Let’s see here…why would having great ideas be dangerous? I agree that an economy that depends solely on silver bullets is going to stutter and ultimately fail. But big ideas are what push forward what we in the economics field call the production function. Invention and innovation are primarily what permit us to be more productive. If all we do is work harder, and not smarter, we may make more money through more overtime or, for small business owners or salespeople, more sales. But depending on this “work harder” approach forces us into a scenario where we are merely faced with the decision of whether we want to have more money and less time to enjoy it (and our friends, family and the other things in life that bring us joy outside of the workplace). Americans work harder than any other modern country in the world (including Japan, believe it or not). Invention and innovation actually can increase our productivity, which is what ultimately makes our lives better. I think the show is a fantastic idea that may inspire countless inventions and innovations that will help millions, perhaps even billions of people eventually.

Ideas are cheap and plentiful, so are inventions.

Last year, the USPTO granted 165,485 patents. That is on top of the 406,302 new applications that were filed.

What is hard is opening a business, generating real revenue and building a sustainable enterprise.

Everyone I know has had one or more "big ideas" in their life, but almost none have taken the plung to start it up.

Horatio Alger on TV is a good thing. If not to perpetual the great American Myth, then to support British-born high-school dropout Simon Cowell.

CORRECTION: The premiere is next Thursday March 16, 2006 at 8pm.
http://abc.go.com/primetime/americaninventor/index.html

Echoing the statements above, one of the things that I don't think people get is how hard it is to turn an idea into reality. It's EASY to sit around and come up with ideas that seem great. It's quite another thing to turn them into a profitable business - aside from intellectual property, you need to consider manufacturing and distribution costs, along with marketing and operations costs. It is very, very difficult to start a profitable business and for some reason I don't think people understand that. Hopefully this "phenomenon" won't catch on.

I think its great we are going to have some attention focused on inventing and on the inventors who have been struggling to make their ideas a reality. I think the show will probably be a bit cheesy but a little more understanding for inventors can only be a good thing.

A pretty good resource for inventors and for folks who want to talk about this show is at
americaninventorspot.com

I'm sure most agree that follow-up & execution of an idea is important, difficult & easier said than done. But the fact remains that idea generation still remains the first step & a necessary one. So a TV program encouraging someone to take that first step should be welcome.

I sincerely hope that American Inventor doesn't pander to the same negative and cynical emotions in viewers as American Idol. There is something dark and morbid about tuning in to watch people fall on their face, whether they have marketable talent or not. Most Inventors spend countless hours and unlimited energy in developing their inventions. Most invest everything in a concept they believe in and never even break even.I don't think watching a panel of cruel and critical panel judges pick these people apart is a positive form of entertainment. It is like a day at the Coloseum watching the lions savagely devour a group of innocent people. I think the concept of showcasing talent and inventors can be america at its best, however I think the format chosen by shows like American Idol has turned it into America at its worst. Have we become so bored with fairness, ideals and the value of humanity that we have to make fun of people as our sole source of entertainment. I think as a culture we devalue our own dignity when we stoop to this form of "entertainment". Enough is enough.

There's a good article about the show at the Boston erald today mirroring some of the comments here.
http://theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/view.bg?articleid=130507

Comments on the article are in the blogs and forums at AmericanInventorSport.com

ooops, not too good with the typiing.

AmericanInventorSpot.com
and
theedge.bostonherald.com/tvNews/view.bg?articleid=130507

Here is it July 2, 2006 and as I'm researching an upcoming creative meeting with a client I have come across this "blog". I'm just fascinated by the comments regarding ABC's American Inventor. First of all I know 4 of the 12 finalist. One presented me with his product over 3 years ago, I won't say which one. I have since spent quality time with him, and have met the other 3, again I won't say who they are. One person was still mesmorized by the 15 seconds of fame for a product that will take millions to launch into a very restricted market segment. 2 of these individuals, over drinks at a cocktail party, confirmed how contrived, staged and "unreality" like the show actually was. For example the $50,000 prize...well it didn't work at all the way it appeared to on the show. As for humiliation - the inventors were told one thing and ABC did another on air for millions to see - which wasn't even enough to make great televison. Finally, the one person that did get the closest to winning is a dynamic lady who is a ball of fire, yet, her product, in my eyes, is incredibly niche and will take a marketing plan backed by a substantial amount of money to even get off the ground. Yet she made it the closest to the final? How odd. You see, I've been working with, and teaching inventors for over 10 years as, let's say, as my way of giving back - I don't take a dime. I am not here to pat myself on the back, but here's my take. Inventions are a dime a dozen, some wacky some ingenious, some consumer based some commercial and industrial. Great ideas, yes everyone has them. It is the individual that is smart, passionate, smart, driven, smart, and comitted that will see his or her idea to market. It takes someone else's money to execute a "big idea" it takes smarts to make sure you are not being screwed. It takes education and experience to know how to work as a team (inventors are usually greedy)into order to launch the product - but most of all it does take someone else's money...this is where inventors fall short - they believe the deserve the moon for the idea, they deserve to have the bigger piece of the pie, and so nothing happens. They are quite naive, vulnerable, and anxious - which is a recipe for disaster which brings me back to the TV show. For those of you that think American Inventor didn't take advantage of inventors, you are out of your mind. For those of you that think it was harmless and gave a boost to the spirit of American Inventiveness, you are truly out of your mind. It was a humilating, degrading national television show that pretended to know what product had viability in the consumer market place, but then not taking any responsibility for the winner as ultimately America to voted. A great consumer product isn't chosen by a sob story, it is chosen by what the mass market will accept and one that will become evergreen. The winner of American Inventor is a niche product, with years of engineering still needed to make it viable, safe, tested, and approved in its niche market. As far as I'm concerned there were several products that were passed on in that show that were fantastic, easy to bring to market and extremely mass...what they didn't have was the sob story...so they were eliminated. In otherwords the producer's of the show couldn't build good television around them.

Inventors should be honored as it is the backbone of our country. But they should also be respected, and that is where ABC American Inventor fell short. Plus who are they to bring a product to market? And what is it that the Inventor is really left with...does anyone really know? Or did they get taken advantage of just because they had 15 minutes of fame? The producer's should at least find judges that have years of experience in working with, viewing products, and knowing the consumer market place. Or in the least some with some personality so that one doesn't have to make fun of the inventors or pound on their life's story in order to have good television.