Idea #32: Perfect-Fit Shopping

I know, I know, I told you I would stop doing this but I just couldn’t help it.  The other day I had an idea and I just couldn’t get it out of my head so, despite the words from nearly a month ago, here comes another idea.

3-D Comparison, Perfect-Fit Shopping

The idea came to me while shopping at E-mart (basically a Wal-Mart) and, in the middle of trying to decide between two different options, I became frustrated because I didn’t know which one would fit best in my room.  Similarly I thought that there have been many times before when I wasn’t sure if the color or design would match with my room or decor.  What if it was too big when I brought it home?  How inconvenient! Having to drag the entire purchase back to the store simply was out of the question.

Even with the internet at hand and being able to see things and compare their dimensions online before a purchase, from experience I can say that it doesn’t always work out the way you thought (quality of the product upon arrival may be different than you had imagined it when you saw the picture online)  On top of that, there are impulse-buys to consider.  Almost everyone is a victim of the impulse-buy.  Shopping with a friend or just out to get another carton of milk and BOOM! we nab a snickers bar, futon, TV, etc.  With almost no real thought put into the process we are sure to find that upon installation in our homes the entire product is questionably imperfect.

The solution?  Perfect-Fit Shopping.  Picture this, going into your favorite store and shopping for kitchen supplies, home decor, electronics, etc. and being able to instantly know how the product looks in your own home–without actually taking it home.  It would be something like this: Everyone would have a fully 3-Dimensional model of their home’s interior and it can be updated at any time the homeowner desires; Shopping centers like Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, or (insert your favorite store here) would have a 3-Dimensional Comparison Center within the store where shoppers can upload their home; Finally, products offered in the store would also have three-dimensional versions that could be uploaded in the Comparison Center.  Then, with all this in place, the shopper has simply to select the products at the store–after testing things like feel and sturdiness–and place them within their own house…all while never actually leaving the store!  It is the perfect way to be absolutely sure that what you are buying has everything you are looking for: Feel, look, quality, fit in the house, color coordination, you name it.

In the past merchants traveled to people’s homes where people could see and test everything they ever wanted without ever leaving their homes.  Today we have to travel many miles just to see what is offered but even when we get there we tend to be unsure if it will look or feel just as good once we return home.  Not to mention the mere cost of travel! I can’t wait until someone invents this.

Pros: Able to test the feel and quality of the object in the store, While remaining in the store we are also able to test the look and fit of the object in the exact setting of our homes, never have to return things simply because we didn’t like it after we got home, well-thought-out impulse buys, decreased spending on fuel for travel to and from the store, others?

Cons: The fact that my entire house is mapped out in 3-D and that I can access that from little more than a Wal-Mart is bit scary to say the least…

Idea #31: A Smooth Finish

Free Movement

It may be a bit of a tragedy, perhaps, but this is the last entry.  There is nothing worse, I have been told, than to miss the train of your personal dream and get distracted.  This blog and its idea has been an amazing experience for the past month but it was birthed from evil soil and birth from such a soil will never leave to truly delicious and fulfilling fruit for the soul.

There are several things that I have learned from this experience that I will take with me. First, passion must be pursued for the time being while the spark lasts.  Second, passion born of evil will not lead to your ultimate destiny but it can teach you some valuable lessons.  Third, I am not controlled by others and there is nothing to keep me from moving on to what I am really destined to do.

This Idea Blog was a passion.  It was born as a passion deep in my heart and I pursued it with all  my might every day for a month.  The concept is beautiful and worth the time and planning that went into the thought process.  It has pushed my mind to re-examine the world around me and I have learned that.  The spark of passion may have died early but wow it was passionate wasn’t it?  I mean wow, an entry EVERY day for the rest of my life? Whew.  I must have been passionate to think of an idea as ridiculously monstrous as that!

The thing to remember, I tell myself, is that this blog–though filled with only positive thoughts–was born out of one evil thought: Jealousy.  That’s right, I was jealous.  I was surfing the internet a bit over a month ago when I came across news of a friend who had not only successfully proposed during halftime of a basketball game but had also made a small fortune online and who is just now beginning a charitable foundation.  The success of my friend, rather than being a moment of celebration, created within me envy and deep jealousy over his success.  I decided at the time that the best way to counter this feeling would be to set out online and try to find my money and fame there.

What a mistake!  Born out of jealousy is this Idea Blog.  It doesn’t matter how good any idea is, what matters most is where it was born; that alone will determine its final resting spot.  Today my Idea Blog will find its rest.  I encourage others who feel so inspired to emulate with an Idea Blog of their own to do so, it is quite enlightening.  It has illuminated to me the truth that ideas are more precious than rain and not as abundant as the air we breathe.  Ideas, good ideas, need time and the perfect inspiration.  Don’t get me wrong! The death of this blog will not mean the death of my idea flow.  Quite on the contrary, from now on my ideas flow more freely because the gateway has been opened thanks to this blog.

These are the lessons that I have learned.  There is a limit to how much creativity you can squeeze out of your brain before it needs more time to hatch more.  Never begin something out of jealousy, or do but realize that when the passion leaves the project so you too should step away from it and pursue what you really wanted to before you got distracted. Learn something from each experience. As was said once, an error only becomes a mistake when you fail to correct it.  I made an error when I chose to begin this one month ago, my reasoning was all sixes and sevens. Today I can say clearly and surely that my heart is not made for this and will not ever have the passion that it once possessed for the blog.  In the end the weight of jealous chains are just too heavy.

So that brings me to my final point: I am not controlled by others and am free to leave this blog at any time.  There is no shame is changing your mind when you realize that you were wrong.  I was wrong, and I admit it.  It is easy to say and even more relieving!  I will live tomorrow as if a small burden has been lifted off my back.  My future will be a tad bit clearer as will be my thoughts.  Just as easily as I entered this blog world I will leave it.  For any readers out there, I hope you have enjoyed my previous 30 entries as much as I have (truly) enjoyed writing them.  To dream is to feel alive.

Some may say that you must always finish what you started.  For many years I have been a strong advocate of this philosophy but no longer!  One of our most famous presidents, Mr. Lincoln, was a famous flip-flopper.  I am not the same person I was yesterday and today the circumstances have changed, therefore my decision should change in accordance.  A fool will keep his course in the face of new information, a wise man will consider the new information and change his course as necessary.  I am on my way to becoming that wise man.

Reading.  It changes my life.

Pros: Time to do other things

Cons: No one will know the new ideas that I hatch every day for the rest of my life.

Idea #30: Little Prince, the Movie

The Little Prince

We all know Mr. Exupéry’s famous story The Little Prince and all the splendor of discovery that we get every time we read it.  I for one have read it several times and find it utterly fascinating every time.  Naturally I think that such a novel would be a complete success should it be made into a splendid film.  Why has no film been made of this classic tale?  The answer is because it already has been made.  A musical version of The Little Prince was released in the United States in 1973 that featured gold old Gene Wilder as the fox with the secret to tell.  The film was okay for its time and took home a Golden Globe for the best Original Score in 1975.

But this is the year 2009…almost 2010!  Epic tales such as The Lord of the Rings, Spiderman, The Compass, Batman, and several others have a firepower on screen that is unparalleled by the special effects available from any other decade. Just look at the evolution of the Star Wars films from their humble beginnings!  Even some local amateurs have better quality films on YouTube than much of what was considered the best of th ’70s.  It is time, I say again, for a remake.

The Little Prince needs some fresh shoes and a sharp 2010 look that will really do justice to the fantastic story.

Pros: A better rendition of the film will give the novel the kind of recognition it deserves, a surge in popularity of the novel will lead to more people reading it which will lead to more people discovering this truth, “that which is essential is invisible”

Cons: Poor planning of such an undertaking and the creation of a film for a novel so loved by so many could lead to disgrace of the book, someone not as cool as Gene Wilder may have to play the fox.

Idea #29: Unwanting

Waste. Waste. WASTE!  It is the problem of our age: Inefficiency. We are a culture that is absorbed with getting more and what er get more of tends to be incrementally less dependable as the years go on.  The new products that are developed break down faster than older products, food goes unused but perfectly edible still, smog, smoke, random “needs” that turn into forgotten dumpster fillers, college futons that cannot be taken home, books unread, computers with only the screen broken, iPods with slightly outdated features, mendable and still useful clothing, out-of-style furniture, and everything in between.  Waste. Waste. Waste.

Efficient Bunnies

It is a curse of being social and insecure: We desire to try what is popular and taste what is considered delicious.  To be known today means to be out and buying.  It is a corrupt system with total disregard for the future generation that will inherit it and the lost resources.  (Look up the short documentary called The Story of Stuff for a bit more in-depth look into this system) My point?  It should be obvious but let me throw in a strange fact.  Rabbits are fantastic creatures:  They are possibly one of the cleanest creatures on Earth.  They are constantly cleaning their fur, shedding and renewing their fur, not to mention (though it has nothing to do with cleanliness) near 360-degree vision and an ability to hop 2 to 4 times their own height, etc. etc.  Quite remarkable.  What is most remarkable is that bunnies will occasionally and for health reasons eat their own poop.  That’s right, fecal matter.  They eat it.  If you don’t believe me you can look it up. Bunnies are very resourceful.

So why aren’t we? 

Idea #28: The Perfect Dance Move

It’s the beauty of the …well, everything really: No one thing is exactly like another.  The differences among us, the imperfections, the brokenness, mutations, specialties, and talents are what make us so complex.  Funny how the world works though…there are just some things that a majority of people are attracted to.  Certain music artists are more widely known than others, some pieces of art are more respected than others, fashions go in and out with the masses that buy into them, etc.  Is there one song that everyone, and I mean everyone likes?  No, probably not.  But what if there was?

The Dance

What if there was one, just one, dance move that, when danced, would immediately change the atmosphere in the room.  The first step alone resonates with some deep chord embedded in the very DNA of every human being on earth.  The second step rings in your ears pleasure and passion!  By the third step everyone is on the dance floor. 

Idea #27:Edible Everything

Sure the idea may have its origins in Willy Wonka, but consider a world where literally everything has two uses and one of those uses is always as food.  Your jacket, computer mouse, laundry detergent, everything doubles as a fine food source.  Byebye hunger.  Eat a candle.

Pros: No need to go shopping? maybe, new items on the menu at your favorite restaurant

Cons: Some brat kid might eat your computer just for fun…..or your car.

Idea #26: Learn 4 Languages

“Perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add but when there is nothing left to take away.” – Exupéry

There is something in me that says that four is the right number (the Japanese may disagree) when it comes to language.   At least to me, I feel that at this present moment I will be able to master four languages in my lifetime.  I have no real desire to acquire any more languages beyond basic introductory/survival phrases.  Knowledge in and an ability to speak another language come in handy in winning the hearts and understanding the mindset of people of a different nation.  Much is mentioned in my sister site about languages but suffice it to say that presently there exist roughly 5000 different languages worldwide.  Read: It is impossible to learn every language in the world.

So why overwhelm yourself?  Just pick 2 or three to master and really do it.  We’re not talking poor, second-rate speaking ability here.  No, I mean speaking, reading, and writing at a first-rate, nearly-native level that even stuns actual native speakers of the language when you open you mouth.  Width is good in the early years (i.e. learning the basics of many languages and holding broad interests) but as the years go on we ought to focus our attention on a few things that we need to do.  Time speeds up as we get older anyway so why not form routine and simplify your goals?  Four languages for me, I say.

The languages I would like to learn are English (native), Japanese (advanced), Spanish (advanced), and Korean (beginner).  I would like to consider myself to be at a level near native within the next 10 years…absolutely no more.  That being said, even native speakers of English will take English courses and major in English in college so just because I reach a near-native level will not mean that my studies have come to an end.

What languages would you like to learn?

Pros: Increased cultural communication, decreased tension between countries and cultures far apart from each other, a broad mindset thanks to the diverse levels of thought that come about from the acquisition of a second, third, or fourth language, constant vigilance to learning as it continues to fascinate me.

Cons: Mixing up languages, confusing the grammar pattern of one language with the grammar pattern of another, all the time it takes, time wasted while in the beginning stages of language acquisition because language will be limited and superficial in stead of deep and thoughtful (Hi how are you? Fine, and you?)

Idea #25: Hungry Floor

Sure we’ve got Roomba these days, but we still end up sweeping and mopping the floor.  Sure we have high-powered cleaning detergents, bleach, mop&glo, heck we even have Mr.Clean as well but we still have dirty floors that we can’t eat off of.  It’s a sad truth but even with such conveniences as these we still choose to break our backs with mops and brooms.  Is it really a good thing that children have to do such repetitive and non-creative chores?  WE should be spending our time doing things that we want to do and are a pleasure to us, and we should be able to do it without ridiculous inventions.

Hungry Floor

In some houses the heating system is wired through the floor.  This means that the way the room heats up is passive and slow but from the bottom up…in other words, feet are toasty on the ground.  A better example come from years spent with fish tanks.  There are two types of filtering systems that are used by most every owner of fish: the regular or external method or the under gravel method. The under gravel method has many advantages but the best part is that it has to be cleaned by the owner much less often than the external filter: every 6 months vs. once every 4 weeks or so.  It is a curiously effective way to maintain cleanliness in a fish tank.

So why not apply this same principle to our very own homes?! 

Idea#24: Expandabook

Sitting down to read a good book is all fun and games of course.  It is pleasant when you can move at your own pace through a book, pausing, turning the pages when you reach the end of a page etc.etc.  What happens when you try to share that book with a friend though?  No, I’m not talking about you reading it first then handing it over to your buddy later.  I mean you both crack open the very same book and read it together.  What happens?  No matter what you think, if there are two people reading the same book the odds are heavily in favor of one person finishing before the other.  One person will reach the end of the page before the other. What happens next is wherein lies the problem of the day and the next idea: Wasted time while waiting for the other person to finish reading the rest of the page that you already read.

Idea #23: Smart Stove

Sizzle Sizzle Spat Spat!

I’m not sure if this has already been invented or not but this entry comes to you from my kitchen today.  Cookin’ up a nice big bowl of fettuccine for dinner  because it is easy  and delicious with olive oil and garlic when all of the sudden a ‘sizzle SIZZLE spat SPAT!’ sounds in my ear.  The pot that is filled with the boiling water and pasta has begun to boil on over the bot and is sizzling on the stove top, dancing withe the flames!

Of course the only thing to do at a time like that is to change something (because the old way wasn’t working).  I turned down the heat.  Problem solved…until the bubbles all but disappear because the flame is now too low and ineffective.  Turn up the heat again.  It’s a cycle that I cannot walk away from.  If I went to read a book while the water boils, I would never get past the first paragraph because the water would be continually boiling over.  Knit?  Forget about it.

Enter Smart Stove: A revolutionary piece of technology and a lot more hassle free do-whatever-you-want time.