I was reading the Business section of The New York Times and found this article about Meredith Perry.

Perry’s uBeam seems like it may be some time away, but the concept is great: have one stand-alone unit in your home that can charge everything that comes with a plug. Say goodbye to tangled knots of cords and wires shoved in between desks and furniture. I’d buy one tomorrow.

I’m no astrobiologist (Perry is a bit intimidating having worked at NASA for a couple of years), but I’ve kicked around an invention idea here and there. One concept for a foot sponge/scrub attached to the bottom of your tub I had over a decade ago now shows up in “As Seen on TV” sections of the supermarket and it makes me so irritated at myself. I had that idea before it came out, but neglected to follow it all the way through.

I admire Perry’s means to an end:

“I literally would just carry around a notebook and write down any annoyances, because that would be an opportunity to solve a problem and have an invention.”

YES! I love this idea. And I plan on doing this from now on. My hatred for filling ice trays immediately comes to mind… What drives you nuts in your day-to-day lives?

While I believe my next venture will be pet-related, you never know. The makers of ThunderShirt have certainly developed a groundbreaking product that can’t stay on the shelves. For the many friends of mine who are dog/pet owners, what is something you wish you could buy for your pet that isn’t available? Or perhaps there’s something you already have that you wish was made/designed better.

Would love your thoughts!