Ottawa boy's invisible invention warns birds about deadly windows

CBC news ^ | January 21, 2009

[GeronL]

I think he wins the science fair and probably makes a lot of money

[yorkie01]

This definitely wasn’t one of those Washington Mall garbage producers. This young man actually studies when he goes to school or learns at home or in his community. Congratulations, young man!

[Abathar]

LOL! You spend the entire day on the board reading politics and decide to post a feel-good story without seeing the name Obama and here you come...

[panaxanax]

I’ll take a dozen of the decals right now! Where can I get them?

[midwyf]

Smart kid, wonderful idea. They hit my window all of the time, but no deaths yet.

[fish hawk]

I guess if humans cannot see it but birds can, there is no sense in posting a picture. As we would not be able to see it anyway and not too many birds are registered at FR.

[Myrddin]

It's a great idea. I have to pick up two or three bird carcasses each year from crashes into my south facing windows. I would love a version to put on driver's side windows of my vehicles. We had a big robin flapping in front of the driver's side view mirror on my wife's Escape. It left lots of poop on the mirror, window and door. That went on for almost a month.

[Claud]

I call B.S. on this story. It’s just a kid in flyover country. The only people smart enough to develop something this clever would be properly accredited scientists from top-notch schools in a hugely inefficient boondoggle of a government agency. We need to appropriate millions of dollars of taxpayer money to a research lab, a whole agency to oversee it, and hearings after hearings to keep updated on the progress of the thing.

Oh wait, the thing actually works? Hm. Well I’ll be. Maybe the government wasn’t involved after all.

[ROLF of the HILL COUNTRY]

There's a downer to this, folks.

Apparently there is already a patent for this idea. 2007
The inventor: Barry C. Arkles, Assignee: Gelest Technologies, Inc.

I don't know if this kid is brilliant, or merely clever and googled it. Obviously CBC ain't too bright.

I know a few people who are so proud that their kids have figured out how to cheat on their school projects by using the Internet!! Disgusting.

[Fawn]

I think it’s a great idea! I remember up north where I worked, they had a glass walls leading from the parking lot to the buildings and many birds just flew into them...some died....some laid there with broken necks...whereupon the maintenance man put them out of their misery with a shovel. This will definelty help some of the birds....

[grateful]

These have been available for a few years. We have them on our windows near our birdfeeders.

[lonevoice]

You’re going to want some of these!

[PGR88]

Hire a lawyer and get the thing patented, kid!

I just spoke to my neighbor yesterday about how a crow or some other large bird smashed her patio door. I’d spend a few dollars to avoid having to spend $1000 on a new door.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

Yep. I’ve seen ti in a Lillian Vernon catalogue.

[grateful]

We got ours through Duncraft.

[decimon]

A bird punched a hole in one of my windows. Probably a Mourning Dove fleeing a Merlin. That comes with having bird feeders.

[NonValueAdded]

Brilliant ... where can I get one?

[Citizen Tom Paine]

This young lad is an MIT candidate. Keep track of his name.

[Sacajaweau]

My kids put a decal on their patio door for grandma (c’est moi)...After my crash...

[Right Wing Assault]

Kid needs to make some ultraviolet crayons for all the bird-brain libs to use on their Obama coloring books.