noah's roofs

if you couldn't figure it out by reading the title, perhaps you never read the bible literally enough. a noah's roof is the concept of using a boat as a roof. it's not a joke.

strange as it may sound, it can actually help save people's lives in the developing world from devastating floods. a ladder inside the house leads to an attic-type door opening that gets everyone inside the boat. the boat is anchored on the ceiling in such a way that it detaches easily from it perhaps using pins or latches. villages with boat roofs can become tourist attractions and raise local income, for instance viewed from above on a helicopter ride or balloon as part of a safari or other tourist activity.

again, this is not a joke, it's an idea some people contemplate seriously. I think it must have had its origins in the bible :)

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China's Umbrella

When I think of China's rise, I think of the umbrella metaphor. The Chinese never ask for reassurance that they are a global power. They know they are or they know they will get there. How that will happen is fascinating to me. My sense is that China sees the United States as an umbrella under which they will rise peacefully but some day they will fold the umbrella down and step forth as number one. Can we imagine a world where the Chinese are clearly number one?

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Single Currency

I have wondered many times what the meaning of the existence of multiple currencies? I think a single currency could have a lot of benefits like reducing the cost of economic transactions and making the pricing of good and services more effective. Also, it would end the currency speculation and the effects of it and would boost the economic activity among various countries.

71% of respondents in the poll would like to have a single currency.

I would like to have a single language before I had a single currency. The benefits to the world economy would be even larger than if you only had a single currency. More trade, more travel, more understanding, more cooperation. So if I had to choose between a single currency and a single language, I'd rather have a single language. A single language would inevitably lead to a single currency as the world would become one in terms of how people think. A single currency without a single language means the world can trade better than if it had multiple currencies but it doesn't become one. So what I want to say is that under a single currency the world improves, under a single language the world becomes one. Within this context, which would You rather have?

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Does starting a new bank make sense?

My reasoning for starting a new bank is that creditworthy customers would rather trust that their money is held with a bank that is 100% free of toxic assets and that it won't go bust. People tell me I must be crazy to want to start a new bank because a) no one trusts banks any more and b) no one has money any more. I don't think b is true and a happens because existing banks have a lot of bad loans/investments in their books. A new bank that has none of it can earn the trust of creditworthy customers. It seems good business to me to want to start a new bank despite the turmoil in global finance.

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myneeds.com

What do you think of a new website where users post their needs? They can be needs of any kind and duration, needs for the day/week/month/year etc They can be financial, business, emotional, typical, exotic, odd, weird, romantic etc. Another domain name I thought after Facebook is Needbook. Would it be fun to browse such site?

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Unlimited Multiple Citizenships!

This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 21 March 2008 by member parkston

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If our world has become flat and global, why not make it more integrated? What if you could apply for different citizenships and be able to hold them all by paying annual fees and by passing exams in history, language, civic lessons etc? The annual citizenship fee is a form of tax which would help national governments collect more in taxes.

Citizenship in a country is not the same as nationality. While you will have only one nationality, you will be able to reap the citizenship benefits of Any country that interests you. You will also have to bear the responsibilities and obligations that come with the citizenships you hold.

Say you are a European and hold an American citizenship. You could work in the US if you wish, you could vote in US elections but choose to live in Europe. As long as you pay your taxes to the US government in the form of the annual citizenship fee and have passed your citizenship exams, you can freely vote both in your country of origin and in the countries of citizenship you applied for.

The advantage of this is that with a multiple citizenship option you can work anywhere you want, you can raise capital in more than one country to start a new business, in general you could enjoy more benefits in a world that will be more integrated than just more global!

What do you think? Wouldn't unlimited multiple citizenships make our world more integrated and also help deal with the illegal immigration problem many countries face?

universal internet language

This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 20 March 2008 by member morpheus

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how about a universal internet language that will allow everyone to communicate without the need for a translator? if the internet connects the whole world with the click of a button, then its universal language can help everyone communicate with whomever they want.

I am not suggesting that this new language replaces national languages, I am suggesting that it is learned as a second language early on in school, same way people learn english, french, german etc

if the whole world will interact, communicate and trade more and more online in the future, a new, simple and universal internet language can help facilitate the process. to me, the need for coming up with such new language makes sense.

kids can learn it online from a young age. adults should be able to pick it up pretty fast. a few ideas on how such an artificial language can be constructed. the grammar, syntax and pronunciation should be simple. it should have precise words for different concepts so that any meaning conveyed is clear. less ambiguity the better. this is because people will use it to trade and make business online.

I can't think of any other rules at the moment. can you? what is your opinion on this subject?

Inside Out Fashion Day

This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 24 October 2007 by member jim

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What about one day everyone had to go to work wearing their usual clothes inside out?

Imagine the whole world turned inside out for a day...

Spread your voice worldwide via car horns!

This thought was posted on Thinkaloo on 20 February 2008 by member smarty

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Talking about horny thoughts! What about a website service where people from all over the world upload a message that would be heard when a taxi driver in China or India or any country in the world presses his or her car horn to warn a pedestrian. Car drivers will be able to download it via their mobile phones or via wireless internet and use it as car horn. It can be a ring tone or a person's voice with a message in your own language or in a foreign language.

If you upload your own message, you will be notified by the website service daily as to how many times and in which countries your voice was heard. The people that used your voice to replace their usual car horn sound will be able to give you feedback online as to the reaction people had when they heard it. Wouldn't it be fun? What do you think?