Back in August, Elon Musk surprised us all by posting his hyperloop designs online for free. Project Hieroglyph was  launched last year as a collaborative between scientists and science fiction authors like a open source marketplace of ideas. Then Noisetrade Books launched with Cory Doctorow’s books as its poster children. It would seem that people are growing more aware of the potentia behind open-sourced ideas and collaborative innovation, even considering the growth of small for-profits like Quirky.

That said, I have neither the know-how nor the time for the following ideas. I would simply like to see them come to fruition. They’re not “Tall Tower” or “Hyperloop” or “3D Print Yourself a New Liver” ideas, they’re just tweaks on current software. I would love for us to add more ideas for little tweaks in the comments and see if we can’t get a nice list going:

1. Data aggregator for Gmail. Gmail’s filters work great for adding tags and auto-archiving. Their search engine applied to inboxes already works wonders in finding old conversation threads. What’s a pain-in-the-button-presser is trying to extract specific data from a long conversation involving many participants. For instance, an aggregator that could pluck only .edu email addresses from some five hundred senders or those pertaining to “writing” would be incredibly helpful. Basically if Google applied their in-house metadata catering to their search functions for all of us to use, we could create smarter, more relevant lists among our contacts. This isn’t just an email marketing suggestion, though that’s an interesting application. This is about simplifying the “circles” process.
2. Email-like text message system for iPhone. Initially, I did research to see if I could create an app that simply marked texts as “unread” because often texts will fall through the cracks if I look at them. I quickly realized that each app is self-contained in its own separate folder for security purposes and that each stock app like Messages, Phone, and Contacts cannot be used by another app. So there’s currently no way for any of us to create an app that marks texts as unread, that files them with tags, or that does any number of typical things we find in email. A simple patch by Apple could make our texting lives incredibly easier.
3. User-friendly feed of sensor metadata for automobiles. You know that pesky “check engine” light? That thing comes on because a sensor in your car has been tripped. These sensors have been produced for years from companies like IBM and Cisco. If it’s an O2 sensor at the start of the fuel line, there’s a good chance you’ve simply forgotten to tighten your gas cap. We’ve had “check engine” and even “low fuel” or “MPG” data for years but the truly catered data is reserved for mechanics with privileged readers that display model-and-make-specific error messages. They do this to create a gatekeeper system through the dealership model–in some towns the only place to fix your Honda is at a Honda dealer, Ford at a Ford dealer and so on. What if instead that data went straight to an app? Or better, these new in-dashboard heads-up displays? Wouldn’t it be nice to know if it was the battery, the starter, or the alternator that prevents your car from starting? Yes, it would. This is just near-term application of Cisco’s Internet of Everything and IBM’s Smarter Planet.
4. Personality-catered and survey-curated newsfeeds. Facebook’s curation system helps, Twitter’s follow button helps, but still we’re waiting for a curation system that doesn’t quite exist. Yet. What if instead of hand-crafted feeds developed over the course of years and years of tweaking we could simply take a couple personality tests and a few surveys involving ethics, politics, philosophy, and relational styles. Then you’d have news streaming from online content creators that fit your tastes. The sources would change, but the topics would remain the same. Stumble Upon works this way… kind of… but I’m talking just for news items and long form reading at the exclusion of visual data.

There are others, but we’re approaching my word limit for today. What other ideas do you have for near-term solutions?