Matthew Bobryk, our Gest Blogger, is an advertising writer who just so
happens to be a certified gear head and obsessed with anything with a
motor in it. He wanted to share some of the latest innovations in motorcyle design with the readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com.

Here's his article:

* * * * *

For close to 100 years, motorcycles and cars were all dependant on a very inefficient and environmentally nasty source of electrical power: the lead acid battery. What's surprising though, is most car and motorcycle manufacturers still use lead acid batteries. There has been a huge lag in new technology for this specific need. This may be soon to change, as one inventor has invented something truly exciting in the motorcycle industry: The lithium ion polymer motorcycle battery. read more »

Have an invention idea? Need help and advice about your invention?

Ed Zimmer has written what I think is one of the best articles on the web for inventors, "New Product Licensing" on his helpful website The Entrepreneurs Network.

I thought is was one of the best distillations of the challenges of the invention process and it offers priceless advice for inventors. Here's Part I of his article:

* * * * *

You have a new product idea that you believe would sell very well were it only available on the market -- but you don't have the time or resources to "venture" the product, i.e., to manufacture it (or have it contract-manufactured) and sell it yourself. What now? read more »

Realistically, the best advice you could be given is to forget the idea -- and get on with your life.

We are very happy to announce that a new Featured Blogger will be joining the AmericanInventorSpot.com team.

Rodd Miller is an artist/designer who works as Art Director, Concept Designer, and Animator. He splits his time between work in the Animation industry, developing and designing in a variety of independent projects, and creating conceptual work. He will be writing about new inventions and new invention concepts.

He is a great addition to our team and we are all very excited that he has agreed to join us. Please help us give him a warm welcome by giving him lots of comments and input on his articles.

AmericanInventorSpot.com Team read more »

So you finally make it to the big presentation. That big sales call. Or you find yourself standing before a panel of judges in a contest. What do you do? How should you approach the situation? How do you get inside their heads? How do you convince them that your idea has value? Let's see what a recent film about one of the deadliest and most depressing battles of WWII has to say about the issue. read more »

Thinking about manufacturing your product overseas?

Our Guest Blogger, Ashton Udall, is a partner at Global Sourcing Specialists , a product development and sourcing firm that assists businesses, inventors, and start-ups tap overseas resources to succeed in the global economy. He has helpful advice on finding Asian manufacturing partners for the readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com.

Here's his article:

* * * * *

Today, Asia is a hot topic amongst small businesses and inventors who want to benefit from the cost-savings there. If you are taking a product to market that will compete against products that have been on the market for some time, you might have no choice but to begin manufacturing overseas. Whatever your impetus, it's a topic that's worth becoming familiar with when you assess manufacturing options for your product. read more »

If you haven't heard about the Virgin Earth Challenge
yet, announced two weeks ago (2/9/07), by Sir Richard Branson, now's your chance to get in on the action, find a way to save the world and win millions in the process.

The challenge: to come up with a way of removing one billion metric tons of lethal carbon dioxide from the earth's atmosphere every year for 10 years without further harming the earth. The winner (individual or group) will make history, earn $25 million and have the pure satisfaction of making the world greener place to live. read more »

A furniture line which is made up of contemporary vernacular designs.

What?

Where?

How?

and Why?

I got looking and was hooked. All the furniture made by these folks is recycled; yes you got it right—-RECYCLED.

The company uses wastes from teak, steel, and plastic industries, to create contemporary lines with Asian carpentry techniques. read more »

Do you know anything about Birdsill Holly? He's an important inventor that invented something used to save millions of lives a year.

Michael Daisy, our Guest Blogger, is a freelance writer and publicist. He is also a history fan (or buff), and music fan currently working on an aural documentary of popular music in the U.S. from 1940-2000. He wanted to share his knowledge of the inventors and inventions that have touched our lives with the readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com.

Here's his article: read more »

Any marketer can get a product placement into a movie, TV show, or video game. But if you're really clever, you'll do just the opposite...find ways to turn fictional products into real ones. In this post we look at the new product development strategy called "reverse placement". read more »

As a update to our article "Calling All Inventors:Everyday Edisons is Looking for Inventors for Its Show", we wanted to remind inventors that Everyday Edisons®, auditions are being held in San Diego, California this Saturday, February 24th, 2007. read more »

Often when the need for a drink arises, most of us rummage through cutlery drawers or stands, look through kitchen counters in the desperate attempt to find the elusive, all important tool—the bottle opener. Ok, ok so you are the super organized type, who knows where everything exactly is…but this is for the “normal” mortals…

The Suck UK team needs to be congratulated for this cool, new bar accessory. A fridge magnet that doubles up as a bottle opener. read more »

I wanted to name my massage tools "Knuckles" because they are based on shiatsu massage, often accomplished with the knuckles of a massage practitioner's hands. But the word "knuckles" looked funny to me. When I transcribed "knuckles" more phonetically, the brand perked up! "Nukkles" said "fun," and "feel good," and it was zippy, and yes, it said the product feels like knuckles! read more »

Here are 10 tips to help you reach the perfect brand name for your new invention!

Just imagine instead of the usual scenario, shoes bringing dirt into the house, shoes that are made for cleaning up the dirt instead, as you walk around the house. Electrolux imagined it and came up with a concept for a nice clean pair - a definite "must have" for cleaning fanatics or the shoe obsessed. read more »

Entrepreneurship Week USA is going to be held February 24 to March 3, 2007.

The Kauffman Foundation, along with a group of sponsors including the New York Times and Inc. magazine, want to "ignite the nation's consciousness around the importance of being entrepreneurial." The week long event will be designed to inspire entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship. There are some great events to help inventors. read more »

I'm a big believer that what you find to be true in one area of life often has far-reaching implications for other areas of your life. So I'm starting this series on little nuggets of truth, advice or experience that I come across that are relevant to the world of inventing, small business and entrepreneurship and that I hope will give all of you who have joined me in this often crazy, unpredictable and dangerously fun world something to think about. And what better way to start than with a little anarchy... read more »

Boy, have I got a good scoop. It's about poop. And pee. Think diapers. Think flushable. Think compostable. Think gDiapers - a new choice that offers fashion and function for the most adorable tush on the planet - your kid's! read more »

Hi All:

We have a wonderful new addition to our writing team, Aditi Simlai Tiwari.

Aditi was a full time journalist prior to quitting and becoming a full time home maker. She loves life and believes in living it to the fullest. After a long hiatus, she felt the desire to get back to work and direct her creative energies to new projects. Back at her work desk, she is now busy writing and editing. She will be contributing to AmericanInventorSpot.com as the Lifestyle Writer. read more »

Ever wonder if anyone has come up with a new way to boil water?

Our Guest Blogger, Peter is a creative ad man and inventor, who has lived and worked around the world and is now based back in his native UK. He also runs Junkk.com , which he created as karmic korrection for a life persuading folk to buy stuff they may not really need, helping design, find and share ideas on reuse for everyday products and packaging that normally get thrown away.

Here's his article:

Ever since I was a lad, and waaaay before climate change was anything other than the one day in August we had a summer here in the UK, there were some fundamentals dinned into me about not wasting. Eat your crusts. Switch off the lights. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. Actually, not much has changed, only I now tell my kids we're all doomed if they don't. read more »

For some people, gardening comes naturally. They have what's known as a "green thumb". For others...not so much and inadvertently kill plant after plant until they quit trying to ever garden again.

What if there was a way to build a relationship between a plant and its owner and help turn the owner's "death thumb" into a green one? read more »