I have a lot of bad ideas. Ask the people who know me. These are some better-ish of them. Maybe someone out there has the free time to go do them…


IOP Wooden beach shovel company

Honestly, I see a ton of plastic crap left at our beach from people visiting. In specific, the number of kids toys abandon in the surf. I’m sure it’s only 1% of the plastic waste neglected at the beach, but I think it would be pretty clever to make biodegradable beach toys. Leave a wooden shovel at the beach, it rots in and disappears back to nature. Give an alternative, and reduce/remove/ban plastics over time.


Bo DAO, BoCoin

Boscephus (Bo) is an escape artist. So are my 2 labs. So is my neighbor’s standard poodle. I’d like to build a DAO based on my neighborhood dogs. Supported by crypto payments for retrieving lost dogs and impromptu play dates. Also useful for paying fines to Animal Control.


Killing old web projects

This is actually a good bad idea. I do too much. My office is a mess of architecture models, sketches for work, etc. And over time I’ve accumulated a series of websites that at the time were hilarious to me. They’re financially really cheap to create and host. However mentally they’re just clutter. Here’s the list:

  • Happenings by Heidi – my wifes event page. Not the worst idea.
  • Look at my meat – pictures of things I’m grilling/smoking with really dirty titles.
  • Save IOP – random idea to create a fictitious non-profit for saving something not needing saving.
  • InformationJunkyard – online archive since ’98, a junkyard of random thoughts and design artifacts.

Fairly, over my lifetime I’ve launched and deprecated dozens of websites for jokes. Maybe someday I’ll learn.


Presidential boat flags

We have a lot of boats in Charleston. And a lot of them with “Trump 2020” flags proudly displayed. I think it would be funny if there were actual presidential flags. Flags that simply say “Lincoln 1797”, or “Roosevelt 1945”. No one would understand this. That’s why it’s funny, but only to me.


Tshirts that help new residents be kind

So we have a lot of folks recently moving to the Charleston area during Covid. Can’t blame them – remote work coupled with being outdoors. This place is amazing. What we could do with is a bit less complaining. Have fond memories of moving here from California; Learning to slow down a notch, seeing how the locals do it, and enjoying the beauty that comes with living in the Lowcountry.

“Yes, the bagels here are really bad.”
“Yes, there are lots of great places in OhIo.”
tagline: Act Local. Be Kind.


Real-time negotiation for Autonomous car crashes

Your Tesla hits a thing (human, car, etc.) and automatically negotiates fault, sends crypto payment in damages, in real time, so you can get back to watching your movie on autopilot.


Reverse Recruiting

Ever have that person in the organization you think highly of, but perhaps isn’t a great fit long term? You want to find them a better home for their talents. Reverse recruiting. Quietly putting them out for auction and connecting a future employer to take them off your hands. Everyone’s happy. Your employee feels like a big win, the new company is excited, and you can find room on the bus without setting the entire bus on fire.

Posted by:Brad Kaloupek

A successful design leader, Brad has worked with software companies and advertising agencies on both coasts. He believes good design has the ability to both solve business problems and have a positive impact on people's lives.

One thought on “ Bad idea list (2021 edition) ”

  1. Good to see you kicking this around again.

    The shovel idea is solid. Got he kiddos a folding army shovel for the beach, it is a game changer.

    I’ve always wanted to sell food, drinks, goods, towels, etc. from a 3 wheel bike I can ride up and down the beach during low tide. Put $100 of mercury in a basket or cooler and ride until it is all sold.

    Also bruising off some old content for similar reasons.

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