History Channel: Inventors, Be Aware, and ??? Beware?

[Ed Ziomek]

I would like to share with the DesignCommunity Forum the new "Inventors" Challenge from the History Channel... and Invent Now Inc., in Partnership with Time, Inc.

"Presented by The History Channel® and Invent Now®, Inc., a division of the National Inventors Hall of Fame® Foundation, the Modern Marvels Invent Now® Challenge is an extraordinary opportunity for independent inventors to influence the ever-changing face of invention. Twenty-five semi-finalists will exhibit their invention ideas at a national exposition and will participate in a full day seminar with renowned invention experts. Four finalists will additionally win cash grants and be featured on The History Channel®. The 2006 Modern Marvel of the Year winner will receive all the Challenge benefits as well as a $25,000 grant toward making their invention idea a reality."

https://www.inventnow.org/InventNow/do/homepage

I would just add one thing... from a street person like myself, non-academic, amateur historian that I like to call myself... I think the $25,000 first prize is a bit ... under-generous!

The British government once ran a contest for anyone to invent a chronometer, the last piece of the navigational puzzle that would unlock the shipping lanes and world trade for England. The prize, in today's dollars... $1 Billion dollars... PS... I don't know if John Harrison, the inventor, ever collected.

http://users.etown.edu/k/kleesa/media/VIPwebpage.htm

I happen to believe in the History Channel, and A&E, and the Biography Channel, and yes, the competition... Discovery Channel, as the finest educational video pieces in the world today. I believe these same educational contents are broadcast into ??? how many foreign languages and broadcast venues?... Why not "up the ante" to something respectable?

Why not 178 country prizes, for best idea from... Sudan, best idea from Thailand, best idea from ??? South Africa! Why not $25,000 per country winner, plus individual honors, plus patent rights and royalties? Comes to $5.0 million dollars... isn't that two 30 second Super Bowl commercials!?!

$25,000 for first prize on ideas that could change the world? History Channel and Time and the United Countries of the World TV Audiences... we are bigger than that!

But a wonderful, wonderful idea, and thank you for the effort. Now, expand it!