Don't want your dog/cat/possum/neighbor drowning in the pool? Then you obviously need a Skamper Ramp! (I should really go into advertising). 

Skamper-Ramp is white and it angles down into the water, enabling your pet--and even critters to see it leading out, day or night, 24/7. Skamper-Ramp provides peace-of-mind because your pet (or the critter you didn't want to see there in the first place!) can 'scamper' out of the water--pool or walled pond, even back on a dock or boat ALL BY ITSELF!

The ramp comes in two sizes and costs $70 and $100. Alternatively, drain your pool till there's only water in the deep end. Now I know what you're thinking, "Damn Danni, does your genius know no bounds?" And it doesn't. That shit's boundless. 

Seriously, I had to pull a bloated possum out of the neighbors pool one time, and that was nasty. Spare yourself the trauma and invest in a Skamper ramp! (I swear I'm not being paid for this... although i should be. I'd make a great spokesmodel).

I love this gig, researching and sharing all these cool Ideas & Gadgets with you. Like those fake nipples all the kids are talking about.

Keep those inventions coming and be sure to send a prototype to me and I'll review it for you right here on dannisblog.

Danni~

One day in 2006, stuck in bumper-to-bumper Bay Area traffic, Amir Abolfathi had a eureka moment. Formerly vice president of R&D for Invisalign, a company known for transparent dental braces, he had recently been chatting with a friend who was working on hearing aids. Abolfathi knew that bone was a good sound conductor. What if he could somehow make a removable oral hearing aid—one that could channel sound from wearers’ teeth to their ear through the bones in their head?

That moment of freeway inspiration gave rise to the SoundBite, a device designed for sufferers of single-sided deafness, which strikes about 50,000 people every year in the U.S. After his friend, Michael Benninger, an otolaryngologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, told him it could really help to solve the problem, Abolfathi set about turning his idea into reality. The biggest challenge was miniaturization, so he opted for a piezoelectric actuator, which needs very little power to generate the vibrations that travel through bone. That allowed him to use a much smaller battery, making the entire insert compact enough to fit comfortably in the mouth.

Invention: SoundBite
Inventor: Amir Abolfathi
Cost: $19 million
Time: 4 years
Is It Ready Yet? 1 2 3 4 5

Made of acrylic, SoundBite snaps onto a user’s molars. A tiny microphone worn in the deaf ear wirelessly beams incoming sound to an electronic receiver in the molar insert,

which transmits sound waves from the teeth through the bones in the jaw to the cochlea, the part of the ear that processes sound. (Traditional hearing aids only amplify sound, so they don’t work for people with non-functioning cochlea.) The battery lasts for six to eight hours at a time and can be recharged in a wall outlet.

The best remedy for single-sided deafness currently on the market is a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA), which, like the SoundBite, uses direct bone conduction to deliver sound to the cochlea. But BAHA installation involves surgically implanting a titanium post into the base of the skull. Other noninvasive tooth-based systems have been attempted, but none was ever fully developed and brought to market.
The SoundBite restores hearing just as effectively as a BAHA but requires no surgery. Instead it can be popped in and out of the mouth like a retainer. In clinical trials that wrapped up in February, patients typically reported that it restored from 80 to 100 percent of their hearing in the deaf ear and that they scarcely noticed they were wearing it. Lawrence Lustig, the director of the University of California at San Francisco Cochlear Implant Center, is so impressed with the SoundBite that he says he’ll recommend it to people who would otherwise have to undergo surgery.

If the device secures FDA approval as anticipated, it will hit the market this summer for around $6,000. (Surgery for a BAHA can run well over $10,000.) Abolfathi’s company, Sonitus Medical, plans to negotiate with insurance providers to reimburse patients for at least part of the cost. Abolfathi is also investigating other applications for the technology, including wireless, water-safe MP3 players and stealth communication for intelligence personnel. But even if those don’t pan out, he’s satisfied to know that he’s already improved people’s lives. “One patient just e-mailed and told me, ‘I saw Avatar, and it was great. I hadn’t been to a movie in years.’”

Keep those inventions coming and be sure to send a prototype to me and I'll review it for you right here on dannisblog.

Danni~

Hey Lady!! I think you dropped something...

Ever wanted to accidentally push your child into traffic? Enter the Roller Buggy.

...according to designer Valentin Vodev, a lot of care and safety concerns were taken into consideration when it was designed. In addition to an extra safety belt on the child seat, the Roller Buggy also features a set of hydraulic disc brakes on the front two wheels allowing the speed to be easily reduced at any time.

The Roller Buggy can also be transformed into a standard push stroller for use in places where scooting is frowned upon, and while I'm sure there will be plenty of uproar over child safety if this somehow ever becomes available for sale, with a little common sense it seems like a faster and generally more entertaining alternative way to get around with your little one.

A little common sense?! A little common sense is not buying a stroller/scooter hybrid if you care about the well-being of your child. Now a stroller/hangliding combo, that's just good parenting. I'm talking award-winning good. If you want to win a Danny™ then shoot me an email with your invention and we'll see what the judges say.

Keep churning out those ideas people and I'll keep blogging about them.

- Danni~

Ever tire of holding that magazine over your face while catching some rays? Me too, that's why I flirt with the pool boy, he'll hold that magazine for hours. If you don't have have a pool boy like mine, or he looks like Vincent Schiavelli, then you can invest in one of these. Similar to an oversized sunglass lens, this Shadeline Personal Visor clips onto a chaise lounge and rotates on a flexible arm, blocking harmful rays throughout the day. The high-quality polycarbonate visor won’t block your vision, so you can keep an eye on the action around the pool or beach.

The manufacturer states it has a "Highly coveted UV400 rating which blocks a minimum of 99.9% UVB and 99% UVA rays" Sweet!

I love simple ideas like this, they're the ones that sell by the thousands and make you a pool load of cash... to spend on me.

Keep those inventions coming and be sure to send a prototype to me and I'll review it for you right here on dannisblog.

Danni~

You know that feeling right? You can focus better with one eye closed and you keep falling off the floor... Well, you may well have a drinking problem. Kidding, I'm sure you're fine. But if you ever have trouble getting your key in the door then you may want to check this amazing key hole out. I know I sure could have used this in college... and last night.

So, if the glass keeps missing your mouth, considering investing in one of these. And the next time your flying high and have a terrific idea for an invention be sure to video yourself explaining all about it, those are always fun to watch the next day. Send them to me danni@dannisblog.com and I'll be sure to review it on my next blog.

*hick*

Happy Inventing! - Danni~

Great Grandma Danni had Picasso, Grandma Danni had Norman Rockwell, I had Frank Frazetta. As a comic book geek who grew up surrounded by Marvel, 2000 AD, DC Comics and worshiping Rulah, The Jungle Goddess there's no way I could let the passing of Frank Frazetta go without a mention. The legendary artist died of a stroke this morning at 82, according to CBR:

A New York City native whose career began in the comic book field at the end of the Golden Age, Frazetta was best known for his fantasy illustrations. From his character and genre-defining run of cover images depicting sword-and-sorcery hero Conan The Barbarian to his own haunting Death Dealer painting and character, the artist found immense popularity across a wide spectrum of fans. From fantasy buffs to heavy metal bands and from comic collector's to western enthusiasts, Frazetta's paintings not only inspired many imitators and followers but also made him incredibly popular and comparatively wealthy for a creator in the field of genre art.

He also painted smoking hot warrior women which reinforced this blogger's life-long obsession with the female breast.

Rest in Peace, Frank. you're one in a million!

p.s. Make a young blogger happy and invent something Frazetta inspired in memory of the great man.

Danni~

Ok, so this one's not an invention, but it's geek heaven, and that's where this particular angel came from... Did you know that the famous Vulcan salute was invented by Leonard Nimoy and based on a priestly blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim? Read on fellow Trekkies for a bunch of other interesting facts.

Danni~

Italian furniture designer Campeggi had this Rocky inspired sofa on display at the recent Milan Design Show. The backrest swivels upward to create a punching bag. It's perfect for when I beat you at video games and you get all mad and need to rage out on something. When all is said and done, punching bags and sofas have a fair bit in common: they are both padded and both are sometimes struck to relieve frustration. So it sort of makes sense to make a sofa that doubles as a punching bag – even if it costs more, you save on space.

I'm thinking it wouldn't last long with me beating on it, plus I can't get overt the fact that it looks like a hot dog. After one of my midnight snack attacks it might have bite marks in it when I wake up in the morning. What do you guys think? Love it or hate it?

If you have a great invention that will make losing to me at Lego Batman less stressful, remember to seek patenting advice first.

- Danni~

They're lightsabers, they're chopsticks, they'll change the way you experience your favorite Asian foods. If you missed the chance to pick these up at San Diego Comic Con 2009, now is the time to grab these Japanese imports and deftly maneuver your food with the power of the Force. We're not sure if you know this, but Yoda has been known to carve his Thanksgiving turkey using his lightsaber.

Go forth, brave Jedi warriors, and use your chop sabers to mix just a little extra wasabi into your soy sauce. You can handle it. It is a known fact that eating sushi with chop sabers vastly strengthens your ability to ingest horseradish products. (By the way, did you know that researchers are trying to make a smoke alarm for the deaf using wasabi vapors? We're debating whether it would be more annoying to wake up to the sound of a fire alarm or the punch in the nose that only wasabi brings. What do you think?) Either way, wield your weapons and ready the way for a truly epic eating experience.

This little twist on an ancient product is still an invention and getting passed around the internet like a giant bag of Jolly Ranchers! See even silly inventions can produce a rage. Send me some of your silly ideas today!

Now, let's all slip back into our Leia slave girl outfits. What? It is May 4th you know, National Star Wars Day.

May The 4th Be With You!!

Danni~