Inventions and inventors Books

Book SynopsisThe instant New York Times bestseller!A Wall Street Journal Best Science Book of the Year!A Popular Science Best Science Book of the Year! From a top scientist and the creator of the hugely popular web comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, a hilariously illustrated investigation into future technologies -- from how to fling a ship into deep space on the cheap to 3D organ printing   What will the world of tomorrow be like? How does progress happen? And why do we not have a lunar colony already? What is the hold-up? In this smart and funny book, celebrated cartoonist Zach Weinersmith and noted researcher Dr. Kelly Weinersmith give us a snapshot of what's coming next -- from robot swarms to nuclear fusion powered-toasters. By weaving their own research, interviews with the scientists who are making these advances happen, and Zach's trademark comi

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Book SynopsisBased on a short course the author gives for the American Chemical Society, the book provides the necessary insights, strategies, and examples on how to write a patent so it is not rejected by the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) or does not have invalid claims.Trade Review"With this book, the author has made a good attempt to present this information in an unfussy way and with an obvious relevance to a working chemist." (Chemistry World, 2012) Table of ContentsPREFACE xiv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii 1. BACKGROUND AND HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ABOUT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 1 Chapter Objective 1 Introduction 1 Book Strategy for Patents 6 A Brief History of Patenting 7 Intellectual Property: Is It Important or Not? 8 The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 9 Why Intellectual Property Protection Is Currently Important 13 Information Overload and Prior Art 15 China as an Emerging Intellectual Powerhouse 18 Patents as Sources of Technology 19 Patents in Force Worldwide 20 Chapter Summary 20 Additional Reading 20 Question 21 2. BRIEF INTRODUCTION TO VOCABULARY AND DEFINITIONS 22 Chapter Objective 22 Introduction 22 Short Story from Panama 23 Patent Terminology 24 Trade Secret Definition 30 Copyright 31 Trademark Definition 32 Chapter Summary 33 Additional Reading 33 Questions 34 3. YOUR FIRST DECISION: TRADE SECRET OR PATENT? 35 Chapter Objective 35 Introduction 35 Trade Secret 36 Patent 39 Comparison between a Trade Secret and a Patent 40 Chapter Summary 41 Additional Reading 41 Question 42 4. WHAT COMES FIRST: A PROVISIONAL OR NONPROVISIONAL PATENT APPLICATION? 43 Chapter Objective 43 Introduction 43 Provisional Patent Application 45 Nonprovisional Patent Application 48 Patent Application Comparison 49 Chapter Summary 50 Additional Reading 50 Question 50 5. REASONS FOR PATENT OFFICE REJECTIONS 51 Chapter Objective 51 Introduction 51 Patentable Invention and Its Usefulness 52 Novelty 53 Nonobviousness 54 Other Reasons for a Rejection 56 Chapter Summary 57 Additional Reading 57 Question 58 6. REASONS FOR INVALID PATENTS 59 Chapter Objective 59 Introduction 59 Experiments: Actual or by Insight 60 Prior Art Disclosure 60 Issued Patent Is Invalid 61 Inequitable Conduct 62 Other Considerations When Writing Your First Patent Application 62 Another Point of View 63 Chapter Summary 63 Additional Reading 64 Question 64 7. EXAMPLES OF PATENT SPECIFICATIONS 65 Chapter Objective 65 Introduction 65 Key to Patenting Success 66 Why Understanding Patents Is Important 66 Typical Pathway for Patent Application within a Company 67 Claim 1 and 2 of U.S. Patent 5,247,190 68 Examination of U.S. Patent 5,872,289 71 Format for Patent with Federal Support 76 Examination of U.S. Patent 6,369,239 77 Examination of U.S. 20040010115A1 79 Examination of U.S. Patent 7,071,289 81 Examination of U.S. Patent 5,273,995 82 Examination of U.S. Patent 7,253,209 83 Comparing Claim Language with Written Description of Invention 85 Chapter Summary 87 Additional Reading 88 Questions 88 8. WRITING THE PATENT APPLICATION 89 Chapter Objective 89 Introduction 89 The Inventive Process 90 Summary of Our Understanding for Patents and Trade Secrets 92 Identifying a Problem to Be Solved 93 Methodology to Solve a Complex Problem 97 Possible Inventions from Our Everyday Reading 101 Patentability Requirements 102 Circumventing the Rules of Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution 103 Water Splitting via Ruthenium Complex 105 Detecting Mechanical Stress within a Polymer 108 Places to Find Future Problems 110 Controlling Molecular Size of Semiconductor Quantum Dots 111 Chapter Summary 113 Additional Reading 113 Question 114 9. AN EXAMINATION OF CLAIM FORMAT 115 Chapter Objective 115 Introduction 115 Interpretation of Claims 116 General Background about Claim Language 118 More Definition about Claims 119 Specific Claim Language 120 Chapter Summary 123 10. WHY YOU NEED CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENTS 124 Chapter Objective 124 Introduction 124 Confidentiality Agreements in General 125 Important Elements within a Confidentiality Agreement 125 Chapter Summary 127 Question 127 11. PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS 128 Chapter Objective 128 Introduction 128 Copyright 129 Copyright Interpretation 131 Adjunct Professor Appointments and the Copyright 133 Filing for a Copyright 136 Trademarks 137 Chapter Summary 139 Question 140 12. GLOBAL PATENT FILING AND PATENTING STRATEGY 141 Chapter Objective 141 Introduction 141 Developing a Patent Strategy 142 International Patent Filing 143 Filing Options 145 Chapter Summary 146 Questions 147 13. WHAT ACADEMIC SCIENCE FACULTY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT PATENTS AND COPYRIGHTS 148 Chapter Objective 148 Introduction 148 Recent Background 149 What Should You Do after Having a Novel Concept? 150 Notebooks 151 Invention Disclosure 152 Confidentiality Agreements 153 Copyrights 153 Chapter Summary 154 Additional Reading 154 Questions 154 14. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RESOURCES 155 Chapter Objective 155 Introduction 155 Brief Summary of Selected Intellectual Property Books 156 Intellectual Property Courses 162 Worldwide Patent Offices 163 Emerging Technology Fields 163 Useful Organization 164 Chapter Summary 165 Additional Reading 165 15. BOOK SUMMARY AND ON YOUR OWN 166 Chapter Objective 166 Introduction 166 Pending Intellectual Property Developments 167 Summary of Previous Chapters 167 Responsibilities of the Inventor 168 Conclusions 169 Chapter Summary 170 Additional Reading 170 16. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS AT END OF CHAPTERS 171 Chapter Objective 171 Chapter 1 171 Chapter 2 172 Chapter 3 173 Chapter 4 173 Chapter 5 174 Chapter 6 176 Chapter 7 177 Chapter 8 178 Chapter 10 178 Chapter 11 179 Chapter 12 179 Chapter 13 180 17. PATENT APPENDIX 181 Chapter Objective 181 Useful Information Besides the Invention 181 Chapter Summary 184 U.S. Patent 5,872,289 185 U.S. Patent 6,369,239 194 U.S. Published Patent Application 20040010115A1 198 U.S. Patent 7,071,289 with Certificate of Correction 207 U.S. Patent 5,273,995 219 U.S. Patent 7,253,209 229 INDEX 236

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Book SynopsisFull of tips, techniques, illustrative real-world examples, exhibits, and best practices, this second edition will help you stay up to date on the newest thinking, strategies, developments, and case law in intellectual property. It presents fundamentals of patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other less-known forms of IP.Table of ContentsForeword to the Second Edition vii Foreword to the First Edition xi Preface xv Author’s Note xix Acknowledgments xxi About the Authors xxiii Introduction: Setting the Stage xxv 1 The Big Three: Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2 The Supporting Players: Other Types of IP—Trade Secrets and Know-How, Mask Works, and Noncompetition and Nondisclosure Agreements 34 3 Protecting the Fruits of Your Research and Development 47 4 Know What You Have (IP Audit) and What the Other Guy Has (Competitive Intelligence) 54 5 What is It Worth? Putting a Value on Intellectual Property 70 6 Make More Money by Sharing (Licensing) 83 7 Corporate Officers and Directors Beware: You Can Be Liable for Mismanaging Intellectual Property 92 8 Enforcing Your Rights 104 9 The Fundamental Things Apply, As Time Goes By: Intellectual Property in Cyberspace 167 10 The Patent Portfolio and Its Effect on Stock Price 180 11 How the Courts Have Changed the Patent Law 185 12 Patent Reform 209 Appendixes Appendix A: Trademark and Service Mark Application 223 Appendix B: Copyright Application 231 Appendix C: Confidentiality and Nondisclosure Agreement 239 Appendix D: Invention Assignment Form 242 Appendix E: Basic IP Audit Questionnaire 247 Appendix F: Patent Valuation 249 Appendix G: Invention Disclosure Form 270 Appendix H: License Agreements 272 Bibliography 286 Further Reading 287 Index 289

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Book SynopsisThis biography of Thomas Edison (1847-1931) studies and evaluates his career as an inventor and explores in detail how he created inventions that shaped the 20th century, including the electric light, photography, and over 1000 other items.Trade Review"Paul Israel, in this latest biography, has done a remarkable job. Not only has he given us fresh insights into a complex personality, but he has set this against the backdrop of a dramatically changing American society driven on remorselessly by the second Industrial Revolution in which Edison was a pivotal players." (Nature, 9th November 2000)Table of ContentsChildhood and Education. Itinerant Telegrapher. From Operator to Inventor. A Leading Electromechanician. Competing Interests. From Shop to Laboratory. New Directions. The Invention Factory. The Wizard of Menlo Park. Inventing a System. From Research to Development. Inventing an Industry. Family Matters. A New Laboratory. Inventing Entertainment. Industrial Research. Competition and Consolidation. Innovation and Enthusiasm. A Modern Legend. Fame in the Family. The Business of Innovation. Edison Incorporated. Inventor-Philosopher. Epilogue. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the development of the English patent system and its relationship with technical change during the period between 1660 and 1800, when the patent system evolved from an instrument of royal patronage into one of commercial competition among the inventors and manufacturers of the Industrial Revolution.Table of ContentsList of tables and figures; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Notes on style; Introduction; 1. Patents 1550–1660: law, policy and controversy; 2. The later-Stuart patent grant - an instrument of policy?; 3. The development of the patent system, 1660–1800; 4. The judiciary and the enforcement of patent rights; 5. The decision to patent; 6. Invention outside the patent system; 7. Patents in a capitalist economy; 8. The long-term rise in patents; 9. The goals of invention; 10. Patents: criticisms and alternatives; 11. A new concept of invention; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisRobert Kanigel takes us into the heady world of a remarkable group of scientists working at the National Institutes of Health and the Johns Hopkins University: a dynasty of American researchers who for over forty years have made Nobel Prize- and Lasker Award-winning breakthroughs in biomedical science.Trade ReviewA beguiling combination of sociological and scientific scholarship, straight reporting and titillating voyeurism. Isis Making extensive use of interviews and anecdote, Kanigel depicts how, in a mentor-to-protege chain starting with James Shannon and moving to Bernard Brodie and then to Julius Axelrod, the legacy of creativity and empirical style has passed to Snyder and then to Pert. Science As compelling as a Jackie Collins novel, though with bigger words. Chicago TribuneTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Nobel Laureate2. A Wartime Urgency3. Steve Brodie, Methyl Orange, and the New Pharmacology4. Brodie and Axelrod: "Let's Take a Flier on It"5. Building 3: "All He Had to Do Was Whistle"6. Separate Ways7. Julie's Lab8. The Golden Era9. Johns Hopkins10. The Opiate Receptor: "Just Get Hysterical and Do It"11. The Lasker Flap12. The Mentor Chain13. 198514. Epilogue: 1993AcknowledgmentsIndex

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Book SynopsisSpanning more than 2000 years, Terry Reynolds's account follows the progression of this labor-saving device from Asia to the Middle East, Europe, and America-covering the evolution of the water wheel itself, the development of dams and reservoirs, and the applications of water power.Trade ReviewThe most comprehensive and definitive history of the water wheel ever published... Reynolds's study is documented by a staggering number of notes and a vast bibliography, and the text is supplemented by numerous excellent illustrations... An attractive and highly useful source of information. Choice This is an exceptional scholarly work-clearly written, fully documented, and informatively illustrated. Library Journal This lucid, technically precise, and comprehensive study of this key element in the evolution of Western society is a major scholarly contribution. It is also an extremely interesting and readable book that should appeal to anyone with an interest in energy, machinery, or innovation. Science

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Book SynopsisFar from being a record of southern failure, Lakwete concludes, the cotton gin-correctly understood-supplies evidence that the slave labor-based antebellum South innovated, industrialized, and modernized.Trade ReviewWith careful use of vivid illustrations and keen analytic skills, Lakwete captures the relationship between technology and human initiative. -- Lester P. Lee, Jr. Times Literary Supplement 2004 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which created the Old South and then destroyed it... Lakwete targets this myth in Inventing the Cotton Gin and largely demolishes it. -- John Bezis-Selfa Alabama Review 2005 This study provides students a clear example of how technological choices are not the storybook cases of perfected innovations replacing hopelessly outclassed traditional methods. -- William H. Phillips EH.Net 2004 For those seeking to understand how the interplay of market factors, cultural norms, and personal choices shape-and are shaped by-technology, Inventing the Cotton Gin is an excellent read. -- Don Butts History: Reviews of New Books 2004 Lakwete has written the first scholarly study of the cotton gin in antebellum America... Instead of viewing Eli Whitney's work as a historical watershed, she finds continuity. Choice 2004 Lakwete joins the pantheon of technological historians by demolishing a standard, widely accepted myth with the careful and persuasive analysis of a vast array of evidence... The book is a triumph. -- Barbara Hahn H-South, H-Net Reviews 2004 Few will dispute that this book will change how historians think about the rise of King Cotton and the nature of technological change. -- John Majewski Business History Review 2004 [Lakwete] captures the nuances that distinguish technological success from failure. -- John S. Nader Enterprise and Society 2004 Another myth relating to the South is relegated, shall we say-with apologies to Marx-to the (cotton) dustbin of history... A major work of scholarship. -- Peter A. Coclanis Technology and Culture 2004 Inventing the Cotton Gin is an education in economic and business history as much as a needed revisionist version of the cotton gin myth. -- Kim Long Bloomsbury Review 2004 Bold and path-breaking... Most forcefully, Lakwete impugns the notion that a machine bears the responsibility for the Civil War and its aftermath. -- Mark Finlay South Carolina Historical Magazine 2004 The best and most sophisticated treatment of the gin in the larger context of the antebellum cotton South we are likely to see... The dramatic, great-white man narrative of Eli Whitney yields to a richer, more complex story. -- David L. Carlton Georgia Historical Quarterly 2004 She has done an excellent job of weaving together an amazingly complex series of events in a straightforward and interesting manner. -- Twyla Dell Material Culture 2006 An important addition to the growing list of works on southern industrialization... As with other good history books, it challenges what we think we knew, and sends us searching for more clues. -- Shepherd W. McKinley H-Net Reviews 2007Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Cotton and the Gin to 16002. The Roller Gin in the America, 1607-17903. The Invention of the Saw Gin, 1790-18104. The Transition from the Roller to the Saw Gin, 1796-18305. The Saw Gin Industry, 1830-18656. Saw Gin Innovation, 1820-18607. Old and New Roller Gins, 1820-18708. Machine and MythNotesEssay on SourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisFar from being a record of southern failure, Lakwete concludes, the cotton gin-correctly understood-supplies evidence that the slave labor-based antebellum South innovated, industrialized, and modernized.Trade ReviewWith careful use of vivid illustrations and keen analytic skills, Lakwete captures the relationship between technology and human initiative. -- Lester P. Lee, Jr. Times Literary Supplement 2004 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which created the Old South and then destroyed it... Lakwete targets this myth in Inventing the Cotton Gin and largely demolishes it. -- John Bezis-Selfa Alabama Review 2005 This study provides students a clear example of how technological choices are not the storybook cases of perfected innovations replacing hopelessly outclassed traditional methods. -- William H. Phillips EH.Net 2004 For those seeking to understand how the interplay of market factors, cultural norms, and personal choices shape-and are shaped by-technology, Inventing the Cotton Gin is an excellent read. -- Don Butts History: Reviews of New Books 2004 Lakwete has written the first scholarly study of the cotton gin in antebellum America... Instead of viewing Eli Whitney's work as a historical watershed, she finds continuity. Choice 2004 Lakwete joins the pantheon of technological historians by demolishing a standard, widely accepted myth with the careful and persuasive analysis of a vast array of evidence... The book is a triumph. -- Barbara Hahn H-South, H-Net Reviews 2004 Few will dispute that this book will change how historians think about the rise of King Cotton and the nature of technological change. -- John Majewski Business History Review 2004 [Lakwete] captures the nuances that distinguish technological success from failure. -- John S. Nader Enterprise and Society 2004 Another myth relating to the South is relegated, shall we say-with apologies to Marx-to the (cotton) dustbin of history... A major work of scholarship. -- Peter A. Coclanis Technology and Culture 2004 Inventing the Cotton Gin is an education in economic and business history as much as a needed revisionist version of the cotton gin myth. -- Kim Long Bloomsbury Review 2004 Bold and path-breaking... Most forcefully, Lakwete impugns the notion that a machine bears the responsibility for the Civil War and its aftermath. -- Mark Finlay South Carolina Historical Magazine 2004 The best and most sophisticated treatment of the gin in the larger context of the antebellum cotton South we are likely to see... The dramatic, great-white man narrative of Eli Whitney yields to a richer, more complex story. -- David L. Carlton Georgia Historical Quarterly 2004 She has done an excellent job of weaving together an amazingly complex series of events in a straightforward and interesting manner. -- Twyla Dell Material Culture 2006 An important addition to the growing list of works on southern industrialization... As with other good history books, it challenges what we think we knew, and sends us searching for more clues. -- Shepherd W. McKinley H-Net Reviews 2007Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Cotton and the Gin to 16002. The Roller Gin in the America, 1607-17903. The Invention of the Saw Gin, 1790-18104. The Transition from the Roller to the Saw Gin, 1796-18305. The Saw Gin Industry, 1830-18656. Saw Gin Innovation, 1820-18607. Old and New Roller Gins, 1820-18708. Machine and MythNotesEssay on SourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisThe volume includes a glossary of terms, a timeline of important events, and a selected bibliography of useful resources for further information.Trade ReviewThe book is arguably the one technology that has made all others possible... What Howard does is provide an exceedingly accessible retelling of the book's life story, one that shows precisely how books represent a peak of technology, giving permanence and form to ideas and relevance and resonance to their readers. Libraries & the Cultural Record A very succinct history of the book that will be quite useful, in introductory book history courses as a survey text (or by any bibliophile who wants to know more.) philobiblos.blogspot.com 2009Table of ContentsIntroductionTimeline1. Ancestors: Books before Print2. Infancy: The Earliest Printed Books, 1450–15003. Youth: Books in the Sixteenth Century4. Adulthood: Early-Modern Books, 1600–18005. Maturity: Books in the Age of Automation, 1800–19006. The Future of Books: Twentieth Century and BeyondGlossaryBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisRevised and updated from the original 1986 edition, this definitive study of the most famous invention of America's most famous inventor is completely keyed to the printed and electronic versions of the Edison Papers, inviting the reader to explore further the remarkable original sources.Trade ReviewQuite readable... Friedel and Israel provide a good description of the process of inventing a functional, marketable incandescent light bulb as well as an electric power grid. Choice Any library strong in scientific inventions and the process of theories and exploration will find this a winning survey. Midwest Book Review 2011Table of ContentsPreface to the Johns Hopkins Edition1. "A Big Bonanza"2. "The Throes of Invention"The Search for a Vacuum3. "Some Difficult Requirements"Carbon and the Incandescent Lamp4. The Triumph of CarbonWho Invented the Incandescent Lamp?5. Business and ScienceThe Menlo Park Mystique6. A System Complete7. Promises FulfilledAfterwordA Note from the Authors with AcknowledgmentsNotesRecommended Additional ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisOver the centuries, much has been written about Wolfgang von Kempelen, the inventor of the speaking machine, and author of Mechanism Of Human Speech (1791) on philology, linguistic technology and phonetics. This book illuminates the life of this very eccentric thinker, his achievements, and even his legendary reputation. Very little was known about his other achievements and the rest of his life. The subject addressed by most was and is what is commonly referred to as the the Turk (a chess-playing automaton) which for years has stimulated and still stimulates the fantasy of anyone who sees it. Where studies on von Kempelen have in the past been based on speculation and tall tales, for the first time a complete and exact survey on the facts and dates of Kempelen's life are given. The research for this book concentrated on the facts which were found mainly in the archives in Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava among other institutions.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a research guide and bibliography of Parliamentary material, including the Old Scottish Parliament and the Old Irish Parliament, relating to patents and inventions from the early seventeenth century to 1976. It chronicles the entire history of a purely British patent law before the coming into force of the European Patent Convention under the Patents Act 1977. It provides a comprehensive record of every Act, Bill, Parliamentary paper, report, petition and recorded debate or Parliamentary question on patent law during the period.The work will be an essential resource for scholars and researchers in intellectual property law, the history of technology, and legal and economic history.Trade ReviewHighly Commended in the inaugural Harley Prize of the British Records AssociationTable of ContentsAcknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part 1: Public Acts and Bills; 1. Public Patent Acts; 2. Public Acts with Patent Provisions; 3. Public Patent Bills; Part 2: Private Acts and Bills; 4. Private Acts; 5. Private Bills and Notices; 6. Private Bill Standing Orders; Part 3: Acts and Legislation of the Old Scottish and Irish Parliament; 7. Scottish Acts granted exclusive rights; 8. Manufactory Acts; 9. Other Scottish Parliamentary Material; 10. Irish Bills; Part 4: Statutory Instruments; Part 5: Parliamentary Rewards; 11. Parliamentary Rewards Granted; 12. Parliamentary Rewards Sought But Not Granted; Part 6: Parliamentary and Command Papers; 13. Parliamentary Reports into the Patent System; 14. Parliamentary Papers; 15. Reports of the Commissioner and Comptroller under the Patents Acts; 16. Reports on International Exhibitions; 17. Reports of Royal Commissions on Awards to Inventors; 18. Command Papers relating to International Treaties; 19. Command Papers relating to the British Empire Patent Proposal; Part 7: Petitions; Part 8: Parliamentary Questions and Debates; 20. Parliamentary Questions; 21. Parliamentary Debates and Comments; Index of Inventors; Index of Companies; Index of Inventions/products; Index of Parliamentarians; Index of Legislation; Index of Cases; General Index;

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Book SynopsisFrom Oxford''s leading AI researcher comes a fun and accessible tour through the history and future of one of the most cutting edge and misunderstood field in science: Artificial IntelligenceThe somewhat ill-defined long-term aim of AI is to build machines that are conscious, self-aware, and sentient; machines capable of the kind of intelligent autonomous action that currently only people are capable of. As an AI researcher with 25 years of experience, professor Mike Wooldridge has learned to be obsessively cautious about such claims, while still promoting an intense optimism about the future of the field. There have been genuine scientific breakthroughs that have made AI systems possible in the past decade that the founders of the field would have hailed as miraculous. Driverless cars and automated translation tools are just two examples of AI technologies that have become a practical, everyday reality in the past few years, and which will have a huge impact on our w

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Book SynopsisAs Jones shows, it can often pay to take an absurd idea seriously.Trade ReviewThe Aha! Moment is not bogged down with scientific detail and tech talk; in fact, it asks a multitude of absurd questions meant to promote innovative and logical brainstorming. Jones gives dozens of examples from his own body of work... While his examples dominate more than half of the book, they are intriguing and stimulating, acting as a means to promote creativity in fellow scientists and artists. -- Aimee Jodoin Foreword Reviews A top pick not to be limited to science holdings, this will reach many a general-interest reader with its fascinating, readable and lively insights. Midwest Book Review David Jones sees himself as the court jester of science and, as with jesters of old, he is allowed to say things that other mortals might think but dare not speak... Most of the book is an eclectic blend of Jones the chemist and Daedalus the mad scientist and together they make entertaining reading. You'd be mad not to buy it -- John Emsley Chemistry World A practical blueprint to bolster one's own creative process, a treasure map to innovative insights. -- Bob Grant The Scientist A fascinating insight into one man's never-ending search for ideas. -- Jessica Griggs New ScientistTable of ContentsPreface: Creativity in My Career1. A Theory of Creativity2. The Creative Environment3. Thoughts on the Random Ideas Generator4. Intuition and Odd Notions5. Creativity in Scientific Papers6. Heat and Gravity7. Astronomical Musings8. Rotating Things9. Explosions and Fuses10. Tricks with Optics11. Properties of Materials12. Physical Phenomena I Have Noticed13. Odd Notions I Have Played With14. Literary Information15. Inventions We Need but Don't Have16. A List of Silly Questions17. A Short Guide to Being CreativeNotesIndex

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Book SynopsisPop culture fans and trivia lovers will delight in National Geographic’s highly browsable, freewheeling compendium of customs, notions and inventions that reflect human ingenuity throughout history. Dip into any page and discover extraordinary hidden details in the everyday that will inform, amuse, astonish, and surprise. From hand tools to holidays to weapons to washing machines, this book features hundreds of colorful illustrations, timelines, sidebars, and more as it explores just about every subject under the sun. Who knew that indoor plumbing has been around for 4,600 years, but punctuation, capital letters, and the handy spaces between written words only date back to the Dark Ages? Or that ancient soldiers baked a kind of pizza on their shields— when they weren’t busy flying kites to frighten their foes?

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Book SynopsisWritten for science geeks and everyone curious about the world around us, this comprehensive sweep through modern science and technology is a solid family reference, covering the most important innovations and inventions in engineering, physics, medicine, chemistry, biology, and more.

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Book SynopsisIn this fascinating book, futurist Brian David Johnson and cultural historian James Carrott offer insights into what Steampunk's alternative history says about our own world and its technological future.

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Book SynopsisWith 34 projects inside, you can build everything from a smart watch to your own electronic garments. A special section on Intel's Edison tells you everything you need to know about this powerful, inexpensive, and lightweight board.

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