What was in my mind is more like what you describe as "Doodling" in [http://paulgraham.com/ideas.html]. NOT the type thinking that gets you with the next social geofenced daily deal. There is some differentiator between the two that I think instinctively I understand, but quantitatively I haven't been able to describe.
EDIT: First crack at a description: You want an idea that solves a problem, not starts a startup, and sometimes a startup is a decent vehicle for the solution.
Comments
What was in my mind is more like what you describe as "Doodling" in [http://paulgraham.com/ideas.html]. NOT the type thinking that gets you with the next social geofenced daily deal. There is some differentiator between the two that I think instinctively I understand, but quantitatively I haven't been able to describe.
EDIT: First crack at a description: You want an idea that solves a problem, not starts a startup, and sometimes a startup is a decent vehicle for the solution.