We didn't have a remote control in our house until long after 1955. My father, the Lord of the TV, scoffed at those too lazy to get up and change a channel. In reality, he was too cheap to pay extra for the luxury device. When the remote was included as a standard item with all television sets, Dad never got out of the Stratolounger again.
Besides wanting to get my writing published, I've often wondered if I could come up with an idea that would be a commercial success. I'll never invent something like a remote control, but I'm clever enough to come up with an idea like the Pet Rock or the Chia Pet. If an eight year old could conceive of a new way to microwave bacon, why can't I have just one original (and lucrative) idea? http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/fleck.html
Maybe inventiveness requires a childish frame of mind. If you don't know what isn't possible, then anything is possible. One little genius was only two when she used a suction cup on an extension to reach out of a confined area and open a forbidden cabinet door. Her parents realized that they could use this idea to make a tool that allowed wheel chair bound people to extend their reach. The two year old had a patent by age four. This link will show you sixteen things invented by kids. http://www.cnbc.com/id/42497934/Inventions_By_Kids?slide=15 I was amazed to learn that popsicles, the trampoline, and the braille system were invented by youngsters. My favorite was Man Cans, candles inside recycled soup cans that have manly scents like coffee, leather mitts, and sawdust. Why didn't I think of that?
The Pet Rock and Chia pets are novelties. There are lots of things "invented" to make you smile, but other than, that have limited usefulness.
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| You'll get some double takes from passers-by |
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| Great idea if you want to walk your fish |
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| You'll never again have to worry that the guy you asked to take your picture will run off with your camera |
Sometimes it's not a brand new idea, but an improvement on an old idea that changes the world. Teflon had military uses before it coated the insides of pots and pans. NASA used temper foam to cushion astronauts and fighter pilots before anyone realized it would make a comfortable mattress. Maybe I could invent something useful for dog owners since I love dogs. The retractable leash has already been done. Forget mobile groomers. The Three Stooges dog wash concept could use some tweeking. Yep, I could run with that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfyrMaMCIgE
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