I always think of the peg when considering inventions I wish I’d thought of, but probably would never have, even though they are obvious now.
I used to ponder inventions much more as a child, or at least in the days when I didn’t have 3000 emails in my inbox demanding immediate attention. Now there’s a site that lets me consider the feasibility of inventions without having to come up with them myself. Each day, New Ideas (off IOL) lists a number of possible inventions. You can rate their commercial viability from “Definitely Yes” to “Definitely No”. I’ve found the site quite addictive recently, and been going back often. It’s fascinating to wonder how people can go to the trouble of patenting an inflatable wig stand is the next big thing, or a bag with holes in the bottom for a fork lift to be able to stack higher. But there’s usually one that tickles my fancy – the digital frying pan was today’s.