Do you ever find yourself amazed at some new invention you read about or see? Do you ever comment, "I think I could have come up with that one myself!"? Creative ideas turn into gadgets we feel as if we just have to have to make our lives easier or more enjoyable. Nearly everyone with e-mail has probably seen pictures of some zany, yet at least semi-practical inventions that come out of Japan, like the handy roll of facial tissue in the picture on the right. As zany as it looks, though, there have often been times when I would have loved to have something like that to help manage a bad cold or allergies!
Today's i.v. is some cool inventions I've run across as I surf the web. At a time that the economy is so tight, it seems to me as if some of these items would be luxuries that many people would have a hard time justifying. I'm not supplying links, but you could Google any of these inventions that grab you.
Here are several food items that are interesting.
How about bacon dipped in melted chocolate?
Some like dark toast ... how about a little Darth toast, from a Star Wars toaster?
If you're a fan of Swiss Army knives, you might go for Swiss Army chocolate.
If you like Nutella, you might want to try finger cookies.
If you have trouble with people stealing things from your lunch, anti-theft lunch bags might be the solution for you.
Disturbing, isn't it?! 
Now several inventions for the feet.
People who like bumper stickers might go for these shoes bumper stickers.
Here's a close-up.
Here are some shoes that allow you to make your mark on the world, as you walk — shoes made with colored pencils.
Now for some general inventions.
For those who don't have Internet access, someone has published a book that was outdated before it was printed — Offline Wikipedia.
A keyring key?
Do you hate leaving your pet fish at home? Take it along!
Do you have trouble keeping track of your flash drive? Try this USB clothespin.
Do you get tired of extension cords or a lack of outlets? How about a wall like this?
Here's a close-up shot of the outlet wall.
Tired of buying expensive greeting cards that people look at, and eventually toss? Try this all-in-one stamp.
Those who collect salt and pepper shakers might not have this set yet. Salt and battery anyone?
Wish you had room for a ping pong table? Well, now you do with this ping pong door.
Now you can listen to your iPod almost anywhere!
Have you seen any neat inventions lately? Is there anything in this post that you now feel you just have to have?
quotation...
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." - Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899
=^..^= =^..^=
Rob
Atomic Bomb — an invention to end all inventions
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on Jul 24th, 2009 at 8:53 am
Where can we buy the finger cookies for Nutella? It looks like they would work much better than just sticking a finger in the jar!
on Jul 24th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
@Doodie – You read my mind! I’ve seen some of the other inventions before, but that cookie would be the most useful!
on Jul 24th, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I’d love to have some of those in real life. Not sure my mother would be fond of me visiting her in those pencil sandals though
.-= Zach Pippin’s most recent blog post … Funny Friday #3 =-.
on Jul 24th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
My son would love that Darth Vader toaster! My husband enjoyed the idea behind the flash drive pin!
Consistently I am amazed by the ingenuity of people’s minds!
on Jul 25th, 2009 at 8:40 am
@Doodie and Megan – I tried to find those cookies again online, but to no avail. It was a while back that I ran across them. I snagged the picture with this post in mind, but didn’t make note of the URL.
@Zach – They are some pretty cool (if not borderline bizarre) inventions, aren’t they?
If you have any flooring surface like our kitchen floor, your mother would probably skin you alive for marking it up with those sandals. 
@Janel – I wonder how many different toasters there are out there that make other such designs – Snoopy, Winnie the Pooh, etc….
on Jul 25th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I could go for the anti-theft sandwich bags!
Shoe bumper stickers are fun, too.
on Jul 25th, 2009 at 8:15 pm
As far as food inventions go, a favorite of mine (that I discovered recently) is a blueberry peanut butter sandwich. When you heat it up in the microwave (maybe about 30 seconds) it sort of resembles blueberry pie. Reeeeally good. Another variation of it: mix crushed frosted flakes and peanut butter on a plate and sprinkle blueberries on top. Heat up in the microwave. Again, surprisingly good.
on Jul 26th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
I liked the chocolate bacon — though I don’t know if I’d try it! The Swiss Army choco, nutella (yumm!) dippers, and sammich bags were cool, too. They would make a funny prank on a friend!
.-= Dahv’s most recent blog post … Many things =-.
on Jul 26th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
@Sue – Those items do look like fun things to own.
@Ruth – I’ve never thought of blueberries and peanut butter together. It sounds like a combination that you are definitely sold on though.
@Dahv – I see you gravitated to the chocolate items in the list. I love it too, especially dark chocolate. And those sandwich bags would be so much fun, even if theft weren’t a problem. I can just see pulling a sandwich out and having co-workers or friends nearby go into a tailspin as you began to eat the sandwich.
on Jul 27th, 2009 at 9:01 am
We just bought a new toaster and while looking on line first we came across this one: http://www.target.com/Hello-Kitty-Toaster-KT5211/dp/B00021HBU4 — Hello Kitty!
I like the salt and pepper shakers that are batteries.
on Jul 27th, 2009 at 11:05 am
I need that pingpong door! We love to play but have no room for a table. That is such a good idea.
.-= Katy’s most recent blog post … Good parents start with a good marriage =-.
on Jul 27th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
I think I would like the portable fish bowl. I have a betta fish, and it would be so convenient if I had a way to transport him in his little tank without spilling the water!
on Aug 4th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
I notice the packaging says that the salt and pepper batteries are “for your dinning table.” I guess that’s for families who have shouting matches during supper?
on Aug 4th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
@Doug – That’s funny — I hadn’t even noticed that dining was misspelled. I guess the “din” might be loud if things get highly charged.
on Dec 29th, 2009 at 8:34 pm
Oh, just love the ping-pong table!!!!
)) – I want to have that!!!!
and as everybody else – I would love those Nutella finger cookies…
but Wikipedia is the one that killed me!!! hahhahaa!!
and love the outlet wall!!!
)))
on Dec 30th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
@Linda – Glad you got some good laughs from this post.