annotate org/ideas.org @ 66:eae81fa3a8e0

add camera timing idea.
author Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu>
date Thu, 03 Oct 2013 17:42:48 -0400
parents b838bd76b081
children 036fe1b13120
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@66 34 - screen locking timing :: you use your computer camera to see if you
rlm@66 35 are sitting in front of the computer. If you are, then the screen
rlm@66 36 will never lock. If you are, then the screen will lock with a
rlm@66 37 30-40 second timeout. It's an extention of using inactivity to
rlm@66 38 initiate the countdown, just with more information.
rlm@66 39
rlm@66 40 - mirror toilet :: a toilet with a square basin made or mirror instead
rlm@66 41 or porcelean. That way, you can see how good of a
rlm@66 42 wipe job you have done / watch how your excretion
rlm@66 43 system works.
rlm@66 44
rlm@62 45 - test dummies :: why don't we clone encephalic humans and use then to
rlm@62 46 test /in vivo/ human organ systems and drugs? It
rlm@62 47 would be ethical as long as there are women who are
rlm@62 48 willing to host the clones, and it would be a
rlm@62 49 trememdous resource for studying the human body. I
rlm@62 50 see nothing wrong with it morally, since no one is
rlm@62 51 suffering, and it stands to save many lives throught
rlm@62 52 more advanced technology.
rlm@62 53
rlm@62 54 - X-ray telepresence :: given that a doctor is operating on a patient
rlm@62 55 via telepresence, one cool things you can do is shine X-rays into
rlm@62 56 the patient to view the insides during real time. If the system
rlm@62 57 was coupled with a baysean model of the layout of the structure,
rlm@62 58 and the x-rays were only fired whenever the uncertaintity of the
rlm@62 59 model reached a certain threshold, then the radiation damage
rlm@62 60 and surgery risk could be minimized.
rlm@62 61
rlm@62 62 - superfluid vascular system :: I wonder what would happen if you
rlm@62 63 replaced the blood in a human with a superfluid. What would the
rlm@62 64 physical dynamics be? Would the superfluid flow through the
rlm@62 65 vasculature, or would it ignore it and travel through the cells,
rlm@62 66 or something else entirely. Since superfluids need to be cold to
rlm@62 67 retain their superfluidity, how would the dynamics change during
rlm@62 68 perfusion of a superfluid, where the fluid gains and looses
rlm@62 69 superfluidity as it goes deeper into the body and is cooled by
rlm@62 70 superfluid from upstresm. In summary there are two things to
rlm@62 71 simulate 1.) replace all blood in human with superfluid
rlm@62 72 instantly. 2.) perfuse superfluid into human.
rlm@51 73
rlm@59 74 - projective guessing :: I think that we read and see things by
rlm@59 75 makeing a really good guess about what we're expecting to see,
rlm@59 76 and then searching for our guess in what we see. If it really
rlm@59 77 doesn't match, then we start to make more guesses / analyze the
rlm@59 78 image from first principles, but most stuff is projective
rlm@59 79 guessing.
rlm@59 80
rlm@59 81 - Intestinal flora maintainence :: why not innoculate babies at birth
rlm@59 82 with "ideal" gut flora instead of whatever bullshit they
rlm@59 83 naturally get, thus giving them optimal digestive/nutrient
rlm@59 84 extraction capabilities. Might also be abot to make their farts
rlm@59 85 not stink for life, too.
rlm@59 86
rlm@56 87 - server culture : mirrors :: make a distributed system where people
rlm@56 88 can mirror the websites of people they like -- essentially cover
rlm@56 89 the server costs of favored websites. This could make popular
rlm@56 90 websites run at no cost. The system would require that the
rlm@56 91 mirrored content be the same as the official source. Sort of like
rlm@56 92 bittorrent for websites.
rlm@56 93
rlm@56 94 - map programming :: one problem with functional programming is that
rlm@56 95 in order to remain functional, you have to pass up arguments up
rlm@56 96 into each calling function to get the full range of behaviour
rlm@56 97 from the lower level functions. Normally people come to a
rlm@56 98 compromize involving abstraction and sparing use of dynamic
rlm@56 99 variables to configure runtime behaviour. What would be the
rlm@56 100 advantages of making a programming language where every function
rlm@56 101 recieves one argument, a map, which contains all the symbol
rlm@56 102 bindings it would ever need? This map is passed on to all
rlm@56 103 subordinate functions. This way, you could replace functions on
rlm@56 104 the fly, and arrange for there to be sensible defaults,
rlm@56 105 etc. Might cause more harm than good but is an interesting idea.
rlm@56 106
rlm@55 107 - rest nest :: a small EEG device you would attach to your head when
rlm@55 108 you go to sleep at night. ML algorithms would determine
rlm@55 109 your particular sleep cycles. This would mostly be an
rlm@55 110 alarm clock that you could give a time range, say
rlm@55 111 7:00AM - 7:15AM, and it would wake you up during an
rlm@55 112 ideal time corresponding to then end of one of your 90
rlm@55 113 min sleep cycles. You would feel much more rested upon
rlm@55 114 waking up, and would wake up faster. There might be
rlm@55 115 some other uses for the EEG data as well.
rlm@55 116
rlm@50 117 - image compression :: use a library like gimp or opencv to process an
rlm@50 118 image to make it have less entropy, then store the reverse of
rlm@50 119 those operations along with the compressed simpler image as a
rlm@50 120 super-compressed image file (possibly sccapting some
rlm@50 121 lesses). Trades file size for decompression time, and allows one
rlm@50 122 to cheat by using information in gimp/opencv to compress the
rlm@50 123 image.
rlm@50 124
rlm@47 125 - fixed cryopreservation :: why not use a fixative to buy enough time
rlm@42 126 to ramp up cryoprotectants to an acceptable level at room
rlm@42 127 temperature? Then, the whole system can be rapidly cooled and
rlm@42 128 vitrified. This method "severs the biological link" in that the
rlm@47 129 fixatives are highly toxic, but current vitrification procedures
rlm@42 130 do this anyway since there can be a lot of freezing damage.
rlm@38 131
rlm@58 132 - dialated security cmaera :: a security camera that would capture
rlm@58 133 full video footage of everything at 60fps but then decide to keep
rlm@58 134 only every 1 frame every 5 seconds unless there's something
rlm@58 135 "interesting" happening.
rlm@58 136
rlm@40 137 - bitcoin wallet :: Part of "server culture", this would be something
rlm@40 138 like "coin.your-domain.com" which would serve as
rlm@40 139 your personal trusted access to your own bitcoins
rlm@40 140 from anywhere.
rlm@40 141
rlm@40 142 - libpay :: this would be a free library which would enable
rlm@40 143 micro-donations to software projects and other projects,
rlm@47 144 so that you could donate a penny to "emacs" and it would
rlm@47 145 be automatically split up to every person who has ever
rlm@40 146 contributed to emacs in proportion to the amount of
rlm@40 147 community esteem, code quantity, bugs fixed, whatever the
rlm@47 148 community decides. This might make it possible for
rlm@40 149 programmers to live entirely off of free programming.
rlm@40 150
rlm@45 151 - distributed graphics :: Browser based graphics-card accelerated
rlm@45 152 distributed computing API.
rlm@41 153
rlm@40 154 - pronouns :: use capital letters A-Z instead of pronouns. They solve
rlm@40 155 pronoun referents and gender neutrality, are short to
rlm@40 156 say, and you can encode useful information into the
rlm@40 157 choice of letter. For example, instead of "Meetings
rlm@40 158 shall be presided over by the president, unless she is
rlm@42 159 absent." USE "Meetings shall be presided over by the
rlm@40 160 president, unless P is absent." We already use this a
rlm@40 161 little, since I and U are reserved for the subject and
rlm@40 162 object respectively.
rlm@40 163
rlm@40 164 - phone DSP :: software app that inserts an audio DSP between the
rlm@40 165 input to a phone and the output. The DSP is delicious
rlm@40 166 and configurable, and can allow men to make their
rlm@40 167 voices deeper, etc. The app would allow you to hear
rlm@40 168 your own voice as others hear it. Most people hate how
rlm@40 169 their own voice sounds. The app would also allow one to
rlm@47 170 immediately change the parameters of the DSP using good
rlm@40 171 presets.
rlm@40 172
rlm@47 173 - predestined body learning :: a good example of predestined learning
rlm@40 174 might be the mirror neurons.
rlm@40 175
rlm@47 176 - restaurant receipt :: use a carbon copy receipt instead of two stupid
rlm@40 177 copies.
rlm@40 178
rlm@41 179 - anti google glass :: glasses with mounted lasers and computer vision
rlm@41 180 that targets the cameras in google glass and destroy them.
rlm@41 181
rlm@40 182 - wearable towel :: towel with clasp, velcro, whatever, that allows
rlm@40 183 one to wear the towel more securely than just
rlm@40 184 wrapping it tightly and hoping for the best.
rlm@40 185
rlm@47 186 - crossdressing :: Easiest way to disguise oneself as a woman is to
rlm@44 187 wear a burka.
rlm@41 188
rlm@40 189 - book-mode :: intelligent color highlighting for books and
rlm@40 190 articles. It would disambiguate pronouns and involved
rlm@40 191 references. For example, if "Rachael" as red, and "the
rlm@40 192 blonde haired girl" refers to "Rachael", then "the
rlm@40 193 blonde haired girl" would he colored red. Also, you
rlm@47 194 could disambiguate multi part run-on sentences by
rlm@40 195 highlighting each subcomponent. Maybe would also have
rlm@47 196 applications to scientific reading.
rlm@40 197
rlm@40 198 - Handheld light Rain measurement :: this would be a clear, teflon
rlm@47 199 coated plastic disk with a camera underneath the disk. You would
rlm@40 200 be able to hold the device out and it would measure the rate of
rlm@40 201 accumulation of water droplets from fine mists and light rain by
rlm@40 202 using computer vision to measure the diameters of the drops.
rlm@40 203
rlm@40 204 - Big Brother Farming :: This would be a vision system that would
rlm@40 205 individually monitor each plant and turn on water, etc to ensure
rlm@40 206 maximum/uniform growth for each plant.
rlm@40 207
rlm@40 208 - Discrete Faucet :: A faucet with discrete ticks instead of
rlm@47 209 continuous.
rlm@40 210
rlm@40 211 - Laser Circle :: take a glass microfiliment and shine a laser at one
rlm@40 212 end at an oblique angle. It will make a perfect,
rlm@40 213 large circle on the wall, converting a laser beam
rlm@47 214 into a laser cone, preserving most of the energy of
rlm@40 215 the laser.
rlm@40 216
rlm@40 217 - Invisible Glass :: Take a container of liquid and embed a
rlm@40 218 glass sculpture made out of glass that has exactly the same index
rlm@40 219 of refraction and color of the liquid. Then the sculpture will be
rlm@40 220 totally invisible in the container, and will only be revealed
rlm@40 221 when the liquid is drained. The container might be a fancy
rlm@40 222 wine/spirit bottle or an hourglass.
rlm@40 223
rlm@47 224 - Caterpillar people :: A race of caterpillar like creatures gains
rlm@40 225 intelligence after eons of predation by birds, etc. These
rlm@47 226 caterpillar creatures still undergo metamorphosis into a large
rlm@40 227 butterfly-like creature. The metamorphosis process turns the
rlm@40 228 caterpillar's brain into mush and reforms it into a minimal,
rlm@40 229 dumb, truly insect-like mind, completely destroying the person
rlm@47 230 the caterpillar was. The society develops all sorts of customs and
rlm@40 231 religious interpretations of the metamorphosis. It is viewed as
rlm@40 232 good and natural by some since it is part of their life cycle and
rlm@47 233 necessary to propagate the species, as only the butterflies can
rlm@40 234 mate. Some think that the butterflies are still the same person
rlm@47 235 because they have the same soul, even they no longer posses the
rlm@47 236 memories or personality of the original caterpillar. Some see the
rlm@40 237 butterfly form as the "true form" of the species, since the
rlm@40 238 butterflies can fly, mate, and are beautiful. Many make a big
rlm@47 239 deal out of the fact that 1-2% of the caterpillar's mind is
rlm@40 240 actually preserved in the butterfly. Some see it as a terrible
rlm@47 241 tragedy and argue that the caterpillars should try to stop the
rlm@40 242 metamorphosis by technology. Practically, some very important
rlm@40 243 members of society undergo hormone therapy and/or surgery to
rlm@40 244 prevent metamorphosis so that they can live longer as themselves.
rlm@40 245
rlm@40 246 This is a continuation of Marvin Minsky's ideas about pain being
rlm@40 247 something that preserves our bodies while destroying our minds,
rlm@40 248 something that is a remnant from our too harsh animal days that
rlm@40 249 hasn't caught up to the fact that we have very complex brains
rlm@40 250 now. It's a worst-case scenario about a maladaptive genetic
rlm@40 251 legacy. Also, it's inspired by "There She Is!!!", which makes a
rlm@40 252 compelling point about homosexuality by introducing a second
rlm@40 253 gender characteristic (bunny/cat, male/female), which makes
rlm@40 254 homophobia look very silly. Here, our own biological legacy of
rlm@47 255 pain and death is made to look like the tragedy it is through the
rlm@47 256 lens of the the caterpillar people.
rlm@40 257
rlm@46 258 - relationships as a business :: [[http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Up-or-Out-Solving-the-IT-Turnover-Crisis.aspx][Turnover-Crisis]] is an excellent talk
rlm@46 259 about the "culture of quitting," which is about better business
rlm@46 260 by letting people go instead of keeping them around past their
rlm@47 261 "apex". Focuses on information transfer. Cool idea of an alumni
rlm@46 262 network, which for relationships would be a group of satisfied
rlm@46 263 ex-lovers, who would recommend new people your way, and who might
rlm@46 264 consider coming to you again, refreshed from their time away with
rlm@46 265 new stories/experiences. I should look for examples of this and
rlm@46 266 how they worked out.
rlm@43 267
rlm@47 268 - coffee with tea :: /rlm-tea/ contains 2% sugar, 10% cream, and 20%
rlm@43 269 dylan coffee. /dylan coffee/ contains 5% sugar,
rlm@43 270 20% cream, and 10% rlm-tea. Start your mornings
rlm@43 271 with recursion!
rlm@43 272
rlm@43 273 - psychic crystal :: in a science fiction story, this would be an
rlm@43 274 object that is very easy to move physically but is extremely
rlm@43 275 difficult to move with telekinesis.
rlm@43 276
rlm@40 277 - http://betsofbitco.in/ :: what a great place for an AI/person to
rlm@40 278 prove themselves as a good predictor. I wish this could be
rlm@40 279 automated.
rlm@40 280
rlm@44 281 - true reflection :: don't forget about that mirror in the student
rlm@44 282 center!, it's two mirrors at right angles, like staring at a
rlm@44 283 corner of a room. The light reflects so that it shows you what
rlm@44 284 you actually look like, instead of your mirror image.
rlm@33 285
rlm@33 286 - remote control wasp :: use computer to drive wings with remote
rlm@32 287 power/logic.
rlm@32 288
rlm@47 289 - encrypted email phone book :: public (distributed?) database of
rlm@44 290 email->private-key pairs, to enable automatic encryption.
rlm@32 291
rlm@44 292 - universal eye color :: every equivalent creature will see each
rlm@44 293 others' eyes as black -- it's universal. Even if the creatures
rlm@44 294 see in radio waves, and their eyes are 2m long pieces of jagged
rlm@44 295 metal, when those creatures look at each other, they will see
rlm@44 296 black, the absence of light and color (since it's being absorbed
rlm@44 297 by the sensor array).
rlm@32 298
rlm@33 299 - intelligent microwave :: it learns where the hot nodes of its fields
rlm@32 300 are, and uses them to evenly heat any food item. It has an infared
rlm@32 301 camera or something to keep track of how hot the food is. That way,
rlm@32 302 you don't get bowls where the edges are boiling, while the center is
rlm@32 303 still frozen. Requires a little bit of intelligence/vision, since
rlm@32 304 the exact pattern of heating totally depends on the exact shape of
rlm@47 305 the food. Wouldn't need a carousel, and wouldn't need a timer,
rlm@47 306 just a desired temperature. Could also detect ice, and automatically
rlm@32 307 defrost the parts which are frozen. Might be able to work much
rlm@47 308 faster since it can avoid overheating; might have problems with
rlm@32 309 heating the insides of thick things, might need a weight sensor too.
rlm@32 310
rlm@39 311 + Would be much cleaner than other microwaves, since food would
rlm@39 312 "sputter" and splash liquid much less.
rlm@32 313
rlm@39 314 + Throw in some SIFT+R processing to match previously cooked foods
rlm@39 315 and learn the exact heating profiles for things that have been
rlm@54 316 cooked before -- it can get faster the more it's used.
rlm@32 317
rlm@47 318 - compression :: brain-aware image compression algorithm
rlm@32 319
rlm@44 320 - Credit card proxy :: would be a company which works like paypal
rlm@44 321 except for real world transactions
rlm@32 322
rlm@33 323 - Flesh pillow :: a pillow like the arm or torso of a human, complete
rlm@33 324 with simulated temperature, bones, and heartbeat.
rlm@33 325
rlm@47 326 - super screw :: a screw which has only one or two threads and instead
rlm@47 327 uses compression to fit into a hole (the whole shank
rlm@33 328 of the screw is split into multiple pieces to
rlm@33 329 accomplish this; the tip is a point, then the middle
rlm@33 330 bulges out and gets compressed when screwed in.
rlm@33 331
rlm@47 332 - light filter :: (like light tweezers) to mechanically separate
rlm@33 333 fluids with different index of refraction
rlm@33 334
rlm@33 335 - chalk eraser project :: maybe make a directional eraser, for easy
rlm@33 336 release of chalk dust, like fur, and how it likes to rest in a
rlm@33 337 certain direction.
rlm@33 338
rlm@44 339 - silver socks :: socks laced with silver for the antimicrobial
rlm@44 340 properties.
rlm@32 341
rlm@53 342 - UROP :: magnet gear/metal teeth tape
rlm@53 343
rlm@53 344 - rod of moses :: device to distill urine through evaporation and
rlm@53 345 easily dispose of urea crystals for use in desert --
rlm@53 346 produce drinkable water.
rlm@32 347
rlm@47 348 - UROP :: Make the LED in line with the flow for the micro injector, so
rlm@44 349 that it may transmit maximum flow. Motor that changes
rlm@44 350 distance of internal magnet from windings depending on
rlm@44 351 desired speed so as to obtain maximum power efficiency.
rlm@32 352
rlm@47 353 - lottery scraper :: web scraper which monitors various lotteries,
rlm@44 354 looking for "special" gimmick changes in the rules (like 4x
rlm@44 355 winnings on Wednesdays) and computes expected value...
rlm@34 356
rlm@34 357 - Memristiors novel design :: make an evolutionary algorithm to make
rlm@34 358 old stuff using all four basic circuit elements.
rlm@34 359
rlm@44 360 - Conductive concrete :: concrete that has embedded metal fibers so
rlm@44 361 that it can conduct electricity.
rlm@34 362
rlm@44 363 - little bitty melting pot :: might be useful for some types of
rlm@44 364 manufacturing/3D printing -- how small can an induction melter be
rlm@44 365 made, for example.
rlm@34 366
rlm@44 367 - power strip/timer programmable combination :: meh
rlm@34 368
rlm@47 369 - algorithms :: which learn what their inputs are and in what order,
rlm@44 370 and can adapt to changing circumstances -- they
rlm@44 371 remember previous arguments and adapt so as to respond
rlm@44 372 to different connections.
rlm@34 373
rlm@47 374 - true pure tones :: hear a true pure tone by direct stimulation of the
rlm@44 375 nerves of the ear
rlm@43 376
rlm@43 377 - mechanical analogue to the electrical op-amp :: would be an object
rlm@43 378 with two levers -- you pull on one lever and the other moves the
rlm@43 379 same way, no matter what's in the way or what it is driving. This
rlm@47 380 analogy could be useful to teach op amps to people.
rlm@34 381
rlm@47 382 - paper folding device :: make it convenient to fold lots of papers in
rlm@34 383 various ways.
rlm@34 384
rlm@34 385 - concrete epoxy :: epoxy with sand/ some other solid material.
rlm@34 386
rlm@47 387 - light capacitor :: suspend some ball of material with a high index
rlm@43 388 of refraction and shine light into it so it gets stuck -- would
rlm@43 389 the light stay trapped forever? Could you build up unlimited
rlm@43 390 quantities of light inside the sphere (which could then be
rlm@43 391 released slowly by frustrated internal reflection?
rlm@34 392
rlm@40 393 - movie screening :: Movies always are too long at first. One way to
rlm@34 394 shorten them ``scientifically" is to record blink rate during the
rlm@34 395 move and then remove / shorten the frames of the parts in which
rlm@34 396 there are a lot of blinking (average this over multiple people)
rlm@34 397 better yet, put it online and do it across thousands of people. I
rlm@34 398 got this from youtube in which there is an episode of kill bill
rlm@47 399 which is composed entirely of the parts in which people had their
rlm@34 400 eyes closed. slogan: want to make a movie people can't take their
rlm@34 401 eyes off of? Just take those parts out!
rlm@34 402
rlm@47 403 - optimize an article :: capture reading of a scientific article via
rlm@44 404 screen capture while people read it, then use it to make the
rlm@44 405 article better. like the movie-pruning idea.
rlm@35 406
rlm@44 407 - super reading program :: teaches people the ideal mental mask to
rlm@44 408 apply during reading so as to read very fast.
rlm@35 409
rlm@44 410 - explosive thermite epoxy putty :: one part would contain the rust,
rlm@47 411 one part the aluminum.
rlm@34 412
rlm@44 413 - reading comprehension :: use the above screen capture routine to
rlm@44 414 make a quiz program that constructs questions about the content
rlm@44 415 you seemed to gloss over while reading. could be easy if the pdf
rlm@44 416 came with embedded questions. Dylan: automatically generate
rlm@44 417 word-cloud about the parts you found most interesting; help
rlm@44 418 others who read the same stuff by drawing attention to the
rlm@44 419 interesting parts.
rlm@34 420
rlm@44 421 - hard sword :: make a samurai sword, but use osmiridum instead of
rlm@44 422 martensite for the cutting part; it should be a better
rlm@44 423 sword.
rlm@32 424
rlm@44 425 - close range wireless :: use the induction technology used to
rlm@44 426 recharge electric toothbrushes with no metal links to send data
rlm@44 427 without any metal at all!
rlm@32 428
rlm@44 429 - reading :: is a form of synsethesia
rlm@32 430
rlm@44 431 - DNA printer :: A machine which translates the text eg, "ACTGAC" into
rlm@44 432 actual DNA
rlm@32 433
rlm@44 434 - black generator :: ferro-fluid magnetic field suspended micro
rlm@44 435 generator to make electricity
rlm@32 436
rlm@44 437 - alcohol battery :: alcohol/fluid flow powered battery
rlm@32 438
rlm@44 439 - folding razor blade sword ::
rlm@32 440
rlm@44 441 - perfect pitch :: learn perfect pitch using another sense in
rlm@44 442 combination (sight or touch)
rlm@32 443
rlm@44 444 - kaleidoscope projector ::
rlm@32 445
rlm@44 446 - razor blade de-sharpener :: for guilt free disposal
rlm@32 447
rlm@44 448 - bricks :: filled with luminescent plant material
rlm@32 449
rlm@47 450 - bio metallic structure :: metal grids with seeds inside, which grow
rlm@44 451 together and form a durable biological matrix. The metal
rlm@44 452 substrate delivers water. (maybe use plastic instead of metal?)
rlm@44 453 Dylan: enrich plants with inorganic compounds; electrical
rlm@44 454 interfaces in cellular plant matter => remote-controlled
rlm@44 455 photosynthetic/bioluminescent structures.
rlm@32 456
rlm@44 457 - conducting extracellular matrix :: to allow better control of
rlm@44 458 organic systems and an enhanced nervous system.
rlm@32 459
rlm@44 460 - cross-modal memory hashing :: a way to retrieve memories more
rlm@44 461 robustly.
rlm@32 462
rlm@47 463 - flossing thimble-guards :: (these actually exist)
rlm@32 464
rlm@44 465 - rules + lattice learning :: integrate lattice learning with rules by
rlm@44 466 generating hypothetical examples
rlm@32 467
rlm@47 468 - wooden refrigerator :: to give food a better taste Dylan: like
rlm@44 469 barrels for wine, or planks for salmon. Maybe just have "flavor
rlm@44 470 planks" for your pre-existing fridge. Need to mitigate effect of
rlm@44 471 temperature on volatility?
rlm@32 472
rlm@35 473 - radioactive transmutation molecule by molecule :: create precious
rlm@35 474 metals or something else economically advantageous.
rlm@32 475
rlm@47 476 - crowd preservation :: inoculate food with tons of harmless
rlm@44 477 bacteria so that there's no room for bad bacteria as a method of
rlm@44 478 preservation
rlm@32 479
rlm@47 480 - old school preservation :: Pasteur - style holding jar with siphon
rlm@47 481 as a way to store liquids at room temperature indefinitely w/o
rlm@47 482 refrigeration.
rlm@32 483
rlm@47 484 - restaurant policy :: Throw rude people out of restaurant as a matter
rlm@44 485 of course -- make ambiance much better.
rlm@32 486
rlm@47 487 - clean windows :: make something that mixes soap with fire hydrant
rlm@44 488 water (and reduces the pressure a bit) and use it
rlm@44 489 to clean windows of buildings.
rlm@32 490
rlm@44 491 - ocarina :: make an ocarina out of pure silver
rlm@32 492
rlm@35 493 - fire pen :: pen which burns words on to the page, thus never needing
rlm@47 494 any ink. Is there a way to make it runnable from the
rlm@35 495 human's energy?
rlm@32 496
rlm@44 497 - website to design your own soda :: and label, and have it mailed to
rlm@44 498 you / sell it from your own online store.
rlm@35 499
rlm@44 500 - solar panels :: that float on the ocean
rlm@43 501
rlm@35 502 - handcuffs with more than two cuffs (3?) :: great for daisy chaining
rlm@43 503 people, binding them to environment, etc.
rlm@35 504
rlm@35 505 - vector based SOUND files :: like the pictures but with SOUND. codify
rlm@35 506 sound in a language with enough symbols so that it can describe
rlm@35 507 everything and encode it in that. would be like going from speech
rlm@43 508 to text or smtg. Could also store sound as an image of the
rlm@35 509 wavefront encoded as a vector image.
rlm@32 510
rlm@44 511 - Mouse :: with a horizontal scroll wheel in addition to the vertical
rlm@44 512 scroll wheel
rlm@32 513
rlm@47 514 - logic maintenance system for big institutions :: to make sure the
rlm@44 515 things they are thinking about doing are not retarded
rlm@32 516
rlm@47 517 - http://www.regulations.gov/ :: cool site
rlm@32 518
rlm@44 519 - genetically engineered glowing fruit :: sell seeds?
rlm@32 520
rlm@36 521 - memory slide :: IF memories are encoded using particular sensory
rlm@36 522 impressions, what happens if the sensory organ
rlm@36 523 itself changes? those memories would become
rlm@47 524 inaccessible. maybe this is why we can't remember
rlm@36 525 much from our childhoods. also, could this happen
rlm@47 526 throughout life as well? Could S remember stuff from
rlm@36 527 his childhood?
rlm@32 528
rlm@47 529 - make a completely indestructible phone :: no moving parts or display
rlm@36 530 you should be able to slam it around all you want, and it will
rlm@36 531 just work. brutally simple. aerogel around the battery, minimal
rlm@36 532 interface - never gets too hot, and can be dropped into water. no
rlm@36 533 holes -- uses field effects for everything from the buttons to
rlm@36 534 inductive charging and data transfer.
rlm@32 535
rlm@44 536 - midi to ocarina "tabs" program :: (online website? buy ocarinas from
rlm@44 537 it too)
rlm@32 538
rlm@44 539 - 3d printing with sound pulses (or just patterns) :: like the 8.03
rlm@44 540 lecture
rlm@32 541
rlm@40 542 - lighter flint on spring :: make hot, throw it at something, and it
rlm@40 543 makes sparkles!
rlm@32 544
rlm@44 545 - nuclear energy :: Rebranding New+Clear Energy with informational
rlm@44 546 campaign and public debate forum to enforce its
rlm@44 547 transparent and open nature. France needn't be the
rlm@44 548 world leader in nuclear energy. (Dylan)
rlm@32 549
rlm@44 550 - bubbles :: Engineer a material which has both ductility and high
rlm@44 551 surface tension to make the "third"
rlm@44 552 minimal-surface-energy solution to a bubble suspended
rlm@44 553 between two equal-diameter rings. (Solutions are
rlm@44 554 cylindrical catenary curve, two separated half-bubbles,
rlm@44 555 and a double-cone)
rlm@38 556
rlm@38 557 - Textbook whose content can be varied continuously :: alter level of
rlm@38 558 difficulty, rigor, diction, emphasize crossover with certain
rlm@38 559 other discipline, etc. Content generated dynamically from
rlm@38 560 knowledge base, along with questions that are moreover altered to
rlm@38 561 guide knowledge acquisition. Motivation: One book of
rlm@40 562 knowledge. /One./
rlm@40 563
rlm@40 564
rlm@40 565 ** From Jacob's idea list
rlm@40 566
rlm@47 567 - Roommate-canceling headphones: uses roommate's laptop mic to seed
rlm@43 568 noise cancellation alg in your headphones (would this
rlm@40 569 work?). -Update on sound canceling headphones that take feed from
rlm@40 570 tv: how about ones that cancel people talking on the phone by
rlm@40 571 receiving the phone signals and playing inverse sound
rlm@40 572 waves. #signalprocessing ~jcole@mit.edu
rlm@40 573
rlm@40 574 - ClackerAlert -- tells if you slam the keys too hard using sound data
rlm@40 575 (and speed/jerkiness data)!.Prevents RSI ~jcole@mit.e
rlm@40 576
rlm@40 577 - Panic Pin :: separate pin that you can tell someone if forced to
rlm@41 578 identify your PIN (idea from idea about credit cards)