Listen, most good inventions found a place in life because they were practical, easy to implement/build/use, and people decided they needed them. Most of this happened before there was TV, certainly before there was an internet. So mass communication is obviously not the key to success.
It is the responsibility of the creator to get the news out there, look for capital and do the foot work. I think these garage mechanic inventors start with great ideas, make them work and then expect the world to beat a path to their door shoving money in their faces. Well, newsflash: I can still go down to my gas station right now and power up my vehicle. Yes, it costs me more than it used to but it's still easy and it's ready. Investment capital has not been easy to get of late. The mood of venture capitalists hasn't improved much since 2001. They are going to have to work exponentially harder to get their products out there.
Will a major energy company step forth and buy the patent? Yeah probably just to get it off the market. They claim they are researching new ideas but the are basically greenwashing and testing the water to see if they are about to be trumped by one of their competitors if they miss the next big thing. Who knows if it will result in actual useable products in my lifetime.
I watched an episode of Beyond 2000 about a new desalinization process that supposedly pays for itself. Tiny, simple, efficient. That show was probably aired more than 5 years ago and my area just suffered through it's worst drought in history. Dubai is going crazy for fresh water. Where is the damn product? I'll tell you where it is: the inventor, now disgruntled because buckets of money wasn't thrown his way, is probably grumbling and still sitting on it in his garage.
A good idea is only good if you sell it to the right people.
Jennifer  |