I suggested this in chat
"We should start a series of challenge questions on the site. give a list of random materials, and see what people can make with them.".
And @Aarthi Devanathan Ψ suggested we do it on the blog , and also offered to help fund a prize. So all we need now is a list of random materials. I figured I would ask here on meta for suggestions, and let the community vote for the junk that will be used. I'm thinking top 3-4 items will be good.
So to make this work, please enter one thing (2x4, bucket, coffee can, duct tape, whatever) per answer and up-vote the ones you like.
In about two weeks (or whenever we secure a prize) I'll post a blog entry defining the challenge, and I'll use the top voted items from this question as the Bill Of Materials.