tI did make it to Vegas on October 19th, however I wanted to wait awhile before making this post. The trip did not go well; It was generally awful actually, and I did not want that to turn my post into a seething ball of anger, which would less than help in conveying what happened. I will start from the beginning and bring you to the moment
I had boarded a bus in downtown LA, at Union Station around 11 PM. On the way to the station and while waiting I encountered some crazy people, fervent worshipers, and the ever so common bogarting Russian who were blatantly cutting in line (I think they were keenly aware that most people in LA try to keep their heads low and generally don't stand up for themselves if someone takes a few inches from them). But this is Los Angeles, and you're bound to encounter all of that before you make it a block down Fig on any given night. It becomes mundane after awhile. So if the bus is filled with these sort of people, I can tell you that the ride itself was particularly mundane. It left Los Angeles and got me to Vegas safely and comfortably; that is the story there. When I arrived in Vegas, the time was a little after 5 AM; we were slightly late, but I that was one of the scenarios which I had planned for, so everything was still fine. I still got off the bus and moved with gusto in order to catch another bus which would take me to a local home depot. On the way there, I got to speak with a fellow about innovation and inventions- it was good practice for the speech which I would be giving later, and he generally seemed like a friendly fellow. Quirky, but friendly. When I got to Home Depot, I moved with purpose- I knew I needed a large corrugated board which would accommodate my over sized sign, and I thought I knew where to go look in order to find it, however my confidence waned and my stride went from long and quick to stuttering and confused. The layout was different than what I was used to, so I bumbled about for awhile as I tried to get my bearings. Eventually, when I did find what I was looking for, it turned out that it would not work for me. The people there were pretty helpful though. They allowed me to salvage whatever I wanted from their throwaway cardboard boxes, so I ended up getting what I needed most for free; yay, for free stuff! So I took my cardboard and some tape back to Excalibur. It was barely 8 AM, so I was not going to be checking in anywhere, but once again, I had already planned for that. My trip to Vegas was fully comped thanks to that app, MyVegas, and one of those apps was a ticket to the breakfast buffer:
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My trip is still on, and it's slowly blossoming into something which I did not intend it to be. Originally, I just wanted to hold up my sign, and I hoped people would see my website- I figured I might even be able to get on television for a few minutes, but since I found out that there is a public forum which is open to anyone who applies to speak, I have been working on a speech regarding innovation. I will still have my sign with me, but I am focusing more on delivering a passionate speech which gives people reason to pause and think about innovation and its place in American history.
I finally updated the costs pages to reflected the new estimated costs for the GoFundMe campaign. The cost has dropped from over $4700 to about $2100. It is a lot less and makes me feel significantly more confident about the campaign itself. I've already talked about the changes and won't reiterate what I've already said. There is however another change which I would like to discuss, a new "about me" page. Originally, I stuffed the about me into the format of a blog. I had not considered that it would soon be pushed to the bottom of a number of other posts. Not everyone will care to scroll to the bottom and see that "about me," at some point, so I will be separating that section from the blog updates, so it can have its own dedicated landing page. Changing a website around is simple (especially one like this which requires no coding). I got some good/bad news which is a little harder to work with. As you may know, I planned a trip to Las Vegas. I had intended to attend go to the final presidential debate and hold up my sign: It is a behemoth of a thing measuring in at 33 inches wide and 25.5" tall. It is politically relevant, as I would not be here even attempting to get my invention out there if not for changes which were made to the PTO pricing scheme, as well an one of several executive actions which have made applying for patent applications possible for those who cannot afford an attorney or for those who choose to approach the PTO without one. But let's get back to the issue.
I found out that the general public will not even be able to stand around the various news camps. Only students will be able to do so. But wait, I said there is good news too. There will be a public area where people will be able to stand in order to voice public opinions (that's still not the good news). In addition, they will be providing applicants with up to 10 minutes of speaking time, as well as a loud speaker system which they may use to address the general public. I have until the 16th to send in an application. So for the next few days, I will be working hard to seize this new opportunity. I will write a speech which will fill that 10 minute time slot, promote innovation, and give me some shameless self promotion. I have a lot of pride in my ability to write, so I do not intend to stand at a lectern and give a half-baked speech, then promote myself. I intend to get a real message out there about inventors, innovation, and how they are the driving force beyond this country. It's not lost on me that if I do a fantastic job, I may get a little extra notice, so that is motivation as well. I talked with a friend of mine who is a life long tinkerer, engineer, and builder. He was able to give me a better insight in regards to the cost of outsourcing the building of a prototype to a third party. Months ago, when I was discussing matters with him, I had not gotten him to sign an NDA yet, so I could only speak vaguely on the matter- as a result, his cost projection was so high that I figured I could build prototypes myself if I had access to my own printer. However, after discussing things with him in depth, he affirmed that a third party could build me a functional prototype at a small fraction of the cost that I originally thought I would need for the printer and its filaments.
The bottom line is that I will be able to reduce the goal of my upcoming GoFundMe campaign by over $2000- according to him, I just will not need the printer to accomplish my current goals. I'm happy to hear this, because a bigger need is just a bigger hurdle which I would have to get over somehow. I will be updating the costs page within the coming days in order to reflect the new information which he gave me. For awhile now, I have been trying to find the right place and the right way to promote myself physically in the real world. I am going to take a gamble, so what better place to do that than Last Vegas, Nevada? I am fervently making spur of the moment preparations right now, and I am doing my best to ensure this caper will go off. I am sure there will be a few hitches, but if I can just get to Vegas and get my website out there, I will be happy.
I am going back to where it all started, San Diego. I've heard and seen a few things in San Diego that make me want to try pan handling there first:
Several days ago, the California Lawyer's Association approved my application for a pro bono attorney. I have supplied them with information regarding my invention, and for the next three months, they will search for a suitable attorney who has experience with the field my invention is in.
I am a junior philosophy student from southern California, and I am currently working my way back into university so I may be a teacher one day. But that is what I do- like most people of our culture, there are many aspects of my self which make up who I am. Among many things, I am a cyclist, an explorer, a Chron's disease survivor, and a creator who has honed a sense of innovation and improvement over the course of my lifetime; It is that creator aspect of my character which I wish to show you now. During mid-March of 2016, I was inspired by a friend's gorgeous artwork and conceived an idea which refused to be forgotten. My friend and I were in San Diego at a local cultural event, Hanadoki; I was both volunteering to assist in running the event's artist gallery, and help my friend sell her artwork. It was there and then that she introduced me to the art medium of fusible-bead art. Throughout the festival, I watched her assemble art one bead at a time, from start to finish. She even let me craft a simple one on my own, which gave me the unique perspective of a beginner. All of these experiences coalesced and sparked the process of invention.
I started the process by speaking with my friend and other artists about what tools were available to address the shortcomings which I observed in the medium, but the general consensus was that there was nothing available and that artists would just have to improve themselves in order to overcome the shortcomings we discussed. I am a proponent of self development, but I also believe it is no excuse to forgo innovation. So I kept tumbling ideas around in my mind and tried to make the process better. It is that "better" which I want to which I want to present to you today, as I try my best to explain "what is it?" |
This is Edmund
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