The problem with trying to make the world a better place is that everybody has a different idea of what will make the world better, never mind how to do it. What makes life good for one person might make things decidedly tougher for another.
Nevertheless, that’s not going to stop anyone from trying, and sometimes, someone will stumble upon an ingenious idea that you can’t help thinking should be in everyone’s life.
At this crosswalk, the elderly or handicapped can tap a card to get more time to cross the street.
This is in Singapore, but surely something like this wouldn’t be too difficult to put in place elsewhere, right?
Other crosswalks have modern considerations as well.
Like this one, where the sidewalk indicates whether the light is green or red for people looking down at their phones.
That’s a sure fire sign of the times, but also good whether you’re looking at your phone or not.
In the same sort of vein, check out these traffic lights!
Someones you find yourself trapped behind some particularly large vehicles and can’t see the street lights change. But these lights light up their entire pole, and also have another set of lights at the base of their pole, so everyone can see what’s going on.
Now, this is a friendly house for folks walking their dogs.
They’ve installed a drinking fountain out at the end of their front walkway, at doggy height, so thirsty pooches don’t have to stay parched on a hot day.
Thirsty grown-ups can appreciate these beer taps.
There’s a clear section at the top of each tap where you can see the color of each brew.
It’s not quite the same thing as a taste test, but still nice to get some idea of what you’re ordering.
The makers of this jigsaw puzzle are downright diabolical.
If you love a challenge, this should fit the bill: a puzzle that uses only corner pieces. Just imagine if this was a 1000-piecer!
When this van brakes, the eyes of the hound in the logo light up red as well.
You can’t put this on every van, obviously, but you still have to admire and appreciate the creativity behind it.
Seen in Canada, where cannabis is legal, a hotel provides airtight containers for people’s stashes.
So nice to consider other guests like that. Just because it’s legal doesn’t mean everybody enjoys it.
In some areas of the world, ice cream is served in cups made from banana leaves.
They’re clean, they’re sustainable, they’re fully biodegradeable, and hey, they look nice, too.
As TV remotes get smaller, they also get easier to misplace.
Mine loves to hide in the couch cushions. This person solved that problem by attaching their remote to a spring-loaded retractable reel.
Sometimes handling things “with care” doesn’t quite cut it.
At this school for aircraft mechanics, the students are instead instructed to handle some things “like eggs,” which is a bit more familiar and specific.
The only problem with having an umbrella on a rainy day is what to do with the dripping wet umbrella when you get to the office.
So this one has an umbrella dryer, where you just slip your brolly in and towel it off before you head to your desk.
Lunch time fun for everyone!
You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy taters pressed into Tetris shapes. It’s food you’re supposed to play with!
At traffic lights in Denmark, you might see a little green light Viking.
Is it any more or less useful than a regular green light? Not really. Is it fun? Absolutely.
I would love it if all assemble-it-yourself furniture came with hardware packaged like this.
Instead of just throwing it all in one bag, this is all arranged by step, so you don’t have to waste time and energy hunting down the right piece at the right time.
For all you runners out there, a simple elastic band is your friend.
Wrap it around the inside of the pockets of your shorts to keep your keys or phone from bouncing out as you jog.
I’m not sure how these ever went out of style.
Outside some older houses in Europe, you’ll see these shoe scrapers by the front door. Great way to leave messes outside, where they belong.
At least in terms of aesthetics, this glass staircase is a clear winner.
I don’t know how practical it is to have glass stairs, but they sure look nice, and I never would have thought of building them.
RELATED STORIES
Why doesn’t every library everywhere have this?
If you’re in need of a seat but find that all the available ones are taken, all you have to do is literally grab one off the wall and pop a squat.
This is the real magic school bus, folks.
Someone’s town has only exclusively, 100 percent electric school buses. While electric cars have less range than normal ones, that’s no problem at all for buses that are constantly stopping and going, and definitely travel well under 50 miles a day.
This is definitely a helpful little design.
At this hotel, the shower features a cutout in the glass door so you can turn on the shower before you get in without having to open the entire door, risking getting water all over the place.
Now the ducks can effortlessly make their way down to the water.
This so-called “duck dock” features a little ramp for duckies to travel down if they’re in the mood for a splash. And if that’s not the cutest thing you’ve seen all day, you’re wrong.
Wall-E at your local Walmart!
This handy contraption is a friendly-looking robot that patrols grocery store aisles looking for spills to clean pup. The best part? Its name is Marty .
What a fantastic way to reuse old books.
Someone turned this library’s discarded books into some pretty comfy new seats. This is definitely an adorable idea, and an environmentally conscious one, too!
This is a GRAPE idea!
At this super market, the grapes come in paper bags instead of plastic to cut back on waste. Paper over plastic, people. Spread the word.
Make you’re family’s Yankee Swap way more interesting this year.
Instead of everyone bringing their own gifts in their own bags/wrapping, this family had each member wrap their presents for Yankee Swap in the exact same paper, so now no one knows who bought what. Genius!
Get a grip while you yak.
Apparently some German places have something called “puke sinks”, which give potential pukers some super handy grips to hang onto while they empty their tummies. These are especially useful when Oktoberfest comes around.
This can’t be real… can it?
So, apparently U-turn lights exist? And apparently Australia is full of them? Someone helpfully explained, “They’re to stop morons attempting U-turns based on their moron underestimation of how long and slow U-turns take.”
This door swings both ways.
That’s a pretty incredible feature, especially since it can be such a pain opening a door towards yourself.
Enjoy these fish while you drink your bevvies.
This bar has an aquarium for a counter, which is pretty rad. That is, until you’ve one-too-many and then start getting super confused about where you are. Wait, how did you get to the aquarium?
This is a beautiful way of keeping your late pet’s memory alive.
A vet office gives mourning owners a paw print of their furry friend which is full of flower seeds they can plant and watch bloom. I’m not crying, you’re crying.
Rectangular fridges are so 2018.
This cylindrical fridge lets users see and reach everything that’s being kept cool inside, which is such a cool invention, I genuinely wish I had one in my apartment.
These sleep masks are perfect for people who don’t like their sleep being interupted.
Specifically for plane-use, passengers have two options: if they want the flight attendant to wake them up for breakfast, they wear the mask with the blue side facing out. If they want to skip the meal and get some serious shuteye, grey side out.
These funky bicycles have airless tires.
Imagine never having to deal with spontaneous flat tires again! The future is now, my friends.
If you’re colorblind, you can still enjoy this stunning fall view.
This viewer features EnChroma lenses to alleviate red-green colorblindness so everyone can appreciate how gorgeous the changing trees look.
This movie theaters is helping out local farmers.
Think of all the movie popcorn that is unnecessarily wasted! This theater collects uneaten popcorn and then sends it to local farmers. I’m sure the chickens really appreciate it!
It probably helps a bit to be a kid to enjoy this contraption.
That’s what a four-person seesaw looks like. Not only is it neat-looking, it also means kids don’t necessarily have to sit and wait for equipment to open up.
This bathroom takes the guesswork out of finding an open stall.
As so often happens in life, green means go here, too, while red means the stall is occupied.
Okay, this is not only smart, but it’s also kind.
Basically, somebody thought to buy ad space on a billboard just so they could put up a Van Gogh for drivers to enjoy.
