Detergent Dispensing Washer

Today's idea is not groundbreaking, but it is still something I would like to see.
It would be mildly convenient if washing machines had a detergent 'tank.' The tank could be filled when empty, and the washer would automatically add the detergent to the wash. Basically it would remove a step from the process of doing the wash. This makes doing the laundry faster (for the person) and easier.

It also means that a container of detergent does not need to be stored somewhere.

The system would need to be designed such that water could run across the tank's surface to prevent the build up of detergent scum. It would also require a method to let an operator know when the detergent was low. A low tech solution to this second requirement is a prominent transparent side to the tank such that the operator could visually see how much detergent was left. There could also conceivably be a more high tech system to actually alert and warn an operator when detergent was low.

As I said above, this would not be groundbreaking. But it would shave some work off of a frequent chore.

Automatically Universal Remotes

There is no good reason why every device in an entertainment center has a different unique remote control. Ultimately it is because each manufacture simply does their own thing and there is no standard.

However, if a standard did exist for RC signals, every remote would suddenly become a universal remote. That is to say, if every TV used the same off signal as every other TV, if every DVD player used the same play signal as every other DVD player, a Sony TV remote would work equally well with a Toshiba DVD player.

Currently universal remote controls need to be programed in with the codes of the devices that you wish to control. This is a tedious process (though some higher end ones streamline the whole thing a bit). If there was a universal standard there would be no need for this. Every remote would, simply by nature of being a remote, serve all of your devices.

Certainly there would be some cases in which a device might have a unique feature that would not be supported by remotes from other devices, however this is frequently the case with universal remotes as well.

All this would require is for some of the major manufactures to agree to a standard. This may not seem feasible to some. However, this does happen all the time in the tech industry. Manufactures are constantly agreeing on security and encryption standards. Electronic communication standards are another big one, and ultimately communication is what we are talking about: communication between a device and remote. Sometimes it can take awhile for companies to agree on standards, but it can and does happen.

The problem is that manufactures need an incentive to do this. Improving customer experience is not enough if it does not mean an increase in profits. Consumers would need to demonstrate that this is a feature that they would want. If consumers voiced a preference for devices conforming to a communication standard to ones that did not, perhaps then manufactures might see profit in agreeing on RC codes.

Static Dust Pan

I do not mind sweeping the floor. But my least favorite part of the whole task is getting the dirt into the dustpan.

Ultimately it's just rather difficult to get the dust to reliably go into the pan.

Looking at the dust pan it is something that has not really changed much in the time since I have been born. There has to be room for improvement. Below is my take on a possible way to improve this old tool.

Dirt and things like pet hair tends to be attracted to things that are statically charged. It would be possible to create a metal dustpan that could be charged by a device in the handle. The device would be battery powered and would statically charge the metal of the pan (there are a number of ways to create a device), but I will not go into technical details. Hair and dust being pushed into the pan would naturally want to stick in it.

When dumping dirt into the garbage the device could then discharge the pan allowing the refuse to fall into the garbage.

Ultimately there is not much to this idea. Its simply a straight forward take on possibly reforming and improving an old standard of cleaning.

Linking Forums with Social Networking Accounts

More and more people are needing less user accounts. There are more and more sites that that users can log into with their gmail or Facebook account. Some sites just make your login name be your email address.

This tends to be useful for both the user and the providers of services. Users do not need to remember additional information and it becomes easier for them to access the sites they care about. For the sites themselves, it increases their traffic flow.

However, it seems to me that this unification of systems has not touched forums. Every forum account I have is completely unique and independent from one another.

It would be nice if, Facebook for example, created a system to associate compatible forum accounts with a Facebook account. From one webpage a user could see responses to his or her posts on all of the forums he or she uses. Someone who likes to check on their different forums daily would have no need to login to multiple sites.

This is the type of ease of use that the internet has been developing for years now. As I said above we can already see similar things happening with other types of content. I have no doubt that eventually I will see a system like this in place. However, there is probably more than just spare pocket change for the first major social network to implement this well.

Ad Delay

Ads are fairly common on the internet. They also tend to be the way that some sites make the majority of the income that keeps them running. This is part of the reason why I do not normally use extensions such as Ad Block. There have even been a few times where I have seen ads that have been useful for me.

The problem is, today many ads are flashy and contain dynamic content. Loading these ads can take up valuable memory and bandwidth. More importantly, on an older or slower computer (such as a netbook), they can temporarily freeze up the computer.

These ads have pushed me to using Ad Block on my netbook, and that is not good for anyone. Because of the design of these ads, sites and the companies who make the ads are 'loosing out.'

But what's the solution. Less dynamic ads are less likely to have people click on them. Is it a lose-lose situation? I don't think it has to be. If web browsers, sites, and ad makers worked together they could be tagged as low priority. Before the computer would attempt to load the ad, the site would need to be completely loaded first. Furthermore it would only load if there was free CPU time to do so.

So perhaps if ads were voluntarily delayed, they wouldn't be blocked. The big reason many people block ads is because of the performance hit. Remove the performance hit and remove the need to block ads.

To encourage advertisers to take this road, extensions like ad block could perhaps be able to make an exception for delayed ads in the preferences.

Anyway, it just seems to me that people are loosing money that they don't have to.

Removable Microwave Panels

Microwaves are great. But inevitably they will get dirty. Over time food will splatter over the interior and eventually coat it in unappetizing crud.

There are covers that one can use for their food to prevent the splatter. These are not necessarily 100% and also require you to actually use the cover. Of course even if you are fastidious in their use, you also need to convince anyone else that uses the microwave that they are a good idea.

Cleaning a microwave is a unpleasant task. Ignoring, for the moment, the unpleasantness of the crud it is difficult. It requires scrubbing surfaces at uncomfortable angles. It can be really quite tiring in fact.

However, it would not be difficult at all to make it such that the interior plastic walls of the microwave were removable. It would be a simple task to design them such that they just snapped into place and came out just as easily.

When they were dirty an owner could remove them and just stick them into their dishwasher. They would want to avoid microwaving until they put the panels back (to avoid dirtying the interior surfaces. But that is a small price to pay to avoid having to clean it by hand.

This would not require people to change their habits (as a cover does), but yet it allows for the microwave to be kept clean. I can think of virtually no drawbacks other than a slight increase in microwave cost. It wouldn't be foolproof of course. If you spilled something in the microwave, it could get between the panels and coat the interior surface (requiring you to clean the thing by hand). But it would keep splatter at bay.

Now many people may not care about the cleanliness of their microwave. However, I suspect those people are not looking too closely when their microwave is dirty.

Track Fans

Today I continue in contemplating ways to keep homes cooler without simply turning on the AC.

Track lighting can be an attractive, unobtrusive addition to a home. What about 'track fans'?

Its basically what the name says. A track is installed along the ceiling and fan units can move along it.

Clever design could make them visually appealing, and their location saves floor space from standing fans and avoids a tangle of cords.

Essentially these track fan units would be like miniature directional ceiling fans.

Finally, there is no reason that these could also not have the lights still in them. Basically you could have a fan blade spinning around a light bulb. They could server to both light and 'cool' your home.