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Along with submissions for our Weekly Innovation post, we've also received ideas for things that haven't been created yet, things that NPR readers want to see become a reality (like reversible tattoos or steering wheel fans). As we look ahead to 2014, here are our favorite ideas of the past year.

While most of the news about elephants out of Africa concerns poaching and falling numbers, South Africa has the opposite problem. Its elephant populations have grown greater than the country can manage.

David Gilbert's new novel & Sons chronicles the life of a Salinger-like writer and, yes, his troubled sons, against the backdrop of the New York literary world. Reviewer Mary Pols says the book is "seductive and ripe with both comedy and heartbreak."

The infamous Boston mobster Whitey Bulger is on trial after decades of alleged crimes, including 19 murders. Weekend Edition Saturday Host Scott Simon talks with Dick Lehr, co-author of "Whitey: The Life of America's Most Notorious Mobster," about the trial.

Carl reads three news-related limericks: The Angry Skyscraper, A Grocery Cart Filled With Self-Loathing and Beyoncephobia.

The British-American actress co-stars opposite Eric Bana in the surveillance-state thriller Closed Circuit. She joins NPR's Robert Siegel to talk about playing a barrister, working with her celebrated Shakespearean father and being inspired by her opera-singer mom.

Ever wonder what happened to the spacious New York City apartment the cast of Friends lived in after the show went off the air? It went on the market! Host Ophira Eisenberg gives you the real estate listing for well-known fictional houses and apartments, and you must identify the film or TV show that featured that residence.

TV is still a huge topic of conversation on and offline, according to recent research. In fact, conversation about TV is growing in the last few years. And face-to-face word of mouth still has tremendous power when it comes to attracting new viewers to a show. TV still seems to be the most influential medium when it comes to shaping American culture.

For 25 years, Sub Pop has been putting out music that speaks to Seattle. Today, the music may not all be local, but the label's artists are mostly specialists who have perfected a certain style.

Patty Stonesifer once held a top spot at Microsoft. After that, she spent years at the helm of philanthropy giant the Gates Foundation. But this year, Stonesifer downsized. She's taken on a smaller-scale role as CEO of Martha's Table, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that serves the poor.