You can buy them from Natural Collection
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The UK-IPO’s Cracking Ideas 2008 is launched today at the Education Show being held at Birmingham’s NEC.
Cracking Ideas offers teachers resources and activities for the classroom through a website http://www.crackingideas.com The resources link to a nationwide competition to find the inventors of tomorrow. Children aged 9-11 will be encouraged to come up with a new invention - with the emphasis on something eco friendly.
The campaign is backed by Oscar(r) winners Wallace & Gromit and uses inspiration from their new film A Matter of Loaf and Death and features their own green inventions. Prizes for the winning schools include a special screening of the new film.
Minister for Intellectual Property Baroness Delyth Morgan said it was an important initiative to get children thinking about innovation at an early age.
Trevor Baylis, one of Britain’s most famous inventors, has recently launched the innovative Eco Media Player. The inventor of the Wind-up Radio has brought the idea to a modern media player which stores 500 songs and comes with a radio and torch. It plays music for 20 hours before it needs to be charged - and this is done by cranking a fold-up handle at the rear rather than plugging it in.
I recently ask Trevor some questions mostly shed related but of course some about his inventions.
His workshop sounds great, just got to get him to share it when he has time.
Q1) When did you first start inventing or making things?
A. When I was a child I could do the most amazing things with my Meccano but I couldn’t even write my name. I was five years old.
Q2) Did your workshop/shed play a major part in your ideas process?
A. Certainly – my workshop contains a multitude of machines, and is the graveyard of 1000 domestic appliances. I have a small tv, a computer should I need it, and of course a radio. And I can always sit down in a comfortable chair and smoke my pipe, and can always have a cup of tea when I want one.
Q3) What one bit of advice would you give to sheddie inventors?
A. Let your dreams be your inspiration, and a springboard for great actions.
Q4) You were Pipe Smoker of the Year a few years ago.. will you be coming up with a smoker’s device to get over the recent changes in the law?
A. Well, I certainly won’t be smoking outside my shed, but I might put a fan in the window.
Q5) With your eco self-powered inventions and green credentials before it was fashionable, do you feel the rest of the industry is playing catchup?
A. To an extent, yes! And I am very proud that they are.
Q6) What’s the future for shed-based inventors or do you see the demise of the one man in his workshop?
A. I believe those people who have sheds, studios, or laboratories, are the lucky ones. It is great for a man or a woman to have a retreat or somewhere to chill out and ferment. This will always be a necessity in life for people.
Q7) What would be your ultimate bolthole/shed-away-from-it-all and where would it be?
A. I wouldn’t want to walk down a garden to get to my retreat – mine is attached to my house. If I want to go into my studio in the night when I have that bright idea, I am able to do so without having to wear wellington boots. My studio has stunning views of the river, is cosy, and believe it or not – the floor has a carpet!!!
And to finish, some questions from sheddies:
Q: If your shed was on fire, what one thing would you save?
(From Alex from Shedworking.co.uk)
A. Undoubtedly, my first prototype wind-up radio, which also functions as a wind-up torch and mobile phone charger.
Q: Has your moustache ever got tangled up in one of those new fangled wind-up radios (From Chris)
A. My moustache never entwined with the machinery but a spark or two from my pipe could have easily given me a harelip, then I might have taken a turn for the nurse.
Many thanks Trevor.
You can read more about Trevor Baylis and his products over at http://www.trevorbaylisbrands.com/, which has some great advice for sheddie inventors and of course details of the products, Trev has been involved with.
and of course keep an eye on this shedblog for Trevor Related posts.
I have mentioned my exploits at getting Mrs UW’s summerhouse lite up, but was looking for something else, and those nice people over at tcl products the people who manufacture trev’s stuff, kindly send me one to try out, so there are some benefits running the worlds sheddiest website.
anyway my mini review.. trying not to be biased..
It was like Shedmas all over again, could not wait to open the lamp and crank it up, ok I need to get a life but gadgets in boxes make me happy.
The product has trevor’s signature on it and his mug on the box, alas without his trademark pipe, and the now standard in these products the wonderful wind up crank at the bottom, I had to wind it up for about 3 minutes beforehand, but then they say it will give you 20mins of light for 1 mins winding.
Its not going to light up your whole shed, but as a standby and for reading in the shed, I think it will be an great addition to the lighting arsenal.
It has 5 X LED lights with standby glow light
if you can’t be bother to wind it up then it comes with a 12v in car charger as well, so useful for camping and out and about if your need some quick lighting, maybe when theres a power cut.
also its looks a bit like a crystal ball, so you can always earn some cash telling fortunes from your shed.
It’s great to see these windup products coming out and its all thanks to one man and his idea of a wind up radio..
