to an end appropriately).

After the free portion, readers are charged a nominal fee (i.e. $2/month or $10/year) for unlimited access. As nominal as server costs and the like allow OR server costs to be covered by non-author content page advertising, perhaps on the directory/table of contents/search pages of the site.

Visitors, while being able to +1 to their social network of choice also will be able to 'star' and article/blog post by any given author. The 'star' being essentially an on-site +1.

The catch is, based on the day/week/month - however it's ultimately divided, the subscription income of the site (potentially minus server costs), is split amongst the content contributors on the basis of 'stars' per article. Essentially, after a subscriber reads the blog post he determines whether or not the author should be paid for the contribution. If it takes off, you'd have hundreds of thousands of subscribers and hundreds of authors competing for their chunk of that change by providing the best possible content they can.

EXAMPLE:
If the hive has 400 subscribers and divides pay on a day-to-day basis, there would be roughly $28.57 up for grab between the authors. If 3 bloggers make posts that day and the subscribers star as follows:
Blog 1: 200 stars
Blog 2: 20 stars
Blog 3: 4 stars (his mom, aunt, psycho-ex girlfriend, and one random other subscriber), the bloggers would be paid as follows:
Blogger 1: $25.51
Blogger 2: $2.55
Blogger 3: $0.51

Responsible Consumer Collective

2012-01-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

Do you hate the thought that your money goes to companies that:
Buy politicians, destroy the environment, test the effects of radioactive waste on orphan toddlers?

Are you too busy trying to survive and provide for yourself and your family to:
Research the issues making the world and life in general worse?
Research which companies are responsible for and/or support the wrong side of those issues?
Research what products those companies make in order to boycott them?
Remember what products you're supposed to be boycotting?

The Responsible Consumer Collective is to be a website that collects the research conducted by extremely concerned citizens to create a database of consumer level products and companies, and associates those products with boycott-worthy transgressions. It then uses it's interface and that database to generate personal shopping lists for moderately concerned citizens so they don't inadvertently support companies financially that they disagree with on moral or ethical grounds.

Users will have to register with the site to use it properly, but should be able to simply log in with their google+ or facebook accounts.

Once logged in, the site has 3 main sections: Companies, Issues, and Products. Through user submission, though perhaps with moderators to verify information before making it live on-site, the database is populated with companies, issues, and products. Once the database is populated, issues will have to be associated with the companies deserving boycott because of those issues. The company will then be associated with the various products it makes, as well as other companies it owns or otherwise influence.

When a moderately concerned citizen visits the website, he can go to the Issues page to see a list of issues that may warrant boycotting. Additionally, if a user is aware of some nefarious practice of a company, if not already defined, the user may suggest an issue for consideration or report a company to be participating in boycott worthy practices.

As part of setting up your user account, you can opt to stop by the issues and put a check mark in the box of the issues that are important to you. Then, you proceed to the product page where you enter the products you normally buy, either through clicks or by scanning the barcode with your smartphone. Doing so will bring up that products page, which contains a list of all the reasons other users have suggested to boycott that product.

If you click the "boycott this product" option when the product is presented , you will be taken to the next screen which will show the other brands producing that type of product and the boycottable issues attributed to them.

Here's an example (this is just an example, I have no evidence that the companies associated with the products I mention are at all involved with the imaginary issues mentioned):
Laundry Detergent - Say you've been using All laundry detergent for the two years prior to using the RCC. When you set up your account, you scan the back of the bottle with your smartphone to pull up the page. You then discover that the makers of All laundry detergent have been tied to polluting rivers during the manufacture of their product. As you're a big fan of non-soapy rivers, you click the 'boycott this product' check mark.

You are then taken to the next screen where similar products are presented alongside their transgression. For this example, you determine Arm & Hammer laundry detergent is not associated with any environmental atrocity and select it as your laundry detergent of choice.

Then, when it's time to head to the store and you're out of laundry detergent, you either load up the site on your computer before your trip to the store, or use your smartphone to do it while you're at the store.

You create your shopping list and select 'laundry detergent'. The list populates with Arm & Hammer laundry detergent. You then print your list and head to the store, comfortable in knowing you're not supporting a company that conducts it's operations in violation of what you're willing to support financially.

Suitable for: Website, Smartphone App

Image - Bad Moon Rising

2011-12-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

Suitable for: Painting, photo, digital render, finger painting, etc.

Night time, full moon. Viewer of full moon places moon in sky above railroad tracks, captures train approaching below the full moon.

Story - Experiments in Death

2011-12-27T23:04:00.000-08:00

Suitable for: Novel, Short Story, Movie, Television episode

Premise: The Atheist Scientist who wants to believe in a soul and afterlife. He seeks to prove the existence of the human soul through science by trying to capture evidence of the soul upon death. To conduct his experiments, he must acquire subjects. Due to the fatal nature of these experiments, some consider his subjects victims.

He uses every available data recording to accord the event of death - from the victims dying on the scale to confirm the 21 grams thing, to video recordings of all known light wavelengths, particularly those not visible to the human eye, to whatever scientific instruments currently available to best detect things like electromagnetic fields, light emission, sound emission, to whatever gear those "paranormal investigators use"