Have any things ever been invented because someone lost their temper? [more inside]
posted by RokkitNite on Sep 11, 2009 - 15 answers

Looking for the author name and title of a book my high school teacher stole from me in 1981. The subject matter was lots of low-tech inventions and designs with instructions, with the idea that they'd help underdeveloped communities. One I remember was a radio receiver made out of cow dung, a tin and some wire. I also remember thinking at the time that the author's name was like that of Boris Pasternak but it wasn't him. My google-fu is failing me. Can you help?
posted by Kerasia on Jun 26, 2009 - 5 answers

Can you give me examples of things which were invented for one purpose, but came into common use for another purpose? Bonus points if it sucked at whatever it was originally designed to do. [more inside]
posted by Westringia F. on Mar 30, 2009 - 48 answers

What famous inventions have non-famous alternatives or competitors? [more inside]
posted by damn dirty ape on Mar 15, 2009 - 35 answers

Can anyone help me save the planet one staple at a time? [more inside]
posted by quarantine on Dec 1, 2008 - 13 answers

What are some innovations that come across as obvious solutions for problems? Something that makes you say, "Why didn't anyone think of that before?" Three that I can think of are: ketchup bottles that pour from the bottom, adding a notch to make it easier to tear open sealed packages, and having a single line for all bank tellers instead of a line for each teller. [more inside]
posted by ShooBoo on Aug 6, 2008 - 69 answers

I'm trying to find an online version of the illustration from the Best Inventions of 2007 issue of Time Magazine. The illustration depicts a man on a bicycle covered overwhelmingly in gadgets next to a young woman holding an iPhone.
posted by billtron on Nov 29, 2007 - 4 answers

What are some great (and not so great) Australian inventions? [more inside]
posted by sam and rufus on Jun 27, 2007 - 24 answers

What are your favourite failed flight inventions? [more inside]
posted by Felicity Rilke on May 2, 2007 - 22 answers

Ignorantstudentfilter: What are some major cultural achievements or scientific discoveries that do not originate from white Europeans/Americans? [more inside]
posted by bibliowench on Oct 3, 2006 - 88 answers

Hypothetically, what would happen if an inventor (one of several) did not sign a patent application? [more inside]
posted by forforf on May 24, 2006 - 9 answers

Was Edison's original light bulb really designed to never run out? [more inside]
posted by sjvilla79 on Oct 29, 2005 - 14 answers

I've got a great idea for a new product. But I am not a professional designer/inventor, and I have no connections to the industry that would produce it. And although I can articulate the design concept, I'm not able to create a technically accurate mock-up or diagram. Am I SOL, or is there a way to make my fame/fortune/revolutionary impact on the breakfast cereal industry? [more inside]
posted by ericbop on Jun 13, 2005 - 8 answers

Looking for cool new technologies that takes advantages of cheaper, faster processors, networking and sensors.
It's a grad class assignment: Find something less than 6 months old that hasn't been in Wired or Time magazines and is not mere incremental advancement, but a new idea. For example, the invisibility cloak. Ideas? Links?
posted by cccorlew on Jan 5, 2005 - 7 answers

I've invented two toys. One is kid-friendly and easy to produce, and the other would require a plastic mold-injection process (so I can't possibly make a mock-up) but rave-kids would go nuts for it.

Obviously - I guess - I can't say what they are, since I'm afraid of people stealing my ideas. What do I do? Should I just email companies and tell them what my ideas are? Will they steal my ideas, or is it company policy to honor the inventor? [more inside]
posted by interrobang on Mar 30, 2004 - 12 answers