One of the things I hate about the internet and Google is that every time I come up with a fantastic new idea, I find out someone has already thought of it. A while back I thought of using the coloured thermometer strips they have for fish tanks and building them into coffee cups so that you know when your drink is the exact right temperature. As soon as I mentioned it to my helpful child, a few clicks on a smart phone brought up a site where you can already buy them.
I still think I should get credit for these inventions if I didn’t know someone else had already thought of them. I feel just like Homer Simpson competing with Thomas Edison.
What the internet needs is an idea clearing house where people like me, with ideas but no way of developing them, can post their ideas and someone else can turn them into reality. (Of course if I look for it, I’ll probably find one. If anyone knows of one, let me know.)
My best recent idea is to replace loyalty cards with one card that can have any loyalty program loaded on to it. Whenever a helpful store employee offers to enroll me in the stores loyalty program I decline, even if it is free or will save me money because I am sick of all the cards that I already have. If I could just register some multi-purpose card, or register my Visa card without needing another piece of plastic I would probably say yes.
A similar site could be for posting ideas for movies or books. I’m always coming up with genius ideas for books and movies, but unfortunately I can’t write. I’d happily donate them to some talented author or movie producer who can’t come up with an idea.
And if anyone is trying to find a birthday present for me this year, a temperature indicator coffee cup would be nice.