Interesting: 3 Great ideas for improving the world

1.  Biodegradable cigarette filters with flower seeds (pictured). I don't think these are an actual product, yet; but what a great idea! Millions of butts litter the road all around the country and this type  of filter would do something about it. I recently received a Whole Foods gift card housed in a biodegradable sleeve embedded with flower seeds so I know it is possible to create. "Green Butts" are in the works for 2014 as a start.

2. A Remarkably Simple Idea to End the Cycle of Abandoned Factories (The Atlantic). On a recent trip to visit my grandparents in Michigan we drove past the massive abandoned properties left by the car manufacturers in Lansing. These companies shouldn't exist if they are unable to operate responsibly. As most children are taught: part being responsible is cleaning up after yourself.

3.  Sao Paulo: The City With No Outdoor Advertisements A recent Netflix favorite "Branded", is a strangely fun movie about an advertising genius who sees the error of his ways and fights to have all advertising abolished in Moscow. After seeing the movie, I looked out my downtown Chicago window at all the Verizon billboards littering the city and wondered, "What would it look like if none of this eye pollution was allowed?" Sao Paulo did it!

Free ideas for the taking!

When I was a child, I used to keep my ideas secret so I could one day patent them and reap the wealth. Now, I'm more realistic (and perhaps lazy). Here are nine ideas I hope are in development somewhere. If anyone has seen these in use or wants to add to them, feel free to comment.

1. Electronic music with coded variables: Instead of words, lyrics would be written in computer code. Thus, the lyrics would change depending on environmental variables. Each and every time the song was played, it would be different. Not only could lyrics change, but tone, rhythm, and other characteristics. Possible variables include time (day, season, time, daylight level, month) place (city, building, country, gps coords, nearby attracts), and characteristics of listeners (number of listeners, names, other info). The music would require some type of app that reads computer or profile information to be played. People in an audience could be required to activate the app on their phone before admission.

2. Urban zip line for transportation: You take the elevator to the top of your high-rise and whooooosh! Flying over the heads of traffic and busy crowds to the nearest transit center. What better way to wake up? And talk about energy efficient.Plenty of ideas involving gravity and transportation, but someone needs to use this, at least as a gimmick for a new apartment complex. What spirited person wouldn't love this?

3. Interactive television: I already wrote about this here. Why isn't it in use, yet!? A television experience that the viewer controls from home. A viewer can switch from one live camera to another during a sporting game or reality show. Eventually, a device measuring the movements of the viewers head and eyes links to the perspective and focus of a shot being filmed in a wider angle and higher resolution (to eliminate the need for every viewer to have an individual camera at the live event). The view then zooms in or moves to give the viewer control of their experience.

4. A store that buys used lottery tickets: The chances of someone incorrectly reading lottery ticket numbers, or messing up the dates are so much higher than actually winning the lottery

Thought: Tragedy of death is based on perspective

A story in the newspaper about a 97-year-old who dies in his sleep evokes considerably less sorrow than another about a 14-year old who dies in a car accident. At first glance, the discrepancy has a simple explanation involving expectation. We expect someone to die when they are old. To be comfortable when our expectations are met is normal, but I think there is more to it. After all, we also know it's normal for people to die at all ages. For some reason despite this knowledge, we react as if we think there is someone in charge of giving everyone a certain amount of life and when this doesn't happen, a mistake has been made.