Kevin Barrett 
Innovative people are the reason we all enjoy life as much as we do. Things may seem bad, and in a lot of ways they are, but inventions and creative innovations make the world an exciting place.
One of the reasons I am glad to be alive is that I can’t wait to see what a brilliant mind will come up with next. For example, I am constantly surprised by how Apple changes the iPhone year after year. I can’t honestly say they have recently done anything to it that makes me want to buy a new one, but it is still fun to learn about the changes made year after year.
A lot of people are obsessed with getting the latest and greatest iPhone every year, and I don’t really understand why. I guess there are people who judge others by the type of phone they carry around; in fact, I know there are. They are sort of like the people who judge others by the car they drive. You sort of want to ask them if they should, perhaps, reevaluate their priorities in life.
Still, new designs and innovations are fun to read about. Here are nine examples of designs that have made life just a little bit cooler.
1. The Socks for the Chairs
It is a simple little invention, but it works; what a great way to prevent both scratching a floor and making a lot of noise when you move your chair around.
It really is extraordinary how some people have made a small fortune off of relatively simple ideas. For example, here in the United States, I am often seeing advertisements for a product called “My Pillow”. Apparently there is something special about that particular type of pillow. I am not sure what it is, though; I guess it is considered more comfortable than a regular pillow. What I do know is that the creator of “My Pillow”, who is named Mike Lindell, is a pretty wealthy man. He has sold over 40 million of his pillows. He also employs over 1,500 people.
2. The Elaborate Doorknob
This is a working doorknob, and it certainly looks very cool. In case you do not recognize them, those are the signs of the zodiac.
Personally, I am a Pisces. I don’t really believe in the astrology stuff myself, but it is interesting to read my horoscope once in a while. There’s rarely anything correct about it. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to me, though; those little messages inside fortune cookies are never right either. Just once I would like a fortune cookie to be honest with me and say something like “the rest of your life will be miserable and all of your friends will eventually abandon you”. That would probably be pretty accurate.
Many people believe we are currently in something called “the age of Pisces”; it began over 2000 years ago and will end in over 100 years—long after I’m gone, I’m sure. There is some sort of relationship between Pisces and Jesus for reasons I don’t completely understand; I think it is because Jesus hung out with people who fished.
Pisces is also associated with the god Neptune and the deity Vishnu. If you’re not familiar with Vishnu, he is one of the major deities of Hinduism. His wife is the goddess Lakshmi; she is the goddess of prosperity and wealth.
It really is a neat doorknob, but you have to wonder who puts that much effort into a doorknob; who looks at doorknobs these days?
3. The Bike Rack
A bike rack that actually looks like a lock is certainly a neat idea. I am sure it cost a small fortune compared to a regular bike rack, though.
I had a friend in college who, despite locking up his bike properly, had five bikes stolen. That’s more than a bike a year. I don’t know why his bikes were targeted, either; it wasn’t like they were nice, expensive bikes. He bought the cheapest bikes he could. It was a weird situation. In general, though, crime was a problem on that campus. You had to worry about things far more serious than theft. I really didn’t like walking around there at night.
I find it curious that bikes weren’t really invented until the 19th century. It isn’t like they’re advanced technology really. You’d think someone would have invented them back in medieval times—or maybe even earlier. I understand why we didn’t have airplanes until the 20th century, but bikes aren’t anywhere near as complex as an airplane.
It is kind of funny to think that the first airplane was invented only 115 years ago or so. Nowadays, aviation is one of the most important industries in the world. There are over 17,000 commercial airports in the world. People have to seek professional mental help because they are irrationally afraid of flying.
I am sort of afraid of flying, but it isn’t that I worry about a crash; I have actually taken pilot lessons, and I would do so again if I were able. I’m afraid of flying because I worry about the other passengers. I have been stuck next to some really obnoxious people. There was this one guy who actually took off his shoes, and he clearly hadn’t washed his feet in about a decade. I have a bad sense of smell, so I can’t imagine what the other passengers were thinking.
There was also some woman who didn’t have a book or magazine or phone or laptop; as a result, she tried to entertain herself by talking to me. That woman was my mother, by the way.
I am actually kidding about the mother part, but the rest of that little story is true. That lady also complained loudly about the food. The chicken, according to her, “tasted undercooked”. What did she expect? Has airline food ever been good? Don’t get me wrong—I have eaten a lot of airline food in my day and I have done so happily, but I always go into the meal with low expectations. I’m not expecting fine cuisine to be served by a flight attendant.
4. The Benches and the Handrails
These are at Disneyland in Hong Kong; whoever designed this line realized that people might need to sit down while waiting for an attraction, so seats were installed. I support this very much.
I used to love amusement parks when I was younger. I once went to Cedar Point, which is in Ohio. It first opened in the 1800s. It is known primarily for its roller coasters, and over 3.5 million people visit it every year.
Sadly, I can’t go on roller coasters anymore; I have a back problem, so I’m not allowed. When the day comes that I learn I only have a few months left to live, assuming the park is open for the season, I am definitely going back to Cedar Point. Those are some great roller coasters. I’ll ride all 17 of them. I’ll ride all 71 of the rides!
If I recall correctly, the food wasn’t too bad at Cedar Point. I’ll eat all of the food! What difference will it make at that point?
5. The Green Wall
This is certainly an interesting choice. If I happened to be eating there, I’d worry that the bike would fall on me. That would be my luck. I would end up with a broken neck and food all over my face.
It is cool design, though, and I have to appreciate that. I have to wonder about the food, however.
The food is what makes a restaurant. I went out to lunch the other day and the food was mediocre. The building itself was very cool—by American standards, it was quite old. The food was nothing I would recommend, though, and that’s a shame. It was also overpriced. If a sandwich costs more than seventeen dollars, you know you’re being ripped off in some fashion. I didn’t pay, so I really can’t complain. Still, I was irritated on behalf of the people who did pay. Even the drinks were kind of overpriced.
6. The Hourglass and the Restaurant
At the restaurant in this picture, an hourglass is put on your table after you order; if your meal has not arrived by the time the sand has run out, your meal is free. It is sort of like how some pizza places used to give you free pizza if they didn’t deliver your food within a certain amount of time.
I don’t know of any pizza place that does that anymore, sadly. I once had the person from whom I ordered a pizza tell me—over the phone—“you’ll get it eventually”. When I asked him to be a bit more specific, he said “after we make it and the delivery guy gets to your house”. As you can imagine, I wasn’t terribly pleased. I also wasn’t pleased with the quality of the pizza. The sauce was terrible.
Honestly, I think restaurants should use this hourglass idea to tell customers when it is time to settle up and leave. Some diners think that ordering a meal reserves them the right to sit around all afternoon or all evening. I know that’s frustrating to servers. That’s also very frustrating to other customers who are waiting for a table.
You know where it is surprisingly hard to get a table in the United States? In certain places, it can be impossible to get a table right away at “Olive Garden”. I once had to wait for over an hour. I couldn’t understand why. It isn’t like the food is terrible, but it isn’t exactly fine cuisine.
7. The Artwork and the Utility Box
This is a utility box. A local artist was hired to paint the utility box so it didn’t look terrible.
I think that’s a great idea. Those boxes aren’t the most attractive things in the world otherwise.
There’s a bridge not too far from where I live on which a mural was painted by a local artist. For a while there, it was really nice. It reflected the spirit of the community—for about three months.
Actually, I guess I should say that it reflected what people wanted the community to be. The true community ended up being represented when people decided to use spray paint to deface what was once a very nice mural. It is sort of a shame. On the plus side, though, I do know that someone named “R.J.” loved someone named “B.M.” at one point. I somehow doubt their love flourished considering they immaturely expressed it using spray paint.
8. The Backpack
This backpack apparently shines when illuminated by headlights or the flash of a camera. That’s pretty cool, and it definitely keeps people safe.
It drives me nuts when people go out for a walk or a jog and aren’t wearing appropriate apparel. The other day I was driving home at night from the convenience store and some woman was jogging; she was wearing black. I guess she was doing so because black is slimming, but that was a dangerous move on her part.
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