Archive for March, 2011
Martin K.’s Shovel With Terrain Wheels
Martin K. from Maine is not a fan of shoveling his sidewalk, as the seams in the concrete keep stopping his forward progress. I can relate, this can be unpleasant - you are pushing forward then you are brought to a jarring halt by the seam in the sidewalk or a raised patch of sidewalk.
He devised a shovel with small wheels on the front of the blade that would encounter these rough patches and help glide the blade over them:
There are plenty of shovels out there with wheels behind the blade - similar to a manual lawnmower - to make pushing a little easier. This is the inverse of that idea, one that makes your shovel an all-terrain one so to speak.
I really like this idea, but Martin and I both concluded that there is the obvious drawback of a slight bit of clearance at the edge of the blade, so you couldn’t shovel right down to the surface of the sidewalk. But I think a thin film of snow left behind is acceptable.
My only addition was the handles at the middle, which would work like one of those large farming/garden sickles. I think it would be easier to lift snow in this fashion - a combination of raising the front handle and pushing down on the end handle. I’m pretty sure these kinds of handles exist on snow shovels, I just can’t seem to find any images on Google.
Add comment March 16, 2011
Looking For Reader Ideas
Over the last few weeks, a few people have approached me with some really great ideas. I have been working with them in fine-tuning their ideas, as well as creating concept art. I hope to post these real soon.
It’s not something I’ve advertised in this blog, but if you have an idea you’d like posted here and would like some help with concept art to showcase it, contact me.
These ideas can be just about anything - geeky, safety, environment - whatever. I will do what I can to help you out.
Don’t know how much of a trend these will be. Might have to rename the blog ‘Geeky Ideas’ one day.
Add comment March 16, 2011
Another Idea Brought To Life - Portal Mirrors
Four months ago I posted a Geeky IKEA Furniture idea that revolved around Portal. I prescribed mirrors lined with LED rope on the back.
Well a married couple actually made them a reality! Check it out here.
Here is a pic of theirs:
And here is my original design (with the how-to even written there!):
They followed my recipe and I am pleased to see they got the intended result - light bouncing off the wall, not the mirror.
9 comments March 14, 2011
Borg (Star Trek) Wireless Charging Pad
Eventually your mobile phone will have to be assimilated. Resistance is futile.
Wireless charging pads emerged onto the scene a few years ago, and they are a brilliant innovation. Merely place your compatible gadget on top the pad/mat, and it will recharge through Osmosis. Actually with electro-magnetic induction to be precise. No wires needed, except for the one used to plug the mat in of course.
The simple interface of these recharging mats reminded me of the famous Star Trek villains the Borg and their ‘recharging stations’.
The Borg would just simply step into one of these stations and plug themselves into the collective hive and share their thoughts. The act appears comparable to sleep as they close their eyes, and being half-machine it would make sense to recharge now and then.
Trekkies love their geeky gadgets, so I think they’d get a kick out of this one.
I haven’t pestered Thinkgeek in awhile about one of my geeky gadget designs, so I will send this along. If you like this idea as well, feel free to send your endorsement along to them here: http://www.thinkgeek.com/bug-us/ Thinkgeek will consider products if there is enough support behind it.
Add comment March 14, 2011
Pedestrian Crosswalk Safety System
Spikes! Mother Nature got it right - those spikes can be huge deterrents to even the most careless predator. So I decided to employ them at a crosswalk.
A. When a pedestrian crosses at the designated crosswalk, they will trigger spikes to protrude from the road. I’m not a fan of electric or sensor-based methods, so I think a simple fulcrum or even an air pump-based system to raise the spikes would suffice.
B. To ensure cars don’t trigger the spikes themselves, there would be designated thru-ways for the tires to safely drive on (shown as the zig-zag lines above) that do not have any spike-triggering mechanisms. To make these thru-ways more obvious sections of the crosswalk could be slightly elevated.
When close to the crosswalk, drivers would want some reassurance that the spikes are lowered, even beyond the absence of pedestrians. I’d place a sign-like device in the middle of the crosswalk and at the street corners that is 3-4 feet above the ground, and are also equipped with a telescopic spikes, which would indicate the position of the spikes on the road.
To prevent jerk pedestrians from triggering the system to antagonize drivers, the spikes would need successive inputs (footsteps) along the path of the crosswalk to become fully raised. Foot traffic momentum would be needed to keep the spikes engaged - after a second of zero input, the spikes drop back down.
This system is ideal for high-accident intersections, and would make drivers more alert. Also this would stop what could be a hit-and-run scenario in it’s tracks.
Drawbacks - would be a slower intersection for motorists, so I’d limit the window for pedestrians to cross, giving more time for drivers to get through. The spikes would be raised along the whole crosswalk, so drivers who would normally turn in front of incoming pedestrians would be halted - but pedestrians do have right of way mind you.
NOTE: I originally had another system that was like a see-saw, where a person would walk on this platform and it would partially sink, raising some spikes on the opposing end. It was only a few feet wide, so cars could safely drive over it (and trigger it) without incident. Unfortunately a ‘guilty’ car would be too close to the pedestrian, so the damage would already be done. Maybe one day I will showcase this idea.
Add comment March 14, 2011
Idea For LEGO.com: Custom Papercraft Boxes
I recently found this cool service offered by LEGO called ‘Design by Me’, which allows you to create a custom LEGO kit. What is extra cool is that your LEGO masterpiece is shipped to you in a custom package depicting your creation and it’s name (visible in the image above).
That is just awesome.
One thing I would like to see: have the ‘Design By Me’ website churn out a papercraft of that custom box, as an option for customers who might not purchase the full product. I think having that iconic (papercraft) LEGO box sitting on your desk featuring your awesome design would look cool. Be sure to toss a few LEGOS inside for authenticity.
What makes this easy for LEGO to do is that when they are outputting the art for printing the custom box, it is in flat 2D form, much like a papercraft sheet.
A small charge of $1-3 for a custom papercraft box is ideal. Remember to use Card Paper kids.
I might just make one featuring my waving LEGO mascot for myself. I wish I had the time to churn out custom work for everyone, but I think this LEGO site can achieve that.
Add comment March 12, 2011
Wind-Up Power Assist For Cars
This is an old old idea I finally got enough nerve to post. It’s a bit juvenile in it’s execution (and explanation as well), so apologies in advance!
Remember those pull-back cars you played with when you were a kid? You pulled back on the car, released, and the car zoomed forward. This was made possible by the Pullback motor in the toy car.
So then I thought, what if there was a way you could both constantly pull back and propel the car as well?
The only way I thought it was possible, was to have the Pullback motors pulled-back by the forward motion of the car, and then swing around and expend the energy against the car wheels.
In my design above, there are two pull-back motors on a revolving platform. One is on the road being wound-up, the other is propelling the wheel. When the one on the ground is full wound, it brakes, and is then swerved around to press against the wheel. There it propels the wheel.
Does that sort of make sense? Yeah a bit weird to explain I know.
Now this could not be used as a primary source to propel a vehicle (thanks to Thermodynamics), but rather a means to compliment/assist the main motor to help save gas/volts. Unfortunately Pullback motors are essentially a clock spring, and there isn’t a Pullback motor large or strong enough to be used in such a large-scale fashion.
2 comments March 12, 2011
Well THAT Didn’t Take Long
Seeing a whole bunch of designs online for a folding scale eerily similar to mine:
I can assure you there was no such thing as a folding scale when I posted this on June 9, 2010. I frequently get a lot of searches for ‘folding scale’, so I figured it would be a matter of time before a prototype surfaced.
And one did: http://www.cesaroni.com/industries/housewares/Health-o-meter_Folding_Scale.php
Am I mad? Not in the least. It’s become an actual product people will benefit from. Heck, I’d even buy one. It’s a feather in my cap, that is for sure.
Plus I post all my ideas with the intention of sharing them, which has benefited me personally in a lot of ways (which I cannot talk about - just yet).
Add comment March 10, 2011
My Candidate To Replace Michael Scott
Steve Carell has already taped his last episode of The Office, and now there is much speculation as to who will replace Michael Scott.
So why not Bill Lumbergh? The passive-aggressive antagonist from the film Office Space memorably portrayed by Gary Cole.
The character has far-reaching appeal. His name, mannerisms, and quotable dialogue have become symbolic of apathetic corporate culture.
So bringing Bill to Scranton - even for a cameo - would be a huge deal, and not as impossible as you would think. The American version of The Office was adapted by Greg Daniels, who also co-created King of the Hill with Mike Judge, creator of the aforementioned Office Space.
Just a matter of Cole being willing to reprise the role of Lumbergh. He already has for Family Guy.
Although I’d rather see a sequel to Office Space.
Add comment March 8, 2011
Trapped!
I hate clear plastic batons filled with red sparklies!
Just a heads up - I will be busy for the next few weeks, so posts will be few and far between.
I think it’s good blogger etiquette to announce that things will be slow. Not a fan of dead/dying blogs myself.
I have zero intention of quitting this blog. It just so happens that this blog keeps initiating side projects.
In the meantime, feel free to peruse the archive - nearly a year of ideas, good and bad.
Add comment March 6, 2011
