brainstorming themes for my undergraduate thesis

scenario:
food court. everyone's sitting at separate tables (that are set up for two or four). no one is attempting to meet anyone else. there is a problem in that we too seldom meet people outside of our social comfort zone. it leads to stagnation in our creative thinking, to narrow-mindedness.

theme:
designing for encounters with strangers (see Samba Meeting project below)


scenario:
-reacting against getting an extra DISPOSABLE (that word is loaded with meaning) plastic tray just for a Naan bread that might just as well lay on top of my curry. I wouldn't mind and I would normally say no thanks, but she had already 'solied' that tray with the bread.
-realizing that i don't need to flush the urinal

theme:
designing to not make possible wasteful behavior. if a urinator flushes automatically, why not preprogram it to flush at an interval that will conserve water, and at the same time not let urine build up to create a stink?
harder problem, needs restraints: embed environmental consciousness at an early level of our 'cultural education'