The modified magic 8-ball to tell you what to have for dinner, exotic SeeNSay and other cockamamie invention ideas

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

If I could, I would produce an 8-ball with choices like "Get Chinese take-out", "make spaghetti", "order a pizza", "make barbecue chicken". I would also like to create a new See-N-Say with beautiful drawings of exotic, perhaps endangered animals instead of Old McDonald"s boring bevy. "The dodo says...." - "Listen to the ring-tailed marmasquat" - "Do you hear the Tasmanian devil?"
Of course, Matell probably owns the rights to whatever mechanism makes the See N Say go and I'm no inventor.

Everybody has a notion for a crazy invention or improved product now and again - even if they aren't high. What are some of yours?

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Parking meters with clocks!

It makes sense!

But they don't have any!

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Another idea I had was some sort of temp-sensor/valve gizmo that would reroute cold water back to your water heater so you don't have to needlessly run water down the drain waiting for the shower water to get hot. I searched the Internet and found that a patent for exactly such a set-up had just been granted a couple of months before.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Parking meters that send an alert to your whatever new-fangled wireless you're carrying to warn you of an impending ticket. Of course, the parking authority probably wants your ticket money.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

The See and Say just uses a plastic record played by a needle that vibrates a speaker-membrane - it's like a regular turntable without electricity. I'm not too sure how the records are cut.

― jazz odysseus, Friday, 20 February 2004 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Of course, the parking authority probably wants your ticket money.

Yes. But I'm for the people.

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

xpost

Wouldn't it be cool if your favorite band put out a special See N Say release?

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:16 (twenty-two years ago)

My boyfriend had a came up with an interesting idea to use Astroturf instead of tarmac when laying roads. Why? He hasn't invented a reason yet but watch this space.

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

I would love to be able to make my own See N Say records.

― jazz odysseus, Friday, 20 February 2004 17:19 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.law.uconn.edu/homes/swilf/ip/cases/mattel.htm

MATTEL INC., Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
BARBIE-CLUB.COM, Barbie21.Com, Barbieborza.Com, Barbiedoll-A.Com, Barbiegallery.Com, Barbiej.Com, Barbiepchome.Com, Barbiesecrets.Com, Captainbarbie.Com, Missbarbie.Com, Princessbarbie.Com, Quierokillerbarbies.Com, Quierobarbie.Com, Thebarbie.Com, Thebarbys.Com, Casinohotwheel.Com, Casinohotwheels.Com, Hotwheelcasino.Com, Hotwheelscasino.Com, Thehotwheelcasino.Com, Hotwheelscafe.Com, Hotwheelscanada.Com, Hotwheelshome.Com, Hotwheelspchome.Com, Hotwheelsusa.Com, Hotwheelsweb.Com, Ourhotwheels.Com, Coolhotwheels.Com, Ilovehotwheels.Com, Ihotwheels.Com, Hotwheelswanted.Com, Buymatchbox.Com, Coolmatchbox.Com, Ilovematchbox.Com, Imatchbox.Com, Matchboxintros.Com, Matchboxonline.Com, Ourmatchbox.Com, Mymatchbox.Com, Matellsoftware.Com, Matellsoftware.Net, Matellsoftware.Org, Mattels.Com, Mattle.Net, Mastertheuniverse.Com, See-And-See.Com, Seensay.Net, Seensee.Net, Tycoltd.Com, Viewermaster.Com, Viewmasters.Net, Barbie21century.Com, and Mattle.Com, Defendants-Appellees.

Docket No. 01-7680.

Argued: July 17, 2002.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Quierokillerbarbies?

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh.

How about baggy clothes for Barbie. I'm sure she's tired of those tight fitting and revealing clothes by now.

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I would love an invention which enables you to read books on the inside of your own eyelids. Obviously I haven't thought this through...

― Rumpy Pumpkin (rumpypumpkin), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Or hung-over Barbie, homeless Barbie, Elaine Wuournos (sp?) Barbie

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:29 (twenty-two years ago)

http://free.madster.com/data/free.madster.com/532/1seensay-4788x34v36r388h6f03q4s54766g481p.gif

Is that a fat bee I see?

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Punk rock Barbie

Death Metal Barbie

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

BO Barbie, with scratch n sniff armpits!

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh what fun!

She also has Beer stained clothse and greasy hair!

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Unkempt Barbie, yes! My friend wanted to join Spice Girls years ago. She was going to be Soused Spice, the one stumbling drunk during the dance routines.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Teenage mother Skipper!

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:45 (twenty-two years ago)

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/see-say-needle.jpg
Here's the inside of a See N Say - it's Fisher Price, not Mattel

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:46 (twenty-two years ago)

What does it play?

"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"?

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

That picture raises certain questions.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Like how they could stuff a moo-cow in there?

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:49 (twenty-two years ago)

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/see-say-disk.jpg

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 17:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Parking meters with clocks!
But they don't have any!

The new-fangled meters in Toronto have an LCD clock on them!

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Should I have written "a LCD clock"? I'm always confused about the grammar involving acronyms. "an" sounds right, but is probably wrong.

Never mind me, back to your inventions...

― Rob Bolton (Rob Bolton), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Luck Canadians!

They don't have them in America!

The price has gone up in SF. More in the down town area.

It's crazy!!

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Should I have written "a LCD clock"?

No. You were right.

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 17:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I wish there were an easily available version of a plastic record-cutting plant. I've only been able to alter the records that are already in the toys by cutting at them or changing how they spin.

― jazz odysseus, Friday, 20 February 2004 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Mattel own Hot Wheels and Matchbox??? What monopolistic hell is this?!?

― Markelby (Mark C), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I think the See-N-Say record is long overdue for remastering, with outtakes from the original sessions tacked on at the end and accessible if you shake it hard enough.

― jazz odysseus, Friday, 20 February 2004 18:06 (twenty-two years ago)

I had a Barbie Walkman when I was maybe 3 or 4 years old.

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:08 (twenty-two years ago)

http://8ball.ofb.net/icosa.gif

http://8ball.ofb.net/procedure.html

A Note About the Blue Fluid

Although this report has previously referred to the blue fluid as "presumably harmless", there is some reason to believe that it is less than potable.

Two human subjects (including one of the authors) volunteered for a non-blind Type I safety trial of the blue fluid. The investigators initially believed the fluid to be water with dissolved dye. The trial subjects self-administered small doses of the fluid to their tongues. Trial subjects reported the following side-effects:

* Hideous taste (100%)
* Numbness of the application area (100%)
* Blue fingertips (100%)
* Headache (50%)

A follow-up study of the experimental subjects after 30 minutes revealed no additional long-term side-effects of blue fluid ingestion. The change in finger color appeared to be a permanent outcome, but involved no other morbidity. The numbness discontinued after a few minutes. However, the authors recommend that no further human trials begin without animal studies.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

anybody know anyone at mattel or know anything about how to propose a licensing idea to a company like mattel? it's funny that this thread started with the magic 8 ball idea because i've recently come up with one myself (completely different than yours btw Maria).

i've been developing products for a new business venutre and would really like to pursue this magic 8 ball idea. so if anyone can be of any assistance it would be much appreciated.

― metfigga (metfigga), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:20 (twenty-two years ago)

The investigators initially believed the fluid to be water with dissolved dye

Why would they think that?

I thought it was oil with dye. It looks more like oil than water.

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I have a magic 8-ball here at work and I will ask it if the fluid is evil and mean.

*does so*

It told me to concentrate and ask again. It's hiding something from me!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Where's mine?

― Aja (aja), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:25 (twenty-two years ago)

The 8-ball is actually Tyco's, metfigga

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 18:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I never thought about why the liquid was coloured until now, but I guess most of why it works is that all but one side is kept invisible that way. I had always thought of it as simply a die with writing on it; something of no particular interest.

― jazz odysseus, Friday, 20 February 2004 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

how did 3.5 grams of cocaine come to be known as an 8-ball, buy the whey?

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

i believe mattel recently purchased tyco and now owns the rights to the magic 8-ball. i have been doing some research this week and was just at my local toys r us last night to find out how much they're retailing for ($7.99 in San Francisco). the packaging was all mattel.

what i'm wondering is, can you avoid being sued or having to pay licensing fees to mattel if you change the casing of the product so it's no longer an 8-ball and you drop the word "magic" from the brand name?

― metfigga (metfigga), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

How about a magic cue ball instead? maybe that wouldn't infringe.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.longwell.net/magic/

oh, magic cue ball's been done, at least virtually. You can ask it questions on-line.

Q: Will metfigga be able to make a new 8-ball without getting sued?
A: IN YOUR DREAMS!

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 18:43 (twenty-two years ago)

A "Non-infringement sphere"?

― jazz odysseus, Friday, 20 February 2004 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

that's my line of thinking. let's say the idea is to change the casing to look like a cue ball, right. so the questions are:

A) can you call it "the magic cue ball"?
b) can you copy the engineering and design of the innards?
c) does changing the design to a cue ball protect you from a law suit?

please let me know if you can steer me to a place that might have answers to these questions.

― metfigga (metfigga), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:47 (twenty-two years ago)

that damn cue ball! :)

well if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

― metfigga (metfigga), Friday, 20 February 2004 18:48 (twenty-two years ago)

http://uspto.gov

US Patent & Trademark Office - it's a huge website. I give up trying to find a definition of a patentable invention or infringement. That's where I would think you would have to look.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 18:57 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.uspto.gov that is.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

This got patented:

8-ball relaxer

Abstract

A relaxing device in the form of a hard, hollow ball with a smooth hard coating decorated with a number of figure 8s to simulate the 8-ball in pocket billiards. A bell is mounted within the ball. Manipulation of the ball produces pleasant sensations of feel, sight, and sound.

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

i'll see what i can find out over the weekend, thanks maria. again, i think your idea is an excellent one. if what we're talking about is viable, i'll be glad to share any information i find out. and if i pursue manufacturing my idea i'd be glad to talk to you about how things are progressing.

― metfigga (metfigga), Friday, 20 February 2004 19:04 (twenty-two years ago)

while we're talking about product ideas i was wondering what the general feeling is about promoting a product on ILE - is that generally frowned upon?

the product i'm developing is political in nature and takes a stab at gwb if that has any bearing on your answer.

― metfigga (metfigga), Friday, 20 February 2004 19:38 (twenty-two years ago)

"The magic cue ball has pondered your question (Is it frowned upon to promote products on ILE?) and returns the result:
Absolutely!"

― Maria D., Friday, 20 February 2004 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

i'm never buying one of those magic cue balls!

― metfigga (metfigga), Friday, 20 February 2004 20:28 (twenty-two years ago)

three weeks pass...

maria d. are you out there? i have tried to email you progress updates on my magic 8 ball project but the emails keep getting bounced back. if you see this posting and you're interested in hearing what the latest is then shoot me an email.

― metfigga (metfigga), Wednesday, 17 March 2004 23:02 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.