Inventor TV Shows

Posted on June 6, 2007  Comments (3)

I caught some of Everyday Edisons the other day, which looked promising (though I would prefer less fluff and more focus on the process of designing and marketing the products. American Inventor season two premiers tonight on ABC. I saw some of American Inventor last year and it was interesting (though it didn’t grab me enough to get me to watch often). Still compared to the usual TV fair they look interesting and do actually provide some insight into turning ideas into products.

One minor point I find funny and a bit lame. On the Everyday Edisons web site they show a photo with 10 people and then have an image underneath it with text (yes image text like a myspace page – obviously whoever is responsible for this website doesn’t follow the advice of the web usability experts – this image text is just one example, another is that every time you go the home page it starts playing a video with audio – it is annoying to have web sites with so little idea of good web design practices) that states something like “I thought there were 14 inventors, I only see seven. What’s up?” The image actually shows 10 people – not 7, what is up with someone that only sees 7?

Related: Engineering Education Reality TV (which I also note web usability failings) – Help Choose the New PBS Science ProgramJapan Project X: Innovators Documentaries

The show follows 7 inventions (some have two or three inventors attached to them). A funny example of the failure of operational definition (they need to define what they mean to count 7 from that photo because that isn’t what most will do I don’t think. They appear not to count extra inventors shown in the photo, but I think most people are not thinking hey I only see 7 when they see 10 people. They were originally planning on 7 inventions but found so many good ones they decided to double the scale of the project but the first 7 are going to make up the first half of the show and then the second 7. The show itself suffers from the style over substance tendencies of the web site but still looks promising.

3 Responses to “Inventor TV Shows”

  1. CuriousCat: Collegiate Inventors Competition
    February 28th, 2008 @ 8:30 am

    “Then, Cheong put a cancerfighting drug in lipid particles and injected those liposomes into a subject. The germinated bacterial spores also secrete a protein that makes liposomes fall apart when the drug-containing liposomes are in the proximity of the tumors, and the drug is released only in those specific areas…”

  2. Claire Robinson
    September 9th, 2008 @ 5:59 am

    I would like to introduce my idea of an integral steeper beneath a disposable cup lid. The idea of an integral steeper beneath any lid came to me while traveling the world. As a passionate tea connoisseur I found myself battling with loose tea bags overlapping wet disposable cups and fishing to dispose of an over steeped tea bag while on the go. Over the years I have improved what was at first an idea of a new, useful, non-obvious way to savor my tea.

    This patented concept is ideal for those who wish to enjoy their tea, yet maintain a busy day without sacrificing quality time for quality living. The lid allows for timed release of steeping creating balanced flavor. Further, it provides sanitary disposal of the tea bag. As an air traveler, this improvement is a welcomed, simple, practical and aesthetically pleasing idea that involves only a low cost of changing the dye cut on lids.

    I invite you to explore my patent drawings where you will find my idea of an integral steeper beneath a disposable cup lid aimed at improving the global demands of the tea drinking industry.

    http://www.tealid.com/technical.htm

  3. Demetri
    January 22nd, 2009 @ 3:43 am

    I would agree about American Inventor. I have a TV Show blog and have rate and review episodes of various shows. The British version of “Dragons Den” is by far much better than American Inventor. It has more practical value to the viewer as well. Such as how to pitch a product in addition to the invention and use MBA level financial statements to justify the valuation of the “next greatest invention”. Personally, I am waiting for more technical products to hit tv versus the routine gadgets just to make a quick buck.

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