Tom
An Old Friend
I get email updates from Should Exist. It's an Invention request site.
I think that emergency vehicle's should be fitted with a transmitter that can overide radio transmissions within a 50m radius. This would enable an ambulance or a fire engine to instruct a specific driver of another vehicle and tell them which way they would like them to move.In a situation where there are three or more lanes of traffic at a junction and as a driver all you hear is a siren which you are not really sure which direction it is coming from then the ability to say clear the centre lane or the left lane must be of use to the emergency services.Under these sort of circumstances we think that we are sure what to do but a direct instruction from the emergency vehicle would hopefully reduce any confusion.The system would overide a cars music radio/cd player in the same way that traffic news will switch channels for a bulletin and change back when the emergency vehicle has passed. This system would enable the emergeny driver to identify a possible blockage and say "Would the Coca Cola lorry please move to your right etc etc..
Banks could sell single use/secured throw away cards that you buy like a money order. You purchase the amount of funding and it is written to the card at the bank. Your pin would be the security that unlocks the card and the card wouldn't have to have your ssn or credit info on it. Once the funds are used the card could be discarded (no pun intended) or renewed with more funding. Think Walmart gift card.
Now, when my antivirus subscription expires or I want to purchase that game or some ink I go to the bank and buy a purchase card and next time I'm online I type the number and unlock code into the website and throw the card away.
Since the card would be coded at the time of purchase the website knows it is good and the money is transfered from the bank to the sites bank same as normal. The billing/shipping info is what would be used to track your order. The bank computers would only track the SOLD card numbers.
The entire card purchasing operation could be automated for convience in the ATM system.