Surg

[Surg]

Hello everyone, my friends call me Surg, and I am one of the luckiest men on the earth! I am 62, and have a wife of 28 years and three beautiful daughters 38 (previous marriage) a 14 year old (on the deans list) and a little cutie 9 year old that loves to play guitar (on stage) with her dad,me. I have worked for myself for years and love it-I have a small termite company in Tampa Bay and do well. I am also a backyard inventor and have just filed my second patent pending. I am going to make a very large amount of money on my newest invention ( have atleast three more). I will be retiring, lord willing and the creek don't rise, with-in the next two years with a very health income from my inventions-gotta love it!!! Any other inventors out there? Surg

[Moemg]

Welcome ,
I'm a fellow Floridian . Retired and living in Sarasota .

[freebird5825]

Welcome
Now I have 2 Floridians to envy unabashedly in January.
Congratulations on your Eurekas!
Inventor also - 2 patents issued, 2 pending. I will never see any money out of them, but the 15 minutes of fame is delicious. Backlog at USPTO is horrendous, so you've got a while to wait. My 2 issues took an average of 3.5 years.
If there is not a lot of prior art, yours may zip right through.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

This is "find bug wings on your windowsill" season here in Tampa. First year we moved here we had to tent the house. Not a single problem since then, 6 years ago.

I think the Tampa Bay region would be a great place to retire.

[Surg]

Hello fellow inventor-what do you mean you won't make any money on your patents-that's the objecdt you knwo! Alot of people can invent but the secret is the target market and how to gey your product to them- Hello in Sarasota-my group that I performed with has played at Van Weezel Performing arts and Players theater-it was great. Surg

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surg Hello fellow inventor-what do you mean you won't make any money on your patents-that's the objecdt you knwo! Alot of people can invent but the secret is the target market and how to gey your product to them- Hello in Sarasota-my group that I performed with has played at Van Weezel Performing arts and Players theater-it was great. Surg

My former employer owns all the rights. I am entitled to royalties, but...let's just say that I am continuing to breathe regularly.
I may come up with something on my own time someday. Once the Eureka hits, it is addicting.

[Surg]

if you have invented one item it is a matter of time before you come up with your next project-it happens when you least expect it. I have three more items to design once I get my current invention on the market. Keep thinking!!! Surg

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surg if you have invented one item it is a matter of time before you come up with your next project-it happens when you least expect it. I have three more items to design once I get my current invention on the market. Keep thinking!!! Surg

Oh, I shall...
Since I FIREd 2 yrs 1 mo ago, I made a promise to myself to not think for a while. Sounds crazy, but I was burned out on technology, at least the mode I was involved in. Way too much powerpoint engineering going on.
However, you can take the engineer out of R&D, but you can't take R&D out of the engineer.
For the first time in my life as a technogeek, I can actually relax and enjoy technology. Gone are the silly deadlines, the forced tech push, yadda yadda.
I have this funny feeling another Eureka is lying dormant.

Good luck with your design! That's the fun part.

[Surg]

what part of the country do you live in? I live in Clearwater, Fl. What type of engineering are you or were you involved in? Surg

[freebird5825]

Upstate NY.
Plan A - I was originally a Physics major headed for a c*reer in Geophysics, particularly seismic exploration. A killer recession and no job offers in 1980 when I graduated pushed me into Plan B.
Plan B consisted of a cornucopia of scientific programming, computer system management, lab data acquisition, digital imaging of lasers and fiber optic lab experimentation, speech processing, a smidge of signal processing, and some other minor areas I dabbled in. I got bored easily.
I almost finished a MSEE degree but got caught up by the 7 year rule, losing course credits as fast as I could take the next one.
Just call me a chameleon!

Right now I'm a recovering engineer.

And yourself?

[Surg]

grew up in a little town in upstate New York-Horseheads-I have a small termite company here-I am also a musician-last group was with south americans-have 5 cd's out-all instrumentals-really neat music-going to Newfoundland in August to perform with the "Elvis" of Newfoundland at a large shrimp festival-Am going out now to blow up termites-you have a great day-I am impressed with your education-I could never do regular schooling-learned on the streets-have had 18 companies that I started, got rolling and then would sell them and be out of work until the next one-tallyho, off to work I go!!

[freebird5825]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surg grew up in a little town in upstate New York-Horseheads-I have a small termite company here-I am also a musician-last group was with south americans-have 5 cd's out-all instrumentals-really neat music-going to Newfoundland in August to perform with the "Elvis" of Newfoundland at a large shrimp festival-Am going out now to blow up termites-you have a great day-I am impressed with your education-I could never do regular schooling-learned on the streets-have had 18 companies that I started, got rolling and then would sell them and be out of work until the next one-tallyho, off to work I go!!

I know exactly where Horseheads is. I spent my senior year at SUNY Binghamton and have driven to Corning Glass Works.
A musician - cool! There are several musicians here at the Forum.
Sounds like you were a business chameleon. 18 ventures - wow!
TY for education compliment. I was a bookworm as a kid and lucked out and won a Regents scholarship, full tuition for SUNY. It was all Mom's fault - she planted a dream in my head at a young age and I pursued it. Yeah Mom!
Former empl*yer foot the bill for the Masters' courses. If they had been teaching me something new in class, I might have finished up. Academia lagged reality.

If you want to discuss general invention stuff but not in a public post, feel free to PM me.

[Milton]

Sound like you are doing well! Welcome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surg I have worked for myself for years and love it

Given the above, don't be in too big a hurry to retire, unless your work is keeping you from doing something else that you would enjoy even more.