Clothing

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 »

Pets are part of the family too, right? Right! But, until recently, environmentally friendly products for pets didn't even cross my mind. Then this winter season a nine week old puppy came into my life and before I could turn away from his big sad brown eyes I was hooked and the search for safer and environmentally friendly pet products began. Here are just a few of them below. From chew toys, to pet beds, cleaner litter, healthier bath time and food- pets of all kinds can live green right along with us. read more »

What Are These Shoes Hiding?

On December 26, 2006, Dr. Richard Koenig was awarded the 7,152,345th U.S. Patent for something contained in these shoes…. No, it’s not a travel alarm… nor is it a stun gun….

These two shoes, along with a few other fashionable-looking styles are loaded with “good vibrations!” read more »

What do dresses, condoms, AIDS and charity have in common? A talented 35-year-old Brazilian artist (once Greenpeace activist) named Adriana Bertini. In an attempt to raise AIDS awareness and inspired by HIV-positive children she met while volunteering at an AIDS prevention group (GAPA), she has designed, -over the span of ten years- dresses, skirts and suits made entirely of quality test rejected condoms.

What's her message? "Condoms must be basic like a pair of jeans and so necessary like a great love". read more »

As much as many of us hate to admit, money is important to us and it helps motivate us to do things that we would otherwise not normally do. A garbage-man, for example, very likely didn't pick his career out of the desire to keep the streets clean. He needed a job to make money. What does money do? Money helps us pay our bills. It helps keep roofs over our heads and food on our tables. It gives us luxuries we would not normally have without it and, in a materialistic way, money really does make us happier people. So why not pay money to motivate us to recycle more? read more »

Cat Claws Rings

Are you trying to figure out what would be the perfect gift for your girlfriend or wife?

You may be having some difficulty because although it's pretty obvious that they want expensive jewelry, your wallet is in denial.

The holidays are a great time to reflect on whether you REALLY want to be in a relationship with the woman currently in your life. There is nothing like the cold hard reality of having to plunk down lots on cold hard cash to buy jewelry for a woman you are not excited about to make you think seriously about dumping her.

If you want to dump her, it's usually a smart move to do it before you spend lots of money on her...unless of course, she gives great gifts. If she's a great gift giver, I have a better idea. read more »

Yesterday, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) scientists announced their creation of antimicrobial paint that kills the influenza virus and other harmful microbes like E. coli. Worldwide, influenza affects three to five million people and kills nearly a half a million annually, including 36,000 Americans. The groundbreaking paint’s compound mixture is thorny, stabbing holes in the membranes of the viruses and killing them. So, who’s funding the research? How will it be used? How effective is it? read more »

The New BondI can’t shake this feeling that I’m being pushed into a holiday season full of movie-related cross-promotions that have been shoddily scraped together. Let’s see…Has Daniel Craig earned his role as Bond? Could Casino Royale draw first blood as the top grossing movie of the new holiday season? Will electronic sales of surveillance products increase for the holidays?

Heard all this already? Me too. Have you seen all the 007 related products they want to shove in your face? Me too. So let’s forget the marketing: I’m here to offer a helping hand so we can get through the comodification of our holy days together. read more »

Hey Folks:

I seem to have poultry on my mind this week.

So , since I could not find the perfect wacky product with a turkey theme to celebrate Thanksgiving with you, I decided that this is close enough since it has feathers.

My wacky product of the week is a Chicken in a Bag Purse. The merchant for this product says "one of the traditions for the chinese new year is to sacrifice a whole chicken, usually brought to the temple in a paper bag. for those who prefer less mess, this innovative bag has a chicken-- or a rooster, rather-- built right into it. ... the chicken is double-sided and is designed to expand when things are put into the bag."(Purse )

Well, is this something you or your lady would buy? Do you like the idea? What do you think? I am thinking my wife would kill me if I came home with this. Someone please say something funny and make us all laugh... 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 »

Bottlecap Loteria BraceletIf you like jewelry, art, and recycling, then you should take a look at the treasures I’ve found. Very creative people have come up with very innovative ways to turn discarded items into decorative jewelry. Are they alluring? It depends on your point of view, but if nothing else, at least they are environmentally friendly. read more »

It’s that time of year again when ghosts and goblins and Flappers and Ninjas hit the streets in search of loot. Halloween is upon us, so it’s time to get those thinking caps on to help dream up the perfect costume for the loved ones in your family.

For years, I have gussied up our dogs for the holiday so they can join in on the festivities. We have a pair of pups, so we usually opt for theme costumes. We have had Hula Boy and Hula Girl. (Yes, my dog did don a coconut bra.) I’ve rounded up some adorable costume ideas for you here to get you going on your Halloween brainstorming. read more »

If anyone read my last article, Adorable Animal Backpacks, they probably think that I'm on some kind of animal kick. These great bicycle bells are crafted of durable baked enamel. They come in variety of designs including: lady bug, bee, pink poppy, frog, dots, rainbow, clown, fish, hearts, flower, pond, and spring. read more »

Book Purse In my last article, I introduced you to the world of inspiring chairs and their recycled parts. This time I’d like to show you that inspiration doesn’t always have to be so big and loud. Some times something as simple as a purse can make an impact on our society and the way we think about recycling.

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frogBackpacks were always a big hit at my house. Both my boys love wearing them. I guess it makes them feel like big kids.

I think these pictures say it all. Is it possible for someone to make a cuter backpack? (I would love to see a link if these are not the cutest ones you've seen). read more »

Relationships are hard work. Unfortunately, some relationships are harder work than others. How do you know when you should stop working and start walking?

There are times when it becomes crystal clear that things are not good. But most times, it's not so clear. So what are the good reasons for running and what are the stupid reasons that you are going to regret later? read more »

Being the sage guy that I am, I realize it's a waste of my time to go over all the bad reasons for breaking up with your girl. So rather than creating an exhaustive list of all the bad reasons, I've distilled it down to a list of Five Really Good Reasons You Should Dump Her:

Power PurseSolar energy isn’t just for your backyard. You can carry it with you too, wherever you go. Whether you’re traveling to a remote place for business, vacationing on a mountain, shopping nonstop for hours, camping in the wild, visiting family out of town or just walking from class to class on campus, you can power up with solar energy. How? More and more, solar panels are being added to clothing, bags and accessories as people become aware of the value and convenience of solar energy. read more »

Money CologneWant to be sizzling hot?

If you are pining to be treated like a prime piece of steak rather than dried beef jerky, you got to change your ways and get sexy.

In my relentless pursuit to help out my readers (and of course to see what I need to do to get sexy again), I have studied up this week on how to be hot.

So after doing all this research, I decided to write an article that really addresses the challenges men face in their quest to be hot. And you know I am not going to be so lame as to suggest some excruciatingly pitiful things like diet, exercise and plastic surgery.

Here are my exclusive super secret discoveries on some nifty solutions to the challenges men commonly face in the quest for hotness or 5 Easy Ways to Get Smoking Hot: read more »

Wish you could perform better as an athelete?

Our Guest Blogger, Scott Fetters, is a self-described "freelance writer extraordinaire, adventure sports enthusiast, and professional extrovert", who is "riding out this train we call life through some fresh powder, until the wheels fall off." Scott thought it'd be fun to helps readers of AmericanInventorSpot.com become better performers.

Here's his article:

read more »