Human ingenuity has reached the point where most of the things we use on a day-to-day basis are well- engineered , well-thought-out and clever. It’s easy to lose sight of how convenient everyday items have become.
Still, sometimes you’ll see a bright idea you’ve never seen before.
“Solar park bench with USB charging ports.”
What the world needs now isn’t love, sweet love. It’s USB ports, sweet USB ports. There are never enough of them. I wonder how much juice these solar panels could provide to a typical phone.
“The back of our student IDs have the suicide prevention hotline.”
Pretty much everyone struggles to some degree in college, and it can feel overwhelming. It’s helpful to provide this resource in a place where students are most likely to see it.
“This jar of mustard has a handle, so that after you finish the mustard, it becomes a glass mug with a handle.”
This is a great idea, and looks like it would make for a great little mug. Just make sure you clean out all the mustard first.
“These vitals monitors In a clinic seem to be made from an old Android phone. Probably cheaper and easier than building one from scratch. And reusing older tech? Not a bad idea.”
Smartphones, even older models, have a good amount of computing power inside. They should be repurposed, not thrown out.
“The box that my grill came in can be inverted to make a playhouse for a toddler.”
If you order something in a big box, your kids are bound to treat it as a playhouse anyway, so why not go the extra mile?
“This is a mood blanket. Each line is a day of the year with my average mood.”
In addition to being a fun project that results in a functional blanket, this is a really cool way to track moods. Here’s hoping they run out of ‘really good’ yarn this coming year.
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“I spotted this coffee cup guide that lets others know if the person wants to chat or not.”
If this was my local coffee shop, I’d be a red mug lifer. I appreciate it when places give you the option of not making small talk.
“Someone left in Lowes what I’m hoping is an ideas list for Halloween ideas. Raccoon Gang War??”
This was spotted right around Halloween, which might kinda-sorta help explain things. Assuming it’s a costume idea, it sounds fully involved.
“We use Hulk Hands to move cacti at my work.”
Hopefully they take the batteries out of said Hulk Hands before they use them. It would be really annoying to be moving cacti around and have the hands constantly making Hulk noises at you.
“My local library has “binge boxes” in the film section.”
The library is a great source of free entertainment, including movies and TV shows. It’s like Blockbuster, only it still exists and is completely free. These binge boxes are a really fun way to get people interested in different movies.
“Little Free Garage; a twist on the Little Free Libraries (imagined by my 4 year old).”
I would have been all over this as a kid. Hot Wheels are awesome and all, but seeing the same few designs all the time gets boring. A lending library would alleviate this problem.
“Got a hundred year old painting cleaned earlier this year.”
I think many of us just accept that old paintings look the way they do, but this comparison shows that some of them clean up pretty nicely. If I had actual original art in my home, I’d be looking to get it cleaned up.
“A non-functional fire hydrant for dogs only.”
Dogs love fire hydrants. I don’t know why, and it seems like too big of a question to answer. That’s beside the fact anyway. All that matters is that this is a thing. Remember, it’s for dog use only, so don’t go peeing on it.
“This sushi restaurant has two different soaps for before and after eating.”
I’ve never had a dining experience ruined by the scent of soap on my hands, but I suppose it is plausible, especially to people with sensitive noses. This is an intriguing idea.
“This Halloween themed ketchup.”
This is brilliant. Heinz only had to re-design the label to take ketchup, an everyday condiment, and turn it into the smash hit of the spooky season. If I saw this, I’d buy out their entire stock.
“My snow gloves have a squeegee for your googles.”
This wouldn’t be very effective with glasses because it would just smear things, but it’s a fantastic idea for skiers, snowboarders and anyone else who routinely wears goggles. It could clear your car windshield in a pinch, too.
“Fire truck turned mobile pizza oven at my bike race.”
Do all fire trucks have this capability, or is this a special mobile pizza unit? I’m not going to ask too many questions. I’m a big supporter of pizza, especially surprise pizza.
“My grandma uses 152mm naval cannon shell as a plant stand.”
Now, I realize that not everyone has random naval cannon shells from World War II lying around their house, and trying to procure one might lead to some questioning. But if you do have random naval cannon shells lying around, this is a great way to upcycle.
“The dishwasher at my parents projects the remaining time on the floor below.”
Dishwashers are usually tucked beneath the counter, which can make it hard to read their display or buttons. This idea not only looks cool, but solves a common complaint.
“This bottle cap is threaded on the inside so the outside is smooth, making it more pleasant to drink from it.”
We’re so accustomed to the threading on screw-top bottles being on the outside that seeing the inverse is almost alarming.
