Health
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The Issue: Climbing tall mountains is inherently unsafe. Dangers include falling, high winds, frostbite, venomous snakes, attack by eagles, and the high altitude “DEATH ZONE,” which really makes the whole peak-conquering thing seem like a bad idea. Additionally, this high degree of danger makes it impractical for children, the elderly, and the handicapped to fully…
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Background: According to the American Dental Association, the “general” recommendation is for people to brush their teeth for two-ish minutes, twice a day. The Issue: Two minutes is a long time! Maybe there’s some way to motivate people to brush their teeth for this long. Proposal: The incentive is simple: two-minute videos that are only…
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Background: Various governments and organizations have made efforts to reduce the number of firearm discharges by impulsive and/or unqualified individuals. The Issue: Currently, by design, a firearm is relatively easy to operate. Unfortunately, this makes it easy to accidentally fire, or for a child to find a gun and shoot it. Additionally, an individual may…
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Background: There are all manner of weird back-scratching products, like bamboo claws, mini rakes, and probably like, dinosaur teeth or something like that. But all of them require specific effort to use, are generally unwieldy, and are socially frowned upon in a workplace environment. Proposal: The solution is so simple: just integrate the functionality of…
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Background: In most cases, the listed price of a product is also its actual price. But sometimes this is not true. Airlines, cell phone providers, and restaurants (among other businesses) occasionally add non-obvious “bonus” costs to the final fee. Sometimes, these are temporary: in New York City in 2021, a ~10% “COVID surcharge” was authorized…
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Background: The specific etymology of most food names is lost in ancient history. But a few foods are named after specific people. One of the most notable is the food/concept of a “sandwich,” named after “John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Montagu,_4th_Earl_of_Sandwich). Proposal: This opens up a new possibility for gaining personal fame and fortune:…
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The Issue: Two elements are important here: 1. It is generally the case that if a person expends more effort in an endeavor, the person appreciates it more. See also 2017’s Art Obstacle Course proposal. (Incidentally, this is also described as a factor in the popularity of hazing and initiation rituals in the “purpose and…
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The Issue: After a person purchases a gigantic (yet economical) tub of snacks, they’re probably doomed to devour them in short order. But what if there were a way to harness human laziness to prevent devouring of junk food? Proposal: Behold, the solution! Just put an excessive number of binder clips on the container that…
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The Issue: In some climates, outdoor swimming pools (Fig. 1) are kept filled with water year-round, but are covered during the colder months. These covered-up pools waste a lot of outdoor real-estate that could be put to alternative use. Proposal: The pool will need to be covered anyway, so we can take advantage of this…
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Background: Many foods require a certain minimum amount of cooking time, yet there isn’t always an obvious visual indicator of “done”-ness. The Issue: As a result of the lack of a visual indicator, a chef must laboriously inspect food by (for example) cutting into it, poking it with a fork, or tasting it. These time-consuming…
WorstPlans: updated every Monday since July 2014! 