#CrazyIdea: paternalistic surnames are unfair, and perpetuate the idea that a man "owns" the wife and children. They also get clumsy for less common/more complex relationships. For me personally, I'm more than happy with the traditional approach. But if I were to design an equitable society, I think a different approach would be better. Here are three ideas:

1. Maternal line: spouses retain the surnames. Children get the surname of their mother. Easier to be sure of the mother's identity than the father's, after all. Note that this does get more complex in cases of donated eggs or surrogate mothers.

2. New surnames: upon marriage, all spouses decide on a new surname - perhaps honoring some ancestor or picking an aspirational word. Their children have the new surname.

3. No surnames: delete the concept of a family name. People can still have three names, but the last name is just like the first or middle name - perhaps chosen by the parents at birth, or perhaps chosen by the child later.

Side note: it's odd that parents choose the name a child is saddled with for their entire lifetime. Parents don't own the child; they should be able to establish their own identity. Perhaps parents should give children two names and the child picks a third (first) name upon majority, so Francine Smith could become Emma Francine Smith at 18.

#CrazyIdea: smart, inflatable kayaks. The pump is built in. Push a button and it inflates or deflates the kayak, so you could easily put several in the trunk of your car. The kayak also has a waterproof mount for a smartphone, keeping the screen aimed at the paddler and the camera out at the river (or other body of water). Have software that tracks your location on the water (and perhaps that of the other boats in the crew), that records interesting things that happen at the front of the boat, and can identify wildlife. Perhaps build in some game functions as well, such as a visual scavenger hunt, bumper boats, or a Guitar-Hero like game where everyone has to paddle the same way at the same time.

Additionally, here are some freebies for kayak/canoe rental agencies: give people nets and reward them for collecting litter on the water. Perhaps with coupons for a nearby eatery. Such a restaurant partnership could be profitable, as after people paddle for an hour or two they're likely to want to eat. The restaurant could also provide coupons for the boating experience.

Overheard ...

"We need to teach the beavers to manage the heather."

#Environment #Overheard #CrazyIdea