A Day Late, and a Dollar Short

An Idea Man
Gadabout is disappointed that he is often “late to the dance” with innovations. It happens to all of us. One day you are irritated trying to remove the plastic tab off the top of a to-go coffee cup, and a year later someone invents a better top that provides for easy sipping. You say, “hey, I knew that was a problem, I should have invented that!” Millions of lost revenue! Frustrating.

The latest craze in the soft drink industry is zero-calorie flavored bottled water. For years, I have turned my back to sweet drinks. Since I was a kid I have added lemon juice from those plastic lemon containers into my drinking water. I have even added a packet or two of the “yellow” or “pink” sugar free sweeteners to balance the bitterness. It's better than plain water, no calories, and is refreshing. I missed the boat again, and the answer was right under my nose!

Here is a list of other innovations that I should have profited from:

Tamper Proof Seals
Over the Ear Headphones
Automobile Gas Cap Tethers
Television Financial Networks (still waiting for a War Channel)
Toasters that bagels fit in without getting stuck
Dripless candles
Improved paper plates
Integrated shoulder and seat belts in cars
Caster wheels for refrigerators

This is just a short list off the top of my head. Al Gore invented the internet, and I am sitting here saying, “It could have been.” I have to start writing these ideas down! Michael Keaton, in the 1982 classic Night Shift, was an idea man. “Feed mayonnaise to the tuna!” I wonder how that idea is going?