Latest
Catch up on Alex’s latest publications and appearances here.
Get the latest blog posts delivered!
Find out when Alex is in the news
Multiplication table app round-up: Blog post wanted
Jun 4, 2012 | Idea Liberation Project, Family
Learning multiplication tables ought to be a lot easier — or at least a lot more fun — in the age of the iPad and iPhone. That’s why I’d love someone to write a blog post rounding up different multiplication table apps.
ShoeCamp: An (imaginary) unconference for the footwear-obsessed
Jun 4, 2012 | Idea Liberation Project, Lifestyle
Madeline Stanionis inspired this vision for ShoeCamp, an unconference for the footwear-obsessed.
Blackout ribbon: Avoiding grim news and spoilers
Jun 4, 2012 | Idea Liberation Project
I’d like to designate a coloured ribbon that would be as universally recognized as the yellow or pink ribbon campaigns. See someone wearing this ribbon, and you know that they don’t want to discuss the latest grim news stories. A more elaborate version could prevent spoilers, too.
The Genzlingerizer: An app to enhance offline reading (and an IFTTT workaround)
Jun 3, 2012 | Idea Liberation Project, Lifestyle
I want to set up rules for the publications I read in print, specifying the authors or topics that qualify as must-reads. When said publication appears at my door, I want to launch an iPhone app that tells me which pages to look at in this morning’s New York Times, this week’s New Yorker, or the latest Entertainment Weekly. Then I want an easy way to take whatever I’m reading in print, and convert it to a set of links that are ready to share online.
12-Step Social Media Scanner & Intervention Bot
Jun 3, 2012 | Idea Liberation Project, Lifestyle
Imagining a 12-step bot that constantly scans people’s social media feeds for signs that things are out of control, and then tweets you the location of your nearest AA, Overeaters Anonymous or Shoppers Anonymous.
YouDrawIt: The shopping engine that lets you drive
Jun 2, 2012 | Lifestyle, Idea Liberation Project
Wanted: a shopping engine that lets me draw the shape I’m looking for — whether it’s a shoe, a shirt or a dress — and then searches the site for items that appear to match my shape.
Butt-crack mural: Rethinking self-judgement
Jun 2, 2012 | Idea Liberation Project
This post was an exercising in suspending self-judgement: in this case, the judgement that a giant mural stitching together butt-crack photos is an unshareably bad idea.
Rain swag for the farmers market
Jun 2, 2012 | Idea Liberation Project
NameRater: A search tool for evaluating a possible name change
Jun 2, 2012 | Relationships, Idea Liberation Project, Family, Lifestyle
Wanted: a search tool that evaluates the search engine visibility of your prospective married name, or the name you are considering for your baby.
SinglesMob: An app for turning parties into mixers
Jun 1, 2012 | Relationships, Idea Liberation Project
Envisioning an app that lets you blast your single friends with the news that you are at a party with a lot of single guys (and not enough women) or vice versa.