Great Idea #18: Suburb Translator

I live in Melbourne. I like living in Melbourne. In fact, I like it so much I'd come here for a holiday, but I can't because I live here. So, instead, I have to settle for a holiday in Sydney.

When I holiday in Sydney, I like to go shopping, have lunch, have coffee and go out for dinner. In Melbourne, I like to go to St Kilda, to Brunswick St, and to Carlton. But because I can't tell Newtown from Nth Parramatta or Narrabeen or Balmain from Bangor or Bonnet Bay, I don't have a clue where to go.

If only there was a way to find Sydney's St Kilda, Sydney's Brunswick St and Sydney's Carlton.....

This is where a suburb translator would come in handy. You enter the name of a suburb in one city into a suburb translator website and it's equivalent in another city will pop up!

Sydneysiders will never have to go looking for a devonshire tearoom in Dandenong again.

Great Idea #17: Schmunday

Ever feel like there's not enough days in the week to get everything done? Wouldn't it be great if time could stand still, just for a little while, so you have a chance to catch up on study and/or volunteer work?

I present to you: Schmunday.

It is a day when no one is allowed to work, see friends/family/partners or do any kind of leisure activity. No meetings can happen on a Schmunday, nor social gatherings. It is a day that only exists for busy people, so everything can get ticked off their to-do list, so that they can maintain a healthy work/life/volunteer work/study/etc balance.

Oh how I could use a Schmunday...

*** This great idea was originally formulated with Kat.

Great Idea #16: Kid friendly healthy snacks

Have you ever had one of those 'pop-top' fruit drinks? They're aimed at kids, maybe about 200ml and taste like super strong, overly sweet cordial. They're disgusting, but they appeal to kids because they're more interesting than water, and they have a pop up lid. They appeal to parents because they fit into kids' lunchboxes, and it means their kids are drinking something. Plus, because it says 'fruit' on the front, parents can pretend it's healthy. Well, being a health teacher, I checked out the label. 25% fruit juice, and something like 50% sugar. BAD!

What a great niche market it would be to market healthy food that was appealing to kids. It seems like snack foods are either totally kid friendly (LCMs, etc) or totally boring. Lots of kids are quite happy to eat healthy food, but it needs to be marketed to the kids. Like these pop top drinks. One could EASILY produce water in the same shape bottles, and colour it with natural colours (not sugars), and maybe add a twist of fruit juice to flabour it. Voila. A healthy drink which fits in a lunch box (good for parents) and is bright and flavoured (good for kids). Easy.

Where health food companies are going wrong, I think, is not looking at the existing market. They need to check out what works for the current market leaders, and then, well, rip it off! Lots of the gimmicks can be reproduced with products which are not high in sugar, or with natural flavours and colours. Things like popcorn are really healthy, and kids love them- but the only version available are covoured in coloured sugar, or toffee. It's so easy to tweak.

Come on, health food manufacturers! You're missing out on the sales opportunity of a lifetime!

Great Idea #15: Sims Orthodox

The Sims games are brilliant. They allow you test your life skills without actually having to live it. You can see if you can look after a pet without actually having to have a pet. You can have a go at starting a business without the expense and stress of actually starting a business in real life. Basically, you can have a go at living a life with certain constraints without actually having to put up with those constraints in real life.

One set of constraints that the Sims have not yet covered are orthodox religions. If there was a "Sims Orthodox" game, you could see what it was like to try and hold down a job as an orthodox Muslim, praying five times a day. You could try living as an orthodox Jew, keeping a kosher kitchen and using no electricity once a week. You could live as an orthodox Hindu (is that the right expression?) in a Hindu neighbourhood and have cows roaming freely through the streets.

The game could have a calendar incorporated in it, and you would be required to celebrate all the festivals as they came up. If you miss a festival, or don't keep to the rules of your religion, then you lose points.

Great Idea #14: Mobile Kebab Van

I love having nights out on the town. I adore smokey venues, striking up conversations with random strangers while bopping along to loud music, and drinking whatever beer is on tap. While I've never enjoyed clubbing, you can find me at the nearest pub or bar, with a drink in hand and a smile on my face. Kebabs are the perfect end to a night out.

Maybe this is why I don't enjoy house parties as much - no kebab.

BUT.

What if someone started a Mobile Kebab Van business?

Party hosts can call up the Mobile Kebab Van to book a time, date and location, winning the admiration of drunken party-goers. The Mobile Kebab Van would have a guaranteed clientele who are eager for food, but too drunk to walk too far. And, in the same way that Ice Cream Vans play a tune so that little kids can rush out on hot summer days, the Mobile Kebab Van can play a rendition of "I Will Survive" (the ultimate party song) when cruising the streets, so that drunken partyers know when to rush out and get their kebab fix...

I need garlic sauce. NOW.

See you at the next house party!

*** This great idea was originally formulated with Nick and Johnny.