...I would make every Friday "Great Idea Day" in the U.S., a day when everyone -- children, students, homeless folks, scientists, workers, retirees, old folks, illegal immigrants, you name it -- could suggest ideas on how to make the U.S. a better place to live. Maybe there'd be a huge web site where all the ideas could be posted, categorized and voted on. It's 2005, you know....about time we starting putting technology to use for something that could be really really good. My first idea: a federal mandate that by the end of 2006, all cars, trucks, vans and SUVs made in the U.S. (or sold by U.S. auto companies, no matter where they're made) get at least 40 miles per gallon, highway or city. It could be done if we put our minds to it. (And failing that, I'd invite the makers of Germany's Smart Cars to open up as many dealerships in the U.S. as they wanted. Competition certainly spurs creativity....