Where Is Kerri Strug Now?

One of my favorite games I used to play in grad school was called “Where is Kerri Strug Now?” As far as games go, it wasn’t really that exciting. The main premise was simply for me to find out what Kerri Strug has been up to since the 1996 Summer Olympics. We all remember her gold-clinching, one-foot landing vault. No one expected her to come out of the games with the level of notoriety she achieved, but she was one of the biggest stories of the summer…and definitely the biggest story coming out of those games.

Since 1996, we don’t really hear anything about Kerri Strug anymore. It’s not unusual; there are plenty of people who do notable things without ever intending to stay in the public eye. Many never even wanted to be in the public eye in the first place. Regardless, these are often the people I am most eager to hear an update about.

I love “Where Are They Nows” in general. Maybe it’s because people from the past are just that until they have some modern day context. I’m sure there are times when people should just stay in the past; maybe we should all just remember them for what they are known for. But I will always want to know where people are now in their lives. And I say ‘people’ and not ‘celebrities’ because I apply this idea to public and private people that I know from the past. It’s one of my favorite things about facebook, getting to know what old friends are up to now.

This article from April helped me to see Kerri Strug as an adult. While her voice may still not have changed (can’t tell from reading), I can see that she has moved on in her career and grown into an adult. Of course this happens to everyone, but when you don’t see them it is often hard to grasp that. Reading that article reminded how much I want to see a “Where Are They Now” series for obscure celebrities or public figures who only remained famous for a brief time. Today, I read this article about Elian Gonzales and it reminded me how great such a show would be.

Whether it takes the form of a TV series, or a feature series in a magazine, or any other form, I would love a program that would allow me to see where my favorite obscure celebrities are now. It’s something I think should exist.

What obscure or briefly famous public figures would you like to have an update on? What would like to find out about them? Is this something that already exists in some form?

Movie Bathrooms

Summertime, and the living is…well, it’s hot. I suppose when the weather first starts warming up, we all get pretty excited to play outside. But after the first couple of weeks it gets really old…and the temperature just gets higher and higher.

At some point we all need to find an indoor escape, but after the long, cooped-up winter season we look for ways to get out of the house. I assume this is the reason why so many good movies come out in the summer. It’s a great way to get out of the heat without having to sit at home watching sit-com reruns.

Everyone has their own movie theater habits. I know a lot of people grab boxes of candy and tubs of popcorn. All I need is the largest cup of my favorite carbonated beverage. There is one major problem with that, and I usually remember it about ¾ of the way through the flick. I have a relatively large bladder. That is to say, I can usually hold liquid longer than most of my friends. Unfortunately, even I can’t withstand a two-hour film and a jumbo Mountain Dew.

Having a healthy (or overactive) bladder wouldn’t be a problem under most circumstances. It’s a great excuse to miss a few minutes of class, or to duck out of a meeting early. When it comes to movie theaters, however, having to pee during the show can ruin the experience, especially when the best action sequences happen near the end, when the urge to pee is strongest.

To combat this problem, movie theaters should have a restroom in the theater itself, so audience members won’t have to go to the lobby. The bathroom would have all the privacy of a typical bathroom. My idea is that the restroom would be completely enclosed, while allowing people to see the movie from inside. I think this could happen in one of two ways. There could be monitors in the bathroom playing the movie along with the big screen in the main theater. This would be kind of like how many sports bars have small monitors in the restrooms to watch sports. The other way restroom users could see the movie is by using some sort of privacy screen. The screen would allow viewers to see out without letting others to see in, possibly similar to tinting on car windows if the light in the restroom is kept dim.

Does anyone know of a theater where this exists? What movies are you looking forward to this summer?

Sorry for the hiatus. I will return with some new ideas this month.

Backstory DVDs about Soap Characters

Something that most people know about me is that I love television. And those who don’t know that about me may have at least realized I’m interested in the medium because this is not the first time I’ve written about it on this blog. The truth is that I find a lot of things about TV absolutely fascinating and wonderful. When it comes right down to it, I love stories and there are certain storytelling genres that are completely unique to TV.

One of these genres is the Daytime Serial, better known as Soap Operas. Say what you will about soaps (bad acting, cheesy writing, repetitive, etc.), they are a completely unique way of telling stories that would not work the same way in any other medium*. The casts and crews work non-stop to produce a new episode five days a week all year round with no reruns. Even the most devout soap fans would concede that some of the criticisms are accurate, but with their demanding production schedule soaps should be forgiven if production value suffers in favor of consistency.

Despite the fast production pace and resulting inconsistent quality, there are many times when soaps achieve greatness. Whether in the form of a ground-breaking social-issue storyline or in a memorably good acting performance, the soap genre has moments when it genuinely impacts fans’ lives. Sometimes those moments even go on to impact popular culture at large. I would give examples here, but I think I have already given the impression that I am a much bigger soap fan than I truly am. My point here is not to come off as some sort of soap nut, but simply to say that the genre deserves more street cred than most people want to give it.

One of the interesting aspects of soap operas is the history that exists between all of the characters on the shows. The most successful soaps remain on the air for decades. In that time, viewers are introduced to many changing characters and relationships: romances blossom, characters age, families grow, murders are committed, multiple personalities are exposed, long lost evil twins appear in town to destroy lives, etc. It can be exciting to see all these changes over time, but it can also be hard to keep the facts of each character’s life straight.

Something that should exist to help soap fans remember the details of their favorite characters’ lives is a series of DVD “biographies” of those characters. Long time fans would be interested in those DVDs as a way to reminisce about characters. For younger viewers, this series would help inform their viewing of current storylines, providing insight into why certain characters act a certain way toward one another. This could also work as a series on a network like SoapNet. Many see soaps as a dying genre and this could possibly help to gain new viewers or revive viewers who have strayed away their favorite shows.

Does something like this exist? Which soaps have you been exposed to?




* I’m aware that Daytime Serials started in the days of radio, long before they began airing on TV. Still, I believe the genre has evolved and enjoyed success in a way that is unique to television.

Pre-Arranged, Personalized Birthday Cards

This is a special guest entry written by one of my good friends and favorite writers, Rachael Lynch...

How many birthday cards do you receive per year? I’m talking real, live, hand-written birthday cards? If you’re anything like me, that number is nowhere near the number of cards you would like to receive. According to Yahoo! Answers, the best way to ensure that you will receive more birthday cards is to send more cards. Brilliant, right? Personally, I would love to send more birthday cards to my friends and family members. At night, I lie in bed dreaming of markers and stickers, making elaborate plans for cards. I add people to (and sometimes delete from) my mental birthday card list. And then I wake up the next morning and am unable to access my mental birthday card list. It must only exist in that blurry state between awake and asleep.

Okay, so, maybe you aren’t like me. Maybe you have signed up for one of those internet services that send you a reminder days before a loved one’s birthday – gives you plenty of time to give them a quick call, or short text, or the obligatory Facebook wall post. Because we all know how wonderful it feels to get a facebook wall post on our birthday, I can hardly describe the overwhelming feeling I get when I log in on that magical day and see 142,003 identical wall posts. (I will admit that birthday wall posts do serve ONE purpose – allowing me to compare my relative popularity to that of my friends based on the number of people who posted.) Frankly, a facebook wall post is just not good enough for anyone who is more than a Birthday/Christmas friend.

That being said. I am busy. You are probably busy too. Work, school, TV shows, spending time with friends and family, playing Farmville – these things are all really important. We all want to be better friends, send more cards, call each other more. We just don’t. We are unable (or perhaps unwilling) to make the time for it.

There has got to be some way to bridge the gap between wanting to send more personalized birthday cards and having the time, energy, and foresight to actually do it. I quickly Google-ized “birthday card sending services” and found a variety of services that purport to take care of this problem. Sure these services are fine if you want to send everyone the same dumb card, or you want to choose from 3 or 4 different designs that are all perfect for your grandmother, or if you want to type a generic message online and have it typed in the card (some sites even let you choose color and font!). It seems to be that these services aren’t much better than FB wall postings. They lack humanity. They lack hours spent in the card aisle finding just the right card for that special someone. They lack scented markers.

What should exist is a birthday card sending service that gets it right. One with an enormous selection of cards – every card in existence would be great and maybe even an option to upload a pic and create your own card. These cards would be wonderfully organized by keyword, so it would be easy to find a birthday card about wine for your wino best friend, or one about fishing for your dad. Finally, the service would have many different options that will work for anyone. I envision being able to pick out cards for the entire years worth of birthdays, have them shipped to me in about 3 installments during the year, I would then fill out the cards as I wished and mail them back to the company. The end. Well for me anyway. The service would then make sure the cards were sent with perfect timing to arrive before (but not too much before) that magical day. Sounds great, right?

Does this already exist? Would anyone actually use a service like this?

Terms and Conditions Interpreter

There’s no better way to start this post than by just admitting something. You know those boxes you’re supposed to check whenever you sign up for a website or download a new program onto your computer or pretty much do anything at all online anymore? Those ‘Terms and Conditions’ pages appear everywhere in my computer-based life, but I must admit that I never actually read the terms of service.

Actually, I do feel guilty about it. I consistently click the box declaring that I did, indeed, read the terms and conditions. It’s technically dishonest, but what worries me more is that it could possibly be dangerous. If I continue to agree to terms without knowing what they are then it seems more than likely that at some point I could be agreeing to something entirely unsavory.



I tend to take for granted that I am not the first person to sign up for whatever service and that if there was a problem with the terms then they would have been addressed long before I reach that section of the registration. Furthermore, I don’t always trust myself to read the ‘legal mumbo jumbo’ that makes up what amounts to fine print in my opinion.

These are just excuses though. Truly, the responsible thing to do would be to actually read and understand the terms of service. But I know I am unlikely to ever start being so responsible.

As a compromise, I think there should be some sort of service, probably a website, that analyzes and compares the terms and conditions for many different websites and software packages. The service would summarize the terms into a much shorter form and it should break down the terms into language that is easily understood by people who are not legal experts. In addition, I think this service should tell me what possible implications these terms could have.

Now I hope everyone who reads this notices the inherent irony in the above idea. This kind of a service would inevitably have fine print of its own that you must read. Since the whole point is to avoid having to read and interpret so many terms and conditions, it seems slightly counterproductive to add one more service that requires it. Perhaps the site could even use its own terms and conditions as an example for potential users. It could provide the full version and then summarize and analyze its own terms for users who may not wish to even read those.

I may agree that it is irresponsible to claim I agree with terms I have never read, but I also want it to be easier to understand those conditions. Even with a site like the one I suggest above, there is an amount of trust involved. In the end it comes down to balancing risk with reward. It may be risky to pay absolutely no attention to terms and conditions, and this idea would be a good compromise solution.

How often do you read ‘Terms and Conditions?’ Do you know of any service or website that already does this?

Luggage Map

My luggage has a lot of pockets and compartments. I don’t know exactly when luggage makers decided it would be a good idea to create so many different nooks and crannies in every bag, suitcase, and backpack, but it can be very confusing.

I know whoever designed these extra compartments had some good reason. Maybe they are supposed to help people organize their things while packing. Maybe they are supposed to make it easier to pack items of different sizes in such a way that they may be found easily among other packed items. The extra compartments are indeed helpful in some ways, but they also cause me stress.

Adding in all these extra pockets means that there are essentially many hiding places among my bags. When I travel, I inevitably arrive at my destination and realize I forgot something. However, more often then not I arrive back at home only to find that I never actually forgot what I thought I forgot; I only hid it from myself. A few months ago I spent two weeks without a working cell phone because I thought I left it at home. When I returned I searched all over for it and eventually found it in a compartment in my carry on luggage that is almost completely hidden. Now when I ‘realize’ I forget something I simply search even harder and longer for it.

That’s just one example of a difficulty I have using the various pockets in my bags, and I doubt I’m the only person who has these issues. Sure, the extra nooks and crannies are helpful, but they also cause so much confusion and hysteria. To combat this I think there should be some sort of map or checklist included with the luggage that travelers may fill out to tell them where they packed their stuff.

When I think about this idea, I picture it either being some sort of dry erase map that can be reused or a pad of paper maps that may be filled out and discarded. It is a rather simple idea that would surely go a long way.

Are there any luggage companies that already include such a map? Have you ever thought you lost or forgot something that you actually just hid in your luggage? Would you use this type of thing to help find things you’ve packed?

Portable Outdoor Workspace

In the early days of spring, when the weather first changes from cold to warm, from dreary to cheery, most people start wanting to spend more of their time outside. It doesn’t take long for people to start devising ways to do just that. I remember plenty of times in school when the weather would be absolutely beautiful and there was always someone who would ask the teacher “Can we have class outside today?” Of course the answer is almost invariably “no.” Apparently having class outdoors was not seen as conducive to learning.

The idea never really goes away. I remember times in my office when I would look out the window and wish I could be working outside. And now that I no longer have an office I have much more flexibility with how and where I work.

Wireless internet access and laptop computers have made workplace portability incredibly easy in recent years. People can take their computer to a café or bar to do work, write papers, or surf the net. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to accomplish much while working outside.

Between the glare of the sun and the possibility of wind, it can be very difficult to actually have a productive outdoor office experience. It can be very difficult to see a laptop screen in the sun. And if your work involves papers of any kind, one gust of wind can blow your plans for the day. A tent or umbrella may prevent the glare from the sun, but it also prevents the worker from getting any sun. A heavy objects laid on top of your papers may prevent wind from destroying or scattering your work, but who wants to carry around heavy objects?

To make working outdoors more enjoyable, someone should invent a portable office kit. I picture the kit looking similar to a briefcase that workers could easily carry around and look professional. The kit should have a place to store a laptop of course, but it should also have handy solutions to the wind and sun scenarios I presented above. (The sun problem is a particular nuisance and whatever handy solution someone comes up with for that could be a thing that should exist in its own right.) Those are the mandatory things that should be included in the kit, but I’m sure there are other handy items that could be included.

Do you know someone who would like this? Are there any other working outdoors issues I haven’t mentioned? What else would you include in this kit? Does something like this already exist that you know of?

Personalized Serial

What happens when you spend years invested in a TV serial and then over time it changes? This happens all the time with any show that has been on the air for a while. Actors may decide to leave the show; characters may be added. Over time, the show begins to look very different, often becoming a much less watchable version of itself.

Maybe you quit watching the show. Or maybe you keep watching for the few storylines or characters in which you are still interested. I’m sure there are plenty of times when people may start watching a new show and automatically have only one character or storyline that appeals to them.

Currently, the only thing that exists to deal with this is the fast-forward button on your DVR remote. Something that should exist is a system where viewers can further customize their TV watching experience. There should be some device or system that can digitally record only the scenes related to the storylines or characters we really care about. Such a device would allow viewers to cut down on how much time they spend watching TV while increasing the amount of time they actually enjoy watching TV. In addition, it might be able to somehow communicate with the networks or producers to let them know which storylines and characters appeal most to viewers.

Personalization is a huge trend right now online (seriously, google it). And it'sspilling over into many other realms. Why shouldn't TV be one of them? Surely advertisers could use this technology somehow too.

What shows would you like to personalize? Are there any shows that already get the fast-forward treatment from you? Is there any other thing that exists already that addresses this issue?



*Thanks Rachel Quinley for this inspiration*

An Airline With Something Extra

In the early days of air transportation, people use to get dressed up to fly. It was considered a luxurious experience and passengers dressed accordingly. Ever since that time, flying has become more accessible to more people. It is now an accepted and expected form of travel, just the natural way to get from one place to another. It’s cheap and easy (not as easy as it was before 9/11 of course, but probably cheaper).

As air travel became more commonplace, passengers gradually lost the sense that they needed to dress luxuriously. People no longer felt that flying was only for the sophisticated elite. Suddenly everyone, from business travelers to casual tourists, is flying when they need to get someplace…and they’re often bringing their kids with them.

The idea for this entry came from one of my friends who had recently been seated on a plane next to a coughing child. Children are often hard to deal with on an airplane; they cry and scream and cough and sneeze. It really is overwhelming and hard to accept. And even harder to sit next to for any serious amount of time. So my friend told me that something that should exist is an adults-only airline.

Pretty soon after hearing that idea, I also heard that there is some specific reason why such a thing does not exist. It might have been something to do with discrimination. Regardless, I don’t want to dwell too much on the idea of preventing anyone from flying. I believe air travel should be open to anyone. There should not be arbitrary limits to who may and may not take advantage of this privilege. However, the idea did get me to start thinking about something very closely related to this.

Because flying has become more and more accessible to greater numbers of people, airlines have been forced to compete for business. Of course competition is an idea as old as capitalism and it’s an important part of business. The drawback is that most travelers have become price-buyers, only really interested in finding the lowest fares for their air travel. Airlines combat this with incentive programs that reward regular passengers for their loyalty. These programs are nice but as an admitted price buyer, I know that those loyalty programs don’t really work on me. Rather than remaining loyal to one airline because of the program, I simply join many programs and make sure I appropriately apply for mileage credit from the airline that offered me the cheapest fare.

So the thing that really should exist here is a quality experience. There needs to be an airline that offers something better than a low fare. Many may try to advertise excellent service or more leg-room, but what they need to do is offer something truly unique, something that will be remembered as being a unique part of that airline. Sure, that could include certain flights on which children are forbidden. Maybe it could be a flight on which people must dress nicely instead of in comfortable, pajama-like clothing. Maybe there are themes that could be explored, or exciting giveaways that could take place mid-flight. Surely none of these ideas would resonate with every passenger, but if an airline could come up with just the perfect experience for their passengers, it would put them ahead of the competition. As long as the price is not much more expensive, I believe people would even be willing to pay slightly more for an airline that will provide them with an enjoyable experience.

To be quite honest, all it would take for me is free wine or beer. I remember only two specific airlines that offered complimentary wine or beer on the flight. They were both regional airlines, but if I ever fly to those regions again I will definitely try to use those airlines. Are you a price-buyer? What would get you to pay a little more for an airline? Have you had any airline experiences that would keep you coming back to that airline?


"There's nothing cheap about loyalty." - Up In the Air

Returning Soon...

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted any new things that should exist. I took a little bit a hiatus in February for the 2010 Winter Olympic games. Now that all the February excitement is subsiding I'm catching up in a lot of areas of my life. This blog is no exception, so I will be returning soon with some new ideas. I have even had some people submit to me their own ideas of things that should exist and they should be showing up soon.

Reading While Walking

Maybe I have reading on the brain recently. Or maybe we can just call this a follow up to my last post. Either way, I have something else that I think should exist when it comes to books.

Last spring I worked at a temporary job where I was given frequent short breaks. At that same time I was really engaged in reading a particular book. On my breaks, I would take my book outside and read while walking around the parking lot. This was an opportunity for me to take advantage of the nice weather and get a little bit of exercise, which kept me from falling asleep when I got back to work.

That never seemed difficult or out of the ordinary to me, but I did have several people tell me that they had trouble reading while walking. Since this never seemed to me like something that might be difficult, I don’t know if the problem is an inability to concentrate, a fear of running into things, or something else.

No matter what the difficulty is, I think there should be something that helps people to read while walking. While it may not be the most thorough or intense form of exercise, it is at least something, and for many it may be the only exercise they get. Many people (like me) need some sort of distraction in order to exercise without getting bored or frustrated. My most impatient moments are the ones when I’m looking at the timer on the treadmill. So why should anyone have to choose between exercise and reading?

I’m picturing some sort of device with mirrors similar to rear view or side view mirrors on a car. Maybe someone else has another idea for what this might look like. Maybe there would need to be some research done to determine exactly what makes it so difficult to read and walk at the same time.

Once someone comes up with a solution to this issue, I think it should be available in Sky Mall magazine. This definitely sounds like a Sky Mall product.

Does anyone know what makes walking and reading difficult? Is there already a product/device that addresses this?

Something Needs to Hold My Book Open

I love books. I like reading, but books themselves are really important to me.

Many people are switching away from the traditional book format in favor of electronic book formats like the Amazon Kindle or Apple’s soon-to-be-released (and curiously-named) iPad.

With all of the technophiles out there, it’s pretty easy to forget that there is still a significant portion of the population who resist technology. Technophobes are listed as one of the microtrends in Mark Penn’s 2007 book Microtrends, meaning they represent a significant group of people with unique needs that must be addressed.

I wanted to make the above point because my idea for today’s post deals with books as they are used in their traditional format. Because I want to be presenting ideas that can be considered relevant, I felt I needed to illustrate that. In addition, I reserve the right to make this point again in future posts.

While I don’t consider myself a technophobe, I do have a deep appreciation and respect for the written word in it’s printed (non-electronic) form. During the approximately six hours per week that I spend on a treadmill, I like to bring a book along to read. This helps me pass the time. I have gotten pretty good at reading while walking, but the only way I can do that is to hold the book in my hands. If I set the book on the little ledge thing that is attached on the front of the treadmill, the book closes.

Each make and model of treadmill seems to have a slightly different version of that ledge, but I have never seen one that will allow me to keep my book from closing on me. Also, there are other times when I need my book to be held open without using my hands. For example, when I’m lying by the pool and I want to expose a certain part of my arms to the sunlight, I cannot hold a book.

Someone needs to invent something that will hold books open when they are not being held. I have seen so many homemade versions of such a thing; the homemade versions involve anything from a complicated system of paper clips and rubber bands to simply a shoe laid on top of a the book. Though the idea is inspired by my workout needs, I really want to see something that is more useful that can be used in any situation. If someone could invent something simple to keep my book from closing on me when I want to read, that person could market it to anyone who prefers to read books in their traditional form, librophiles and technophobes alike.

Does anyone know of something that already does this? Am I the only person left who prefers traditional books?

Thick Ply TP

I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It’s just so obvious it someone should have come up with it years ago. Instead of multi-ply toilet paper, someone needs to create toilet paper that is just one ply, but thicker.

Thick ply toilet paper (TPTP) would improve the function of normal toilet paper. With multi-ply TP, the plies often fall apart, making usage difficult. In addition, one thicker ply would probably be more absorbent, and therefore available for a wider range of uses.

In addition, TPTP would do wonders for the environment. Environmentalists often recommend using only one ply toilet paper, but I think we all know why that really is not very practical. Using less toilet paper would help save trees, but normal one ply toilet paper just won’t work. So I’ve come up with the compromise plan, which it so use thick ply toilet paper. One. Thicker. Ply...Perfect.

When you only have one ply, wouldn’t you prefer for that ply to be as thick as it can be?

Now I’m not a paper expert, toilet or otherwise, but I just can’t think of a reason why no has thought of this yet. Someone who could develop this and market it to environmentalists and toilet paper users everywhere would be very successful.




Does this product exist? Can you think of a reason why it shouldn’t? Leave a comment.

Something That Does Exist: Personal Biographers

As a little bit of a break from the usual purpose of this blog, I’m actually writing about something that already exists today. A big part of why I started this blog was to share the ideas I come up with, and I make sure that when I’m about to add an entry I at least do a quick Google search for the idea I am going to write about. For the first time, my search yielded something pretty similar to what I was going to write about.


A few months ago I was reading a biography about two brothers who started the first successful radio empire in the US. While reading the biography, I couldn’t help but wonder how it was that these two men had a biography written about them when so many other people have great stories that never get told. Of course, the subjects of this biography did something great that an author decided was worthy of a biography. But certainly there a lot of people who live interesting lives, lives that might not attract the attention of a biographer but would still be interesting to someone. That’s when I came up with the idea for personal, private biography writers. These biographies could be made to honor an older relative, maybe to mark a significant birthday or anniversary. Possibly the biographies could be made by the elderly themselves to preserve their own legacy.


This seemed like such a lucrative and practical idea; I couldn’t understand why no one else had tried it before. The Google search I did before writing this entry solved that for me. It turns out that such services already do exist and I simply hadn’t heard of them. I hope that since this service already exists, that I at least brought it to more people’s attention.


If this is something you might like to learn more about, here are some links:

Here is some advice for getting started.

Some websites of companies that offer this service: Timepieces, Dear Memory


Is this something you had heard of? Does it sound like a good idea? Should I continue writing about the ideas I find that do exist?

What Happened to Lelaina Pierce?

This is an idea I have loved since I first thought of it. It came up while I was discussing movies with a good friend on a road trip. We were specifically discussing one of my personal favorite movies: Reality Bites.



For those of you who don’t know anything about the movie (or who just need to be reminded), the film deals with a group of young people who have just graduated from college. They are job-seeking, relationship-building young gen-Xers. The audience gets to look into their personalities and the dynamics of their friendships. The movie stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawk, Steve Zahn, Janeane Garofalo, and Ben Stiller; it is Ben Stiller’s directorial debut.

After seeing Reality Bites so many times, I have grown pretty attached to the characters and I would like to know where they are now. Did Lelaina ever find success as a documentary filmmaker? How long did her relationship with Troy last? Did Sammy’s parents ever let him back in the house? Is Vickie still working at the Gap? Did any of them find happiness? Are any of them still friends?

I’m sure if you didn’t love this movie as much as I did, you probably have another movie where you are dying to know where the characters are now. If it helps, you can pretend like this entire entry is about that movie.

I love ‘Where Are They Now’ segments on TV, but they only address where certain actors or celebrities are now. I want a special feature on DVDs where we can see where the characters are now. Imagine how much fun it would be to get the cast together (in character) to say what they are doing now. Sometimes a sequel just isn’t an option, and we all know that sequels are often inferior to the original anyway. This idea works very well in place of a full sequel.

Has anyone seen this as a special feature before? Are there any other movies where you would like to know whatever happened to the characters? Does anyone know if Ben Stiller would go for something like this?

Chest Hair Dye

Yes, you read that headline right. Remember these are things that would make my life easier, but I have a feeling other people could use such a product.



I have had grey hair on my head since high school, starting with a few here and there and growing to some small patches. Still not a significant amount of grey hair, but it is there and observable. Because I sprouted grey head hairs at such a young age, I don’t associate that with aging or feeling/looking older. However, it wasn’t until just a year or two ago that I noticed my first grey chest hair. Since then, those grey chest hairs have multiplied. For me this was a significant moment. I think everyone observes something about themselves at some point that reminds them they are aging,* and this first noticeable grey chest hair was it for me.

For many others, this moment happens when they notice the first grey hair on their head, and they often address the issue by dyeing their tresses back to a more desirable color. So I think someone should invent chest hair dye. Basically, it would be like “Just For Men” hair dye, but designed specifically for application onto body hair.

I did a cursory Google search to see if such a product already exists and all I saw were tips on how to use traditional hair dye for body hair purposes. I can think of a few reasons why body hair and head hair should be treated differently, so I still believe there should be a separate product for it.

If you have seen or heard of such a thing let me know in the comments section. Really, if you have anything at all to contribute, go ahead and leave a comment.


*If you disagree with this, then you probably just haven’t seen it yet. Wait for it.

Long Term Travel Savings

Most of my readers may already know me as somewhat of a world traveler. For any readers who don’t know me well, I spent a year of my life studying abroad in five different countries in order to earn my Masters degree. During that time I was able to visit around 20 total countries. Basically, I spent 11 months traveling and learning. It was a great experience; I wouldn’t trade it for anything.



When I talk to family members or friends about the experience, they often tell me how exciting it sounds and that they wish they could do something like that. I almost always answer with the same response: ‘Then you should.’ I don’t actually expect people to do the exact same program that I did, nor do I think everyone should choose that path. However, I do feel strongly that anyone who really wants to travel in their lifetime, can and should do it. When I tell people this, they inevitably have some excuse for why it won’t work (I can’t take time off work, I have to spend time with my kids, etc.). While I don’t doubt that these are legitimate reasons, I do believe that with a little bit of creativity and ingenuity these excuse-makers can find a way to travel the world sometime in their lives.

This leads me to today’s “Thing That Should Exist.” There needs to be some serious planning tools that will help people who want to travel. This could take many forms. Maybe there will be counselors or case managers who will personally advise potential travelers on how to work it into their lives. Or perhaps more of a kit that will offer options and ideas. Does anyone else have any ideas for how this could work? I know there are tour groups and travel agencies that specialize in creating travel experiences for people in many different stages of life, but I also know that these cannot address the needs or interests of everyone. At the very least, there should be savings plans that are designed specifically for travel.


I have been blessed to experience many adventures and I simply want others to be similarly blessed. I don’t assume that everyone would want or should want to have the same adventures as me. I just think they should be able to live the life they want, even if they can’t do it right away because of work and family responsibilities.

Does something like this already exist? Who thinks this would be useful? Any other thoughts?

Tanning Planning

As we all know, the sun has at least two very significant effects on the human body. Actually, it probably has more than two, but for this particular Thing That Should Exist there are only two important ones. First, the sun can cause severe skin damage, including cancer. Second, the sun can cause skin to take on a more attractive hue when it lightly toasts the skin. While I know there is an increasing number of people who avoid the sun and prefer the pale shade that comes with an indoor lifestyle, there is still a sizable portion of the population who would choose to go out in the sun or to a tanning bed to achieve the perfect shade of skin.



Because people do still value that certain epidermal hue, there should be a way to achieve it safely and without the chance of becoming burnt (or worse: staying in the sun all day and never becoming tan, the result of too much SPF). Of course sunscreens and tanning oils have existed for many years, so you may be thinking this is not a very novel concept. However, people have been misusing sunscreen for as long as sunscreen has existed, either by applying the wrong amount or the wrong SPF. In addition, there has never been an exact science telling people how much to use and how long to stay in the sun.

This is where Tanning Planning will come in. It’s going to require science to determine how long someone should stay in the sun and for how many days and what SPF to apply on those days in order to achieve the perfect shade. Everyone has different skin that can handle different amounts of sun, which is where some studies will need to be done in order to figure out what different consumers need. I’m sure after enough testing, scientists can break it down to only a few categories that can be easily determined in a retail store at the time of purchase.

In my imagination, Tanning Planning will come in the form of a brand new line of sunscreens, a complete package telling the consumer when to use each product. Though that is how I imagine it, I’m sure it could take on several different forms, including some sort of insert that comes along with pre-existing sunscreens. Either way, I think this product would work because it rhymes.

If this product already exists, let me know in the comments. Believe it or not, I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

More Effective Bullshit Meter

Many people swear to the existence of something called gaydar, which I understand to be some sort of gauge of the sexuality of others. By 2010, I think we all know that the idea of such a device is pretty much bogus. That is to say that it does not exist in a tangible way that any can be practically used and sold commercially (this seems like the kind of thing SkyMall would sell exclusively). I have reservations with the idea of such a thing existing even in a non-tangible form, but when it comes right down to it, gaydar is probably something that just shouldn't exist anyway. People should be allowed to come to terms with their sexuality and allow others to do the same without some sort of gauge or meter doing it for them.

There is, however, another person-rating device that I think would be invaluable: a BS-meter. Let me explain what I mean by BS by giving a few examples. When a person talks about himself too much and his story has many inconsistencies, he is probably full of BS. When a politician promises anything, you can probably assume it’s BS. Any get rich quick scheme is very likely to be BS.

Those are just simple examples with clear-cut cases of BS. Even with those clear illustrations of BS, many people are still fooled. Many people even believe they have a well-tuned inner sense of what is BS and what is not. But all of us are fooled from time to time. We are fooled by that politician who promises something we want to believe in or by that ‘fool-proof’ scheme for abundant riches because we desperately desire the cash.

This would be the sales pitch for anyone who could develop a more effective ‘BS Meter.’ I think the SkyMall catalog could make a killing off of something like that. I think people could buy several of them. I would put one near the TV, so it could detect BS in the news media. I would have another on me at all times (maybe in the form of a key chain?) to decipher my daily interactions with people. This would dramatically improve my life.

As with any of my ideas, I welcome comments telling me if this already exists and where I can find it.

I was afraid of this

Wouldn't you just know it? I mean this is the kind of thing I really should have expected. I'm usually completely full of ideas and all I want is to just get those ideas out. So I created this blog thinking it would be a good way to let others in on my ideas. Now that I've set up the blog, it's as though the well has dried up. I haven't thought of a good "thing that should exist" in over a week.

Keep checking back folks. I'm sure it's just writer's block or stage fright or something. I will be coming up with fresh ideas again soon. Count on it.

Intro and Purpose.

Hello and welcome to my simple blog. In case you can't tell from the title alone, this is a place where I will simply create entries of ideas I have for things that do not exist, but that I think should exist. Admittedly, this blog will be somewhat self-serving since I only intend to write about things that I want, that would make my life easier. That being said, if you have any ideas for things that would help make life easier, feel free to share those ideas with me and I can expand on them.

I hope that by listing my ideas I can achieve three things:
1) Improve my writing skills.
2) Find out if any of the described items do, in fact, exist.
3) Inspire some creative person to develop(or invent, produce, etc.) one of my ideas, thereby improving my life.

Readers can help with number 2 above by commenting on my posts if something does exist. I would also appreciate comments telling me who agrees that my idea might be helpful. I guess I can accept people disagreeing with me too. Who knows, maybe it will even lead to an exciting discussion.

If you decide you want to steal one of my ideas, that's great! Please just let me know, so I can anticipate.

Now stay tuned for my first real post.