Law, Government, & Politics
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Background: Many jurisdictions allow a limited degree of direct democracy, where citizens can submit any measure to be voted on (for example: “the city will buy everyone a free horse to eat at Thanksgiving”). If a measure gets a sufficient number of signatures, it must be placed on the ballot. Proposal: It’s generally a lot…
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Background: Many product names are ambiguous when used as a keyword in a web search. For example, in the most egregious hypothetical case, if you had a program named “The” it would be almost impossible to do an English-language search for it. Imagine searching for “The problem,” or “The crashing when I load too many…
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Background: Old 8-bit video games typically do not adhere to modern standards of occupational safety or handicapped-accessibility. The issue: The issue we will deal with here is making an old game, in this case, Zelda II for the Nintendo Entertainment System, properly compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. Obviously this will be simplified,…
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Background: There is a certain amount of inherent appeal in the concept of a “fast lane” for any rate-limited transportation mechanism. For example, on a roadway, a lane might be reserved for alternative forms of transportation (or for the especially virtuous and/or wealthy). One popular “fast lane” is the “high occupancy vehicle” (HOV) lane for…
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Background: If civil society is to remain functional, some fraction of citizens must actually participate in it. However, apathy is easy! We propose the use of proven gamification techniques to motivate otherwise-uninterested individuals into feeling a sense of civic responsibility. Proposal: In games, achievements are minor rewards for performing certain actions (e.g. “Stomped 50 goombas” or “Flew…
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Background: Jury trials can last for an extremely long time, potentially upwards of several months. Every day during the trial, at least 12 jurors will be inconvenienced by showing up to the court. The issues: Besides the issue of wasting so much time for so many people, there are several additional factors: Jurors can become…
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Background: Financial scams come in all shapes and sizes, ranging in nature from “unbelievable” to “completely hilarious.” But, it’s rarely hilarious to the scammed person! And even people who haven’t fallen for transparently obvious scams can be affected, as relatives are often are on the hook to keep their loved one from starving on the…
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Background: Voting is important for selecting members of government and influencing policy through referendums, recalls, and other measures directly submitted to citizens. However, it’s a lot of work to be an informed voter, and most voters are apathetic and uninformed. In the case of referendums / ballot measures that are directly voted on, most voters…
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