***We did an interview with Jason awhile back in August. Check it out HERE.

****Don’t forget to sign up for BENJAMANIA this week!! Submit your lucky number HERE.

Since this is a new project, we’re looking for feedback and we welcome comments on what you like or how we can make a fun contest even better!

Our list this month features some pretty interesting ideas, in no particular order. If you’ve got some time, click through on each of the ideas, because the comments other members leave are often just as outrageous as the ideas themselves.

Anycolor Pen with ColorPick

“Most paint programs allow you to do two things that are sadly missing from the paper world: 1) Select the color of your brush from a color palette, and 2) Select the color of your brush from an existing color. The AnyColor pen remedies this! The pen contains Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black ink cartridges, and adjusts the flow rate to create the desired color. (These are the same subtractive colors used in inkjet printers) The color can be specified by adjusting three (R,G,B) sliders and displayed on a miniature color LCD screen built into the back of the pen. Alternately, the user can press a button on the side of the pen and tap on any real world object. Photocells in near the tip of the pen register the RGB value of the of the object, and adjust the flow rate accordingly (the back of the pen also turns the appropriate color).”

Perhaps not be most essential office tool, but definitely a fun idea, and useful if you’re looking to match an already existing color. It reminded me of a high-tech version of the old-school color changing click-pens! Looks like it may have already been designed, but is still only in concept form.

Cereal Screen

“This is a half-circled-shaped thin wire mesh with a lip along the rounded edge. When you are nearly finished your breakfast cereal, place the mesh along the edge of the cereal bowl, tip back and the remaining milk passes through as the leftover bits of corn flakes or rice crisps are trapped in the mesh, where they can be collected with the spoon. Saves having to hunt for the last floaty bits at the end of the cereal session, and removes fear of choking while drinking the milk. Mesh would have to be flexible enough to adapt to different bowl circumferences.”

I envision this invention making more of a mess than anything, but this is a perfectly “half-baked” idea, and for you picky cereal eaters out there, this could be just the tool for you!

Toaster Calibration

“A camera/small LCD screen combo device on the front of your toaster where you can take “after” pictures of your toast after cooking at different temperature settings. Subsequently, when turning the burned-ness dial it will display your previous toast pictures, so you can get an early idea of how much tan, brown or black you want on your bread prior to the magical transformation.”

Must be I was hungry for breakfast when I chose these ideas…. This idea aims to to be the solution for anyone looking to get that perfect slice of toasted slice without all the guess work and waste of several severely burnt slices – unless you prefer to eat charred toast..

Clothing Heater

“So the idea is a heating system that fully heats one’s cold clothes. A rack designed to hold ones clothes and fully heat them. Switches on 5-10 minutes before you get out of bed with a timed system, or do it yourself with a switch if you’re a snooze abuser.”

This is one invention that I would definitely invest in if it existed. Waking up in a room that is drafty in the winter is no fun, and this might even make me slightly less reluctant to get out of bed in the morning! There would be the possibility fire hazards, but in my opinion it’d be well worth it.

With New Years approaching, we have decided to wrap up 2009 with several of our favorite posts we have written since the beginning of the Finding Benjamin project. We have learned so much and come so far from those first days back in July when we launched the site. But with a new year comes new ideas, and boy do we have plenty of them, so stay tuned!! Here are the top five favorite posts from 2009…

Finding Benjamin Crib Notes – House Tour

A great video with Dave showing everyone around the infamous House Of Pain. The house was a lot cleaner back then…

From Barista To Blogger

This article was featured on the popular site Blogussion.com. A great article with some great advice.

The Best Of Halfbakery – October Ideas

Maybe it’s just the Lazy River Office that intrigues me, but this happens to be my favorite collection of half baked ideas.

Finding Benjamin Closet Sessions – BEDROC

Our favorite interview of the year with an awesome freestyle at the end. Since this interview, BEDROC has made some big steps. They had their first headlining show a month ago at the prestigious Water Street Music Hall, and they are kickin’ off the new year with a big concert at Water Street again on January 2nd.

10 Ways To Make A Benjamin

In our eyes, this was our best list of ways to make $100 from the “10 ways” series. Lots of great, easy ideas can be found from this list.

Recyclabow

“People frequently recycle (or try to recycle) gift bows. This is inhibited by the common self-adhesive bow, when the adhesive pad does its job and holds on tightly. One can get the bow, but is stuck taping it to the next present. The problem is exacerbated by more exotic bows that don’t have flat bottoms. The idea is to sell bow packages, where the bow has a Velcro base (hooks, say) that attaches to a self-adhesive Velcro pad (loops, say). The bow can be recycled by purchasing packages of just the self-adhesive pads (loops), and extant bows can be made compatible with similar kits of pads (with hooks) for the bows.”

I thought this was a pretty creative idea to encourage the reuse of gift wrap bows. Opening packages can sometimes be bittersweet because you hate to ruin the pretty paper (at least I do!). Opening packages knowing at least part of the wrapping could be saved would add to the happy festivities of the holidays, especially for your eco-friendly friends and relatives! Might be a pain to sort through all the wrapping paper to save the bows however…

Spraywrap

“For very odd shaped items that traditional wrapping paper has trouble covering. Or for those who are gift-wrap impaired. Comes in an can with a nozzle. Aim it at the item to be wrapped and spray away. Sort of like silly string. Rotate the gift to get even coverage. When it’s time to open the gift, the lucky recipient just tears it off. Comes in a variety of colors. Biodegradable, nontoxic, color safe.”

I have enough trouble wrapping a plain square package – let alone any type of irregularly shaped gift, so I would definitely make use of this idea. Although spray on wrapping paper might be a little big overkill for the “gift-wrap impaired”, (it’s what gift bags are for!), it’s still a fun idea to entertain.

Laundry Pager

“aaaaaaaaah – Apartment Life. Someone invariably goes to laundry room, cranks up washing machines and leaves – apparently forgetting about the laundry. The next individual in need of Fresh Laundry politely waits, then gives up and puts aforementioned laundry in dryer for fellow Apartment Building Dweller. By the time the ‘next individual’ comes down to put freshly washed laundry in dryer, the previous individuals laundry remains damp in the dryer. So the ‘next individual’ neatly arranges wet laundry on table and dries his/her own laundry. Later, when the ‘next individual’ goes to retrieve his/her laundry from dryer, he/she finds that his/her laundry is still somewhat damp and is now in a wrinkled ball and the previous individuals laundry is now gone. Back into the dryer goes the ‘next individuals’ laundry. This mental picture /scenario / reality could be altogether avoided by means of a pager device indicating laundry is done by current occupant of washer and/or dryer. ”

This is another gadget that I would use hands-down! It’s a huge pain to have to run up or down flights of stairs several times more than necessary to check on your laundry, only to find it’s been tossed into a wet pile by some impatient neighbor. A pager would eliminate these problems! There was a similar idea for setting up a system where you could actually check the status of the washer or dryer, but a google search showed it’s been “baked” already by MIT students.

Cat Puffer

“A small proximity detector with a compressed gas cartridge that blows a puff of air when something comes near it.It can be placed under the edge of a favorite chair or sofa so that the cat gets puffed when he tries to scratch the chair.It can also be equipped with an RFID detector so that it only puffs certain cats (those without a chip in their collar. This could be incorporated into a cat bowl that puffs anycat that tries to steal the owner’s food.”

I happened upon this idea via Halfbakery’s “random” generator, and it made me giggle so I thought I’d share. This idea also seems like it could be constructed somewhat easily, and could be a very effective little device! Similar products exist that act as a repellent using smell or sound, but as far as the air puff technique, I wasn’t able to find anything out there. It’d also make for some great home videos!

I also tested online sports betting sites. I must admit that I have not been very active on these sites. However, with that being said, my total balance is just over $12 after only placing a measly 15 bets. If I could commit myself to these sites like I do with my fantasy football team, I feel like I would have at least $50 right now. There is no work required for placing bets, unlike creating a quiz. Placing bets is fun, and you risk NOTHING! Here are some good sites that I recommend.

Cent Sports

Free Sports Bet

Vegan Wishbone

“Thanksgiving has a little bit missing for vegans. Tofu Turkeys have *captain obvious strikes again* no bone structure. Thus create a non-animal based wishbone to insert into the turkey shaped tofu dish. It would have to be able to take the heat needed to cook the dish. And to keep it from sinking it would need something to hold it in place.”

In honor of Thanksgiving, as well as all the non-meat eaters in the world, we decided to include this pretty “bakeable” idea. This invention would allow vegans to still take part in the tradition of breaking the wishbone – and no animals would be harmed in the process!

Personal Retrorockets

“Gyroscopic devices located in the lower (shoes), mid (belt) and upper (tie tack, glasses) portions of the body are used to detect an impending fall. These devices notify your wallet which, using the combined processing power of the smartcards therein, causes strategically located retrorockets (in cufflinks, belt, etc) to fire – returning the subject to an upright position”

This is probably the most “out-there” idea to make our list this month, but for clumsy people such as myself, this seems like a pretty ingenious contraption. While it’d definitely be useful to wear to prevent injury after tripping over your shoe laces, it’d also be just as hilarious to observe a retrorocket-wearer start to fall and then be popped right back up.

Food Sleuth

“Every day I spend at least the first 7 minutes of my lunch break trying to figure out what I would like to eat. Sometimes it’s easier just to go without. What would be handy is a hand-held device based on 20q technology that asks you a series of questions about foods and tastes and textures which you answer yes, no or sometimes etc. After 20 questions the machine informs you of that perfect meal that you didn’t know you wanted.”

This gadget would be great for those days when you know you’re hungry, just not what you’re hungry for. You could even take it out to restaurants with you to help you decide what to order off of an extensive menu! It would be awesome if it could be modified to include suggestions for healthier alternatives to whatever junk food you might be craving, too.

Ice-Proof Walkway

“It should be possible to pave or cover walkways with a slightly springy or spongy material (maybe similar to high-tech running track material) that flexes just enough when walked on so that ice cracks and can be easily shoveled away.”

While this idea definitely seems useful and doable, it must be the cost of some kind of material like the one described above that stands in the way of it being “baked”. Also, it wouldn’t prevent the formation of ice, so you’d still need your “personal retrorocket” to protect you from falling. Still, it sounds like it would save a ton of time and energy when it comes to ice removal.

Lazy River Office

“Why not, instead of setting up a depression, creativity-draining cublice landscape, erect an office based on the lazy river rides found at most water parks? There would be no walls, just a wide space with a winding, slow-current river replacing most of the floor. Each employee would get a large innertube outfitted with a couple drawers, a raised writing surface, cup holders, office supplies, a cell-phone, etc. Then they could spend all day floating around, perhaps with their feet in the water as they go about their business. I envision much happier, productive employees (as long as the innertubes are made sturdy enough to support some serious work.”

I don’t know about you, but if going to the office every day meant getting to float around in a river all day, I think I’d look forward to the work day a little more! It’s definitely a half-baked idea, but still fun to envision. Check out all the comments with additions and improvements to the original concept!

Color Changing Credit Card

“This is a credit card that changes as you spend and approach your limit. Its based off of the Homeland Security Model.

• Low – Green – Spent nothing or next to nothing.
• Guarded – Blue – You’re spending within your range.
• Elevated – You are spending dangerously close to your monthly budget and are in danger of overspending.
• High – Orange – You have spent past your budget and are very close to your limit.
• Severe – You have spent past your limit, the credit card companies are going to deactivate your card and repo all your possessions.This way you will know when you have spent too much and how soon you’ll be living on the street completely broke.”

Another great, while somewhat outrageous, idea. It would be great to immediately know the status of your credit card when you’re out and about, instead of having to try to remember or look it up. I also like the idea of the card changing to a certain color if it’s stolen.

Inflatable Coffee Sleeve

“I feel bad enough when I get a coffee in a paper cup and not in my stainless travel mug that I have forgot to bring/wash. Adding insult to injury is the means to insulate the cup from your hand. This is either more paper in the form of a sleeve, a styrofaom cup in itself, a foam lined cup exterior, a foam sleeve, or an extra cup altogether. A small tough folded and quilted inflatable sleeve with an elastic joiner to accomodate all sizes could be blown up, used, deflated, and folded back into a credit card sized space in your wallet.”

The average American consumes around 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day. If those coffees are all purchased in paper cups with paper or plastic sleeves, that’s a lot of waste! A reusable cup sleeve is a great idea, especially if it’s inflatable so that it can fit many sizes and be easily stored. While I haven’t seen an inflatable sleeve yet, I am proud to say that I do use a reusable sleeve if I get my coffee in a paper cup – here’s where I got mine!

Halloween Screaming Soda Caps

“For this Halloween, I have come up with screamin’ soda caps. I stumbled upon this when I was at a party last night and I opened a really fizzly bottle of Coke. Now, I thought to my self, “What can we do with this?”. So…… For Halloween, I propose specially made bottles and lids for soda bottles. Cleverly shaped, these bottled, instead of making a hissing noise, use the pressurized CO2 inside to make a screaming noise when first opened. NOW THAT’S THE SPIRIT!!!!”

Since Halloween is coming up, I figured it would be appropriate to add this idea to the list. If someone could figure out how to actually make the bottles scream when opened, I  could think of a million ways it could be used as a great prank!