escalators are not accessibilty aids, they’re there for efficiency, and should be used as such.  They’re designed to get people where they need to go faster.  ie: don’t just stand on the escalator.  If you can’t walk up or down them, you should be on an ELEVator.

EXCEPTION CLAUSE:  IF you decide to ignore this rule, STAND TO THE RIGHT SO I CAN PASS YOU ON THE LEFT.

your key chain should be smaller than your open hand.  Meaning, if you can’t hold your key chain in your hand because you have too many stuffed animals, gizmos, pictures, cell phones, keys, toys, mirrors, shiny things on it, you have a problem.

Nothing is universal. What works for you may not work for others. What’s also important here is to remember to think objectively and inversely. ie: What does not work for you, may work for others. An example of this would be the modern social networking tools out there. Just because you don’t use RSS feeds, twitter, or even facebook, doesn’t mean that other people find them extremely efficient and useful. People’s values are different.

So Kallie and I need about 1.2 cars.  I walk to work and most places we go together.  Every once in a while though, we need to go separate ways.

I’m envisioning a car that can break in half basically.  I think there are people like us that need more than 1 car sometimes.  There would also be a market for couples in the city with 1 parking space.

I’m thinking 2 small engines, one in the front, one in the back, driving each axel independently.  When you have the “cars” together, the two engines work together.

You’d have to make the extra tires fold up or something when it’s in 1 car mode.  I don’t have any design ideas yet, but I think there’s a need, and where there is a need and some imagination, you have potential.

One of my favorite things in industrial and functional art is efficient use of space.  People design their furniture and living spaces to make life work well in small places.  This ins’t your feng shui movement/placement, this is getting the best use out of space.  I’ve seen hgtv shows where couples fit everything they own, neatly and conveniently, in a 400 sq ft condo.  I should pull out some of those links…everything from single foot staggered stairs, to entire walls that move and can be used for storage.

This little idea of storing books in the staircase is pretty awesome.  Kallie and I have a lot of books, and if we ever live on a boat, this would be one place we could store them all.  Kind of gives a new meaning to treading lightly on the words you speak.

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/02/bookshelf_stairs_are_freaking.php

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/at-europe/at-europe-london-closeup-the-amazing-staircase-042543