No Extinct Inventions??

NPR's science reporter, Robert Krulwich, has made a bet with WIRED Magazine's founding editor, Kevin Kelly. Their wager is about whether there are any inventions in human history that aren't still produced today. Robert believes that this must of course be true, and he said that he would easily be able to find a tool or invention that is no longer being made. Kelly says no. He hasn't been able to find any technology that is not currently produced by someone in the world.

So far, Robert hasn't been able to find anything ranging from paleolithic hammers to agricultural tools from the 1895 Montgomery Ward catalogue that isn't still made today. (Modern hobbyists interested in making stone arrowheads are the market for brand-new paleolithic hammers). Robert is calling on all of us for help in finding some tool that has become extinct.

If you can help, post your ideas here, and Robert will post the most promising candidates in his blog.

We Need to Out-Innovate

President Obama's State of the Union address on Wednesday laid out a strategy for moving our country forward:  "We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world."

In fact, he mentioned some derivative of the word "innovation" 11 times in his speech.  In my opinion, this paragraph sums up the heritage we need to capitalize upon:

The first step in winning the future is encouraging American innovation. None of us can predict with certainty what the next big industry will be or where the new jobs will come from. Thirty years ago, we couldn't know that something called the Internet would lead to an economic revolution. What we can do — what America does better than anyone else — is spark the creativity and imagination of our people. We're the nation that put cars in driveways and computers in offices; the nation of Edison and the Wright brothers; of Google and Facebook. In America, innovation doesn't just change our lives. It is how we make our living.

What's To Lose? Recent College Graduates Try Starting Their Own Companies

Given the job market these days, it seems that more young people trying to start their own business. This New York Times article shares the story of several young entrepreneurs. The key to success is finding the idea that makes your business meaningfully unique and that has enough potential customers to be profitable. The primary subject of this story, a filmmaker, tried one business idea before identifying a niche that was profitable. He has since founded the Young Entrepreneur Council “to create a shift from a résumé-driven society to one where people create their own jobs." I love this concept. When only a quarter of students this past year had a job upon graduation, entrepreneurship suddenly becomes a more attractive option!

Accidental Inventions

I enjoyed this article on accidental inventions, most of which I had heard of, but not all. A few comments...

1) The #1 accidental invention, the microwave, was invented by a fellow native Mainer, Percy Spencer.

2) I wouldn't really call velcro an accidental invention. George de Mestral got the idea from walking his dog, but had to do a lot more work and experimentation to actually "invent" velcro.

3) I'm very surprised that Post-It Sticky Notes didn't make the list. In my opinion, it is probably the most well known story of accidental invention. The inventors were actually trying to make a strong adhesive when they instead created a reusable, pressure-sensitive adhesive. They found when applied to paper, it could be used to stick the paper to surfaces multiple times. I've heard that the yellow color was just a coincidence as well - a lab next door had a bunch of scrap yellow paper lying around.

The good news of all these stories is that stimulus for new ideas surrounds us every day. Seek out new information, but also observe the everyday opportunities and challenges around you. Who knows what you will discover!

New Television Series

We've gotten word that a new show about inventors is looking for people to showcase for a new television show for the Discovery Channel. This could be a great opportunity to get your invention in front of a national audience.

Sean McKnight of Half Yard Productions is looking for inventors, innovators, and idea men and women for a new primetime television series which will feature YOU, YOUR GREAT IDEA, and their hosts, EXPERT(S) FROM THE INVENTION COMMUNITY WHO WILL ASSESS YOUR WORK AND ENSURE YOU’RE ON THE RIGHT COURSE FOR SUCCESS!

Interested people please forward the following to inventorshow@gmail.com:

• your contact information (email and phone) 

• your location
• a recent photo and/or a link to recent video 

• short bio in one or two paragraphs (Who are you?, why are you passionate about your invention/inventing as a whole?, How would you describe your personality, how did you began inventing?),
• a description of your invention or idea (What’s great about it, are there problems with it that you can’t seem to figure out?).

Just be sure not to disclose proprietary information if you haven't pursued patent protection yet. Talk about the benefit, not the how...

Frisbee Inventor Walter Frederick Morrison (1920-2010)

Last week, the inventor of the Frisbee, Walter "Fred" Morrison passed away at the age of 90. Fred came up with the idea for the Frisbee shortly after World War II. He realized that flinging cake pans through the air was a lot of fun, but a more aerodynamic "pan" would work a lot better. In fact, a lot of people and groups lay claim to "inventing" the Frisbee concept since tossing pie and cake pans was apparently a pretty popular activity on college campuses and beaches for many years. But, it was Fred Morrison, with the help of his wife and some colleagues, who developed a better flying disc made out of plastic.

He originally named the disc the "Pluto Platter" to cash in on the flying saucer craze of the 1950s. He sold the invention to the Wham-O toy company, which eventually changed the name to Frisbee because that's what college students in New England were calling it since they associated the toy with the tossed pies of the Frisbie Pie Company.

This innovation has created hours of enjoyment for people everywhere and for many happy dogs. Thanks, Fred, for all the fun!

Pepsi is Looking for Your Ideas

You have probably seen the commercials, but just in case you haven't, I want to let you know that Pepsi is looking for your big ideas to improve health, arts & culture, neighborhoods, education, food & shelter, and the planet. The contest is called the "Pepsi Refresh Project."

Once ideas are submitted, people may vote for up to 10 ideas each day. Each month, Pepsi will provide up to 10 grants at the $5K, $25K, $50K levels and up to two $250K grants to the winning ideas.

I love the idea of Pepsi getting their customers to participate in selecting their corporate philanthropy projects. I'll be thinking of the ideas we have to submit!

For more information and to submit ideas, click here.

Innovation Engineering Leadership Institutes

This Wednesday will mark the beginning of our first Innovation Engineering Leadership Institute for Maine business executives to learn how to lead innovation in their companies. The institutes will be taught by Doug Hall, author, radio show host, and founder of Eureka! Ranch, which works with major corporations to develop new products and services.

The program is in many ways a condensed version of the Innovation Engineering minor we offer at the University of Maine that Doug has helped us to develop. Participants will learn systems for creating, communicating and commercializing ideas for profitable growth.

When Doug was teaching at UMaine this fall, we traveled the state as he spoke at various business functions, and we encountered businesspeople who believe that they can't do innovation. They don't have the confidence that they can lead it, their people can do it, or that their customers want it. The fact is, innovation - new products, services, customers and markets - is the only good way to profitable growth. And, with a systematic approach that drives out risk, companies can do it.

After the January session, we will host sessions in February and March. The February session has just a handful of spots left, and the March session is sold out, even after we expanded the number of slots available. Let us know if you are interested, so that we can look to holding an additional session in the coming months.

For more information, click here.

Happy New Year!

I hope to do more regular postings this year to pass along the great articles that I have read, to introduce the innovative people I have met, and to share important events in the world of innovation and entrepreneurship.

New Year's resolutions are tricky, but I've learned that taking small steps rather than making impossible goals is the key to success. So, I'm not committing to daily blogging, but I will share at least weekly, and probably more often, the interesting innovation stuff I see.

Social Enterprise Competition

Unite for Sight is hosting its seventh annual conference GH/Innovate 2010, Global Health and Innovation Conference, this April at Yale University. As part of the conference, students may apply for the opportunity to pitch their social enterprise concept to the attendees of the meeting, which CNN has called a "meeting of the minds."

The projects may be country-focused or more global. Categories for submission are:

• Global Health


• Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship


• International Development


• International Education


• NGOs and Community-Based Programs

Instructions for applying can be found here.

LEGO Kid

I loved this story about a seven-year old kid from Maine who has invented "a new way of playing with legos." He has contacted LEGO with his idea, and the parties have already signed a confidentiality agreement. Probably there aren't too many kids his age who have done that. Hopefully, we'll see him at the Student Innovation Center in 11 years. See the story in the Portland Press Herald!

Calling Women Inventors!

Kelly Ripa, yes, the woman who co-hosts Live with Regis and Kelly and magically flips cookies to the kids in those Electrolux commercials, has teamed up with TLC and the Home Shopping Network to give women inventors the opportunity to pitch their products on HSN.

The show will help the inventors get their inventions manufactured and marketed.

Here are the qualifications:

• You must be a woman 18 or older and a citizen of the United States
• You must have a unique invention or product, plus a working prototype
• You must have a great, outgoing personality and plenty of passion to back up your product or invention!
• All applicants are subject to background check and standard television release forms
• Prohibited products: weapons, alcohol, dietary supplements, weight loss products, medical devices and skin care products with aggressive claims

You can find information about how to audition here. There are some UMaine alumni who have been very successful in selling their products on television shopping networks, including the Slanket on QVC. Maybe this could be your chance!

Catch a Piece of Maine Entrepreneurs Recognized by Inc. Magazine

Brendan and John Ready of Ready Seafood and Catch a Piece of Maine were just named two of the top 30 entrepreneurs under the age of 30. We shared their story of taking lobstering to new levels in our last Snack and Yack. They essentially sell timeshares in lobster traps. You can purchase a lobster trap for a whole year for $2995 with your own private lobsterman assigned to you. You get the lobster caught in your trap, with a guarantee of 13 four-person gourmet lobster bakes. They even use a camera so that you can see the lobsters in your trap online!

Check them out at http://www.catchapieceofmaine.com/ and see the other cool entrepreneurs under the age of 30 at http://www.inc.com/30under30/2008/prolist.html.

Project 10 to the 100th

To celebrate Google's tenth anniversary, the company is going to spend up to $10 million on the most innovative ideas that will impact the most people. Hence, the contest is called Project 10 to the 100th, which is a REALLY big number.

The types of ideas are unlimited, but the concept is to select the best ideas (up to five will be "winners") that fit the following criteria:

Reach - How many people will be affected?
Depth - How deeply are people impacted? How urgent is the need?
Attainability - Can this idea be implemented within a year or two?
Efficiency - How simple and cost-effective is your idea?
Longevity - How long will the idea's impact last?

Let's get some submissions from Maine! The deadline to submit an idea is October 20. Here is the web site: http://www.project10tothe100.com/how_it_works.html

Don't Tell Them It Can't Be Done

A while ago, UMaine engineers attended a meeting about homeland security technologies, and they wondered whether it would be possible to create a wooden structure that could withstand a bomb blast. Other scientists and military officials didn't believe it could be done.

Since then, a group of UMaine faculty, staff and students set out to prove them wrong. Today, the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center unveiled a blast-resistant building that has survived the Army's torture tests. Engineers made the structure stronger by applying a special coating to the building materials. UMaine has filed for a patent on the technology.

Congratulations to the students and staff at AEWC!

An Exercise in Innovation

Have you already given up on your New Year's resolution to get in better shape? Maybe you just need an innovative, new fitness class to keep you going.

There are a bunch of new programs and businesses that are picking up on the latest fitness trends, which include dance inspired programs fueled by the infatuation with television programs like Dancing with the Stars, and programs that focus just on kids.

I enjoy Zumba, which is actually about ten years old, but has been getting a lot of attention lately. It is a fun and easy fitness class set to the latin music like salsa and merengue. The founders have been very entrepreneurial, licensing the program to individual instructors and fitness centers around the world. They have created DVDs and even their own line of clothing. I hope someone licenses the program in this area soon!

Another dance inspired program is Pure Barre, started by dancer Carrie Rezabek, when she was in her mid 20s. After developing and teaching the program, which as the name implies, uses a ballet barre, she began licensing it in other geographic areas. This program is also now available on DVD.

Do you have your own idea for a fitness business? Entrepreneur Magazine has an article this month on how others got started in the fitness industry. The Foster Student Innovation Center has the current and several back issues of the magazine for you to come by and read any time!

And the Winner Is...

The Foster Student Innovation Center hosted the oral presentations for our Green Products Competition on Thursday. We had four student teams compete for the top prize of $5000 toward starting a new business.

Justin Jamison (pictured above receiving his certificate) and Brooks Einstein took top place for their plan, Local Food Solutions. They propose to set up a microprocessing facility for organic milk to supply the Greater Bangor Region. Both are MBA students. Justin has several years of experience in agricultural management and Brooks has experience in store leadership with Whole Foods Market, currently the world leading retailer of organic and local foods.

Second place went to Willis Beazley for his plan to make soaps from glycerin that is a byproduct of making biodiesel.

We look forward to working with these students as they continue to evaluate their plans!

Gifts from the Top of the World

Here's a great story from right here in Maine! A few years ago, Jeff Clapp was sitting at home watching a documentary about the oxygen cylinders and other debris left behind by mountaineers climbing Mount Everest. He was dismayed that this beautiful place was littered with garbage, and he decided to do something about it!

He traveled to Nepal and worked with Sherpas to collect the cylinders. Now, he is sculpting them into amazing bells and bowls. He sells them on his website, Bells from Everest. If you can't afford a bell or bowl, you can consider purchasing the Everest Ornament, which is a clear glass ornament filled with strands of metal that are created from the carving process, another example of his philosophy of not letting anything go to waste. I hear that these were hot gifts in Hollywood this past Christmas!

Jeff's eventual goal is to teach the Sherpas to do the metalworking so that they can set up their own sustainable enterprise. I think this is a great story of innovation and social action!

Recycled Fashion

This week we will host the oral presentations and announce the winners of our Green Products Competition. In recognition of this event, this week I will post about interesting businesses that recycle materials to make their products.

I have been eying these bags for some time now. Ecoist develops products made from recycled, organic, or earth-friendly materials, that are manufactured through a fair trade network. I love the clutches made from candy and bottle wrappers, the totes made from recycled rice bags, and the bags made from old movie posters. What's also great is that each one is unique, so you will stand out in a crowd.

Back at the Blog

We're finally back at it! Welcome to our new blog for the University of Maine Foster Student Innovation Center. The FSIC provides the knowledge, tools and inspiration to help Maine students become innovators and entrepreneurs. We're helping them realize their dreams to start businesses, non-profits and creative projects.

A lot has happened since we originally started a blog, including our name change. We are very honored that the Student Innovation Center has been named in recognition of Bion and Dorain Foster. These two very generous people are dedicated to helping our students succeed, and they have plenty of experience to share with us. Bion has started nearly 50 businesses in his career, and Dorain has many years of management experience, particularly in the hospitality industry.

We have been working with many new students on businesses and projects, and several of our existing student businesses have won grants, received investment, taken on new customers, and created new products. It was an exciting fall!

This blog will feature information about noteworthy events, cutting-edge businesses, cool products, our favorite innovators, and the challenges and opportunities facing innovators and entrepreneurs. Check here regularly for valuable information and when you need a little inspiration to keep you going on the trailblazing path.

My closing thought for the day: "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." - Galileo Galilei