Solar Employees

So big business is feeling the cost of big energy prices. The solution (for 18th century outfits that have 20 acre parking lots purely for ensuring their employees get exersise):

You don't want to tear the tarmac up. So, along the edges, install connectors that hook into the companies power grid. Now, the employees that park there can soup up their cars to convert solar power into electricity and feed it into the grid - and, pay them a rate that's less than what the power companies charge. Childishly simple.

Better M$ Window Browser

As you can verify, Alt-TAB lets you browse the available programs. (Press Alt, hold it down, press TAB, then release TAB). You can use the arrow keys to move between the icons and get previews of the available windows.

Req to M$ - can you please please please enhance this to also provide previews with the mouse? So simple and so annoying. And please send this out in a Windows update.

Gracias.

A Century of Innovation

There must be atleast one good idea here that someone can use. I'm 70% sure there ought to be one.

An Application of High Frame Rate TV

Here's a scenario that can warrant it.

You have a dance hall where you want couples to be able to learn at their own pace. So, each couple has a pair of headsets. One of them has control over the audio and video. The audio is easy - you could do FDMA or TDMA. The video is tricky - because, you want the people to be able to see everything else in the room, but, when they look at the one TV set on the wall, each couple needs to be able to control the content. How? The headsets are transparent 1/10 of the time. So, in one second, you can get each viewer about 20 frames if you do a 200 frame per second rate. That way, it's pretty social and uncluttered. Each headset will be transparent in sync with the channel of course. The problem - you effectively get only 1/10 of the light into the eye that you normally get.

How to Run a Startup

Like True Circuits (not that this is how they run it). I just happen to know that True Circuits maintains their own version of spice that they downloaded from Berkeley and uses magic for layout.

The key is to use open source tools. You can use Matlab, and, the kids working in matlab probably got there on the strength of projects they did as students. So, get a Matlab trial license, try it out, see what you like. Then, look for that in the open-source world. If it doesn't exist, motivate a smart student to create it - he gets to put it on his resume and you get to create your stuff without giving your cake to Mathworks.

Tailgate-Proof Access Control

Applied to cars of course. Very simply, you first get on a see-saw. To get on the see-saw is free. But, when you're on the see-saw without access, the secure area is now about 3' lower (or higher) than the floor the car is on. Now, if you are granted access, the system will tilt the see-saw such that you can easily move onto that secure area, but someone trying to tail-gate will have to make a 3' leap - or drop - which the probably won't (this will send off-road sales through the roof).

Another possibility - rollers that you lock to grant access. So, the approach basically has rods perpendicular to the direction of motion. These rods serve as axes for cyclinders which are the rollers. If they're not locked, then a ratchet arrangement can be used to ensure that the driver can reverse, but, if he tries to go forward, he'll be spinning uselessly. Nice?

Better Orchestras

Seems ancient to me. Why hasn't anyone invented a music stand with a page turner that's foot pedal operated? Haven't you been irritated watching musicians stop playing to turn their pages?

Make Healthy Choices Cost Less

That's the answer to America's problems. One big answer is to use the technology to let people telecommute more. That could be huge by itself - imagine the gas savings. In fact, why not give companies tax breaks for the number of approved work-from-home days the employees put in. The day of working from home must be approved by the supervisor. This way, the shareholders and the board of directors will buy in and all else will..

Better Fluke

You've seen these multimeters lying around the lab. They let you measure capacitance, but not at a desired bias voltage. So will you please?

The One that Saved NBC

How about having Kevin do the monologue for once. He must have a huge stack of jokes he's never been able to use. This could raise NBC's viewership overnight.

Walk to Your Car

We've heard of the shoe that talks to the iPOD. How about the shoe that talks (maybe) to your car keys (the electronic ones) or your phone and tells you how to locate your car? Simple - embed accelerometers in the pedometer that will keep track of direction and distance and you can't go wrong here.

Super Gmail

Not sure if this is possible when your app runs on a browser. But, how about if, when you compose a mail, you can hover over the signature and then gmail offers you options - change to a different signature that's more suited to the tone of the email, etc? Nice?

Courtroom Ballet

We've all seen courtroom drama. How about courtroom ballet? That should be entertaining.

Shirt Tattoos

You don't like permanent stuff on your skin. This might already be out there. How about clothes that look tattoo'd.

C I T I 's Answer

What do they want but for people to take out credit cards and spend? But, some cardholders are conservative - especially when they're not sure how much credit they have left. Here's a solution:

Enhance credit cards and the machines such that, after each swipe transaction, the card will display the credit available. It'll obviously have to be something mechanical so that there's no power consumption involved. Can we pull this off?

TI Power Management Produces Everyone Favourite Rechargeable Battery

Currently, Ni-mh batteries put out 1.2V whereas, non-recharegeable ones put out 1.5V - which is more end-product friendly. Question, why not embed a boost-regulator within in the battery package to put out 1.5V? Of course, you could put it in the electronics also, but this way, you could continue to use the new battery with old electronics.