Mercurial > thoughts
view org/ideas.org @ 50:1b9df83db1f5
add image compression idea.
author | Robert McIntyre <rlm@mit.edu> |
---|---|
date | Mon, 15 Jul 2013 01:11:01 -0400 |
parents | 50e942c96843 |
children | fd862cff3f3c |
line wrap: on
line source
1 #+title: Big List O' Ideas2 #+author: Robert McIntyre3 #+email: rlm@mit.edu4 #+description: list of ideas from the last ~ 7 years5 #+keywords: aurellem ideas half-baked random6 #+SETUPFILE: ../../aurellem/org/setup.org7 #+INCLUDE: ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org8 #+babel: :mkdirp yes :noweb yes :exports both10 * Ideas12 This is a list of all the ideas I've had that I felt like writing down13 for the past ~ 7 years. Some of them could be practical inventions and14 are "just" waiting the that 95% perspiration to bring them to15 fruition, some are ideas for science fiction, and some are simple16 observations. Some are really only for my own personal notes and are17 not meant to be comprehensible. They are arranged roughly in reverse18 chronological order, with the most recent ideas at the top of the19 list. The ones at the bottom of the list are heavily influenced by my20 time at MIT.22 If you find some of these interesting and would like to collaborate on23 them with me or discuss them in more detail, I'd love to hear from24 you. You can email me at ideas@aurellem.org.26 - image compression :: use a library like gimp or opencv to process an27 image to make it have less entropy, then store the reverse of28 those operations along with the compressed simpler image as a29 super-compressed image file (possibly sccapting some30 lesses). Trades file size for decompression time, and allows one31 to cheat by using information in gimp/opencv to compress the32 image.34 - fixed cryopreservation :: why not use a fixative to buy enough time35 to ramp up cryoprotectants to an acceptable level at room36 temperature? Then, the whole system can be rapidly cooled and37 vitrified. This method "severs the biological link" in that the38 fixatives are highly toxic, but current vitrification procedures39 do this anyway since there can be a lot of freezing damage.41 - bitcoin wallet :: Part of "server culture", this would be something42 like "coin.your-domain.com" which would serve as43 your personal trusted access to your own bitcoins44 from anywhere.46 - libpay :: this would be a free library which would enable47 micro-donations to software projects and other projects,48 so that you could donate a penny to "emacs" and it would49 be automatically split up to every person who has ever50 contributed to emacs in proportion to the amount of51 community esteem, code quantity, bugs fixed, whatever the52 community decides. This might make it possible for53 programmers to live entirely off of free programming.55 - distributed graphics :: Browser based graphics-card accelerated56 distributed computing API.58 - pronouns :: use capital letters A-Z instead of pronouns. They solve59 pronoun referents and gender neutrality, are short to60 say, and you can encode useful information into the61 choice of letter. For example, instead of "Meetings62 shall be presided over by the president, unless she is63 absent." USE "Meetings shall be presided over by the64 president, unless P is absent." We already use this a65 little, since I and U are reserved for the subject and66 object respectively.68 - phone DSP :: software app that inserts an audio DSP between the69 input to a phone and the output. The DSP is delicious70 and configurable, and can allow men to make their71 voices deeper, etc. The app would allow you to hear72 your own voice as others hear it. Most people hate how73 their own voice sounds. The app would also allow one to74 immediately change the parameters of the DSP using good75 presets.77 - predestined body learning :: a good example of predestined learning78 might be the mirror neurons.80 - restaurant receipt :: use a carbon copy receipt instead of two stupid81 copies.83 - anti google glass :: glasses with mounted lasers and computer vision84 that targets the cameras in google glass and destroy them.86 - wearable towel :: towel with clasp, velcro, whatever, that allows87 one to wear the towel more securely than just88 wrapping it tightly and hoping for the best.90 - crossdressing :: Easiest way to disguise oneself as a woman is to91 wear a burka.93 - book-mode :: intelligent color highlighting for books and94 articles. It would disambiguate pronouns and involved95 references. For example, if "Rachael" as red, and "the96 blonde haired girl" refers to "Rachael", then "the97 blonde haired girl" would he colored red. Also, you98 could disambiguate multi part run-on sentences by99 highlighting each subcomponent. Maybe would also have100 applications to scientific reading.102 - Handheld light Rain measurement :: this would be a clear, teflon103 coated plastic disk with a camera underneath the disk. You would104 be able to hold the device out and it would measure the rate of105 accumulation of water droplets from fine mists and light rain by106 using computer vision to measure the diameters of the drops.108 - Big Brother Farming :: This would be a vision system that would109 individually monitor each plant and turn on water, etc to ensure110 maximum/uniform growth for each plant.112 - Discrete Faucet :: A faucet with discrete ticks instead of113 continuous.115 - Laser Circle :: take a glass microfiliment and shine a laser at one116 end at an oblique angle. It will make a perfect,117 large circle on the wall, converting a laser beam118 into a laser cone, preserving most of the energy of119 the laser.121 - Invisible Glass :: Take a container of liquid and embed a122 glass sculpture made out of glass that has exactly the same index123 of refraction and color of the liquid. Then the sculpture will be124 totally invisible in the container, and will only be revealed125 when the liquid is drained. The container might be a fancy126 wine/spirit bottle or an hourglass.128 - Caterpillar people :: A race of caterpillar like creatures gains129 intelligence after eons of predation by birds, etc. These130 caterpillar creatures still undergo metamorphosis into a large131 butterfly-like creature. The metamorphosis process turns the132 caterpillar's brain into mush and reforms it into a minimal,133 dumb, truly insect-like mind, completely destroying the person134 the caterpillar was. The society develops all sorts of customs and135 religious interpretations of the metamorphosis. It is viewed as136 good and natural by some since it is part of their life cycle and137 necessary to propagate the species, as only the butterflies can138 mate. Some think that the butterflies are still the same person139 because they have the same soul, even they no longer posses the140 memories or personality of the original caterpillar. Some see the141 butterfly form as the "true form" of the species, since the142 butterflies can fly, mate, and are beautiful. Many make a big143 deal out of the fact that 1-2% of the caterpillar's mind is144 actually preserved in the butterfly. Some see it as a terrible145 tragedy and argue that the caterpillars should try to stop the146 metamorphosis by technology. Practically, some very important147 members of society undergo hormone therapy and/or surgery to148 prevent metamorphosis so that they can live longer as themselves.150 This is a continuation of Marvin Minsky's ideas about pain being151 something that preserves our bodies while destroying our minds,152 something that is a remnant from our too harsh animal days that153 hasn't caught up to the fact that we have very complex brains154 now. It's a worst-case scenario about a maladaptive genetic155 legacy. Also, it's inspired by "There She Is!!!", which makes a156 compelling point about homosexuality by introducing a second157 gender characteristic (bunny/cat, male/female), which makes158 homophobia look very silly. Here, our own biological legacy of159 pain and death is made to look like the tragedy it is through the160 lens of the the caterpillar people.162 - relationships as a business :: [[http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Up-or-Out-Solving-the-IT-Turnover-Crisis.aspx][Turnover-Crisis]] is an excellent talk163 about the "culture of quitting," which is about better business164 by letting people go instead of keeping them around past their165 "apex". Focuses on information transfer. Cool idea of an alumni166 network, which for relationships would be a group of satisfied167 ex-lovers, who would recommend new people your way, and who might168 consider coming to you again, refreshed from their time away with169 new stories/experiences. I should look for examples of this and170 how they worked out.172 - coffee with tea :: /rlm-tea/ contains 2% sugar, 10% cream, and 20%173 dylan coffee. /dylan coffee/ contains 5% sugar,174 20% cream, and 10% rlm-tea. Start your mornings175 with recursion!177 - psychic crystal :: in a science fiction story, this would be an178 object that is very easy to move physically but is extremely179 difficult to move with telekinesis.181 - http://betsofbitco.in/ :: what a great place for an AI/person to182 prove themselves as a good predictor. I wish this could be183 automated.185 - true reflection :: don't forget about that mirror in the student186 center!, it's two mirrors at right angles, like staring at a187 corner of a room. The light reflects so that it shows you what188 you actually look like, instead of your mirror image.190 - remote control wasp :: use computer to drive wings with remote191 power/logic.193 - encrypted email phone book :: public (distributed?) database of194 email->private-key pairs, to enable automatic encryption.196 - universal eye color :: every equivalent creature will see each197 others' eyes as black -- it's universal. Even if the creatures198 see in radio waves, and their eyes are 2m long pieces of jagged199 metal, when those creatures look at each other, they will see200 black, the absence of light and color (since it's being absorbed201 by the sensor array).203 - intelligent microwave :: it learns where the hot nodes of its fields204 are, and uses them to evenly heat any food item. It has an infared205 camera or something to keep track of how hot the food is. That way,206 you don't get bowls where the edges are boiling, while the center is207 still frozen. Requires a little bit of intelligence/vision, since208 the exact pattern of heating totally depends on the exact shape of209 the food. Wouldn't need a carousel, and wouldn't need a timer,210 just a desired temperature. Could also detect ice, and automatically211 defrost the parts which are frozen. Might be able to work much212 faster since it can avoid overheating; might have problems with213 heating the insides of thick things, might need a weight sensor too.215 + Would be much cleaner than other microwaves, since food would216 "sputter" and splash liquid much less.218 + Throw in some SIFT+R processing to match previously cooked foods219 and learn the exact heating profiles for things that have been220 cooked before -- it can get faster the more its used.222 - compression :: brain-aware image compression algorithm224 - Credit card proxy :: would be a company which works like paypal225 except for real world transactions227 - Flesh pillow :: a pillow like the arm or torso of a human, complete228 with simulated temperature, bones, and heartbeat.230 - super screw :: a screw which has only one or two threads and instead231 uses compression to fit into a hole (the whole shank232 of the screw is split into multiple pieces to233 accomplish this; the tip is a point, then the middle234 bulges out and gets compressed when screwed in.236 - light filter :: (like light tweezers) to mechanically separate237 fluids with different index of refraction239 - chalk eraser project :: maybe make a directional eraser, for easy240 release of chalk dust, like fur, and how it likes to rest in a241 certain direction.243 - silver socks :: socks laced with silver for the antimicrobial244 properties.246 - UROP :: magnet gear/metal teeth tape device to distill urine through247 evaporation and easily dispose of urea crystals for use in248 desert -- produce drinkable water.250 - UROP :: Make the LED in line with the flow for the micro injector, so251 that it may transmit maximum flow. Motor that changes252 distance of internal magnet from windings depending on253 desired speed so as to obtain maximum power efficiency.255 - lottery scraper :: web scraper which monitors various lotteries,256 looking for "special" gimmick changes in the rules (like 4x257 winnings on Wednesdays) and computes expected value...259 - Memristiors novel design :: make an evolutionary algorithm to make260 old stuff using all four basic circuit elements.262 - Conductive concrete :: concrete that has embedded metal fibers so263 that it can conduct electricity.265 - little bitty melting pot :: might be useful for some types of266 manufacturing/3D printing -- how small can an induction melter be267 made, for example.269 - power strip/timer programmable combination :: meh271 - algorithms :: which learn what their inputs are and in what order,272 and can adapt to changing circumstances -- they273 remember previous arguments and adapt so as to respond274 to different connections.276 - true pure tones :: hear a true pure tone by direct stimulation of the277 nerves of the ear279 - mechanical analogue to the electrical op-amp :: would be an object280 with two levers -- you pull on one lever and the other moves the281 same way, no matter what's in the way or what it is driving. This282 analogy could be useful to teach op amps to people.284 - paper folding device :: make it convenient to fold lots of papers in285 various ways.287 - concrete epoxy :: epoxy with sand/ some other solid material.289 - light capacitor :: suspend some ball of material with a high index290 of refraction and shine light into it so it gets stuck -- would291 the light stay trapped forever? Could you build up unlimited292 quantities of light inside the sphere (which could then be293 released slowly by frustrated internal reflection?295 - movie screening :: Movies always are too long at first. One way to296 shorten them ``scientifically" is to record blink rate during the297 move and then remove / shorten the frames of the parts in which298 there are a lot of blinking (average this over multiple people)299 better yet, put it online and do it across thousands of people. I300 got this from youtube in which there is an episode of kill bill301 which is composed entirely of the parts in which people had their302 eyes closed. slogan: want to make a movie people can't take their303 eyes off of? Just take those parts out!305 - optimize an article :: capture reading of a scientific article via306 screen capture while people read it, then use it to make the307 article better. like the movie-pruning idea.309 - super reading program :: teaches people the ideal mental mask to310 apply during reading so as to read very fast.312 - explosive thermite epoxy putty :: one part would contain the rust,313 one part the aluminum.315 - reading comprehension :: use the above screen capture routine to316 make a quiz program that constructs questions about the content317 you seemed to gloss over while reading. could be easy if the pdf318 came with embedded questions. Dylan: automatically generate319 word-cloud about the parts you found most interesting; help320 others who read the same stuff by drawing attention to the321 interesting parts.323 - hard sword :: make a samurai sword, but use osmiridum instead of324 martensite for the cutting part; it should be a better325 sword.327 - close range wireless :: use the induction technology used to328 recharge electric toothbrushes with no metal links to send data329 without any metal at all!331 - reading :: is a form of synsethesia333 - DNA printer :: A machine which translates the text eg, "ACTGAC" into334 actual DNA336 - black generator :: ferro-fluid magnetic field suspended micro337 generator to make electricity339 - alcohol battery :: alcohol/fluid flow powered battery341 - folding razor blade sword ::343 - perfect pitch :: learn perfect pitch using another sense in344 combination (sight or touch)346 - kaleidoscope projector ::348 - razor blade de-sharpener :: for guilt free disposal350 - bricks :: filled with luminescent plant material352 - bio metallic structure :: metal grids with seeds inside, which grow353 together and form a durable biological matrix. The metal354 substrate delivers water. (maybe use plastic instead of metal?)355 Dylan: enrich plants with inorganic compounds; electrical356 interfaces in cellular plant matter => remote-controlled357 photosynthetic/bioluminescent structures.359 - conducting extracellular matrix :: to allow better control of360 organic systems and an enhanced nervous system.362 - cross-modal memory hashing :: a way to retrieve memories more363 robustly.365 - flossing thimble-guards :: (these actually exist)367 - rules + lattice learning :: integrate lattice learning with rules by368 generating hypothetical examples370 - wooden refrigerator :: to give food a better taste Dylan: like371 barrels for wine, or planks for salmon. Maybe just have "flavor372 planks" for your pre-existing fridge. Need to mitigate effect of373 temperature on volatility?375 - radioactive transmutation molecule by molecule :: create precious376 metals or something else economically advantageous.378 - crowd preservation :: inoculate food with tons of harmless379 bacteria so that there's no room for bad bacteria as a method of380 preservation382 - old school preservation :: Pasteur - style holding jar with siphon383 as a way to store liquids at room temperature indefinitely w/o384 refrigeration.386 - restaurant policy :: Throw rude people out of restaurant as a matter387 of course -- make ambiance much better.389 - clean windows :: make something that mixes soap with fire hydrant390 water (and reduces the pressure a bit) and use it391 to clean windows of buildings.393 - ocarina :: make an ocarina out of pure silver395 - fire pen :: pen which burns words on to the page, thus never needing396 any ink. Is there a way to make it runnable from the397 human's energy?399 - website to design your own soda :: and label, and have it mailed to400 you / sell it from your own online store.402 - solar panels :: that float on the ocean404 - handcuffs with more than two cuffs (3?) :: great for daisy chaining405 people, binding them to environment, etc.407 - vector based SOUND files :: like the pictures but with SOUND. codify408 sound in a language with enough symbols so that it can describe409 everything and encode it in that. would be like going from speech410 to text or smtg. Could also store sound as an image of the411 wavefront encoded as a vector image.413 - Mouse :: with a horizontal scroll wheel in addition to the vertical414 scroll wheel416 - logic maintenance system for big institutions :: to make sure the417 things they are thinking about doing are not retarded419 - http://www.regulations.gov/ :: cool site421 - genetically engineered glowing fruit :: sell seeds?423 - memory slide :: IF memories are encoded using particular sensory424 impressions, what happens if the sensory organ425 itself changes? those memories would become426 inaccessible. maybe this is why we can't remember427 much from our childhoods. also, could this happen428 throughout life as well? Could S remember stuff from429 his childhood?431 - make a completely indestructible phone :: no moving parts or display432 you should be able to slam it around all you want, and it will433 just work. brutally simple. aerogel around the battery, minimal434 interface - never gets too hot, and can be dropped into water. no435 holes -- uses field effects for everything from the buttons to436 inductive charging and data transfer.438 - midi to ocarina "tabs" program :: (online website? buy ocarinas from439 it too)441 - 3d printing with sound pulses (or just patterns) :: like the 8.03442 lecture444 - lighter flint on spring :: make hot, throw it at something, and it445 makes sparkles!447 - nuclear energy :: Rebranding New+Clear Energy with informational448 campaign and public debate forum to enforce its449 transparent and open nature. France needn't be the450 world leader in nuclear energy. (Dylan)452 - bubbles :: Engineer a material which has both ductility and high453 surface tension to make the "third"454 minimal-surface-energy solution to a bubble suspended455 between two equal-diameter rings. (Solutions are456 cylindrical catenary curve, two separated half-bubbles,457 and a double-cone)459 - Textbook whose content can be varied continuously :: alter level of460 difficulty, rigor, diction, emphasize crossover with certain461 other discipline, etc. Content generated dynamically from462 knowledge base, along with questions that are moreover altered to463 guide knowledge acquisition. Motivation: One book of464 knowledge. /One./467 ** From Jacob's idea list469 - Roommate-canceling headphones: uses roommate's laptop mic to seed470 noise cancellation alg in your headphones (would this471 work?). -Update on sound canceling headphones that take feed from472 tv: how about ones that cancel people talking on the phone by473 receiving the phone signals and playing inverse sound474 waves. #signalprocessing ~jcole@mit.edu476 - ClackerAlert -- tells if you slam the keys too hard using sound data477 (and speed/jerkiness data)!.Prevents RSI ~jcole@mit.e479 - Panic Pin :: separate pin that you can tell someone if forced to480 identify your PIN (idea from idea about credit cards)