Jim Cairns was a boy, he invented a way to hang pictures in his room without making the holes in the wall that so irritated his mother.
He mixed iron powder with paint and spread it on the walls, then he put magnets on his pictures and stuck them to the iron treatment. It worked for a while until the walls started rusting. His mother was not amused.
But his early urge to push the envelope has served Cairns well in later life. He went on to found Ocean Design Inc., and to invent electric and fiber-optic connectors that have led to more than 50 patents.
Now, Cairns has written a book, “The Inventor’s Pathfinder: A Practical Guide to Successful Inventing,” which encourages people to invent and gives them the steps to follow.
If necessity is the mother of invention, Cairn’s book is no exception. He discovered most books about inventions were written by lawyers and focused on obtaining patents. “There was nothing to walk someone through the process,” Cairns said. “I wanted to provide a road map, a path to follow. Anyone who wants to spend the time to do it right, can.”
Cairns said when he talks to groups, he asks for a show of hands from those who’ve had ideas for inventions. Almost everyone raises a hand. Then, he asks how many did anything with their ideas, and no hands come up. “The beginning inventor’s biggest problem doesn’t seem to be getting interesting ideas; it’s knowing what to do next,” Cairns said.
Photo by iUniverse, Inc..
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