Invent That Now

I get regular requests for information regarding inventing and product development and have written many articles on the subject. I have also written two books that I have not yet listed for sale.

Well, the time has come and I wanted to leak out bits and pieces of "Invent That Now" as I ready it for publishing. Here is a piece of the introduction. 

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“Inventions reached their limit long ago, and I see no hope for further development.” - Julius Frontinus, 1st Century A.D.

“Everything that can be invented has been invented.” -

Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Patent Office, 1899

I guess it’s good thing that Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, you and I never got the memo.  When these stewards of forward progress spoke these words many years ago no one was listening.  Luckily.

Here are some not so obscure things created early in the 20^th century, early 1900’s – hard to believe, especially since there was nothing more to invent!  Richard G. Drew invented masking tape in 1923 and created the clear tape called Scotch Brand Cellulose Tape in 1930, and what would we do without the dispenser for that tape invented by John A. Borden in 1932, both men were 3M employees.  Ruth Wakefield invented chocolate chips in 1930, she ran “The Toll House Inn” in Whitman Massachusetts.  Of course a nod has to go to Edwin Perkins of Omaha, Nebraska for bringing us “Fruit Smack” (which became Kool-Aid) in 1927 – The seven original Kool-Aid flavors were: Cherry, Lemon-Lime, Grape, Orange, Root Beer, Strawberry, and Raspberry.  

Although Nikola Tesla invented the radio, it was promoted and popularized by Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 - The first radio transmission across an ocean (the Atlantic Ocean) occurred on December 12, 1901.

Along with the Popsicle invented by 11-year-old Frank Epperson in 1905, the Slinky™, the Zipper, Q-tips™, the polio vaccine, the tea bag and Velcro™ were all invented in the early 1900’s, all of these and plenty more found their way to the market after 1899.  

On December 17, 1903, the "Flyer" flew for 12 seconds and for a distance of 120 feet (37 m).  Remember the Wright brothers?  The list goes on and on and although a patent doesn’t mean you will make any money or even have a marketable item, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued over 7,000,000 patents since its beginnings in 1790, some of them have made the inventor money, mostly not though. 

   

The Reality is that ideas are a dime a dozen, and the only thing that makes them special is that they’re yours.  The trick is to know what to do with ideas when you get them. 

It’s difficult to stay objective about our latest and greatest ideas so here are the four criteria to apply to help decide whether or not to forge ahead with your latest million-dollar idea:  

1. Are you solving a problem?  
2. Are you fulfilling a dream?  
3. Are you inventing to a need?  
4. Can this thing be manufactured and sold at a profit?  

All the Best,

Scott Evans

Decisions & Accountability

To Whom or What do you assign your successes? To Whom or What do you assign your failures or shortcomings? How do we account for who or what we've become? How do we explain having someone or something to which we are held accountable?

Decisions are funny things. They both determine, in large part, our future and of course are those silly little things that built the construct under which we live. There are tiers of accountability and like clockwork we fall into line through training, time in the trenches, coercion, and most of all whether we want to admit it or not through our decisions.

Notwithstanding our formative years and the decisions made for us by our parents, teachers and the whole host of minders that may have had something to do with our direction early in life, we are still faced with having made the decisions we've made as well we're faced with the outcomes, both good and bad.

So, the question might be, "What criteria, values, system or compass do we rely on when it comes time for decision making?" Is it the Almighty God principle? After all, some people believe that the idea of something to believe in trumps the idea of nothing to believe in. Is the driving principle behind your decision making simply doing the "right thing?" If so, What accounts for the "right thing" being right?

If, as mentioned earlier, there are tiers of accountability they might be best aligned as follows:

Local - Regional - Global (LRG). You can work this scale forward or backward, as long as you accept the notion that we are accountable to ourselves, our family and friends, our community and whatever higher governing body or spiritual sense you may have. Some may draw all decision making and direction from their higher power, and then that "system" of thought and conduct trickles down to all parts of life. Some people may decide "for themselves" to be a good person and build out a future based on self thought propositions. In any case there are markers of accountability that must be acknowledged in order to operate in and navigate through life - Because remember, no one is an "only-one."

The degree to which you put yourself out there concerns the middle ground - the Regional - How prepared are you to operate in the area between yourself and your higher sense of things?  

There are no hard-and-fast answers otherwise we'd all be walking around in total agreement. Agreement on the cause for the first cause, what makes up the optimum diet, daylight savings time, whether God is good or should be feared (or both), do video games cause violent outbursts, was Seinfeld really a show about nothing, etc.

The real point seems to be to find a point of acceptable exchange(s) between folks. Instead of "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours," how about, "Let's scratch each other's back." But scratch in the manner they want to be scratched, not how you want to deliver the scratch. After all shouldn't their expectation of receiving the experience trump your expectation of delivering it?

If we are attempting to break down barriers of resistance in any relationship, from business to personal, wouldn't it make sense to operate under the idea that everyone "Gets More?" This all really comes down to deciding on a new operating basis and decisions that move us in the direction we're going - Which by the way, is not always aligned with where the other person is going.

So, try as we might to stand out from the crowd (which is an admirable trait and, I think, a good and proper operating basis), we must understand that we are all in a constant process of fine tuning our decision making, constantly shoring up our value systems and checking in with our higher sense of things to see to it that we have met our own (the higher sense's) expectations.

More to come, but for now I'd appreciate you sharing this post with friends and family.

All the Best,
Scott Evans

      

Glossophobia

Hello There,

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the fourth week of an eight week stand up comedy class I'm attending, it all culminates with an actual stand up routine, in front 75 (+ -) people, at Flappers Comedy House in Burbank, California December 16th. Of course I aspire to having an HBO special and will stop at nothing to make that happen! I Love the exchange of energy while in front of a crowd. (I sure I'm funny on December 16th).

Public speaking, giving presentations, speaking to groups, etc. has never been a problem for me but I do understand some people have "back-off" when it comes to public speaking. I thought I'd try and make the case that we can all enjoy something that is surveyed to be one of the biggest fears - Glossophobia, fear of public speaking.

While I was on a speaking tour of western Canada I made a stop in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada. A woman came up to me and said she had a product, a new invention, she wanted to bring to market and wanted to know how to go about presenting her idea to industry; she said she was afraid to speak in front of people and that she was basically a shy person. I asked her about her product and she told me - She didn't just tell me about it, she was animated and emotionally driven in her explanation. Believe me when I tell you, this was not a shy person standing in front of me.

I think the problem isn't that people have a fear of public speaking, rather they either have nothing to say or are simply not prepared. I know that anyone with a passion for something will stop at nothing to be heard by as many people as will gather around, so it got me thinking.

How can a person develop a story, how can they either "have" something to say or "create" something to say? Then attach an emotion to that "something?" The point isn't simply to speak, the point has to be speaking on or about a subject that has emotion attached to it. That emotion is either  coming from the speaker or being evoked/elicited out of/from the audience. Whether it be selling something or whipping a group into a frenzied agreement about a cause, there must be some degree of emotion on both sides of the conversation.

So, I ask you - What are you most concerned about? What drives you emotionally? What do you want to tell people? What cause or causes are you ready to rally the troops around? The list of questions is almost endless but the point is to find that "something" that has emotion attached to it, or that you can attach an emotion to. So, put on your hiking boots, climb to the top of the mountain and start talking your talk, speaking your speak - Stop at nothing to be heard!

Below are a couple websites that list out top fears.

SelfHelpCollective has their list:
01. Fear of flying
02. Fear of public speaking 
03. Fear of heights 
04. Fear of the dark 
05. Fear of intimacy 
06. Fear of death 
07. Fear of failure 
08. Fear of rejection (my own)
09. Fear of spiders 
10. Fear of commitment

TotallyTop10 has public speaking at #2 as well:
1) Snakes
2) Public Speaking
3) Heights
4) Enclosed Spaces
5) Spiders and Insects 
6) Needles
7) Mice
8) Flying
9) Dogs
10) Thunder and Lightening 


All the Best,
Scott Evans

Telling a Story?

Dear Reader,

Lately, I've been thinking about the importance of Story. To get what you want out of telling your story you first need to know, not just the story you're telling, but the component parts of that story, a breakdown of sorts. What is the set up, and how will you deliver the punch-line? How you'll deliver the punch-line depends, in part, on what you want the audience to see, hear and feel when you're done. Let's take a quick look at some of the purposes for telling your story (in fact any story), and feel free to add to the list.

A few uses for a story:

• Conversation starter 
• Solving a problem
• Entertain 
• Convincing others (to do or not do something)
• Selling something

Imagine dissecting a story, any story, and looking for the laugh points, emotional hits, calls to action, this is the stuff of a compelling story. When a story is fully exposed, pulled apart and looked at from many different angles something revealing happens; you're able to identify the elements, the importance of those elements individually and of course how they all fit together and their interdependencies. Believe me, it really does help to know what parts to use for what purpose. And of course when telling the whole story it's good to know where to emphasize what, and where to point the listener's attention.

Things that stories impel:

• Perseverance
• Determination
• Resolve (Firmness of Purpose)
• Perspective shift
• Realization
• Revealed something not known or understood before
• Affirms something known
• Sales

Ultimately, wouldn't it be nice to have people know you by your story? The things you've created? And if you tell your story to enough people in many different ways impacting them emotionally or calling them to action, how would you like to be known as an Ultimate Story Teller?

Please feel free to comment on this post and let me know if there's anything you need or want and I'll contact you directly.


All the Best,
Scott Evans

Say WHAT?

Can you imagine telling a (your) story and leaving people with their jaw dropping? How about leaving them speechless? Or what about seeing the goosebumps and tears well up in their eyes as you wrap up an emotional presentation?

And WHAT if all of these reactions came from telling the same story? The same story told with the emotional tone you wanted to evoke? Could you tell your story three times with three different emotional tones in order to evoke your desired response?

During the writing of "Pacoima Days - The Events and Incidents that Inspired the Hit Movies, The Sandlot, Sandlot 2 and Radio Flyer" - I recalled how people reacted to some of the stories as I told them how my life was back in the early '70's. Depending on the reader's emotional state, different readers will be affected in different ways, so your job, in part, is to set the emotional tone of your delivery through tone of voice, cadence of speech, emphasis on words and phrases and your choice of picture words. It really all comes down to framing (setting the stage for) the delivery before you settle in and tell the story.

Here's a passage from my coming book:

I was a bottle fed baby and ate baby food from a jar. Mom smoked while she was pregnant and while she sat me in her lap and stuffed a bottle in my mouth. Later I would hear all sorts of reports about how smoking during pregnancy leads to stunted growth of the child. I grew up to be six feet one inch tall, maybe I was supposed to be six or eight inches taller but I’ll never know. When I was young I was like a puppy, big head, big hands and big feet and finally grew into them. You know what they say about a guy with a big head, hands and feet don’t you?  Big hat, gloves and shoes, and man did I go through shoes growing up.

Revealing a part of yourself is truly helpful, it helps build rapport. People tend to like the fact that you're being honest and open.

Here's another sneak peak:

We were inspired by all the sport super stars and we had favorite teams. Football, Basketball, Hockey and of course America’s game, Baseball. We knew we were all going to the majors, we just had to keep at it and our time would come. Our shoe boxes were full of sports trading cards. I wasn’t always the sharpest when it came to trading cards, but the upside to trading a good card for a dud was then I had a card to clothespin to my bike near the rear spokes for that “motor cycle” clicky-clack sound as the card got beat by the turning spokes, it was sweet.

Once you get in the groove of making story telling a part of your regular communications you will have reached a "next level" in life and business.

All the Best,

Scott Evans

THE TURNIP

Story Telling

Hello Everyone,

The power of a story depends on how you tell the story. Using picture words, emotional tie-ins, assumed (or surveyed) common experience connections, tone of voice, eye contact and more will help convey your message. The idea is to draw the reader, listener or viewer in. How you tell the story depends largely on WHY you're telling the story in the first place.

As I was writing Pacoima Days and letting my fingers do the talking, the events immortalized in The Sandlot, Sandlot 2 and Radio Flyer rushed from my memory stores down through my hands then to the keyboard and onto the screen.

Here are the last two paragraphs from the Introduction of Pacoima Days.

You may be familiar with Mark Twain taking several personalities (or personality traits) from different school mates and then combining them all together to create one particular character. There was a different spin in the creation of two characters in The Sandlot. I was one ordinary kid that did and endured, what were at the time, extraordinary things and circumstances. While Scotty Smalls and Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez are two different characters with traits and abilities of their own it was one kid, me, in our neighborhood with traits, abilities and an awkwardness that led my brother to take me and create two characters with their assigned abilities and traits and launch what has become the all time best baseball movie ever. 

While some of the stories in this book will make you laugh make no mistake about it, our step-father Jim led through physical force, emotional torture, mental strain, intimidation and coercion which led to a lot of hard times and a couple of trips to the hospital. Radio Flyer presented the younger brother as the defenseless abused child – Yes, this is true and I am the real life Bobby, the boy who flew away in the wagon and sent postcards home. Robert Scott Evans is my name and I’m glad to meet you if only through the pages of this book.

When I've scanned all the pictures from way back then I'll post them here; get ready for a good laugh. Stay tuned!

Please follow my blog here for updates and be sure to share with friends and family!

All the Best,

Scott Evans

THE TURNIP

Pacoima Days

Dear Reader,

I have recently completed the book about the lives, times and events that led to the production of two (three really) major movies. The Sandlot, Sandlot 2 and Radio Flyer. These movies have immortalized me, at least the first 10 or so years of my life.

The book, "Pacoima Days," is currently in New York with my agent being shopped to publishers and I will keep you updated as to publishing date. In the meantime I'll be posting bits and pieces of the book to give you an insight as to how things were for me way back then, about 40 years ago.

This is from the Introduction:

This is not a history on Pacoima, California (although you’ll learn a bit about the area we grew up in) – It’s a background and history of our time there, from my eyes as I saw it and what came as a result many years later; Radio Flyer, The Sandlot and Sandlot 2 immortalized the events and incidents of a childhood that some say should never have worked out as it did.  Certainly for many it may seem odd that three of the most unlikely kids to have succeeded and live happy, well adjusted lives, have in fact succeeded and are living happy and well adjusted lives, in spite of everything that occurred in and around the house on Ilex Ave. Pacoima, California.  Call it beating the odds, the luck of the draw, whatever it was it worked and got us through and keeps us going.  

In the immortal words of Steve Martin in the movie “The Jerk” – “It was never easy for me; I was born a poor white child” in what was to become the porn capital of America, the San Fernando Valley just north of Los Angeles, California.

Here are the movie posters with a few comments beneath them. SCROLL to the bottom of the page to get a sneak peak at what you'll see and learn about me and why my head was given a most interesting nick-name!

I am the real life kid who went over the fence and Pickled the Beast.

Guess what kind of dog it REALLY was...

A Scar is Born - Yikes, the Beast really did sink his teeth into me.

WHERE did he bite me? 

I am the real life Bobby who escapes the madness and abuse of an alcoholic step-father by flying away in a little Red Wagon!

Who did I take with me?

I hope you'll enjoy this journey and forward this blog on to friends and family so they too may get a glimpse of the stories behind the movies!

Oh yeah, PLEASE follow my blog here so you get the updates and posts!

All the Best,

Scott Evans

THE TURNIP