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chemical brain preservation validation.
author rlm
date Thu, 19 Dec 2013 00:52:39 -0500
parents e5b15fbbd44f
children f6a551af68ff
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@62 29 #+begin_quote
rlm@62 30 There's no end to what a man can accomplish if he doesn't care about
rlm@62 31 getting credit.
rlm@62 32 #+end_quote
rlm@62 33
rlm@77 34 - validate chemopreservation :: chemopreservation is difficult to
rlm@77 35 validate because it destroys the functionality of a brain, and
rlm@77 36 brain simulation will take a long time to mature as a
rlm@77 37 technology. However, one very powerful way to validate
rlm@77 38 chemopreservation would be to have a person/animal learn
rlm@77 39 something with high complexity such as a number or the solution
rlm@77 40 to a maze, or a flashbulb memory. Then you perserve their brain
rlm@77 41 chemically, slice it up, and reat /that specific memory/ from the
rlm@77 42 detailed brain scan. Much more difficult, but much more doable.
rlm@77 43
rlm@75 44 - candy screw :: edible candy screw with candy nuts that you can screw
rlm@75 45 as well.
rlm@76 46
rlm@74 47 - better bibliography :: when writing a thesis or paper, have the
rlm@74 48 biblography not just be an opaque list of resources, but have it
rlm@74 49 be a list of /summaries/ and /qualities/ that each paper has in
rlm@74 50 the context of the paper being written. When examaning a
rlm@74 51 biblography, I want to know if reading the papers in the
rlm@74 52 bibliography are worth my time, and I also am probably also
rlm@74 53 interested in exactly the things that are being discussed in the
rlm@74 54 paper I'm reading. The bibliography is the perfect place to
rlm@74 55 provide information about the referenced papers from the
rlm@74 56 author's perspective. I will use this biblographic form in my own
rlm@74 57 thesis.
rlm@74 58
rlm@73 59 - digital inter-library loan :: libraries at universities already do
rlm@73 60 interlibrary loans for books, so why not do the same for access
rlm@73 61 to stupid paywalled digital papers? All the universities could
rlm@73 62 allow access to articles for registered students to all the files
rlm@73 63 available through any participating university. This could be
rlm@73 64 achieved by sending requests through proxies at participating
rlm@73 65 universities. Each university would decide who at the university
rlm@73 66 can access the proxy network. Access to the proxy network could
rlm@73 67 be made easy using something like http://libx.org/.
rlm@73 68
rlm@72 69 - chess visual :: to show the vast size of the game trees considered
rlm@72 70 by computers, show two people playing chess in a
rlm@72 71 void. They are floating in space, and there is a
rlm@72 72 simple chess board between them. Then, as they play,
rlm@72 73 the game tree's they are considering are drawn
rlm@72 74 behind him. The root of the tree starts centered in
rlm@72 75 their heads or whatever they use to think, and the
rlm@72 76 tree grows out from behind, never crossing the
rlm@72 77 dividing plane between the two players. Each
rlm@72 78 player's tree is a different color. As they grow,
rlm@72 79 there are animations for pruning, etc. Eventually,
rlm@72 80 they look like the hemispheres of a brain, wings,
rlm@72 81 etc. A human's tree might occasionally have a long
rlm@72 82 chain, while the computer tree would be more
rlm@72 83 uniform. You could compare deep blue and a modern
rlm@72 84 laptop. Use actual data when fighting two computers!
rlm@72 85
rlm@71 86 - time verification :: some standard way to verify that some piece of
rlm@71 87 data was recorded at a specific time. Might involve a time
rlm@73 88 server, a key for each time period, something like that.
rlm@71 89
rlm@70 90 - tamper proof gold bars :: [[http://www.tungsten-alloy.com/gold-plated-tungsten-alloy-bar.html][this site]] offers gold plated tungsten bars
rlm@70 91 as "novelty" items. One reason to prefer coins is because they
rlm@70 92 are much harder to counterfeit because there is less surface area
rlm@70 93 to mass ratio. However, gold bars are still a great design
rlm@70 94 because they can hold a lot of value in a small space. A gold bar
rlm@70 95 could be given the same protections (and more) that gold coins
rlm@70 96 have to offer by changing it into a "gold book", which would have
rlm@70 97 hundreds of "pages" of gold bound together. This could be
rlm@70 98 implemented with multiple steel rods going through the book which
rlm@70 99 can be removed, or some more classier mechanism for holding the
rlm@70 100 pages. The point is that the bar can be EASILY subdivided (and
rlm@70 101 people would perform this test before buying), thus guaranteeing
rlm@70 102 it's authenticity.
rlm@70 103
rlm@68 104 - aurellem shirt :: I should make an aurellem star symbol tee-shirt.
rlm@68 105
rlm@67 106 - high school science :: this is a lesson in scientific ethics. The
rlm@67 107 goal is to calculate /g/, the local gravitational
rlm@67 108 acceleration. The students are told that the textbook says it's
rlm@67 109 /exactly/ 9.81 before they start the experiment. See how they
rlm@67 110 doctor their results to get closer to the textbook value. It's
rlm@67 111 neat because for any given school, /g/ is probably *not* exactly
rlm@67 112 equal to 9.81, because that is just an average!
rlm@67 113
rlm@67 114 - opencourseware subtitles :: there are ladies who type up lectures
rlm@67 115 while they are being given. These recordings should be kept and
rlm@67 116 given to OCW for subtitles. If the timestamps of keys are
rlm@67 117 recorded, then it is easy to make subtitles.
rlm@67 118
rlm@66 119 - screen locking timing :: you use your computer camera to see if you
rlm@66 120 are sitting in front of the computer. If you are, then the screen
rlm@66 121 will never lock. If you are, then the screen will lock with a
rlm@67 122 30-40 second timeout. It's an extension of using inactivity to
rlm@66 123 initiate the countdown, just with more information.
rlm@66 124
rlm@66 125 - mirror toilet :: a toilet with a square basin made or mirror instead
rlm@67 126 or porcelain. That way, you can see how good of a
rlm@66 127 wipe job you have done / watch how your excretion
rlm@66 128 system works.
rlm@66 129
rlm@62 130 - test dummies :: why don't we clone encephalic humans and use then to
rlm@62 131 test /in vivo/ human organ systems and drugs? It
rlm@62 132 would be ethical as long as there are women who are
rlm@62 133 willing to host the clones, and it would be a
rlm@67 134 tremendous resource for studying the human body. I
rlm@62 135 see nothing wrong with it morally, since no one is
rlm@67 136 suffering, and it stands to save many lives throughout
rlm@62 137 more advanced technology.
rlm@62 138
rlm@62 139 - X-ray telepresence :: given that a doctor is operating on a patient
rlm@62 140 via telepresence, one cool things you can do is shine X-rays into
rlm@62 141 the patient to view the insides during real time. If the system
rlm@67 142 was coupled with a Baysean model of the layout of the structure,
rlm@67 143 and the x-rays were only fired whenever the uncertainty of the
rlm@62 144 model reached a certain threshold, then the radiation damage
rlm@62 145 and surgery risk could be minimized.
rlm@62 146
rlm@62 147 - superfluid vascular system :: I wonder what would happen if you
rlm@62 148 replaced the blood in a human with a superfluid. What would the
rlm@62 149 physical dynamics be? Would the superfluid flow through the
rlm@62 150 vasculature, or would it ignore it and travel through the cells,
rlm@62 151 or something else entirely. Since superfluids need to be cold to
rlm@62 152 retain their superfluidity, how would the dynamics change during
rlm@62 153 perfusion of a superfluid, where the fluid gains and looses
rlm@62 154 superfluidity as it goes deeper into the body and is cooled by
rlm@67 155 superfluid from upstream. In summary there are two things to
rlm@62 156 simulate 1.) replace all blood in human with superfluid
rlm@62 157 instantly. 2.) perfuse superfluid into human.
rlm@51 158
rlm@59 159 - projective guessing :: I think that we read and see things by
rlm@67 160 making a really good guess about what we're expecting to see,
rlm@59 161 and then searching for our guess in what we see. If it really
rlm@59 162 doesn't match, then we start to make more guesses / analyze the
rlm@59 163 image from first principles, but most stuff is projective
rlm@59 164 guessing.
rlm@59 165
rlm@67 166 - Intestinal flora maintenance :: why not inoculate babies at birth
rlm@59 167 with "ideal" gut flora instead of whatever bullshit they
rlm@59 168 naturally get, thus giving them optimal digestive/nutrient
rlm@67 169 extraction capabilities. Might also be able to make their farts
rlm@59 170 not stink for life, too.
rlm@59 171
rlm@56 172 - server culture : mirrors :: make a distributed system where people
rlm@56 173 can mirror the websites of people they like -- essentially cover
rlm@56 174 the server costs of favored websites. This could make popular
rlm@56 175 websites run at no cost. The system would require that the
rlm@56 176 mirrored content be the same as the official source. Sort of like
rlm@67 177 bit-torrent for websites.
rlm@56 178
rlm@56 179 - map programming :: one problem with functional programming is that
rlm@56 180 in order to remain functional, you have to pass up arguments up
rlm@67 181 into each calling function to get the full range of behavior
rlm@56 182 from the lower level functions. Normally people come to a
rlm@67 183 compromise involving abstraction and sparing use of dynamic
rlm@67 184 variables to configure runtime behavior. What would be the
rlm@56 185 advantages of making a programming language where every function
rlm@67 186 receives one argument, a map, which contains all the symbol
rlm@56 187 bindings it would ever need? This map is passed on to all
rlm@56 188 subordinate functions. This way, you could replace functions on
rlm@56 189 the fly, and arrange for there to be sensible defaults,
rlm@56 190 etc. Might cause more harm than good but is an interesting idea.
rlm@56 191
rlm@55 192 - rest nest :: a small EEG device you would attach to your head when
rlm@55 193 you go to sleep at night. ML algorithms would determine
rlm@55 194 your particular sleep cycles. This would mostly be an
rlm@55 195 alarm clock that you could give a time range, say
rlm@55 196 7:00AM - 7:15AM, and it would wake you up during an
rlm@55 197 ideal time corresponding to then end of one of your 90
rlm@55 198 min sleep cycles. You would feel much more rested upon
rlm@55 199 waking up, and would wake up faster. There might be
rlm@55 200 some other uses for the EEG data as well.
rlm@55 201
rlm@50 202 - image compression :: use a library like gimp or opencv to process an
rlm@50 203 image to make it have less entropy, then store the reverse of
rlm@50 204 those operations along with the compressed simpler image as a
rlm@50 205 super-compressed image file (possibly sccapting some
rlm@50 206 lesses). Trades file size for decompression time, and allows one
rlm@50 207 to cheat by using information in gimp/opencv to compress the
rlm@50 208 image.
rlm@50 209
rlm@47 210 - fixed cryopreservation :: why not use a fixative to buy enough time
rlm@42 211 to ramp up cryoprotectants to an acceptable level at room
rlm@42 212 temperature? Then, the whole system can be rapidly cooled and
rlm@42 213 vitrified. This method "severs the biological link" in that the
rlm@47 214 fixatives are highly toxic, but current vitrification procedures
rlm@42 215 do this anyway since there can be a lot of freezing damage.
rlm@38 216
rlm@67 217 - dilated security camera :: a security camera that would capture
rlm@58 218 full video footage of everything at 60fps but then decide to keep
rlm@58 219 only every 1 frame every 5 seconds unless there's something
rlm@58 220 "interesting" happening.
rlm@58 221
rlm@40 222 - bitcoin wallet :: Part of "server culture", this would be something
rlm@40 223 like "coin.your-domain.com" which would serve as
rlm@40 224 your personal trusted access to your own bitcoins
rlm@40 225 from anywhere.
rlm@40 226
rlm@40 227 - libpay :: this would be a free library which would enable
rlm@40 228 micro-donations to software projects and other projects,
rlm@47 229 so that you could donate a penny to "emacs" and it would
rlm@47 230 be automatically split up to every person who has ever
rlm@40 231 contributed to emacs in proportion to the amount of
rlm@40 232 community esteem, code quantity, bugs fixed, whatever the
rlm@47 233 community decides. This might make it possible for
rlm@40 234 programmers to live entirely off of free programming.
rlm@40 235
rlm@45 236 - distributed graphics :: Browser based graphics-card accelerated
rlm@45 237 distributed computing API.
rlm@41 238
rlm@40 239 - pronouns :: use capital letters A-Z instead of pronouns. They solve
rlm@40 240 pronoun referents and gender neutrality, are short to
rlm@40 241 say, and you can encode useful information into the
rlm@40 242 choice of letter. For example, instead of "Meetings
rlm@40 243 shall be presided over by the president, unless she is
rlm@42 244 absent." USE "Meetings shall be presided over by the
rlm@40 245 president, unless P is absent." We already use this a
rlm@40 246 little, since I and U are reserved for the subject and
rlm@40 247 object respectively.
rlm@40 248
rlm@40 249 - phone DSP :: software app that inserts an audio DSP between the
rlm@40 250 input to a phone and the output. The DSP is delicious
rlm@40 251 and configurable, and can allow men to make their
rlm@40 252 voices deeper, etc. The app would allow you to hear
rlm@40 253 your own voice as others hear it. Most people hate how
rlm@40 254 their own voice sounds. The app would also allow one to
rlm@47 255 immediately change the parameters of the DSP using good
rlm@40 256 presets.
rlm@40 257
rlm@47 258 - predestined body learning :: a good example of predestined learning
rlm@40 259 might be the mirror neurons.
rlm@40 260
rlm@47 261 - restaurant receipt :: use a carbon copy receipt instead of two stupid
rlm@40 262 copies.
rlm@40 263
rlm@41 264 - anti google glass :: glasses with mounted lasers and computer vision
rlm@41 265 that targets the cameras in google glass and destroy them.
rlm@41 266
rlm@40 267 - wearable towel :: towel with clasp, velcro, whatever, that allows
rlm@40 268 one to wear the towel more securely than just
rlm@40 269 wrapping it tightly and hoping for the best.
rlm@40 270
rlm@47 271 - crossdressing :: Easiest way to disguise oneself as a woman is to
rlm@44 272 wear a burka.
rlm@41 273
rlm@40 274 - book-mode :: intelligent color highlighting for books and
rlm@40 275 articles. It would disambiguate pronouns and involved
rlm@40 276 references. For example, if "Rachael" as red, and "the
rlm@40 277 blonde haired girl" refers to "Rachael", then "the
rlm@40 278 blonde haired girl" would he colored red. Also, you
rlm@47 279 could disambiguate multi part run-on sentences by
rlm@40 280 highlighting each subcomponent. Maybe would also have
rlm@47 281 applications to scientific reading.
rlm@40 282
rlm@40 283 - Handheld light Rain measurement :: this would be a clear, teflon
rlm@47 284 coated plastic disk with a camera underneath the disk. You would
rlm@40 285 be able to hold the device out and it would measure the rate of
rlm@40 286 accumulation of water droplets from fine mists and light rain by
rlm@40 287 using computer vision to measure the diameters of the drops.
rlm@40 288
rlm@40 289 - Big Brother Farming :: This would be a vision system that would
rlm@40 290 individually monitor each plant and turn on water, etc to ensure
rlm@40 291 maximum/uniform growth for each plant.
rlm@40 292
rlm@40 293 - Discrete Faucet :: A faucet with discrete ticks instead of
rlm@47 294 continuous.
rlm@40 295
rlm@40 296 - Laser Circle :: take a glass microfiliment and shine a laser at one
rlm@40 297 end at an oblique angle. It will make a perfect,
rlm@40 298 large circle on the wall, converting a laser beam
rlm@47 299 into a laser cone, preserving most of the energy of
rlm@40 300 the laser.
rlm@40 301
rlm@40 302 - Invisible Glass :: Take a container of liquid and embed a
rlm@40 303 glass sculpture made out of glass that has exactly the same index
rlm@40 304 of refraction and color of the liquid. Then the sculpture will be
rlm@40 305 totally invisible in the container, and will only be revealed
rlm@40 306 when the liquid is drained. The container might be a fancy
rlm@40 307 wine/spirit bottle or an hourglass.
rlm@40 308
rlm@47 309 - Caterpillar people :: A race of caterpillar like creatures gains
rlm@40 310 intelligence after eons of predation by birds, etc. These
rlm@47 311 caterpillar creatures still undergo metamorphosis into a large
rlm@40 312 butterfly-like creature. The metamorphosis process turns the
rlm@40 313 caterpillar's brain into mush and reforms it into a minimal,
rlm@40 314 dumb, truly insect-like mind, completely destroying the person
rlm@47 315 the caterpillar was. The society develops all sorts of customs and
rlm@40 316 religious interpretations of the metamorphosis. It is viewed as
rlm@40 317 good and natural by some since it is part of their life cycle and
rlm@47 318 necessary to propagate the species, as only the butterflies can
rlm@40 319 mate. Some think that the butterflies are still the same person
rlm@47 320 because they have the same soul, even they no longer posses the
rlm@47 321 memories or personality of the original caterpillar. Some see the
rlm@40 322 butterfly form as the "true form" of the species, since the
rlm@40 323 butterflies can fly, mate, and are beautiful. Many make a big
rlm@47 324 deal out of the fact that 1-2% of the caterpillar's mind is
rlm@40 325 actually preserved in the butterfly. Some see it as a terrible
rlm@47 326 tragedy and argue that the caterpillars should try to stop the
rlm@40 327 metamorphosis by technology. Practically, some very important
rlm@40 328 members of society undergo hormone therapy and/or surgery to
rlm@40 329 prevent metamorphosis so that they can live longer as themselves.
rlm@40 330
rlm@40 331 This is a continuation of Marvin Minsky's ideas about pain being
rlm@40 332 something that preserves our bodies while destroying our minds,
rlm@40 333 something that is a remnant from our too harsh animal days that
rlm@40 334 hasn't caught up to the fact that we have very complex brains
rlm@40 335 now. It's a worst-case scenario about a maladaptive genetic
rlm@40 336 legacy. Also, it's inspired by "There She Is!!!", which makes a
rlm@40 337 compelling point about homosexuality by introducing a second
rlm@40 338 gender characteristic (bunny/cat, male/female), which makes
rlm@40 339 homophobia look very silly. Here, our own biological legacy of
rlm@47 340 pain and death is made to look like the tragedy it is through the
rlm@47 341 lens of the the caterpillar people.
rlm@40 342
rlm@46 343 - relationships as a business :: [[http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Up-or-Out-Solving-the-IT-Turnover-Crisis.aspx][Turnover-Crisis]] is an excellent talk
rlm@46 344 about the "culture of quitting," which is about better business
rlm@46 345 by letting people go instead of keeping them around past their
rlm@47 346 "apex". Focuses on information transfer. Cool idea of an alumni
rlm@46 347 network, which for relationships would be a group of satisfied
rlm@46 348 ex-lovers, who would recommend new people your way, and who might
rlm@46 349 consider coming to you again, refreshed from their time away with
rlm@46 350 new stories/experiences. I should look for examples of this and
rlm@46 351 how they worked out.
rlm@43 352
rlm@47 353 - coffee with tea :: /rlm-tea/ contains 2% sugar, 10% cream, and 20%
rlm@43 354 dylan coffee. /dylan coffee/ contains 5% sugar,
rlm@43 355 20% cream, and 10% rlm-tea. Start your mornings
rlm@43 356 with recursion!
rlm@43 357
rlm@43 358 - psychic crystal :: in a science fiction story, this would be an
rlm@43 359 object that is very easy to move physically but is extremely
rlm@43 360 difficult to move with telekinesis.
rlm@43 361
rlm@40 362 - http://betsofbitco.in/ :: what a great place for an AI/person to
rlm@40 363 prove themselves as a good predictor. I wish this could be
rlm@40 364 automated.
rlm@40 365
rlm@44 366 - true reflection :: don't forget about that mirror in the student
rlm@44 367 center!, it's two mirrors at right angles, like staring at a
rlm@44 368 corner of a room. The light reflects so that it shows you what
rlm@44 369 you actually look like, instead of your mirror image.
rlm@33 370
rlm@33 371 - remote control wasp :: use computer to drive wings with remote
rlm@32 372 power/logic.
rlm@32 373
rlm@47 374 - encrypted email phone book :: public (distributed?) database of
rlm@44 375 email->private-key pairs, to enable automatic encryption.
rlm@32 376
rlm@44 377 - universal eye color :: every equivalent creature will see each
rlm@44 378 others' eyes as black -- it's universal. Even if the creatures
rlm@44 379 see in radio waves, and their eyes are 2m long pieces of jagged
rlm@44 380 metal, when those creatures look at each other, they will see
rlm@44 381 black, the absence of light and color (since it's being absorbed
rlm@44 382 by the sensor array).
rlm@32 383
rlm@33 384 - intelligent microwave :: it learns where the hot nodes of its fields
rlm@32 385 are, and uses them to evenly heat any food item. It has an infared
rlm@32 386 camera or something to keep track of how hot the food is. That way,
rlm@32 387 you don't get bowls where the edges are boiling, while the center is
rlm@32 388 still frozen. Requires a little bit of intelligence/vision, since
rlm@32 389 the exact pattern of heating totally depends on the exact shape of
rlm@47 390 the food. Wouldn't need a carousel, and wouldn't need a timer,
rlm@47 391 just a desired temperature. Could also detect ice, and automatically
rlm@32 392 defrost the parts which are frozen. Might be able to work much
rlm@47 393 faster since it can avoid overheating; might have problems with
rlm@32 394 heating the insides of thick things, might need a weight sensor too.
rlm@32 395
rlm@39 396 + Would be much cleaner than other microwaves, since food would
rlm@39 397 "sputter" and splash liquid much less.
rlm@32 398
rlm@39 399 + Throw in some SIFT+R processing to match previously cooked foods
rlm@39 400 and learn the exact heating profiles for things that have been
rlm@54 401 cooked before -- it can get faster the more it's used.
rlm@32 402
rlm@47 403 - compression :: brain-aware image compression algorithm
rlm@32 404
rlm@44 405 - Credit card proxy :: would be a company which works like paypal
rlm@44 406 except for real world transactions
rlm@32 407
rlm@33 408 - Flesh pillow :: a pillow like the arm or torso of a human, complete
rlm@33 409 with simulated temperature, bones, and heartbeat.
rlm@33 410
rlm@47 411 - super screw :: a screw which has only one or two threads and instead
rlm@47 412 uses compression to fit into a hole (the whole shank
rlm@33 413 of the screw is split into multiple pieces to
rlm@33 414 accomplish this; the tip is a point, then the middle
rlm@33 415 bulges out and gets compressed when screwed in.
rlm@33 416
rlm@47 417 - light filter :: (like light tweezers) to mechanically separate
rlm@33 418 fluids with different index of refraction
rlm@33 419
rlm@33 420 - chalk eraser project :: maybe make a directional eraser, for easy
rlm@33 421 release of chalk dust, like fur, and how it likes to rest in a
rlm@33 422 certain direction.
rlm@33 423
rlm@44 424 - silver socks :: socks laced with silver for the antimicrobial
rlm@44 425 properties.
rlm@32 426
rlm@53 427 - UROP :: magnet gear/metal teeth tape
rlm@53 428
rlm@53 429 - rod of moses :: device to distill urine through evaporation and
rlm@53 430 easily dispose of urea crystals for use in desert --
rlm@53 431 produce drinkable water.
rlm@32 432
rlm@47 433 - UROP :: Make the LED in line with the flow for the micro injector, so
rlm@44 434 that it may transmit maximum flow. Motor that changes
rlm@44 435 distance of internal magnet from windings depending on
rlm@44 436 desired speed so as to obtain maximum power efficiency.
rlm@32 437
rlm@47 438 - lottery scraper :: web scraper which monitors various lotteries,
rlm@44 439 looking for "special" gimmick changes in the rules (like 4x
rlm@44 440 winnings on Wednesdays) and computes expected value...
rlm@34 441
rlm@34 442 - Memristiors novel design :: make an evolutionary algorithm to make
rlm@34 443 old stuff using all four basic circuit elements.
rlm@34 444
rlm@44 445 - Conductive concrete :: concrete that has embedded metal fibers so
rlm@44 446 that it can conduct electricity.
rlm@34 447
rlm@44 448 - little bitty melting pot :: might be useful for some types of
rlm@44 449 manufacturing/3D printing -- how small can an induction melter be
rlm@44 450 made, for example.
rlm@34 451
rlm@44 452 - power strip/timer programmable combination :: meh
rlm@34 453
rlm@47 454 - algorithms :: which learn what their inputs are and in what order,
rlm@44 455 and can adapt to changing circumstances -- they
rlm@44 456 remember previous arguments and adapt so as to respond
rlm@44 457 to different connections.
rlm@34 458
rlm@47 459 - true pure tones :: hear a true pure tone by direct stimulation of the
rlm@44 460 nerves of the ear
rlm@43 461
rlm@43 462 - mechanical analogue to the electrical op-amp :: would be an object
rlm@43 463 with two levers -- you pull on one lever and the other moves the
rlm@43 464 same way, no matter what's in the way or what it is driving. This
rlm@47 465 analogy could be useful to teach op amps to people.
rlm@34 466
rlm@47 467 - paper folding device :: make it convenient to fold lots of papers in
rlm@34 468 various ways.
rlm@34 469
rlm@34 470 - concrete epoxy :: epoxy with sand/ some other solid material.
rlm@34 471
rlm@47 472 - light capacitor :: suspend some ball of material with a high index
rlm@43 473 of refraction and shine light into it so it gets stuck -- would
rlm@43 474 the light stay trapped forever? Could you build up unlimited
rlm@43 475 quantities of light inside the sphere (which could then be
rlm@43 476 released slowly by frustrated internal reflection?
rlm@34 477
rlm@40 478 - movie screening :: Movies always are too long at first. One way to
rlm@34 479 shorten them ``scientifically" is to record blink rate during the
rlm@34 480 move and then remove / shorten the frames of the parts in which
rlm@34 481 there are a lot of blinking (average this over multiple people)
rlm@34 482 better yet, put it online and do it across thousands of people. I
rlm@34 483 got this from youtube in which there is an episode of kill bill
rlm@47 484 which is composed entirely of the parts in which people had their
rlm@34 485 eyes closed. slogan: want to make a movie people can't take their
rlm@34 486 eyes off of? Just take those parts out!
rlm@34 487
rlm@47 488 - optimize an article :: capture reading of a scientific article via
rlm@44 489 screen capture while people read it, then use it to make the
rlm@44 490 article better. like the movie-pruning idea.
rlm@35 491
rlm@44 492 - super reading program :: teaches people the ideal mental mask to
rlm@44 493 apply during reading so as to read very fast.
rlm@35 494
rlm@44 495 - explosive thermite epoxy putty :: one part would contain the rust,
rlm@47 496 one part the aluminum.
rlm@34 497
rlm@44 498 - reading comprehension :: use the above screen capture routine to
rlm@44 499 make a quiz program that constructs questions about the content
rlm@44 500 you seemed to gloss over while reading. could be easy if the pdf
rlm@44 501 came with embedded questions. Dylan: automatically generate
rlm@44 502 word-cloud about the parts you found most interesting; help
rlm@44 503 others who read the same stuff by drawing attention to the
rlm@44 504 interesting parts.
rlm@34 505
rlm@44 506 - hard sword :: make a samurai sword, but use osmiridum instead of
rlm@44 507 martensite for the cutting part; it should be a better
rlm@44 508 sword.
rlm@32 509
rlm@44 510 - close range wireless :: use the induction technology used to
rlm@44 511 recharge electric toothbrushes with no metal links to send data
rlm@44 512 without any metal at all!
rlm@32 513
rlm@44 514 - reading :: is a form of synsethesia
rlm@32 515
rlm@44 516 - DNA printer :: A machine which translates the text eg, "ACTGAC" into
rlm@44 517 actual DNA
rlm@32 518
rlm@44 519 - black generator :: ferro-fluid magnetic field suspended micro
rlm@44 520 generator to make electricity
rlm@32 521
rlm@44 522 - alcohol battery :: alcohol/fluid flow powered battery
rlm@32 523
rlm@44 524 - folding razor blade sword ::
rlm@32 525
rlm@44 526 - perfect pitch :: learn perfect pitch using another sense in
rlm@44 527 combination (sight or touch)
rlm@32 528
rlm@44 529 - kaleidoscope projector ::
rlm@32 530
rlm@44 531 - razor blade de-sharpener :: for guilt free disposal
rlm@32 532
rlm@44 533 - bricks :: filled with luminescent plant material
rlm@32 534
rlm@47 535 - bio metallic structure :: metal grids with seeds inside, which grow
rlm@44 536 together and form a durable biological matrix. The metal
rlm@44 537 substrate delivers water. (maybe use plastic instead of metal?)
rlm@44 538 Dylan: enrich plants with inorganic compounds; electrical
rlm@44 539 interfaces in cellular plant matter => remote-controlled
rlm@44 540 photosynthetic/bioluminescent structures.
rlm@32 541
rlm@44 542 - conducting extracellular matrix :: to allow better control of
rlm@44 543 organic systems and an enhanced nervous system.
rlm@32 544
rlm@44 545 - cross-modal memory hashing :: a way to retrieve memories more
rlm@44 546 robustly.
rlm@32 547
rlm@47 548 - flossing thimble-guards :: (these actually exist)
rlm@32 549
rlm@44 550 - rules + lattice learning :: integrate lattice learning with rules by
rlm@44 551 generating hypothetical examples
rlm@32 552
rlm@47 553 - wooden refrigerator :: to give food a better taste Dylan: like
rlm@44 554 barrels for wine, or planks for salmon. Maybe just have "flavor
rlm@44 555 planks" for your pre-existing fridge. Need to mitigate effect of
rlm@44 556 temperature on volatility?
rlm@32 557
rlm@35 558 - radioactive transmutation molecule by molecule :: create precious
rlm@35 559 metals or something else economically advantageous.
rlm@32 560
rlm@47 561 - crowd preservation :: inoculate food with tons of harmless
rlm@44 562 bacteria so that there's no room for bad bacteria as a method of
rlm@44 563 preservation
rlm@32 564
rlm@47 565 - old school preservation :: Pasteur - style holding jar with siphon
rlm@47 566 as a way to store liquids at room temperature indefinitely w/o
rlm@47 567 refrigeration.
rlm@32 568
rlm@47 569 - restaurant policy :: Throw rude people out of restaurant as a matter
rlm@44 570 of course -- make ambiance much better.
rlm@32 571
rlm@47 572 - clean windows :: make something that mixes soap with fire hydrant
rlm@44 573 water (and reduces the pressure a bit) and use it
rlm@44 574 to clean windows of buildings.
rlm@32 575
rlm@44 576 - ocarina :: make an ocarina out of pure silver
rlm@32 577
rlm@35 578 - fire pen :: pen which burns words on to the page, thus never needing
rlm@47 579 any ink. Is there a way to make it runnable from the
rlm@35 580 human's energy?
rlm@32 581
rlm@44 582 - website to design your own soda :: and label, and have it mailed to
rlm@44 583 you / sell it from your own online store.
rlm@35 584
rlm@44 585 - solar panels :: that float on the ocean
rlm@43 586
rlm@35 587 - handcuffs with more than two cuffs (3?) :: great for daisy chaining
rlm@43 588 people, binding them to environment, etc.
rlm@35 589
rlm@35 590 - vector based SOUND files :: like the pictures but with SOUND. codify
rlm@35 591 sound in a language with enough symbols so that it can describe
rlm@35 592 everything and encode it in that. would be like going from speech
rlm@43 593 to text or smtg. Could also store sound as an image of the
rlm@35 594 wavefront encoded as a vector image.
rlm@32 595
rlm@44 596 - Mouse :: with a horizontal scroll wheel in addition to the vertical
rlm@44 597 scroll wheel
rlm@32 598
rlm@47 599 - logic maintenance system for big institutions :: to make sure the
rlm@44 600 things they are thinking about doing are not retarded
rlm@32 601
rlm@47 602 - http://www.regulations.gov/ :: cool site
rlm@32 603
rlm@44 604 - genetically engineered glowing fruit :: sell seeds?
rlm@32 605
rlm@36 606 - memory slide :: IF memories are encoded using particular sensory
rlm@36 607 impressions, what happens if the sensory organ
rlm@36 608 itself changes? those memories would become
rlm@47 609 inaccessible. maybe this is why we can't remember
rlm@36 610 much from our childhoods. also, could this happen
rlm@47 611 throughout life as well? Could S remember stuff from
rlm@36 612 his childhood?
rlm@32 613
rlm@47 614 - make a completely indestructible phone :: no moving parts or display
rlm@36 615 you should be able to slam it around all you want, and it will
rlm@36 616 just work. brutally simple. aerogel around the battery, minimal
rlm@36 617 interface - never gets too hot, and can be dropped into water. no
rlm@36 618 holes -- uses field effects for everything from the buttons to
rlm@36 619 inductive charging and data transfer.
rlm@32 620
rlm@44 621 - midi to ocarina "tabs" program :: (online website? buy ocarinas from
rlm@44 622 it too)
rlm@32 623
rlm@44 624 - 3d printing with sound pulses (or just patterns) :: like the 8.03
rlm@44 625 lecture
rlm@32 626
rlm@40 627 - lighter flint on spring :: make hot, throw it at something, and it
rlm@40 628 makes sparkles!
rlm@32 629
rlm@44 630 - nuclear energy :: Rebranding New+Clear Energy with informational
rlm@44 631 campaign and public debate forum to enforce its
rlm@44 632 transparent and open nature. France needn't be the
rlm@44 633 world leader in nuclear energy. (Dylan)
rlm@32 634
rlm@44 635 - bubbles :: Engineer a material which has both ductility and high
rlm@44 636 surface tension to make the "third"
rlm@44 637 minimal-surface-energy solution to a bubble suspended
rlm@44 638 between two equal-diameter rings. (Solutions are
rlm@44 639 cylindrical catenary curve, two separated half-bubbles,
rlm@44 640 and a double-cone)
rlm@38 641
rlm@38 642 - Textbook whose content can be varied continuously :: alter level of
rlm@38 643 difficulty, rigor, diction, emphasize crossover with certain
rlm@38 644 other discipline, etc. Content generated dynamically from
rlm@38 645 knowledge base, along with questions that are moreover altered to
rlm@38 646 guide knowledge acquisition. Motivation: One book of
rlm@40 647 knowledge. /One./
rlm@40 648
rlm@40 649
rlm@40 650 ** From Jacob's idea list
rlm@40 651
rlm@47 652 - Roommate-canceling headphones: uses roommate's laptop mic to seed
rlm@43 653 noise cancellation alg in your headphones (would this
rlm@40 654 work?). -Update on sound canceling headphones that take feed from
rlm@40 655 tv: how about ones that cancel people talking on the phone by
rlm@40 656 receiving the phone signals and playing inverse sound
rlm@40 657 waves. #signalprocessing ~jcole@mit.edu
rlm@40 658
rlm@40 659 - ClackerAlert -- tells if you slam the keys too hard using sound data
rlm@40 660 (and speed/jerkiness data)!.Prevents RSI ~jcole@mit.e
rlm@40 661
rlm@40 662 - Panic Pin :: separate pin that you can tell someone if forced to
rlm@41 663 identify your PIN (idea from idea about credit cards)