Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with idea

After the peppermint soap buzz wears off..

bradly — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 02:28:50 -0800

My roommate is going to be in Tanzania for 6 months to work with a local NGO. I would like to give him something small he can take with him before he leaves in January. What useful item will he be without access to then that I can give to him now? More details:

Male, mid twenties, item would probably be along the lines of something outdoorsy/practical (the way he is) or some comfort that he will likely miss.

He already owns chocos, nalgenes, filter, stove, master chemist Dr. Bronner's magical soap (DILUTE DILUTE, OK!) and is pretty well covered regarding typical overseas purchases.

Thanks in advance!

How can I make a Dessert Curry?

trojanhorse — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:21:19 -0800

I had this idea to make a dessert curry (similar to the idea of a desert pizza) but am not sure if the idea is even possible. My plan so far involves curry spices and a chocolate syrup based curry and perhaps add marshmallows and a substutue for meat or vegtables. Any ideas on how to proceed?

How do I go about securing my idea?

boo_radley — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:30:43 -0800

I have an awesome idea for an improvement for a product. What now? I have absolutely no idea on how to get this from "Awesome idea in my head" into a physical real product. I have some vague awareness that I need to write up a Business Case (a what?) and then have a venture capitalist come in and tell me my idea is rubbish before stealing it and leaving me destitute, but I'd like some help on the middle bits.

Do I need to patent the thing? Can I patent the thing without a physical representation? Do I just need a drawing?

home page introductory videos

Bacillus — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:35:16 -0800

Do you know of any sites with home page videos introducing new concepts such as the P2 for Wordpress theme? I'm introducing a new concept to the Internet through my website which would be too difficult for people to understand with a plain text and image home page, I believe they would leave very quickly without a video presentation. I'm looking for some good examples which are informative and capture attention.

Can simply be introductory video with examples, even ones with a standing person giving an oral presentation although this is not what I will be using. I will be using something more along the lines of the P2 theme introductory video.

You're wonderful, you're getting married, I got you....??

aka burlap — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:23:02 -0800

Another-gift-idea filter: Two wonderful people, getting married. I want to get them something they'll really appreciate. Stuck for ideas. Help? The couple are both in their mid/late twenties. They're both photojournalists, both pretty adventurous people. They want to make the world a better place, they're spiritual, that kind of thing. They both travel to exotic places on occasion. They're not very materialistic. I know the groom better, and he's artistic, musical, fun-loving and not very serious. From what I can tell, she's similar: they're both pulling faces in most of the pictures I've seen of the two of them.

They aren't registered anywhere, and I think the wedding will be pretty informal--they didn't even ask for RSVPs in the invitations. I get the feeling that smallish gifts will be more appropriate than, say, a fancy china set. I'm planning on writing and giving them a letter about why I think they're such great people and how happy I am to see them together, but I want to give them something else too. Any ideas? What gifts have you received/given/seen that were really neat? I'm torn between trying to think of something that'll have a lot of sentimental value and something eminently useful.

I know there are about a million gift-idea questions on here already. Sorry to add to the pile.

I need to run chkdsk on my brain...

Salvor Hardin — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:35:01 -0800

My mind is blown, it's not my own, where did my idea go? I'm feeling fine, but I've lost my mind! Help? Three days ago, while walking somewhere, I came up with a cool idea. A really cool idea. I mean, an astoundingly awesome idea.

And now I can't remember what it is.

Do you have any tips for recovering memories like this? I was distracted by something immediately after getting the idea, and I guess it didn't get stored into permanent memory in my brain.

It probably wasn't as incredibly brilliant as I am remembering, but it's been persistently bugging me that I've forgotten what it is. I really don't remember anything about it, except that I was excited about it. This has happened before, but it's never been so frustrating for so long! It feels like a big pothole in my mind.

So, mefites, do you have any tips, tricks, mindhacks, etc, for remembering stuff like this? Should I stare at a candle cross-eyed while huffing ginkgo-biloba vapour? Hang upside down blindfolded and think about it as hard as possible? I've tried NOT thinking about it, but it hasn't worked, and it keeps coming back to haunt me. Have you found anything that works for this? I don't even know if there's anything that can help, but I'm open to suggestions. Thanks!

How to best set up/arrange a date with a man on the phone?

zulonline — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:31:57 -0800

How to best set up/arrange a first date with a man on the phone?
I have been asked out for a guy a week ago, today he sent by email his phone number to arrange details for tomorrow meeting up, I said I will call this evening.
English is not my first language althought I can communicate at kind of advance level I don't know what would be appropiate to say, or how to word the conversation and ending it .

I don't want to talk too long ,to keep the interest before the encounter but how long? what to say? the event starts at 7:00 pm would be good idea to say to meet up just half an hour before to have a chat? or just on , there will be a 25 min interval , not too sure if we will have time to eat, but I am unsure how best set this up as I was the one with the idea to go to that concert.. he kindly bought the most expensive tikets .. ( just cheked out and there are not refundable !) beside I woke up feeling a bit unwell today as for onset of sore throat/ and burning stomach , would it be good idea to mention it in case tomorrow I dont feel as great to talk? if so how should I word it ??

I've heard the worse is to mention any health problems on first dates .. Any ideas please?

WANT TO PRODUCE A FRAGRANCE: HOW?

defmute — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:56:31 -0800

I want to sell a cologne. How do I do that? I have a brilliant idea for a new fragrance. Now what? Can I patent a fragrance before it goes into production?

Are there any studies showing negative effects of inclusion in the classroom?

tzikeh — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:32:18 -0800

I'm not asking anyone to write this paper for me (so nobody's doing my schoolwork), but I need help finding peer-reviewed articles against classroom inclusion. I have access to innumerable online peer-reviewed scholarly journals, but I'm only turning up articles in favor of inclusion (i.e. integrating students with mental, physical, and/or emotional disabilities into a "normal" classroom), not against it (or with studies that show detrimental effects, either on teachers or students). I have to write a paper showing the arguments, supported with research, for/against, and then draw my own conclusions blah blah blah. I've gone through ERIC, and the education abstracts database, but everything I've found falls into the "for" category.

I am for inclusion myself, but I've got to find an article that opposes it for this project. The only things I'm finding are columns written by teachers who don't like it, and that's an opinion, not a peer-reviewed study.

Help me find a new hobby!

Wroksie — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:09:03 -0800

I need a new, productive hobby, please! I need something new to occupy my hands - something that doesn't require a dedicated room or big chunks of time, something that I can pick up and put down wihout a lot of preparation or clean-up time. Most importantly, I want to be able to produce something wearable, decorative, useful, or some combination of those things.
I can't really get the hang of knitting. I crochet like a champ, but it's not the best medium for wearable items, and I've already flooded the market with amigurumi (little stuffed toys), dishcloths, and potholders. I have 5 years experience in silversmithing/ jewelrymaking, which is more involved and intense than what I'm looking for- but if I could carry over any of those skills that would be great. I also have experience in bookbinding, which I love, but I already have way more journals and other blank books than I will ever be able to use or give away.
Financial outlay isn't a big issue, I would drop a few hundred pounds if I found the right thing.

3-5 days and good programming skills. I wanna build something cool!

cgg — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:37:11 -0800

I have 3-5 days (starting tomorrow!) in which I'm off from work, and have really nothing planned. As a developer geek in a crappy economy, I'm looking at looming unemployment and/or the start of a freelance career in the very near future. I want to this time making "something" that I can use in my portfolio to show potential employers/clients. What on earth can I build? Ideas for sites are a dime a dozen, except for when I need one. I'd like to build something cool that I can show off. Trouble is, I'd like to get it out, at least v0.1, after only 3-5 days of work. All my ideas involve considerably more effort than that. And I at least want it to be somewhat fun and/or interesting and/or to teach me something new... I can write boring code at work.

So mefites -- what should I build? I know the LAMP stack pretty well, where the 'P' can be either PHP, Python or Perl (although right now PHP is my strongest language). I can thnk in SQL -- databases are not a problem. I have more than enough hosting and a good dev environment. I can learn things (APIs, etc) pretty quickly. Maybe something fun with Google Maps? A Facebook app? An entire site? I'm open to all and any ideas...

Yes, there are better uses for my time. I should be networking, yadda yadda, but this is my vacation and I don't wanna. :) I never get to write what I want to write anymore. Assume my resume is up to date and polished.

How do I protect my iPhone app idea

Thrillhouse — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 05:42:35 -0800

How do I go about protecting my idea when I approach a developer about coding an iPhone app? I'm sure finding a developer would be easy. My concern is that once I start diCussing my idea that they will claim it as their own and cut me out. What's the simplest way to protect myself?

Step 4: Profit!

shiu mai baby — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:22:33 -0800

I have a product idea for a regional restaurant franchise that I think would do really well. How do I go about making my dream of untold wealth a reality? In all seriousness, I know that, even if everything were to line up perfectly, it wouldn't be untold wealth (maybe a couple of thousand if I'm lucky), but even before I get to that spot, I need some help. Here's the deal (and obviously, I will be as specific as I can while still protecting my precious kernel of an idea):

There's a popular food franchise in this region that sells a product of which I am a fan. I have a really cool idea that would use one of their most popular products, combine it with a common food item, and make a new, even more delicious product. I have made the enhanced product at home, it is terrific; I have served it at parties and people are stunned that the franchise doesn't sell it like this; in short, I feel confident that it would sell really, really well, especially since the enhancement uses a food item that is steadily gaining a ton of popularity in this area. It wouldn't take a major investment from the franchise owners to obtain the equipment to make this product, and it dovetails nicely with the overall product line of the company.

The big problem, though, is I haven't a clue what's involved inmaking this happen. Do I just look up the corporate address, send a letter saying, "Hi Company X, I have a great idea that will bring your franchises more revenue, call me to discuss?" If I do end up lucking into a meeting or presentation with the product development team, how do I protect my idea from being taken without compensation? How do I possibly determine what would be a reasonable compensation if the planets align and Company X decides that my idea is the best thing they've heard in forever? Is this something that one should retain a lawyer for, even if the compensation is only (potentially) a couple of grand?

I have a million more questions, of course, but mainly I'm just looking for a general idea of how these things go, and what early steps I can take to protect myself. YANML, I know; just a basic roadmap of where I should go from here would be very much appreciated.

I renounce Satan and all his empty promises, and I thank my godmother for the kickass present!!!

metastability — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:11:25 -0800

What's a cool gift for a baptism? Asking for a friend. Soon she'll be a godmother to a baby. Catholic. The baby's name is Madeline. Budget is approx $500. We don't want the parents to be able to spend the money. We want it to be exclusively for the kid when she gets older. What would be a cool gift? Godmother is EU citizen residing in US, baby is in Europe. How would we actually go about buying stocks? What stocks? Other ideas besides stocks?

Let me take care of the boring stuff, while you get on with your doodling.

divabat — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:33:24 -0800

Emerging and small/medium scale artists and creatives: what would you like your manager to do? What would compel you to hire the services of a manager/admin person/PA and how much would you be willing to pay? I've been doing similar semi-managerial work for my best friend who's in broadcast media. Officially I manage her website and web presence, but I also manage fanmail, keep out the creepies, pass on job offers, liaise and organise job contacts & interviews, research opportunities, and help her hash out ideas. She finds me useful because she herself isn't very tech-savvy and doesn't know how to harness current technology as effectively as possible.

Based on my "charmed bridge" question, as well as past work & volunteer experience, I feel that I could do more this kind of work, as a freelancer or a business owner. Essentially I'd like to help artists concentrate more on their work by dealing with the extra not-creative side. I'm particularly interested in those who feel overwhelmed by the Internet (I've met TONS!) and who only have a basic poorly-designed site but not much else to help them get out there.

The things I thought of doing (that I'm actually pretty good at) are:
* Social media - knowing what their audience uses, maintain their web presence, etc
* Managing and screening fanmail
* Liaising and organising media/work/volunteer/speaking requests
* Research opportunities relevant to them (workshops, gigs, etc)
* Introduce them to other people they could collaborate with
* Taking care of "boring" paperwork (forms, visas, grants, etc)
* Ordering equipment/tools/items and finding good deals

Some other skills that may be handy include booking events, accounting, and PR/publicity, though I'm not as great in those as I am in the above.

If you were an independent creative person (of whatever form), what would compel you to hire a manager or assistant? What is the difference roles-wise between managers and PAs and assistants anyway? How much would you pay and how were you willing to pay for it?

Also, there are some tasks where I work better in collaboration with someone else - for instance, in managing people's websites, I usually deal with the concept and putting things together, while I get my boyfriend (who studies web services at uni) to code the website. How would I bring in a collaborator ethically and with fair compensation? Do I just recommend someone, get a commission, do it all myself?

Marketing a great website before it's copied

jakubsnm — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:39:12 -0800

Recently I've thought of a great idea for a website which I'm planning on developing soon. I believe the site has the potential of something like YouTube or Facebook. Due to my paranoia and low budget, I've decided to develop the site myself. I believe no one has the capacity or resources to copy the site for at least a fortnight. Due to the low budget Im having to resort to spreading the word over the net. Unfortunetly I cannot reveal what the site is about :( I was just wondering if anyone knows of any descent sites or forums that are pretty general, where I could post my idea? so i can reach as many people as possible within a fortnight. P.S. Please don't say Youtube or Facebook... lol

how to manufacture 1000+ units of new, custom fabric based product?

nolnar — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 05:19:44 -0800

I've made a new fabric product that I hope would sell 5000+ units. For viable efficiency I need to buy manufacturing of the product or its parts. I don't want to reveal my product idea, but let's use a SLR camera bag made in sturdy fabric as an example. My product has similar materials, size and complexity. How do I go from there? background: I lack previous experience from buying manufacturing of a product. (I also don't have business experience but I'll focus on that topic later so leave that for now)

questions:
(1) Are there companies with online services that take blueprints/prototypes/CAD-designs of a fabric camera bag type of product as input and output a number of units (100, 1000 ...) of either the completed product or parts for me to assemble?

(2) Are there for fabric camera bag type of product similar services to to print-on-demand book publishing or what http://www.cafepress.com/ et al offer? That is, I input the design and the company hosts my product page, handles the customers payments and manufactures and sends out the product. I get a portion of the money from each sale.

(3) Are there detailed product catalogs with generic standard parts to buy in bulk for this type of product? Something similar to the extremely detailed catalogs of electronic and mechanical components available from many companies. So for a fabric camera bag type of product there would be standard should straps, side pockets, plastic clip-on joints and so on in various shapes, sizes, colors and materials.

Note: I know that there are various craft communities/websites where custom fabric products can be made on demand from any design by hobbyist crafters, as discussed in this thread http://ask.metafilter.com/111371/How-can-I-design-and-make-a-custom-camera-bag . But that is not viable for the thousands of units in my example.

Become a Lab Rat with a Shaven Head ????

Izzmeister — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 11:44:27 -0800

Give me crazy (legal) ways to make money during this economic dowwwnturn.... Become a Lab Rat? Sell my Hair? So..

I'm looking for as many possible ways to make money during the recession.

Lab Rat
Sell your Hair

are two examples of nutty-to-most-people but legal and qucik ways to make some dough.

what others can you help me come up with?

Where should I get married?

Four-Eyed Girl — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:29:27 -0800

I'd like to find some non-church wedding ceremony & reception sites that aren't very expensive and aren't too far from my area in NY. Bonus points for "unusual" sites. My wedding will be next July, but we have no location yet.

He & I really need some suggestions for ceremony & reception sites because we are new to our area and because we have a limited budget. Here are our requests/desires:

I don't want to get too far away (2 hours away max.) from Westchester County, NY.

No churches.

The site(s) must accommodate a party of less than 50 people.

Indoor is preferred given the humid weather in the summer.

"Unusual" or "quirky" ideas or very welcomed. We've been trying to figure out something that would fit our personalities. We've thought of movie theaters (if anyone knows one that will do this, please let me know) & libraries (too expensive).

Help me give a gift, not reduce closet space

dino terror — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 10:48:49 -0800

I need a gift idea for my late 20's brother living in Japan, but going to be receiving the gift in Toronto. ~$50. MUST be something 'useful'. I refuse to give gifts where the receiver will say 'great, what am I supposed to do with this thing now'. Anything consumable qualifies. Gifts that I consider a burden on the receiver: clothes, decorations, media (ie. books, movies), etc. Unless I happen to know they specifically would have purchased that item for themselves.

The ideas are all around, floating away...

reenum — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:43:13 -0800

I feel the need to be creative, but can't figure out what sort of outlet is the best to get my ideas out. How do I figure out what sort of creativity I have? All my life, I've had lots of ideas, but I've never found an appropriate way to bring them to life.

I tried to write and got a novel done in NaNoWriMo last year, but I can never get the motivation to actually write a story. I've tried poetry, but it all comes out as maudlin and ridiculous. I established early on in my life that I can't draw. I feel like I have a lot of ideas, but nowhere to go with them.

My question is: How can I figure out what type of creativity most suits me? Any websites, books, or personal anecdotes would be much appreciated.

Should i give him one more chance?

Waterbear — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:00:22 -0800

To get back together or not to get back together....that is the question....(of course it's a lot messier than that.........) Was with my bf for 4 years (i'm 31 now and he is 32). Most of that time, besides maybe the first 6-months of honeymoon period, were not good. We fought all the time, mostly about the fact that he was completely and utterly emotionally unavailable. He would go days without calling or talking to me, then be angry and distant when i got upset about it, and/or call me 'needy' (which i know now i most definetely am not). He rarely showed me any type of love (asides from sex, which was always fantastic), and never wanted to talk about anything. In fact, whenever I tried to bring up the fact that I was really miserable and we needed to do something about it he would get angry and a fight would start. After much convincing, he came to a couples therapist with me and sat like a stone through the 3 sessions we went to. After a while I got sick of trying to convince him to go and we stopped. The therapist told me that basically i would be miserable with him b/c he was not willing to change, and had a lot of work to do and a lot to face up to, and to leave him.

We spent 4 years together (including 1 year living together in Japan during which time we were VERY isolated from family, friends, etc), and although we were close for a time, i never felt emotionally intimate with him, I always felt that if i left him he wouldn't care at all. We broke up briefly in 2006, but he begged me back, saying he had changed, and I gave him a 2nd chance only to have him act even worse. Finally i ended things with him last May (2007). He was devastated (but he acted that way everytime I attempted to end things with him).

I met someone else really quickly because, to me, the relationship had already been over for a long time and i'd been waiting for the right time to end it, where i felt strong enough that i could resist his repeated attempts to get me back.

The new guy is one of the nicest, best guys i've ever met, we have fun together, good sex, laugh and laugh, AND I feel so close to him.

THe problem is that lately i started talking to my ex again (he got a job at teh large company where i work after we broke up...i run into him now and then). He says he's been in counselling for the past year to work on all of his issues, and I even went to the therapist that he's been seeing with him, I know for sure he's been going and he seems to have made a lot of progress. I have such a strong attraction to him, and all of our history together...i find myself wondering if I should give him a (third) chance since he really seems like he's changed this time. He says he loves me and i'm the one for him and he will never hurt me again and all the rest. And i'm actually considering it. I've told my current bf that i'm having feelings for my ex, but he doesn't know to what extent i've been considering getting back with him. Now I feel like a total horrible witch for what i'm doing to my current bf. and I feel so torn and confused about whether to get back with the ex, has he *really* changed, etc. I know people say "follow your heart" but my heart doesn't seem to know what the eff it wants!

Has anyone ever been in a similiar situation? Do you think people can really, truly change? I'm so torn right now, not eating or sleeping, any advice would really help.....

Thanks.....

Creating an Artistic Persona

divabat — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:32:03 -0800

followup to this question: how does one create and develop a persona? I'm referring to artistic/entertainment personas, such as Borat and Ali G - where performers actually take on a whole new personality as part of their work.

How are such personas developed? Are they carefully planned out, or do they organically develop? How much of the persona is developed before being performed (for example, does Borat have a detailed childhood history?)? Is it much like creating a fictional character for stories, or is there some other process?

Along with that, how are the other aspects - fashion, style, mannerisms, talents, accents, etc - of the persona handled? Does someone that want to make an artistic persona usually go to classes to learn all those skills? Where do they get it from?

I've emailed Empress V (who performs in Brisbane as A Wonder Woman, amongst others) and she's given me some good advice, but I'd like to know of any other perspectives and resources. Google doesn't turn up much and my local libraries don't have a lot on the topic either - where and what topic should I be looking for?

mystery acoustic song id

null terminated — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:59:59 -0800

Acoustic male song id question I heard a song on the radio Sunday in New Jersey around 8:30pm that I'd like to identify. It was acoustic and male and the only words I can remember go something (though probably not exactly) like "my (girl | lady), she's not a fair-weather fan". I've searched all variations of that but nothing seemed to match. I hadn't heard the song before but have no idea if it's recent or not. The general theme of the song seemed to have been being rich or successful and having lots of friends, then losing that but having his lady stick by him (I'm not positive of this either, because I only caught the end of the song). Thanks a lot!

Shoot the Messenger? Cult of Personality?

divabat — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:11:26 -0800

Which causes or ideas have become more about the messenger than the message? I remember, for a while after "An Inconvenient Truth" came out, there was a lot of fuss given on Al Gore personally alongside (and sometimes more than) the attention on climate change. Now Al Gore's fame has quelled a little, but I was wondering if there have been any other social causes or new ideas that are now only remembered because of the presenter - or even if those ideas have fallen by the wayside in favour of the presenter's personality.

While Princess Diana brought landmines to greater public attention, it wasn't the cause of her fame, and the landmines cause hasn't diminished just because of her. Similarly, there isn't one clear person that can be credited for the gay rights movement or the feminist movement.

However, how many people would understand Albert Einstein's Theory or Relativity or how it's relevant to today's world? How about Stephen Hawking's work on astrophysics? Has their "celebrity" overshadowed understanding of their work on a mass level?

Also, has there been any studies or research done in this area? Is there a name for this phenomena?