Tag: Invention
Boyfriend arm pillow
Boyfriend Arm Pillow
Ladies! Sick of sleeping alone? Lost all hope of meeting Mr Right? Why not settle for Mr Right Now? (Or at least...
Selling our IP to the Chinese
An Aussie swimming coach sells training secrets to the Chinese and it hits the front pages of the tabloids. Fair enough. But our precious...
The car polygraph
If it’s true that necessity is the mother of invention, I never want to get in a car with either Bernhard Mattes or Gottfried...
Time to get serious
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way....
It was an Ah-Ouch! moment
Yes, the combination of bugs, electricity and the Australian way has always brought pleasure and pain to the Christmas season. That's why we have chosen to honour US patent 5107620, the electrified table-cloth as our Bi-Goodness this February, as we meander back to work, with fond memories of backyards, BBQs and buzzing flies.
Lighter-than-air furniture
It's probably fair to assume that when Lionel Richie sang "Dancing on the ceiling", he was on an altogether different trip to William A. Calderwood of Peoria, Arizona, author of US patent 4888836 (1989) - "Lighter-than-air furniture".
Cane and able (to party!)
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way....
Hi-tech beer mat
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way....
Crazy inventions: Chindogu
It's time to reach beyond the wayward solitary invention of a wayward solitary inventor to embrace an entire conceptual school of wayward invention: the artful Japanese science of Chindogu.
Solo-operable seesaw
Inventors are lone wolf types, too often misunderstood and under-appreciated. So is it any wonder that their inventions sometimes reflect their sense of isolation and defiant self-reliance? It speaks to the credo: ingenuity conquers all (love is overrated).
Sun towel mask
Illustration: Sam Griffin
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come...
Innovation: Disruption in the first degree
"Innovation" is a woolly beast. It has many disguises and aliases. To get face-to-face and down and dirty with innovation is no mean feat.
Cordless jump rope
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way....
Legal: Business method patents
One of the great misconceptions about patents is that they can only be obtained on an invention of a tangible item. However, patents can also be obtained for how a business function is performed, provided certain criteria are met. These patents are known as "business method patents".
Relax on the run
Illustration by Sam Griffin
Are you under the pump at work? A soothing massage could be just the ticket, if only you could find the...
Victorian Technology Profiles Aug/Sep 06
The path from start-up to success story can be a challenging journey. These two Victorian innovators are taking the path less travelled, turning good ideas into profitable international businesses, and they're not looking back!
Ahab's secret weapon
Before he abandoned his palaces for a hole and then a cell, Saddam Hussein had a reputation for being a bit of an adrenaline...
Ahab’s secret weapon
Before he abandoned his palaces for a hole and then a cell, Saddam Hussein had a reputation for being a bit of an adrenaline...
Life-expectancy timepiece
BI-GOODNESS is a bi-monthly column dedicated to the quirky, generally funny and often dangerously impractical inventions and business concepts that occasionally come our way. It is a tribute to the one-eyed entrepreneur, the nutty professor and dotcom jockey in each of us.
Q&A: Nigel Poole
As the person responsible for commercialising all new technologies emanating from the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation, Nigel Poole knows all about transforming ideas into companies. From where he sits, Australia's so-called "commercialisation gap" is receding, with seed investment culture and managerial experience the keys. He's a busy man with busy ideas and a penetrating vision for Australia's future as a knowledge nation.
