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The other day I saw a commercial for the company Invent Help . I usually ignore them but for once it really got me thinking. They start by saying something alon

by tmh88j 14y ago

The other day I saw a commercial for the company Invent Help . I usually ignore them but for once it really got me thinking. They start by saying something along the lines of "are you an inventor..." which lead me to ask the same question as you (assuming you're Kevin); does anyone actually give them self the title "Inventor?" Event if you "invent" full time, doesn't that seem a bit pretentious? It could just be the US culture, but inventors seem to be a term to describe originators of technology, pushed by Hollywood. In movies and tv shows today we have engineers and scientists, decades and centuries ago we had inventors. I could go into a whole rant about the Invent Help company, but I'll save that for another time.

kcl 14y ago
We have some of the same thoughts on the matter. There was a thread on invention and marketing that I had to drop. Treating the marketing aspect properly takes the conversation too far away from the main subject. Points like who invented what first are too hot to introduce without spending a lot of time accounting for them. (That surprised me.) The same goes for who can be considered an inventor today. I think invention and marketing have an old and deep connection.
- zio99 14y ago
  Hey Kevin, 1. About half-way through, you said that nobody would pay to own a pre-iPhone, or would give two twenty year olds the run of a plant. But what about Pebble? Granted, it's not built in a garage, but this printrbot could be: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-your-first-3d-printer http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-your... You did say that there was a reversal of this trend, but can you clarify what you meant when you said "In 2012 it almost defies belief." 2. I like the take on attributing inventions to a single inventor - this was brought up in the book "The Myths of Innovation" by Scott Berkun which he talks about in a lecture at Carnegie Mellon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt3ag2BaKc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt3ag2BaKc and the premise for my website http://brownieinmotion.ca http://brownieinmotion.ca (read the essay on 3M) where I say that expertise in one domain helps you solve problems in another (also the reason I pursued three degrees in engineering, music and economics). 3. I agree with your counter-argument to entrepreneurs chasing ideas that are too small. I wanted to add my thoughts on that. Groupon didn't think that selling 2-for-1 coupons were beneath them. I elaborated on it here: The Move to Less Productivity http://startupframework.tumblr.com/post/25224585415/the-move-to-less-productivity http://startupframework.tumblr.com/post/25224585415/the-move... Google, RIM, etc got to where they where by a series of small attainable steps. Eventually, they discover a scalable model. 4. Also wanted to add to your take on lottery tickets/incubators. Getting into an accelerator program was never a permission slip for doing what you love. But business planning is essential, even if the plan is worthless (to paraphrase Eisenhower) and to paraphrase the founder of Zappos: the goal is not to lower risk, but to go for higher expected positive outcome. Thanks for sharing Kevin. If you don't mind, please critique my book-in-progress on innovation and startups: http://bit.ly/icecreamstart http://bit.ly/icecreamstart
samstave 14y ago
I think those commercials appeal to the older folks who equate invention to objects one can hold in their hand. People who likely see Ron Popiel as a star inventor. They are also scams; my mom fell for this and she went and got some kit to help her bring to market her invention, the book-lift, ( a foldable book prop-up stand with an integrated ribbon bookmark, a device to help you read while sitting at a table eating (think of the function the iPad cover provides)) And they took her money and provided her with a bunch of useless into on how to patent something.

by tmh88j 14y ago

kcl 14y ago

We have some of the same thoughts on the matter. There was a thread on invention and marketing that I had to drop. Treating the marketing aspect properly takes the conversation too far away from the main subject. Points like who invented what first are too hot to introduce without spending a lot of time accounting for them. (That surprised me.) The same goes for who can be considered an inventor today. I think invention and marketing have an old and deep connection.

zio99 14y ago
Hey Kevin, 1. About half-way through, you said that nobody would pay to own a pre-iPhone, or would give two twenty year olds the run of a plant. But what about Pebble? Granted, it's not built in a garage, but this printrbot could be: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-your-first-3d-printer http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/printrbot/printrbot-your... You did say that there was a reversal of this trend, but can you clarify what you meant when you said "In 2012 it almost defies belief." 2. I like the take on attributing inventions to a single inventor - this was brought up in the book "The Myths of Innovation" by Scott Berkun which he talks about in a lecture at Carnegie Mellon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt3ag2BaKc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amt3ag2BaKc and the premise for my website http://brownieinmotion.ca http://brownieinmotion.ca (read the essay on 3M) where I say that expertise in one domain helps you solve problems in another (also the reason I pursued three degrees in engineering, music and economics). 3. I agree with your counter-argument to entrepreneurs chasing ideas that are too small. I wanted to add my thoughts on that. Groupon didn't think that selling 2-for-1 coupons were beneath them. I elaborated on it here: The Move to Less Productivity http://startupframework.tumblr.com/post/25224585415/the-move-to-less-productivity http://startupframework.tumblr.com/post/25224585415/the-move... Google, RIM, etc got to where they where by a series of small attainable steps. Eventually, they discover a scalable model. 4. Also wanted to add to your take on lottery tickets/incubators. Getting into an accelerator program was never a permission slip for doing what you love. But business planning is essential, even if the plan is worthless (to paraphrase Eisenhower) and to paraphrase the founder of Zappos: the goal is not to lower risk, but to go for higher expected positive outcome. Thanks for sharing Kevin. If you don't mind, please critique my book-in-progress on innovation and startups: http://bit.ly/icecreamstart http://bit.ly/icecreamstart

samstave 14y ago

I think those commercials appeal to the older folks who equate invention to objects one can hold in their hand. People who likely see Ron Popiel as a star inventor. They are also scams; my mom fell for this and she went and got some kit to help her bring to market her invention, the book-lift, ( a foldable book prop-up stand with an integrated ribbon bookmark, a device to help you read while sitting at a table eating (think of the function the iPad cover provides)) And they took her money and provided her with a bunch of useless into on how to patent something.