As I watch my EN submissions turn to various colors, I enjoy almost as much seeing how the other Edisoners are doing with their submissions here. One thing that strikes me about the wonderful collection of inventors here is how many of us seem to have an inventor gene. Scattered amongst the numerous forum posts, I see references to fathers and grandfathers, siblings, and other relatives mentioned as inventing predecessors for many of us.

I hadn’t really thought of that until recently. My Grandfather, on my Dad’s side had invented a rotary engine back in the 40s, long before you saw one on the market. My Sister and I were in possession of his original drawing and specs for this engine. The family story has it that he developed this engine and through his naivete sent the drawings and plans around to the manufacturers at that time, hoping to get some interest in it. Nothing became of it, and he passed away before he saw that his dream of a rotary engine was realized by another inventor decades later. My Grandfather, and my Father, were both self-taught design draftsman, and my Sister and I inherited the “what if” gene from that side of the family. From an early age we would share our ideas for everything from greeting cards, to full blown inventions. Many of the ideas we’d dreamt up years ago, were dreamt by others years later and in use. (I still kick myself over that idea I had 20 years ago about a sensor that tells you when your car is coming close the the car in the next lane over. It’s now being marketed in a very nice luxury car.)

The “what if?” gene is an incredible gift. But… looking back at my Grandfather’s experience, and the unexplored ideas that my Sister and I dreamt up, I realize that the “what if?” gene is only as good as your “this is HOW!” gene. I’m grateful for Edison Nation for giving a another generation of “what if?” thinkers a chance to answer “this is how!”