The Year in Ideas

Some Anonymous Dude writes "The NYTimes magazine reviews this year's great ideas including the anti-paparazzi flash, forehead billboards, scientific free-throw distraction, and why popcorn doesn't pop." From the intro: "Once we have thrown back all the innovations that don't meet our exacting standards, we find ourselves with the following alphabetical catch: 78 notions, big and small, grand and petty, serious and silly, ingenious and. . . well, whatever you call it when you tattoo an advertisement on your forehead for money."

Comments

The greatest innovation ever...

[Anonymous Coward]

BugMeNot.

Here's A Shot

[MrNonchalant]

well, whatever you call it when you tattoo an advertisement on your forehead for money.

Materialistic and depraved?

Oddly Enough

[Cherita Chen]

Surprise, Surprise, the "$100 Laptop" is on the list

http://apple.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/11/14/ 2119209&from=rss

Re:Oddly Enough

[ozmanjusri]

Because computers are apparently more important than FOOD and MEDICINE now.

My computer lets me do things that earn money. With money, I buy FOOD and MEDICINE, not just now, but whenever I need them. Maybe other people can do the same, then they will not be hungry and sick. If those people are not hungry and sick, we will stop having to send aid money to their countries. If we don't have to keep ending donations to their countries, we will be able to spend the money on large clue-by-fours to sort out people who don't understand that a sustainable income is always better than charity.

Re:Oddly Enough

[Brendor]

"My computer lets me do things that earn money"

How can a person without access to reliable drinking water earn money with a computer?

How can a person who lives on barren land use a computer to get food?

Re:Celebs

[CyricZ]

But it's a very, very rich segment of the world's population, even if they are few in numbers.

Article?

[LadyLucky]

There is an introduction, which points to the article, which isn't the article but points back to the introduction.

Am I the only one that can't find any article? What gives?

Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[ATeamMrT]

How the heck is tattooing GoldenPalace.com on your forehead for $25,000 a great idea???????

$25,000 is a LOT of money for someone who's never had more than the $121.45 which food stamps pays per month. To someone in IT, $25,000 might be a 2 month contract, and not very much money. Buy a top notch digital camera to play with, maybe a new plasma TV, eat at a fancy restaurant all month, and your $25K is gone. But for someone who is poor, that $25K might last 2 or 3 years. It is enough to buy a 7 year old Honda Civic with 110,000 miles for $1700. That should be solid transportation for another 5 years. That 25K will buy lots of chicken at the grocery store at $0.79 cents a pound. Add the 10 pound bag of potatoes that is $1.99, and that will last a month. For someone who has been poor, you would be surprised how easy it is to stretch $25 into a weeks worth of good eats. There isn't any steaks, but there is plenty of roasted chicken, rice, oven baked potatoe wedges, and hearty soups made from the left over bones of the chicken with some veggies. I sometimes get a kick out of fancy resturants that use peasant recipes to make meals they charge $40 per plate. The original purpose of these recipes was to conserve and be frugal. For example, there is an Italian resturant near my home that has a $7 soup which is made from olive oil, garlic, basil, water, and lots of day old crusty bread cut in cubes. It is a creamy soup, very tastey, and something that $1 could make a big pot with 20 servings. The bread breaks apart and thickens the flavorfull water.

For someone who is poor, that $25,000 extra cash might be reason enough to buy a case of two buck chuck and stock the wine cabinet.

I know we all live in the USA, but there is a gap growing between the rich and the poor. $25,000 is a lot of money no matter who you are! Those guys who box are often poor, and come from homes where the needs were far greater than the wants.

Having said all that, I hate the blatant advertising. People should not use their body or uniform to advertise. It is a shame, because that $25,000 might be more money than the boxer could make any other way. It is one guaranteed payout.

Re:Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[JWSmythe]

    You haven't known many people without money, have you?

    Ideally, yes, they would live within their means, and use the $25k to help with their standard of living.

    In the real world, that $25k would be gone in a week, but probably less. It may go to pay back bills, but more than likely it will put the biggest TV they can fit in their house (usually not well), some new furnature, a couple nice dinners, and maybe the down payment on a new car. Unfortunately, they'll still be living in a crappy place in a bad part of town. The car will get repossessed within months, and their 'nice' stuff that they just bought will end up as crappy as the stuff they already have. Generally, they treat their stuff just as badly as they treat themselves, which is why they're usually in that situation.

    I won't say everyone who is down on their luck is like that. Hell, I've been there. But, most people wouldn't use cash like that to ensure that they will thrive in the future.

Re:Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[ATeamMrT]

You haven't known many people without money, have you?

Ideally, yes, they would live within their means, and use the $25k to help with their standard of living.

In the real world, that $25k would be gone in a week, but probably less. It may go to pay back bills, but more than likely it will put the biggest TV they can fit in their house (usually not well), some new furnature, a couple nice dinners, and maybe the down payment on a new car. Unfortunately, they'll still be living in a crappy place in a bad part of town. The car will get repossessed within months, and their 'nice' stuff that they just bought will end up as crappy as the stuff they already have. Generally, they treat their stuff just as badly as they treat themselves, which is why they're usually in that situation.

I won't say everyone who is down on their luck is like that. Hell, I've been there. But, most people wouldn't use cash like that to ensure that they will thrive in the future.

I don't know why they marked you troll, you're right about some poor people. They do get in debt, and it is a real problem. I am not sure about the status of the new bankrupcy laws, but I hear it is more difficult to declare bankrupcy. The courts will not discharge debts.

If a family took a $25,000 pay check, and the first thing they did was buy a $5,000 plasma TV, that family is in trouble. I doubt the TV will make their lives that much better.

Truth be told, for some people, I don't know how $25,000 could be invested for a better future. Not everyone has the ability to finish college, it takes good reading skills, reasoning skills, and math. Some people just can't get over the hump of a college education. It is a sad fact, and it does not make the person any less valuable to society. But 30 years ago, that person could get a good union job, buy a house, and live a normal life. Today, that person will have a very difficult time making ends meet.

What would you recommed for a guy with an IQ of 87 to do with $25,000? Spend $2,000 at the community college learning a trade which one day might offer a $10 hour job? Keep training in boxing, and hope for the 1 in a 1,000,000 shot of making good money?

I don't know what the solution is. I wonder what suggestions others would give that family? And we should not criticize them for being human and wanting items like big TV's. That is the job of marketing, and they do a good job of making people spend their money on junk. There are whole forums dedicated to sneaking information on what DVD's will be 2 for $20 at the local electronics store next week.

Re:Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[JWSmythe]

    I suppose that my comment was marked as troll, because I hit a nerve with someone.

    Myself, I did the trade school route. I took a year (two 6 month classes) on HVAC repair with a friend of mine. I never got hired, but he did. He spent the next year crawling under mobile homes, and in attics to run duct work. I had an old Apple IIe at home, that I was becoming very proficient on.

    I ended up getting a job in a WalMart ware house, making crap money and long hours. I was driving a $300 car with a leaky radiator that I couldn't afford to replace.

    I ended up going back to trade school for law enforcement. I started with corrections (i.e., prison guard), and then law enforcement, both of which I got certified in by the state. I worked for roughly 3 months there, where I found out it's a really shitty job deeply rooted in the good ol' boy system. I wasn't one of the good ol' boys, so I didn't have a chance.

    I ended up with a tech job at a crappy computer store in a bad part of town. They sold the worst hardware, and the customers were always unhappy. Last I heard, the owner was on the run for tax evasion. I learned a lot about PC hardware, and how to make absolute crap work.

    All the while, I was living in some pretty crappy places. I was very happy eating a $0.49 McDonalds hamburger and water for lunch, and maybe a bowl of rice or spaghetti for dinner.

    I knew people who lived in rusted out mobile homes, that would get some quick cash somehow, and waste it. They'd have a huge TV, newer car, or whatever, and a couple weeks later, be bitching that their welfare check didn't buy them enough food to eat.

    I ended up at an Internet company for a year, making not quite as crappy money. I think my take-home check was roughly $200.

    I kept trying, had a bit of dumb luck, and have ended up where I am now. I have nice things, and live in a nice place.

    But, money doesn't buy happiness. My girlfriend left me yesterday, because I don't take her out enough, and I don't pay enough attention to her. She doesn't like that my pager goes off at odd hours, and that I get phone calls from 9am until sometime after 1am, depending on where the clients are. She doesn't like that I work a lot, and lately have frequently been out of town for work for between a week and two months at a time.

    So, what do you do? Beats me. Right now, I'd get a tattoo on my head, if I knew it would earn me happiness. Screw the cash.

    For them, yes, go to a trade school, learn to do something. Anything. Work a hard day, get a crappy paycheck, and when the better job comes along, grab it. It's better than putting a tattoo on your forehead, grabbing the quick cash, and squandering it all.

    In my own situation, I'm being humbled. I'm going to sell virtually everything I have, move in with a friend, save every penny I have, and maybe when I come out of it, I'll have savings in the bank to keep me financially stable for the rest of my life, and still have my friends. All the nice stuff that I could possibly own (and do), and as much as I've tried to please girlfriends I've been with have done be absolutely no good. If I know I can buy a $0.49 hamburger for lunch every day, a bowl of rice every night, and be around my friends, I'll continue to be happy. I'll still have my skills, and I will continue to work until I'm too old to type or to think.

Re:Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[JWSmythe]

    There is no god, no matter what religion you are. I've searched. No one has found 'god'. They've found in religion something to make them feel safe from what they don't understand.

    Religion is the early man's way of explaining what he didn't understand.

    Surely you have grown beyond that by now.

    Some have told me that we are 'god'. That is the best explanation. We are in control of our own destiny. Leaving it up to a mythical being to save yourself is leading your life to ruin through inaction.

    But hey, if it works for you, go to church, give your 'donation', and pray all that you'd like.

    I don't claim to understand everything, but I know that I shouldn't. Some people believe I do. Some people know I don't. The rest of you don't know me at all.

Re:Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[LegendLength]

I suppose that my comment was marked as troll, because I hit a nerve with someone.

I would say it was this:

"Generally, they treat their stuff just as badly as they treat themselves, which is why they're usually in that situation."

Re:Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[TapeCutter]

Spot on, nobody understands what "it is all about" for anybody except themselves. Those that would force their beliefs on others through violent means are responsible for most of the carnage of human history including the carnage that is happening now. Accepting that "it" is unkowable gives the same sense of awe and liberation found in more conventional religions.

Yes, I have missed meals and been hungry.
Yes, I, my ex and two kids, were classed as "working-poor" for ~10yrs.
Yes, I get well above the average wage now.
Yes, I have "wasted" money I didn't have on "frivolus" things like a weekend in a 3 star hotel. I can only assume the posts that think this is a bad thing have a "religion" based on money.

Re:Have you ever missed meals or been hungry?

[syousef]

But, money doesn't buy happiness. My girlfriend left me yesterday, because I don't take her out enough, and I don't pay enough attention to her. She doesn't like that my pager goes off at odd hours, and that I get phone calls from 9am until sometime after 1am, depending on where the clients are. She doesn't like that I work a lot, and lately have frequently been out of town for work for between a week and two months at a time.

Trust me. If she's like that, it's good news. You'll appreciate it soon enough. Alone sux. With the wrong person sux worse. Find someone who'll treat you better and you'll be a lot happier.

Re:Here's my idea.

[Bazzalisk]

Just a comment on your .sig.

Although it's rarer one can also effect a retreat (for example), or sport an affect as part of one's mannerisms.

Isn't English wonderful?

If there are only 78 innovative ideas

[Flyboy Connor]

If there are only 78 innovative ideas, why is it that tens of thousands of patents were awarded?

Furthermore: tattooing a slogan on your forehead -- why does that fall under the category "Science"?

Conspiracy theorists, pay attention!

[Stickerboy]

I found this tidbit interesting:

Under "Making Global Warming Work For You", there was "Millions of acres of ice may soon become suitable for nautical traffic and oil exploration. An estimated quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and gas resources are in the Arctic."

And people wonder why the energy industry/US government is doing all it can to drag their heels on climate control...

Re:Here's my idea.

[Pneuma ROCKS]

Is that a hypothetical question?

I believe you mean rethorical.

The Real Big Ideas for 2005

[dexter riley]

I read the list of innovative ideas...they mostly seemed like Sharper Image catalog entries. An infrared pet dryer? Robot jockeys? Singing toothbrushes? How grand.

So, I say we start a list of what the REAL big ideas of 2005 were. I'll start. This is the first year I recall where it was widely expressed in the media that there are major global cities, even some in the United States (ye gads!), that are unmaintainable over the next hundred years, and can be expected to be abandoned to the elements. Whether it's New Orleans being returned to swamp, or the cities of the Southwest that could dwindle as energy and water costs rise, the notion of the likely failure of many of our great cities seems significant. At least, it seems more important than the "Snap-On Celebrity Smiles" that made the list.

Anyone else have any other real ideas that came from 2005 that are worth commenting on?

Rock on with your bad selves,
dex