In the movie Cocktail, Tom Cruise’s character, Brian Flanagan, tells the story of the man who invented the plastic tips that go on the ends of shoelaces (aka Flugelbinders). This man, created something so simple, but is now insanely wealthy. Brian/Cruise wants to find his own flugelbinder idea and make a fortune.

Somewhere in the back of our heads we all have our own flugelbinder. We keep it tucked away and only share it on occasion with people we trust…less someone hears about it, steals it, and makes a fortune. Heck, I’d bet many of you have even seen your flugelbinder come to life and be advertised on TV – leaving you sitting on the couch only to say, “hey, that was my idea.”

I’m not worried about someone stealing my flugelbinder. I’m sure people are hard at work developing it right now as I type this post. With that in mind, I thought I’d share with you my flugelbinder.

Dating Service + Loopt = Sonar Love

(working name of course)

Loopt, for all its faults, does one thing really well – it shows you on a map where your friends are. Dating services for all their faults generally do one thing really well – they give you options. The problem with most dating sites, like Chemistry.com or eHarmony, is that they aren’t designed to be instant.

So here’s my concepts:

1. Create a profile complete with name, screen name, gender, photo, dating “requirements,” and how public you want your profile to be
2. Other people will be doing the same
3. Download the mobile app (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.)
4. Launch the app and much like Loopt be able to see where people who meet your requirements are in proximity to you.
5. If you see someone that matches your requirements you can send them a message and see if they’re interested in getting together.

There’s a boat load of other features and steps, but you get the idea.

Imagine being able to walk by two bars. Bar #1 has only 3 people that meet your requirements. But, bar #2, has over 65. Which bar would you choose This is an idea that’s been in my head for a while. The technology and infrastructure are already in place and if Forrester is right about the evolution of the social web, the timing could be perfect.

Who’s with me? Let’s get this flugelbinder built.