Reproduce Almost AnythingSo you're at the prototyping stage with your latest great idea, but have no clue how to actually make it? Time to learn a new skill...silicone mold making. This video and workbook give you everything you need to get started on the path to production. read more »

AntWorksI love to see modern variations of age-old ideas, so I was pretty excited to dive into my AntWorks "space-age habitat for ants" by Fascinations, available from Edmund Scientific. But the whole experience left me digging for more (pun intended). read more »

Triple Action Solar CarDesigned for children ages 10 and up, the Triple Action Solar Car from OWI is a great introduction not only to the principles of solar power, but also basic electronics, switches and gears. read more »

Staples Invention QuestStaples has announced the 15 finalists in its Invention Quest. Five finalists in each of three categories are now up for a grand prize of $25,000 each and a chance to have Staples manufacture and sell their product. You have a chance to affect the outcome (or so they say) as the online voting has begun. Read on to learn about the products that will rock your office world... read more »

(c) bbc.co.ukNo holiday is quite the paradox as Easter. Where else can you find the mix of religion and rabbits? Of conviction and confection? Of pastels and pennance? For most of us growing up in America, Easter meant one thing...Easter candy! Today we're looking at the top 5 Easter innovations and not surprisingly, candy dominates the list. We'll be exploring the history and ingenuity behind the quintessential Easter products and learning a little about the holiday itself. So call off that dentist appointment and strap yourself in for a hop, hop, hoppin' good time. read more »

Is your next great idea all dressed up with nowhere to go? Business plan in hand but no money in your pocket to get it off the ground? Now imagine the opposite problem...tons of money in hand but no one to turn your idea into reality. Ahhhh...the problems of a venture capitalist. Business 2.0 magazine is helping to bridge the gap between startups and investors by presenting 20 real-life ideas that venture capitalists are just itching to fund...to the tune of $100 million. read more »

(c) Warner Bros.THIS IS SPARTA! If those three words haven't echoed through your family room over the last few weeks, you haven't been watching much TV. "300" is tops at the box office, with the highest March opening for a film ever. And while the movie itself, with its hyper-stylized violence and groteque baddies, may not be your cup of tea, within the movie is a message about being true to your vision and values, and not letting those be corrupted, no matter how great the reward...an important lesson for small business owners and entrepreneurs looking for their big break. So strap on that leather loincloth and grab your shield. In this latest installment of "What I Learned From..." we're going to Thermopylae. read more »

So all your neighbors are buying High Definition TVs, or maybe you just bought one yourself. But are you actually watching it in hi-def? A recent survey reveals that half of the houses with HDTVs aren't actually watching HD signals, and half of those people don't even know it! With any emerging technology comes opportunities for enterprising minds, and our latest new idea is filling the growing gap in the world of HD entertainment. read more »

What's the worst part of relying on WiFi to run your business? The unpredictability! Many stores and restaurants advertise as being WiFi-ready, but you never know until you show up whether or not it actually works the way you need it to, or worse, whether or not you have to pay! Enter FON, a Spanish company backed by the likes of Skype and Google to develop a community-based WiFi network that literally spans the globe. And with limited penetration in the U.S., FON presents a unique opportunity for enterprising minds looking to make a little money on the explosion of wireless connectivity. read more »

So you've been holding out for that Led Zeppelin box set, not sure if you want to drop the cash or just start downloading from iTunes. Well imagine a black iPod nano with the Zoso logo emblazoned across and the whole catalog pre-loaded. Would that make the deal a little more tempting? A recent agreement between Apple and The Beatles may pave the way for just that sort of thing, and a whole new market for enterprising minds has been created. Read on to find out how... 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 »

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 »

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 »

Staples Invention QuestStaples has notified the semifinalists of the 2007 Invention Quest...sort of. In a clear attempt to generate more publicity for the 07 event, they have included this year a round of semi-semi-finalists, or "nominees" who get their names in local papers, but not much else. In this post, Tim Whitney leans on his experience as 2005 Invention Quest finalist to discuss why this may not be a good thing. Read on for the rest of the scoop on the 07 Invention Quest. read more »

Now...where did I put that towel?It's a simple formula, really. Develop an idea with world-changing implications, and Hollywood will make sure it turns to bite you (and often the rest of us) on your clever little behind. Tinsel Town loves to reward intelligence and innovation with death, destruction and breaks in the time/space continuum. The fact is, most of film history's most brilliant on-screen innovations have been ill-conceived, fatally flawed, and downright dangerous, proving that government regulation isn't always a bad thing. So what do Doc Brown, Seth Brundle and Poggle the Lesser have in common? Their on-screen "innovations" have entered our pantheon of worst movie inventions...ever. read more »

Tis the season for holiday leftovers! Chances are, your refrigerator has been getting some extra use over the last 5-6 weeks, as the leftover Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes gave way to Christmas ham and yule log (what is yule log, anyway?). You probably didn’t notice your refrigerator working extra hard because, frankly, your refrigerator probably doesn’t get noticed much at all. That's all about to change with the latest from the refrigeration industry, where cool isn't an attitude, it's a dial setting. read more »

While those of us stateside were filling our bellies with turkey and stuffing, our counterparts across the ocean were picking the winner of The Big Idea, the UK's answer to American Inventor. Who took home the grand prize of 100,000 GBP and international (or at least European) fame and fortune? The answer is as long as you can pull your arm... read more »

We have our American Inventor, but what about innovation from our neighbors across the pond? What are the final 6 ideas from the UK's "The Big Idea" invention contest? Who takes home the grand prize of 100,000 GBP?

Doddle your snooker and click here to find out! read more »

Is your professional life painted in shades of manila and Post-It yellow? The manufacturers of these ten products know how you feel, and have set out to bring style, ingenuity, inspiration and innovation back to the office.

So while you're still thinking about what to enter in Staples' Invention Quest, take a look at my picks for Top Office Products of 2006. read more »

Time Magazine is out with its Best Inventions of 2006.

What made the list?

Put the hypo-allergenic cat outside, get off your floating bed and take a look. read more »