• Tue, Apr 24 2012

    Justin with his invention, Mocubo

    With Mocubo having recently launched in the Quirky store and about to hit retail shelves nationwide, we thought we’d check in with inventor, Justin Giannone, to discuss his experience having his idea go from sketch to store.

    Tell us a little bit about yourself.

    I’m a true New York Pizza Bagel – Half Italian and Half Jewish. I grew up an avid tennis player and lover of all sports. I went to NYU and studied Psychology, Neural Science and Pre-med, and other random things. Since then I’ve served BBQ food, worked on Cisco networks, and worked in a number of roles for my family business, an electronic components distributor and LCD solutions provider.  I’m getting married in October to the love of my life who I cook for almost every day. I love art and entertainment that pushes the envelope. I’m involved with a incredible charity – The Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, and I hope to be involved in more in the near future.

    When did you join Quirky?

    I think it was June of 2010.

    When and how did you think up the idea for this product?

    I thought of the idea when I was lying in bed trying to sleep. I had cleaned up after dinner, but didn’t feel like cleaning the cutting board (I used our biggest board so I could spread out). Since it was so huge and cleaning is such a pain in the tuchus, I just left it in the sink but that was stressing me out. Then it hit me. I started researching it on my phone right then and there at like 1AM. Then woke up and did some research and submitted it. Over the next few months the idea evolved into something much better.

    Had you tried to make this thing on your own already?

    No, I submitted it to Quirky about 10 hours after it first popped into my brain.

    What do you think of the final product?

    It’s fantastic. Simple, modern, beautiful, functional and fun. What more could you ask for?

    In your opinion, what is the most innovative product ever invented?

    Do human beings count as a product? If not, then go with the obvious, the smartphone. Every day I’m in awe of them.

    What inspires you?
    Risk takers like my parents and brother. Food. Big concepts like spirituality and the universe. Leafless trees. Maynard James Keenan. Travelling (especially to Europe). My nephews and their hilarious imaginations. Taoism. Biology & Psychology. Quirky.com and all it’s creative people. Open innovation. My friends and relatives, most of whom have amazing lives, and are living their dreams.

    What are some of your quirks?

    I love all things math and got a perfect score on my math SATs. I’m a big time dabbler.  I’m still that kid that asks “why” to everything. I need to understand everything and love learning. I’m a real jack of all “you know what”. I’m great at starting things…

    Any parting words?

    Thank you Ben and the entire Quirky team for making this happen and just being so damn cool. Thank you Quirky community for backing and helping to develop this product. Mocubo’s development has been a heck of a learning experience and confidence builder for me. This whole Quirky thing is special and I’m so proud and ridiculously excited to be a part of it.


    Mocubo is now shipping from the Quirky store.

  • Tue, Apr 24 2012

    Our partnership with GE continues in Houston. If you’re in the area, swing by the GE Garages at Rice University. This is your chance to roll up your sleeves and learn how to prototype (with 3D printers, injection molders, laser cutters and welding) and participate in workshops and training sessions.

    Where: Rice University, 2100 Rice Blvd. at Wilton St – West Lot 3
    When: Through 5/3 (2p – 8p daily)
    More info: ge.com/garages

  • Mon, Apr 23 2012

    Below are the results from this week’s Brainstorm session, featuring the collaborative work of our designers, invention ambassadors, and community members (click either image for a larger version):

    Product 314: Friendship Bracelets

    Product 280: Folding Chair

    The full feed for the brainstorm can be viewed here:



    Video streaming by Ustream

    That’s the recap! We’ll be posting a preview for next week’s brainstorm on Monday, but until then we’d love to hear your feedback on this week’s brainstorm and broadcast, so share and share alike in the comments. Change, as they say, is good.

  • Mon, Apr 23 2012
    David Veshapidze, a Business Owner from Alexandria, KY was making his famous flapjacks for his daughter, Sophia, and was trying to keep all of his pancakes a consistent size. Unfortunately, it was hard for him to measure exactly how batter he was pouring into the pan so he would have to settle for using smaller measuring cup to measure out the batter for each pancake. He thought there had to be an easier way to measure portions of liquids and batters as a person was pouring them. David came up with an idea that does just that. His measuring cup with radial measuring lines makes sure you dispense exactly as much liquid as you intend. Quirky looks forward to finding another new way to simplify portion control.

    Tommy Caldwell, a Registered Nurse from Doddridge, Arkansas was on vacation when he became fascinated with a shop that sold clothing, which changed colors when exposed to sunlight. Tommy began thinking about where else this type of technology could be used, and came up with his idea for a hair dye that changes color in the sun. This dye could be produced in temporary and permanent forms so a user can have standard highlights indoors and funky colors when they step outside! Quirky will be exploring this fun new way to change up your look.

    Sean Reilly works as a front desk associate in Logan, Utah.  Currently, Sean attends Utah State college and is studying to be a physical education teacher.  Sean goes to high school and middle schools all the time to teach gym classes.  He immediately noticed that almost every girl in these schools were wearing hair clips with colored hair. He thought it would be a good idea if he could advance this type of product and make it so the hair extensions would change colors.  Sean thinks that the marketability of this product will be huge and Quirky is willing to test the waters to see if his notion is correct.

    Alexi Anania was frustrated when playing iPad games and not being able to use actual dice.  Growing up she loved to roll the dice and felt that it was missing from newer technologies.  She came up with her idea of dice that interact with Apps so that people can get a more realistic feel of playing old school board games.  Quirky is willing to explore the idea and see what the competitive landscape for the product is, along with the marketability of the product.

    Cameron Walker is a creative director from North Carolina. Whenever she and her partner cook together, Cameron takes over about half way through and her main responsibility is to make sure everything is either taken out of the oven or off the stove in time.  The problem is, her partner needs to tell her ahead of time things like “the oven timer is for the chicken in the oven, the microwave timer is for the beans, and then the egg timer is for when you add the spices to the beans”. Cameron thought it would be a lot easier for two people to cook together if all of the timers were in one place with an easy way to label each one so that anyone that checks on the food knows which timer is for what. This led her to create a 4 sided timer. Cameron thought that this could be a social tool that could potentially expand into other markets.  The Quirky staff agreed with Cameron and felt there was a certain appeal to what this timer could do.


  • Sun, Apr 22 2012

    Why have a whole day dedicated to a slow-cooling ball of molten rock orbiting a star? Earth is a pretty cool place, when you think about it. It gives us food, water, and energy. Its gravity keeps us from floating into the sun. Earth Day reminds us to pay proper homage to our celestial habitat. Here’s five manufacturers that respect Planet Earth all year round by keeping their business practices lean and green.

    Panasonic

    This year, this electronics giant pledged to completely revamp their business and become the #1 green innovation company in the industry. They’ve set a goal to cut C02 emissions by 40 million tons by 2018, and their production of solar cells and fuel cell cogeneration units is making renewable energy accessible to consumers around the world.

    Intel

    Intel knows that powering most of the world’s computers can come at a cost. That’s why they’ve taken serious steps towards reducing waste and harmful byproduct from the components they produce. They have high recycling rates for most products and actively work to find alternatives to toxic materials used in production. They also aim for energy efficiency; for the past three years, the EPA has named Intel the largest purchaser of green power among Fortune 500 companies.

    Honda

    Honda proudly claims to be the most fuel-efficient auto company in the world. They were a trailblazer in the realm of low-emission and hybrid vehicles, and they continue to set the bar high for environmental responsibility today. They are currently working to popularize the utilization of clean hydrogen fuel for both vehicles and the home.

    Sprint-Nextel

    This eco-friendly wireless provider isn’t just setting lofty goals; they’re meeting them. They’re currently recycling over 50% of their products and they’re well on their way to reducing emissions by 15% before 2017. They’re also the only US-based phone provider to offer three “green” phones.

    Nike

    If you’re looking to match Nike in an Earth-off, you’ve got some big shoes to fill. They’ve employed widespread programs to ensure minimal emissions, toxicity, and water use across their entire supply chain. And they have prioritized carbon-neutrality internally as well; their Benelux headquarters are completely run on renewable energy.

  • Fri, Apr 20 2012

    We’re reinventing storage and we’re doing it in the US! This is a huge and really exciting undertaking for Quirky and the community, so we’ve built a dedicated page for all things Crates. Here, you’ll be able to:

    - Rank your favorite accessories for influence (a new type of project).

    - Participate in the different Crates projects (currently Naming, Accessories Concept and Pricing Game are live).

    - Follow the story as we share frequent video updates on bringing crates to life.

    Congratulations to Inventor Jenny Drinkard, from Atlanta, GA.  Last year, she submitted a brilliant idea. This marks the first product that we’ve pulled from the archives. See how Crates was born.


  • Thu, Apr 19 2012

    Take back your outlets from big, bulky plugs! Plug Power is a single outlet adaptor providing users a three-prong outlet that keeps any plug from covering an unused outlet.  Plug this in and you will have made space for large plugs without blocking other outlets on the wall or power strip.  When not in use you can plug it into itself to make it compact and easy to transport. Also when Plug Power is plugged into itself, you can manage your cables with the nifty loop.

    Mark Rumaner was constantly irked when a huge plug took up more than its fair share of space and blocked free outlets. With the aid of 9221 of our awesome community members Plug Power was conceived.  Check it out in the Upcoming page now!

    Features:
    -Offers a single extended outlet
    -Prongs are protected against bending during storage and/or transport
    -Works for three prong outlets
    -Helps to manage additional cords during transport

    Materials:
    -Plastic and electrical cord

    Dimensions:
    38.50mm H x 32mm W (48mm including cable when closed) x 32mm D

    Price, qty and features subject to change during production process

  • Wed, Apr 18 2012

    With Stake having just launched in the Quirky store and about to hit retail shelves nationwide, we thought we’d check in with inventor, Peter Wachtel, to discuss his experience having his idea go from sketch to store.

    Tell us a little bit about yourself.

    I’m a toy designer, inventor, teacher, writer with my company KID Toyology, and a fun dad.

    When did you join Quirky?

    November of 2010.

    When and how did you think up the idea for this product?

    I was BBQ’ing on my grill, and had all of these tools to use: a spatula, tongs, fork, knife, bottle opener (“Spa-tong-fork-ula”), and thought – what if I could combine all these tools together and make one great BBQ tool? That way I could take it to the beach, camping, tailgating parties, or BBQs without five different tools to haul around. I took the BBQ tools I had, made a few rough prototypes, and TADA! Stake was born.

    Had you tried to make this thing on your own already?

    No, but built a few prototypes thanks to my daughter’s playfulness.

    What do you think of the final product?

    Amazing! A great combo of design and function.

    In your opinion, what is the most innovative product ever invented?

    My two kids & Apple Computers.

    What inspires you?

    Toys, design, Ducati motorcycles, camping, swimming, and playing with my kids!

    Any parting words?

    Keep on Quirkin’!

    “What we do in life echoes in Eternity” - Gladiator

    “The Great man is he who does not lose his child’s heart” -Mencius

    Stake is now shipping from the Quirky store.

  • Wed, Apr 18 2012

    Vine is moving into production!  Our retailers are confident in the product.  Take a look at it in the Upcoming Section and help us determine the price, by playing the Pricing Game.

    Congratulations to Marc Rumaner and all of the 1,373 community members that helped influence the product!

  • Tue, Apr 17 2012

    This week’s brainstorm is shaping up to be a fun one, so sprinkle a little glitter on your thinking caps! The two new topics that will be discussed this Wednesday (6pm EST) are:

    Glowing Friendship Bracelet

    Folding Chair 2.0

    If you’re new to brainstorms, allow us to explain. Every week, QDS blows a few product ideas wide open to kick off the design process. You can take part in that. Here’s how:

    1. Topics are posted above. In your wildest dreams, what would be the perfect way to make that product? What should it do, and what problems should it prevent? It’s a brainstorm, so anything goes.

    2. Visit the QuirkyLive Channel at 6pm ET on Wed. Log in on Ustream and throw ideas at us in the live chat.

    3. Can’t join the live brainstorm? Be sure to add your comments here before the start time, and we’ll have them in mind.

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