Posts by Jamie Newman3

Adam Diaz67 said:You can protect the design itself. If you’ve got a specific technical workaround or solution, you could look into filing a patent for it.

Maybe whip up a couple of prototypes and try listing them on Craigslist, eBay, or somewhere similar. It's just a way to gauge if there's actually any market interest.

Medical equipment is incredibly—and I mean heavily—regulated. Your best bet is probably securing a patent if possible, then looking to sell or license that patent to a major manufacturer. Trying to go it alone in this field? Probably a lost cause.

It’s not even about the design; it’s about making life easier for people. There should be interest... I haven't seen anything like it anywhere. Honestly, I’d want to protect this on a global scale, not just here in America!

Can crowdfunding help with donations for advertising? Though I suspect there's so much noise out there that someone will never find me to donate even a single cent...

The only way I'm getting actual help is by reaching out directly to some businessman.

I suppose I could try crowdfunding too. But if I dealt with some local American businessman, he wouldn't give me a dime; he’d just find a way to hijack the idea and get rich off me instead.

And as for American retail stores, it's a toss-up whether they'd even accept something innovative... most of them just want the stereotypical stuff with maybe a slightly better design, while they remain totally skeptical toward real innovation. It feels like those things are usually offered overseas, in foreign shops.

I wonder how that guy with the bench found international markets and made his fortune...

Opening my own boutique isn't really the plan; I’d rather focus exclusively on producing this specifically for the international market.

My biggest headache right now is finding a reliable carpenter who can build this, have it upholstered, and then actually protect the whole thing.

So, I’ve come up with some pretty innovative furniture designs, and now I’m looking for a local carpenter to bring them to life so I can pitch them to boutiques... but honestly, I'm terrified they'll just rip me off and start mass-producing my ideas themselves. Do I need to get everything legally protected first? Is there even such a thing as protecting furniture designs... once everything is set, should I be door-knocking at shops to pitch, or would it make more sense to just launch my own online store?

Since this is an innovation that really needs some serious hype, does it actually make sense to try and raise capital through crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter?

I also have this medical innovation on the table, so how does that play out... I’m assuming getting medical devices approved and stocked in pharmacies is going to be a much steeper uphill battle, right?

Quote : art with Heart

Jonathan Fowler14 said:Quote : art with Heart

You eventually get used to it. Looking back, the life I have now in my mid-20s would have been totally unimaginable to me when I was just a kid in high school. Back then, I was incredibly social—always had a million different things going on and a group of friends ready for every single activity.
Back in my school days, I used to hang out with a few kids from other grades during recess, or sometimes a small group of us from different classes would all gather together.
I used to take dance classes, which was a great way to stay active and build a solid circle of friends to hang out and work out with.
I used to play video games all the time, and I had a huge group of online friends and a solid crew I’d hang out with regularly.
The group that was mostly just about going out.
The old school crew getting together for coffee after class, studying, and all that.
Things have always been easy for me to sort out. I’m pretty straightforward by nature, and I just don't have the patience for any nonsense or lame excuses.

I can't remember the last time I felt truly lonely or like I didn't have someone by my side. It makes such a difference—on my good days, I have someone to share the joy with, and on my bad days, there's always a shoulder to lean on.

I’ve already started feeling the shift since starting college and moving to Washington, D.C. Even though I'm an open person and genuinely interested in getting to know people, I haven't quite clicked with my immediate group, and I haven't found that specific circle where I can truly be myself. Looking back, maybe it's just the vibe of the city—I seem to get along much better with the students who moved here from smaller towns, though they're definitely in the minority.

At my jobs, the teams have always been established groups that already know each other, so I often get that feeling like I’m not fully accepted for who I am.
I've been involved in quite a few volunteer projects myself, and it’s always the same story. I just don't click with large groups; it usually boils down to surface-level small talk while we're working together. Once the job is done, nobody seems to have the time or the interest to hang out anymore—everyone already has their own established circles and friend groups.

I moved to a smaller town in Germany recently. It’s actually full of expats, so there are plenty of people who feel exactly like I do—everyone is looking for their tribe, but nobody seems willing to fully commit to an individual or a group.

I only have one close friend I grab coffee with to catch up. I haven't really managed to build any long-term friendships from my classes or my job. One group was actually really nice, but they weren't exactly the type to hang out or do things together, so I wouldn't even call it a true friendship. At my last school, people were just so antisocial and disinterested. Only one girl there was truly great; we had such a similar vibe and she was so easy to talk to. It’s ironic because my German isn't the best, yet we understood each other perfectly. Ultimately, though, she has her family and comes from a completely different background, so keeping in touch became difficult.

I had this group that was such a blast at first, but it only lasted a few months before everyone just stopped showing up. We all met spontaneously through a Facebook group; there are quite a few community groups out there for expats.

I’ve come to realize that a lot of these women are just struggling in their own way. It seems like many are overly focused on feminism, or they're feeling unfulfilled in their 30s—lacking family or kids, and either obsessing over their careers or feeling totally lost about who they actually are. They tend to drift from one thing to the next, moving between guys and social circles without ever really settling down. There's always this constant search for something better or more "ideal," as if no one is ever quite good enough. Even friendships feel a bit superficial; it often looks like they’re just looking for the right group to pose with for social media, trying to look social just to appeal to men.

It was a real eye-opener meeting this woman. She looks incredible—easily pushing 40, but you’d swear she was fifteen years younger. She’s got a high-powered career, a massive place, lives solo, no kids, and has never been married, yet she seems profoundly unhappy and depressed. She moved to Canada once, only to end up back in Germany. Even after a year there, she hasn't made an effort to learn a single word of German, then wonders why she can't fit in at work. She just doesn't stay anywhere for long; she refuses to commit to a place or a person. She's cycled through countless relationships and different countries.

I'm done trying to hang out with her. Last time, she texted me two hours late saying she completely forgot we had plans.
Then there was another girl from that group who invited me to a party, only to "forget" to mention she was actually going to a different one with a different crowd. She wouldn't have said a word unless I asked where we were meeting the day before.

Honestly, none of them were really sincere. They all had these ridiculous excuses or just showed zero interest in being a good friend. Between people being glued to their phones or someone deciding to suddenly look for friends right after a breakup... man, I could go on all day.

Over time, I’ve just started focusing on my own interests. I spend an incredible amount of time by myself now—listening to podcasts, reading, gaming, learning how to code, hitting the gym, doing puzzles, and drawing.
If things had been different, I probably would have been doing all this stuff with a group of friends back when I was sixteen.

Money is tight right now, but once I'm back on my feet, I definitely want to sign up for dance classes or join a club. I’m also looking into starting another course or heading back to school—who knows, maybe I'll have better luck this time. It's just hard to justify spending money on gas and tickets when everything is so expensive, especially if it just ends with hanging out with the kind of people I described earlier.

I don't think this whole culture of social consumerism is going to change; if anything, it'll get worse. People are becoming more isolated and retreating into themselves. That's exactly what I've started doing, even though I used to be a total extrovert with tons of different friend groups.

Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. It’s a perfect picture of people using others for their own short-term gain. That's just the reality of people today. These shallow, instant connections that have no actual depth. Social circles just fall apart. We're living in a time defined by a lack of class and total insensitivity. I seriously doubt people in the Middle Ages were as arrogant as they are now; they might have been uneducated, sure, but they were much easier to deal with. They didn't walk around thinking they were gods or acting like every little thing was a personal insult. Today's modern human is just one big special snowflake...

jadeowl2 said:I don't know, man... were people just more sensitive back in the day? They weren't out here leaving toxic comments on the internet, sure, but they were definitely watching true crime documentaries or some grisly reenactments instead of sitting through ninety minutes of soccer matches. And people used to be way better to kids, especially to little ones... I mean, look, people are people. Circumstances shift, so how everyone reacts shifts too. But honestly? It’s nothing we haven't seen before...

Oh, so they never actually left the Middle Ages? 👎

I am painfully aware of that issue myself. I was actually just about to start a thread on this—the sheer lack of empathy in people these days... When I read the comments on news sites and see people actually justifying violence and evil, I honestly have to wonder what kind of era we’re living in. And the saddest part? Everyone claims to be a devout Catholic??!!!! So then you have these little sects that force their views on everyone else in the name of Catholicism? It makes me sick, this whole "neo-Catholic" thing. Look, I'm a Catholic, I hold myself to higher standards, but then I find myself praying in a public square hoping for some spiritual authority, only to end up degrading myself down to the level of 16th-century Christianity. I've met more progressive priests who actually show understanding than I ever have from the current Catholic crowd. And the worst part is, those people don't have an ounce of emotion or compassion; they just force their will on others out of pure selfishness. It’s become so repulsive to me that I’ve stopped going to church and stopped calling myself a believer altogether. All that hypocrisy and the ugly things people do while hiding behind fake smiles... it's just disgusting.