Welcome to the Land of Ideas

Good morning, locked-ins

2011-10-07T16:53:00.001-07:00

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International Credit Registrar

2008-08-17T04:06:00.001-07:00

08020702
Originally uploaded by retscher.

Just found this interesting idea by Nicola Jentzsch

Data are usually more mobile across borders than people. In the credit reporting industry, however, it is the other way round: people are more mobile than data. For various reasons credit reports – the personal financial profile of a borrower – are currently not exchanged across borders.

Interesting for all financial institutions I expect an international credit reporting to be set up by the global finance avantgarde, maybe an interesting niche for moneybookers, as they collect a lot of data?

Add on for Skype

2008-02-03T04:25:00.001-08:00

ibats
Originally uploaded by days of speed.

Am using skype for my calls these days. As far as I understand it sends my microphone recording live, while I speak.

My February wish for skype is the possibility to choose between my microphone input and my systemaudio's output to be send.

That would effectively be a mini-radio-stream. I could share music or audiobooks with my skype friends, without forcing them to rapidshare my music collection or to find it on youtube first, to anything.

The option would be called "share system audio only" - not microphone.

Cheers

Simon

Linking Text to the Internet - Add-ons

2008-01-17T07:21:00.001-08:00

Caterpillar
Originally uploaded by markopoulos.

This idea belongs into the section: Special interest, huge time savers for the next millions of years, zero willingness to pay.

Status Quo: To create a link you mark some text in any text editor and have the option to make a link out of it. You are asked to then enter the url by hand or to open your browser, to copy and paste the link. I know, it is not sooo hard.

But just imagine: If you could just right click on the same word, select "insert link" and then had a choice between

insert link from currently opened firefox tab
insert link from recently visited sites in firefox (your browser history pops up and you can click whichever recently visited site you want to link to)
link to email mail address from thunderbird (address book pops up).

Obviously there are some possibilities, but, man!, this would be a goooooood add-on!

Stirrer Vessel needed

2007-11-21T04:40:00.001-08:00

slop for sale
Originally uploaded by JoeBenjamin.

Dear reader,

today is lazy day in Neukölln. So I suggested to Dre to have some pizza for lunch, but Dre insisted on pasta. As it is lazy day, we agreed on pesto with it.

After emphasizing, that I am indifferent between pizza and pasta, as long as the workload involved is equal Dre agreed to stir the noodles. Good deal.

But, considering that other lazy days will come, where is my household stirrer for pasta and alike? A machine, that prevents my things from burning and not me from blogging... ?

Mondragon agreed to design me one, as all working models are for industrial purposes, bulky and expensive.

Way to go, lazy people!

Wash up your search portfolio in google (et al.)

2007-07-16T11:27:00.001-07:00

hide & seek
Originally uploaded by ferrous.

Friends,

the nuisance of google tracing me with adwords is increasingly annoying. The fear of the CIA and FBI tracing me is little, but watching "Live free or die hard" surely added to it.

If there was a program that would randomly visit sites while I am off the computer and click around, my "profile" would alter a lot and my identity would be re-privatized.

The program could also continuously visit my favourite link http://del.icio.us/recent?random&min=10 and click around whatever comes up.

Hope the idea is clear? Please get to work.

Later

Simon

Spellchecker

2007-07-05T09:50:00.001-07:00

I'ts SOLD (typo)
Originally uploaded by joahua.

Dear Reader,

you may have noticed: I tend to misspell a lot and do typos continuously. Usually I rely on my spellchecker, and it always finds something.

If the spellchecker finds something, I hit the "change" button and am on the safe side for the moment. Until I write the next mail, and chances to repeat my mistake are quite good.

The solution is fairly simply (aren't they always?): My spellchecker should collect my mistakes and in a free minute I can go through them and learn from my mistakes.

Someone there to program it?

Thanks

Best

Simon

Cut out the black frames on scans/prints

2007-06-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

Thurber Book
Originally uploaded by SideLong.

Needed: A smarter printer driver that can remove black frames from documents scanned in by professors' assistents.

It would save a lot of ink and toner.

Is it there yet?

Best

S.

little helpers

2007-05-11T16:07:00.001-07:00

vegan microwave brownies
Originally uploaded by Precious Roy.

Just something formal for the non-German speakers:

Please note that I introduced a "translate all" on my links just over there on the right. Quality looks fair to me and wonder which service I use for this?

Exactly!

All yours

Simon

Mind Mapping in Three Dimensions

2007-05-11T15:26:00.001-07:00

you're just blowing my mind again
Originally uploaded by azizul.

As some of you know, I like mind mapping a lot. I used the MindManager 7 in a trial version, but cannot figure out how it is better than FreeMind.

Anyways...

As I was thinking about using Mind Maps as a presentation tool for a while and as presentations get better every day (http://www.slideshare.net/) a three dimensional mind map would be quite impressive.

If ever anyone comes with one, you find my mail address at the top of my blog.

Cheers to all

Simon

Lost in the Crowds

2007-05-08T01:59:00.001-07:00

Shibuya Crossing at Night
Originally uploaded by /\ltus.

If you think about a new technology, should you think about one tat is feasible today or one that is feasible tomorrow? One that works with the mobile phones of today or one, that possibly needs either Super-WLAN, RFID, UMTS, all-time-online worlds? Or all of the above?

On May 1st we went to the wonderful events in Berlin Kreuzberg, where the best bands give a background music for the best crowds. But, having said crowds, it is a terror! In earlier days, without mobile phones, obviously groups would develop survival strategies such as meeting points in case a person gets lost, holding up a colorful umbrella or possible even holding hands while wandering around.

Well, these days are over, and so we ended up calling each other every 9 to 12 minutes. What a step backwards, what annoyance, just because the mobile phone induces carelessness.

Whatever. If there was a technology installed in my phone, allowing me to see where my friends are, e.g by showing a map with little colorful circles or icons representing them. Or arrows, continuously pointing to the exact direction of my friends.

Obviously it should only be allowed to see those friends who have allowed you to see them.

Best friend is watching you

Simon

P.S.: I wonder if would allow google to spot me like this (as it is most likely that they would provide the service eventually on there maps and always offer me not only content related but location related advertisement).

Freunde suche

2007-05-08T00:24:00.001-07:00

friends-3clubs-02.jpg
Originally uploaded by Krstfr.

Es ist furchtbar, und es ist eine Nische, aber die Idee ist gut.

Manchmal, in diesen modernen Zeiten, lernt man jemanden kennen und will Ihn in sein soziales Netzwerk aufnehmen, in seine Netzwerk 2.0.

So kann man also bei Xing auf gut Glück suchen, dann bei StudiVZ, Friendster, Facebook, MySpace, Smallworld und, wenn man es genau nimmt, auch noch bei den knapp 1000 weiteren Seiten, mit selber Funktion.

Wie schön wäre da doch ein verbindender Suchagent? Wer mag Ihn programmieren? Werbefinanziert, Kinderkram, schneller Reichtum, come on!?

fragt an seinem freien Tag

Euer Simon

Firefox all Tab updater

2007-03-26T02:41:00.001-07:00

Firefox Tab
Originally uploaded by Alan.Live.

to whom it may concern,

would someone like to create an application for Firefox that updates all tabs opened in a window?

Cheers

Simon

WLAN überall und zu

2007-03-08T01:39:00.001-08:00

wlan for free
Originally uploaded by lanier67.

Es wundert mich doch sehr, dass ich als Stadtkind immer mindestens 6 WLAN Netze finde, aber mir kein Anreizmodell einfällt, welches die die zahlenden Mitglieder dazu bringen könnte Ihre Netze offen anzubieten.

Hat jemand eine Idee?

Don't forget the small apps

2007-02-27T09:28:00.001-08:00

01, good morning
Originally uploaded by posalootly.

the web is everywhere these days and does everything. There are websites storing my data, there are websites calculating my tables, there are websites doing my dishes ; )

But the one thing I would really need is a website to wake me up from my nap. Very simple, egg-timer styled site.

Multiple options could include the site to start to stream news, music, read out a predefined text, at a set time.

Sleep well

Simon

Handy Strahlung

2007-02-17T19:49:00.001-08:00

DSC00258
Originally uploaded by Kaczmarek.

Wenn es spät ist soll man schlafen, und v. a. schnell machen:

Wenn Handys so sehr strahlen, dass sie die männliche Potenz gefährden, dann ist es wirklich an der Zeit entweder den Sender auszubauen und mit dem Headset zu verbinden oder direkt das ganze Handy ins Headset zu integrieren.

Sieht auch nur bescheuert aus, schont aber die Menschheit!

Gruß

Simon

Audiotube

2007-02-14T03:39:00.001-08:00

Pink Promise Of Soft Skin (Rosa Løfte Om Myk Hud)
Originally uploaded by Åsta.

Why is there no youtube for podcasts?

Or is there?

And if there is, why is it not popular at all. Why didn't yahoo buy it yet (didn't want to say google this time).

Is it because audio is usually something in the background? Usually not so fun to listen to if not very professionally done?

Maybe no space for advertisements on the side?

My part of proc(r)astination is done for the day,

Regards

Simon

One night for money

2007-02-14T02:30:00.001-08:00

Köln Panorama bei Nacht
Originally uploaded by F10 Ghost.

Dear experienced programmers, dear G.,

please consider to spend one night of your life on:

- An online collaboration mind map tool. Sort of freemind on writely. Am sure you can do it. I bet you google will buy it.

- A clone of any software there is (generica), sold at a price like 8 US $. People buy these things. Collaborate with a good publisher with access to credit cards. And btw.: Don't call it shareware, call it cheapware (Programs include: automated WLAN Sniffer, PDF tools to add notes and highlights, iDVD clone for Windows, .... If you do any of these things, I'll be your first customer.).

Cheers

Simon

EasySpeak

2007-01-03T16:08:00.000-08:00

speaking to fish and chocolate
Originally uploaded by tamjpn.

Ever tried translate.google.com?

It has gotten a lot better, come a far way from babelfish, yet the quality is still, excuse the strong word, crap.

But why not adapt to the quality?

This entry would then read:

The website "Translate.google.com" has been improved. Still the quality of translation is very bad.

Therefore I suggest utilizing a simpler language.

Translate and check for German, or any other Language.

Regards

Simon

Metafacebook

2007-01-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

face
Originally uploaded by wdp_420.

I am registered with facebook, studiVZ and openBC.

Why not develop a metafacebook, combining all of them, leaving out all the crappy pictures and stuff, breaking it down to the original idea: networking.

Regards

Simon

Mobile Remote

2006-11-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

The Writer
Originally uploaded by armcurl.

Dear Reader,

I am in the best of all moods, but won't give away the reason!

Especially since I shouldn't be.

The latest thinking was to use the mobile phones infrared technology to convert them into universal remote controls.

Simply program your phone and use it as a remote, that's it. Throw away your remote, never misplace it... It's all so easy.

But I hear it has been developed for some handhelds already.

Pray to got it is not true

Am afraid to google it myself

Regards

Simon

Electronic Payment II

2006-10-24T06:11:00.000-07:00

quaker_city_bank
Originally uploaded by lb_philly.

For most Bank Customers banking these days is Online Banking.

At the same time for most customers organizing their banking receipts is a pain in the neck or not worth the effort.

It is funny how a bank in the 21st century does not obey user friendliness its welcoming their customers online, even though the marginal cost per online-customer is close to zero, whilst the benefit is close to a lot more.

What am I thinking about?

Tagging.

Web 2.0 for online Banking.

That's it. Tag your bookings with whatever you need, with tags you understand, be they: phone, gas, rent, wage, important, leisure, travel, tax reduction possible!, job 1, job 2, job 3, peter, services, donated..." whatever you like.

Then ask your bank for the statistics you like "have i spent more on food then on cloth?" or "can i expect a tax refund?" (the bank that offers you a standard tax declaration sheet will rock them all) or simply "do i have outstanding loans from friends?".

I hope someone will come up with a nice app and wire me some money which I will then tag with first million. Ok?

Regards

Simon

Migration Preparation Center

2006-10-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

Squadron
Originally uploaded by Mark_Twells.

In today's Quantitative Economic History Class we tried to foresee trends in the world's population.

Obviously we Germans need immigrants soon, as do many others, yet in a capitalist society we will probably introduce some selection mechanism for our immigrants. Only taking in those migrants who can help us, not those who cost us, as some publicly booh-ed but obviously correct politician said recently.

Therefore the strategy of a migrant will have to adapt. He will have to prepare for his application the migrate. Be it a language course, be it special skills (not only computers, also craftsmanship can help), learn about the laws, the legal procedures.

A migrant spends up to 10000 € just to smuggle himself into a foreign country (in Bangladesh it is a bribe of 2400 € to get into Dubai, exactly the pay of the first to years).

With this money I believe you can build up a nice CV, that will allow to be better paid in the First World. If it doesn't work, it should also help back home.

Anyone wants to open up the "Migration Preparation Center"?

Regards

Simon

houseman's best friend

2006-10-09T04:32:00.000-07:00

Spinne
Originally uploaded by lixelle.

Last night I was bitten by a Mosquito in my very own bed and found it outrageous.

Firstly: It's October and they should be dead by now!

Secondly: My spiders are gone!

(For the last two years I had two spiders in my room. In their web I could read that I didn't have too many (other) bugs in here; this reading was correct and I was protected by their hunger.)

So, who will start a small business sending out gentle house-spiders to help me fight my bugs?

I am sure you'll get some good media and be in business for a little while.

Regards

Simon

Koffein Zigaretten

2006-10-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

Florian auf Koffein
Originally uploaded by mr_mecky.

Wer gerne Kaffee trinkt und dabei eine Zigarette raucht, dem mag diese Idee nicht gefallen, da es mir um die Zusammenlegung desselben geht.

Eine Zigarette mit aufputschender Wirkung wird wohl nicht weiter schädlich sein als eine klassische Zigarette.

Ich werde einige Links zu diesem Thema unter den Kommentaren nachreichen.

Voll auf Koffein

Euer Simon

Willingness to drink

2006-09-29T08:06:00.000-07:00

Wine, tea, she
Originally uploaded by antiorario.

This idea developed during a dinner with Robert and Alfred in Cologne.

Alfred told us that he holds wine tastings with his friends, where they would not only note down their personal judgement of the wine tasted, but rather the price he would be willing to pay for the bottle.

Robert noted, that this was a great idea for a fundraising event.

What a lovely idea!

So to Robert and Alfred:

Cheers!

Simon

Online Banking

2006-09-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

escher retocado pro worth cascada
Originally uploaded by salvassoria.

Online Banking Software bleibt dem Web 2.0 Trend hinterher. Bisher.

Woran das liegt ist wurscht, man kann es sich aber denken...

Und dabei wäre eine Verlinkung von Tags mit Kontoblättern so wunderbar sinnvoll!

Wer hier die Software schreibt, wird reich; freue mich daher über einen Scheck.

Bester Gruß

Simon

Electronic Payment I

2006-09-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

IMG_3276
Originally uploaded by matamari_damacy.

Just real quick: If everyone would pay electronically, preferably from mobile phone to mobile phone using simple infrared or blue-tooth technology with a mobile phone given out for free (for those who need a simple version) by the government and a standard enforced by the central bank would facilitate all forms of tax payment to the absolute minimum.

No more need for ATMs, yeah!

I love this idea and am sure, soon someone will come up with something like this (paypal could do it)

Hugs and Kisses

Simon

The Booksale

2006-09-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

The Booksale
Originally uploaded by saewon.

In meiner Stadtteilbibliothek werden jeden Monat neue Bücher aussortiert und für lächerlich geringe Beträge verramscht (eine Spendenbox würde ausnahmsweise wohl höhere Erträge einbringen).

Daher folgende Überlegung: Wenn Bibliotheken Ihre Buchbestände auflösen, sollten Sie eine Mail an diejenigen Nutzer der Bibliothek senden, die das Buch einmal ausgeliehen haben.

Hierzu müssen sie natürlich die Einwilligung der Nutzer holen.

Die Verlängerung des Mitgliedsausweises erfolgt bei uns jährlich. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt wird auch eine neue Unterschrift fällig, ein guter Zeitpunkt zur Änderung der Konditionen.

In knapp einem Jahren könnten also die Bücher per Mail beworben und von den Mitgliedern aus dem Regal gekauft werden.

Da die Medien ohnehin allesamt elektronisch erfasst sind, könnte die Bibliothek die Bücher durch einen Mausklick
- zu einer Auktion ins Netz (evtl. sogar Ebay) stellen
- alle Interessierten anmailen.

Es müssen dadurch nicht einmal mehr die Bücher separat gesammelt und ausgestellt werden.

Bester Gruß

Simon

Death Register

2006-09-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

Lydia (Palmer) Peters Death Register
Originally uploaded by Frank Peters.

Ich bekomme Todesanzeigen zum Glück nur selten zu sehen und wenn, dann pfeifen es die relevanten Spatzen schon von den Dächern.

Andere aber, wie etwa meine Oma, erleben das anders. Meine Oma sagt ab und zu etwas wie "Ach, die ist sicher schon tot."

Und dann sitze ich da und denke "Oh, das würde ich doch gerne mal prüfen." Geht aber nicht. Es gibt kein online Sterberegister, welches einfach die täglichen Todesanzeigen der Tageszeitungen sammelt.

Es wundert einen doch sehr, dass solche Dinge, die mit dem geringsten technologischen Aufwand möglich und von großem öffentlichen Interesse sind, nicht einfach in die Tat umgesetzt werden.

Bester Gruß

Simon

P.S.:
Was passiert denn eigentlich mit meinem OpenBC Account, wenn ich mal nicht mehr bin? Und mit meinem Flickr Account? Und diesem schönen Blog?