Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
My American Hero - Mother's Invention
36 Plays7 months ago
Roger looks back at his mother's tranformative invention.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'My American Hero'
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome to My American Hero.
The Keyboard Conundrum: Prevention vs. Cleaning
00:00:03
Speaker
Here is Roger Short looking back on his mother's greatest achievement. Music
00:00:15
Speaker
A lot of people think compressed air is one of the best tools to clean a computer keyboard.
Invention of the Silicone Keyboard Cover
00:00:20
Speaker
However, according to my mother, the most optimal approach to keep your computer keyboard clean is to never get it dirty in the first place.
00:00:30
Speaker
I'm proud to say, mother invented the silicone keyboard cover, but unfortunately, she never made money from it.
From Silly Putty to Prototype
00:00:38
Speaker
What happened was, Mom saw her co-worker Fang Chen struggling to clean her keyboard by removing each and every key and then blowing compressed air on the circuit board.
00:00:49
Speaker
Mom thought, there has to be a better way for Fang Chen to clean her keyboard. That night she came home, and when she walked in my room to kiss me goodnight, she accidentally kicked my silly putty egg across the room.
00:01:03
Speaker
That's when the idea hit her. By 4am the next morning, she had mocked up the first silicone keyboard cover prototype using Silly Putty.
The Idea's Journey to China
00:01:13
Speaker
She took her prototype to work and showed it to her co-worker Fang Chen.
00:01:18
Speaker
Fang Chen loved the idea, and my best guess is she shared it with her uncle Wei Chen. I think Wei Chen used his connections to mainland China and sold the concept to Hexiong Silicone.
Geopolitical Market Dynamics
00:01:30
Speaker
What happened next will be no surprise to patriotic Americans. The Chinese dominated the silicone keyboard cover market, and my amazing mom was forgotten forever.
00:01:43
Speaker
Senator Ted Cruz likes to say, China is the single greatest geopolitical threat to the United States. That's not lip service to me.
Political Support and China's Threat
00:01:53
Speaker
Ted Cruz understands that Chinese people rob many wonderful white people of the American dream.
00:02:00
Speaker
If Ted Cruz met my mother's co-worker Fang Chen today, he'd say, Never again, Mrs. Chen. Ted Cruz is my American hero, and he will always have my vote.