Real Men of Genius

For almost 10 years now, Bud Light has run a series of mostly radio commercials called 'Real Men of Genius.' These ads sarcastically glorify an unsung hero for a particular invention, or occupation, or just something they do. These are the funniest radio ads ever, hands down. Even the titles are funny. (Check the Wikipedia entry for Real Men of Genius for more about the ads, a list of every ad, and a link to the audio for each.)

Included in these Bud Light ads are spots about unappreciated inventors/inventions, like books on tape, or jean shorts. (Some inventions are better than others.) I've been thinking about these ads over the past month, the result of conversations I've had with people about great inventions that 1) are not fully appreciated, and 2) should have been discovered long before they actually were.

For example, the wheeled cooler. A fantastic and simple labor-saving invention. But decades ago we had wheels, and we had coolers, so why did it take so long for somebody to come up with wheeled coolers? Here's another: In-line roller skates. Think how that would have revolutionized roller derby! And in the food catagory, kudos to the walking taco inventor. There will be no royalties, but the dude who invented that has immeasurably improved our lives.

If you're reading this, I'd love to hear your 'Real Men of Genius' nominees in the inventor catagory. In the meantime, you should listen to those ads on the internet, and get ready to laugh.