One of my biggest complaints about going to the grocery store for my weekly purchase of food & necessities, is the total inconvenience of going to the deli counter to get cold cuts, cheese, etc, for sandwiches. Luckily, I usually go with my wife and she can contiue shopping while I sit there for what seems hours waiting to get service behind a sea of people! The solution: Simple offer shoppers the convenience of a small piece of paper in which to "write" their order on it. Leave the order with a "designated order-filler" and continue with shopping. After your shopping adventure is over, simply return to the deli counter to pick up your order and move on. This would save time, and greatly improve shoppers attitudes toward the deli counter inconveniences that everyone has to put up with.
Create a cell network whereby each cell phone "forwards" the call to the recipient. Example: I am location A and want to speak to my friend in location B, X miles away, let's say 10 miles. I call him/her and the cell phone transmission hops and skips through other users' idle phones until it finds my friend. Network would take advantage of users whose phones are idle - on, but not in use - to transmit and amplify the calls. Each cell phone is connected to the network and is standing by to assist in passing voice/data to/from the two parties.This could be very useful in developing countries and/or rural areas where range is necessarily limited and no cell phone provider is willing to provide service.Reward: A piece of chocolate cake with ice cream and a candle.
Create a cell phone-based home security system. The system would include small, wireless video cameras hidden around a person's home, and a receiver (with a built-in telephone) that would continuously monitor the cameras. A person with a camera-type cell phone could call their receiver and monitor what the cameras were viewing. You could keep an eye on your property from anywhere, and call the police if you see someone breaking into your home. Of course, this idea requires the development of cell phone infrastructure technology capable of transmitting real-time video.Reward: A free cell phone home security system/service. Also, the satisfaction of having helped lower the crime rate.
Every day we see hundreds of big trucks on the road going in opposite directions. You just know that many of them are hauling the same cargo - one hauling it out of an area, and another hauling it into the same area. (In my area, every time I see a truck load of coal heading north passing another headed south, I always think that it is just insane...)What if there was a service that would connect the person that was just getting ready to load a truck with apples to ship 300 miles down the road with the person 50 miles away that was ready to order a truckload of apples from 300 miles away? I know at first glance it looks like the truckers would loose, but I truly think that there's plenty of other things just waiting to be shipped to fill the void...)With today's computer & internet technology, such a system should be workable. It could perhaps be set up as a registry where vendors, purchasers, & transporters could post regularly and someone with a clear mind could make the connections for everyone.Reward: Do the right thing if you get rich.
When you are stuck in traffic, brake lights on the car in front of you only tell half of the story. How often have you accelerated to catch up with the car in front of you only to have to slam on brakes because the car in front of you was not accelerating but getting ready to brake. whew! close call.Well, if you are paying attention, there shouldn't need to be a reason for close calls.This simple innovation of just adding a "green" colored light on the back of cars to indicate when the car was accelerating would let traffic flow more like a train. There would be less congestion and less accidents. Everyone could essentially accelerate, coast, and brake simultaneously which would basically eliminate the traffic phenomenon, "shockwave".Implementing the idea into production now would mean only some cars would have this light. NO problem. That just means you have to be extra careful around cars without the light just like you are now.Reward: some time of recognition (like a plaque)for my idea from the person that actually gets this patented, for service to mankind and safety.
