--- description: How play can transform communities, questioning executive pay, String Theory's debt to Einstein, summer jobs to fight crime and more. title: These Are Today's Best Ideas image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Innovation](/tag/innovation/) ## Innovation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Five Best Ideas of the Day: January 2 by [The Aspen Institute](/author/the-aspen-institute/) ## The Aspen Institute Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 2, 2015 5:01 PM CUT by [The Aspen Institute](/author/the-aspen-institute/) ## The Aspen Institute Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 2, 2015 5:01 PM CUT **1\.** [**Never doubt the power of play to transform communities.**](http://www.5280.com/news/getinvolved/digital/2014/12/nonprofit-changing-communities-through-play "undefined") By Natasha Gardner in 5280 Magazine **2\.** [**It’s time to start connecting the dots between executive compensation and better corporate citizenship.**](http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/dec/26/2015-lets-ask-the-right-questions-about-corporate-compensation "undefined") By Judy Samuelson in the Guardian **3\.** [**To fight contamination of lake water, these floating toilets grow there and clean themselves.**](http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/12/23/371862099/floating-toilets-that-clean-themselves-grow-on-a-lake "undefined") By Nsikan Akpan at National Public Radio **4\.** [**We owe approaching breakthroughs on String Theory to science’s patience for nurturing new ideas.**](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/string-theory-about-unravel-180953637/?all "undefined") By Brian Greene in Smithsonian Magazine **5\.** [**“Nothing stops a bullet like a job:” A small investment in summer jobs for teens in Chicago reduced violent crime in the city.**](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/12/26/chicago-gave-hundreds-of-high-risk-kids-a-summer-job-violent-crime-arrests-plummeted/ "undefined") By Emily Badger in the Washington Post  [_The Aspen Institute_](http://www.aspeninstitute.org/ "undefined") _is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3651823/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-january-2/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3651823/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-january-2/"},"headline":"Five Best Ideas of the Day: January 2","datePublished":"2015-01-02T17:01:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:27.671Z","description":"How play can transform communities, questioning executive pay, String Theory's debt to Einstein, summer jobs to fight crime and more.","url":"https://time.com/3651823/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-january-2/","keywords":["Innovation","Crime","Denver","violence","chicago","Einstein","Play"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Aspen Institute","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/the-aspen-institute/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/innovation/","name":"Innovation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3651823/five-best-ideas-of-the-day-january-2/","name":"Five Best Ideas of the Day: January 2"}}]}] ```