Double paned clear plastic windows, circular in shape and about a cubit in diameter that sit in the floor/ceiling between two levels in an apartment building. For privacy, there would be a brass porthole cover (reminiscent of those on old submarines), on a hinge. For the porthole on the ceiling, it would have a rod hanging down like the ones used to close tall windows. At the ceiling of the top level would be a covered oculus and as all portholes would be alligned above each other, on a sunny day, at the right moment, if all the portholes were open, a column of sunlight would go all the way to the bottom floor. This would be rare and special, like an eclipse.
People can keep their portholes open if they don't mind that others can see them, and shut them when doing something personal. This could be useful for scowling at your upstairs neighbors for being to loud, saying hello, or just making apartments seem less lonely and secluded and reintruducing a sense of 'community' in a building where people only see each other when coming or going and rarely get to know each other.
Portholes can also be used as windows between apartments on the same level.-- jellydoughnut, Aug 16 2006 Like this but set into the ground and without the lovely seascape behind it http://www.ing.iac....llery1/porthole.jpg [jellydoughnut, Aug 16 2006] fun; bun.-- James Newton, Aug 21 2006 it's a nice idea but my porthole will be shut.-- jonthegeologist, Aug 22 2006 [jon] But you forgot your other porthole - the one in the floor - Agh! for God's sake - wear something under your dressing gown!-- hippo, Aug 22 2006 Replace portholes with perspex domes; then, if you're feeling sociable, you can pop you head up intothe aprtment above and see what they're doing... <giggles>-- moomintroll, Aug 22 2006 I like this idea because it is funny, there is a shaft of light in it, and it assumes that people enjoy interacting with their neighbors. (I'm afraid to say that I would use one of mine to make threatening gestures at the teeny tiny yappy dogs that live next door.) I'm all for the domes, moomintroll, but it's unjust–what if I want to poke my head DOWN into my neighbor's apartment? Can it go both ways?-- Twenty Dollar Duck, Aug 22 2006 [hippo] - the floor porthole is open especially for you. Remember, you don't have to look up.
Avoid temptation.-- jonthegeologist, Aug 22 2006 ...it was the fact that my eye drifted from [hippo]'s anno across to the phrase "it would have a rod hanging down"...
I'll get me coat.-- moomintroll, Aug 22 2006 They could call them 'togetherments.'-- RayfordSteele, Aug 23 2006 [+] for use of the word "oculus"-- strange606, Aug 23 2006 random, halfbakery