All my life I have looked at things from my own perspective and many times ask why it is being done a certain way and think there is a better way to do it. And when things don't work - it makes me think until I find a better way to do it that works for me. Illogical - so many times when I try to follow the instructions/procedures that others have set up And they don't make any sense to Me.  As Bill Gates said it "I could never understand why everyone else could not see things the way I see things" - "It never made any sense to me."

Over the years I have created hundreds of things simply to make things work in my life.  As a business owner I would see customer needs not being met and would create products to fill that need.  All the things I have created are still around and being used today.  Above is the most elaborate Passive Solar home built in America in the 1970 and that still stands today.   I designed and built it creating over 16 new innovations in construction and design.  It was years ahead of it's time. To the right are part of a group of products I invented and designed and sold throughout the United States for years and created one of the biggest trends in the country on partying for a wedding.  Another was an entire clothing line I created with a unique twist to fill a need for more intimate romance for couples. My designs in many different fields are always new and ahead of others in their creation.  Any area that I work in I will slowly learn how it works and all the details and will soon become an expert in that area.  Then my mind starts wanting to make it work better.

Currently I have over 20 new ideas that I am in the process of developing.  These ideas are totally varied - from a new spoon, to a new calendar, a new device to create electricity to power an entire farm, a new chair and two unique new bed designs. Many of the things I have created catch the attention of others and with building / home design people ask to see them.  Today I want to continue with my idea that I currently have in the process to see them all come to reality.  And I want to work in the area of creating attractions like tourist attractions / novelties / museums.  I know that what I can create others will gladly pay use or just to see.  My ideas are most always ahead of their time and that creates the problem of them not being accepted as they are to advanced or to simple for others to understand.  My business name means exactly that - normal vision is 20-20, my visions are always far ahead of what others see, my ideas/visions are 20-80. Thank you for reading a very little about me and consider me for you next new vision/concept/product development.  I will create something others will want to see and buy. Rex O. Karas  (319) 895-6499  e-mail: rex@groovecity.com  421 Scobey Road NW  Mount Vernon, Iowa 52314-9689 Below is more about me and many other things / accomplishments that I have to my credit:

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Born on a farm in Southwest Iowa and lived in Iowa all my life except during my military time.  Grew up on a farm with outdoor plumbing and wood heat.  As I grew up I built and designed all kinds of things and in school learned that if I applied myself to any subject I could soon become an Expert on it even surpassing the teachers.  While serving in the military in Vietnam I designed and built numerous things from the scraps of my surroundings to make life easier and more comfortable for my fellow soldiers.  I had a Top Secret Clearance and working in Operations and Intelligence.  After the military I designed various furniture pieces and some very amusing light box end tables.  While studying Architecture I designed a totally unique chair which you sat on backwards and years later came out as one of the ergonomic chair designs.  During the early seventies the first energy crisis swept the country.  I was preparing a personal house design so decided to make it an energy efficient home.  After studying everything I designed a totally new design and created all kinds of innovative ideas in one of the simplest and most advanced Passive Solar homes in the country.  As usual my ideas were far ahead of everyone else.  I was rejected by 16 banks for a construction mortgage and ended up loosing my job because I was not supposed to be able to design the things I had - because I was not an engineer.  I received state level acknowledgement for my designs and many things I designed are now used in today's construction.  Thing after thing in my life I devised a new simple way to do things better.  I prepared family trees for my immediate families and created a coding system that tells you exactly what generation someone is in and what family group they are in.  An innovation system that works much better than the ones currently being used. Over the years I had my own retail business and many times customers came in looking for certain things.  When I would see that there was no such item on the market from manufacturers I created many things to fill those needs - sometimes by just talking to one of my suppliers and they would make the item for both me and for the rest of the world. I still all the time in my daily life look at things and can't figure them out, so I have to create a new way to do them.  Out of need but sometimes just for the interest of it my mind comes up with new products, new views of existing things, new concepts to make things work better.  My biggest concern is my ideas are always totally new and ahead of their time and this makes them not accepted.  Today I see many things on the market that I thought of years before and every time I tried to talk to people about them they just looked at me like I was crazy.  So now I am going to ignore others as they really don't know anything about new ideas.  And it just shows me how little they know about things and developing new products.  But the First thing I get is a lecture about that I better Patent the idea and how expensive that is and all kinds of other advise from them.  And yet when I ask them or someone to sign a "non-disclosure agreement" they have never heard of that.  (It is one of the most important and "basic" items used in new product development) Here are some ideas that I have had over the past 10 - 15 years or so and everyone just ignores me and thinks I'm crazy - yet a version of them are being sold today.  A Riding Lawn Mower Lift: I had drawn sketches of my ideas on building one and had talked to half dozen different people about helping me build a proto type.  Again when I talked about it most just treated me like I was a stupid person - what do you want a riding mower lift for ?  Anyone that has ever used a riding mower know that it is about impossible to get under the deck and clean it out and check the blades, etc.  In the past year I have found 10 different designs for a riding mower lift. Bachelor Party Tape: At the time I was creating many party items and thought this would be great item but could not convince anyone else to help me make the product.  Then after ten years of me trying to convince others to make it - someone else comes out with it and runs an entire business making different tapes.  And another dozen companies now make their versions also. Laundry Marker on a Cord: For years I saw people use permanent markers to label things and most often in laundry facilities at nursing homes and hospitals.  The problem was always carrying around in your pocket the markers and finding them and then the cap.  I even made using shoe laces and duct tape markers on cord for them to keep around their neck for easy use and where they could find them.  Finally in about 2005 they come out with clip ring. Back Yard Sheds out of heavy duty plastic / rubber: Backyard kids play equipment made out of heavy duty plastic and that you take home and snap together.  Why do you have to buy all the lumber, nails, shingles, etc and go home and be a carpenter and spend a week trying to build the shed.  Why not make it like kids so you could just take it home and snap it together in an hour.  I suggest that to people and they think I'm crazy.  Here they are today at every major lumber/building store. Furry Handcuffs: In the retail business of party supplies we sold lots of handcuffs as joke items.  Then I thought that would be sexier to have fur covered handcuffs so had two seamstresses making the fur covering to put on them.  Now today they are a huge selling item in thousands of places.  My original were lined with black, white and red colored fur.  Today every imaginable color and animal print is available.   A Jail for my basement: The 110 year old house I live in has a limestone basement and a center supporting wall with a doorway thru it.  I thought it would be kool to have a jail in my basement and had perfect location for it.  The same,   When told people wanted to put jail door in everyone just ignored me.  I designed it myself and build it from scratch with friend. Eight story stairway in two story house: In the renovation and redesign of my home I looked at several things for stairway and finally decided to design something unique.  Still under construction is a spiral stairway that runs from the basement up to first floor and on to second floor and then on to the attic.  So it is four stories but when you look down the center from the attic I have a mirror on the bottom and when you look down the center 4 stories you see the reflection another 4 stories more.     Landscape Maintenance:  In the 1970 I was one of the first to start a Landscape Maintenance business in the Midwest - today there are thousands.  As part of my landscaping I studied oriental landscaping and was the first to use boulders and sand in landscaping.  I created many unique Oriental designs and gardens in eastern Iowa long before anyone else.  Oriental Gardens & Bonsai:  I Studied Bonsai for several years & traveled to California for classes with the Masters.  I am a Certified Bonsai Master and do the art as hobby. Reverse Chair: For one year I attended college at Iowa State in Ames and studied Architecture.  In one of the classes we were to design a cardboard chair.  I designed a chair from the way I many times would set on a chair backwards with my chest on the back of the chair.  A little similar to the middle photo to left.  With a X shaped design the chair was very sturdy and my instructors thought it a very unique design.  Ten years later I see the ergonomics designs come out. Blow up party sheep: Twenty years ago when I was selling party supplies and developing my own I tried to find a supplier to provide a blow up sheep as a Bachelor Party joke item.  At a large convention I was told that it was not a good idea and that it would be sac-religious and to forget the idea.  About five years later one came on the market and sold like hot cakes.  A couple years later other versions appeared and even a blow up pig.  Another idea I had long before anyone else but dropped because told to forget it. Bondage Rack for photos: Since I do photo work for various purposes and had a number of models express interest in doing photos in a bondage rack I decided that since I could not find any such thing that I needed to design and build one myself.  I designed it to blend into the basement where it was going to be put.  Again, everyone I told laughed at me - but when I had it completed and working it is really simple and kool. Currently I have many ideas of things that I have been developing over the past few years are still in the process of being sold to different businesses.  And as always, everyone you talk to thinks they are an Expert at Patents and try to give me advice.  And the thing I have learned is even though everyone ignores my ideas they are all good and I am always way ahead of my time on them.  20-80 design - seeing new things far ahead of everyone else. Please consider me when you need something unique, something different than the generic that anyone can come up with.  I will solve a problem, create an interest, and make things that people will be amazed at and will pay money to buy or just to see. Sincerely, Rex O. Karas Some of the skills I am good at: - Maps of all kinds - Background in drafting - civil, architectural, mechanical, structural, landscaping - Most basic computer skills - including some Photoshop and Corel - Buyer for business - supplies, product, daily operations - Photography - beauty and nature - Fashion Shows - swimsuit shows, bridal shows, dealing with models - have done hundreds - Event booths - designing and setting them up and running them - Product development - I know what it takes from concept to completed item

Updates:  Another idea that I have had for over ten years and everyone just thinks I'm stupid for thinking the world needs them.  -  You go to the hospitals and they have the sinks with the foot pedals to step on and turns on the water so you can wash your hands without touching anything.  Now both Koehler and Moen have ads on tv for their new kitchen faucets with Koehler you just touch the faucet and it turns on and Moen has theirs that are motion detection so you just pass over the sensor and the faucet turns on.  Good ideas but the units are very expensive at 375 dollars for the unit.  A set of properly designed foot peddles to go on the floor under the basefront of sinks would could only 50-75 dollars.  -  Using new technology wanted to make a small locator for remote controls and keychains and more to find them.  Old ones have been around for years but most were large silver dollar sized items at least half inch thick and were to large to conviently put on things.  With today's technology of making things much much smaller figured could make one size of the anti-theft electronics in most packaging today.  This would allow them to be stuck onto a remote or cell phone or keys in a size 1/10 the size of others from the past.  But just seen one on tv that is similar that you put one part on your keychain and the other on your phone and when they are separated by a certain distance an alarm goes off preventing someone from taking either when your out or you just loosing one or the other.

(work in progress . . . . . 02/05/2013)