Name: RARE 1977 Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package. Idea of the Day #243 @IdeaOfTheDayCom
Uploaded: 2026-09-22T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: RARE 1977 Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package. Idea of the Day #243

RARE 1977 Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package. Idea of the Day #243

Idea of the Day 2026-09-22 | RARE 1977 Star Wars Early Bird Certificate Package. Idea of the Day #243

What is Shameware? Beware of the I know a lot more things about you than that scam!

Idea of the Day 2021-10-23 | BEWARE of SHAMEWARE! - "... I Know a lot more things about you than that."

As a tech guy, people come from me from time to time with some pretty unique questions. Shameware caught me off guard completely.

My first experience was when somebody told me they received an email asking for money or they would share nude photos of them to all their friends and family. They didn't explain why they felt somebody had those kinds of photos, so I didn't ask.

Over the next few weeks, several other people asked me similar questions and after they shared their emails with me, I saw there was a pattern. In a nutshell, the whole thing is based on a lie. The scammer doesn't actually have any photos, but what they do have is a list of passwords they downloaded from the Internet and they simply crafted an email that scares the recipient into thinking they know a lot more about them than just a password.

Here's how it works.

1. The scammer downloads a list of email addresses and passwords that were stolen from various websites.

2. The scammer sends an email to each person on the list, with the persons private password as the title.

3. When the victim sees their own password as the title of an email, so they read the email which tells them they not only know their password, but have hacked their computer and installed some sort of software that turned on their camera while they were viewing adult sites and that they intend to send photos and videos with all their friends and family unless they receive a payment within 24 hours via Bitcoin (which can't be traced).

4. Since they saw their own password in the title, they assume the scammer actually hacked their computer and did, in fact, photograph them nude while on adult sites.

What should you do?

If you get an email like this...Your first step is to DELETE IT!

Your next step is to consider changing as many passwords as you can, because although the scammer lied about having photos of you, they do actually have at least one of your passwords.

Here's an example of a typical Shameware email:

Quote:
Your password is (*****). I know a lot more thngs about you than that.

How?

I placed a malware on the porn website and guess what, you visited this web site to have fun (you know what I mean). While you were watching the video, your web browser acted as an RDP (Remote Desktop) and a keylogger, which proided me access to your display screen and webcam. Right after that, my software gathered all your contacts from your Messenger, Facebook account, and email account.

What exactly did I do?

I made a split-screen video. The first part recorded the video you were viewing (you'e got an exceptional taste haha), and the next part recorded your webcam (Yep! t's you \ doing nasty things!).

What should you do?

Well, I believe, $2000 is a fair price for our little secret. You'll make the payment via Bitcoin to the below address (if you don't know this, search "how to buy Bitcoin" in Google).
Bitcoin Address: (************)
(It is cAsE sensitive, so copy and paste it)

Important:

You have 24 hours to make the payment. (I have a unique pixel within this email message, and right now I know that you have read this email). If I don't get the payment, I will send your video to all of your contacts, including relatives, coworkers, and so forth. Nonetheless, if I do get paid, I will erase the video immediately. If you want evidence, reply with "Yes!" and I will send your video recording to your five friends. This is a non-negotiable offer, so don't waste my time and yours by replying to this email.

END QUOTE

This was featured as the October 24, 2021 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1169

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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#JoeCrescenzi
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#cybersecurity
#scamalert
#IT

Idea of the Days FIRST LIVE STREAM!

Idea of the Day 2020-03-22 | Here we go... my first ever LIVE STREAM!

To be honest, I'm just testing my new gear, so for all I know this won't even work, but if it does, this could be fun.

Baby Yoda SPEAKS! Part 1. Star Wars Fun. Mandalorian The Child Voice Over / Talking.

Idea of the Day 2020-01-26 | Today I'm just having some fun thinking about what "The Child" (Baby Yoda) on the Mandalorian might sound like.

To be honest, it's pretty hard putting together a video like this. First, nobody's ever heard him speak... so I couldn't decide exactly what kind of voice I would use. Second, I needed to figure out what he should say. Lastly, I needed to figure out the best way to actually record and edit it.

It's not easy giving a voice to such an iconic and voiceless character, so check out my other channel for an upcoming behind the scenes video as I make another attempt to give this little guy a voice.

Here's a link to my other channel:
youtube.com/user/CouponPages

This was featured as the January 28, 2020 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1162

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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#BabyYoda
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#Mandalorian
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Return Of The Ewoks. Star Wars Rise of Skywalker. Idea Of The Day #528

Idea of the Day 2019-12-08 | There's something missing from the trailer for Star Wars Episode IX, "The Rise of Skywalker"... EWOKS! That's right, Ewoks. I'm serious about this, or at least as serious as anyone can be about a fictional character that looks like a Teddy Bear can be.

Simply stated, if the some of the action in the final chapter in the Star Wars Saga takes place on Endor, where the second Death Star was destroyed, then it stands to reason that in order to re-create the planet, you can't overlook the Ewoks. That's their home planet.

This was featured as the December 7, 2019 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1161

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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#ideaoftheday #StarWars #episode9
#vlog #EpisodeIX #RiseOfSkywalker #ewoks
#iotd

Why Darth Vader is Coming Back in Star Wars Episode 9 Rise of Skywalker

Idea of the Day 2019-09-08 | This was featured as the September 9, 2019 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1160

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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#iotd #episodeIX #StartWars9 #riseofskywalker

What Happened? Idea Of The Day #526

Idea of the Day 2018-08-25 | It's been quite a while since I've posted a new video on my channel. What happened? Well, nothing in particular. I was pretty busy, and my studio was a bit disorganized. In this video I give you a tour of my new studio.

This was featured as the August 25, 2018 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1156

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Expand Reagans SDI (Star Wars Initiative). Idea of the Day #525

Idea of the Day 2017-08-24 | Back in the 80's, a lot of people opposed Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative. It's time we expand on it even further.

It's time we put politics behind us, and do whatever it takes to insure the world is safe from nuclear weapons. The best way to do that is to expand on Ronald Reagan's SDI program, and make sure that any nuclear attack on the US, or ANY country can be PREVENTED.

Many people opposed Reagan's SDI program because they felt it would EXPAND the Cold War, because it could potentially give the US a First Strike Advantage, because it could allow us to shoot down the USSR's first wave of missiles, so that we could respond with our own. While that rhetoric might've had some truth in the 80s, the reality is we still don't have this kind of technology, and we absolutely NEED it right now, because there are far more missiles in the world than ever before, and many of them are in the hands of terrorists and rogue nations like North Korea.

This was featured as the August 24, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1154

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Hey Apple... Real Rewards, Not Badges! Idea of the day #524

Idea of the Day 2017-08-22 | We Don't Need No Stinking Badges!

The Apple Watch is proof that Apple is committed to fitness. I think it's time they put their money where their mouth is.

Instead of offering cute little animation badges whenever you reach a fitness goal, why not give people something tangible... like an iTunes song? It would be a great motivation and also a great way to promote new artists and songs.

This was featured as the August 22, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1153

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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Why Dont We Use More Paper Bags? Idea of the day #523

Idea of the Day 2017-08-20 | Why are paper bags so rare?

I grew up in the 70s. Back then, just about every store used paper bags, not plastic. By the end of the decade, stores started to make the change to plastic bags, because they were considered a better alternative to cutting down trees. This never made sense to me. We moved away from an organic product made from trees, to a synthetic product that doesn't even break down in landfills. Why is that better?

While I completely understand the underlying problem that cutting down trees to make paper that will eventually be thrown out, I can't understand the solution. Instead of paper bags, why didn't we focus on building better recycling programs? I realize there weren't many paper recycling programs back in the 70s, but switching to plastic was not a better alternative.

If a lack of paper recycling programs was the root of the problem, a simple alternative would've been to encourage paper mills to plant more trees. It's not only great for the environment, it's great for them too because they eventually get to cut them down too.

This was featured as the August 21, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1152

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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Whys My Computer So Slow? Idea of the day #522

Idea of the Day 2017-08-20 | Why do computers "get slower" over time?

People come to me all the time with their technical questions, and the most popular question of all time is "Why is my computer so SLOW!?". It doesn't sound all that complicated. You own a computer. The computer USED to be fast, so why not ask what went wrong, and how you can make it fast again? Unfortunately, it's not as simple as that.

First, let me explain one simple fact. The speed of your computer chips doesn't change over time. It can still do the same number of transactions per second that it did the day you bought it. Chances are, the real problem is that computer software and web sites get bigger and more complicated every day, and your older computer is simply not powerful enough to run the latest software.

For example, if you factory reset your computer so that has the same programs you had the day you bought it, it will run your original software just as fast as it did that day. As you begin to install updates and newer programs, it will have more work to do... and use more resources and get progressively slower.

The main point is that your computer is still capable of running your older software at full speed, but if you want to run the latest software, you're computer will get slower.

That said, there are a two things you can do to speed things up as much as possible.

1. Install as much RAM as possible. Some computers ship with only 4GB of RAM, yet they may be capable of a lot more than that. You can check a site like Crucial.Com to determine the maximum amount of RAM your model can handle. If you don't have the maximum RAM installed, you should definitely consider adding RAM. It's still the cheapest bang for the buck when it comes to improving the speed of your computer. It takes less than a minute to install, and most people see changes right away.

2. Another option is to upgrade your hard drive to a solid state drive. This isn't easy, but it's still less expensive than a new PC. Solid state drives are several times faster than mechanical drives, but as I said, this is not an easy option for most people to do on their own.

If those options aren't available, try to limit yourself to older software, and remove any software you don't use.

This was featured as the August 20, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1151

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Milli Vanilli Wasnt Fake! SOMEBODY Sang the Songs! Idea of the Day #521

Idea of the Day 2017-08-19 | Do you remember Milli Vanilli?

Milli Vanilli were the hottest group of the early 90s. They had a string of top-40 hits, won all sorts of awards including Grammy Awards for best new group, and they sold tons of records. What could go wrong? Everything.

The problem was they were accused of being a "fake group", when it was revealed that they didn't sing on their own records or music videos. It was a huge scandal, and they were even stripped of their Grammy Awards.

Here's the thing. HOW can ANYONE be considered a "Fake Group?" That simply doesn't make sense. If a group makes a record, it's a group. If people like the music, they'll buy the records and play them on the radio. What's the difference WHO lip synched the songs on MTV. There was still SOMEBODY who sang the songs. They sold the records. They (should've) won the Grammy Awards. I don't see anything "fake" about it.

The moment the news broke about two actors lip synching their music, they should've simply turned the spotlight on the REAL singers in the group. They deserved all the awards. They were, the "Real Milli Vanilli", yet they never got the recognition they deserved, and that's a shame.

As far as I'm concerned, music... is music. Awards, and record sales should be based on the music alone. I could care less if they put cartoon cats on the record cover. Deep down, there had to be real people in the group, but they never got credit for it.

This was featured as the August 19, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1150

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
#ideaoftheday #millivanilli #realmillivanilli #vlog
#iotd #music @grammies #grammyawards

Nerds vs Geeks... vs Hipsters. Idea of the day #520

Idea of the Day 2017-08-18 | Can you tell the difference between a Nerd and a Geek?

I'm not a Nerd. I'm a Geek. Contrary to what a lot of people think, there's a difference. While it may be true that both Geeks and Nerds share similar interests in technology and science, they're completely different in one key area, social interests.

Nerds tend to be introverts, and are very quiet and shy, whereas Geeks are social butterflies who love to share their Geeky passions with anyone and everyone. Whereas Nerds find it hard speaking up at a party, Geeks won't think twice about running around in a Batman cape while eating in a French restaurant. That's a pretty big difference.

Geeks also tend to explore all sorts of strange passions. There are Music Geeks, Camping Geeks, Movie Geeks, Japanese Anime Geeks, and all sorts of other social activities.

While both tend to find their way into tech jobs, Geeks often find their way into more creative positions. So while it takes a Nerd to design a great computer database, it's the Geek that makes it a program people can actually use and understand.

Geeks and Nerds tend to dress alike, but don't expect a Nerd to have long hair, a beard, piercings, or a tattoo. That's the territory of the Geek... and a Hipster. From the outside, it may be hard to tell the difference between a Geek and a Hipster, but they are not interchangeable.

Hipsters are all about style. They're a bit like a Geek Poser. They love the style, but lack the science.

This was featured as the August 18, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1149

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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Why No Built-In QR Code Reader App on iPhone? Idea of the day #519

Idea of the Day 2017-08-17 | QR Codes are EVERYWHERE... so why doesn't Apple include a built-in QR Reader?

This was featured as the August 17, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1148

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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Boston Red SOX. You Call that a Name? Idea of the Day #518

Idea of the Day 2017-08-16 | Who the heck came up with a name like that?

Although the names of sports teams can be a little strange, most teams spend at least some time coming up with a good name. Florida has the Marlins, Colorado has the Rockies, Houston has the Astros, but why the heck would you name your team after a pair of sox?

Sox? Red Sox? As strange as that is, Chicago has the White Sox. It's just plain strange.

This was featured as the August 16, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1147

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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We Need Better iCloud Sharing. Idea of the day #517

Idea of the Day 2017-08-15 | We need a better way to share files with friends, family, and co-workers.

I love the way iCloud lets me share my files between all my devices. I can create a file on my iMac, and the same file automatically appears on all my other Macs, plus my iPhone, and iPad. It's like magic.

The only problem is, it's not easy sharing files with other people. You can share individual files, but there's no way to share an entire folder.

This was featured as the August 15, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1146

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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Deceptive Food Labels Suck. Idea of the day #516

Idea of the Day 2017-08-14 | Beware of deceptive food labels!

One of my pet peeves is deceptive food labels designed to trick people into thinking unhealthful foods are actually good for you. The trouble is, they're everywhere, so it can be hard to read between the lines and choose the right things to eat.

The funny thing is, just about every food with a label is somewhat unhealthful, so it's not surprising that so many labels are deceptive. If you want to avoid deceptive labelling entirely, you're best bet is to eat as much food from the fresh produce section in the supermarket. Fresh fruits and vegetables don't usually have labels, mainly because you already know what you're getting. For everything else in the store, you're going to have to learn to read between the lines to find out what's good for you.

The biggest deceptions have to do with the words "Natural" and "Organic", which is their way of telling you that there's no chemicals in the product, but the truth of the matter is there are a lot of unhealthful foods that are both natural and organic. Dog poop is natural and organic, but that doesn't mean it's good for you.

Olive Oil is a perfect example of this. You see tons of "organic", and "pure" bottles of Olive Oil in the supermarket, but only a few bottles of (EVOO) "Extra Virgin Olive Oil". While many people can't tell the difference, there's a huge difference between the two. Real EVOO is not only more healthful than bottles that simply say "Pure", "Organic", or "Natural", by real EVOO simply tastes better.

Another big deception is the use of 100% in big letters on the front of the package. Companies will use 100% as a way to draw your attention to one small feature of their product, so you don't bother looking at the rest of the ingredients. For example, a lot of foods that are loaded with sugar say "100% daily supply of vitamin C", which distracts you from noticing that sugar is the main ingredient.

The real key is looking past the front label, and focusing on the full list of ingredients. As a rule of thumb, the fewer the ingredients, the better the food. When in doubt, stick to the produce section. At least you know exactly what you're getting... without any label.

This was featured as the August 14, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1145

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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We Need Political Filters on Facebook. Idea of the day #515

Idea of the Day 2017-08-13 | I'm sick and tired of all the political posts on Facebook.

Remember when social media was... social? It seems to me that the majority of the posts I see on Facebook are about politics, and frankly, I hate politics, and I'm willing to bet I'm not the only one.

The biggest problem with all these political posts is that you have no way to turn them off, and that's the inspiration for today's Idea of the Day. What I'd love to see is an option to turn off posts that you're not interested in. Don't like politics? Why not click a button that turns it off? This would have a huge impact on my Newsfeed... bye bye politics... hello cat videos.

This was featured as the August 13, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1144

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
#ideaoftheday #vlog
#iotd #socialmedia #facebook #politics #rants

An End to Butt Dialing. Idea of the day #514

Idea of the Day 2017-08-12 | Why do so many people accidentally dial you by mistake?

Back in the days when phones had buttons instead of touch screens, people would often make the mistake of putting their phones into their pockets without locking them, and find out they "Butt Dialed" somebody by mistake. You can tell when you've received a Butt Dial when you can hear the other person, but they can't hear you, because their phones aren't even in their hands.

Now that smart phones have touch screens, you'd think that problem would've gone away, but I still get quite a few of these kinds of calls, but people still call you accidentally, simply by touching the screen as they put the phone away. That's the inspiration for today's idea of the day.

What I'd love to see is an option for chronic Butt Dialers to turn on a confirmation prompt before dialing. Basically, whenever they touch the dial button, the phone would simply ask "Are you sure?", and if they don't confirm it because they hit the button by mistake, the call wouldn't be placed.

This was featured as the August 12, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1143

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
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How to Get RID of Personal Clutter. Idea of the day #513

Idea of the Day 2017-08-11 | It's not easy getting rid of personal items.

Many people find it hard getting rid of personal items because they're afraid they'll lose the memories that are attached to them. That's why so many people have closets, garages, and attics full of personal items.

I have to admit, I'm one of those people, but I'm starting to make progress. In the past couple of years, I've thrown out hundreds of plastic tote boxes full of objects that I've been saving since my childhood, simply because they remind me of my past. The root of the problem is the fact that so many of those objects remind me of places I've been, people I've known, and thing's I've done. When you throw objects like that away, you get this feeling inside that you no longer care about the memories they represent, so you tuck them away so you can always remember them.

It's not easy shaking that feeling, but what I've found best is taking a photo of the objects before getting rid of them. Once you've got a photo of the object, it's a lot easier getting rid of the object.

This was featured as the August 11, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1142

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
#ideaoftheday #vlog #clutter #hoarding #minimalism
#iotd

Flooded With Free Music Spam Comments on YouTube. Idea of the day #512

Idea of the Day 2017-08-10 | Why are there so many spam comments about free music on YouTube?

I'm not sure why, but somehow I've been getting a ton of spam lately about royalty free music as comments on my YouTube Channel. Why is that? Am I the only one who noticed? Are other people getting them too? Just curious.

Leave a comment on my YouTube Channel... I'd love to know what you think.

This was featured as the August 10, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1141

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
#ideaoftheday #vlog
#iotd

Mediation and Deep Breathing. Idea of the day #511

Idea of the Day 2017-08-09 | Why is deep breathing so important to meditation?

One of the most interesting features of the Apple Watch is the Breathing App, which prompts you several times a day to remind you to "Breathe". Can you imagine that? A technology company taking the time and effort to make "Breathing" a central option in a major product line. Why would they do that?

When Apple introduced the Apple Watch, they didn't focus much on it's ability to tell time, or even make phone calls. They focused on its health benefits, and as far as Apple (and many doctors) are concerned, taking a few minutes each day to breathe is an important part of being healthy.

Controlled breathing has countless health benefits because it's the shortest path to controlling your mind, which, in turn, controls the rest of your body. Studies have shown that the simple act of clearing your mind and "Returning to your Breath", can significantly reduce stress levels and lower your heart rate.

If you think of your mind as a kite, breathing is the string that controls it. Once you control your breathing, you're on your way to controlling your mind and body.

This was featured as the August 9, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1140

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
#ideaoftheday #vlog
#iotd #tm #meditation #psychology

Hacking in the 21st Century. Idea of the day #510

Idea of the Day 2017-08-08 | [h2]Here's what you need to know to protect yourself from today's hackers.[/h2]
When most people think of "Hacking", they envision a genius programmer hammering away at the keyboard in a attempt to break into your computer. The truth is, most hackers aren't like that at all. In fact, many hackers today aren't even computer savvy. They're just good at tricking people into giving away their passwords and other personal information.

That's because today's hackers know that it's much easier to trick somebody into GIVING them their password than it is to try to hack it. All it takes is a few cut and paste skills to put together realistic looking emails and web sites that fool people into thinking they're the real thing. Then it becomes a numbers game. If they send a realistic looking email to a thousand people, chances are they'll get quite a few of them to think it's real enough to enter their actual password and other personal information,

In fact, this is exactly what happened to Hilary Clinton in the 2016 campaign, which was bogged down over email scandals that were the direct result of a staff member who was tricked into giving his actual password to somebody who sent him a fake email requesting him to change his password. That's all it takes. There's no high tech programming or hacking involved. They simply sent a realistic looking email asking somebody to enter their password, and they fell for it.

Unfortunately, that's just one of many techniques hackers use today, including quite a few that have nothing to do with using a computer. Many hackers bypass their computers entirely, and simply call people directly, claiming to be from Microsoft, Google, McAfee, or a number of other companies. The approach is pretty much the same, trick people into thinking they're somebody they can trust, then ask them for their passwords and other personal information.

The bottom line is this. You need to be prepared before you get into trouble. NEVER give your personal information to ANYONE who contacts you directly, whether it be though emails, phone calls, or even in person.

If a company contacts you via email, assume it's a fake, and don't click any of the links in the email itself. If they contact you by phone, simply hang up.

If you think the communication was real, take a few extra minutes to try to contact the company on your own, NOT from the phone number or links they used. If it's a bank or credit card company, use the number on the back of the card. If it's from an email, locate the website on your own.

When in doubt, do nothing. Don't call back, and don't follow any links.

This was featured as the August 8, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1139

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

http://www.ideaoftheday.com
#ideaoftheday #vlog
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Sometimes Procrastination is Good. Idea of the day #509

Idea of the Day 2017-08-07 | [h2]Believe it or not, sometimes it's best to procrastinate.[/h2]
Although procrastination is the root of many productivity problems, sometimes it can actually be a great strategy, especially if you need to get a bunch of complex tasks done over a long period of time.

For example, let's say you need to get 25 complex tasks done in 25 days. While some people will try to get as many of the tasks done on the first day, and other people might wait until the last day, the best approach is to do one task each day for each of the 25 days.

The reason this approach works best is that it lets your mind fully digest each task and recover before taking on the next task. Using this approach, you start each day with the cumulative confidence gained from completing each of the tasks you've tackled so far. By contrast, if you try to do too many tasks at once, you aren't giving yourself time to fully recover and process what you've learned.

To put this into perspective, think of working out in the gym. It's better to work out 25 days in a row than it is to jam 25 days worth of exercises into one day. Each day at rest allows your body to rest and recover before starting the next workout.

The same is true of the way your mind "works out". By completing one task each day, you give your mind a chance to fully absorb and recover before taking on the next task. The result is you not only gain the confidence of knowing you've completed 25 tasks, but that your mind has handled these tasks over time, which makes your learning even more powerful. By the 25th day, these new skills will be like a habit engraved into your mind in a way that doing them all at once can never do.

This was featured as the August 7, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1138

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Lets Put SOCIAL back in Social Media! Idea of the day #508

Idea of the Day 2017-08-06 | What the heck happened to Social Media?

It's becoming uncomfortable using social media these days because it seems to me that all you see lately is politics, and it's getting nasty. Why is that? Social media started out simple enough. You shared pictures and funny stories about your weekend with all your friends, family, and co-workers, and everyone had a great time.

Somehow things change about 10 years ago, when Barack Obama realized how he could tap into social media to organize his supporters. Ever since then it seems that just about every post you see has some political agenda, and it shows no sign of slowing down.

Before social media, I had no idea what some of my closest friends and family felt about political issues, and frankly, I liked it that way. For what it's worth, I wish things went back to the way it was before politics entered social media.

This was featured as the August 6, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1137

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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I HATE Bathroom Sounds... Idea of the day #507

Idea of the Day 2017-08-05 | The acoustics in public bathrooms stinks!

One of the problems with bathrooms is they're loaded with hard surfaces that have a tendency to echo and amplify the kinds of sounds that nobody wants to hear in the first place.

Let's face it, none of us likes public restrooms, and I've already posted more than a few rants about how they can be improved. Today I'm going to tackle another 800 pound gorilla... the SOUNDs you hear in public restrooms, and what I think should be done about it.

At the root of the problem is the complete lack of soft surfaces and background noise, making just about any sound uncomfortably loud. It wouldn't be so bad, but the few sounds you hear aren't exactly pleasant. The sound of silence is deafening, which is probably why you hear so many people clearing their voices to break the silence, just before... other sounds can be heard.

What bathrooms need are some additional background sounds to mask the unpleasant sounds the body tends to make when it gets down to business. It doesn't take much. They can add nature sounds, running water, or simply play some music. ANYTHING.

This was featured as the August 5, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1136

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Pick on THIS! Idea of the day #506

Idea of the Day 2017-08-04 | Admit it. You pick your nose. Everybody picks their nose.

Do you remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry's girlfriend left him because she saw him scratching his in his car, but she thought he was picking his nose? What's the big deal? Doesn't EVERYONE pick their nose from time to time?

We all have noses, and from time to time we get things stuck in our nose that simply won't come out when we blow our noses. When that happens, what are we supposed to do? It's not like we have a thousand ways to get rid of snot. When boogers won't come out when we blow our nose, there's only one strategy that's proven to work... picking your nose.

Why should there be a stigma for this basic nose cleaning activity. After all, we pick our children's noses when they're stuffed up, so why can't we pick our own? Let's get rid of the stigma and simply admit it... we ALL pick our noses!

This was featured as the August 4, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1135

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Why Is There No Calculator App On The iPad? Idea of the day #505

Idea of the Day 2017-08-03 | Apparently, Apple does't think people with iPads need to do math.

Apple does a great job of integrating all their devices into one friendly ecosystem. Just about anything you can do on your iPhone, you can do on your Mac or your iPad. However, for some reason Apple still doesn't have a Calculator App on the iPad. Why is that?

This has bugged me for almost 10 years. Although there are a number of free or paid Calculator Apps in the App store, there's no reason for Apple to leave it out. The Calculator App is one of the few things that Apple has included in every platform since the original Macintosh in 1984, yet here it is nearly 10 years after the introduction of the iPad, and they still don't have a Calculator App.

This was featured as the August 3, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1134

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Yard Sales, In Somebody Elses Yard! Idea of the day #504

Idea of the Day 2017-08-02 | The quickest way to get rid of stuff is a yard or garage sale. Unfortunately, a lot of people can't do that.

I love getting rid of stuff, but I've never been able to hold a yard sale, because there aren't many people passing my house on any given day. Meanwhile, houses on the block perpendicular to mine have incredible success whenever they hold a sale because that block gets a ton of traffic.

That's because the success or failure of a good garage or yard sale is based on 3 major factors: location, location, and location. First, you need a yard or garage. Second, your yard or garage need to have enough space for your things and for people to park their car. Third, you've got to have a location that gets a decent amount of traffic, or nobody will see your stuff. That's the inspiration behind today's idea.

While my house meets the first two location criteria (I have a yard, and there's plenty of space for my stuff and for people to park), I don't meet the third location criteria, I don't get enough traffic.

This got me thinking. Wouldn't it be great if somebody was willing to let me rent their yard... for my yard sale? Why not? If you happen to have a great yard, in a great location, you can make a few extra dollars every weekend?

This was featured as the August 2, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1133

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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God Bless America, as Our National Anthem? Idea of the day #503

Idea of the Day 2017-08-01 | God Bless America should be our National Anthem.

Whenever I hear The Star Spangled Banner, I can't help but compare it to God Bless America. They're both great songs, but as far as I'm concerned, God Bless America is simply... better.

God Bless America beats The Star Spangled Banner in every way possible. The words are are beautiful and easier to understand. Let's face it.
When people in other countries hear words like "bombs bursting in air", you know at least some of them will see that as aggression, especially since we're a military super power. They don't know the context of those words, and frankly, they confuse some American too.

Meanwhile, every word of God Bless America is simply beautiful and inspiring. Simply stated. It's a great song and it's a shame it isn't our National Anthem. Thankfully a lot of baseball stadiums play the Kate Smith or Ray Charles versions during the 7th Inning Stretch. It's a start.

This was featured as the August 1, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1132

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Why Is Math Easier For Chinese Kids? Idea of the day #502

Idea of the Day 2017-07-31 | There's a reason why Chinese children learn math faster than Americans... it's all in the VOCABULARY!

When you see the number 15... what do you say? If you're an adult, you say "Fifteen", however a child will say "One Five", and that's where the problem starts.

Teaching written numbers to children starts off pretty easy:

1... One, 2... Two, 3... Three, 4... Four, 5... Five, 6... Six, 7... Seven, 8... Eight, 9... Nine.

Kids grasp that pretty easily, but that's where things start to get tricky, because as soon as you get to "Ten", things get pretty tricky. To a child 10 looks like "One Zero", 11 looks like "One One", 12 looks like "One Two"... etc. Our English math vocabulary keep changing through the teens, and they also need words for twenties, thirties, and everything up to the nineties.

Instead of focusing on the digits that were their basic building blocks, we've got to introduce them to a whole new vocabulary for every number combination going all the way to 100. It's not like that for Chinese children. Their math vocabulary is easier to learn and understand.

Chinese math starts off simple. They have digits, just like we do, but they don't have all that extra vocabulary for numbers over 10. The number 15 is read as "One Ten Five", 37 is read as "three ten seven".

The result is that children grasp the meaning of numbers faster. Adding 42 and 27 is easier for a Chinese child than an American because they read it as "four ten two + two ten 7". They don't see this as adding two large numbers, but rather as adding the number of tens plus the number of ones.

Thankfully, English math gets easier after 100, which reads just like Chinese numbers under 100. "105 = One hundred five", "407 = Four Hundred Seven". Unfortunately, you still end up with a mixture of hundreds with number under 100.

This was featured as the July 31, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1131

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

Here's another video that explains it better than I do: youtube.com/watch?v=n7jHT7Tumcw

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Lessons From The Marshmallow Test. Idea of the day #501

Idea of the Day 2017-07-26 | Why teaching your children patience is more important than any other skill.

In the 1960s, a Psychologist named Walter Mischel created a test to see how children practice self control. The premise was pretty simple. He took a group of children and and placed them alone in a room with a single marshmallow and instructions that they could eat the marshmallow any time they wanted, but if they were waited 15 minutes, they could eat two. Then hit turned on the cameras and recorded their reactions.

The study was designed to see the kinds of techniques children would use to resist their desire to eat the marshmallow. Although they knew they would get a second marshmallow if they waited the entire 15 minutes, many of the children couldn't resist and ate the marshmallow before the test was over.

Those who succeeded in waiting used a variety of techniques to distract themselves, such as turning their heads, pushing the marshmallow to the end of the table, singing songs, and avoiding the table entirely. The results were published and mostly forgotten outside of psychological circles.

Over 25 years later, the psychologists decided to reach out to the original participants to see how they were doing and the results were nothing short of amazing.

The majority of the people who resisted the marshmallow, and waited the entire 15 minutes earned, on average, more than twice as much as those who ate the marshmallow. In fact, the group that resisted the marshmallows were more successful on just about every measurable scale. They were more educated, owned more expensive cars, and even had better relationships. Those who ate the marshmallows had poor relationships, poor jobs, poor education, and even poor health.

The Marshmallow Test proved to be much more than a simple study in self-control. It gives us incredible insight as to one of the key skills you can teach children, PATIENCE. Based on the test, it seems to me that teaching patience is far more important than just about any other skill.

This was featured as the July 26, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1130

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Dont Let Your Dreams... Remain Dreams. Idea of the day #500

Idea of the Day 2017-07-25 | Dreams are great, but only if you make them a reality.

Dreaming is part of what makes us all human. Some of us dream of love, fame, and fortune, while others simply want to see the world. Whatever your dreams are, the most important thing you can do with your dreams is find a way to make them come true.

Dreaming is a wonderful thing, but if you don't do anything about turning them into a reality, they will forever remain nothing more, than a dream, and that's a shame. You can spend a lifetime dreaming but without getting out of your comfort zone, your dreams will change from fantasies of what you hope to do one day, to something you will regret missing out on.

Don't let your dreams remain dreams. If you want something, find a way to make it happen, but you've got to make the first move. Do it. Now.

This was featured as the July 25, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1129

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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The Future of Mattress Shopping... at Hotels. Idea of the day #499

Idea of the Day 2017-07-24 | Baby, Baby, let me sleep on it. I'll give you an answer in the morning.

Buying a mattress is a real pain in the neck. You walk into a big store full of mattresses and somehow come to a decision based on just a few minutes of laying on each of the beds. That's not easy, especially since you're going to be stuck with your decision for a very long time.

It's a bit like a taste test, where you're given a quick sip from a few different drinks. You like the taste at first, but when you get a larger portion, your tastes may change. That's exactly what can happen with testing a mattress for a minute or two in the store. You order the mattress you like best in the store, but when you finally sleep on it at home you realize it's a bit too hard or soft. Now, you've got to either send it back, or live with an uncomfortable mattress for years.

That's the inspiration for today's idea, Mattress Hotels, where you can spend the night on a mattress and make your decision in the morning. To me, this is the best possible way to buy a mattress. If I were a mattress company, I'd make sure every hotel puts up a small sign beside each bed so that guests know exactly what mattress model they were sleeping on, so they can order one right there in the hotel at the end of their stay.

This was featured as the July 24, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1128

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Star Wars Stormtrooper Armour is Still Useless. Idea of the day #498

Idea of the Day 2017-07-23 | About a year ago I did a video about how useless Stormtrooper Armour is. After seeing Rogue One, it's even worse.

When I posted my previous video Stormtroopers armour, I got a lot of comments from people who actually defended the armour as being something that was actually pretty useful. Naturally, I disagreed. My argument was that the armour clearly is no defense against blasters and other weapons in the Star Wars Universe.

Most of the comments centered on the fact that nothing can defend a person from a blaster shot, but the armour was a good overall protection from all sorts of physical contact. While that seems like a bit of a stretch, I can understand it, even though you never see any scenes where a Stormtrooper avoided injury because of their armour.

Things changed when Rogue One came out. There's a scene in Rogue One where Chirrut, the blind Force using Monk takes on nearly a dozen Stormtroopers armed only with a wooden stick. He uses the stick to knock most of the out cold. Knocked them out... WITH A WOODEN STICK?

Regardless of what some people wrote in the comments, there's no doubt about it, Stormtrooper Armour is USELESS.

This was featured as the July 23, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1127

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Pondering Noahs ARK! Idea of the day #497

Idea of the Day 2017-07-22 | Did Noah build the FIRST BOAT EVER?

First of all, let me say that I'm not an atheist. I have a very strong Christian faith, but there's a few things in The Bible that can really make you go Hmmm, such as the story of Noah's Ark, as it's written in the Book of Genesis.

Once you get beyond the debate of whether Noah actually built an Ark large enough for at least two of every single animal on the plant, there's an even bigger issue that comes to mind, that you never hear anyone talk about, until now... Did Noah INVENT boating?

I'm serious about this. Did Noah INVENT the idea of building a boat? After all, there is no mention of anyone else being saved from the rains by using a boat, so it implies that Noah and his family were the only people on the face of the Earth who had a boat. If other people had boats, wouldn't they be saved from the flood too? Who knows? Maybe some of them had unicorns, but they ate them before the waters went back to normal.

This was featured as the July 22, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1126

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Enough With The Photo Tagging! Idea of the day #496

Idea of the Day 2017-07-21 | Think before you tag!

Social media is a wonderful thing. Where else can you share photos of the macaroni and cheese you just made with all your friends, family, and coworkers? Before Facebook came along, sharing photos meant that you had two copies made of each print, so you can give away the extra copy.

Since then, we can not only share every photo with hundreds of our friends and family at once, we can even share them with strangers who happen to be the friends and family of the people we tag in photos. That's where things start to get weird.

The trouble with tagging photos is that a lot of people don't realize that when you tag the people in your photos, you are essentially adding your photo to the Timelines of every person you tag. This means all their friends and family will see YOUR photos too, even if your friend doesn't particularly want them to see them.

Although Facebook has ways for you to block people from posting on your Timeline, many people have no idea how to do it and they end up with all sorts of photos appearing in their Timeline that they would rather remain private.

You to a party at the beach, have a few drinks, and have a great time. Simple enough. But what happens when one of the people takes photos of you completely drunk, and you look like a mess... and they post them on Facebook... and they tag you in every one of them? What will the people at work think about them? Some of them have never seen you without a suit and tie, and now you've got your ass hanging out as you vomit into a paper bag. Wonderful.

For some people it doesn't even have to be that extreme. Maybe they just don't like the way their hair looks, or the outfit they're wearing, or they simply weren't in a good mood and didn't like the look on their face.

The bottom line is they may not be as enthusiastic about sharing your photos are you were. The simplest solution is to simply ask before tagging. When in doubt... just post them on your own, without tagging.

This was featured as the July 21, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1125

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Americas Got Talent Million Dollar Prize... Over 40 Years? Idea of the day #495

Idea of the Day 2017-07-20 | Did you know that grand prize on America's Got Talent is spread out over 40 years?

The winner of last year's million dollar prize on America's Got Talent was 13 years old, which is a pretty good thing, because at least she'll get a chance to spend it while she's relatively young. That's because the prize is spread out over 40 years, which works out to be about $25,000 per year. So the 13 year old winner will be 53 by the time she's received her last payment.

That's just plain bizarre, especially when you consider all the hype around the prize itself, and the seemingly unlimited budget they spend on just about everything else on the show. I wouldn't be surprised of somebody like Howard Stern was paid a million an episode, meanwhile the winner walks away with $25,000 per year.

The real prize on the show is the name recognition it brings the contestants. Win or lose, they can say they were finalists on AGT, and that will open doors, so why do they spend so much time hyping the prize? If you ask me, they shouldn't even mention the prize on the show, unless they plan on paying it all at once.

This was featured as the July 20, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1122

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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You Call THAT Cheese? Idea of the day #494

Idea of the Day 2017-07-19 | There's a big difference between American Slices, American Singles... and REAL American CHEESE.

If you go to the dairy department of just about every supermarket, you'll find bunch of products that say everything from "American Slices", "American Singles", to completely made up names like "Velveeta", but when you read the label, the one thing they're not allowed to call them is "American Cheese". That's because, they're NOT American Cheese.

They're made from milk, just like the real thing, but they're processed and have a completely different taste and texture.

The interesting thing about most of these processed cheeses is that although you often find them in the refrigerated section of the supermarket, most of them don't require refrigeration. They do that to give you the impression that they're fresh, which is the same reason you'll find soy and almond milk in the refrigerator.

I'm not debating whether they're healthful or not, but simply pointing out that they're NOT American Cheese and if you go to the deli counter and order REAL American Cheese, there's simply no comparison. REAL American Cheese simply tastes better.

This was featured as the July 19, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1123

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Missing Features in Apple Photos For iOS. Idea of the day #493

Idea of the Day 2017-07-18 | I love the photos App, but it's missing a few critical features.

My photo library is pretty big, with about 23,000 photos and videos, it's getting harder and harder to find a photo when you're looking for it. Thankfully Apple's Photos App has features to automatically categorize photos using their cloud based photo recognition software, which basically lets you search for faces and common objects, but it falls short when it comes to personal details.

For example, you can search for Cat, and it will find every picture featuring a cat. That's pretty slick, but what if I'm looking for something like a Grateful Dead T-Shirt, my graduation photo, or pictures of my old office? To find things like that, they way to enter titles, descriptions and keywords, which is only possible when you use the Photos App on the Mac. While this is a great option for people like me, there are millions of people who don't have one, and there's no way to enter them from your iPhone or iPad.

The ability to enter titles, keywords, and descriptions is particularly important because of the trend to replace traditional computers with mobile devices and tablets. As more people give up their desktops, they need to make sure that iOS devices have the same capabilities as a desktop or laptop.

This was featured as the July 18, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1122

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Honest Talk Show Product Placement. Idea of the day #492

Idea of the Day 2017-07-17 | It's hard to take news shows seriously, when the hosts shamelessly promote handbags.

There's a fine line between news, information, and commercial endorsements, and morning talk shows cross it every single day. How are we supposed to take hosts like Matt Lauer seriously when he just spent 7 minutes talking about makeup and handbag "Steals and Deals"?

Look, I realize TV is a business, and they need to make money, but I don't think a news and information show should be endorsing products without fully disclosing that they're being paid to make the endorsement. Current FCC regulations require them to make some sort of disclosure, but most people never see them because they zoom by in the credits at the end.

I think the FCC should require them to either make an announcement just before or after the segment, or put some sort of message on the screen as they air it. This is similar to what magazines and newspapers are required to do when an advertisement resembles their regular content.

This was featured as the July 17, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1121

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Safer Pedestrian Technology. Idea of the day #491

Idea of the Day 2017-07-16 | Pedestrians need better technology to avoid accidents at intersections.

Cars today are loaded with all sorts of technology to avoid accidents, but pedestrians technology hasn't changed in decades. Isn't it time somebody put some effort into finding new ways to cut down on the number of pedestrian accidents too?

The problem is many drivers speed up when the traffic light is about to change, often catching pedestrians by surprise, giving them no time to get out of the way. What we need is a warning system for both the driver and pedestrian, based on radar, sonar or laser sensors. When sensors detect a car zooming down the block in the direction of a pedestrian, both the pedestrian and the car should have some sort of visible and audible warning that there's a potential collision, so that the driver and the pedestrian can take steps to avoid it.

This was featured as the July 16, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1120

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Better Liquid Waste Management. Idea of the day #490

Idea of the Day 2017-07-15 | Throwing liquid waste into garbage cans doesn't make sense.

When I was in elementary school, we had a simple routine in our lunchroom for getting rid of our trash. First, we scrapped out our trays into the garbage, next we poured out any remaining milk into a bucket, before throwing out the container. It made sense. Why pour gallons of milk into a plastic bag?

Meanwhile, that's exactly what we do when we throw out our remaining drink at fast food restaurants. Doesn't it make sense that they offer some sort of drain where you can pour out the leftover soft drinks?

My main complaint is that all those liquids eventually leak out of the bags and lead to a smelly mess around the garbage container, not to mention from leaking garbage trucks that leave a trail of goop all around town.

This was featured as the July 15, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1119

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Who Still Buys Margarine? Idea of the day #489

Idea of the Day 2017-07-14 | Butter vs Margarine? I'm sticking with butter.

When I see margarine in the supermarket, I scratch my head and wonder... who still buys margarine? To me, there's no comparison. Butter's been around for thousands of years and it has just one or two simple ingredients, cows milk and salt.

Margarine is mystery oil, turned into a thick goop by scientists using a heat and all sorts of ingredients, which often turn it into an unhealthful mess that still can't compare with the taste of butter. It was created in a lab as a "Healthful Alternative" to butter, but many of them, especially stick margarine still contain trans fats.

While there are newer blends that have fewer trans fats by mixing them with butter, pure margarine is still mystery goop to me.

There are people who debate both sides of the health argument. For every study that claims margarine is better for your health, there's an equal number who claim butter is safer. The bottom line is this... while the doctors debate the health benefits of each, there's no debate about the taste. Butter tastes better.

This was featured as the July 14, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1118

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Whos Responsible For Overpriced Defense Spending? Idea of the day #488

Idea of the Day 2017-07-13 | In defense of defense spending, it's not always the contractor's fault.

One of the biggest misconceptions about "overpriced" military spending is that contractor intentionally inflates prices of everyday items. While that may happen from time to time, most of the blame is on the government representatives that put together the original bids.

The essence of the problem is that when a contract calls for items with very specific details, this adds several major expenses.

First, the contractor needs to spend a certain amount of time doing research to determine if the item already exists, or if it needs to manufacture it. Even if they find that it's an off-the-shelf item, they still needed to pay people to do the research and acquire the items.

Assuming they need to manufacture it, they have to work out the expenses needed to design, manufacture, test, and deliver it.

Once they put together all those expenses, they need to divide the total by the total number of units being ordered. Unlike a mass produced item, if they only need a small number of items, the net cost could be extremely expensive. When you manufacture 10,000 widgets, the costs to research, design, manufacture, and deliver the items are divided by 10,000, but when the contract only calls for 100 or less, the cost of even everyday items can be astronomical.

The only way around this is to try to eliminate as many custom items as possible, and whenever an off-the-shelf item can be used in a bid, they need to make it as easy as possible for the contractor to find it without spending time researching and testing it to see if it meets the requirements.

This was featured as the July 13, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1117

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Reality TV Shouldnt Feature Illegal Activity. Idea of the day #487

Idea of the Day 2017-07-12 | Reality TV needs a reality check.

I recently saw a "Reality TV" show that follows the ins and outs of a bunch of back woods Moonshiners. I don't know much about the show, but it seemed to me that entire premise of the show was that these guys were running an illegal still in the middle of the woods so that they could avoid being caught by the police. Even if they "faked" the whole thing, isn't it still wrong?

No matter how you slice it, the whole thing is wrong. If they weren't actually making illegal Moonshine, it was fake and they were deceiving the audience. If it was real, everyone involved, including the cast and their entire crew were breaking the law. Either way, they were glorifying criminal activity.

While I don't watch much TV, I stumbled on several other shows that are supposedly based on criminal activity. To me, this is just plain wrong. It makes me wonder if the camera crew, the producers, and even the network can be found guilty of participating in the crimes they document in the shows.

This was featured as the July 12, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1116

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Ideas for Better Car Batteries. Idea of the day #486

Idea of the Day 2017-07-11 | Car batteries need to move into the 21st century.

We have seen major changes to just about every part of today's cars. One thing that hasn't changed, is the battery. They still have the same outdated metal terminals, and they're harder than ever to jump-start when you get stuck. Isn't it time we see some change?

It's hard enough jump starting your battery when they're jammed into hard to reach areas, but to make matters worse, they still have outdated terminals, which is nearly impossible to secure your jumper cables. If car makers are going to place the battery in a hard to reach area, they should at least give you a dedicated place somewhere else to attach your terminals.

Even if they don't do that, I'd love to see an improvement to the clamp itself. Why not create a simple connection point on the top of the clamp specifically for jumper cables?

Lastly, I wish we could do away with clamp based jumper cables entirely. When it's dark out, some people can't tell the red cable from the black cable, so why not create a standardized plug that eliminates the ambiguity of the cables? All they need to do is create a cable and socket that has a unique connector that makes it impossible to mix up the polarity.

This was featured as the July 11, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1115

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Local Attached, External Cloud Backup. Idea of the day #485

Idea of the Day 2017-07-10 | I love cloud backup, but it's slow and takes up too many resources.

There are countless advantages to using a cloud backup service, however, speed isn't one of them. Cloud backups are notoriously slow, in some cases taking weeks or even months to make the initial backup. Conversely, local backups take only a matter of minutes. Here's an idea for an invention that gives you the advantages of both.

My idea is a to combine the two into a single, external drive. When the drive is connected, you can use it like any other hard drive, as either primary storage, or as a backup. In either case, the drive would be blazing fast.

Unlike a traditional external drive, this drive would also have a WiFi or Ethernet LAN port, so it can be connected to the Internet and handle your cloud backups independently from the computer itself. So, you get nearly instant access to all your files, and your external drive transfers the files to the cloud in the background, without using ANY computer resources, even when it's disconnected. In fact, when it's disconnected from the computer, it can devote all it's own resources to transferring your files to the cloud.

I've seen a few high end NAS boxes out there that let you install cloud services like DropBox, but these devices are connected via slower network connections. What we need is one that uses a high speed direct connection like USB 3, or Thunderbolt to make the local connection. This would clearly give you the best of both worlds.

This was featured as the July 10, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1114

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Dash-Cam With a Tattle Tale Button! Idea of the day #484

Idea of the Day 2017-07-09 | Wouldn't it be great if you could hit a button on your dash-cam whenever you see somebody doing something unsafe?

There are a lot of unsafe drivers out there. Whenever I see somebody doing something unsafe, the first thing that comes to my mind is hoping a police officer saw it too. That's where today's idea of the day comes from.

I'd love to see a dash cam that could automatically send the last minute of footage to the police, so they'll have evidence of unsafe drivers. All you'd have to do is hit the button within a minute or so of the incident. Ideally, if the system was anonymous, everyone would be willing to use it whenever you see something wrong. Think of it as a roaming Big Brother. If enough people have this system, there would be a lot fewer people driving like maniacs.

This was featured as the July 9, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1113

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DRIVING with Bumper Guards is... STUPID! Idea of the day #483

Idea of the Day 2017-07-08 | Why are so many people DRIVING with Bumper Guards?

So let me get this straight. People buy these ugly looking things to put on their bumpers so that other cars won't scratch them. Meanwhile, the bumper guards are 1000 times uglier than the scratches they were designed to prevent. Brilliant. Meanwhile, I see DRIVING with them every day throughout New York City and it makes me scratch my head and wonder how the heck they became so popular.... and WHY don't they TAKE THEM OFF them when they drive?

It reminds me of the days when people put plastic on their couches to keep them from looking dirty.

As a New Yorker, I can totally understand the concept behind the idea itself. You get back to your car and notice a brand new scratch almost every day, so the idea of protecting it makes sense. What doesn't make sense is that people don't just put them on when they park their cars, they leave them on 24/7, so you see them flapping away as they DRIVE through traffic. Don't they understand you're supposed to remove them when you drive?

If you're going to leave them on all the time, you're defeating the purpose. Instead of a few scratches that you can only see at close range, you've effectively made your bumper look ugly as hell, full time.. AND You're probably creating more scratches as they flap around when you drive.

This was featured as the July 8, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1112

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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Same Price FedEx Weekend Delivery. Idea of the day #482

Idea of the Day 2017-07-07 | FedEx is behind the times.

When I think of FedEx, the first thing that comes to mind is overnight letters, which were the mainstay of their early years. Now that there are so many other ways to send documents digitally, you would think FedEx would focus on the competitive home package delivery business, which they are seriously at risk of losing to the US Postal Service, and in the very near future, to Amazon.

One of the best things about Amazon is Amazon Prime, their 2-day delivery service. To make the service even better they even negotiated a deal with the US Postal Service to include 7 day deliveries, which was unheard of until recently. Weekend delivery is so important to Amazon that they're even creating their own fleet of trucks to manage the deliveries. Clearly, weekend delivery is here to stay, but somehow FedEx doesn't realize what they've missing out on.

Meanwhile, FedEx is stuck with their antiquated delivery schedule, which only provides overnight deliveries 4 nights a week. That leaves the other 3 nights for the competition. When you think about it, what good is being an overnight service, when you don't offer overnight deliveries 40% of the week?

This was featured as the July 7, 2017 Idea Of The Day.
http://www.ideaoftheday.com/Blog/article.aspx?p=1111

I post a new idea each day on my Idea of the Day Blog. Some don't suck.

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