Idea Of The Day. A new Idea Each Day. Some Don't Suck.

We post an all new idea every day. If you find an idea you like... do something about it. Make it happen.

Our Latest Posts About: Media

Milli Vanilli Wasn't Fake?

Saturday, August 19, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

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... [More]

Continue...Milli Vanilli Wasn't Fake?...

Talk Shows... Without a Regular Host?

Wednesday, July 5, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Talk shows can get repetitive. Here's how to fix that.

When I think of talk shows, one thing comes to mind, interviews between a host and A-List celebrities. Most of the time, the host starts out as a B-List celebrity.

You never see talk shows start off with a well known A-List celebrity, which makes sense, because most A-List celebrities would never commit to a long term contract doing a daily show.

That said, I think it would be pretty easy getting an A-List celebrity to commit to doing just one show a week... for a couple of months. That's the essence of today's idea. I think it would be great to see a show that doesn't have a regular host. Instead of the same old host each night, we'd not only see a fresh host each night, but a fresh batch of guests, because the ho... [More]

Continue...Talk Shows... Without a Regular Host?...

New Star Trek Discovery on CBS? Not Quite

Friday, May 26, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Star Trek is coming back to TV. Unfortunately, it'll cost you $10 per month to see it.

I've been a Star Trek fan since the early 70s, so I was super excited to hear there was a new series in the works. The series will be called "Star Trek Discovery" and it takes place about 10 years before the timeline of the original 1960s series.

It's been a while since Star Trek was on TV, so I was looking forward to the new series until I heard that you need to subscribe to their CBS All-Access service to see it. For what it's worth, I don't mind paying a monthly fee for streaming services. I already pay for Amazon Prime and Netflix, but this is different. Other than Star Trek Discovery, CBS doesn't have ANYTHING I'd be willing to pay for, so it's not worth paying $120 per year for jus... [More]

Continue...New Star Trek Discovery on CBS? Not Quite...

The Trouble With Fake News Filters

Wednesday, May 3, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Fake news filters sound like the solution to Fake News on Facebook. I don't think so.

Facebook is hoping to cut down on Fake News by adding new a way for people to report Fake news. While that sounds like a good idea, I think it will create more trouble than its worth.

Over the past few years, the Internet has been flooded with so-called "Fake News", which dominate social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. In an effort to curb the spread, Facebook is working on a way for people to report Fake News stories when they see them. If enough people report a post as Fake News, its eliminated from their News Feed.

Sounds simple enough. What can go wrong? Quite a bit, actually.

My biggest concern is that people will abuse the option, and report any story they don't agre... [More]

Continue...The Trouble With Fake News Filters...

The Library Dilemma

Thursday, January 5, 2017 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

If libraries were invented today... would they be legal?

Ever since the Internet came along, companies have complained that file sharing is costing them money because authors and artists don't get paid when you share your digital, music, or movies. Meanwhile, libraries lend books, music, and movies every day, without compensating the authors and artists, but we never hear anyone complain about that.

To be clear, I'm not suggesting that we shut down libraries. I'm just drawing attention to the double standard. If I lend my friend one of my books, movies, or CDs, it's considered okay, even though that means that the authors and artists will not make any money off the transaction. Not only is it acceptable to lend them out, I can make money by selling them.

In a nutshell,... [More]

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The Two Browser Challenge

Monday, December 26, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

The web is biased... but not the way you think.

You may not realize it, but most of what you see online is biased, and it's not some vast right or left wing conspiracy. It's a direct result of an algorithm specifically designed to feed you content that you already like.

At the heart of this is a simple premise. Advertisers are willing to pay more money for targeted content. The more targeted it is, the more they're willing to pay for ads, so search engines and social media sites do everything they can to pin down all your likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, this means most of the content you see online is filtered to fit your pre-existing likes and dislikes, so you'll see fewer and fewer items from an opposing side.

An even bigger problem is the snowball effect. Each ti... [More]

Continue...The Two Browser Challenge...

What BUGS Me About... Cable TV

Sunday, December 25, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why are there NO standards for channel numbers on Cable TV?

Before cable TV came along, channels were know primarily by their number. There weren't many channels, so it was pretty simple, and as a rule of thumb although station ownership changed from time to time, but it didn't matter. Channel 5 was still Channel 5 to us.

As cable TV grew, things got a lot more complicated. There are literally thousands of channels right now, and it's nearly impossible to find a specific network, unless you've memorized the number. Making matters worse, every cable or satellite provider uses their own numbering system, making it nearly impossible to even produce a viable TV guide that can tell you what's on each channel.

I rarely watch TV, but as it stands now, I have no idea where to f... [More]

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The End of Common Media?

Saturday, December 10, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

We no longer live in a Common Media World.

Hundreds of years ago, news and information was spread through a very small number of media sources. Because of this, entire communities shared fundamentally the same news, at the same time. The news you read each day was identical to the news your friends, family and neighbors read.

Until recently, whenever people talked about things they saw in the media, chances are they all saw the same media. Centuries ago, it was the local newspaper, and in the last century, it was a combination of print, TV and radio, but it was still limited to a small number, so the media was still essentially common. Each morning, the majority of people still heard, read, or saw the same news, at virtually the same time.

This is no longer the case.
... [More]

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Why We Can't Trust The Media

Tuesday, November 15, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

It's becoming harder and harder to trust the news as it's reported these days.

It's been said that 50% or more of what is reported in the news is either accurate or misinterpreted. Unfortunately, that figure is probably wrong. That's because it was something I read on a news site that most likely was inaccurate or misreported. Do you see the problem?

The fact is, most news reporters today get their information from other sources in an endless cycle of smaller sources being quoted by larger ones, until you eventually don't have a direct connection to the original source. Because of this, when a news organization needs to fact check a story, they often can't dig enough to get the story's real origin.

To compensate for this, most fact checkers are satisfied to simply quote... [More]

Continue...Why We Can't Trust The Media...

Play Apple Movies and Music on Non-Apple Devices

Monday, July 11, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Apple needs to allow people to play their digital media purchases on non-Apple devices.

Why Does The Media Only Apply Labels To Conservatives?

Saturday, April 16, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Have you ever noticed that the media only applies labels when they're quoting a conservative?

I find it interesting that whenever somebody quotes a Republican or Conservative they always preface it with a "Conservative" label. It's almost as if they're putting out a disclaimer say "attention people... this is coming from a wacko conservative".

For example, if Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh say something, the news will always say something like "Conservative Host Sean Hannity said XYZ", instead of simply saying "Sean Hannity said XYZ".

It wouldn't bother me if there wasn't a double standard. The label itself is accurate, but they never use labels for Democrats and Liberals in the media. You never hear anyone say "Liberal Host Bill Maher said XYZ", or 99% of the mainstream... [More]

Continue...Why Does The Media Only Apply Labels To Conservatives?...

TV Networks Shouldn't Show Tiny Movie Credits at 90 MPH

Sunday, April 10, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

What's the point of showing movie credits if you can't read them?

We get it. Networks don't expect anyone to have the patience to sit through 8 minutes of boring credits, so they will do anything they can to avoid showing them, and moving on to the next program. The most common technique is to shrink the credits to a tiny box on the bottom of the screen and play them at 90 miles per hour.

At that size and speed, there is absolutely no chance anyone can read them.

Personally, I think they should show the all the original credits, just as they were when they were originally created. Not only does this give each of the people who worked on the movie or show the credit they deserve, but it also gives the audience a chance to take a break, and even enjoy the music.

The mai... [More]

Continue...TV Networks Shouldn't Show Tiny Movie Credits at 90 MPH...

P2P Media - We Should Be Able To Lend, Gift, or Sell Our Digital Media

Friday, March 11, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Wy can't we lend, give away or sell our digital media?

Do you remember going to a flea market and exploring the second hand books, and records? Now that everything's digital, we've lost the ability to (legally) buy, trade or give away media.

As a result, millions of people are building libraries of music, books, and movies that they can never give away or sell to family and friends, without making an illegal copy. The solution is to build a system where ownership of any particular digital copy can be transferred to another person.

The main difference between transferring ownership vs copying digital media is that the media is removed form one account, and transferred to the second. Technically, this also includes the ability to transfer media between two of your own acco... [More]

Continue...P2P Media - We Should Be Able To Lend, Gift, or Sell Our Digital Media...

Portable Music and Movie Purchases

Monday, March 7, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

When you buy something digital, it should be yours to use on whatever platform you like.

When it comes to digital media, the concept of "ownership" no longer means what it used to be. As the demand for digital media continues to grow, companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart are all investing heavily in building platforms to sell digital media. The question is... who owns it?

Before the digital revolution, you went to a store and purchased your copy of a book, magazine, movie or record. It was a simple transaction. As soon as you left the store, you could do whatever you wanted to with your purchase. It was your copy.

Unfortunately, buying a digital copy of your favorite media is an entirely different experience. For example, i... [More]

Continue...Portable Music and Movie Purchases...

Remove The Video Time Delay From Sports on TV

Friday, March 4, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Sports on TV isn't really live.

There's something special about seeing a sporting event as it actually happens. The funny thing is when you watch an event on TV, it's actually delayed about 10-30 seconds, so if you were on the phone with someone who was actually at the game, they can tell you what's going to happen before you see it on TV.

The primary reason for the delay is to give the broadcasters an opportunity to censor out any offensive language before it hits the airwaves. That few extra seconds makes a big difference when a sportscaster gets overly excited and accidentally curses on the air.

That said, there's no reason why they can't give people the opportunity to watch the video portion in real-time... as it happens, along with live crowd noises, then play the co... [More]

Continue...Remove The Video Time Delay From Sports on TV...

How Media Should Be Organized On Apple Devices (video)

Thursday, March 3, 2016 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I hate the way media is organized on my iPhone.

One of the great things about iOS devices is that they can store many different types of media. The trouble is Apple doesn't do a good job of organizing things.

There are dedicated Apps for Photos, Videos, Podcasts, Books, Magazines and Music. Sounds simple enough, but some media blurs the lines between categories making it hard to pin down.

For example, the Video App has buttons for Movies, TV Shows and Music Videos, but it doesn't have an option to show videos you made yourself, which are located inside the Photos App.

Although it seems to make sense that music videos are located inside the Music App, they really shouldn't be there. They're already in the Videos App, and doesn't make sense for the Music App to include... [More]

Continue...How Media Should Be Organized On Apple Devices (video)...

Pay-Per-Show. TV A La Carte

Saturday, September 19, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why is TV so expensive?

According to a recent study, The Average American pays over $90 per month for 172 channels that they don't watch.. Some pay even more, and they still don't watch most of the channels they pay for. What a waste of money.

Thankfully some cable companies are now offering A La Carte plans, allowing you to reduce the number of channels by selecting popular groups of channels. While this is a good start, they don't give you the flexibility to select only the channels you plan on watching.

Wouldn't it be great if you only paid for the shows you actually watch?

This would be the perfect o... [More]

Continue...Pay-Per-Show. TV A La Carte...

Amazon Echo... Live. Live Original Programming.

Monday, August 31, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Streaming music is great. Live streaming music with a real disc jockey... is even better.

I've been streaming music for years, but there's something special about live radio that can never be captured by automated playlists.

Live programming is what's missing from Amazon Prime too... something that transforms the audience into a genuine community, who are all sharing the same experiences at the same time.

I'm sure a lot of surveys and studies show that there is a definite trend away from live programming in favor of automated programming and on-demand services, but deep down there is still a huge demand for live programming.

Without live programming, Disc Jockeys, and talk show hosts like Howard Stern, Sirius and XM radio never would've caught on.

Live program... [More]

Continue...Amazon Echo... Live. Live Original Programming....

Daily Talk Show. 7 Days... 7 Hosts!

Tuesday, August 25, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Why not create a daily show that's actually different each day?

A daily talk show that has a different host for each day of the week would be revolutionary. The show would run the same time every night, from the same set, and on the same network. While it would still be the same show, the diversity of the hosts would make each night entirely different, with it's own distinct energy and atmosphere.

Not only does it give the audience a break from the same host every single day, it gives the host an entire week to prepare for their next show.

It also has the potential to bring more diverse guests, because hosts tend to book guests that fit their unique personality, including a lot of the people they've worked with in the past.

By having 7 hosts, it has the potential... [More]

Continue...Daily Talk Show. 7 Days... 7 Hosts!...

What is MTV? Do They Even Have an Identity Anymore?

Saturday, July 18, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

Do you remember when MTV played music?

Back in the early 80s, MTV had a clear identity. They played music videos day and night, with real people introducing the songs, just like a radio station. MTV was revolutionary, and it gave the music industry a visual element that changed the way people listened to music.

The original MTV VJ's

As MTV became more popular, every artist made videos for their music, hoping to be featured on the channel. Prior to MTV, many people didn't even know what most musicians looked like. One benefit was that many unknown artists reached a larger audience if they had a cool looking video.

Like any business, it's important that people know who you are, and it's important that you know who your customers are. With MTV,... [More]

Continue...What is MTV? Do They Even Have an Identity Anymore?...

The News Media Shouldn't Glorify Criminal Names

Wednesday, June 17, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

I hate the fact that I know the name of the guy who killed John Lennon.

Like a lot of people, I cried when I heard that somebody killed John Lennon. Within 24 hours, the name of the killer was plastered all over every single media outlet. Before he shot John Lennon, he was virtually unknown. The next day, his name was nearly as famous as the man he killed. That's just plain wrong.

History books are full of the names of people who are famous just because of their crimes, including the guy who shot Ronald Reagan specifically because he wanted to be famous. That's sick. He got what he wanted.

Then there's Waco, Columbine, and countless terrorist groups who would remain nameless if the media didn't give them attention. I cold go on and on, but the key point here that th... [More]

Continue...The News Media Shouldn't Glorify Criminal Names...

A Retro-News Channel

Friday, June 12, 2015 1:00 AM By Joe Crescenzi

History has a tendency to be re-written, so why not experience it as it was originally reported?

As Walter Cronkite used to say, "And that's the way it is."... or shall I say "was".

Newscasts have one thing in common, they're only aired once. After all, they're supposed to be as current as possible, so who would want to hear about yesterday's news? Probably nobody, but if you fast forward a few years, and those newscasts are now called "History", or Primary Source History to be more precise.

A Retro-News Channel would be different from a traditional news channel in that it would present history as it actually unfolded.

To me, being able to re-live the space race of the 1960s, leading up to Walter Cronkite's em... [More]

Continue...A Retro-News Channel...

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Lookalike Finder Site

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Amazon Echo as an Intercom. Room to Room Communication, Even Across the World.

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Stop using default Security Questions... here's why.

A Car Periscope? Why Not?

Digital String on Your Finger... To Remind You You Left Something Behind...

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* Note: The ideas on "Idea of the Day" were posted without any formal research into existing inventions.

In some cases, patents may already exist for these ideas, in other cases, there may not be any existing patents and you are free to develop and explore the viability of developing and patenting the ideas.

The authors make no claim that any of the ideas are safe, practical, or suitable for any particular purpose. You are responsible for the results of trying, developing, patenting or using any of the ideas on this site.

For some people, our ideas are just an interesting read, but our goal is to encourage you to take action. If you see an idea that you like, do something with it... Take action.

- Joe

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