Getting on with it!

I know just about every single one of you has invented one, two, or 50 tools, modifications, accessories etc. for this business that if sold would make you (and your kids) independently wealthy. It's one of the great things about people like you, always solving problems that noone anticipated in cool innovative ways. Everyone I work with his like that, every one I deal withh on a daily basis is the same. Except only a few take the time and push their ideas into thhe realm of reality so they can start protyping, manufacturing and marketing their products. I've had enough waiting around and have decide to start taking my two dozen or so "million $ ideas" to the next step. We are building our own protypes (as people like us can) and calling around to patent people and feeling out the potential markets for our products. It's going really well so far. So the reason for this post, who else is doing this out there? Anybody else feel like this is the last year they want to work for someone else and begin the process of a better life? Just curious...

Ben

Reply to
Ben Carter
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I would love to, but I'm not one of those of whom you speak. I haven't invented anything, well yet anyhow. Lane

Reply to
Lane

(...)

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--Winston

Reply to
Winston

Ben Carter wrote:,

who else is doing this out there? Anybody else feel like this is the last year they want to work for someone else and begin the process of a better life? Just curious...

My "last year" was 1996. Carry on, you can do it.

jim

Reply to
Jim Stewart

Ah Winston I totally agree with you. Best thing to do when doing something like that is have several versions of your invention, such as the MK-I, MK-II, MK-III, etc. Every time somebody copies your invention come out with the next improved generation. Remember the guy that invented the intermittent wipers that the Ford motor company put on the their cars. The guy that invented it got a $50 million settlement IIRC and it was all eaten up by the lawyers after many years of being run through the courts. The inventor died broke.

Invent several things and sell them. Don't rely just on one invention, also. Or do like Don Lancaster does, regurgitate somebody else's ideas in book form. You don't need a patent on that.

Regards, Bernd

Reply to
Bernd

modifications, accessories etc. for this business that if sold would make you (and your kids) independently wealthy. It's one of the great things about people like you, always solving problems that noone anticipated

withh on a daily basis is the same.

reality so they can start protyping, manufacturing and marketing their products. I've had enough waiting around and have decide to start taking my two dozen or so "million $ ideas" to the next step. We are building our own protypes (as people like us can) and calling around to patent people and feeling out the potential markets for our products. It's going really well so far. So the reason for this post, who else is doing this out there? Anybody else feel like this is the last year they want to work for someone else and begin the process of a better life? Just curious...

Inventing: .0005% inspiration and 99.9995% marketing.

As far as I can see, it's also a little like Photography...Pros may take

10,000 photos to get one published. Like Edison (maybe a bad example as he was really a hack), making money on inventions is about volume inventing where only 1 in 10,000 actually makes you any money, 5 in 10,000 seem to take off but never really go anywhere and the rest are dogs that you say "what was I thinking?" 10 years later.

It's almost never about whether people actually need or want what you invented. It's about getting it marketed in a way that makes people PERCIEVE that they want the item. Hopefully the item is good enough that perception turns into "can't live without". Those "swiffer" dust things are not all that good and not really any better than a good dustrag....perception was generated that they'd not only be a better way to dust, but they'd make dusting FUN. Deluge marketing made people percieve that everyone else had/wanted them. The makers probably spent about 100000 times as much effort and money on marketing to entrench this perception as they did tooling up to make the product.

Koz

Reply to
Koz

(...)

I could not have put it better, Bernd.

I've seen how some successful companies use this strategy by planning several improvements to a product representing an upward migration path for consumers, before releasing the first one. Look at how GPS has evolved, for example.

His case is not the exception, either.

  • Philo T. Farnsworth, inventor of television, suffered two major mysterious fires when he decided to lock horns with RCA.
  • Edwin Howard Armstrong, inventor of super-regeneration and frequency mod- ulation committed suicide after a 20 - year battle with RCA for royalties.
  • Thousands of 'individual contributors' within large corporations who (sometimes) receive token payment for their million - dollar ideas. (Know anyone who fits that description?)

Guy Lautard, too with his _The Machinist's Bedside Reader_ series, videos, and kits.

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Here is what I would buy from you inventive types:

  • A self-sharpening, easily cleaned beard shaving system.
  • A 3/8" rechargable ratchet like the one Skil used to sell for nearly no money. Removing spark plugs was really fast and easy with this. I miss mine. Gotta be more portable than an air ratchet, too. :) Like the Makita 6706DWA, but lighter and for US$ 90., not US$ 300.
  • An automotive GPS system that uses a full - size keyboard for address entry.
  • A fully automatic drill sharpener.
  • A flat - platen printer/copier/scanner/FAX with a full - size LCD screen that shows exactly how the printed page will look.
  • A screwdriver with Wiha system 4 blades, each selectable with just one click as per the old multi-color pens:
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  • A machine that cleans, disinfects, dries, fills, caps and refrigerates my Nalgene water bottles for far less money than store - bought water.
  • Multimeter probes that safely connect to wires or be used as a conventional needle, without the need to keep track of adaptors.
  • A small canvas bag that attaches to the power cord of my angle grinder. It stores the flange adaptors and wrench.

Any other ideas?

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 22:16:11 -0800, the inscrutable Winston spake:

Google for "weed eater". ;)

Those sound like they could be handy at times. I used to carry one of the B&D electric screwdrivers with me when I repaired computers for a living. It didn't save much time (which is OK when billing by the hour) but it saved my energy. Have you tried the stubby 1/4" air ratchets? They're still tied to a hose but they're a LOT more compact.

Built into the steering wheel?

That would be very nice.

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Jayzuss, is someone here L A Z Y ?

Handy!

Have you seen the spring-loaded style with the built-in hook, like plastic-covered, spring-loaded gaf?

How much do you want to pay for one? Size? How about 420 denier nylon with waterproofing? I'll use 1" Velcro to both attach and close the beast, padding it with 1/8" foam for longer life.

Who all wants one of these?

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Reply to
Larry Jaques

Thomas Edison said, "invention is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration."

Mrs. Edison said, "Tom, you are so stinking smart!"

Reply to
Don Foreman

LOL

Reply to
Sunworshipper

Then Google for "First Aid"!

I'm leaning that way. Will probably have one before my next tuneup.

And 30% lighter, too. Kewl!

Yeah! Replace the explosive airbag.

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Guilty as charged, Yeronner.

(...)

Yup, they work great. I want an integrated solution, though.

The same probes should be able to 'probe' and 'alligator' safely. (Not at the same time, ya unnerstand.)

US $9.95 plus shipping.

Size?

7.0" x 2.0" x 0.5" *inside capacity*.

Yeah! ('Water resistant' would be sufficient.) In Basic Black.

Cool!

Put me down for three. (My circular saw needs wrench storage, too.)

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 13:25:47 -0800, the inscrutable Winston spake:

Nah, men with beards are TOUGH. Just ask 'em.

I went the opposite way. For removal, I use the 3/8 air ratchet, u-joint plug socket, and a BF (24" long) extension. And I always spin 'em in by hand. Always. With the fuel injection on the pickup, I've only put 3 sets of plugs in the thing in 14 years now. It's about due. I now have 104k miles on it.

MUCH quieter.

Aren't they, yet?

How about $14.95 each with a flat $3.85 shipping fee for up to 4 pouches? Priority Mail.

Can do.

Good, it's in stock. I build my NoteSHADES glare guards with it. Need one of those while we're at it? (shameless plug)

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(BTW, the large white logo has been replaced by a more discreet, white tag on the back.)

OK, You're on. I'll try to whip those out this week.

Now for another on-topic discussion, I actually did some welding today. Well, _loosely_ it could have been called welding, anyway.

I had to "loosen up" to keep the rod from sticking, and once I did that, things started getting better and better. I extended the tube for the pickup crane 4" so the crane portion would clear the bed and liner. Man, not having picked up a stick welder in 6 years or so and having learned 30 or so years ago, I had a rude awakening. I got such good penetration on the 1/8" thick pipe that I burned a hole clear through it on the first try. I now feel that the $119 I spent on the Arc-180 at HF last month was worth it. I'll weld the angle iron to the side of the frame tomorrow. Hmmm, I'll have to figure out how to keep from getting burned at that angle, and I'll jack up the tire so it doesn't get a hot foot. Then theres the gas tank a couple inches behind it. I just filled up so it's safer.

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Reply to
Larry Jaques

Larry Jaques penned:

(...)

(Dragging DMM Probe design into the 20th century)

Nuh uh. We're still in the Dark Ages. At best, we provide a kit of fiddly little parts that are missing when they are most needed.

At worst, we have separate probes for wire testing and for um. probing. Nothing remotely 'integrated' in the way I imagine.

(...)

You might need some ad copy reminding us how costly it was, last time we needed to swap a cutting disc for a grinding wheel and the special wrench was *nowhere to be found*.

Fifteen bucks gets wasted rather quickly under those circs.

You'll want to post photos of the pouch in use with: * A Moto type power grinder, to hold burrs, cup wheel, cutting discs and arbor, collets * An angle grinder, to hold flange adaptors and wrench * A drill motor, to hold screwdriver - and drill bits * A circular saw, to hold the blade wrench, a 10' steel tape and a carpenter's pencil * A recipro saw, to hold blades and the Stupid Allen Wrench (TM) to change them * An air ratchet, to hold most - used sockets and allen drivers * A Metcal solder iron, to hold tips

(...)

Sure! Coulda used one today, in fact. Let me know when the ToolRoo's* are available. I'll order at the same time.

(...)

Radical, dude.

  • "Now you have it. Diversify Communications introduces the ToolRoo Pouch."

The ad campaign will feature Jessica Simpson. I want to watch her say "ToolRoo" a few times :)

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 00:11:09 -0800, the inscrutable Winston spake:

I could have sworn I'd seen a Fluke meter with both styles built in. 'Twas a plastic tip which was pointed and had a probe tip within, but it was wider at the base and had a cutout with a hook. When you pulled the plastic cover back, it exposed the spike at the end and the hook in the middle. Release to hook or hold down to probe. Upon further thought, I believe it was a friend's portable o-scope which had those. I'll ask him. (Gunner, it's my friend, Terry)

Good idea.

arbor, collets

Yes, and wood routers need wrenches, too. I'll use a few of these myself.

Great! I should be able to tuck the pouches in the same package as the NoteSHADE for no extra cost. Now to make a Paypal button for the ToolRoo(tm). (Thanks for the name, too, Winston.)

Is it Wednesday already? Gotta get hoppin'!

Yes, those poochy lips would do that well.

(DOMG = Dirty Old Man Grin)

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Reply to
Larry Jaques

The whole joy of a beard is that you _don't_ need to shave it. I trim mine every month or so with scissors.

Mark Rand RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand

Larry Jaques suggested:

I'd like to see a picture of that. Doesn't sound familiar. Most scope probes do have a sliding cover that exposes a hook for wire probing. Slip that off and you have a needle probe. That is close, featurewise but still has too many removable parts.

One should be able to do conventional probing, wire end attachment and insulation piercing with the same probe without any accessories.

Good catch!

(...)

Thank you, sir.

But of course.

(...)

Keep us in stitches, Larry!

(...)

Heh heh heh...

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I'd grow a beard again, but it shows up in this awful grey color.

:o)>

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 11:50:04 -0800, the inscrutable Winston spake:

You wants I should trow a bottle o' Grecian Formula in your package next week, mistah?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Larry Jaques revealed:

_Mechanix Illustrated_ Writer/Editor Tom McCahill was once asked why he didn't cover his bald top with a toupee.

His reply?

"That would be like putting a fox tail on a garbage truck."

I'm sure neither of you are old enough to understand this metaphor, though...

:)

--Winston the Grey

Reply to
Winston

I shaved my beard off in 1981 for a short term job requirement (respirator). My mother said I looked better, SWMBO "younger", 17yr. son "older", 7 yr old son "shorter", and my cat wouldn't have anything to do with me for three months till I grew it back. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

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