Latest Inventions

posted by admin on May 27

Every Olympic Games host seems to think it’s a great idea to have one - so why not the UK?

Infact - they haven’t stopped at just the one - they have created a pair of the little things: Wenlock and Mandeville! 

The story goes (and yes, they have a story) that they were drops of molten metal that fell during a welding activity of one of the stadiums, were welded into ‘toys’ for an appropriately happy family - and then ran off on rainbows to cheer up the whole world!

Apparently, the whole event can’t be televised and promoted by just using the Olympic Games logo or wording - we need these very shiny cycloptic aliens with taxicab lights on their heads to do it instead!

So after nearly 2 years of artistic collaboration and (apparently) 40 focus groups worth of discussion - all in top secret - they were revealed to the nation on a rather slapdash early evening chat show!

As always, the celebrity who has been put in charge of promoting them has plenty to say about the meaning behind this tiny part of one mascot and that tiny part of the other - but to everyone else - they are just 2 cartoon characters!  Whether the bracelets mean so-and-so on the left wrist (heaven forbid they were on the right wrist), or the shape of their feet represent something-or-other, the public probably don’t really mind.

All they care about is the money spent on such a trivial thing when the country is in financial strife as it is.  And they are still reeling after the disastrous and unwelcome original 2012 logo was unveiled - and estimated to have cost around £400,000!

So, the Mascots: Are they fun?  Are they worth the money?  Will they make more people visit the UK and it’s events?

Apparently their main aim is at children - to help the younger generations to relate better to the Games, rather than it being viewed as a more ‘adult’ event - and seeing as millions of kids in the UK will be affected by the Games, the events and the influx of thousands upon thousands of tourists into their towns - I suppose we have got to soften the blow a little bit!

And I suppose as there are 2 of them - you can have a ‘favourite’ one, or just make your parents buy 2 toys instead of just the one!  Great for a pair of novelty slippers!

Well, we need to make some money to pay for the Games, so this wasn’t a bad marketing ploy!

posted by admin on May 5

If you can, then you better start making plans to spend the £50,000 prize money!

Or, better still invent a plane that can fulfil the maneuverability guidelines required to win £100,000 instead - although this might take a little longer at the drawing board!

For years humans have dreamed of the idea of human powered flight - although the old ‘wings strapped to the arms’ is a definite no-no!   As you would expect though, Leonardo de Vinci had a try at designing a plane or 2 along with dozens of other not-so-successful attempts over the following centuries.

With still not a hope of staying in the air for more than a micro-second, in the mid-20th century - the Kremer Prize was put to the invention world by the Royal Aeronautical Society of Great Britain.  There main aim was to spur on the hope of man-powered flight with large amounts of cash!

First Prize:
From the creation of the awards to the first prize being collected was a very long 18 years - and there were still another 5 prizes to be won.

This first prize (£50,000) was won by a plane weighing 32kg with a 29 meter wingspan called the Gossamer Condor in 1977 - and it had had to fly a specific figure-of-eight course at a height of over 10 feet from the ground.

The second prize for distance (£100,000) was won by the same team in 1979 but with their modified plane - the Gossamer Albatross - clocking up an average speed of 18 miles per hour (29km/h).

The third prize was for speed (£20,000) was won in 1983 by a team from MIT - but this still leaves 3 prizes totalling £150,000!

Remaining Prizes:
So, do you think you could see yourself winning 1 of the remaining prizes?  Could you invent the best human-powered plane ever to take to the skies?

I mean now would be the perfect time to perfect a mode of transport that uses no fossil fuels and emits not an ounce of carbon (apart from in the poor peddler’s breath!).

Well?
The prizes you need to aim for are needless to say - not the easiest ones - as they have already been claimed, so what you are left with are the following:

A) 26 Mile Marathon Course In Under An Hour (£50,000)

B) Sporting Aircraft Challenge - stressing maneuverability (100,000)

C) Local School Challenge - for under 18’s (various prizes awarded annually)   

Still think you are up for the challenge?
It would be amazing to think of the multiple advantages to science of the creation of a way to harness human energy and turn it into a forward force.  Obviously the power need not be used for flight, but could be transferred to power just about anything.

Technological advances in these new inventions could lead virtually anywhere - and that is what these awards are trying to promote.

And - if you are not so keen on inventing planes, then take a look at the Sikorsky Prize instead - and build yourself a human powered helicopter instead!  This would win you and your team a tasty $250,000! 

Good Luck!

posted by admin on Apr 25

Fancy your skills in the forensic department?  Well, why not prove it for real without all the training.

It looks as though there is currently a hybrid between a high tech fairground ride and a science event - where you spend the day following in the footsteps of a police detective to solve a ‘real’ crime.

Now, I don’t know about you - but I am really looking forward to this experience, and it really takes ‘rides’ to a whole new level, so much better than a ghost train……

The Experience:
Apparently you get to choose which of the 3 ‘incidents’ you want to investigate - whether it’s a car in a living room, a back alley murder or a buried skeleton found in the desert, and then start picking up the clues.

This includes reading lab results, checking murder scenes and getting to use the most advanced scientific technologies to solve the crime - including DNA fingerprinting, firearms identification and blood splatter analysis!

The layout of the ‘experience’ allows for 3 crime scene rooms (you get to pick between them), 2 labs, a briefing room, and an autopsy department where you can gather your initial theory, all the artifacts from the scene including rubbish, food and clothing.  The finer details and the body itself can be analysed under the microscope along with cutting edge scientific factors that can help solve a crime today, like your pets fur or the pollen you have in your car!

And of course - there is also Grissom’s Office,  where you end up and get to offer up your suspect to the boss! 

The Details:
The CSI: The Experience is currently running in the UK at the Birmingham Bullring until May 31st - and that is every day up until then.

Tickets cost £9.75 for adults and £7.00 for 5-17 year olds (with under 5’s free).

Go to CSI: The Experience for more details and to see an online map and videos of each section.

posted by admin on May 3

Fancy a chance to win $20,000 to implement your very own Green Invention or Idea?

That’s just what you could get if you enter your great green idea in to National Geographic’s new competition.

They are looking for exceptional concepts or new products and technology with a green twist, to battle it out for the 5 lots of prize money!  This includes implementing that idea, profiling you in National Geographic Magazine and whisking you off to a conference to discuss your ideas with some ‘green’ heavy-weights!

Fancy the challenge - Think you’ve got something different out there?

They are hoping that everyone in the States pitches in, as even a small idea by one person, can grow into a whole new technology or way of life for others.  Your idea may be just the seed that gets something big to happen - and that’s why they are calling the The Green Effect.

What Do You Have To Do?
Well firstly, go to their website and you can watch their promotional videos and also read other peoples ideas.  Don’t worry if someone has a similar idea to yours - as it is how you ‘pitch’ your idea that will win the day.

If you can see a different result or a different action plan - then it could be your idea that leads the way.

If your invention does something slightly different to another, or is virtually the same but has that little unique selling point that strides past the others, then you are what they want!

You don’t have to go it alone either - a group of you can enter the idea, invention or concept.  You have more great minds to channel your thoughts through, and back up in those moments of ‘mind-block’.  And more people is always fun!

How Do I Enter?
Well, you need an great idea - and a passion for it too!  You need to be able to talk about this idea, product or concept as though you mean it!

You also need to be over 18 years of age and live in the US to enter.  Now, you can be younger or live outside of the states and have this great idea - but you need to get a person who is over 18 and resident of the US to enter on your behalf. 

They will be the name shown on the winning entry (should you be so lucky) and they will be the one forwarded and in charge of the prize money to get your winning idea off the ground - so make sure you know them well enough!

What Do I Need?
You need to register with National Geographic online and then you are ready to go. 

You are expected to enter an essay detailing your idea and how it al comes together, and you can enter up to 4 images and or 1 3 minutes max home video to support your idea if you feel you need to!

You can only enter 1 idea per person or group.

Scoring is based on 4 areas of 25 points max each,  They are perceived benefit to the environment, impact on the local community, feasibility of achievement with the funds offered and relationship to the sponsors ethical philosophy regarding ’small steps’.  Obviously you need to read the full ‘rules’ section for yourself to clarify all the relevant points.

How Long Do I Have?
The competition closes for entries on June 8th 2009, and the 10 finalists will be announced the first week in July.

So get on to The Green Effect now and register

posted by admin on Apr 22

Twive Away! - The New Twitter Tool.

Everyone is Twittering at the moment - even Stephen Fry was doing it while on TV the other day!

But, if you are trying to use Twitter as a way to get more visitors to follow your Tweets and potentially gain benefits from it - then maybe you should look into a new guide that is doing the rounds out there!

It’s called TwiveAway (as in a ‘Twitterised Give Away’) and claims to be able to rapidly increase your numbers of followers - getting your message out there to more and more people literally overnight.

How Does It Work?
Well, it works around the fact that you are going to give something away for something quite simple.  This can include almost anything - but to save postage and other expenses, it’s probably easiest to offer an eBook or access to a membership site for free or something along those lines.

All they have to do in return, for example is to forward on your Tweets to a certain number of people.  In doing so they are automatically sent your ‘everybody wins’ prize.

Obviously you need to make sure that your prize is perceived as worth winning and is relevant to all.  For, example not many people will participate if your prize is an eBook on ‘How To Train Your Gerbil To Dance’ or ‘10 Ways To Re-Use Shoe Laces!’. 

Alternatively, if you have got your hands on a great big prize like a new TV or an expensive piece of software - you could offer a ‘prize draw’ where everyone enters but only one person gets the prize!

How Do I Get Started?
You need to sign up for a TwiveAway account to get started, as this will give you access to the software that will follow your competition and your re-Tweeters.  It will even randomly pick your winner for a prize draw if that’s what you chose to do!

Go to TwiveAway.com to get started - it’s free!

However, this is only the start - so make sure that you actually tell people about your giveaway either on Twitter itself or on your own websites to make sure you get as much reaction as possible. 

After all you want to get more people following your Tweets - so the more people you get started - the more people they will forward your Tweet on to.  And this is the chain reaction you are after.

This is where a really good eBook comes into it’s own - if it appeals to everyone, everyone will want to tell their friends about it and the link to your Twitter account will just fly round the offices like a great joke does or a cute puppy picture!

Finally - don’t forget yo make your Twitter account of website it’s best ever, so that all these new visitors have got a reason to stay with you long after the TwiveAway contest!

Good Luck!