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1 #+title: Big List O' Ideas
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2 #+author: Robert McIntyre
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rlm@43
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3 #+email: rlm@mit.edu
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rlm@43
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4 #+description: list of ideas from the last ~ 7 years
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rlm@47
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5 #+keywords: aurellem ideas half-baked random
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6 #+SETUPFILE: ../../aurellem/org/setup.org
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7 #+INCLUDE: ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org
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8 #+babel: :mkdirp yes :noweb yes :exports both
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9
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rlm@42
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10 * Ideas
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11
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rlm@43
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12 This is a list of all the ideas I've had that I felt like writing down
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13 for the past ~ 7 years. Some of them could be practical inventions and
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rlm@47
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14 are "just" waiting the that 95% perspiration to bring them to
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15 fruition, some are ideas for science fiction, and some are simple
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16 observations. Some are really only for my own personal notes and are
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17 not meant to be comprehensible. They are arranged roughly in reverse
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18 chronological order, with the most recent ideas at the top of the
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19 list. The ones at the bottom of the list are heavily influenced by my
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20 time at MIT.
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rlm@43
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21
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22 If you find some of these interesting and would like to collaborate on
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23 them with me or discuss them in more detail, I'd love to hear from
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24 you. You can email me at ideas@aurellem.org.
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25
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rlm@52
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26 If you want to use one of these ideas as your own and run with it,
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rlm@52
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27 please feel free. I'd love to hear about it if you do.
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rlm@52
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28
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rlm@62
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29 #+begin_quote
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30 There's no end to what a man can accomplish if he doesn't care about
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31 getting credit.
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32 #+end_quote
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33
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rlm@80
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34 - smart toilets :: Instead of using indirect measures like infrared
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rlm@80
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35 detectors of the presence of a person, use computer
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rlm@80
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36 vision to directly measure whether the toilet needs
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rlm@80
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37 to be flushed. I think a lot of things will end up
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rlm@80
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38 going this way as we get better computer vision.
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39
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rlm@77
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40 - validate chemopreservation :: chemopreservation is difficult to
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rlm@77
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41 validate because it destroys the functionality of a brain, and
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rlm@77
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42 brain simulation will take a long time to mature as a
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rlm@77
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43 technology. However, one very powerful way to validate
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44 chemopreservation would be to have a person/animal learn
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rlm@77
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45 something with high complexity such as a number or the solution
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rlm@80
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46 to a maze, or a flashbulb memory. Then you preserve their brain
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rlm@80
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47 chemically, slice it up, and read /that specific memory/ from the
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rlm@77
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48 detailed brain scan. Much more difficult, but much more doable.
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49
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rlm@75
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50 - candy screw :: edible candy screw with candy nuts that you can screw
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51 as well.
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rlm@76
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52
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rlm@74
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53 - better bibliography :: when writing a thesis or paper, have the
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rlm@80
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54 bibliography not just be an opaque list of resources, but have it
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rlm@74
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55 be a list of /summaries/ and /qualities/ that each paper has in
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rlm@80
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56 the context of the paper being written. When examining a
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rlm@80
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57 bibliography, I want to know if reading the papers in the
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rlm@74
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58 bibliography are worth my time, and I also am probably also
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rlm@74
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59 interested in exactly the things that are being discussed in the
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rlm@74
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60 paper I'm reading. The bibliography is the perfect place to
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rlm@74
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61 provide information about the referenced papers from the
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rlm@80
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62 author's perspective. I will use this biographic form in my own
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63 thesis.
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rlm@74
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64
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rlm@73
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65 - digital inter-library loan :: libraries at universities already do
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rlm@80
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66 inter-library loans for books, so why not do the same for access
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rlm@73
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67 to stupid paywalled digital papers? All the universities could
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rlm@73
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68 allow access to articles for registered students to all the files
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rlm@73
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69 available through any participating university. This could be
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rlm@73
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70 achieved by sending requests through proxies at participating
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71 universities. Each university would decide who at the university
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rlm@73
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72 can access the proxy network. Access to the proxy network could
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rlm@73
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73 be made easy using something like http://libx.org/.
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rlm@73
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74
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rlm@72
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75 - chess visual :: to show the vast size of the game trees considered
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rlm@72
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76 by computers, show two people playing chess in a
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rlm@72
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77 void. They are floating in space, and there is a
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rlm@72
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78 simple chess board between them. Then, as they play,
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rlm@72
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79 the game tree's they are considering are drawn
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rlm@72
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80 behind him. The root of the tree starts centered in
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rlm@72
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81 their heads or whatever they use to think, and the
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rlm@72
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82 tree grows out from behind, never crossing the
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rlm@72
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83 dividing plane between the two players. Each
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rlm@72
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84 player's tree is a different color. As they grow,
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rlm@72
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85 there are animations for pruning, etc. Eventually,
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rlm@72
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86 they look like the hemispheres of a brain, wings,
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rlm@72
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87 etc. A human's tree might occasionally have a long
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rlm@72
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88 chain, while the computer tree would be more
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rlm@72
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89 uniform. You could compare deep blue and a modern
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90 laptop. Use actual data when fighting two computers!
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rlm@72
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91
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rlm@71
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92 - time verification :: some standard way to verify that some piece of
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rlm@71
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93 data was recorded at a specific time. Might involve a time
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rlm@73
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94 server, a key for each time period, something like that.
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rlm@71
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95
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rlm@70
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96 - tamper proof gold bars :: [[http://www.tungsten-alloy.com/gold-plated-tungsten-alloy-bar.html][this site]] offers gold plated tungsten bars
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rlm@70
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97 as "novelty" items. One reason to prefer coins is because they
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rlm@70
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98 are much harder to counterfeit because there is less surface area
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rlm@70
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99 to mass ratio. However, gold bars are still a great design
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rlm@70
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100 because they can hold a lot of value in a small space. A gold bar
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rlm@70
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101 could be given the same protections (and more) that gold coins
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102 have to offer by changing it into a "gold book", which would have
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rlm@70
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103 hundreds of "pages" of gold bound together. This could be
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rlm@70
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104 implemented with multiple steel rods going through the book which
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rlm@70
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105 can be removed, or some more classier mechanism for holding the
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rlm@70
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106 pages. The point is that the bar can be EASILY subdivided (and
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rlm@70
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107 people would perform this test before buying), thus guaranteeing
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108 it's authenticity.
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109
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rlm@68
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110 - aurellem shirt :: I should make an aurellem star symbol tee-shirt.
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111
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rlm@67
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112 - high school science :: this is a lesson in scientific ethics. The
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113 goal is to calculate /g/, the local gravitational
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114 acceleration. The students are told that the textbook says it's
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115 /exactly/ 9.81 before they start the experiment. See how they
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116 doctor their results to get closer to the textbook value. It's
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rlm@67
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117 neat because for any given school, /g/ is probably *not* exactly
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118 equal to 9.81, because that is just an average!
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119
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120 - opencourseware subtitles :: there are ladies who type up lectures
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121 while they are being given. These recordings should be kept and
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rlm@67
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122 given to OCW for subtitles. If the timestamps of keys are
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123 recorded, then it is easy to make subtitles.
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124
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rlm@66
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125 - screen locking timing :: you use your computer camera to see if you
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rlm@66
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126 are sitting in front of the computer. If you are, then the screen
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127 will never lock. If you are, then the screen will lock with a
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rlm@67
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128 30-40 second timeout. It's an extension of using inactivity to
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rlm@66
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129 initiate the countdown, just with more information.
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130
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rlm@66
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131 - mirror toilet :: a toilet with a square basin made or mirror instead
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132 or porcelain. That way, you can see how good of a
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rlm@66
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133 wipe job you have done / watch how your excretion
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rlm@66
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134 system works.
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135
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rlm@80
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136 - test dummies :: why don't we clone anencephalic humans and use then to
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rlm@62
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137 test /in vivo/ human organ systems and drugs? It
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rlm@62
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138 would be ethical as long as there are women who are
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rlm@62
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139 willing to host the clones, and it would be a
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rlm@67
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140 tremendous resource for studying the human body. I
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rlm@62
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141 see nothing wrong with it morally, since no one is
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rlm@67
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142 suffering, and it stands to save many lives throughout
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rlm@62
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143 more advanced technology.
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144
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rlm@62
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145 - X-ray telepresence :: given that a doctor is operating on a patient
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rlm@62
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146 via telepresence, one cool things you can do is shine X-rays into
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rlm@62
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147 the patient to view the insides during real time. If the system
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rlm@80
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148 was coupled with a Bayesian model of the layout of the structure,
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rlm@67
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149 and the x-rays were only fired whenever the uncertainty of the
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rlm@62
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150 model reached a certain threshold, then the radiation damage
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rlm@62
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151 and surgery risk could be minimized.
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rlm@62
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152
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rlm@62
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153 - superfluid vascular system :: I wonder what would happen if you
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rlm@62
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154 replaced the blood in a human with a superfluid. What would the
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rlm@62
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155 physical dynamics be? Would the superfluid flow through the
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rlm@62
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156 vasculature, or would it ignore it and travel through the cells,
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rlm@62
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157 or something else entirely. Since superfluids need to be cold to
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rlm@62
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158 retain their superfluidity, how would the dynamics change during
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rlm@62
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159 perfusion of a superfluid, where the fluid gains and looses
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rlm@62
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160 superfluidity as it goes deeper into the body and is cooled by
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rlm@67
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161 superfluid from upstream. In summary there are two things to
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rlm@62
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162 simulate 1.) replace all blood in human with superfluid
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163 instantly. 2.) perfuse superfluid into human.
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rlm@51
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164
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rlm@59
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165 - projective guessing :: I think that we read and see things by
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rlm@67
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166 making a really good guess about what we're expecting to see,
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rlm@59
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167 and then searching for our guess in what we see. If it really
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rlm@59
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168 doesn't match, then we start to make more guesses / analyze the
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rlm@59
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169 image from first principles, but most stuff is projective
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rlm@59
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170 guessing.
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rlm@59
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171
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rlm@67
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172 - Intestinal flora maintenance :: why not inoculate babies at birth
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rlm@59
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173 with "ideal" gut flora instead of whatever bullshit they
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rlm@59
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174 naturally get, thus giving them optimal digestive/nutrient
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rlm@67
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175 extraction capabilities. Might also be able to make their farts
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rlm@59
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176 not stink for life, too.
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rlm@59
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177
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rlm@56
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178 - server culture : mirrors :: make a distributed system where people
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rlm@56
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179 can mirror the websites of people they like -- essentially cover
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rlm@56
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180 the server costs of favored websites. This could make popular
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rlm@56
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181 websites run at no cost. The system would require that the
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rlm@56
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182 mirrored content be the same as the official source. Sort of like
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rlm@67
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183 bit-torrent for websites.
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rlm@56
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184
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rlm@56
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185 - map programming :: one problem with functional programming is that
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rlm@56
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186 in order to remain functional, you have to pass up arguments up
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rlm@67
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187 into each calling function to get the full range of behavior
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rlm@56
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188 from the lower level functions. Normally people come to a
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rlm@67
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189 compromise involving abstraction and sparing use of dynamic
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rlm@67
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190 variables to configure runtime behavior. What would be the
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rlm@56
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191 advantages of making a programming language where every function
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rlm@67
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192 receives one argument, a map, which contains all the symbol
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rlm@56
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193 bindings it would ever need? This map is passed on to all
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rlm@56
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194 subordinate functions. This way, you could replace functions on
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rlm@56
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195 the fly, and arrange for there to be sensible defaults,
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rlm@56
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196 etc. Might cause more harm than good but is an interesting idea.
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rlm@56
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197
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rlm@55
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198 - rest nest :: a small EEG device you would attach to your head when
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rlm@55
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199 you go to sleep at night. ML algorithms would determine
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rlm@55
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200 your particular sleep cycles. This would mostly be an
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rlm@55
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201 alarm clock that you could give a time range, say
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rlm@55
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202 7:00AM - 7:15AM, and it would wake you up during an
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rlm@55
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203 ideal time corresponding to then end of one of your 90
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rlm@55
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204 min sleep cycles. You would feel much more rested upon
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rlm@55
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205 waking up, and would wake up faster. There might be
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rlm@55
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206 some other uses for the EEG data as well.
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rlm@55
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207
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rlm@50
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208 - image compression :: use a library like gimp or opencv to process an
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rlm@50
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209 image to make it have less entropy, then store the reverse of
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rlm@50
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210 those operations along with the compressed simpler image as a
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rlm@80
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211 super-compressed image file (possibly accepting some
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rlm@80
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212 losses). Trades file size for decompression time, and allows one
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rlm@50
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213 to cheat by using information in gimp/opencv to compress the
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rlm@50
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214 image.
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rlm@50
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215
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rlm@47
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216 - fixed cryopreservation :: why not use a fixative to buy enough time
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rlm@42
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217 to ramp up cryoprotectants to an acceptable level at room
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rlm@42
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218 temperature? Then, the whole system can be rapidly cooled and
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rlm@42
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219 vitrified. This method "severs the biological link" in that the
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rlm@47
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220 fixatives are highly toxic, but current vitrification procedures
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rlm@42
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221 do this anyway since there can be a lot of freezing damage.
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rlm@38
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222
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rlm@67
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223 - dilated security camera :: a security camera that would capture
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rlm@58
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224 full video footage of everything at 60fps but then decide to keep
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rlm@58
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225 only every 1 frame every 5 seconds unless there's something
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rlm@58
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226 "interesting" happening.
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rlm@58
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227
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rlm@40
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228 - bitcoin wallet :: Part of "server culture", this would be something
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rlm@40
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229 like "coin.your-domain.com" which would serve as
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rlm@40
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230 your personal trusted access to your own bitcoins
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rlm@40
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231 from anywhere.
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rlm@40
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232
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rlm@40
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233 - libpay :: this would be a free library which would enable
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rlm@40
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234 micro-donations to software projects and other projects,
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rlm@47
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235 so that you could donate a penny to "emacs" and it would
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rlm@47
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236 be automatically split up to every person who has ever
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rlm@40
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237 contributed to emacs in proportion to the amount of
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rlm@40
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238 community esteem, code quantity, bugs fixed, whatever the
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rlm@47
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239 community decides. This might make it possible for
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rlm@40
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240 programmers to live entirely off of free programming.
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rlm@40
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241
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rlm@45
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242 - distributed graphics :: Browser based graphics-card accelerated
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rlm@45
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243 distributed computing API.
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rlm@41
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244
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rlm@40
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245 - pronouns :: use capital letters A-Z instead of pronouns. They solve
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rlm@40
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246 pronoun referents and gender neutrality, are short to
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rlm@40
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247 say, and you can encode useful information into the
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rlm@40
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248 choice of letter. For example, instead of "Meetings
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rlm@40
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249 shall be presided over by the president, unless she is
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rlm@42
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250 absent." USE "Meetings shall be presided over by the
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rlm@40
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251 president, unless P is absent." We already use this a
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rlm@40
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252 little, since I and U are reserved for the subject and
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rlm@40
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253 object respectively.
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rlm@40
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254
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rlm@40
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255 - phone DSP :: software app that inserts an audio DSP between the
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rlm@40
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256 input to a phone and the output. The DSP is delicious
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rlm@40
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257 and configurable, and can allow men to make their
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rlm@40
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258 voices deeper, etc. The app would allow you to hear
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rlm@40
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259 your own voice as others hear it. Most people hate how
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rlm@40
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260 their own voice sounds. The app would also allow one to
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rlm@47
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261 immediately change the parameters of the DSP using good
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rlm@40
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262 presets.
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rlm@40
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263
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rlm@47
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264 - predestined body learning :: a good example of predestined learning
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rlm@40
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265 might be the mirror neurons.
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rlm@40
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266
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rlm@47
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267 - restaurant receipt :: use a carbon copy receipt instead of two stupid
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rlm@40
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268 copies.
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rlm@40
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269
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rlm@41
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270 - anti google glass :: glasses with mounted lasers and computer vision
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rlm@41
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271 that targets the cameras in google glass and destroy them.
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rlm@41
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272
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rlm@40
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273 - wearable towel :: towel with clasp, velcro, whatever, that allows
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rlm@40
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274 one to wear the towel more securely than just
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rlm@40
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275 wrapping it tightly and hoping for the best.
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rlm@40
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276
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rlm@47
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277 - crossdressing :: Easiest way to disguise oneself as a woman is to
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rlm@44
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278 wear a burka.
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rlm@41
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279
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rlm@40
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280 - book-mode :: intelligent color highlighting for books and
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rlm@40
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281 articles. It would disambiguate pronouns and involved
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rlm@40
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282 references. For example, if "Rachael" as red, and "the
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rlm@40
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283 blonde haired girl" refers to "Rachael", then "the
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rlm@40
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284 blonde haired girl" would he colored red. Also, you
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rlm@47
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285 could disambiguate multi part run-on sentences by
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rlm@40
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286 highlighting each subcomponent. Maybe would also have
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rlm@47
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287 applications to scientific reading.
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rlm@40
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288
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rlm@40
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289 - Handheld light Rain measurement :: this would be a clear, teflon
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rlm@47
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290 coated plastic disk with a camera underneath the disk. You would
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rlm@40
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291 be able to hold the device out and it would measure the rate of
|
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rlm@40
|
292 accumulation of water droplets from fine mists and light rain by
|
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rlm@40
|
293 using computer vision to measure the diameters of the drops.
|
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rlm@40
|
294
|
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rlm@40
|
295 - Big Brother Farming :: This would be a vision system that would
|
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rlm@40
|
296 individually monitor each plant and turn on water, etc to ensure
|
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rlm@40
|
297 maximum/uniform growth for each plant.
|
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rlm@40
|
298
|
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rlm@40
|
299 - Discrete Faucet :: A faucet with discrete ticks instead of
|
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rlm@47
|
300 continuous.
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rlm@40
|
301
|
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rlm@40
|
302 - Laser Circle :: take a glass microfiliment and shine a laser at one
|
|
rlm@40
|
303 end at an oblique angle. It will make a perfect,
|
|
rlm@40
|
304 large circle on the wall, converting a laser beam
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rlm@47
|
305 into a laser cone, preserving most of the energy of
|
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rlm@40
|
306 the laser.
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rlm@40
|
307
|
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rlm@40
|
308 - Invisible Glass :: Take a container of liquid and embed a
|
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rlm@40
|
309 glass sculpture made out of glass that has exactly the same index
|
|
rlm@40
|
310 of refraction and color of the liquid. Then the sculpture will be
|
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rlm@40
|
311 totally invisible in the container, and will only be revealed
|
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rlm@40
|
312 when the liquid is drained. The container might be a fancy
|
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rlm@40
|
313 wine/spirit bottle or an hourglass.
|
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rlm@40
|
314
|
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rlm@47
|
315 - Caterpillar people :: A race of caterpillar like creatures gains
|
|
rlm@40
|
316 intelligence after eons of predation by birds, etc. These
|
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rlm@47
|
317 caterpillar creatures still undergo metamorphosis into a large
|
|
rlm@40
|
318 butterfly-like creature. The metamorphosis process turns the
|
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rlm@40
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319 caterpillar's brain into mush and reforms it into a minimal,
|
|
rlm@40
|
320 dumb, truly insect-like mind, completely destroying the person
|
|
rlm@47
|
321 the caterpillar was. The society develops all sorts of customs and
|
|
rlm@40
|
322 religious interpretations of the metamorphosis. It is viewed as
|
|
rlm@40
|
323 good and natural by some since it is part of their life cycle and
|
|
rlm@47
|
324 necessary to propagate the species, as only the butterflies can
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|
rlm@40
|
325 mate. Some think that the butterflies are still the same person
|
|
rlm@47
|
326 because they have the same soul, even they no longer posses the
|
|
rlm@47
|
327 memories or personality of the original caterpillar. Some see the
|
|
rlm@40
|
328 butterfly form as the "true form" of the species, since the
|
|
rlm@40
|
329 butterflies can fly, mate, and are beautiful. Many make a big
|
|
rlm@47
|
330 deal out of the fact that 1-2% of the caterpillar's mind is
|
|
rlm@40
|
331 actually preserved in the butterfly. Some see it as a terrible
|
|
rlm@47
|
332 tragedy and argue that the caterpillars should try to stop the
|
|
rlm@40
|
333 metamorphosis by technology. Practically, some very important
|
|
rlm@40
|
334 members of society undergo hormone therapy and/or surgery to
|
|
rlm@40
|
335 prevent metamorphosis so that they can live longer as themselves.
|
|
rlm@40
|
336
|
|
rlm@40
|
337 This is a continuation of Marvin Minsky's ideas about pain being
|
|
rlm@40
|
338 something that preserves our bodies while destroying our minds,
|
|
rlm@40
|
339 something that is a remnant from our too harsh animal days that
|
|
rlm@40
|
340 hasn't caught up to the fact that we have very complex brains
|
|
rlm@40
|
341 now. It's a worst-case scenario about a maladaptive genetic
|
|
rlm@40
|
342 legacy. Also, it's inspired by "There She Is!!!", which makes a
|
|
rlm@40
|
343 compelling point about homosexuality by introducing a second
|
|
rlm@40
|
344 gender characteristic (bunny/cat, male/female), which makes
|
|
rlm@40
|
345 homophobia look very silly. Here, our own biological legacy of
|
|
rlm@47
|
346 pain and death is made to look like the tragedy it is through the
|
|
rlm@47
|
347 lens of the the caterpillar people.
|
|
rlm@40
|
348
|
|
rlm@46
|
349 - 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
|
350 about the "culture of quitting," which is about better business
|
|
rlm@46
|
351 by letting people go instead of keeping them around past their
|
|
rlm@47
|
352 "apex". Focuses on information transfer. Cool idea of an alumni
|
|
rlm@46
|
353 network, which for relationships would be a group of satisfied
|
|
rlm@46
|
354 ex-lovers, who would recommend new people your way, and who might
|
|
rlm@46
|
355 consider coming to you again, refreshed from their time away with
|
|
rlm@46
|
356 new stories/experiences. I should look for examples of this and
|
|
rlm@46
|
357 how they worked out.
|
|
rlm@43
|
358
|
|
rlm@47
|
359 - coffee with tea :: /rlm-tea/ contains 2% sugar, 10% cream, and 20%
|
|
rlm@43
|
360 dylan coffee. /dylan coffee/ contains 5% sugar,
|
|
rlm@43
|
361 20% cream, and 10% rlm-tea. Start your mornings
|
|
rlm@43
|
362 with recursion!
|
|
rlm@43
|
363
|
|
rlm@43
|
364 - psychic crystal :: in a science fiction story, this would be an
|
|
rlm@43
|
365 object that is very easy to move physically but is extremely
|
|
rlm@43
|
366 difficult to move with telekinesis.
|
|
rlm@43
|
367
|
|
rlm@40
|
368 - http://betsofbitco.in/ :: what a great place for an AI/person to
|
|
rlm@40
|
369 prove themselves as a good predictor. I wish this could be
|
|
rlm@40
|
370 automated.
|
|
rlm@40
|
371
|
|
rlm@44
|
372 - true reflection :: don't forget about that mirror in the student
|
|
rlm@44
|
373 center!, it's two mirrors at right angles, like staring at a
|
|
rlm@44
|
374 corner of a room. The light reflects so that it shows you what
|
|
rlm@44
|
375 you actually look like, instead of your mirror image.
|
|
rlm@33
|
376
|
|
rlm@33
|
377 - remote control wasp :: use computer to drive wings with remote
|
|
rlm@32
|
378 power/logic.
|
|
rlm@32
|
379
|
|
rlm@47
|
380 - encrypted email phone book :: public (distributed?) database of
|
|
rlm@44
|
381 email->private-key pairs, to enable automatic encryption.
|
|
rlm@32
|
382
|
|
rlm@44
|
383 - universal eye color :: every equivalent creature will see each
|
|
rlm@44
|
384 others' eyes as black -- it's universal. Even if the creatures
|
|
rlm@44
|
385 see in radio waves, and their eyes are 2m long pieces of jagged
|
|
rlm@44
|
386 metal, when those creatures look at each other, they will see
|
|
rlm@44
|
387 black, the absence of light and color (since it's being absorbed
|
|
rlm@44
|
388 by the sensor array).
|
|
rlm@32
|
389
|
|
rlm@33
|
390 - intelligent microwave :: it learns where the hot nodes of its fields
|
|
rlm@32
|
391 are, and uses them to evenly heat any food item. It has an infared
|
|
rlm@32
|
392 camera or something to keep track of how hot the food is. That way,
|
|
rlm@32
|
393 you don't get bowls where the edges are boiling, while the center is
|
|
rlm@32
|
394 still frozen. Requires a little bit of intelligence/vision, since
|
|
rlm@32
|
395 the exact pattern of heating totally depends on the exact shape of
|
|
rlm@47
|
396 the food. Wouldn't need a carousel, and wouldn't need a timer,
|
|
rlm@47
|
397 just a desired temperature. Could also detect ice, and automatically
|
|
rlm@32
|
398 defrost the parts which are frozen. Might be able to work much
|
|
rlm@47
|
399 faster since it can avoid overheating; might have problems with
|
|
rlm@32
|
400 heating the insides of thick things, might need a weight sensor too.
|
|
rlm@32
|
401
|
|
rlm@39
|
402 + Would be much cleaner than other microwaves, since food would
|
|
rlm@39
|
403 "sputter" and splash liquid much less.
|
|
rlm@32
|
404
|
|
rlm@39
|
405 + Throw in some SIFT+R processing to match previously cooked foods
|
|
rlm@39
|
406 and learn the exact heating profiles for things that have been
|
|
rlm@54
|
407 cooked before -- it can get faster the more it's used.
|
|
rlm@32
|
408
|
|
rlm@47
|
409 - compression :: brain-aware image compression algorithm
|
|
rlm@32
|
410
|
|
rlm@44
|
411 - Credit card proxy :: would be a company which works like paypal
|
|
rlm@44
|
412 except for real world transactions
|
|
rlm@32
|
413
|
|
rlm@33
|
414 - Flesh pillow :: a pillow like the arm or torso of a human, complete
|
|
rlm@33
|
415 with simulated temperature, bones, and heartbeat.
|
|
rlm@33
|
416
|
|
rlm@47
|
417 - super screw :: a screw which has only one or two threads and instead
|
|
rlm@47
|
418 uses compression to fit into a hole (the whole shank
|
|
rlm@33
|
419 of the screw is split into multiple pieces to
|
|
rlm@33
|
420 accomplish this; the tip is a point, then the middle
|
|
rlm@33
|
421 bulges out and gets compressed when screwed in.
|
|
rlm@33
|
422
|
|
rlm@47
|
423 - light filter :: (like light tweezers) to mechanically separate
|
|
rlm@33
|
424 fluids with different index of refraction
|
|
rlm@33
|
425
|
|
rlm@33
|
426 - chalk eraser project :: maybe make a directional eraser, for easy
|
|
rlm@33
|
427 release of chalk dust, like fur, and how it likes to rest in a
|
|
rlm@33
|
428 certain direction.
|
|
rlm@33
|
429
|
|
rlm@44
|
430 - silver socks :: socks laced with silver for the antimicrobial
|
|
rlm@44
|
431 properties.
|
|
rlm@32
|
432
|
|
rlm@53
|
433 - UROP :: magnet gear/metal teeth tape
|
|
rlm@53
|
434
|
|
rlm@53
|
435 - rod of moses :: device to distill urine through evaporation and
|
|
rlm@53
|
436 easily dispose of urea crystals for use in desert --
|
|
rlm@53
|
437 produce drinkable water.
|
|
rlm@32
|
438
|
|
rlm@47
|
439 - UROP :: Make the LED in line with the flow for the micro injector, so
|
|
rlm@44
|
440 that it may transmit maximum flow. Motor that changes
|
|
rlm@44
|
441 distance of internal magnet from windings depending on
|
|
rlm@44
|
442 desired speed so as to obtain maximum power efficiency.
|
|
rlm@32
|
443
|
|
rlm@47
|
444 - lottery scraper :: web scraper which monitors various lotteries,
|
|
rlm@44
|
445 looking for "special" gimmick changes in the rules (like 4x
|
|
rlm@44
|
446 winnings on Wednesdays) and computes expected value...
|
|
rlm@34
|
447
|
|
rlm@34
|
448 - Memristiors novel design :: make an evolutionary algorithm to make
|
|
rlm@34
|
449 old stuff using all four basic circuit elements.
|
|
rlm@34
|
450
|
|
rlm@44
|
451 - Conductive concrete :: concrete that has embedded metal fibers so
|
|
rlm@44
|
452 that it can conduct electricity.
|
|
rlm@34
|
453
|
|
rlm@44
|
454 - little bitty melting pot :: might be useful for some types of
|
|
rlm@44
|
455 manufacturing/3D printing -- how small can an induction melter be
|
|
rlm@44
|
456 made, for example.
|
|
rlm@34
|
457
|
|
rlm@44
|
458 - power strip/timer programmable combination :: meh
|
|
rlm@34
|
459
|
|
rlm@47
|
460 - algorithms :: which learn what their inputs are and in what order,
|
|
rlm@44
|
461 and can adapt to changing circumstances -- they
|
|
rlm@44
|
462 remember previous arguments and adapt so as to respond
|
|
rlm@44
|
463 to different connections.
|
|
rlm@34
|
464
|
|
rlm@47
|
465 - true pure tones :: hear a true pure tone by direct stimulation of the
|
|
rlm@44
|
466 nerves of the ear
|
|
rlm@43
|
467
|
|
rlm@43
|
468 - mechanical analogue to the electrical op-amp :: would be an object
|
|
rlm@43
|
469 with two levers -- you pull on one lever and the other moves the
|
|
rlm@43
|
470 same way, no matter what's in the way or what it is driving. This
|
|
rlm@47
|
471 analogy could be useful to teach op amps to people.
|
|
rlm@34
|
472
|
|
rlm@47
|
473 - paper folding device :: make it convenient to fold lots of papers in
|
|
rlm@34
|
474 various ways.
|
|
rlm@34
|
475
|
|
rlm@34
|
476 - concrete epoxy :: epoxy with sand/ some other solid material.
|
|
rlm@34
|
477
|
|
rlm@47
|
478 - light capacitor :: suspend some ball of material with a high index
|
|
rlm@43
|
479 of refraction and shine light into it so it gets stuck -- would
|
|
rlm@43
|
480 the light stay trapped forever? Could you build up unlimited
|
|
rlm@43
|
481 quantities of light inside the sphere (which could then be
|
|
rlm@43
|
482 released slowly by frustrated internal reflection?
|
|
rlm@34
|
483
|
|
rlm@40
|
484 - movie screening :: Movies always are too long at first. One way to
|
|
rlm@34
|
485 shorten them ``scientifically" is to record blink rate during the
|
|
rlm@34
|
486 move and then remove / shorten the frames of the parts in which
|
|
rlm@34
|
487 there are a lot of blinking (average this over multiple people)
|
|
rlm@34
|
488 better yet, put it online and do it across thousands of people. I
|
|
rlm@34
|
489 got this from youtube in which there is an episode of kill bill
|
|
rlm@47
|
490 which is composed entirely of the parts in which people had their
|
|
rlm@34
|
491 eyes closed. slogan: want to make a movie people can't take their
|
|
rlm@34
|
492 eyes off of? Just take those parts out!
|
|
rlm@34
|
493
|
|
rlm@47
|
494 - optimize an article :: capture reading of a scientific article via
|
|
rlm@44
|
495 screen capture while people read it, then use it to make the
|
|
rlm@44
|
496 article better. like the movie-pruning idea.
|
|
rlm@35
|
497
|
|
rlm@44
|
498 - super reading program :: teaches people the ideal mental mask to
|
|
rlm@44
|
499 apply during reading so as to read very fast.
|
|
rlm@35
|
500
|
|
rlm@44
|
501 - explosive thermite epoxy putty :: one part would contain the rust,
|
|
rlm@47
|
502 one part the aluminum.
|
|
rlm@34
|
503
|
|
rlm@44
|
504 - reading comprehension :: use the above screen capture routine to
|
|
rlm@44
|
505 make a quiz program that constructs questions about the content
|
|
rlm@44
|
506 you seemed to gloss over while reading. could be easy if the pdf
|
|
rlm@44
|
507 came with embedded questions. Dylan: automatically generate
|
|
rlm@44
|
508 word-cloud about the parts you found most interesting; help
|
|
rlm@44
|
509 others who read the same stuff by drawing attention to the
|
|
rlm@44
|
510 interesting parts.
|
|
rlm@34
|
511
|
|
rlm@44
|
512 - hard sword :: make a samurai sword, but use osmiridum instead of
|
|
rlm@44
|
513 martensite for the cutting part; it should be a better
|
|
rlm@44
|
514 sword.
|
|
rlm@32
|
515
|
|
rlm@44
|
516 - close range wireless :: use the induction technology used to
|
|
rlm@44
|
517 recharge electric toothbrushes with no metal links to send data
|
|
rlm@44
|
518 without any metal at all!
|
|
rlm@32
|
519
|
|
rlm@44
|
520 - reading :: is a form of synsethesia
|
|
rlm@32
|
521
|
|
rlm@44
|
522 - DNA printer :: A machine which translates the text eg, "ACTGAC" into
|
|
rlm@44
|
523 actual DNA
|
|
rlm@32
|
524
|
|
rlm@44
|
525 - black generator :: ferro-fluid magnetic field suspended micro
|
|
rlm@44
|
526 generator to make electricity
|
|
rlm@32
|
527
|
|
rlm@44
|
528 - alcohol battery :: alcohol/fluid flow powered battery
|
|
rlm@32
|
529
|
|
rlm@44
|
530 - folding razor blade sword ::
|
|
rlm@32
|
531
|
|
rlm@44
|
532 - perfect pitch :: learn perfect pitch using another sense in
|
|
rlm@44
|
533 combination (sight or touch)
|
|
rlm@32
|
534
|
|
rlm@44
|
535 - kaleidoscope projector ::
|
|
rlm@32
|
536
|
|
rlm@44
|
537 - razor blade de-sharpener :: for guilt free disposal
|
|
rlm@32
|
538
|
|
rlm@44
|
539 - bricks :: filled with luminescent plant material
|
|
rlm@32
|
540
|
|
rlm@47
|
541 - bio metallic structure :: metal grids with seeds inside, which grow
|
|
rlm@44
|
542 together and form a durable biological matrix. The metal
|
|
rlm@44
|
543 substrate delivers water. (maybe use plastic instead of metal?)
|
|
rlm@44
|
544 Dylan: enrich plants with inorganic compounds; electrical
|
|
rlm@44
|
545 interfaces in cellular plant matter => remote-controlled
|
|
rlm@44
|
546 photosynthetic/bioluminescent structures.
|
|
rlm@32
|
547
|
|
rlm@44
|
548 - conducting extracellular matrix :: to allow better control of
|
|
rlm@44
|
549 organic systems and an enhanced nervous system.
|
|
rlm@32
|
550
|
|
rlm@44
|
551 - cross-modal memory hashing :: a way to retrieve memories more
|
|
rlm@44
|
552 robustly.
|
|
rlm@32
|
553
|
|
rlm@47
|
554 - flossing thimble-guards :: (these actually exist)
|
|
rlm@32
|
555
|
|
rlm@44
|
556 - rules + lattice learning :: integrate lattice learning with rules by
|
|
rlm@44
|
557 generating hypothetical examples
|
|
rlm@32
|
558
|
|
rlm@47
|
559 - wooden refrigerator :: to give food a better taste Dylan: like
|
|
rlm@44
|
560 barrels for wine, or planks for salmon. Maybe just have "flavor
|
|
rlm@44
|
561 planks" for your pre-existing fridge. Need to mitigate effect of
|
|
rlm@44
|
562 temperature on volatility?
|
|
rlm@32
|
563
|
|
rlm@35
|
564 - radioactive transmutation molecule by molecule :: create precious
|
|
rlm@35
|
565 metals or something else economically advantageous.
|
|
rlm@32
|
566
|
|
rlm@47
|
567 - crowd preservation :: inoculate food with tons of harmless
|
|
rlm@44
|
568 bacteria so that there's no room for bad bacteria as a method of
|
|
rlm@44
|
569 preservation
|
|
rlm@32
|
570
|
|
rlm@47
|
571 - old school preservation :: Pasteur - style holding jar with siphon
|
|
rlm@47
|
572 as a way to store liquids at room temperature indefinitely w/o
|
|
rlm@47
|
573 refrigeration.
|
|
rlm@32
|
574
|
|
rlm@47
|
575 - restaurant policy :: Throw rude people out of restaurant as a matter
|
|
rlm@44
|
576 of course -- make ambiance much better.
|
|
rlm@32
|
577
|
|
rlm@47
|
578 - clean windows :: make something that mixes soap with fire hydrant
|
|
rlm@44
|
579 water (and reduces the pressure a bit) and use it
|
|
rlm@44
|
580 to clean windows of buildings.
|
|
rlm@32
|
581
|
|
rlm@44
|
582 - ocarina :: make an ocarina out of pure silver
|
|
rlm@32
|
583
|
|
rlm@35
|
584 - fire pen :: pen which burns words on to the page, thus never needing
|
|
rlm@47
|
585 any ink. Is there a way to make it runnable from the
|
|
rlm@35
|
586 human's energy?
|
|
rlm@32
|
587
|
|
rlm@44
|
588 - website to design your own soda :: and label, and have it mailed to
|
|
rlm@44
|
589 you / sell it from your own online store.
|
|
rlm@35
|
590
|
|
rlm@44
|
591 - solar panels :: that float on the ocean
|
|
rlm@43
|
592
|
|
rlm@35
|
593 - handcuffs with more than two cuffs (3?) :: great for daisy chaining
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rlm@43
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594 people, binding them to environment, etc.
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rlm@35
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595
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rlm@35
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596 - vector based SOUND files :: like the pictures but with SOUND. codify
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rlm@35
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597 sound in a language with enough symbols so that it can describe
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rlm@35
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598 everything and encode it in that. would be like going from speech
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rlm@43
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599 to text or smtg. Could also store sound as an image of the
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rlm@35
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600 wavefront encoded as a vector image.
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rlm@32
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601
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rlm@44
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602 - Mouse :: with a horizontal scroll wheel in addition to the vertical
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rlm@44
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603 scroll wheel
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rlm@32
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604
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rlm@47
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605 - logic maintenance system for big institutions :: to make sure the
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rlm@44
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606 things they are thinking about doing are not retarded
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rlm@32
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607
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rlm@47
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608 - http://www.regulations.gov/ :: cool site
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rlm@32
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609
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rlm@44
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610 - genetically engineered glowing fruit :: sell seeds?
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rlm@32
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611
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rlm@36
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612 - memory slide :: IF memories are encoded using particular sensory
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rlm@36
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613 impressions, what happens if the sensory organ
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rlm@36
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614 itself changes? those memories would become
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rlm@47
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615 inaccessible. maybe this is why we can't remember
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rlm@36
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616 much from our childhoods. also, could this happen
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rlm@47
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617 throughout life as well? Could S remember stuff from
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rlm@36
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618 his childhood?
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rlm@32
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619
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rlm@47
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620 - make a completely indestructible phone :: no moving parts or display
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rlm@36
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621 you should be able to slam it around all you want, and it will
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rlm@36
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622 just work. brutally simple. aerogel around the battery, minimal
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rlm@36
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623 interface - never gets too hot, and can be dropped into water. no
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rlm@36
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624 holes -- uses field effects for everything from the buttons to
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rlm@36
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625 inductive charging and data transfer.
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rlm@32
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626
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rlm@44
|
627 - midi to ocarina "tabs" program :: (online website? buy ocarinas from
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rlm@44
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628 it too)
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rlm@32
|
629
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rlm@44
|
630 - 3d printing with sound pulses (or just patterns) :: like the 8.03
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rlm@44
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631 lecture
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rlm@32
|
632
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rlm@40
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633 - lighter flint on spring :: make hot, throw it at something, and it
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rlm@40
|
634 makes sparkles!
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rlm@32
|
635
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rlm@44
|
636 - nuclear energy :: Rebranding New+Clear Energy with informational
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|
rlm@44
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637 campaign and public debate forum to enforce its
|
|
rlm@44
|
638 transparent and open nature. France needn't be the
|
|
rlm@44
|
639 world leader in nuclear energy. (Dylan)
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rlm@32
|
640
|
|
rlm@44
|
641 - bubbles :: Engineer a material which has both ductility and high
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rlm@44
|
642 surface tension to make the "third"
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|
rlm@44
|
643 minimal-surface-energy solution to a bubble suspended
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rlm@44
|
644 between two equal-diameter rings. (Solutions are
|
|
rlm@44
|
645 cylindrical catenary curve, two separated half-bubbles,
|
|
rlm@44
|
646 and a double-cone)
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|
rlm@38
|
647
|
|
rlm@38
|
648 - Textbook whose content can be varied continuously :: alter level of
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|
rlm@38
|
649 difficulty, rigor, diction, emphasize crossover with certain
|
|
rlm@38
|
650 other discipline, etc. Content generated dynamically from
|
|
rlm@38
|
651 knowledge base, along with questions that are moreover altered to
|
|
rlm@38
|
652 guide knowledge acquisition. Motivation: One book of
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|
rlm@40
|
653 knowledge. /One./
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|
rlm@40
|
654
|
|
rlm@40
|
655
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|
rlm@40
|
656 ** From Jacob's idea list
|
|
rlm@40
|
657
|
|
rlm@47
|
658 - Roommate-canceling headphones: uses roommate's laptop mic to seed
|
|
rlm@43
|
659 noise cancellation alg in your headphones (would this
|
|
rlm@40
|
660 work?). -Update on sound canceling headphones that take feed from
|
|
rlm@40
|
661 tv: how about ones that cancel people talking on the phone by
|
|
rlm@40
|
662 receiving the phone signals and playing inverse sound
|
|
rlm@40
|
663 waves. #signalprocessing ~jcole@mit.edu
|
|
rlm@40
|
664
|
|
rlm@40
|
665 - ClackerAlert -- tells if you slam the keys too hard using sound data
|
|
rlm@40
|
666 (and speed/jerkiness data)!.Prevents RSI ~jcole@mit.e
|
|
rlm@40
|
667
|
|
rlm@40
|
668 - Panic Pin :: separate pin that you can tell someone if forced to
|
|
rlm@41
|
669 identify your PIN (idea from idea about credit cards)
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