590. My first Kickstarter! Doublesix Dice November 25, 2013

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The video is about 2.5 min long.  Learn more about the idea on the actual Kickstarter project page.

Thanks!

589. Inspiration: Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED Talk (short version) September 29, 2010

Here is a 5-min clip I edited (with beats added) of a 20-minute 2009 TED talk: Elizabeth Gilbert on Nurturing Creativity.

I was so inspired and moved to tears by her talk.  I distilled it to five minutes because not everyone can or is willing to watch all 20 minutes, though it is worth it.

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588. Invention!: Monster Pong September 13, 2010

After years of waiting, Monster Pong is finally for sale!  There are only limited sets at the moment (about 300) so if you are thinking about it, you may want to order yours before they sell out (www.MonsterPong.com).  Big thanks to the folks over at Everyday Edisons for bringing my idea to life!

587. Invention!: The Cloak September 13, 2010

I can finally start a new category here at SparkBugg: “Invention!”  Instead of an IdeaSpark* (which is just my fancy name for an idea), an Invention is one of my ideas/designs that actually gets produced.  So here it is, finally on web shelves for purchase: The Cloak.  Below is a review by Metagamers.

586. IdeaSpark*: Spherical Maze with Viewfinder September 13, 2010

Here is my latest idea pitch over at Quirky.com.

585. IdeaSpark: The Broom Groomer June 28, 2010

On Quirky, Bill’s idea for a dustpan with grooming teeth was chosen.  You can find out more about it here.

Below was my industrial design pitch.

584. Ideaspark*: The Spatutongs June 28, 2010

Below is an older clip of mine: another Quirky.com design submission.  Fred suggested Quirky make a spatula with detachable heads.  You can see their final product here.  But below was my industrial design submission.

582. Bright Idea: the LED Self-charging Retractable Dog Leash April 19, 2010

Genius concept.  The leash retracts and recharges a built-in LED light, which is crucial for finding dog poop in the dark.  I love it. Too bad it is not yet in production.  Via OhGizmo!

I glued a flashlight to my dog leash, but it fell off a week ago, so I am looking for Barkley and Baxter’s crap with my IPhone flashlight app for the time being.  Annoying.

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581. The Wrapster: Wrangle the Tangle March 4, 2010

I designed this gadget to help manage your earphone/earbud cord.  You can watch my original design pitch below (which is a different clip from the original idea pitch in post 579).

The design team over at Quirky tweaked the final version, which you can see below.

You can pre-order the Wrapster for $6.50  HERE.

580. IdeaSpark*: The Cloak IPad Case design March 3, 2010

Someone at Quirky.com thought they should produce an IPad case. I pitched my design below (and it was chosen to be incorporated into the case’s development!). It is now going into production.  Check it out HERE.

579. IdeaSpark*: Earbud Cord Management Thingy January 27, 2010

I decided to go for it and submit an idea to Quirky.com to see if the sucker can be voted into production. It’s a gadget to prevent my #3 pet peeve: tangled earphone cords. If you want to consider voting for it or other ideas at Quirky, feel free to visit the Quirky.com (it’s on page 2, under “Product 30”). Registration to vote is quick and easy, and voting for this round will end around Monday morning (Feb 1st). Thanks!

…metapost…Everyday Edisons Season 2 now on Hulu.com January 22, 2010

Some of you may recall that I was one of the 12 inventors featured on PBS’s Everyday Edisons.  Well, if you hadn’t seen the show, it is now on Hulu.com.  Check out the promo below to see if this show is up your alley.  And if so, go to HULU.com to check any or all of the 13 episodes, for freezy.

578. IdeaSpark: Non-disposable mug stirrer January 8, 2010

The idea, by Judi Sigler, is for a better way to stir your coffee or tea at the office.  She submitted it to be voted at Quirky.  If it wins, the invention will be produced.  I voted for her!  You can join Quirky.com to vote for her ideas, or many others.

But not only did I vote, I shared my idea variations via video.  It’s below:

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UPDATE: Judi’s idea won and is now available for preorder!  Read more about it HERE.

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577. Bright Idea: Quirky.com January 8, 2010

Thanks to the book Crush It!, I am seriously considering kicking SparkBugg back up again, with more of a focus on my own video clips of ideas and reviews.

Last night I worked on a video after being inspired by an idea at Quirky.com (a crowdsourcing invention house).  Check out the 30-second video about Quirky below.

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…Quinn Baron Fleming… October 20, 2008

my daughter, and best (co)invention ever….

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…metapost: Everyday Edisons Premiere!! June 21, 2008

Erin, Matt’s wife here…..I’m excited to report that Everyday Edisons Season 2 premieres today on several PBS affiliates.   You can check out the EE website which features Season 2 inventors here (Matt is on the right, in the green shirt).   Sadly, we won’t be able to see it today as our DC PBS station isn’t airing it in June or July (for your location and times, go here).   It’s been an exciting ride over the past 18 months being part of the show and we are thrilled that viewers will be able to see the journey!

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…metapost… February 26, 2008

Here is a Bright Idea…try to see if this blog can help with an important cause. A dear friend of mine has multiple sclerosis, and I will be joining her and her team for the MS walk this April 5th. I have pledged $100 to the cause. If you would like to contribute as well, or just learn more about MS, please click HERE.

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…metapost… October 18, 2007

I am coming up on one year of posting, but am quickly running out of steam. Lately, I have been debating retiring SparkBugg, but will continue, albeit with less frequent postings, for now.

I am still grateful to have any readers at all. Thank you.

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…metapost… September 21, 2007

I just spent all day yesterday traveling to Charlotte, NC, to meet the folks at Enventys and Bouncing Brain, and my fellow inventors, for Season 2 of Everyday Edisons. That is why I hadn’t posted in a couple of days. I also plan to share more details about my travels in my neglected blog, MetaBugg.

Also, I just realized the SparkBugg mailbox has been full and maxed out for a while (via GoDaddy) so I cleared it out. Sorry if you have been emailing me and not hearing back.

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…metapost… August 23, 2007

Dear Readers: Sorry that it took a couple of days to post: my home wireless modem is down (again), and I no longer work at my University job (i.e. no office internet access). I finally got access here at Panera, after the signal was too weak at Bear Rock Cafe, I didn’t have a reservation at the library, and realized you need T-mobile for the nearby Starbucks. Thanks for your patience. – SparkBugg

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…metapost… August 13, 2007

Sorry about the delay in posting. I was in Pittsburgh for our good friends’ wedding all weekend (yay, Donna and Tim!). But, starting this Monday, I will be back to sharing Bright Ideas with all you loyal readers. Thanks.

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…metapost… July 5, 2007

Hello, readers. I am writing you from an internet cafe in Charleston, SC (we are visiting my sister-in-law). Sorry about the delay in posting, but I had a broken modem last week, then the last several days I spent at a NC beach with no internet access. And since my vacation is continuing, I most likely won’t be able to post until next week. Thanks for your patience.

BTW, my childhood crush Mary Stuart Masterson was just sitting two tables down. Some Kind of Wonderful was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. I had to share that with you.

Talk to you all soon.
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…metapost… June 13, 2007

Huge thanks goes out to my brother, Mark, for making this awesome header.  He just taught himself Photoshop this year as a hobby.  Lucky for me.

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…metapost… June 6, 2007

For $15 a year and some self-taught basic HTML and CSS skills, WordPress allows me to tweak the look of the site. I wanted to make the font more legible, hyperlinks more obvious, and change the color scheme. Hopefully, soon, I will design a better header. Being creative is fun!

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…metapost… May 9, 2007

Another reasons things have been hectic around here: I made it onto Season 2 of the PBS show, Everyday Edisions. I am so thrilled. If you are interested, you can read about this all HERE.

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…metapost… May 9, 2007

Dear Loyal Visitors and Readers: sorry for the lack of postings of late. Computer problems at home and no time at work has made it hard to post. However, work will be slowing down next week and for the rest of the summer (I work at a university) so I plan to post a lot more and more consistently very soon. Thanks for your patience.

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…metapost… April 16, 2007

Because of B2.is, I got over 2000 hits a few days ago (about a 1000% increase over the daily average). Thanks, my Icelandic friends, for visiting! And thanks to B2.is, for listing a link to my LampLamp post. Read more about the statistics here ( @ Metabugg.com).

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…metapost… April 13, 2007

Hello, everyone! I am back, finally. Thanks for your patience. Not only did I not have web access at home, a nasty cold kept me from work and Panera, so there was no chance to post at all. But, the Comcast cable man came today and hooked me back up. Nice.

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…metapost… April 7, 2007

Dear readers: unfortunately, for the next week, there will less then average postings. I just moved into a new home, and haven’t been able to set up internet access yet. I am writing you, today, via free WiFi at a local Panera Bread (I love this place). So, please bear with me as I set up home web access, unpack, and get settled. I am anxious to be back posting regularly, so I will be writing more soon. Thanks.

SparkBugg

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…metapost… March 27, 2007

I am trying to link up with blog search engines, so I am posting links:

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