Lifestyle

From Disgruntled Consumer to Disruptive Inventor

Published

3 years ago

February 23, 2023

They say “necessity is the mother of invention.” In Matthew Burwick’s case, the adage holds true.

Buwick’s creative process for developing Bob the Pillow was not enjoyable. Chronic pain coursing through his entire body and exhausting nights spent in poor sleep were the needs that prompted his transformation from consumer to inventor.

Spurring invention from a half-solved problem

When Burwick was six years old, a close neighbor was first to notice his limp. After extensive x-rays and several misdiagnoses, his family learned he had a condition called Legg Perthes disease.

Burwick spent six months in a full-body cast and emerged with a functional hip. Unfortunately, his legs were mismatched by about an inch in height. That minor discrepancy led to years of pounding on the joint.

“First, I felt knee pain,” recalls Burwick. “Heel and foot pain came next. Eventually, the pain spread to my shoulders, neck, and back. I was a 20-something trapped in a 90-year-old’s body.”

Burwick embarked on an orthopedic health journey, including heel lifts, chiropractor visits, low-intensity exercises, and various surgeons. At one point, his chiropractor mentioned the benefits of sleeping with a pillow between his legs.

After research, Burwick bought his first leg pillow. “I was thrilled to see my pain decrease,” he remembers, “but I wasn’t completely satisfied with that pillow. I tried another, then another, but each one fell short in some way from being the solution I needed.”

Turning the quest for a solution into a concrete product

Roughly 20 leg pillows later, Burwick remained convinced a solution was out there, but was unable to find it. A particularly rough week of sleep combined with the global lockdown was the perfect storm that transformed a frustrated consumer into a full-fledged entrepreneur.

“My latest pillow would not stay in place during the night,” Burwick remembers. “I woke up on my stomach at all hours. Every morning, I got out of bed in worse pain than the day before.”

Burwick phoned his friend and future business partner and within hours, the pair was in a garage with furniture foam from a local fabric store and a hot glue gun. The first iterations of Bob the Pillow were laughable, but the goal was clear: make a pillow that would stay in place and keep people on their sides.

“We took pictures, sketched ideas, and found a CAD designer to bring our concept to life,” says Burwick. “Believe it or not, in under four months, we had a 3D-printed prototype for the inside of the pillow and sourced a seamstress in China capable of creating the complicated pillowcase. It wasn’t long before we had working samples.”

Understanding the process of invention

Aside from invention and product creation, innovation entails plowing through a mountain of mundane tasks. Burwick contacted a patent attorney, wrote a formal patent application, created a website, designed a logo, filed for trademarks, reviewed logistics companies, and established working relationships with importers who could ship Bob the Pillow from China to the warehouse. He coordinated all of these tiny tasks during a global pandemic and supply chain crisis.

“All of the jobs like design, legal, taxes, insurance, production, and shipping take an insane amount of time,” Burwick warns. “It’s easy to overlook details you find less exciting, but that is bound to bring trouble down the road.”

The final phase of invention involved spreading the word. Burwick chose to launch slowly and collect feedback as he went. “Strategic conversations with consumers early on gave us time to address customer input and make improvements as we grew,” he says. “Once you know there is a real need for the solution you are bringing to the market, all you have to do is educate yourself and push forward.”

Burwick’s motivation throughout the process of innovation and entrepreneurship sprang from a desire to get his pillow to people with chronic pain and sleepless nights. Today, he is thrilled every time he hears that a customer wakes up feeling better.

“Remember that just because a solution is available doesn’t mean the problem is solved,” Burwick advises. “Your idea may be just the solution for a problem that is only halfway solved. Our greatest joy is speaking to people who benefit from Bob the Pillow. My mission is to put our product into the hands of anyone dealing with long-lasting pain and give them the healing gift of sleep.”

Lifestyle

Confronting Propaganda: Street Smart Documents Honest Reactions to Gaza Indoctrination Footage

Published

3 days ago

November 6, 2025

Michelle Langton

Photo Courtesy of: Street Smart

Byline: Michelle Langton

In a recent project, the Street Smart team gathered 20 strangers and presented them with propaganda footage from Gaza that has circulated widely online but remains largely unfamiliar to many audiences. The aim wasn’t to provoke outrage or test media literacy in a classroom setting. It was to capture raw, unfiltered emotional reactions to material that reveals how narratives are formed at the source. The resulting video offers a candid look at how people process shocking content and how their perceptions shift when they see what is rarely shown on mainstream platforms.

The Structure of the Experiment

The format was simple. Participants were seated and shown a series of clips from Gaza, including children’s programming and broadcasts containing intense ideological messaging. No background information was provided, and viewers were not instructed on how to interpret what they were seeing. After watching, they were asked for immediate reactions.

The footage elicited a wide range of emotions. Some viewers were stunned by the content, admitting they had never seen anything like it before. Others expressed disbelief, questioning why this kind of material isn’t more widely discussed. A few were visibly shaken, saying the experience fundamentally altered their understanding of the situation.

By presenting the footage without narration or added commentary, Street Smart allowed participants’ genuine responses to emerge. The experiment revealed how propaganda can affect an entire generation. It can shock, unsettle, and force people to reconsider their assumptions.

Why This Project Matters

Sage Fox and Dorani aligned the purpose of this experiment with Street Smart’s broader mission of challenging prevailing narratives and encouraging critical thought among younger audiences. In an environment where footage spreads rapidly across digital platforms, propaganda can shape public opinion long before context catches up.

By showing the Gaza Indoctrination footage in a controlled setting and recording uncoached responses, the team aimed to expose the emotional and cognitive impact of this type of content.

“The first reaction is often the most revealing, because it shows how powerful images can be without context.”

The Range of Reactions

While each participant brought their own perspective, several themes emerged. Some expressed sympathy with the imagery itself, saying it was emotionally powerful.

One participant said, “It makes me question what I see online every day. How much of it is shaped this way?”

Their comments highlight how propaganda resonates differently depending on prior knowledge and exposure. Many viewers have simply never encountered such footage directly.

Street Smart’s Approach

This project continues a pattern established by Sage Fox & Dorani’s earlier videos. Rather than relying on experts or lengthy analysis, Street Smart focuses on real people and their honest reactions. The approach is simple but effective. Present potent material, listen to what people say, and share those moments with a wider audience.

The Gaza Indoctrination footage experiment fits this model. It doesn’t attempt to draw final conclusions or offer political commentary. Instead, it documents how people respond when they’re exposed to narratives that are usually filtered through intermediaries.

Implications for Media Literacy

Beyond its viral potential, the video raises broader questions about how people interact with powerful imagery online. Propaganda operates on emotional reflexes. As this experiment shows, those reflexes are often unexamined until they’re brought to the surface.

Sage Fox & Dorani hope that projects like this push audiences to think more critically about what they see and share.

“The purpose is not to tell people what to believe. It is to remind them that every image comes from somewhere, and that source matters,” they said.

Next Steps for Street Smart

As Street Smart’s platform grows, Sage Fox & Dorani plan to conduct similar experiments in different contexts. They intend to use their direct, street-level approach to highlight how people react when presented with challenging material.

The Gaza footage project is one piece of a larger mission. The team uses simple methods to shed light on complex issues. By focusing on authentic reactions, they continue to build a unique space in online media that blends cultural investigation with raw human response.

A Window into Unfiltered Thought

“We showed 20 strangers real propaganda footage from Gaza — and filmed their unfiltered reactions” is not a dramatic exposé or academic study. It is a clear, unmediated record of how individuals respond when confronted with material designed to persuade. In that restraint lies its strength.

By documenting these moments, Street Smart shows how awareness can begin with a pause. A brief space between seeing and believing.