There are compartments for smokers and non-smokers, there are even women's compartments. Now, why aren't there any compartments for kids? A lot of people (like myself) enjoy a peaceful train ride. They can do some work, read a book, or simply take a nap. However, all of this is suddenly over if a small child enters the place. I've experienced unbelievable scenes in the last years, including hours of hysterical screaming and provocative stomping around. One time I've even had a used...

I had this idea at a halloween party, but there might also be other, more serious applications. What if you could poke out your tongue at someone and display a certain design/words, and the next time your tongue comes out of your mouth, there's something completely different written on it? In theory, there are many (more or less convenient) options to achieve this, like putting a (mini)printer into your mouth, or hiding a tiny projector in your nose to project the image on your tongue...

Ok, now I know that there are various products out there that are supposed to do the job. There are softer rolls for hardwood floors that supposedly don't make any scratches, and there are even stumps that you can use instead of rolls (stick some felt underneath for protection). But if you've used those, you will notice that they are actually only joke articles - the floor will still suffer, and even more if you trust the manufacturer's promise and aren't as careful as you really should. ...

Although I'm a true fan of recycling, I hate glass containers. There's one in my back yard, and every time someone throws in a bottle, I can hear it in my entire flat. Even worse, there's a bar on the same block where I live, and every morning they dump last night's bottles into the container, I simply fall out of bed. I've spoken to the local trash authorities about this problem, but they say they have experimented with silent glass containers in the past, and that it can't be done. I...

You might have heard of the fact that "beaming" (like in "Star Trek") has been discovered for very small particles? Well, the logical application would be to invent a vacuum cleaner using this feature. You could have a tiny divice (without dragging behind you the huge machine that always gets stuck somewhere between your furniture), and in doesn't matter if the technology isn't perfect yet or still involves some risks (just as in "The Fly"), because if the molecules of the dirt you are...

There are several solutions for people who want to conveniently use a laptop while lying on their back (most of them are bulky, but at least they exist). What doesn't seem to exist is a solution for working on your laptop when you lie on your stomach. When you are seriously working/typing, it can be quite a challenge. After a short while, your arms fall asleep, and your back hurts as your spine is bent to an unnatural position (after all you have to rise high enough to get those hands in a...

Time is money, but for different individuals it has a different value. Bill Gates for example (or a busy manager) will lose hundreds of dollars in the doctor's waiting room or while he is standing in a long queue at the supermarket, while a student's time is much cheaper. My idea is that you should be able to buy / sell your waiting time. If you're in a hurry and don't want to lose valuable time, you should be able to buy time in situations that would otherwise be time-consuming....

Formula One is one giant industry, and software companies make a fortune every year by selling F1 simulation games for PC or Playstation. It would be fun to have real-life go-kart tracks that are small-scale models of the original F-1 tracks (Imola, Monte Carlo, etc.). I'm sure a lot of people would be happy to pay more just to get an authentic feeling when driving a go-kart. This should obviously be a chain of race tracks, either built in the original locations or even somewhere...

I guess we all know that French Camembert goes well with red wine - but what kind of music should you play alongside? While Heavy Metal may be the wrong choice, Vivaldi could work better - but if you're not in the mood for classical music, what are your alternatives? It should be easy to add this feature to the existing music databases on the internet. When you pop your CD into the computer's player, it usually tells you which album you're listening to and what's the latest on the...

As far as I know, there is no reason why street curbs are as hard as concrete. In former days, people probably didn't have different materials, but today? Hard curbs only ruin your car tires, and if there's a street festival and you end up sitting on the curb for a while, your behind will start aching in no time at all. So why not make street curbs from a material that's softer, yet durable and easy to clean?