If there’s one thing I love , it’s a cool idea. Something that people haven’t really thought of before , or that we should be doing, but we just don’t. Or even something that’s just kind of neat in its own way.
Like these ideas people either found or did themselves. I think we’re really lucky to see these feats of pure genius .
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“This DIY ‘Last Coffee Brewed’ timer at the hospital lobby.”
I’m pretty sure most coffee shops have better systems than this, but sometimes you just need a quick device in order to tell people how old the shared coffee is. And in all honesty, I think that’s pretty neat, and should be in more places.
“The way these baby shoes zip almost all the way around.”
These kinds of shoes are really great for kids, and they’re accessible for people with certain disabilities too. Honestly, more shoes should be build like this, so hopefully we see them pop up more often in the future.
“My dad got custom 80th birthday M&M’s from a friend.”
First of all, who knew you could get custom M&M’s as a birthday present for someone? That’s actually amazing! Too bad it’s an edible gift, because it kind of forces you to decide if you’re either going to eat them and they’ll be gone forever, or keep them and never get to eat any of them.
“My shaving cream has a clever barcode.”
I just love cool barcode designs like this. Usually you see something like a field of corn for frozen corn, or a cow grazing on a tub of yogurt. But this razor shaving the barcode on a bottle of shaving cream definitely takes the cake.
“This McDonald’s in Roswell, NM is shaped like a flying saucer.”
Of course Roswell would have a UFO-shaped McDonald’s. Because aliens, I guess.
Still, it’s a cool concept and I can’t help but love it. I’m sure the food tastes the same, but it would still be a pretty fun place to go and visit.
“This shop trying to immerse you with cool air next to products to keep stuff cool.”
It’s like, subliminal messaging or something. Telling people they need these things to stay cool by showing them how it feels to get cooled down. And if you ask me, it’s a pretty clever idea.
“My tomato container featured its tractor driver.”
What I like about this is that it highlights the people who do the work in harvesting things like tomatoes, which often goes overlooked. But they work hard, and I think they at the very least deserve a bit of recognition for that.
“A cake that you can buy out of a vending machine in a can.”
I think it’s safe to say I’m obsessed with these. I don’t think eating cake out of a can would make them taste and different, but the novelty of it alone is enough to make me want to find this vending machine and buy, like, 10 cakes.
“This parking lot has lights on the ceiling of each row in its parking garage indicating whether there is an open spot or not in the surrounding 6 parking spaces.”
I don’t drive a lot, but I definitely haven’t come across these yet. I’m seriously hoping they get installed in every public parking garage because this is so genius!
“The resteraunt [*sic*] I went to offered glasses in case you couldn’t read the menu.”
Finally, a restaurant that caters to people who forgot their glasses at home and can’t see the menu! In all seriousness, this is kind of genius.
Hopefully people don’t forget that these glasses aren’t theirs and take them home.
“My new home town has a miniature town to help kids learn how to get around town.”
Honestly, this is such a great place to teach kids how to ride a bike. It emulates what the real world looks like, but also gives them a space to practice without having to worry about traffic or crowds. More of this, please!
“Some car fuel doors have a holder for the fuel cap.”
You know what? This is actually pretty common. But, I feel like a lot of people don’t even know they exist (like me). So maybe we should share more pictures of our fuel cap holders so everyone can learn about them.
“This recyclable packaging material.”
It’s surprising how many shipping and packaging companies still use plastic air bags. The technology is right there and we should be using it as much as possible. Every little bit counts when it comes to saving the planet! Or, at least when it comes to limiting plastic pollution.
“These nail clippers I just bought have a plastic casing around the handle so your nails don’t go flying everywhere.”
I actually have a pair like this and they’re incredible. It just sucks because they still aren’t that common in stores. Everyone deserves a pair of nail clippers that catch the clippings!
“My school has a bike stand/pump/repair kit on campus.”
What’s neat about this is that it encourages people to ride their bikes more often. If people have a place where they can fix their bikes as they need to, maybe they’ll make that extra effort. It’s good exercise, and good for the environment, so you can’t lose here.
“I saw an optics today with the Name ‘I C U’ (I see you) in Bern, Switzerland.”
I’m not gonna lie, when I see ICU, my mind goes straight to intensive care unit. But when you say it out loud, it does sound like “I see you.” In that regard, it’s a pretty clever name.
Gotta love brand names with clever wordplay.
“This grocery store has a map of where to find items on every cart.”
Every single grocery store on this planet needs these on each of their carts. Most items are pretty straightforward and easy to find, but some can be tricky. You might not know exactly where a certain thing is, and this would help out immensely.
“These socks I bought recently are labeled left and right.”
I guess some sock pairs have a designated left and right sock? That’s cool, though.
I think something like this would be especially be good for kids, since a lot of them can’t really tell left from right super easily. But anyone could appreciate these.
“Instead of using rubber bands this sushi shop uses a heat stamp to keep the container closed.”
I have a feeling this would be pretty resistant to drops. At least, more so than rubber bands, or even the plastic containers with the tabs on them. I can really appreciate the genius behind this idea.
“Well I do like pizza! Seems like a great deal. Buy one house, get one free pizza!”
Now this is a real estate agent who knows how to do business! Guarantee a free pizza with each new house? Guess it’s time to start house-hunting.
Seriously, though, it’s a pretty clever way to get clients to use you as a broker.
“Stairs with a rail in Denmark. It allows you to push your bike up without carrying it.”
Leave it to Denmark to come up with something so cool! This kind of railing should be in more places. It would really encourage people to ride their bikes more often and to more places, which is nothing but a win.
“Toilet paper button.”
Honestly, this could help so many people out. Have you ever been stuck on a toilet with an empty toilet paper roll? Then you’ll know the struggle. Especially if that toilet just so happens to be in public.
Literally, this could save lives (or at least improve someone’s day).
“This bus stop has charging ports, Wi-Fi, and hand sanitizer.”
I swear, bus stations have everything these days! You never know which one of these things you’ll need (the Wi-Fi is especially helpful). Seeing bus stops modernize and offer new kinds of services is really cool. Hopefully this comes to more places!
“For as long as I know my mom would use scissors to cut the top off popcorn bags so you didn’t need a bowl.”
This is so dang clever! Why dirty a bowl when you can just make one out of the popcorn bag?
The only thing you’d need to do is let the bag cool down for a bit, because they can get pretty hot!
“I made a small house for my cat out of cardboard.”
Well, since cats love the box more than the stuff that came in it, this is probably the best kind of cat house you could have. And honestly? That cute little kitten looks right at home among all of that cardboard, so I’d call it a win!
“My local cafe uses empty milk boxes as coffee carry trays.”
This is a really simple, yet effective way to reuse cartons. And it has the added bonus of being disposable and convenient. Since a lot of places are trying to limit contact between customer and worker, this would probably be pretty handy.
“My local liquor store has a tub of super cold water that chills bottles of wine in less than 10 minutes.”
Summer may be quickly coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean we won’t want ice cold wine to take to parties and get-togethers. This is something that should honestly be in every single liquor store, if only because of how convenient it is.
“Our ramen kit came with a LEGO man butter.”
You know what? From now on, if something needs to come with butter, it should come with butter that’s formed into a nice shape. Like a LEGO man. Or some other kind of fun trinket. It’s cute, creative, and still serves its original purpose in the end.
“Park bench with solar powered phone charger I saw on my walk.”
This… this is so cool! I’m sure it would be able to generate enough energy to charge a phone for a few minutes, even on a cloudy day.
Man, we really need more things like this in the world.
“Corner toilet in this Airbnb.”
I don’t know about you, but I love the idea of corner toilets. They take up a lot less room, which makes them really good for tight spaces. And the better laid out a bathroom is, the better it is for anyone hoping to use it.
