annotate org/ideas.org @ 54:402176381ca0

minor gammar.
author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Mon, 15 Jul 2013 02:45:03 -0400
parents 961098491802
children d2d0559f808d
rev   line source
rlm@43 1 #+title: Big List O' Ideas
rlm@43 2 #+author: Robert McIntyre
rlm@43 3 #+email: rlm@mit.edu
rlm@43 4 #+description: list of ideas from the last ~ 7 years
rlm@47 5 #+keywords: aurellem ideas half-baked random
rlm@43 6 #+SETUPFILE: ../../aurellem/org/setup.org
rlm@43 7 #+INCLUDE: ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org
rlm@43 8 #+babel: :mkdirp yes :noweb yes :exports both
rlm@43 9
rlm@42 10 * Ideas
rlm@42 11
rlm@43 12 This is a list of all the ideas I've had that I felt like writing down
rlm@43 13 for the past ~ 7 years. Some of them could be practical inventions and
rlm@47 14 are "just" waiting the that 95% perspiration to bring them to
rlm@47 15 fruition, some are ideas for science fiction, and some are simple
rlm@48 16 observations. Some are really only for my own personal notes and are
rlm@48 17 not meant to be comprehensible. They are arranged roughly in reverse
rlm@48 18 chronological order, with the most recent ideas at the top of the
rlm@48 19 list. The ones at the bottom of the list are heavily influenced by my
rlm@48 20 time at MIT.
rlm@43 21
rlm@43 22 If you find some of these interesting and would like to collaborate on
rlm@43 23 them with me or discuss them in more detail, I'd love to hear from
rlm@43 24 you. You can email me at ideas@aurellem.org.
rlm@43 25
rlm@52 26 If you want to use one of these ideas as your own and run with it,
rlm@52 27 please feel free. I'd love to hear about it if you do.
rlm@52 28
rlm@51 29 /There's no end to what a man can accomplish if he doesn't care about
rlm@51 30 getting credit/
rlm@51 31
rlm@50 32 - image compression :: use a library like gimp or opencv to process an
rlm@50 33 image to make it have less entropy, then store the reverse of
rlm@50 34 those operations along with the compressed simpler image as a
rlm@50 35 super-compressed image file (possibly sccapting some
rlm@50 36 lesses). Trades file size for decompression time, and allows one
rlm@50 37 to cheat by using information in gimp/opencv to compress the
rlm@50 38 image.
rlm@50 39
rlm@47 40 - fixed cryopreservation :: why not use a fixative to buy enough time
rlm@42 41 to ramp up cryoprotectants to an acceptable level at room
rlm@42 42 temperature? Then, the whole system can be rapidly cooled and
rlm@42 43 vitrified. This method "severs the biological link" in that the
rlm@47 44 fixatives are highly toxic, but current vitrification procedures
rlm@42 45 do this anyway since there can be a lot of freezing damage.
rlm@38 46
rlm@40 47 - bitcoin wallet :: Part of "server culture", this would be something
rlm@40 48 like "coin.your-domain.com" which would serve as
rlm@40 49 your personal trusted access to your own bitcoins
rlm@40 50 from anywhere.
rlm@40 51
rlm@40 52 - libpay :: this would be a free library which would enable
rlm@40 53 micro-donations to software projects and other projects,
rlm@47 54 so that you could donate a penny to "emacs" and it would
rlm@47 55 be automatically split up to every person who has ever
rlm@40 56 contributed to emacs in proportion to the amount of
rlm@40 57 community esteem, code quantity, bugs fixed, whatever the
rlm@47 58 community decides. This might make it possible for
rlm@40 59 programmers to live entirely off of free programming.
rlm@40 60
rlm@45 61 - distributed graphics :: Browser based graphics-card accelerated
rlm@45 62 distributed computing API.
rlm@41 63
rlm@40 64 - pronouns :: use capital letters A-Z instead of pronouns. They solve
rlm@40 65 pronoun referents and gender neutrality, are short to
rlm@40 66 say, and you can encode useful information into the
rlm@40 67 choice of letter. For example, instead of "Meetings
rlm@40 68 shall be presided over by the president, unless she is
rlm@42 69 absent." USE "Meetings shall be presided over by the
rlm@40 70 president, unless P is absent." We already use this a
rlm@40 71 little, since I and U are reserved for the subject and
rlm@40 72 object respectively.
rlm@40 73
rlm@40 74 - phone DSP :: software app that inserts an audio DSP between the
rlm@40 75 input to a phone and the output. The DSP is delicious
rlm@40 76 and configurable, and can allow men to make their
rlm@40 77 voices deeper, etc. The app would allow you to hear
rlm@40 78 your own voice as others hear it. Most people hate how
rlm@40 79 their own voice sounds. The app would also allow one to
rlm@47 80 immediately change the parameters of the DSP using good
rlm@40 81 presets.
rlm@40 82
rlm@47 83 - predestined body learning :: a good example of predestined learning
rlm@40 84 might be the mirror neurons.
rlm@40 85
rlm@47 86 - restaurant receipt :: use a carbon copy receipt instead of two stupid
rlm@40 87 copies.
rlm@40 88
rlm@41 89 - anti google glass :: glasses with mounted lasers and computer vision
rlm@41 90 that targets the cameras in google glass and destroy them.
rlm@41 91
rlm@40 92 - wearable towel :: towel with clasp, velcro, whatever, that allows
rlm@40 93 one to wear the towel more securely than just
rlm@40 94 wrapping it tightly and hoping for the best.
rlm@40 95
rlm@47 96 - crossdressing :: Easiest way to disguise oneself as a woman is to
rlm@44 97 wear a burka.
rlm@41 98
rlm@40 99 - book-mode :: intelligent color highlighting for books and
rlm@40 100 articles. It would disambiguate pronouns and involved
rlm@40 101 references. For example, if "Rachael" as red, and "the
rlm@40 102 blonde haired girl" refers to "Rachael", then "the
rlm@40 103 blonde haired girl" would he colored red. Also, you
rlm@47 104 could disambiguate multi part run-on sentences by
rlm@40 105 highlighting each subcomponent. Maybe would also have
rlm@47 106 applications to scientific reading.
rlm@40 107
rlm@40 108 - Handheld light Rain measurement :: this would be a clear, teflon
rlm@47 109 coated plastic disk with a camera underneath the disk. You would
rlm@40 110 be able to hold the device out and it would measure the rate of
rlm@40 111 accumulation of water droplets from fine mists and light rain by
rlm@40 112 using computer vision to measure the diameters of the drops.
rlm@40 113
rlm@40 114 - Big Brother Farming :: This would be a vision system that would
rlm@40 115 individually monitor each plant and turn on water, etc to ensure
rlm@40 116 maximum/uniform growth for each plant.
rlm@40 117
rlm@40 118 - Discrete Faucet :: A faucet with discrete ticks instead of
rlm@47 119 continuous.
rlm@40 120
rlm@40 121 - Laser Circle :: take a glass microfiliment and shine a laser at one
rlm@40 122 end at an oblique angle. It will make a perfect,
rlm@40 123 large circle on the wall, converting a laser beam
rlm@47 124 into a laser cone, preserving most of the energy of
rlm@40 125 the laser.
rlm@40 126
rlm@40 127 - Invisible Glass :: Take a container of liquid and embed a
rlm@40 128 glass sculpture made out of glass that has exactly the same index
rlm@40 129 of refraction and color of the liquid. Then the sculpture will be
rlm@40 130 totally invisible in the container, and will only be revealed
rlm@40 131 when the liquid is drained. The container might be a fancy
rlm@40 132 wine/spirit bottle or an hourglass.
rlm@40 133
rlm@47 134 - Caterpillar people :: A race of caterpillar like creatures gains
rlm@40 135 intelligence after eons of predation by birds, etc. These
rlm@47 136 caterpillar creatures still undergo metamorphosis into a large
rlm@40 137 butterfly-like creature. The metamorphosis process turns the
rlm@40 138 caterpillar's brain into mush and reforms it into a minimal,
rlm@40 139 dumb, truly insect-like mind, completely destroying the person
rlm@47 140 the caterpillar was. The society develops all sorts of customs and
rlm@40 141 religious interpretations of the metamorphosis. It is viewed as
rlm@40 142 good and natural by some since it is part of their life cycle and
rlm@47 143 necessary to propagate the species, as only the butterflies can
rlm@40 144 mate. Some think that the butterflies are still the same person
rlm@47 145 because they have the same soul, even they no longer posses the
rlm@47 146 memories or personality of the original caterpillar. Some see the
rlm@40 147 butterfly form as the "true form" of the species, since the
rlm@40 148 butterflies can fly, mate, and are beautiful. Many make a big
rlm@47 149 deal out of the fact that 1-2% of the caterpillar's mind is
rlm@40 150 actually preserved in the butterfly. Some see it as a terrible
rlm@47 151 tragedy and argue that the caterpillars should try to stop the
rlm@40 152 metamorphosis by technology. Practically, some very important
rlm@40 153 members of society undergo hormone therapy and/or surgery to
rlm@40 154 prevent metamorphosis so that they can live longer as themselves.
rlm@40 155
rlm@40 156 This is a continuation of Marvin Minsky's ideas about pain being
rlm@40 157 something that preserves our bodies while destroying our minds,
rlm@40 158 something that is a remnant from our too harsh animal days that
rlm@40 159 hasn't caught up to the fact that we have very complex brains
rlm@40 160 now. It's a worst-case scenario about a maladaptive genetic
rlm@40 161 legacy. Also, it's inspired by "There She Is!!!", which makes a
rlm@40 162 compelling point about homosexuality by introducing a second
rlm@40 163 gender characteristic (bunny/cat, male/female), which makes
rlm@40 164 homophobia look very silly. Here, our own biological legacy of
rlm@47 165 pain and death is made to look like the tragedy it is through the
rlm@47 166 lens of the the caterpillar people.
rlm@40 167
rlm@46 168 - relationships as a business :: [[http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Up-or-Out-Solving-the-IT-Turnover-Crisis.aspx][Turnover-Crisis]] is an excellent talk
rlm@46 169 about the "culture of quitting," which is about better business
rlm@46 170 by letting people go instead of keeping them around past their
rlm@47 171 "apex". Focuses on information transfer. Cool idea of an alumni
rlm@46 172 network, which for relationships would be a group of satisfied
rlm@46 173 ex-lovers, who would recommend new people your way, and who might
rlm@46 174 consider coming to you again, refreshed from their time away with
rlm@46 175 new stories/experiences. I should look for examples of this and
rlm@46 176 how they worked out.
rlm@43 177
rlm@47 178 - coffee with tea :: /rlm-tea/ contains 2% sugar, 10% cream, and 20%
rlm@43 179 dylan coffee. /dylan coffee/ contains 5% sugar,
rlm@43 180 20% cream, and 10% rlm-tea. Start your mornings
rlm@43 181 with recursion!
rlm@43 182
rlm@43 183 - psychic crystal :: in a science fiction story, this would be an
rlm@43 184 object that is very easy to move physically but is extremely
rlm@43 185 difficult to move with telekinesis.
rlm@43 186
rlm@40 187 - http://betsofbitco.in/ :: what a great place for an AI/person to
rlm@40 188 prove themselves as a good predictor. I wish this could be
rlm@40 189 automated.
rlm@40 190
rlm@44 191 - true reflection :: don't forget about that mirror in the student
rlm@44 192 center!, it's two mirrors at right angles, like staring at a
rlm@44 193 corner of a room. The light reflects so that it shows you what
rlm@44 194 you actually look like, instead of your mirror image.
rlm@33 195
rlm@33 196 - remote control wasp :: use computer to drive wings with remote
rlm@32 197 power/logic.
rlm@32 198
rlm@47 199 - encrypted email phone book :: public (distributed?) database of
rlm@44 200 email->private-key pairs, to enable automatic encryption.
rlm@32 201
rlm@44 202 - universal eye color :: every equivalent creature will see each
rlm@44 203 others' eyes as black -- it's universal. Even if the creatures
rlm@44 204 see in radio waves, and their eyes are 2m long pieces of jagged
rlm@44 205 metal, when those creatures look at each other, they will see
rlm@44 206 black, the absence of light and color (since it's being absorbed
rlm@44 207 by the sensor array).
rlm@32 208
rlm@33 209 - intelligent microwave :: it learns where the hot nodes of its fields
rlm@32 210 are, and uses them to evenly heat any food item. It has an infared
rlm@32 211 camera or something to keep track of how hot the food is. That way,
rlm@32 212 you don't get bowls where the edges are boiling, while the center is
rlm@32 213 still frozen. Requires a little bit of intelligence/vision, since
rlm@32 214 the exact pattern of heating totally depends on the exact shape of
rlm@47 215 the food. Wouldn't need a carousel, and wouldn't need a timer,
rlm@47 216 just a desired temperature. Could also detect ice, and automatically
rlm@32 217 defrost the parts which are frozen. Might be able to work much
rlm@47 218 faster since it can avoid overheating; might have problems with
rlm@32 219 heating the insides of thick things, might need a weight sensor too.
rlm@32 220
rlm@39 221 + Would be much cleaner than other microwaves, since food would
rlm@39 222 "sputter" and splash liquid much less.
rlm@32 223
rlm@39 224 + Throw in some SIFT+R processing to match previously cooked foods
rlm@39 225 and learn the exact heating profiles for things that have been
rlm@54 226 cooked before -- it can get faster the more it's used.
rlm@32 227
rlm@47 228 - compression :: brain-aware image compression algorithm
rlm@32 229
rlm@44 230 - Credit card proxy :: would be a company which works like paypal
rlm@44 231 except for real world transactions
rlm@32 232
rlm@33 233 - Flesh pillow :: a pillow like the arm or torso of a human, complete
rlm@33 234 with simulated temperature, bones, and heartbeat.
rlm@33 235
rlm@47 236 - super screw :: a screw which has only one or two threads and instead
rlm@47 237 uses compression to fit into a hole (the whole shank
rlm@33 238 of the screw is split into multiple pieces to
rlm@33 239 accomplish this; the tip is a point, then the middle
rlm@33 240 bulges out and gets compressed when screwed in.
rlm@33 241
rlm@47 242 - light filter :: (like light tweezers) to mechanically separate
rlm@33 243 fluids with different index of refraction
rlm@33 244
rlm@33 245 - chalk eraser project :: maybe make a directional eraser, for easy
rlm@33 246 release of chalk dust, like fur, and how it likes to rest in a
rlm@33 247 certain direction.
rlm@33 248
rlm@44 249 - silver socks :: socks laced with silver for the antimicrobial
rlm@44 250 properties.
rlm@32 251
rlm@53 252 - UROP :: magnet gear/metal teeth tape
rlm@53 253
rlm@53 254 - rod of moses :: device to distill urine through evaporation and
rlm@53 255 easily dispose of urea crystals for use in desert --
rlm@53 256 produce drinkable water.
rlm@32 257
rlm@47 258 - UROP :: Make the LED in line with the flow for the micro injector, so
rlm@44 259 that it may transmit maximum flow. Motor that changes
rlm@44 260 distance of internal magnet from windings depending on
rlm@44 261 desired speed so as to obtain maximum power efficiency.
rlm@32 262
rlm@47 263 - lottery scraper :: web scraper which monitors various lotteries,
rlm@44 264 looking for "special" gimmick changes in the rules (like 4x
rlm@44 265 winnings on Wednesdays) and computes expected value...
rlm@34 266
rlm@34 267 - Memristiors novel design :: make an evolutionary algorithm to make
rlm@34 268 old stuff using all four basic circuit elements.
rlm@34 269
rlm@44 270 - Conductive concrete :: concrete that has embedded metal fibers so
rlm@44 271 that it can conduct electricity.
rlm@34 272
rlm@44 273 - little bitty melting pot :: might be useful for some types of
rlm@44 274 manufacturing/3D printing -- how small can an induction melter be
rlm@44 275 made, for example.
rlm@34 276
rlm@44 277 - power strip/timer programmable combination :: meh
rlm@34 278
rlm@47 279 - algorithms :: which learn what their inputs are and in what order,
rlm@44 280 and can adapt to changing circumstances -- they
rlm@44 281 remember previous arguments and adapt so as to respond
rlm@44 282 to different connections.
rlm@34 283
rlm@47 284 - true pure tones :: hear a true pure tone by direct stimulation of the
rlm@44 285 nerves of the ear
rlm@43 286
rlm@43 287 - mechanical analogue to the electrical op-amp :: would be an object
rlm@43 288 with two levers -- you pull on one lever and the other moves the
rlm@43 289 same way, no matter what's in the way or what it is driving. This
rlm@47 290 analogy could be useful to teach op amps to people.
rlm@34 291
rlm@47 292 - paper folding device :: make it convenient to fold lots of papers in
rlm@34 293 various ways.
rlm@34 294
rlm@34 295 - concrete epoxy :: epoxy with sand/ some other solid material.
rlm@34 296
rlm@47 297 - light capacitor :: suspend some ball of material with a high index
rlm@43 298 of refraction and shine light into it so it gets stuck -- would
rlm@43 299 the light stay trapped forever? Could you build up unlimited
rlm@43 300 quantities of light inside the sphere (which could then be
rlm@43 301 released slowly by frustrated internal reflection?
rlm@34 302
rlm@40 303 - movie screening :: Movies always are too long at first. One way to
rlm@34 304 shorten them ``scientifically" is to record blink rate during the
rlm@34 305 move and then remove / shorten the frames of the parts in which
rlm@34 306 there are a lot of blinking (average this over multiple people)
rlm@34 307 better yet, put it online and do it across thousands of people. I
rlm@34 308 got this from youtube in which there is an episode of kill bill
rlm@47 309 which is composed entirely of the parts in which people had their
rlm@34 310 eyes closed. slogan: want to make a movie people can't take their
rlm@34 311 eyes off of? Just take those parts out!
rlm@34 312
rlm@47 313 - optimize an article :: capture reading of a scientific article via
rlm@44 314 screen capture while people read it, then use it to make the
rlm@44 315 article better. like the movie-pruning idea.
rlm@35 316
rlm@44 317 - super reading program :: teaches people the ideal mental mask to
rlm@44 318 apply during reading so as to read very fast.
rlm@35 319
rlm@44 320 - explosive thermite epoxy putty :: one part would contain the rust,
rlm@47 321 one part the aluminum.
rlm@34 322
rlm@44 323 - reading comprehension :: use the above screen capture routine to
rlm@44 324 make a quiz program that constructs questions about the content
rlm@44 325 you seemed to gloss over while reading. could be easy if the pdf
rlm@44 326 came with embedded questions. Dylan: automatically generate
rlm@44 327 word-cloud about the parts you found most interesting; help
rlm@44 328 others who read the same stuff by drawing attention to the
rlm@44 329 interesting parts.
rlm@34 330
rlm@44 331 - hard sword :: make a samurai sword, but use osmiridum instead of
rlm@44 332 martensite for the cutting part; it should be a better
rlm@44 333 sword.
rlm@32 334
rlm@44 335 - close range wireless :: use the induction technology used to
rlm@44 336 recharge electric toothbrushes with no metal links to send data
rlm@44 337 without any metal at all!
rlm@32 338
rlm@44 339 - reading :: is a form of synsethesia
rlm@32 340
rlm@44 341 - DNA printer :: A machine which translates the text eg, "ACTGAC" into
rlm@44 342 actual DNA
rlm@32 343
rlm@44 344 - black generator :: ferro-fluid magnetic field suspended micro
rlm@44 345 generator to make electricity
rlm@32 346
rlm@44 347 - alcohol battery :: alcohol/fluid flow powered battery
rlm@32 348
rlm@44 349 - folding razor blade sword ::
rlm@32 350
rlm@44 351 - perfect pitch :: learn perfect pitch using another sense in
rlm@44 352 combination (sight or touch)
rlm@32 353
rlm@44 354 - kaleidoscope projector ::
rlm@32 355
rlm@44 356 - razor blade de-sharpener :: for guilt free disposal
rlm@32 357
rlm@44 358 - bricks :: filled with luminescent plant material
rlm@32 359
rlm@47 360 - bio metallic structure :: metal grids with seeds inside, which grow
rlm@44 361 together and form a durable biological matrix. The metal
rlm@44 362 substrate delivers water. (maybe use plastic instead of metal?)
rlm@44 363 Dylan: enrich plants with inorganic compounds; electrical
rlm@44 364 interfaces in cellular plant matter => remote-controlled
rlm@44 365 photosynthetic/bioluminescent structures.
rlm@32 366
rlm@44 367 - conducting extracellular matrix :: to allow better control of
rlm@44 368 organic systems and an enhanced nervous system.
rlm@32 369
rlm@44 370 - cross-modal memory hashing :: a way to retrieve memories more
rlm@44 371 robustly.
rlm@32 372
rlm@47 373 - flossing thimble-guards :: (these actually exist)
rlm@32 374
rlm@44 375 - rules + lattice learning :: integrate lattice learning with rules by
rlm@44 376 generating hypothetical examples
rlm@32 377
rlm@47 378 - wooden refrigerator :: to give food a better taste Dylan: like
rlm@44 379 barrels for wine, or planks for salmon. Maybe just have "flavor
rlm@44 380 planks" for your pre-existing fridge. Need to mitigate effect of
rlm@44 381 temperature on volatility?
rlm@32 382
rlm@35 383 - radioactive transmutation molecule by molecule :: create precious
rlm@35 384 metals or something else economically advantageous.
rlm@32 385
rlm@47 386 - crowd preservation :: inoculate food with tons of harmless
rlm@44 387 bacteria so that there's no room for bad bacteria as a method of
rlm@44 388 preservation
rlm@32 389
rlm@47 390 - old school preservation :: Pasteur - style holding jar with siphon
rlm@47 391 as a way to store liquids at room temperature indefinitely w/o
rlm@47 392 refrigeration.
rlm@32 393
rlm@47 394 - restaurant policy :: Throw rude people out of restaurant as a matter
rlm@44 395 of course -- make ambiance much better.
rlm@32 396
rlm@47 397 - clean windows :: make something that mixes soap with fire hydrant
rlm@44 398 water (and reduces the pressure a bit) and use it
rlm@44 399 to clean windows of buildings.
rlm@32 400
rlm@44 401 - ocarina :: make an ocarina out of pure silver
rlm@32 402
rlm@35 403 - fire pen :: pen which burns words on to the page, thus never needing
rlm@47 404 any ink. Is there a way to make it runnable from the
rlm@35 405 human's energy?
rlm@32 406
rlm@44 407 - website to design your own soda :: and label, and have it mailed to
rlm@44 408 you / sell it from your own online store.
rlm@35 409
rlm@44 410 - solar panels :: that float on the ocean
rlm@43 411
rlm@35 412 - handcuffs with more than two cuffs (3?) :: great for daisy chaining
rlm@43 413 people, binding them to environment, etc.
rlm@35 414
rlm@35 415 - vector based SOUND files :: like the pictures but with SOUND. codify
rlm@35 416 sound in a language with enough symbols so that it can describe
rlm@35 417 everything and encode it in that. would be like going from speech
rlm@43 418 to text or smtg. Could also store sound as an image of the
rlm@35 419 wavefront encoded as a vector image.
rlm@32 420
rlm@44 421 - Mouse :: with a horizontal scroll wheel in addition to the vertical
rlm@44 422 scroll wheel
rlm@32 423
rlm@47 424 - logic maintenance system for big institutions :: to make sure the
rlm@44 425 things they are thinking about doing are not retarded
rlm@32 426
rlm@47 427 - http://www.regulations.gov/ :: cool site
rlm@32 428
rlm@44 429 - genetically engineered glowing fruit :: sell seeds?
rlm@32 430
rlm@36 431 - memory slide :: IF memories are encoded using particular sensory
rlm@36 432 impressions, what happens if the sensory organ
rlm@36 433 itself changes? those memories would become
rlm@47 434 inaccessible. maybe this is why we can't remember
rlm@36 435 much from our childhoods. also, could this happen
rlm@47 436 throughout life as well? Could S remember stuff from
rlm@36 437 his childhood?
rlm@32 438
rlm@47 439 - make a completely indestructible phone :: no moving parts or display
rlm@36 440 you should be able to slam it around all you want, and it will
rlm@36 441 just work. brutally simple. aerogel around the battery, minimal
rlm@36 442 interface - never gets too hot, and can be dropped into water. no
rlm@36 443 holes -- uses field effects for everything from the buttons to
rlm@36 444 inductive charging and data transfer.
rlm@32 445
rlm@44 446 - midi to ocarina "tabs" program :: (online website? buy ocarinas from
rlm@44 447 it too)
rlm@32 448
rlm@44 449 - 3d printing with sound pulses (or just patterns) :: like the 8.03
rlm@44 450 lecture
rlm@32 451
rlm@40 452 - lighter flint on spring :: make hot, throw it at something, and it
rlm@40 453 makes sparkles!
rlm@32 454
rlm@44 455 - nuclear energy :: Rebranding New+Clear Energy with informational
rlm@44 456 campaign and public debate forum to enforce its
rlm@44 457 transparent and open nature. France needn't be the
rlm@44 458 world leader in nuclear energy. (Dylan)
rlm@32 459
rlm@44 460 - bubbles :: Engineer a material which has both ductility and high
rlm@44 461 surface tension to make the "third"
rlm@44 462 minimal-surface-energy solution to a bubble suspended
rlm@44 463 between two equal-diameter rings. (Solutions are
rlm@44 464 cylindrical catenary curve, two separated half-bubbles,
rlm@44 465 and a double-cone)
rlm@38 466
rlm@38 467 - Textbook whose content can be varied continuously :: alter level of
rlm@38 468 difficulty, rigor, diction, emphasize crossover with certain
rlm@38 469 other discipline, etc. Content generated dynamically from
rlm@38 470 knowledge base, along with questions that are moreover altered to
rlm@38 471 guide knowledge acquisition. Motivation: One book of
rlm@40 472 knowledge. /One./
rlm@40 473
rlm@40 474
rlm@40 475 ** From Jacob's idea list
rlm@40 476
rlm@47 477 - Roommate-canceling headphones: uses roommate's laptop mic to seed
rlm@43 478 noise cancellation alg in your headphones (would this
rlm@40 479 work?). -Update on sound canceling headphones that take feed from
rlm@40 480 tv: how about ones that cancel people talking on the phone by
rlm@40 481 receiving the phone signals and playing inverse sound
rlm@40 482 waves. #signalprocessing ~jcole@mit.edu
rlm@40 483
rlm@40 484 - ClackerAlert -- tells if you slam the keys too hard using sound data
rlm@40 485 (and speed/jerkiness data)!.Prevents RSI ~jcole@mit.e
rlm@40 486
rlm@40 487 - Panic Pin :: separate pin that you can tell someone if forced to
rlm@41 488 identify your PIN (idea from idea about credit cards)