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Finally, a new technology has been invented for those of us who still occasionally like to dabble in pulp. An inventor named Sally Ramsey discovered a form of waterproof, writable paper in what she called a "MacGyver-ish" kind of moment.

But an informal perusal of the blogosphere yields countless other inventions of broad potential that have gotten far less attention, from edible packaging wraps and pig breeding to a urinal accoutrement with music, flashing lights and an electronic message.

Of course, given all the problems in today's patent system, one can't help but wonder about the bureaucratic fate for these gems of American ingenuity. If you too have created something that you feel is worthy of this list, it might be worth taking a look at sites like this or this.

Or you could join another club: one that wishes someone would come up with an invention to undo inventions.

Blog community response:

"Our society doesn't really have its Edison or Da Vinci. How the idea of one someone tinkering in his workshop has been replaced by the image of groups of people with white lab coats and clipboards working inside an R&D farm. The 'inventions' are also less tangible and more virtual."
--jackcheng.com

"Even Thomas Alva Edison, failed thousands of times before inventing many successful products, as did the famous British inventor, Sir Clive Sinclair. One of Sir Clive's 'famous failures' included an X-Bike that was a cross between a pair of scissors and a bike."
--Patent-Central.info Weblog

"This subject fascinates me, but one of my principle questions is this: Of the nearly seven billion people on earth, how many of them have been positively impacted by some of these, and how many of them have had no benefit but only trouble?"
--Philo's Place

"I can think of no other device that is so widespread and so woefully ineffective as the automatic hot air hand dryer. And it annoys me that they tend to go off when you simply walk past them. Ban them now."
The Observer