Health
-
Background: Militaries generally have physical fitness requirements and a maximum age cutoff for enlistees. The issue: Unfortunately, in most countries, these standards completely exclude government officials from boots-on-the-ground participation in any military operations. This is unfair to those officials: they performed the diplomatic and logistical preparation for war, yet are prevented from obtaining direct personal…
-
Make microwaving even easier with a synchronized-turntable solution that prevents you from ever having to reach all the way into the back of the microwave to get your reheated beverage! The true chef’s choice.
-
Follow the cruel and unyielding demands of your phone in order to stay fit on a custom jogging route! Bonus feature: allows the user to participate in the “sharing economy.”
-
Background: As civilization reaches an apex of decadence not seen since the days of Caligula, new and exotic labor-saving schemes have arisen. Specifically, you may soon be able to order food directly to your refrigerator, thus saving you from having to be present for delivery. Deluxe! The issue: While the process of delivering food directly…
-
Background: Certain mountains require that climbers obtain a permit before embarking. Sometimes these can be expensive, but rarely is any mountaineering competency required. Everest permits, which are issued by the government of Nepal, cost approximately $10,000 (Wikipedia link). The issue: If too many people are crowded onto a narrow high-altitude route, disaster can result from…
-
Background: Since laptops are so convenient and portable, many people work in locations that are not set up for long-term ergonomic comfort (for example, dining room tables or coffeeshop counters, e.g. Figure 1). The issue: Since these locations were never designed for laptop use, they are typically set up in such a way that the…
-
Background: Two things that city-dwellers often require are: Motivation to exercise. An expensive dog-walker to walk their dog. The issue: Unfortunately, it’s easy to become lazy and not exercise, and dog-walkers are quite pricey! (Figure 1.) Fortunately, these two modern conundrums can now be solved with a SINGLE amazing plan! Proposal: The solution is simple:…
-
Background: It’s well-known that presentation affects the perceived taste of food (Figure 1). Can this be used by retailers to increase customer satisfaction? Proposal: In order to leverage the same instincts, we propose that all foods should be presented in grocery stores in a “natural” environment to satisfy human hunter-gatherer instincts. In Figure 2,…
-
Background: In most American cities, four-way intersections with stoplights are the most common form of traffic control. The issue: As a pedestrian, these intersections are frustrating: if the stoplights are not synchronized, you’ll randomly encounter red lights while walking from block to block. But even when lights are synchronized, they are synchronized for car driving…
-
Background: Every year, a large number of children accidentally poison themselves by drinking household chemicals. Cleaning products and pesticides (Figure 1) represent the cause of ~15% of poisoning cases in children under the age of 6, according to the National Capital Poison Center. The issue: To a child who is illiterate and unfamiliar with conventional…
WorstPlans: updated every Monday since July 2014! 