Three LI inventions in contest's top 10

Lots of things have been invented on Long Island, big -- such as the lunar lander that took astronauts to the moon, and small -- such as Trongs, The Magic Slide, and Doogie Do Do Collector.

We'll explain: All three of these small things are products invented by Long Islanders. The products were among the top 10 finalists in the latest competition sponsored by New Jersey-based TeleBrands Corp., a direct-response marketing company that has introduced infomercial consumer products since 1983. The radio station Z100 joined in hosting the latest competition, which concluded Tuesday. The three Long Island entries survived to the top 10, out of 200 entries. A.J. Khubani, TeleBrands founder and chief executive, said the winner was Jann Lori of West Milford, N.J., who came up with Hot Straps, which are fashionable bras.

The Long Islanders among the top 10 were Dan Ferrara of Levittown, who along with his business partner Eric Zimmermann of Astoria, invented Trongs, devices that make picking up such messy food as chicken wings easier and cleaner; Duane Silvera of Mastic Beach, for the Doogie Do Do Collector, and Franco Biancamano of Huntington Station, for The Magic Slide, which makes is simpler to pull together strings on articles of clothing, such as hoodies.

"We look for products that solve everyday problems," Khubani said. "We want it to be mass-appeal and exciting."