New Concepts

Yet again a collection of new concepts in several areas. As usual, these are from my imagination, and are not patented or trademarked, as far as I know. I hope you find them useful, intriguing, or at least funny.

New Concepts - Inventions

Human kites. You may have noticed my interest in kites. I used to design and build them while living alone in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Hang gliders are like kites, I always thought, but since there isn't much altitude in Michigan, I often wondered if you could use them in high wind, instead of from high hills. I can't think of a reason why, if tied to the ground by a strong line, you wouldn't rise up in a hang glider, just like a kite. To come down, you would just detach the line and glide back down.

Magnetic paintings. Start with a flat "canvas" of magnetic material, and an assortment of many colors of iron dust or small shavings. Apply the metal dust carefully to create any "painting" you can imagine. Like a Buddhist sand mandala, it could be very intricate and beautiful, and slightly more permanent. You could even hang it on the wall.

Wipe it clean if and when you want to start a new painting. The fact that the colored metal dust couldn't be salvaged and separated is a good thing from a marketing standpoint. It means that users have to buy more in order to "paint" more.

New Concepts - TV Shows

Survival show. I liked the idea of "Survivor," but the drama was too much. I know that it sells the show, but there are other markets too. My idea is to start all contestants on an island or other isolated locale. They can quit when they want, but they get no assistance otherwise. They also have no special competitions. The competition is to see who best survives. This might be determined by who loses the least weight, for example. This certainly indicates some skill in obtaining food.

Street survivor. Take away all their things, money and ID, and don't even let them use their real names. See who can survive, and who has the best situation and/or job a month later. Breaking any laws disqualifies a contestant. If there are any real success stories, the resulting show might be a great instructional video to show those who are really homeless how to help themselves more.

New Concepts - American Justice

Stop letting criminals exercise. Why in the world would we want violent offenders to come out of prison stronger and therefore more dangerous? We can't stop prisoners from exercising in their cells, but why provide equipment to help them get bigger muscles? Better to encourage them to be out of shape.

Video testimony. We see it at almost every trial. Lawyers say things for affect that they shouldn't say, and the judge tells the jury to disregard the comments - as if they can. What a sham! If witnesses were questioned and cross-examined on video tape, and the jury only saw this, any parts with sustained objections could be edited out. Problem solved. All parties could be present during the viewing if they wished.

New Concepts - A New Business

Hot air balloon rides are somewhat dangerous, and very dependent on weather, especially the speed and direction of the wind. For these reasons, they are not cheap. What if someone offered rides that didn't take you far, but gave you a view from high above? The idea here is to have "tethered" hot air balloon rides. Let the balloon go up a thousand feet or more, then crank it back in. This would be much safer and more reliable, and could be profitably offered at a lower price.

Hope you found at least one of these ideas interesting or entertaining. Even better, maybe you will be inspired to come up with your own new concepts.