Monday, April 21, 2008
The Person-Shaped Showerhead!
Why are showerheads round? The human body is not round. (Usually.) This means showerheads are designed to squander water. How not-green.
If every American changed to the Person-Shaped Showerhead, we would use 40% less water in our showers! That means enough water to fill up three Lake Minnetonkas.
(Note: all above figures may be made up.)
The Hook Tag Towel!
How often does your towel fall off its hook and onto the bathroom floor? For me, it's pretty often. And that's gross. Because a damp towel + rarely cleaned floor + also I have a cat that sheds = gross.This is the answer. (Unless you keep your towels on a bar, which I can't help.)
With just a simple tag, like on a jacket, your towel is forever secure. Have there really been no innovations in towel-based technology until today?
Thursday, February 21, 2008
On hiatus, apparently
February has been a whole lot of late nights and weekends at the office... with no end in sight. Will be back to perspiration-free inventing soon, I promise.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Voice-Activated Stopwatch!
Because I work in advertising (surprise!), I often write radio or TV spots where I have to know precisely how long sentences take to say.
To make something fit in the 10, 15, 30, whatever number of seconds it has to be is a constant struggle with a stopwatch. Even a quarter of a second can actually make a huge difference. And easy as it is to use a stopwatch, hitting that start/stop button gets aggravating, and less precise than you'd hope.
This would make my life easier. Here's how it would work: set it to the "voice" function, and hold it up like a microphone. It detects when you start speaking and automatically begins keeping time. Then it detects when you've stopped speaking - stopping the count after, say, one second of silence (so it won't just stop at any pause in the middle of a sentence), and then counting back to last sound it detected.
Let's call it the Copywriter's Stopwatch, maybe. Anyway, I know it would be useless for many people, but definitely not for me.
Two-In-One Return Address Stamps!
Ever get those sticker sheets of return-address labels from some non-profit organization? You're like, "oh, cool, I could use these," and then you're like, "oh darn, I'm gonna feel guilty every time I do, unless I donate to said non-profit."
Anyway, I was affixing my labels (yes, I donated) to some bills this weekend. And as I was putting on the stamps, I thought: "hey, these both use the same highly-advanced sticker technology. Why bother with two separate stickers, that require two separate actions?"
Why bother indeed?
US Postal Service, the ball is in your court. Non-profits, time to create a new freebie.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
The Greeting Card Stander!
I'm sure you get tons of cards over the holidays. We do in my apartment.
And despite the unending, deeply doomed fight against clutter in our closet-lacking home, we always leave out the cards that have special meaning for us.
But somehow, no matter how we arrange them, one card always manages to topple over, knocking over the cards around it and turning our sentimental little display into an ugly heap.
Well, here's the solution.
Some notes:
1. The sketch is just the basic idea; it could be any size and proportion.
2. Your grandmother would so love this.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Christmanukkah Menorah-Tree!
Before the O.C. came up with "Chrismukkah," my girlfriend and I were celebrating the far-superiorly-named Christmanukkah.
(Notice how the word has better rhythm, a nicer mix of vowel sounds, and the implication within it of two people in a relationship.)
Anyway, it just wouldn't do to have a Christmas tree and a Menorah. Like the name of the holiday, you need something that's a little of both.
Note: Sorry for this post's glaring use of color. The sketch just needed it.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Flatscreen-Scaled TV Components!
My friend just got a new flatscreen TV. (Me, no.) It looks great in his apartment.
But guess what? It only kinda saves space, because the cabinet he needs to hold his cable box and DVD player is just as deep as his old TV.
Why don't they make components skinny, so they don't stick out from the wall any further than the flatscreens that everyone (but me) is getting these days?
Insta-View Window Vinyls!
My first New York apartment had several large windows. They all looked at a wall approximately ten feet away.
I didn't even have a view of other windows, which would at least have let me watch naked neighbors.
These vinyls (you can imagine the different design variations) would have helped.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Arm Warmers with Built-In Watch!
Starbucks Share Lids!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Dream Noter!
(A clock radio with a built-in voice recorder.)
Hey, let’s continue the somnolent theme.
You’re in bed, on the brink of sleep. Or, already deep in a snooze. Suddenly, an idea pops into your mind. An idea you must remember. Or maybe you’ve had a dream worth recounting. Or you remember something vital you need to do tomorrow.
Got a pen and paper? No. But if you did, you’d already have groggily knocked the pen away. Turning a light on would banish your skittish, nocturnal thought. And even if you did manage to jot something down, how legible would it be?
The next day: damn. All you remember is, you wanted to remember something.
With the Dream Noter, problem solved! Just hit the record button, and mumble away. It’s like sending your future self a voicemail.
It won't even take up extra room on the nightstand.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Half & Half Sheets!
Not everyone has the same idea of what’s comfortable. This I’ve learned.
My girlfriend has always wanted satin sheets. She thinks it would make our bed feel luxurious. But me? I would feel like a pampered VIP at a hotel in Dubai – not, to me, homey.
So we came up with this obvious bedding compromise, for all the couples (there must be others) like us. Half cotton, half satin, stitched right down the middle. Each side would be the same color, or share a pattern to hold together visually.
(Or, if you really want to display your personal differences, make one side with biplanes and the other with pink unicorns.)
I bet the Sleep Number Bed people wish they’d thought of this.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Recycled Recyclable Recycling Bags!
I recycle. It could be the only positive thing I do on a regular basis.In fact, since my office doesn’t recycle, I even bring my scrap paper home with me.
The problem with recycling is, where to put the recycling. Now I use an ugly old shopping bag to hold my paper, and a tall plastic giftwrap container for my bottles and cans.
They add much visual crappiness to my home.
That’s why I’ve invented Recycled Recylable Recyling Bags! (RRRBs for short.)
One’s made of recycled paper, one’s made of recycled plastic, but they’re the exact same dimensions. So they look like they belong together. And with a screen-printed design, they can have visual appeal.
Best of all, the bags themselves are recyclable, along with their contents. So when they’re full, just toss the whole thing in its bin! No more dragging your recycling downstairs, then hauling the containers back up.
These would be sold in packs – let’s say with five of each. True, this creates more waste, but if it encourages people to recycle, it’s worth the tradeoff. I think.
The Note Lamp!
My girlfriend and I have very different work schedules – she starts early (in winter, before the sun even rises), I tend to stay at the office pretty late. Sometimes, when I get home she’s already in bed.
That’s what led to the Note Lamp. It’s like a nightlight crossed with a Post-It Note. Write your message on transparency paper, slide it into the shade, and the lamp casts your message in a soft shadow on the wall.
So, I could arrive home and find a "There's guacamole in the fridge" from my girlfriend – without my having to turn on the lights and disturb her. Or, I could leave a "I broke a glass, don't walk barefoot" for her to find the next morning, without her having to turn on the lights and disturb me.
Useful? Well... not really. But it seems pretty nice, tchochke-design-wise.
Shana tova
Many family functions. Whitefish in ice-cream-sundae-size portions.
Will resume postings shortly.
Will resume postings shortly.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Cup Cap!
Me, I can’t wake up without a minty mouthwash gargle session. Otherwise, my mouth feels cesspool-fresh all morning.
And of course, I use the cap as my cup. But what happens when I flip it back over and put it on the bottle? It drips all over the edges!
In the groggy mornings when I forget to rinse the cap (too often), that means sticky-bottle grossness. Not acceptable.
The solution? A cap that never has to be flipped, so it never has to be flipped back over. A cap that is actually sunken in the middle, so it serves as a cup when right-side up. The Cup Cap! You still have to rinse it, but sticky bottles are banished to the distant past!
Mr. Listerine, take note.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Real Estate Bubbles!
You know, like the kind of bubbles kids play with. It’s a wordplay, true.
I bought an apartment last year, apparently at the height of the housing craze. I love it, and this is New York, so it still beats renting. But I spent all my money on it, and now I’m more in debt than I ever knew a human being could be. I spend every day with the fear of a real-estate crash humming constantly in the background, like a fridge.
This helps me feel better.
Key Ring Solutions
How annoying are keys?
When you walk, they jingle like the bell on a pet collar. They poke you through the fabric in your pants. And when you need to use one, it takes far too much fumbling to find the right one, since they all look alike.
Screw keys.
But hold on – what if there were a better way?
Presenting, the Key Slide and the Swiss Army Key! They keep your keys organized, stacked, and accessible. Color co-ordination (thanks, CR) would make it even easier.
Since keys come in all different shapes and sizes, I think the best way to make these would be to custom-cut. People send in a copy of their keys, then I (in our non-existent factory) copy them in my own templates to make them fit.
These would have to be made with high-quality materials, and look stylish – prestige items.
Especially ‘cause people change their keys frequently, and I know this is definitely not practical for that. But it becomes practical when you have lots of money to waste on such things!
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Portable Sandwich Cooler!
I'm a lucky man. I pack my lunch (turkey sandwich), and my office has a large fridge to keep it in. This lets me save money to squander on the weekends.But many people have no fridge in their workplace. Or work outside. How are they supposed to pack a turkey sandwich? And what about people who have really long commutes? Are they supposed to let their turkey sandwiches fester in the car?
Not anymore. Thanks to the Portable Sandwich Cooler! It’s basically a clamshell piece of Tupperware, with blue ice sealed into the top and the bottom.
Keep it in your freezer (though don’t put your sandwich in until you’re ready to go). Then it cools your sandwich until the best time of day: lunchtime.
This would be great for picnickers, or anyone taking a long bus or train trip. It would also be perfect for carrying a salad. Maybe sliced fruit. Let’s say melon.
(Not very exciting for an inaugural post, I know. But it’s a start.)
Welcome to One Percent Inspiration
A blog devoted to thinking up new inventions and ideas... and then putting in no effort whatsoever to develop them, manufacture them, or even figure out whether they might work.
My plan is to create new products that are practical and do actually serve some need. No Rube Goldberg contraptions; just mundane little experiments and suggestions.
If anything, you will probably learn how dull my daily routine is, and what petty inconveniences manage to take up large amounts of my brainpower.
Also, I retain the right to all ideas published here, even if I lack the wherewithal to do anything with them. And if any of my inventions have already been invented by someone else, I apologize. Just remember that my total lack of follow-through also involves failing to do any research.
Thanks for looking. - JY
My plan is to create new products that are practical and do actually serve some need. No Rube Goldberg contraptions; just mundane little experiments and suggestions.
If anything, you will probably learn how dull my daily routine is, and what petty inconveniences manage to take up large amounts of my brainpower.
Also, I retain the right to all ideas published here, even if I lack the wherewithal to do anything with them. And if any of my inventions have already been invented by someone else, I apologize. Just remember that my total lack of follow-through also involves failing to do any research.
Thanks for looking. - JY
