Invention
From a very early age I was fascinated by vehicles and transportation. Cars, trains, boats, planes and space-craft intrigued me. I filled whole sketch books with scribbled ideas for brilliant new conveyances. I even managed to destroy my father’s technical tracing pad by drawing all over the graph paper sheet behind the tracing paper block. My father was quite upset but my mother calmed him down and explained it was just a fad. I would get over it and future blocks of tracing paper would be safe.
She was only half right. I did start buying pads of squared graph paper for myself so my father’s stocks were out of danger, but it wasn’t a fad. This was not a fleeting obsession. It stuck and became a cornerstone of who I am. For me being an engineering designer isn’t a career path or even a course of education, it is a lifestyle choice. One of the projects in this section records my efforts to perfect this lifestyle.
After years of practice, I am now a compulsive inventor. My wife is forever rolling her eyes as I explain some new invention for doing something in a new and improved way that no-body has ever thought of before. Stoically, she waits till I have finished and then tells me that it is all very interesting but right now what she really would prefer is a nice fresh pot of tea. She always finishes with a smile. I like it it is a very charming smile. Fortunately, I also like making my wife pots of tea so everything turns out well in the end. Nevertheless, my inventions deserve a bigger audience.
Along with my work on design theory this section collates my wild and wacky ideas. It is not only about presenting the invented artefact itself but far more about recording the thought processes and methodology employed to get to the final result.
By the way, if you are an investor of some kind and fancy a shot at commercialising anything I present here then please get in touch. I would be happy to discuss with you what we might be able to achieve together. I am always open to opportunities for mutual benefit.