Web Resources to Help You Think Out of the Box

If you want to think out of the box, you have to get out of the box.

Too often, we are trapped in our own ‘echo chamber’ of sorts during brainstorming sessions, and fresh ideas are a scarcity. Why not tap into fresh ideas from the community at large?

Here are a few web resources that will help you think out of the box, with a token idea example from each site.

Idea a Day

Address For Life

“Introduce ‘ address for life’ code numbers to everyone in the country. People could register their current address with the post office such that letters addressed with the code number will be forwarded from the sorting office. In addition to offering everyone PO BOX style privacy, the system would come into its own when people move house and need only to notify the post office of their new address.” via an Idea a Day

Half-Bakery

Panic ATM PIN

“In addition to the regular PIN number, each bank card would have a second PIN number that would indicate the user was in some sort of distress (such as being forced to withdraw money at gunpoint). Use of this alternate PIN would summon the police and perhaps put the ATM’s camera in a higher resolution and/or frame rate mode.

The panic PIN would otherwise function just like the regular PIN in that money could be gotten from the machine, so that the hostile party would not be able to tell that authorities had been called. Perhaps the ATM could distribute marked bills as well.

I think that the general knowledge that any coerced PIN or transaction could actually be used to summon the police would dramatically lower the incidence of crimes against ATM users.” - via HalfBakery

Why-Not? Idea Exchange

A Better Brake Light

“While current center brake lights were an improvement over the old left and right brake light system, most standard brake light systems suffer the same weakness… they do not indicate the level of deceleration.

I would propose that car companies should develop a center brake light which behaves similarly to a “level meter”. This level meter would probably have about 10 distinct squares of red light. These squares would be illuminated from left to right and more lights would be lit based on the strength of braking and/or deceleration levels.

For emergency braking, a small strobe would be activated to warn drivers behind that emergency braking is taking place ahead of them. This could minimize the possibilities for pile ups and rear end collisions.” -via WhyNot?

Other community idea sites include Global: Ideas Bank and Yet2.com.

Some of the resources above may have some crazy ideas, but they often make good points, and if refined properly, can become a very successful idea. In any case, they make a heck of an interesting read.

All of the sites above encourage participation from the everyone, where you don’t need a business plan, or an implementation strategy - You just need the willingness to read, comment, or submit an idea.

Who knows? If you’re a serial entrepreneur, you might just stumble upon the next big idea here…

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