Douglas M. Gaus
www.newproductconsultant.com

Eddie B, Eddie B...How could i have ever doubted thee?

I'm personally eating some serious crow since hearing the great news that Eddie Braun, Hollywood stuntman, successfully piloted his team's rocket, Evel Spirit, over the Snake River this past Friday afternoon.  But I never had any doubt he could do it as a professional stuntman, I just had doubt that the $$ powers to be would come through to allow him to actually do the jump.

It takes some serious b@lls to do what he did and he came through big time!!  He also lulled me into thinking it wasn't going to happen with the silence that happened the weeks and days before the jump.  But he did what a true pioneer does, he quietly went about his business and did what he was set out to do.. Eddie and team Evel Spirit were looking for a calm day with great weather conditions and last Friday's conditions in Twin Falls were just right...so they jumped the launch date by a day too.

Congrats Eddie, and sorry again for ever doubting that this could happen!!  Like I said in my original blog, I hoped that you would prove me wrong, and you did!!  Your courageous, heroic jump will forever be in the annals of Twin Falls and Idaho history!

And Evel's spirit (not your rocket) in the sky was watching down over you and most definitely giving you a kind wink and a thumbs up after you and rocket cradled gently to earth safely on the other side of the canyon..

Editor's Note (Again): Not to be overlooked, but you also have inspired the next generation of kids to do great things like this...Just like you were inspired by Evel and his stunt work and accomplishments when you were a kid!!

As we're just a few days from the tentatively announced Sept. 17 launch date, Eddie Braun, professional stuntman, and his team for the rocket craft Evel Spirit have gone silent.  They (along with daredevil “Big Ed” Beckley) have been promising for years to re-create the late Evel Knievel's 1974 stunt, again, to be set in the Twin Falls are of Idaho.  On the internet, recents pics can be found of the new "Evel Spirit" rocket and a ramp along with plans for static testing.  Eddie B. has secured rights to launch but not sure what else has been secured at this last minute.  Are there no television stations or any other promotional deep pockets stepping forward to broadcast the little known event?  

For this rocket reboot, Braun enlisted Scott Truax, the son of Robert Truax, Evel Knievel's original rocket engineer for the 1974 jump.  For those who are old enough to recall that jump, the rocket went off as planned but the parachute deployed early, leaving the rocket to fall to canyon of the Snake River, like a toy rocket descending to earth after being shot to the sky with a rubber band.  Luckily, Evel Knievel survived his fall into the Snake River, but many viewers over the years have blasted the ill-fated stunt as a firecracker dud, as the Snake River was never fully "jumped".  Braun, who has idolized Evel Knievel since a kid, has desired to "right" the bad jump that happened to his hero over 40 yrs ago. 

Will Eddie be able to pull a rabbit out of a desert hole in Twin by sometime Saturday?  His Kickstarter campaign says they are definitely going to launch, although the funding campaign was  pulled over 3 weeks ago with only about 1/3 of the original $150K funded...The Kickstarter website says to check for updates at Evelspirit.com, which is a non-working url...and that link just redirects to the same Kickstarter page.  Eddie Braun's twitter account has some new hopeful postings within the last 20 hrs, so maybe there is some last minute push to really  make this happen.

Slash, of Gun's and Roses, even got in the game and re-recorded the Elton John song '"Rocketman" to help promote and further the Evel Spirit jump and cause.  I haven't heard Slash's version yet but assume its an instrumental, as he doesn't sing...but I can hear Slash's guitar jamming in melody with the faint Elton John vocals still playing in my head..."I think it's gonna be a long long time...." (boy who cried wolf syndrome)

Editor's note: Eddie B. and company: I'm not the naysayer type so I hope you all prove me wrong! If you do blast off in Twin, very safe travels and God Speed to the other side!

I don't have a twitter account, so a screenshot off my phone will just have to do and be posted to my blog!  Very easy for anyone to go to the Walton family's website (or download the Walmart app) and click ADD TO CART! Just follow online instructions to complete purchase...also available on Amazon  and Alex Brands website, Kohl's, as well as various toy retailers selling on the web! You are now a proud owner of an exciting and fun new toy!  In the coming months, I will be posting on YouTube some great ways to play with the empowering new toy, that applies to the young and any aged person, male or female!

Click on any of the below links below to purchase your new POOF Fling Flyer!

• Alex Brands
• Amazon
  
• Walmart
  
• Kohl's
  

There's a new smartphone in the pre-order stage (and hopefully getting ready to be introduced to the world very soon) called Runcible.  A lot of the new product's concepts themes were similarly submitted by me to Big Idea Group (B.I.G.) for an idea hunt they had some 5 years ago (sadly, i noticed by doing a quick search on the net that B.I.Gs url is broken and they are no longer in business...and Mike Collins, the longtime CEO, still has his name in the innovation game, but is now CEO'ing Launch Angels, a VC/Investor Group).

The basic concept I submitted to BIG for the Social Networking Device idea hunt, shown in a quick photoshop pic above left, envisioned a roundish cell/smart phone.  My ideation papers stated that the new product would have "rounded, smooth product edges; product feels good in pocket like a flat rounded stone perfect for skipping on the water or like a heavier coin (no sharp edges like rectangular cell phones)."  In the Runcible video below it states in a calming woman's voice "Runcible...fits in the palm of your hand...more like a lucky stone, than a smart phone".

At the time, I knew there would be some manufacturing hurdles to procure a screen that was rounded to accomodate the unconventional shape of the device....but knew that in the highly competitive world of consumer electronics, where there's a will, there's a way. Similarly to the Runcible, I also had versions made of nice wood and also with environmentally friendly colors, including a pinkish Burl for the ladies!

I came up with several names for my new product, including the Place and Show names Pebble and Obsidian...but went with my #1 pick, Geode....as i described "when you open a geode to find a beautiful crystal formation inside, it is akin to turning on a new social networking device to find a whole new world awaiting."

I've also had the new concept picture displayed on my website, under the technology caption in the ideation tab, since I uploaded it to the site in 2011.  To anyone out there affiliated with the Runcible project, I'm not trying to assert my rights regarding any intellectual property....but it is nice to see maybe my idea making it to the market in a very similar form to that I envisioned.  As the eccentric Charles Caleb Colton once said back some 200 years ago, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

It's currently raising $$ on the crowd sourcing site, Indiegogo, where it is over half way to its goal of $250K...Check out the pitch to procure some more green at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/runcible--2#/  

Maybe soon, I'll get to see a very close version of my new product idea sold vicariously through another company!

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This is the first year in Boise for the young and budding antique show and artisan market, run as "Pickin' Boise", but run as "Pickin' on the Prairie" in Washington and Northern Idaho. Expect the quality of items to be a great step up from garage sales and flea markets previously held at the Expo.  Promised sellers will have vintage, antique, farmhouse, industrial, primitive, repurposed and more!

Come out and meet some kind and friendly vendors peddlin' their wares!  Hours are 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday May 14th and 10 am to 4 pm Sunday May 15th. Small pickers (under age 12) are free, everyone else pays just a fiver and one spot!

This seems incredible but not a lot of specifics on how its done...Does Franky Zapata defy the laws of physics and transport himself on the new Flyboard Air, his new untethered hoverboard/aircraft???????

Watch the vid below..and read the full story below on the DailyMail.com:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3569622/The-record-breaking-REAL-hoverboard-French-daredevil-travels-2-250-meters-jet-powered-gadget.html

I'm very proud to have one of my inventions makings its U.S. debut here at Toy Fair 2016, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center this very morning here in the Big Apple!  Come out to see the cool new outdoor toy in its native blister packaging, as well as running around in its birthday suit, at the Alex Brands booth, #2203.  Come out to see it!

Product is now available → click here to purchase!

Per the product description on the Alex Brands website:
POOF Fling Flyer lets you launch a missile from the palm of your hand! Just grip the handle of the launcher, load the foam rocket onto it, fling and release. Find a unique flinging style; overhand, underhand, or even from under your leg! The patented projectile also makes a whistling sound if it’s traveling fast enough, and the launcher has a wrist strap so it’s easy to keep with you.
Recommended for children 5 years of age and older.

Includes a foam missile, launcher handle and wrist strap
Flyer whistles as it soars long distances

Also check out the nice article published a few days ago on the online edition, Business Section of the Idaho Statesman on the link below.  A slightly streamlined version hit the print version of the Idaho Statesman, yesterday, Feb 12, and can be found on Page 4 in the Local Section!

Furby creator part of Boise inventor team behind new toy

I do my best to keep on top of new inventor/invention type shows but this one somehow slipped through the, um, cracks. The CW, the channel you seem to get most oft when pulling in free digital signals, has a brand newish show called "Hatched" (first airing Oct 3rd, 2015...sorry!).  The show is one of many that make up their "One Magnificent Morning" lineup.

We've seen the format before, just different experts and different channels.  This time, the cast includes the pretty female financial expert, Nicole Lapin, the elder statesman and investor, Joe Kincaid, and the retail expert, Freddy Cameron, who round out the trio hosting the show and judging the contestants.  If the judges like the product, the pitchers get advice and help, and possibly some $$$ to move the product forward.

The shows are targeted mainly to family audiences and the website for One Magnificent Morning states that the show Hatched has a focus on "teens, moms and minority owners" and gives them an opportunity of a lifetime if the judges on the show like their product...I guess it's not P.C. to have an entrepreneurial  focus on babies, the elderly, dads, or non-minority owners.    ;)

If it passes muster from the show's judges/hosts/investors, it moves forward as part of Hatched Business Solutions (Everyday Edison's Commercialization Dept. ring a bell?)

Check out the next episode of Hatched (where Nickelodeon meets Shark Tank) on:

Saturday, January 30, 2016 - Season 1, Episode 11
AquaHeat - Two moms pitch an on-the-go bottle warmer.
Time: 11:30am (check local listing, your time may vary)
Channel: The CW

Editors Note: This weekend's new episode featuring the product Aquaheat seems very similar to the product Magic Cook featured on Shark Tank, which was intended for multi-use heating (campers, hikers, school, travel, ocean, picnic, emergency, etc).  The Magic Cook used Quicklime as a heat source, but I can't seem to find the information on the heat source concoction for Aquaheat, which is made in S. Korea....is that where Magic Cook is manufactured too?  Anyone?

I'm starting the new year (Welcome 2016!) with a twist on my Innospirational Words blog segment...I'll take famous sayings from visionaries of the past and mash them with my own ideas to make them applicable to entreprenuers and inventors needing inspiration in today's modern times...