This is an interesting one: in theory, it should be easier and of more service for someone to take a half formed flailing seed of an idea that simply isn't working yet, and add a few magic drops of alternative viewpoint and a bit more work, and progress someone elses point of abandonment into something potentially useful. After all, half the work's done for you, the jar has been loosened for you, all you have to do is finish someone elses false start.

In reality, I see people would rather keep the proprietaryness of the entire package to themselves and say 'I thought of this - all of it - from start to finish' for some reason. I think this attitude is a failing, and I consider that a 'junkpile' or 'scrapheap' of either problems looking for solutions, or problems with completely unfinished and unsatisfactory attempts at solutions, available for anyone to pick up and run with (preferably the latter - identifying a problem only isn't a much of an achievement as also having a stab at a solution, even if it completely fails or falls short).

I agree - a section (if it falls within the remit of the site, that is) for scrapheap parts and pipes and bits and bobs and other intellectual fragments would be quite enjoyable to pick through now and then and progress. More should be made of finishing other peoples false starts without feeling compelled to reinvent the wheel entirely by oneself each time. Human greed (sorry, nature) works against this, though, for some reason that really isn't helpful in a scenario such as this.

I'm against that - it would turn this site into some kind of self-help or expert site, and those already exist everywhere (e.g. www.allexperts.com). the concept of having bright, simple ideas stated is a totally different approach - it's like planting a seed and see it grow.

Barry and I are thinking about adopting your proposal. Indeed, we might try to make an easy mechanism where people can also post solutions for the problems that will automatically be forewarded back the original questioner.

In a sense, this part of the site might become an alternative to Google Answers (which is a great service where you pay specialist answers who for a potential monetary reward will try to answer any question you submit)

I love a good problem. I am grateful when someone points out a problem. Please, please -- keep this section going.

Good problem -- definition: One that you can't find an answer in Google or from "the experts." You know -- one that hasn't been solved already.