Full Report

The folks over at the venerable New York Times have catalogued quite a few of the best ideas of the year on their website. Here, in alphabetical order, are my favorites from the list.

1.) The Biomechanical Energy Harvester – This device draws energy from the negative action of someone’s pedestrian motion, and stores it in a small lithium-ion battery on the knee-brace looking aluminum chassis. They say it can power a walkie-talkie, cell phone, and more, and is already on tap for the Canadian armed forces, who depend on lightweight, portable energy. With the gadget weighing in at a mere 2.5 pounds, and easily worn underneath pants, I smell an human energy movement in the near future. As Science Now so perfectly put, “this gives new meaning to the term ‘power walking.’”

2.) The Climate-Change Defense – Six Greenpeace activists in Britain decided to test the common-sense rule that one can trespass, and even cause harm if it is proven that you are working to avert certain disaster, for example, breaking into your neighbor’s house to put out a fire. The activists painted the PM’s name on a smokestack and won the case against energy company E.ON, claiming that the $50,000 the company incurred to clean the paint was insignificant compared to the carbon they were harmfully contributing to the atmosphere. Well done! Even former VP Al Gore has called on young people to engage in “civil disobedience to prevent the construction of new coal plants that do not have carbon capture and sequestration.”

4.) The Cloth Car –

A CLOTH CAR!! Once again, A CLOTH CAR!?! Who in their right mind thought this would be a great idea? Yet it is.

That’s right, BMW’s ‘GINA’ concept car is, as Leo DiCaprio warbled in the Aviator over and over, “The wave of the future. The wave of the future.” The GINA has an ultra-strong polyurethane lycra body that flexes when the doors are opened and separates like a zipper to reveal the engine. Wild, right? Yes, but the clever part of the car is it’s shape-shifting ability. The car’s shape can be changed via electric and electro-hydraulic controls to suit different driving conditions, and when the engine is off, the steering wheel and dash lay flat to provide more room in the cockpit!! BMW is already implementing some of the high-concept ammenities in production M4 vehicles, and said that the lycra covering is promising due to much lower production costs when compared to a standard body. I want one!

5.) Fast-Food Zoning – In an effort to curb their ludicrous 30% adult obesity rate, South Los Angeles officials have drafted an unheard-of one year moratorium on fast-food restaurant creation within a 32 square mile area. A staggering 50% of South LA’s eateries are fast-food, and the hope is that healthier opportunities will be encouraged. Why does this not happen everywhere, especially considering the childhood obesity epidemic we’re facing in this nation?

6.) Minicattle – Yes, miniature cattle. I know it might seem laughable, and certainly not likely to stand out among the greatest ideas of this calendar year, but hear me out…

The trend in American agriculture heretofore has often been “bigger is better” over the past half-century, with the average cattle size growing by nearly 400 pounds in just 50 years. However, larger cows don’t necessarily mean more efficient cows. Leave it to a year when we find ourselves in recession for farmers to find out that although miniature cattle yield only half the milk that a 1300 pound beast might, they consume only a third of the grain. Minicattle productivity is twice that of a normal-sized heifer per acre!! They’re more docile, too…

The solution seems simple right???

7.) Neo-Neo Soul – With the music business in a constant state of flux, record execs and public taste in 2008 have sought to replicate 2007′s big hit, Neo-Soul. Most notably, the utter dominance of England’s soul diva turned royal junkie, Amy Winehouse.

I mean who wouldn’t look at her and think, success? The Times article touts Duffy and Adele, two new British soulsmiths, as Wino’s successors, claiming that despite their collective lack of Winehouse’s gutter gusto, each has had modest commercial success. At least, enough to call it a phenomenon.

I have two problems with this assumption, though. I agree that we are smack-dab in the middle of a soul music revival, and it couldn’t make me more happy. Wino’s Back to Black was a perfect synthesis of homage to soul history and document of the current musical landscape, with it’s hints of hip-hop and indie aesthetic. But, neither Duffy or Adele were successful in capturing the magic that Back to Black had. The real successor to Winehouse in my opinion is British white GUY Jamie Lidell and his record JIM. Lidell used to dabble in electronica as half of the duo Super Collider, but over the past two albums has embraced the Neo-Soul movement with arms and legs wide open. His voice is classic soul with a quirkiness that sets him apart from the other imitators. Plus, his backing band is unbelievable!

Lastly, if Amy Winehouse’s record was so successful, I am flabbergasted that no one attempts to save her from herself. I am sure that Back to Black made quite a few people (including the singer herself) a lot of money, but Winehouse is killing herself slowly with drugs in front of the whole world, and not a thing seems to be done about it. For goodness sake, someone stop the madness so she can make another record…

8.) Smart Grids – This is the future of energy maintainance and optimization. There are those that say Smart Grids, if utilized and implemented by an Obama Administration, would radically alter the energy picture in the US, and this alone would bring a singular greatness to his presidency. The technology is already there, and has been utilized to great affect in Austin, TX and Bouldedr, CO, and is on its way to more forward-thinking cities soon. In my opinion, the creation of a smart grids nationwide, and the jobs that this work would make available, is crucial to an Obama energy plan, and would drastically alter America’s status as a leader in energy conservation. You can read more about smart grids HERE.

9.) Wine From China –

Move over Napa, China will soon be taking a strangle-hold on the wine industry. With an abundance of cheap labor, incredibly fertile soil, and the nation’s increasingly informed pallette, China is poised to snag a large part of the world’s market in wine. There are already a handful of good wines coming from the over-populated country, and with sommeliers pouring into the country to educate Chinese grape growers, China could soon dominate as much as 50% of the global wine market. Crazy!