A 20-year-old idea believe it or not was the Florissant light bulb. I was talking to my boss in Virginia saying, “ Why couldn’t you take a small neon tube and curl it up into a small size to provide light at high voltages to save energy”. At that time I did not know about the electronic ballast, and the ballast I thought would hinder me because it was so large. Just think where I could be now! I can go on and on of those times, but I still say someday!!!!!!!

Glad to see the response to my question.
I will agree that there is some kind of connection built into the creative minds of us all. I have seen some of the ideas I would “play with” turn upon the store shelf a few months later.
I guess you could chalk this up to my own lack of innitiative and/or focus. I’m not only lazy, I have this problem with being distracted by everything that comes along. I then make all kinds of crazy connections between all kinds of stuff.
But, that’s my problem. Here’s wishing good luck to all with your future inventions.

I love writing novels, and my first idea was a blank book will be delivered and anyone could speak to the book what they want the book to write,and the book will write,like words will appear on the page.(no I was not drinking the happy water,I was just a strange child) lol look there is not much to do in Bimini,Bahamas so imagination was all I had to work with….:)

the first I remember quite clearly was a rocket ship, cut with tinsnips and powered with Black Cat bottle rockets. Mission had to be aborted when I caught my hair on fire when I covered my ears but forgot to blow out the match I was holding. It was also the first time I remember hitting myself in the head (putting the fire out of course)… stupid kid. My second invention required that I remove the lead from .22 rimfire shells. That was accomplished using a chisel and a hammer. That mission was also aborted when I ended up shooting myself in the hand. I think my Dad might have hit me in the head for that one.

I built my first working model of the “Air Bike” at the tender age of 12. Luckily, the engine was too small to go very fast and I parked it. It did not have a saftey cage around the propeller and I am lucky I still have my limbs.. I did decide that same year that I wanted to be an inventor for a living. 42 years later I have made my first money off of the GrillBuster this year… pretty cool.

Sounds like a good topic all on it’s own Mark. To avoid the risk of hijacking Harlans topic I will offer it up for discussion on a separate thread.

Greg, I have that same feeling. I think often the combination of technology and social need just make it an ideas “time”.
Many people get the idea at about the same time. The first person to manage to get it protected and to market becomes the inventor.
I have seen several of my ideas hit the market a few months or years after I had them. Often it seems the inventor might have been inspired by the same event that inspired me.

You two are a hard act to follow.
In the late eighties I was experimenting with room deodorizing devices. That was also when I enrolled in electronics school. Somewhere along the line I envisioned using the electric current from a wall outlet to heat scented oil which is also about the same time Glade started marketing what we know as “Plug-Ins”.
I’m a big believer in the phenomenon wherein an idea is believed to be part of a universal library, if you will, of ideas which we all have access to. In this case I was not the first to grab it from the shelf.

Fun subject Harlan. I’m sure I had earlier ideas, but the earliest I can think of at the moment might still be good today.
It was 1973 and electronics were in the early stages of integrated circuits. I had an idea to help people who couldn’t speak.
The idea was a waist mounted electronic speaker that had push buttons which in combination would produce the 49 phonetic
sounds of the English language. This could be done with only 7 buttons. It would have allowed a person learning to use it well
to pronounce any word or name. As a recent tech-school grad I had no way to pursue the idea and several years later someone
came out with a much less practical device (30+ keys speaking whole words) that did not catch on.

When I was about six years old, I enjoyed watching Disneyland on TV on Sunday nights. A partner in my dad’s business had, a few days earlier, brought by a new reel to reel tape recorder. This was in the mid-’50’s. I watched and heard the adults play with this thing for a couple of hours.
On one Sunday evening , we were about to go to a special service at church. I knew we would be to late getting home for me to see Disney. I caught my dad’s attention and ask him to get Mr. Brewer’s tape recorder. This was an unusual request for someone so young, so he ask me why. I remember explaining to him that I wanted to tie the TV antennea wires onto the mic cord and record the show. I “knew” when we got home I could take the wires and tie them back to the TV so I could then watch the show. Then I stepped out into a little speculation. I told him, if we do get the signals from the antennea, we should be able to change channels and watch the other shows after that one is over.
Yes, I know, everybody is saying,“Wow you remember this from when you were six?” Ah, yea. Don’t you ?