Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
Free set of rusty screwdrivers if you order now.

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, best, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


                                               

eSpecies

 An auction for the benefit of science
  (+9)(+9)
(+9) 		  [vote for,
against]

There's never enough money for science (unless it relates to weapons research). Auctioning off the names of new species might provide a new source of funding. Right now whenever a new species is found, and we're finding them all the time, it's often given a name referring in some way to the person who found it. These discoverers might be just as satisfied with 10 percent of whatever an auction could bring in, especially if they've already had some bug named after them. The other 90 percent could then go towards funding more explorations. As to whether or not there would be willing buyers, the fact that people pay to have stars named after themselves and friends when those names don't hold any official weight proves there's a market out there. The market would be even bigger for something like this, especially when the names would be official and stuck in every catalog of species from now until the end of man.
—longshot9999, Dec 10 2004

never say never, spacemoggy. http://www.bigcats..../kellascataron.html
feral + scottish wildcat = new kind of moggy and look at that expression... [po, Dec 13 2004]

and a mouse... http://nationalzoo....s/News/newmouse.cfm
[po, Dec 13 2004]

Flores Man http://news.bbc.co....agazine/3964579.stm
and wouldn't it be exciting if one of these strolled up to us on a beach somewhere. [po, Dec 13 2004]

a new monkey http://news.bbc.co....ci/tech/4101001.stm
[po, Dec 16 2004]

Baked sooner than I expected http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6939793/
Update [longshot9999, Feb 10 2005]


Please log in.
If you're not logged in, you can see what this page looks like, but you will not be able to add anything.



Annotation:







       Please don't let the Phundugs go extinct. Contribute the World Wildlife Federation today!
—phundug, Dec 10 2004
   

       Oh, look, it's a cute little PepsiCo™ Brand Beetlelicious Beetle.
—Worldgineer, Dec 10 2004
   

       Those transparent cave fish could be re-named "Crystali pepsicolensis."
—shapu, Dec 10 2004
   

       World - Once you've seen a PepsiCo Beetle I'll bet you'll never forget what it looks like.   

       Of course, the auction could always be limited to the names of real people if company names were considered offensive. Company names would make it easier for students to remember what was what though. For instance, who'd have a hard time remembering what the Enron Eel looked like?
—longshot9999, Dec 10 2004
   

       I'm already trying to imagine what those Phundugs look like.
—longshot9999, Dec 10 2004
   

       Araneus Marsbaricus? Vanellus Ciscosystemicus? That's what would get the big money. It would still be worth it though - anything to fund science is ok by me.
—wagster, Dec 10 2004
   

       I like this very much but presented as it is, is in danger of becoming a list. +1
—po, Dec 10 2004
   

       You just know that there would be a Trump somethingorother.   

       I like this. I would pay all I have to name some newly discovered species of wild-cat the Spacemoggy.
—spacemoggy, Dec 13 2004
   

       Sadly [spacemoggy], almost all new species discovered are small, icky and have many legs.
—wagster, Dec 13 2004
   

       You got that damn idea template out again didn't ya [longshot]:

Take worthy item/service in public domain, compromise with application of private money, justify with benefits to worthy thing.

Still waiting with my [+] till you bust out of the formula. Actually, that's unfair since you have come up with a lot of ideas, I just can't bun this kind that's all.
—DocBrown, Dec 13 2004
   

       DocBrown - What can I say? One of the things I like to do is find creative ways to turn things that benefit the public into self-sustaining activities, increasing the odds that they'll continue.   

       By the way, that was a very succinct descrption of the formula. I like it. Although I'm sure it wasn't your intent, keeping that pattern in mind will help me generate new ideas along the same lines. I'll try to keep the more radical ones out of the halfbakery though.
—longshot9999, Dec 13 2004
   

       [Wagster] - that could work as well. If anyone auctions off the labelling of a poisonous blood-sucking parasite, I know one or two names I would pay good money to have forever linked with it.
—spacemoggy, Dec 13 2004
   

       ignore my links then, what do I care?
—po, Dec 13 2004
   

       Sorry [po], totally didn't notice there were links. That first one's a fine figure of a bad-tempered cat, and would be well-suited to being called a Spacemoggy. Not so sure I'd want a bright orange mouse named after me though...
—spacemoggy, Dec 13 2004
   

       squeak!
—po, Dec 13 2004
   

       Hell, keep them all in [longshot]. Just cos I don't go for them doesn't mean others won't (as evidenced by current vote count). You never know, maybe one of them will snag me. You're paying me royalties for that formula though :)
—DocBrown, Dec 14 2004
   

       Just became baked. See link.
—longshot9999, Feb 10 2005
   


 

back: main index
business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle