Over a couple of cups of coffee and a liesurely Saturday morning I stumbled across this slideshow from Fast Company.
16 Inventions that Boost Habitats, Humanity, Health and Happiness
My favorite is the Hippo Water Roller. Ingenious solution to a very practical problem.
It's worth a look. Some really cool stuff here. It's fascinating to me that some of the most brilliant ideas are often the simplest. If you have an idea for design or business that people can "GET" instantly it's worth exploring. On the other hand if you have to explain, educate and convince people I've learned that the project will cost more, take longer and usually be less profitable in the long run. Look for the simple solution first.
I've often heard people play down their simple solutions with language like "I'm sure someone else has already thought of that." Maybe they have, but success lies in execution, not conception.