So, maybe our world isn’t quite like that yet, equipped with robot servants (remember Rosie?) or flying cars. But technology has brought us to places we could only imagine 50 or 100 years ago. Robots to clean the house, cook dinner or help the kids with their math homework aren’t as far out as we once thought.

One of our frequent readers, Roxanne Porter, writes blog stories for nannyjobs.org. In one of her recent blog posts, she discussed the hilarious problems that could come with robots becoming nannies.

Take a look!

(http://www.nannyjobs.org/blog/10-reasons-robots-make-terrible-nannies/).

Thanks for sharing, Roxanne. This is funny stuff!

Of course, wherever I go, I’m always thinking about inventions and innovation, and I am always curious as to how the things surrounding us came to be. While I was soaking up the sun in Hilton Head this past week, I watched the children on the beach building majestic sandcastles. They’d fill their plastic buckets with sand, pack it together with water, and sometime later, a giant masterpiece was created. It got me wondering who built the first sandcastle, and how they came to be such a popular part of family vacations.

According to some theories, the ancient Egyptians built sand models of the pyramids. An Indian legend dating back to the 14th century also makes reference to the poet Balaram Das, who built devotional sculptures from sand, but the first documented sand sculpture wouldn’t appear until more than 500 years later.

It is commonly believed that the first artists to profit from their sandcastle building surfaced in Atlantic City, New Jersey, late in the 19th century. Some credit Philip McCord with creating the first true sand sculpture in 1897, which featured a drowned mother and her baby. But, by the early 1900s, word had spread that money could be made from building these giant sandcastles, so “artists” came from near and far to carve out their little patch of sand. They started to overwhelm the Atlantic City beaches, which irritated the town officials. Sometime in 1944, a strong hurricane ripped through Atlantic City, destroying the boardwalk and demolishing the sand dunes. The local government saw this as a blessing in disguise, rebuilding the boardwalk, but banning any sandcastle building along the entire stretch of boardwalk, a law that is still in place today.

In Europe, Professor Eugen Bormel created giant sand sculptures on the German coast at the North Sea summer resort town of Nordeney. His preferred models were mermaids and renditions of the Sphinx, which are still some of the favorite subjects for modern-day sand sculptors.

After World War II ended, and the modern American family started taking beach vacations, family sandcastle contests started popping up all along the east coast. Modern day sand sculpture as we know it really started in California in the early 1970′s, with the teaming up of Gerry Kirk and Todd Vander Pluym, collectively known as Sand Sculptors International (SSI). This team set the standard by organizing teams of sculptors to create incredibly huge and detailed replicas of famous castles and architecture.

Today most children have plastic buckets resembling sandcastle molds and most beaches host at least one sand castle contest each summer. Every year, Western Europe features hundreds of sand sculptors trying to outdo each other in size and special effects.

As always, inventors, enjoy your summer with your friends and family, and keep checking back to my blog and the INPEX® website for updated information regarding our 2012 show!

If your invention can be linked to cooking or food in any way, including growing, processing, storing, serving, disposing, etc., contact Lucky Dog Film’s Casting Director directly at inventionshow@luckydogfilm.com. Participants will have the chance to land a licensing deal with one of the nation’s top manufacturers, with professional guidance along the way. The casting call ends soon, so don’t wait!

Casting call requirements:

1. Invention should be at least patent-pending.
2. Invention must have a working prototype.
3. Inventor should have an outgoing personality and be comfortable appearing on TV.

To give you a little background on the production company: Lucky Dog Films is a full-service television and video production firm whose shows have been featured on networks such as The Discovery Channel, TLC, Science Channel, Military Channel, Smithsonian, Bravo, Spike, The History Channel and National Geographic Channel. They are an inventor-friendly company that values confidentiality; they will not share your invention information with anyone not affiliated with the TV show.

InventHelp and INPEX hope you can submit your food-related idea for possible inclusion on this inventor reality TV show!

Patrick Raymond

Over the years, Billy had been seen hawking everything from Orange Glo to Oxiclean, and most recently was featured alongside Anthony Sullivan in the Discovery Channel reality show, Pitchmen. Like many consumers, I was also a big fan of Billy Mays and had the opportunity to meet him at the Inventors Corner back in March at the Home & Housewares Show. It was a true pleasure to meet the man who made selling products on television look like a fine art and whose zest for life was infectious.

On behalf of the entire InventHelp and INPEX staff, our condolences go out to the Mays family. He will be greatly missed.

Do you think your invention will have all of America wondering, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Would you like the chance to have your new product seen nationwide?

If so, Milojo Productions (the production company owned by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos) wants to meet you. They have contacted INPEX to let us know they are now casting women with inventions and great personalities from across America for a new series on TLC to help women inventors and potentially take one inventor’s product to the Home Shopping Network.

If you have an invention or new product and a working prototype, TLC and Kelly Ripa may be able to help you manufacture, market and sell it on the Home Shopping Network.

A few requirements you should keep in mind:

• Invention or product may not be edible or make any guarantees of satisfaction (such as “guaranteed weight loss” or “best ever”)
• You must be a woman over the age of 18
• All applicants are subject to background check and standard television release forms

If you’ve got ambition, an idea and a working prototype, apply now at www.milojo.com/casting.

Casting calls are scheduled for New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas.

Good Luck!

There’s a really interesting book out now that delves into the subject of how people relate to inventions and technology, which I recommend checking out – especially for those working on creating new products. It’s called The Inner History of Devices and it was written by a sociologist and psychologist named Sherry Turkle, who teaches at MIT.

In the book, Turkle examines the emotional bond that develops between people and their gadgets. Memoirs, ethnographies and clinical cases collected in this very readable book tell specific stories of individuals and their personal attachments to the inventions that play prominent roles in their lives – computers, cell phones, video poker machines, even prosthetic eyes.

For those interested in peering into the psychology of consumers and tech users (and it’s always a good thing when developing a new product to get inside the heads of your target audience), this book is definitely worth a look. The Inner History of Devices is currently available for purchase from MIT Press for $24.95.

Yes, it’s hard to believe but, much like those 1980s staples, the Invention and New Product Exposition (INPEX) will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2009! That’s a quarter of a century of bringing inventors and companies together!

Since INPEX’s formative years during the Reagan administration, we’ve added features like the Inventor’s University, to help educate inventors on the business side of inventing; Product Reviews, allowing inventors to pitch their new product ideas to company or expert panels; even boxing matches sponsored by Everlast®!

While a lot has changed in America since the year “The Cosby Show” premiered and the L.A. Raiders won the Super Bowl, our commitment to assisting inventors in spreading the word about their inventions and new products hasn’t changed a bit. We’re working just as hard as we did back in 1984 to make INPEX the best it can be (only difference: we don’t listen to Duran Duran while we work anymore).

We invite all inventors and entrepreneurs to join us in celebrating InventHelp’s 25th annual INPEX Invention Trade Show June 24-26, 2009 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh. You can request more information about exhibiting at INPEX 2009 or call us at 888-54-INPEX.

Did you exhibit at the INPEX ‘84? If so, grab your latest invention and exhibit again – you’ll be truly amazed at how the show has evolved!

It’s titled “Ten Tips for Getting Noticed” and it was written by Jill Lublin, an internationally renowned speaker and publicity expert. For our audience of startup inventors and entrepreneurs, the article may be very useful as you attempt to draw attention to a new product idea or launch a small business.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Jill Lublin, she’s been a regular speaker at the INPEX Inventors University for years, and exhibitors always find her seminars really helpful and valuable.

Along with her work as a speaker, Jill is also the author of the books “Networking Magic” and “Guerilla Publicity” (both bestsellers), and she came out with another book called “Get Noticed…Get Referrals” just this past June. On top of that, Jill also hosts a TV program and a nationally syndicated radio show.

Make sure to check out Jill’s article in this month’s Inventor’s Community newsletter! You can also sign up to receive this free newsletter via email, or learn more about Jill Lublin by visiting her Web site.

I’m happy to report that Tharon has continued to build on the potential he showed at INPEX. Just last month, he displayed his invention the Lock N Block sliding door gate (the same invention he brought to INPEX) at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he took home yet another award. Tharon was named one of the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) Innovation Award Winners.

Tharon’s invention is a gate that gets positioned on a sliding door track and prevents toddlers and pets from breaking through the screen. Tharon came up with the idea for the Lock N Block after his then-7-month-old sister pushed out the sliding-door screen at his family’s home. Not long after, Tharon and his dad went to work constructing the prototype they would ultimately exhibit at InventHelp’s Invention Show.

INPEX congratulates Tharon on his recent accomplishment and wishes him the best of luck in his continuing endeavors! As a trade show director, there’s nothing I love more than hearing about former INPEX exhibitors persisting in moving their new product ideas forward. I enjoy passing along these updates and hope they provide other exhibitors and inventors with a little bit of inspiration and encouragement.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I hate to be the one to break the news but the fall season is officially underway. Though this does mean we’re quickly barreling further away from sunshine and closer to snowfall, the season is not without its benefits.

There’s the beautiful foliage peppering the trees with all sorts or color, weekend football games, fashionable fall jackets and two of my personal favorite holidays – Halloween and Thanksgiving. And perhaps most importantly, there’s the INPEX Fall Special.

With the Fall Special, inventors can save 10% on booths at the 2009 Invention and New Product Exposition (INPEX) now through the end of October. By purchasing a booth during this promotion, you not only guarantee yourself a spot to display your invention or new product at InventHelp’s 2009 INPEX Invention Show, but you also save a little green in the process (something everyone is looking to do these days).

To take advantage of the INPEX Fall Special, please fill out our online information request form or call 1-888-55-INPEX. Remember, there’s only a couple more weeks to get this offer and then, like the warm weather, it’ll be gone.

And don’t forget to grab a light jacket and enjoy the fall season!!