rlm@43: #+title: Big List O' Ideas rlm@43: #+author: Robert McIntyre rlm@43: #+email: rlm@mit.edu rlm@43: #+description: list of ideas from the last ~ 7 years rlm@47: #+keywords: aurellem ideas half-baked random rlm@43: #+SETUPFILE: ../../aurellem/org/setup.org rlm@43: #+INCLUDE: ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org rlm@43: #+babel: :mkdirp yes :noweb yes :exports both rlm@43: rlm@42: * Ideas rlm@42: rlm@43: This is a list of all the ideas I've had that I felt like writing down rlm@43: for the past ~ 7 years. Some of them could be practical inventions and rlm@47: are "just" waiting the that 95% perspiration to bring them to rlm@47: fruition, some are ideas for science fiction, and some are simple rlm@48: observations. Some are really only for my own personal notes and are rlm@48: not meant to be comprehensible. They are arranged roughly in reverse rlm@48: chronological order, with the most recent ideas at the top of the rlm@48: list. The ones at the bottom of the list are heavily influenced by my rlm@48: time at MIT. rlm@43: rlm@43: If you find some of these interesting and would like to collaborate on rlm@43: them with me or discuss them in more detail, I'd love to hear from rlm@43: you. You can email me at ideas@aurellem.org. rlm@43: rlm@50: - image compression :: use a library like gimp or opencv to process an rlm@50: image to make it have less entropy, then store the reverse of rlm@50: those operations along with the compressed simpler image as a rlm@50: super-compressed image file (possibly sccapting some rlm@50: lesses). Trades file size for decompression time, and allows one rlm@50: to cheat by using information in gimp/opencv to compress the rlm@50: image. rlm@50: rlm@47: - fixed cryopreservation :: why not use a fixative to buy enough time rlm@42: to ramp up cryoprotectants to an acceptable level at room rlm@42: temperature? Then, the whole system can be rapidly cooled and rlm@42: vitrified. This method "severs the biological link" in that the rlm@47: fixatives are highly toxic, but current vitrification procedures rlm@42: do this anyway since there can be a lot of freezing damage. rlm@38: rlm@40: - bitcoin wallet :: Part of "server culture", this would be something rlm@40: like "coin.your-domain.com" which would serve as rlm@40: your personal trusted access to your own bitcoins rlm@40: from anywhere. rlm@40: rlm@40: - libpay :: this would be a free library which would enable rlm@40: micro-donations to software projects and other projects, rlm@47: so that you could donate a penny to "emacs" and it would rlm@47: be automatically split up to every person who has ever rlm@40: contributed to emacs in proportion to the amount of rlm@40: community esteem, code quantity, bugs fixed, whatever the rlm@47: community decides. This might make it possible for rlm@40: programmers to live entirely off of free programming. rlm@40: rlm@45: - distributed graphics :: Browser based graphics-card accelerated rlm@45: distributed computing API. rlm@41: rlm@40: - pronouns :: use capital letters A-Z instead of pronouns. They solve rlm@40: pronoun referents and gender neutrality, are short to rlm@40: say, and you can encode useful information into the rlm@40: choice of letter. For example, instead of "Meetings rlm@40: shall be presided over by the president, unless she is rlm@42: absent." USE "Meetings shall be presided over by the rlm@40: president, unless P is absent." We already use this a rlm@40: little, since I and U are reserved for the subject and rlm@40: object respectively. rlm@40: rlm@40: - phone DSP :: software app that inserts an audio DSP between the rlm@40: input to a phone and the output. The DSP is delicious rlm@40: and configurable, and can allow men to make their rlm@40: voices deeper, etc. The app would allow you to hear rlm@40: your own voice as others hear it. Most people hate how rlm@40: their own voice sounds. The app would also allow one to rlm@47: immediately change the parameters of the DSP using good rlm@40: presets. rlm@40: rlm@47: - predestined body learning :: a good example of predestined learning rlm@40: might be the mirror neurons. rlm@40: rlm@47: - restaurant receipt :: use a carbon copy receipt instead of two stupid rlm@40: copies. rlm@40: rlm@41: - anti google glass :: glasses with mounted lasers and computer vision rlm@41: that targets the cameras in google glass and destroy them. rlm@41: rlm@40: - wearable towel :: towel with clasp, velcro, whatever, that allows rlm@40: one to wear the towel more securely than just rlm@40: wrapping it tightly and hoping for the best. rlm@40: rlm@47: - crossdressing :: Easiest way to disguise oneself as a woman is to rlm@44: wear a burka. rlm@41: rlm@40: - book-mode :: intelligent color highlighting for books and rlm@40: articles. It would disambiguate pronouns and involved rlm@40: references. For example, if "Rachael" as red, and "the rlm@40: blonde haired girl" refers to "Rachael", then "the rlm@40: blonde haired girl" would he colored red. Also, you rlm@47: could disambiguate multi part run-on sentences by rlm@40: highlighting each subcomponent. Maybe would also have rlm@47: applications to scientific reading. rlm@40: rlm@40: - Handheld light Rain measurement :: this would be a clear, teflon rlm@47: coated plastic disk with a camera underneath the disk. You would rlm@40: be able to hold the device out and it would measure the rate of rlm@40: accumulation of water droplets from fine mists and light rain by rlm@40: using computer vision to measure the diameters of the drops. rlm@40: rlm@40: - Big Brother Farming :: This would be a vision system that would rlm@40: individually monitor each plant and turn on water, etc to ensure rlm@40: maximum/uniform growth for each plant. rlm@40: rlm@40: - Discrete Faucet :: A faucet with discrete ticks instead of rlm@47: continuous. rlm@40: rlm@40: - Laser Circle :: take a glass microfiliment and shine a laser at one rlm@40: end at an oblique angle. It will make a perfect, rlm@40: large circle on the wall, converting a laser beam rlm@47: into a laser cone, preserving most of the energy of rlm@40: the laser. rlm@40: rlm@40: - Invisible Glass :: Take a container of liquid and embed a rlm@40: glass sculpture made out of glass that has exactly the same index rlm@40: of refraction and color of the liquid. Then the sculpture will be rlm@40: totally invisible in the container, and will only be revealed rlm@40: when the liquid is drained. The container might be a fancy rlm@40: wine/spirit bottle or an hourglass. rlm@40: rlm@47: - Caterpillar people :: A race of caterpillar like creatures gains rlm@40: intelligence after eons of predation by birds, etc. These rlm@47: caterpillar creatures still undergo metamorphosis into a large rlm@40: butterfly-like creature. The metamorphosis process turns the rlm@40: caterpillar's brain into mush and reforms it into a minimal, rlm@40: dumb, truly insect-like mind, completely destroying the person rlm@47: the caterpillar was. The society develops all sorts of customs and rlm@40: religious interpretations of the metamorphosis. It is viewed as rlm@40: good and natural by some since it is part of their life cycle and rlm@47: necessary to propagate the species, as only the butterflies can rlm@40: mate. Some think that the butterflies are still the same person rlm@47: because they have the same soul, even they no longer posses the rlm@47: memories or personality of the original caterpillar. Some see the rlm@40: butterfly form as the "true form" of the species, since the rlm@40: butterflies can fly, mate, and are beautiful. Many make a big rlm@47: deal out of the fact that 1-2% of the caterpillar's mind is rlm@40: actually preserved in the butterfly. Some see it as a terrible rlm@47: tragedy and argue that the caterpillars should try to stop the rlm@40: metamorphosis by technology. Practically, some very important rlm@40: members of society undergo hormone therapy and/or surgery to rlm@40: prevent metamorphosis so that they can live longer as themselves. rlm@40: rlm@40: This is a continuation of Marvin Minsky's ideas about pain being rlm@40: something that preserves our bodies while destroying our minds, rlm@40: something that is a remnant from our too harsh animal days that rlm@40: hasn't caught up to the fact that we have very complex brains rlm@40: now. It's a worst-case scenario about a maladaptive genetic rlm@40: legacy. Also, it's inspired by "There She Is!!!", which makes a rlm@40: compelling point about homosexuality by introducing a second rlm@40: gender characteristic (bunny/cat, male/female), which makes rlm@40: homophobia look very silly. Here, our own biological legacy of rlm@47: pain and death is made to look like the tragedy it is through the rlm@47: lens of the the caterpillar people. rlm@40: rlm@46: - 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: about the "culture of quitting," which is about better business rlm@46: by letting people go instead of keeping them around past their rlm@47: "apex". Focuses on information transfer. Cool idea of an alumni rlm@46: network, which for relationships would be a group of satisfied rlm@46: ex-lovers, who would recommend new people your way, and who might rlm@46: consider coming to you again, refreshed from their time away with rlm@46: new stories/experiences. I should look for examples of this and rlm@46: how they worked out. rlm@43: rlm@47: - coffee with tea :: /rlm-tea/ contains 2% sugar, 10% cream, and 20% rlm@43: dylan coffee. /dylan coffee/ contains 5% sugar, rlm@43: 20% cream, and 10% rlm-tea. Start your mornings rlm@43: with recursion! rlm@43: rlm@43: - psychic crystal :: in a science fiction story, this would be an rlm@43: object that is very easy to move physically but is extremely rlm@43: difficult to move with telekinesis. rlm@43: rlm@40: - http://betsofbitco.in/ :: what a great place for an AI/person to rlm@40: prove themselves as a good predictor. I wish this could be rlm@40: automated. rlm@40: rlm@44: - true reflection :: don't forget about that mirror in the student rlm@44: center!, it's two mirrors at right angles, like staring at a rlm@44: corner of a room. The light reflects so that it shows you what rlm@44: you actually look like, instead of your mirror image. rlm@33: rlm@33: - remote control wasp :: use computer to drive wings with remote rlm@32: power/logic. rlm@32: rlm@47: - encrypted email phone book :: public (distributed?) database of rlm@44: email->private-key pairs, to enable automatic encryption. rlm@32: rlm@44: - universal eye color :: every equivalent creature will see each rlm@44: others' eyes as black -- it's universal. Even if the creatures rlm@44: see in radio waves, and their eyes are 2m long pieces of jagged rlm@44: metal, when those creatures look at each other, they will see rlm@44: black, the absence of light and color (since it's being absorbed rlm@44: by the sensor array). rlm@32: rlm@33: - intelligent microwave :: it learns where the hot nodes of its fields rlm@32: are, and uses them to evenly heat any food item. It has an infared rlm@32: camera or something to keep track of how hot the food is. That way, rlm@32: you don't get bowls where the edges are boiling, while the center is rlm@32: still frozen. Requires a little bit of intelligence/vision, since rlm@32: the exact pattern of heating totally depends on the exact shape of rlm@47: the food. Wouldn't need a carousel, and wouldn't need a timer, rlm@47: just a desired temperature. Could also detect ice, and automatically rlm@32: defrost the parts which are frozen. Might be able to work much rlm@47: faster since it can avoid overheating; might have problems with rlm@32: heating the insides of thick things, might need a weight sensor too. rlm@32: rlm@39: + Would be much cleaner than other microwaves, since food would rlm@39: "sputter" and splash liquid much less. rlm@32: rlm@39: + Throw in some SIFT+R processing to match previously cooked foods rlm@39: and learn the exact heating profiles for things that have been rlm@39: cooked before -- it can get faster the more its used. rlm@32: rlm@47: - compression :: brain-aware image compression algorithm rlm@32: rlm@44: - Credit card proxy :: would be a company which works like paypal rlm@44: except for real world transactions rlm@32: rlm@33: - Flesh pillow :: a pillow like the arm or torso of a human, complete rlm@33: with simulated temperature, bones, and heartbeat. rlm@33: rlm@47: - super screw :: a screw which has only one or two threads and instead rlm@47: uses compression to fit into a hole (the whole shank rlm@33: of the screw is split into multiple pieces to rlm@33: accomplish this; the tip is a point, then the middle rlm@33: bulges out and gets compressed when screwed in. rlm@33: rlm@47: - light filter :: (like light tweezers) to mechanically separate rlm@33: fluids with different index of refraction rlm@33: rlm@33: - chalk eraser project :: maybe make a directional eraser, for easy rlm@33: release of chalk dust, like fur, and how it likes to rest in a rlm@33: certain direction. rlm@33: rlm@44: - silver socks :: socks laced with silver for the antimicrobial rlm@44: properties. rlm@32: rlm@44: - UROP :: magnet gear/metal teeth tape device to distill urine through rlm@44: evaporation and easily dispose of urea crystals for use in rlm@44: desert -- produce drinkable water. rlm@32: rlm@47: - UROP :: Make the LED in line with the flow for the micro injector, so rlm@44: that it may transmit maximum flow. Motor that changes rlm@44: distance of internal magnet from windings depending on rlm@44: desired speed so as to obtain maximum power efficiency. rlm@32: rlm@47: - lottery scraper :: web scraper which monitors various lotteries, rlm@44: looking for "special" gimmick changes in the rules (like 4x rlm@44: winnings on Wednesdays) and computes expected value... rlm@34: rlm@34: - Memristiors novel design :: make an evolutionary algorithm to make rlm@34: old stuff using all four basic circuit elements. rlm@34: rlm@44: - Conductive concrete :: concrete that has embedded metal fibers so rlm@44: that it can conduct electricity. rlm@34: rlm@44: - little bitty melting pot :: might be useful for some types of rlm@44: manufacturing/3D printing -- how small can an induction melter be rlm@44: made, for example. rlm@34: rlm@44: - power strip/timer programmable combination :: meh rlm@34: rlm@47: - algorithms :: which learn what their inputs are and in what order, rlm@44: and can adapt to changing circumstances -- they rlm@44: remember previous arguments and adapt so as to respond rlm@44: to different connections. rlm@34: rlm@47: - true pure tones :: hear a true pure tone by direct stimulation of the rlm@44: nerves of the ear rlm@43: rlm@43: - mechanical analogue to the electrical op-amp :: would be an object rlm@43: with two levers -- you pull on one lever and the other moves the rlm@43: same way, no matter what's in the way or what it is driving. This rlm@47: analogy could be useful to teach op amps to people. rlm@34: rlm@47: - paper folding device :: make it convenient to fold lots of papers in rlm@34: various ways. rlm@34: rlm@34: - concrete epoxy :: epoxy with sand/ some other solid material. rlm@34: rlm@47: - light capacitor :: suspend some ball of material with a high index rlm@43: of refraction and shine light into it so it gets stuck -- would rlm@43: the light stay trapped forever? Could you build up unlimited rlm@43: quantities of light inside the sphere (which could then be rlm@43: released slowly by frustrated internal reflection? rlm@34: rlm@40: - movie screening :: Movies always are too long at first. One way to rlm@34: shorten them ``scientifically" is to record blink rate during the rlm@34: move and then remove / shorten the frames of the parts in which rlm@34: there are a lot of blinking (average this over multiple people) rlm@34: better yet, put it online and do it across thousands of people. I rlm@34: got this from youtube in which there is an episode of kill bill rlm@47: which is composed entirely of the parts in which people had their rlm@34: eyes closed. slogan: want to make a movie people can't take their rlm@34: eyes off of? Just take those parts out! rlm@34: rlm@47: - optimize an article :: capture reading of a scientific article via rlm@44: screen capture while people read it, then use it to make the rlm@44: article better. like the movie-pruning idea. rlm@35: rlm@44: - super reading program :: teaches people the ideal mental mask to rlm@44: apply during reading so as to read very fast. rlm@35: rlm@44: - explosive thermite epoxy putty :: one part would contain the rust, rlm@47: one part the aluminum. rlm@34: rlm@44: - reading comprehension :: use the above screen capture routine to rlm@44: make a quiz program that constructs questions about the content rlm@44: you seemed to gloss over while reading. could be easy if the pdf rlm@44: came with embedded questions. Dylan: automatically generate rlm@44: word-cloud about the parts you found most interesting; help rlm@44: others who read the same stuff by drawing attention to the rlm@44: interesting parts. rlm@34: rlm@44: - hard sword :: make a samurai sword, but use osmiridum instead of rlm@44: martensite for the cutting part; it should be a better rlm@44: sword. rlm@32: rlm@44: - close range wireless :: use the induction technology used to rlm@44: recharge electric toothbrushes with no metal links to send data rlm@44: without any metal at all! rlm@32: rlm@44: - reading :: is a form of synsethesia rlm@32: rlm@44: - DNA printer :: A machine which translates the text eg, "ACTGAC" into rlm@44: actual DNA rlm@32: rlm@44: - black generator :: ferro-fluid magnetic field suspended micro rlm@44: generator to make electricity rlm@32: rlm@44: - alcohol battery :: alcohol/fluid flow powered battery rlm@32: rlm@44: - folding razor blade sword :: rlm@32: rlm@44: - perfect pitch :: learn perfect pitch using another sense in rlm@44: combination (sight or touch) rlm@32: rlm@44: - kaleidoscope projector :: rlm@32: rlm@44: - razor blade de-sharpener :: for guilt free disposal rlm@32: rlm@44: - bricks :: filled with luminescent plant material rlm@32: rlm@47: - bio metallic structure :: metal grids with seeds inside, which grow rlm@44: together and form a durable biological matrix. The metal rlm@44: substrate delivers water. (maybe use plastic instead of metal?) rlm@44: Dylan: enrich plants with inorganic compounds; electrical rlm@44: interfaces in cellular plant matter => remote-controlled rlm@44: photosynthetic/bioluminescent structures. rlm@32: rlm@44: - conducting extracellular matrix :: to allow better control of rlm@44: organic systems and an enhanced nervous system. rlm@32: rlm@44: - cross-modal memory hashing :: a way to retrieve memories more rlm@44: robustly. rlm@32: rlm@47: - flossing thimble-guards :: (these actually exist) rlm@32: rlm@44: - rules + lattice learning :: integrate lattice learning with rules by rlm@44: generating hypothetical examples rlm@32: rlm@47: - wooden refrigerator :: to give food a better taste Dylan: like rlm@44: barrels for wine, or planks for salmon. Maybe just have "flavor rlm@44: planks" for your pre-existing fridge. Need to mitigate effect of rlm@44: temperature on volatility? rlm@32: rlm@35: - radioactive transmutation molecule by molecule :: create precious rlm@35: metals or something else economically advantageous. rlm@32: rlm@47: - crowd preservation :: inoculate food with tons of harmless rlm@44: bacteria so that there's no room for bad bacteria as a method of rlm@44: preservation rlm@32: rlm@47: - old school preservation :: Pasteur - style holding jar with siphon rlm@47: as a way to store liquids at room temperature indefinitely w/o rlm@47: refrigeration. rlm@32: rlm@47: - restaurant policy :: Throw rude people out of restaurant as a matter rlm@44: of course -- make ambiance much better. rlm@32: rlm@47: - clean windows :: make something that mixes soap with fire hydrant rlm@44: water (and reduces the pressure a bit) and use it rlm@44: to clean windows of buildings. rlm@32: rlm@44: - ocarina :: make an ocarina out of pure silver rlm@32: rlm@35: - fire pen :: pen which burns words on to the page, thus never needing rlm@47: any ink. Is there a way to make it runnable from the rlm@35: human's energy? rlm@32: rlm@44: - website to design your own soda :: and label, and have it mailed to rlm@44: you / sell it from your own online store. rlm@35: rlm@44: - solar panels :: that float on the ocean rlm@43: rlm@35: - handcuffs with more than two cuffs (3?) :: great for daisy chaining rlm@43: people, binding them to environment, etc. rlm@35: rlm@35: - vector based SOUND files :: like the pictures but with SOUND. codify rlm@35: sound in a language with enough symbols so that it can describe rlm@35: everything and encode it in that. would be like going from speech rlm@43: to text or smtg. Could also store sound as an image of the rlm@35: wavefront encoded as a vector image. rlm@32: rlm@44: - Mouse :: with a horizontal scroll wheel in addition to the vertical rlm@44: scroll wheel rlm@32: rlm@47: - logic maintenance system for big institutions :: to make sure the rlm@44: things they are thinking about doing are not retarded rlm@32: rlm@47: - http://www.regulations.gov/ :: cool site rlm@32: rlm@44: - genetically engineered glowing fruit :: sell seeds? rlm@32: rlm@36: - memory slide :: IF memories are encoded using particular sensory rlm@36: impressions, what happens if the sensory organ rlm@36: itself changes? those memories would become rlm@47: inaccessible. maybe this is why we can't remember rlm@36: much from our childhoods. also, could this happen rlm@47: throughout life as well? Could S remember stuff from rlm@36: his childhood? rlm@32: rlm@47: - make a completely indestructible phone :: no moving parts or display rlm@36: you should be able to slam it around all you want, and it will rlm@36: just work. brutally simple. aerogel around the battery, minimal rlm@36: interface - never gets too hot, and can be dropped into water. no rlm@36: holes -- uses field effects for everything from the buttons to rlm@36: inductive charging and data transfer. rlm@32: rlm@44: - midi to ocarina "tabs" program :: (online website? buy ocarinas from rlm@44: it too) rlm@32: rlm@44: - 3d printing with sound pulses (or just patterns) :: like the 8.03 rlm@44: lecture rlm@32: rlm@40: - lighter flint on spring :: make hot, throw it at something, and it rlm@40: makes sparkles! rlm@32: rlm@44: - nuclear energy :: Rebranding New+Clear Energy with informational rlm@44: campaign and public debate forum to enforce its rlm@44: transparent and open nature. France needn't be the rlm@44: world leader in nuclear energy. (Dylan) rlm@32: rlm@44: - bubbles :: Engineer a material which has both ductility and high rlm@44: surface tension to make the "third" rlm@44: minimal-surface-energy solution to a bubble suspended rlm@44: between two equal-diameter rings. (Solutions are rlm@44: cylindrical catenary curve, two separated half-bubbles, rlm@44: and a double-cone) rlm@38: rlm@38: - Textbook whose content can be varied continuously :: alter level of rlm@38: difficulty, rigor, diction, emphasize crossover with certain rlm@38: other discipline, etc. Content generated dynamically from rlm@38: knowledge base, along with questions that are moreover altered to rlm@38: guide knowledge acquisition. Motivation: One book of rlm@40: knowledge. /One./ rlm@40: rlm@40: rlm@40: ** From Jacob's idea list rlm@40: rlm@47: - Roommate-canceling headphones: uses roommate's laptop mic to seed rlm@43: noise cancellation alg in your headphones (would this rlm@40: work?). -Update on sound canceling headphones that take feed from rlm@40: tv: how about ones that cancel people talking on the phone by rlm@40: receiving the phone signals and playing inverse sound rlm@40: waves. #signalprocessing ~jcole@mit.edu rlm@40: rlm@40: - ClackerAlert -- tells if you slam the keys too hard using sound data rlm@40: (and speed/jerkiness data)!.Prevents RSI ~jcole@mit.e rlm@40: rlm@40: - Panic Pin :: separate pin that you can tell someone if forced to rlm@41: identify your PIN (idea from idea about credit cards)