The internet isn’t the most intellectual, dispassionate place in the world.  It’s tribal, not academic.  Peter Hopkins, a recent college graduate, is hoping to change that with an idea that might change the internet for some of us, or might not.  It’s called Big Think.

Big Think () mixes interviews with public intellectuals from a variety of fields, from politics, to law to business, and allows users to engage in debates on issues like global warming and the two-party system.

The main page is impressive, and this could be a genius way to advance American discourse in a “hyper-partisan” age.  It impressed the former president of Harvard enough to compel him to take a meeting with Hopkins and invest his own money.  Browse the site for a second and let us know: can it work? 

The blog at First Things writes, “They say Americans don’t care about ideas. Well, that’s nonsense. We take ideas VERY seriously in this country. Where else would you see something like this?”  I would have to agree.

What good ideas came to life in 2007?  The Times says these are 70 of the best ideas from the last year.  The include  The Best Way to Deflect an Asteroid, Biodegradable Coffins, The ‘Cat Lady’ Conundrum, Posthumous E-Mail, Smog-Eating Cement, and Weapon-Proof School Gear.  The full list is here. 

And while we’re on the subject…What good ideas did you have this year?  Mine: A cell phone that will allow you to answer a call during an important meeting by telling your caller that the phone has been answered and to please hold…while the person leaves the meeting respectfully, to take the call in the hallway.