Brainstorming and sharing ideas is the funnest part of the creative process. We decided to skip the boring part of actually making stuff, and just do the fun part
Idea: A remote-driving system for school busses so the school bus drivers can casually and conveniently drive the bus from home. Also: a minimum-wage bus monitor could be hired if the kids get rowdy on the bus; self-driving and remotely-driven cars like Waymo and how a bus could stop on the train tracks if it loses the Internet connection to the remote driver; anecdotes of riding the school bus as…
Idea: An AI-powered hidden earpiece that helps you do better in important or awkward conversations, such as job interviews, conversations with the police, fish-out-of-water social situations, "code switching", etc. Also: having it shock you or warn you if you start saying something stupid or something you'd regret; questioning whether it could help you avoid arguing with a spouse even if you feel…
Idea: A social media and digital media app/site where when you post, you must classify the post as either 1) free, 2) a post meant to give other people enjoyment (they "take" selfish enjoyment) and therefore they must pay to consume it, or 3) a post that other people earn a micropayment/karma when they read or respond to it (i.e. they "give" advice/effort/attention). Also: all digital media (such…
Idea: For movie theaters to show a movie in the morning specifically for senior citizens, including discounts and special accommodations. Also: special accommodations could include selling Werther's and prune juice as snacks, having large-text subtitles, having an intermission to explain the plot of the movie to those who have questions, having defibrillators on standby, etc.; some movies would…
Idea: To create a new A1 BBQ beef flavor of Ritz crackers. Also: the lack of variety of cracker flavors compared to chips; the risk of a "classy" brand like Ritz losing it's high-class image if it has too many flavors; if you're gonna blow through a bunch of calories, you want to get more enjoyment out of it than by eating plain crackers; putting chili-flavored Fritos on chili dogs and eating…
Idea: For restaurants to have enclosed private booths with a small table and a video screen on which to videochat with someone in another videochat booth at another restaurant (usually in a different city). Also: people who can't agree on which restaurant to go to could go to different restaurants and still kind of eat together; the video of you eating could be livestreamed and/or saved so you can…
Idea: Side windows of a car (and maybe also windshield) that are not actually windows, and instead are actually video screens that disguise the driver by making them look like someone else to the people outside of the car. Also: you could look like a cool person when dropping your kids off at school (and how even Eddie Van Halen's kids are embarrassed by him when he drops them off at school); a…
Idea: As inspired by the restaurants located above highways in Illinois, there should be groups of food trucks on some existing highway overpasses. Also: they could use carpool parking lots near highway on-ramps for customer parking, and could put barriers up on the sides of the overpass so kids can't fall onto the highway; they could vary the selection of food trucks, and the food trucks could…
Idea: A pillow (or possibly a car headrest) that reads your mind while you sleep (or drive), and collects and filters out useful thoughts, such as invention ideas or good jokes, so they can be obtained later instead of being forgotten. Also: mind-reading gadgets that currently exist, such as a "Jedi mind trick" floating ball toy; wondering if jokes you found funny in your dreams would be corny or…
Idea: A museum based on the ideas that were brainstormed on this podcast, including a "Wes Wing" for Wes's ideas. Also: a few new ideas to put in the Wes Wing, including a toaster that stamps designs on your toast, a chainsaw whose speed is dependent on the volume of your screams, an alarm that wakes you up by insulting you, Bluetooth underwear, etc.; a museum/store for both silly…