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It appears that the green light on green technology has been switched on. Hopefully now can be the time for the necessary research and development into solar power and other green technologies, that will transform the face of the energy industry on this planet.

We are very close and solutions do lie on the task tables of inventors worldwide, but those solutions have been thwarted by the lack of acceptance and funding. In accepting his second term as U.S. president, Barack Obama has made a definitive statement on the need to face the truth about climate change and the need for sustainable energy sources.

Inventors get your green on.

Extract from President Obama’s Inauguration Address Referencing Climate Change

…We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms. The path towards sustainable energy sources will be long and sometimes difficult. But America cannot resist this transition; we must lead it. We cannot cede to other nations the technology that will power new jobs and new industries – we must claim its promise. That is how we will maintain our economic vitality and our national treasure – our forests and waterways; our croplands and snow-capped peaks…

Why are young Americans failing to realize the potential of careers as inventors? Take it from me being an inventor is the rock star choice of any career in science or technology. So why are smart, young adults who consider themselves creative and love math and science, not loving innovation. Come on children, invent something and make this world a better place. Photo Getty Images

• Losing the Inventive Edge

When one party believes another party has infringed upon their exclusive rights to an invention, things can get pretty ugly as the claws come out and the court battles begin.

On April 26, 1976, one of the largest patent suits involving photography was filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts. Polaroid Corporation, the assignee of numerous patents relating to instant photography, brought an action against Kodak Corporation for infringement of 12 Polaroid patents relating to instant photography. Read More

Eli Whitney failed to profit from his invention because imitations of his machine appeared and his 1794 patent for the cotton gin could not be upheld in court until 1807. Whitney could not stop others from copying and selling his cotton gin design. Read More

Elias Howe was the inventor of the first American-patented sewing machine. Howe fought a legal battle against other sewing machine inventors (including Isaac Singer) to see that his rights in the invention were recognized. Read More Photo Getty Images

Calling all independent inventors. The 2013 Popular Science Invention Awards are aimed at you. The science editors at the magazine will be picking, “ten inventions of homegrown ingenuity that solve real-world problems in a practical and innovative way”.

They are not looking for entries born from the well-funded research labs of universities and corporations. They are looking for you, the small independent inventor or small team who has that drive and genius and Tesla DNA. Photo Credit: Peter Cade/Getty Images

• Take A Look At The Basic Rules & How To Enter
• Previous Winners 2012 Awards

Deadline January 14, 2013

President Obama today (12/22/12) named twelve researchers as recipients of the  National Medal of Science and eleven inventors as recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honors bestowed by the United States Government upon scientists, engineers, and inventors. The recipients will receive their awards at a White House ceremony in early 2013.

“I am proud to honor these inspiring American innovators,” President Obama said.  “They represent the ingenuity and imagination that has long made this Nation great–and they remind us of the enormous impact a few good ideas can have when these creative qualities are unleashed in an entrepreneurial environment.” Learn more about the Award and application process.

This year’s (2012) recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation

• Dr. Frances Arnold, California Institute of Technology, CA
• Dr. George Carruthers, U.S. Naval Research Lab, DC
• Dr. Robert Langer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
• Dr. Norman McCombs, AirSep Corporation, NY
• Dr. Gholam Peyman, Arizona Retinal Specialists, AZ
• Dr. Art Rosenfeld, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, CA
• Dr. Jan Vilcek, NYU Langone Medical Center, NY
• The team of Dr. Samuel Blum, Dr. Rangaswamy Srinivasan, and Dr. James Wynne, all of the IBM Corporation, NY
• The company of Raytheon BBN Technologies, MA, *Represented by CEO, Edward Campbell

This year’s (2012) recipients of the National Medal of Science

• Dr. Allen Bard, University of Texas at Austin, TX
• Dr. Sallie Chisholm, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA
• Dr. Sidney Drell, Stanford University, CA
• Dr. Sandra Faber, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
• Dr. Sylvester James Gates, University of Maryland, MD
• Dr. Solomon Golomb, University of Southern California, CA
• Dr. John Goodenough, University of Texas at Austin, TX
• Dr. M. Frederick Hawthorne, University of Missouri, MO
• Dr. Leroy Hood, Institute for Systems Biology, WA
• Dr. Barry Mazur, Harvard University, MA
• Dr. Lucy Shapiro, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
• Dr. Anne Treisman, Princeton University, NJ

So what do you give to an inventor/invention lover? Well if they have patented an invention themselves, besides giving them a pat on the back for being so clever, how about a patent plaque to commemorate their achievements? They are pretty cool. But if you want one in time for Christmas order now, as each one has to be custom engraved. Photo: Getty Images

• Gifts for Inventors – Patent Plaques
• Gift Books for Invention Lovers
• Books On Television History
• Books on Car History
• Patent It Yourself” by David Pressman

“I am happy to greet the geniuses who made me a born-again writer, having announced my retirement in 1978, I now have six books in the works and two probables, all through WordStar.” Quote from Arthur C. Clarke on meeting Seymour Rubenstein and Rob Barnaby, the inventors of Wordstar. Wordstar was the first commercially successful word processing program.