We recently drew attention to the 1998 discovery at Cornell regarding the possibility of tweaking one’s cicadian rhythms by shining a bright light at the back of one’s knees. But continuing research into extraocular (outside the eye) light stimuli has turned to the possibility of a more direct route. Why not shine a light directly […]
Tag: Inventions
Dr. Fish, Dr. Watts and their cetacean tubercules
“Major discoveries always come with a story: Newton had his apple, Archimedes had his bath tub, and Dr. Frank E. Fish, while shopping for a gift, examined a sculpture of a humpback whale in a shop and issued a fatefully inaccurate observation: ‘Look at that. The sculptor put the bumps on the wrong side of the flipper.’ […]
A blueprint for (almost) everything
Physicists, philosophers and artists who have been struggling to understand the intricacies, enigmas and counterintuitivenesses of the structure of the universe now have a new resource which might help them – a ‘Useable Electromagnetic Blueprint of the Structure of Space’. For which a company called Hyperspace Pty Ltd (headed by inventor Christopher Heyring of Eagle […]
The many patents of Pedrick the great
Arthur Pedrick patented many odd devices, one of which puts a cart before a horse, the horse supplying the propulsive power: The Patently Absurd web site collected many of Pedrick’s patents in one handy place.
2012 Yearly Golfball Patents: A look back
Over the course of the last year Improbable has attempted to address the question of whether the number of new patents for golfballs might or might not be used as a continuous gauge for human ingenuity. With the recent publication of December’s figures, The full results are now in. Statistics : Highest monthly level : 11 golfball […]
Updated list of new patents for golfballs (Dec. 2012)
The number of new US golfball patents fell back to disappointingly average levels this December – down almost 28% on November’s figures. • Golf balls having at least two core layers formed from HNP compositions • Low lift golf ball • High performance golf ball having a reduced-distance • Multi-piece golf ball comprising low hardness […]
Updated index of new patents for golfballs (Nov. 2012)
November 2012 saw a higher-than-average number of golfball-related patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office. There were no less than 11 new golfball concepts – an improvement of nearly 38% on last month’s lacklustre figures. • Golf ball having moisture barrier layers made from polyolefin compositions • Multilayer core golf ball having hardness […]
Updated index of new patents for golfballs (Sept. 2012)
The GolfBall Index maintained headway into positive territory again this month – virtually equalling August’s promising figures. September 2012 ended with almost one dozen new US patents for golfballs. • Golf ball core with soft outer transition volume and negative hardness gradient • Multi-layer core golf ball having opposing hardness gradient with steep gradient outer […]
Teabagging: Removing the sog
This technical drawing may appear to show a way to dry out soggy underwear. It may turn out to be a method to dry out soggy underwear. But the specified use is otherwise. The patent document explains [AIR 16:2]: “Teabag Squeezer and Holder”, U.S. patent #3550528, granted to Thomas Montague O’Neill, December 29, 1970: Heretofore, […]
Your machine as a rule of thumb
If you don’t know how to build a machine that accomplishes as much as a Dr. Thomas Galen Hieronymus Machine — the all-in-one machine described here yesterday ‚ just get some ready-made plans. The self-noted inventor William D. Jenson has generously formulated a set of plans, which he placed on his web site along with […]