What's Next

Upon retirement at age 55 in 1989, I looked forward to doing many things I had always wanted to. Pat, my wife had her own business called JUMBLES that consisted of sawing names and figures out of wood as art objects. She took the letters and ‘jumbled’ them to make a catchy gift. So, I decided to name my business WHAT’S NEXT.

WHAT’S NEXT is based on problem solving. Consider approaching a perceived problem with a broad base of knowledge from wide ranging fields. The more awareness of other solutions and innovations available, the more permanent a solution can be achieved.

Secondly, so many things today are not considered a problem. We live with them and work around them. What if we asked every time we faced an aggravating situation, “Why am I putting up with this? Is there an easier way?” I love to ask “How come? What if? Why that? What’s next? Why?” For example, a very commonplace situation: Why have the door hinge on a car at the front? Entering a car is like crawling or backing into a cave. With the hinge at the back, the door opens wide and entering is much easier. The 1934 Ford had “suicide doors” that swung open in that manner. With today’s locking mechanisms such a door could be safe.

Look around you, what aggravates you? Mosquitoes? Fire ants? Fluorescent lights that won’t come on except in cold dry weather? Rising to turn lights on/off? There are hundreds of little annoyances around you everyday that can be improved with modern technology. Traffic lights; what if the cycle time of the light blinked at you in large numerals counting down in seconds, red or green?

Ten years ago I took an ultraviolet fluorescent bulb and put it in front of a 20” parlor fan, hung it outside with mosquito netting taped on the back. Overnight the bag caught tens of thousands of bugs. Very effective. Today, you can buy a mosquito trap that emits carbon dioxide from burning propane and uses the fan and net principle. Mosquitoes are attracted to CO2 emitted in the breath of warm-blooded animals.

Fire ants are a real pain. But they are attracted to pheromones of some kind generated in electrical switches. They will pack the box completely full and die there shorting out the circuit. What is it? Develop a trap that is battery operated that can be placed near a fire ant bed. Develop a remote to turn on lights by pointing at the light or the switch.

Ten years ago I thought of building a battery operated turbo fan inside a 1” pipe maybe 3 feet long that can be used as a bug sucker. It’s on the market now.

So I dream of inventing solutions to today’s problems and even unperceived problems that we live with, accept.

Here’s another for you. In my book I outlined several associated with cars. With automatic trans, why have the brake pedal next to the gas pedal? Put it on the left wall where you can rest the left foot on it and respond much more quickly. Why have a steering wheel? All it does is stab you in the chest when you ram something. See my book "THE ENHANCERS" for a solution and other car ideas.

But I haven’t capitalized on anything except THE QUIET TANK NOZZLE. See it under BLACKMAR INDUSTRIES. It has been very successful.

I will continue to ask why and have fun trying to answer it.