There were so many great ideas this year that I had to start a new category! Say hello to my inaugural class of favorite ideas:
Euphoric Beverages: Want to have a good time without getting drunk? Then try Euphoric Beverages, which will provide you with euphoric, mood altering sensations without the hangover.
NightWare: There is now a solution for those who suffer from nightmares: a new FDA approved Apple watch app that gently nudges you awake when an encounter with a nightmare is detected.
The Bug Bite Thing: Say good bye to annoying, itchy bug bites thanks to this device that sucks the venom out of them right on the spot!
Electric Spoon: I may have finally found the Greatest Idea Ever. Something so revolutionary, so amazing, so game-changing that no amount of hype or hyperbole could ever do it justice. Something so incredible that it almost seems like magic. A scientific breakthrough so advanced that it takes next level genius to the next level: an electric spoon that makes your food taste even better than it’s supposed to!
Eau de Space Fragrance: With everything going on right now I would love to pick up and head out into outer space. Just leave Earth in the rear view and head out to the Moon or beyond, in search of habitable exoplanets, alien life, and the secrets of the Universe.
That’s obviously not possible but it may soon be possible to bring space to us. Or at least what space smells like. Thanks to a plan to sell a fragrance, used by NASA while training Astronauts, that allegedly smells like what space smells like.
The Index Biological Age Test: We all know how old we are but what is our true biological age? On the inside are we as fit as a fiddle and a few years younger than we really are or are we actually as decrepit as the grumpy old man that we sometimes feel like? Presumably we’ve all aged about fifty years during the Trump Administration but if we really want to find out our true biological age we now have a scientifically proven way to do just that.
Open-minded People Experience Consciousness Differently: How open-minded you are won’t just affect what kind of life experiences you have. It also could physically affect your perception of reality, altering what colors, feelings, and sensations make it past the “gates” in your mind and into your consciousness.
IconSpeak: Thanks to this t-shirt filled with universal symbols you can now travel to a foreign country with peace of mind, knowing that you can just point to your shirt to ask a question.
HearHere – Kevin Costner of all people stole my idea for the Hike Mic turning into a road trip companion app that provides you with colorful background stories of the places you are visiting.
Cappuccino: At this point, it’s pretty clear that the future of technology revolves around audio, a medium with vast untapped potential from pods and Alexa voice controlled appliances to mobile phone apps and clever AI powered translators. The latest proof of this growing trend: Cappuccino, a new app that lets you hear a mix of random thoughts and comments from your friends and loved ones on a daily basis. Kind of like your very own personal podcast.
Snooor: Has snoring prevented you from sleeping in the same bed as your partner or stopped you from getting a decent night’s rest? Has it ruined your life like it’s ruined mine?!
If so, then I have some good news for you. A new non-invasive wearable device that uses subtle vibrations to nudge you into better sleeping positions that will help alleviate the issues causing you to snore!
Robotic Dolphins: I love Dolphins. And while I’ll never go so far as to say that the Miami Dolphins are my favorite football team I will say that Darwin was my favorite character on SeaQuest DSV and that one of my life-long dreams is to swim with dolphins!
It’s a dream that one day may come true, although when it does it may be with life-like robotic dolphins instead of the real thing. That’s because animatronic dolphins that enable us to end dolphin captivity could soon be on the way.
Emrod: I’ve long been fascinated by Nikola Tesla and in particular his idea for wireless power towers called Tesla Towers that could beam electricity from one area to the next without the need for any wires. In my original book of ideas, that I started writing over 10 years ago, I even made a list of possible locations for Tesla Towers even if I did doubt whether or not the feat could ever be pulled off. So suffice it to say, I was very excited to hear about what Emrod has planned. As the New Zealand based startup wants to bring Tesla’s idea for wireless electricity to life over 100 years later.
Hurricane Preventing Bubble Nets: I love geoengineering schemes. After all, why should we just sit back hopelessly and watch our world fall apart when we are perfectly capable of doing something about it? Of course, these are complex weather systems we are dealing with and, yes, the possibility persists that we could make things worse despite our best intentions. But, still. If we have the technological wherewithal and scientific know-how shouldn’t we at least explore all of our options? No matter how crazy they may seem? Even if they involve using a bubble net to prevent hurricanes from forming?! I certainly think so and it turns out I’m not alone!
Comingle: I’m a huge fan of Universal Basic Income. Receiving a stipend to do nothing may not seem like a great idea at first glance but in a counter intuitive way it really is because once people’s basic needs are met they’re freed up to follow their passions and do what they want, creating even more wealth for themselves and others in the process. If handed a pile of money I wouldn’t just rest on my laurels. I’d quit my job and become a full-time futurist and who knows where that might lead me.
Which is why the new app Comingle is so intriguing. Because it may provide us with a way to participate in Universal Basic Income without having to wait for our government to get around to it.
Flintstones Car: Like everyone else I assumed that in the future we’d have flying cars just like on The Jetsons. I never would have thought that instead, the car of the future would be more like The Flintstones, one that we power ourselves. And yet here we are. On the verge of getting a bike powered car while flying cars have yet to take off.
Hiking Video Game: If you know me then you know that I’m obsessed with hiking. There’s literally nothing better than being out in nature, exploring a new place, while reading a book and pondering the mysteries of life. So it should come as no surprise that I’m a big fan of a new hiking video game called Tree Trunk Brook that will let you go on an adventure despite being stuck inside during quarantine.
Mycelium Orbs: Anyone who has seen the second season of Star Trek Discovery knows how central mushroom spores are to the show’s plot. And now those very same spores are central to a plot unfolding right here on Earth: the fight to slow down Climate Change.
What do I mean by that? Well, thanks to a company called NetZero we will soon have the ability to spread out mushroom spores over our front lawns. A move that will help us capture carbon at a higher rate than would normally be possible.
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