Inventors get ready

[zen]

I'm looking into becoming an inventor. I don't know where to start, but I thought this would help.

a) in your opinion, what is the best, SIMPLE modern invention?

b) what is an annoyance you face everyday, or atleast very often?

[Mister Earl]

A.) Hotdog toaster.
B.) Waking up to go to work.

[slyjoe]

a) inventions are usually for a specific purpose, so best, simple, modern probably need to be better defined. Are you looking at something mechanical, electrical, etc.
b) waking up is fine - having to work for money is not :)

[madurobob]

two simple words: "penis enlargement"

Apparently there is a great need for this.

[Horatius]

a) in your opinion, what is the best, SIMPLE modern invention?




US Patent 5458559. I'm pretty sure including any more details will earn me a yellow card.....

[sinclairmcevoy]

two simple words: "penis enlargement"

Apparently there is a great need for this.

Already invented. It's called porn.:D

[Horatius]

two simple words: "penis enlargement"

Apparently there is a great need for this.



US Patent 6398720. Comment as above. ;)

[Kestrel]

I'm looking into becoming an inventor. I don't know where to start, but I thought this would help.

a) in your opinion, what is the best, SIMPLE modern invention?

Post-it notes.


b) what is an annoyance you face everyday, or atleast very often?

Invent a car door latch that unlocks even when someone tries the handle at the same time.

[Myriad]

a) Those wide spring-clips that hold opened potato chip bags closed. (I mean, WTF? Why weren't these around 30 years earlier? No reason they couldn't have been made out of wood, even.)

Computation by binary logic comes a close second.

Some others of varying ages to look up for inspiration; they're not "the best" but they illustrate some possibilities: the Octodog, the DecorEgger, the Levitron, the Cross-Force Wrench, and the Fake Spilled Beer.

b) My dogs tracking mud into the house after being outside, on rainy or muddy days, and not wanting to stand still to get their feet wiped off.

I usually think of several at least moderately plausible inventions per week. While writing this post, I thought of this one, though it would take some engineering. A voice operated universal remote control would be very useful. Some do exist, but the problem is that they have to be very selective about the exact speaker and tone of the voice command (which makes them annoyingly fussy and requires them to be tediously pre-trained to each individual user's voice), or else they'll be constantly responding to speech sounds coming from the very equipment (TVs and sound systems) they're being used to control. I also strongly suspect they don't work very well when the sound is blasting. So, design one with an auxilliary device sends a signal back to the remote from the audio output of the sound system. The remote then uses that waveform information to cancel out the sounds that are coming from the speakers. You'll have a voice-activated remote that only "hears" the users' voices even when the volume is cranked up. License the technology to home theater manufacturers (makes more sense in this case than trying to market it as a consumer add-on).

Respectfully,
Myriad

[Jimbo07]

"Marge, think of something for me to invent..."

Have you tried an electric hammer?

:D

[Fnord]

a) In your opinion, what is the best, SIMPLE modern invention?

The pointed stick.

b) What is an annoyance you face everyday, or at least very often?

Too many people and not enough pointed sticks.

[quarky]

I wouldn't mind having a fake electronic device that gave me the appearance of being on the cutting-edge of techno-gizmology.
It should be small enough to hold in one hand, so I can 'use' it while I drive.
It should be able to make some random beeping noises, and have a small screen that displayed strange icons.
I don't want it to enlarge my penis.

[DRBUZZ0]

I'm looking into becoming an inventor. I don't know where to start, but I thought this would help.

a) in your opinion, what is the best, SIMPLE modern invention?

b) what is an annoyance you face everyday, or atleast very often?



Your questions are both broad and rather simplistic. Being an "inventor" is not easy. At least it's not easy to get started. It depends on what you want to do, but those invention help places are expensive. I don't know how useful they are, but it's tough getting started.

I'll see if I can find you some resources.

[arthwollipot]

So far as I know, the process of becoming an inventor starts with the idea. I don't think any successful inventors said to themselves "I think I want to be an inventor when I grow up" then went around looking for things to invent. But I could be wrong.

[Cuddles]

So far as I know, the process of becoming an inventor starts with the idea. I don't think any successful inventors said to themselves "I think I want to be an inventor when I grow up" then went around looking for things to invent. But I could be wrong.

For a perfect example, see The Simpsons.

You don't become and inventor by deciding to invent things, you become and inventor by actually inventing things. If you don't know what sort of things you're looking at inventing, and have a firm understanding of all the science and engineering involved, it's unlikely you'll ever invent anything.

[joobie]

a) Those wide spring-clips that hold opened potato chip bags closed. (I mean, WTF? Why weren't these around 30 years earlier? No reason they couldn't have been made out of wood, even.)

back then they were called 'clothespins.'

:)

[Iamme]

I'm looking into becoming an inventor. I don't know where to start, but I thought this would help.

a) in your opinion, what is the best, SIMPLE modern invention?

b) what is an annoyance you face everyday, or atleast very often?

Paper clip.

Constipation. Drivers who take cuts, only to turn 2 blocks up the street. Fear of death. Potholes. JREF'ers who think you are stupid that you think something intelligent made more complex things than what man, who IS intelligent, can create. Pens that skip. Slimey roads your car slips on in the winter/hard to brake in them conditions. Getting cavities just because you like sweets. Below zero weather. Having inside car windows fog up and even ice over because your car heater is not getting hot enough. Having to work, like what was already said. Wearing lots of clothes in the winter, then getting sweaty because of them, and then freezing anyway because the sweat starts to freeze. Paying over $3 for gas. Having to spend thousands of dollars in investing in some new product so you can save money.The IRS. (I guess I've covered death and taxes, ehhhh?) Killing mice with killer and having them die in hidden area of your house. :)

[Iamme]

If you wish to commit suicide but are too afraid, you could invent a fake way of getting 200 mpg and broadcast it and hope gas company hitman kills you and puts you out of your misery.

[Seventhsally]

To invent, observe... watch for the inefficiency of action, and act accordingly :-)

[Mister Earl]

How about a self-microwaving Bavarian creme dog?

[soylent]

a) Fast fourier transform.

b) Idiots.

[Fnord]

a) Fast fourier transform.

b) Idiots.

a) Wavelets.

b) Munchkins: "Any person who, upon learning that a particular RPG is set in Florence (Italy) during the Rennaissance, insists on playing a Ninja."

[Monza]

I wouldn't mind having a fake electronic device that gave me the appearance of being on the cutting-edge of techno-gizmology.
It should be small enough to hold in one hand, so I can 'use' it while I drive.
It should be able to make some random beeping noises, and have a small screen that displayed strange icons.
I don't want it to enlarge my penis.

I actually like this idea. It's a good way to irritate the tech heads around you who always want to be on the frontier. But if it was able to enlarge your penis, why wouldn't you want it to?

[Iamme]

But if it was able to enlarge your penis, why wouldn't you want it to?

Because of uninteneded consequences outside the realm of God's creation.

How? Example: Man sees beautiful babe while waiting for elevator. Man gets a bone. Man gets wiener caught in elevator door, and rips wiener right off when elevator takes off.

[fishkr]

Your OP questions aside, if you were to do a search of my IN (Inventor Name) on the USPTO website you'd see about 16 U.S. patents issued. Most of my work, I would add, has been focused on relatively silly niche markets that are more about having fun than doing a better job of dusting countertops. I am successful by most standards, but certainly not wealthy. And I continue to work a full schedule after 20+ years at it.

"Becoming an inventor" is a scary phrase, like hearing someone say they are "thinking of becoming a writer", or "I know I can write a hit song". Most successfull inventions are created by people who are very involved in a certain activity or field, and maintain a fairly narrow scope.

Weigh your financial motivations and objectives against the reality of market magnitude in your chosen field of invention. This really matters. You'd be amazed by how many otherwise great ideas fail because they may be out of scale with their market

Research the originality of your ideas using all the available data. Remember that if you are thinking about a thing it is very likely someone else is as well. Thus, very often it is the one who is first to market that prevails over "first to concieve". If you pursue your ambition beware of this rule.

On the other hand, as work, it can be a lot of fun.

[Shoogar]

Amazing simple invention - bicycle.

Annoyance - too many people (except me of course)

[quarky]

I actually like this idea. It's a good way to irritate the tech heads around you who always want to be on the frontier. But if it was able to enlarge your penis, why wouldn't you want it to?

My penis is fairly average sized, I suspect.
A larger one would be a pain in the...
oops. a bigger one would be a hassle.
If I was a woman, I doubt if I'd want humongous jugs.
Just looks painful.

Hmmnnn..

I wonder if anyone's invented anything we can use to keep our penis's from accidental enlargement?

[madurobob]

I wonder if anyone's invented anything we can use to keep our penis's from accidental enlargement?

Janet Reno

[quarky]

(sweet)

[Iamme]

Janet Reno

Or that rag on that one show with the 3 chicks (Sex in the City?, or whatever it is called) who was just voted the equivelant of ugly?, and she is protesting. LOL. No joke. I think there was some segment on FOX News? about this. She is the one with that protruding mole. Sort of looks like a witch unless she is made up real well and then she only look like 1/2 a witch. Her name is one of those names that is a 3-name name.

[BenBurch]

A few really, really smart people set out to be inventors and succeeded.

Its really, really, really rare.

And you'd better be a genius.

Either a creative genius like Edison, or a merchandising genius like Ron Popeil, or a business genius like Isaac Merritt Singer.

And you'd better start out with some real money, because patents are not cheap.

You should probably get your own law degree so you can represent yourself in court; Changes the cost equation markedly.

And a degree in some physical science or engineering discipline or the equivalent course of self-study can keep your error rate way down. Do it. Learn calculus. Learn chemistry. Learn basics of mechanical engineering.

And my most idiosyncratic advice; Read every book you can lay your hands on about 19th century mechanical engineering. There are ideas stillborn then that modern materials, machining tolerances, and microprocessor controls finally make viable today.

[quarky]

I wonder who invents most of the crappy stuff?
There's quite a lot of it.

The electric carving knife comes to mind.

[IXP]

a) The LED cannot be surpassed for simplicity and usefulness.

b) The fact that nearly everyone is stupid.

IXP

[BenBurch]

I wonder who invents most of the crappy stuff?
There's quite a lot of it.

The electric carving knife comes to mind.

But its great for helping dispose of bodies... :jaw-dropp

[Dymanic]

Put these coordinates into a GoogleEarth Fly to box:

+40° 5' 60.00", +94° 38' 60.00"

I think you'll see the annoyance those folks are facing.

[NobbyNobbs]

As far as simplistic inventions go, it has always amazed me that the Post Office took until the last few yeArs to start using stamps that don't require licking. I mean, I don't know how long stickers have been around, but at least since I was a kid, and probably, certainly longer! Why did it take until the 21st century to apply that technology to stamps? Geesh.


As far as the second question goes, in my opinion, answering that would be doing half the work for you. If I were to come up with a valid problem and you were to come up with the solution, I'd expect a decent proportion of the royalties. Often times, what separates an inventor from anyone else is the ability to say "You know, what this world needs is...." and then follow through on it. Without either of those two parts, you don't have an invention.

[quarky]

what's up with the 'dip-stick'? Why can't we know how much oil is in a car engine without poking a stick down a well?