Steve Jobs Stuffed Toy: Limited Edition

Fans of Steve Jobs can now own a stuffed toy of the late tech visionary.Called the iCEO, the plush doll launched on Wednesday by pillow company Throwboy and looks remarkably like the Apple founder. Standing 15 inches tall, the toy Job comes with removable rimless glasses, his signature black turtle neck and 100% denim jeans.Throwboy is touting the Steve Jobs stuffed toy as a limited-edition

Instead Of Barcodes, New Supermarket Scanners Recognize Objects

Japanese electronics company Toshiba has developed a food-recognition technology for supermarket checkouts.Instead of barcodes, the scanner uses a camera to identify objects—so fresh fruits and vegetables that don’t usually have barcodes can be automatically identified and input by staff more easily.“Fruits and vegetables in supermarkets don’t usually have barcodes because they’re put out while

9 Healthiest Foods of 2012

Finding the right health foods to change up your lifestyle this year is easy, if you know what you’re looking for. The top 9 health foods that will help you jump start your new lifestyle and will get down to your goal weight.1. ParsleyParsley is one of those health foods that is typically used as a garnish, but it’s actually one of the unique herbs that provide a ton of health benefits. Parsley

15 Fancy Facts You Didn't Know About Your Penis

For all the attention they direct below the belt, most men actually know very little about their penises. Here's the knowledge you need to keep yours healthy, strong, and ready for action—for life.Penis Fact #1Smoking can shorten your penis by as much as a centimeter. Erections are all about good bloodflow, and lighting up calcifies blood vessels, stifling erectile circulation. So even if you

A Russian Man Touches 1,000 Women's Breasts Then Shake Hands With Putin

In what should probably be taken as another example of the weirdly sexual build up to next year's Russian elections, a man has touched 1,000 women's breasts for Vladimir Putin. Why? We don't really understand. After touching all the breasts, he then meets Prime Minister Putin and shakes his hand, somehow passing the breast touching experience onto him (or something like that). Sam Nickel, the

Three Reasons Why IP Protection is False Assurance

All entrepreneurs consider their ideas sacred and most dream of offering them "hard protection" with with patents. The truth of the matter is, however, that most ideas benefit from sharing, not protection. So, here are my top three reasons why

3. IP protection is expensive
If you have ever looked into this, you know how expensive it can be to apply for a patent and only years later can you know the outcome of that investment. And if your concept is complex (and not obvious) you will need to likely file for multiple patents to protect the various aspects of the idea in specificity enough for the patent office. If you are lucky enough to be issued a patent, that is only the tip of ice berg in terms of cost. If you actually want to defend a claim against your IP, you can expect to pay 5 to 10 to 100 times more than you paid for the patent filing. If you intend to create a business (not just a licenseable patent portfolio), and you have invested that same cash in marketing, partnerships, or prototypes you would have been ahead.

2. You should give the world a chance to help
An idea you keep to yourself is something that others can't help you with. The more people you tell, the more people you can get thinking about your problems and offering solutions. The more people you tell, the more likely it is that the resources you need (ie, engineering help, marketing advice, an introduction to the buyer at a key reseller, etc) will materialize. You can't get the help you need, while fearing infringement.

1. An idea isn't enough
And the number one reason that IP protection is a false assurance...because the idea isn't enough to make a successful business. As anyone will tell you, there is a HUGE gap between an idea and its successful implementation. Most often than not, the idea itself changes wildly once implementation begins and feedback from customers rolls in (see #2). The key is to begin implementation as soon as possible and identify the steps necessary for commercial success.

In short, seeking IP protection can hurt a small business more than it can help. If you want to bring something to market, bring it to market. Be the first to promote it and the first to be successful. Anyone copying your idea and wanting to build a successful business will have to catch you first.

Cartoon-inspired necklaces

Over this holiday week, I had a chance to do something really fun: fused glass jewelry art. We started at a glass studio (thanks, Teresa!) and ended up at home working with my very talented sister, Rebecca Hull, to finish off the designs. These feature the motifs that are common in my doodles.

This first one uses transluscent glass with bits of colored glass (amusingly called "frit") and some copper wire that oxidized into a rich deep purple color. It was Becca's idea (surprise, surprise) to put two mounts on the pendant. Very interesting!

The second looked like a tree with graphic flowers and leaves before it fused, but afterwards it looked very "under the sea" with crackled glass elements catching the light and little bubbles under the glass. Becca finished it off with curly-cue wire - just my style!

I have stacks-and-stacks of cartoons to post, but until I get them scanned, I can post doodles around my neck!