TVCH FORUMS HOME . JOIN . FAN CLUBS . ABOUT US . CONTACT . CHAT  
Bomis   Quick Links   TOPICS . TREE-VIEW . SEARCH . HELP! . NEWS . PROFILE
Archive through May 11, 2006

The TVClubHouse: Other Reality Shows ARCHIVES: Archives for 2006 - 1: American Inventor: Archive through May 11, 2006 users admin

Author Message
Fruitbat
Member

08-07-2000

Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 11:32 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Fruitbat a private message Print Post    
I think it would be impossible. The front wheel is smaller to accomodate the seat. He lowered the seat from the prototype to give the rear rider visibility.

The bike is sturdier than most, as well, to carry the extra weight from 2 riders.

Glenrie
Member

03-24-2006

Saturday, April 29, 2006 - 2:02 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Glenrie a private message Print Post    
The front of the bike also slants back so the 1st rider doesn't sit straight up and reduce visibilty. It would be very difficult to change the design enough to resolve these issues.

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 3:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
2 more hours tonight. I wonder what the 1st hour will be? I might watch if NBC is wacky again.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 3:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I think that they are both new shows not recaps.

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 5:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
Oh my God someone from Wisconsin may actually win something. I must be dreaming.

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 6:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
...and I just got a wake up call.

$1/day? one frickin' dollar. one....dollar...sigh

Still looks like a worthwhile product though.

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Thursday, May 04, 2006 - 6:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
yikes that baby car seat is now bigger!!

Dfng
Member

08-04-2005

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 6:32 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dfng a private message Print Post    
Ugh...I fell asleep as usual watching this show. Who won last night?

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 7:51 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
The word game and the car seat made it to the finals.

THe gal with the toilet kit. . . why on earth did her focus group only have MEN in it! WOMEN are the primary market for her product. That mystified me.

$1 a day to a cancer patient for something that makes her wig more comfortable to wear doesn't seem like a problem to me. I think the bigger problem was that the product came back still looking like it was made in someone's dining room. Sure there were graphics on them and the packaging was a little different, but to me they still looked like they were cut out individually. I don't know; it was hard to tell in the shots they showed us.

The car seat is really a pretty good idea, but it got bigger and seems very impractical. As they pointed out, it probably won't fit well in cars. Unrealistic to think that car makers would change their designs to accommodate it. I wondered why he didn't get some consumer opinions of the prototype. The crash test was important, but consumer opinion is, too. I also wondered what size range of infant the thing would accommodate. Seems like you would spend a bunch of money on it and only be able to use it for a few months. But I'm clueless about what current car seats are like in that regard since I don't have kids so. . .

THe flush pure thing . . . Well, let's just say I'm glad it didn't win. The guy irritated the heck out of me and all I kept thinking of was the Mythbusters episode someone above mentioned where the debunked the very thing he was building his product upon. Unless you've got some sort of faulty toilet system, I just don't believe that it's a big problem.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 9:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
So the final four are:

The football trainer thing
The dual-rider bike thing
The newfangled child safety seat
The word game

Hmmm.... Any guesses as to which will win and why? Personally, none of them have any appeal for me to buy them.

Dfng
Member

08-04-2005

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 10:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dfng a private message Print Post    
Thanks Max. I must have missed the episode with the word game...or it left very little impression on me.

None of them appeal to me either. Without knowing much about the word game - I would think the dual rider bike will win.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 12:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
THe word game is quite cool for helping kids learn spelling and vocabulary. It's just that I don't have kids and I know how to spell. :-)

It talks and tells you to write down a word that starts with a certain letter and has X number of letters in it. Beyond that, I'm not sure. I think you push your assigned button when you finish your word, but they haven't shown it enough to be able to tell how it really works.

As much as they keep reminding the inventors about the mass-market appeal (or not) of their products, it seems to me they've picked ones for the final that have limited markets.
  • Football trainer - limited to kids learning the game
  • Bike - limited to kids and/or adults who can (a) afford it and (b) give a hoot about a newfangled bicycle built for two
  • Child Safety Seat - limited to parents of babies who can afford it (I'm guessing it won't be cheap) and who have a car that's big enough to fit it in.
  • Word game - limited to parents/teachers who have kids that need help learning to spell.

None of these seem like mass markets to me. Decent sized, yes, but not a "one in every home" type thing.

I have no clue which they'll choose. From the looks of things, they'll pick the one that has the best tear-inducing story during the final pitch. :-)

Curlyq
Member

07-10-2002

Friday, May 05, 2006 - 3:04 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Curlyq a private message Print Post    
I thought the public was making the final choice. If that's the case I'm thinking Francisco will win.

I'm not sure if the point of this was to come up with a product that would be a household word, or to come up with the most innovative invention. They've never really made that clear. Some items weren't so much inventions as improvements on inventions.

It may have been very simple, but I liked the restroom survival kit, expecially after she added all the other items like tissues for when there's no paper, liners for the seats, etc. It was brilliant in its simplicity. I may not think to buy a restroom door holder, but I'd definitely carry a complete kit like that in my purse.

I'd really like to know what happens to the inventions that are rejected. Do they get to keep the prototypes they developed so they can continue on their own?

Fruitbat
Member

08-07-2000

Saturday, May 06, 2006 - 8:32 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Fruitbat a private message Print Post    
I am in Arizona visiting my son and missed this 2 hour ordeal. Thanks all for a great summary.

I agree with all you have said, Max.

I am here with my 5 month old granddaughter. The only reason she will be in her rear facing car seat for awhile, is that she takes after her 5 foot 90 pound mom. She is tiny. A larger seat would not fit in the back seat of their Camry either.

The only final 12 product that had a chance was the door lock. I would never purchase it but if marketed just before xmas it would sell like crazy to all who search for some unique gift, without caring if it would ever really be used. We all know that desperation.

It is all about the person. We saw little of the inventions, themselves.

Hard to believe this show was Simon Cowel's brainchild. One would think he would have nixed the sob stories and gone after the best product. I am still scratching my head on this one.

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Saturday, May 06, 2006 - 4:56 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
I wonder how much Simon's involved. I think he may have signed something while under the influence of an adult beverage.

Hummingbird
Member

08-21-2002

Monday, May 08, 2006 - 3:08 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hummingbird a private message Print Post    
I would use that bathroom emergency kit. I travel a lot and have always wanted a stash of those seat covers. You would also never have to worry about a restroom with no toilet paper and I loved the door locker! I wouldn't buy any of the other things because I don't have a need. The car seat will probably win.

Max
Moderator

08-12-2000

Monday, May 08, 2006 - 3:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Max a private message Print Post    
Hummingbird, try these kits at Magellan's. They are individually packaged kits that each contain a seat cover, tissues, and a moist towlette. No clip to keep the door locked, but everything else you need. :-)

Twinkie
Member

09-24-2002

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 12:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Twinkie a private message Print Post    
As far as the restroom kit I wondered why she didn't have it made of metal so it would be sturdy enough to hold a purse. If it also did that I think it could have been a winner. I really liked the whole idea of it otherwise. None of the inventions that made the finals really move me but if I had to vote I'd probably vote for the word ace.

Dogdoc
Member

09-29-2001

Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 11:16 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dogdoc a private message Print Post    
I have been studying bathroom doors since I saw the door lock that slides. It would save bending over and holding the door shut with your hand or sticking out a foot. However, on many of the doors (I am in restrooms a lot) the device could not work. You have to have a piece to slide it onto from the door and some doorways don't. I agree that plastic was a bad choice to make it out of and there would not be much space to hang a purse unless you made it a little longer with the hook at the end of the part that is over the door itself.

Glenrie
Member

03-24-2006

Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 11:11 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Glenrie a private message Print Post    
The top two in my opinion were the headliner and the bathroom door kit. They had the most potential for helping people and selling lots of units. I was shocked that they were not chosen.

The firemen and cancer ladies were very enthusiastic about the headliners. $30 a month is a small price to pay for the benefit. Look at what people pay for paper diapers..much more that $1 a day. If people see a benefit, they will pay.

The inventors only had a month to accomplish quite a bit. Given more time, a different manufacturer may have been found who could have brought the price down. The bathroom kit lady also needed more time which moving forward could have given her. I agree, possibly changing to metal and definately changing to a longer hook was needed. Both these items needed just a little tweeking.

The final four consists of 3 items with a limited market and 1 item that need years of engineering (the baby seat) and even then it's doubtful it will ever be manufactured.

My vote will be for Francisco. He's young and this will give him a good start. He remained humble yet matured during this experience.

Ketchuplover
Member

08-30-2000

Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 6:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ketchuplover a private message Print Post    
I was not impressed by Eric's commercial. I think 30 seconds is not long enough.

Anybody else watching?

Kittystj
Member

08-10-2001

Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 7:13 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Kittystj a private message Print Post    
anyone got the phone numbers?

Snoopsmom
Member

02-19-2003

Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 7:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Snoopsmom a private message Print Post    
phone numbers:
1-866-874-2501 football guy
2502 Francisco (bike)
2503 Ed (word game)
2504 Janusz (car seat)
I called in more than the limit of 5 calls for Francisco. Tried to get one in for Janusz, but couldn't get through. Didn't try long though.

Rvon
Member

12-11-2003

Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 10:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rvon a private message Print Post    
Tonight was a complete waste of time! They wasted two hours on nothing. I thought it was the "finale" where they would announce the winnter. Silly me. And now what's with having to wait a whole week to find out who the winner is? I won't bother watching next week, that's for sure.

Tabbyking
Member

03-11-2002

Thursday, May 11, 2006 - 10:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tabbyking a private message Print Post    
i voted only for the carseat. minivans have more than enough room for that carseat. while i was riding ambulance in the field, 90% of our 'family' accidents involved a mini-van. in many of them, small children were severely injured or killed. (mini-vans have a very high roll-over rate, by the way. the lower they make them to the ground, the better). the anecia can have the inside carrier roll over, or sideways. even in a roll-over accident, an infant would have a greater chance of survival with this invention than with a conventional carseat. often a baby died just from hitting their head once on the carside or window.
i am definitely biased because the football gear is for mainly males, mainly between the ages of 8 and 17. the word game wouldn't work for people like my husband, who are such abysmal spellers that telling them a word meaning green leafy veggies had 5 letters and ends with a "d" wouldn't make him think of 'salad', which he knows as 6 letters, spelled sallid.:-) the bike is trendy. i remember getting a bicycle built for two when i was 11 and my sister was 10. it was a shared birthday gift. the novelty lasted about a week, when we both wanted our own separate bikes, because we had different friends, different places we wanted to ride to, etc. an older couple would prefer a conventional bicycle built for two or individual bikes, IMO.
therefor, since most of the inventions are for kids, you need to insure your kid grows up to use catcher, the word game, or the bike; what better way to help them live to be those older kids, than a way to keep them safer in a car?
for me, i don't care if that carseat cost 500 dollars, i would have had them for my kids if they had been out. designer carseats can cost upward of 200 bucks. once your kids are old enough to be out of the 'anecia', the seat could be donated or sold to someone else.
for these reasons, i voted for the anecia.

for me, the best two inventions on this show have always been the very simple plastic sandbagging shovel and the highly designed and technical anecia. i was disappointed when the shovel did not make the cuts at the end.